We all know that life is ironic. But some incidents make you believe this to the core. One such incident happened recently to me.
When I returned from the US, my Indian bank account debit card had expired, and since I was not in the country, I had not received a new one. I quickly put in a request for one. At the time, I was in Mumbai. As luck would have it, the card arrived when noone was home, and so it went back.
After a few days I called again. This time they assured me that the card would reach me in a few days. It didn't (for some weird reason).
I called again (If you have been involved in phone banking, you would know how frustrating this can be). By this time I was in Pune, so I gave them my Pune address. Now, giving them a new address means going through all their convoluted processes. For example, you cannot request for a card to be sent to a certain address, until
you have that address as your regular communication address in the system. You cannot change it in the system over phone on the same call, if you've logged into the call using your card number. Once you finally have the address changed in the system, it takes 24 hours for the change to be effective. Only once the change is effective, can you call again and request that the card be sent to a new address.
See, all this is fine, and I understand that things have to go through a process, especially when you are dealing with another person's money. But for me, time was running out. I had only a few hundred rupees left on me, and the month end was approaching. I had to pay the electiricity bill, phone bill, pay the maid, and basically I
was missing the independance of having money in my hands. I had to withdraw money asap.
Then one bhalaa maanus gave me an idea. Why don't I use his card (he never used that account much). He trusted me enough to share his pin with me, so I had a card I could use. All that was fine, but he hardly had any money in his account. Well, atleast not as much as I would want to use!
Meanwhile my extensive calls with the bank were getting even hotter. I was beginning to lose my temper. I had 300 bucks in my purse. I needed a damn card to access my money! On one final call I heard that the address to which I had requested the card be sent, was in an 'undeliverable area' (whatever that means), so the card had gone back to them (yes, yet again). This time they were taking no chances, and had sent it via a postal service. It would take another 11 days to reach me. I thought to myself, "Post, Post!!!!! After all this fuss, they finally send it via a regular, meagre post?!" Then I panicked "Did they say 11 days??!! 11 days on 300 bucks? "
On a frustrated night I was called by bhalaa maanus. He gave me a brilliant idea. Why dont I issue a check to transfer some money from my inaccessible account, into his account? Then I could use his card to withdraw moolah. I thought it to be a great idea and wondered why I didn't think of it myself.
The next problem was to look for my check book. I had no idea where it was. The next morning, I was check book hunting, and I'm pleased to say the hunt was successful.
Bhalaa maanus, who was also intelligent maanus, gave me a new idea again. Why don't I go to a bank, address a check to myself, and withdraw money? I thought about this..."Hmmm, this sounds like the perfectly logical, easiest and in your face solution. Now why on earth didn't I think of it? And why on earth did it take so much time
for bhalaa maanus to think of it?" I kept wondering, but couldn't reach an answer I liked.
Without wasting any time, I wrote two checks, one to myself, the other to BM (bhalaa maanus). The lure of money was too strong for me to be able to think of any other task that day.
Off I go to the bank, deposit one check, withdraw money with the other. I feel like on top of the world, suddenly there is light. I have money in my hands, the soft feel of green....Now there's no need to worry, now I can shop, now I can.....
I'm still dreaming when I return to my desk. I notice the phone is ringing. I decide to answer it. The man at the other ends says to me "Madam aapka post aaya hai, please abhi aakar gate se collect kar leejiye" :)
Friday, March 30, 2007
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Some Collection!
When I was in the US, I could not make too much time to read. Not that I did not read at all, books are as basic a necessity to me as food. But certainly not as much as I would have wanted to. But I always knew that once I return to India, I would be able to make much more time for my quest for books.
As always, I went overboard with trying to get a good collection to be read. I have shopped for only one thing from the time I have returned: books.
This is the collection that currently adorns my bedside table:
Planet India - Mira Kamdar
Rich Dad Poor Dad - Robert Kiyosaki
Malgudi Schooldays - Rasipuram Krishnaswami Narayan
Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen (I must have read this a million times, but I keep going back to it)
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle (Same for this one!)
Freedom At Midnight - Dominique Lappierre and Larry Collins
Economics from an Outsider's view - P. Chidambaram
The Art of Happy Living - Budhiraj
Tough Times don't last, but Tough People do - Robert Schuller
Neat collection, isn't it? Jealous? ;)
As always, I went overboard with trying to get a good collection to be read. I have shopped for only one thing from the time I have returned: books.
This is the collection that currently adorns my bedside table:
Planet India - Mira Kamdar
Rich Dad Poor Dad - Robert Kiyosaki
Malgudi Schooldays - Rasipuram Krishnaswami Narayan
Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen (I must have read this a million times, but I keep going back to it)
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle (Same for this one!)
Freedom At Midnight - Dominique Lappierre and Larry Collins
Economics from an Outsider's view - P. Chidambaram
The Art of Happy Living - Budhiraj
Tough Times don't last, but Tough People do - Robert Schuller
Neat collection, isn't it? Jealous? ;)
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Oldies Goldies
Some invaluable shayaries from very old songs. Heard them on Vividhbharati radio station and had to pen them down:
-----
Vo gham bhi haseen hai
Jis gham ke jimmedaar ho tum.
Dil ki dhadkan ki tamanna ho
Mera pyaar ho tum.
-----
Ye duniya hai
Is duniya ka zamaana kisko bhaata hai
Hazaaron pyaar karte hain
Nibhaana kuchh ko aata hai.
Ye duniya hai
Is duniya ka zamaana kisko bhaata hai
Nibhaane vaale laakhon hain
Manaana kisko aata hai.
-----
Zindagi dene vaale sun
Teri duniya se ji bhar gayaa
Mein yahaan jeeteji mar gayaa.
Raat katti nahin, din guzarta nahin
Zakhm aisa diya hai ki bharta nahin
Aankh veeran hai, dil pareshaan hai
Gham ka jadoo koi kar gayaa.
Zindagi dene vaale sun....
-----
Awesome aren't they?
-----
Vo gham bhi haseen hai
Jis gham ke jimmedaar ho tum.
Dil ki dhadkan ki tamanna ho
Mera pyaar ho tum.
-----
Ye duniya hai
Is duniya ka zamaana kisko bhaata hai
Hazaaron pyaar karte hain
Nibhaana kuchh ko aata hai.
Ye duniya hai
Is duniya ka zamaana kisko bhaata hai
Nibhaane vaale laakhon hain
Manaana kisko aata hai.
-----
Zindagi dene vaale sun
Teri duniya se ji bhar gayaa
Mein yahaan jeeteji mar gayaa.
Raat katti nahin, din guzarta nahin
Zakhm aisa diya hai ki bharta nahin
Aankh veeran hai, dil pareshaan hai
Gham ka jadoo koi kar gayaa.
Zindagi dene vaale sun....
-----
Awesome aren't they?
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Bas Ab...
Tanhai ne saath kabhi na chhoda
Andhere ki lau ne dil ke konon mein roshni ki
Intezaar ne khoob dosti nibhai
Aur mujhe lagta tha mein akeli hoon?
Vaqt mere saath chalta aaya
Zamaana mujhpe hanstaa aaya
Khamoshi ne mere liye geet gaaya
Aur mujhe lagta tha mein akeli hoon?
Agar in sabka saath mila hai
To phir dil bezaar kyon
Ye kisika abtak intezaar kyon
Dil mein ummeed ka mahaul kyon
Bas ab ghar laut chalti hoon
Dil chahta hai, dil ko manaa leti hoon
Thak gayee hoon, thoda aaraam kar leti hoon
Khuli aankhon mein aa aakar sapne sataate hain
Zaraa aankhen mandke neend ki ummeed kar leti hoon.
Andhere ki lau ne dil ke konon mein roshni ki
Intezaar ne khoob dosti nibhai
Aur mujhe lagta tha mein akeli hoon?
Vaqt mere saath chalta aaya
Zamaana mujhpe hanstaa aaya
Khamoshi ne mere liye geet gaaya
Aur mujhe lagta tha mein akeli hoon?
Agar in sabka saath mila hai
To phir dil bezaar kyon
Ye kisika abtak intezaar kyon
Dil mein ummeed ka mahaul kyon
Bas ab ghar laut chalti hoon
Dil chahta hai, dil ko manaa leti hoon
Thak gayee hoon, thoda aaraam kar leti hoon
Khuli aankhon mein aa aakar sapne sataate hain
Zaraa aankhen mandke neend ki ummeed kar leti hoon.
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Monday, January 15, 2007
Hi, Who's just joined?...
In the time of my experience in my career, I have observed the rather overusage of meetings. I would say that 98 percent of these meetings are non-productive 98 percent of the times.
Yet most people spend most of their day at work attending meetings. It seems to me like an addiction, a compulsion that people must perform in order to feel that they are 'working'. If a pin drops, a meeting would be called immediately to discuss its 'Causes and future action plans', in which they would discuss :
First, the day's weather
Second, yesterday's weather and how they had to deal with it
Third, how they had to skip lunch to attend another meeting that just ended
Fourth, why XYZ could not make it, as he had to go to pick his kid from school
Fifth, how yesterday was their teenagers prom night, and how difficult it is to deal with teenagers
Sixth, how its been such a long week, and thank God that the weekend is here, and how they plan to leave early this one Friday
Seventh, its going to be sunny this weekend!Yeah....!
Eighth, how unfortunate it is that the pin dropped from its usual place
Ninth, future plan is that another meeting should be scheduled on Monday to talk about how to deal with this rather unforeseen development
Tenth, exchange a thousand 'thank you's', and 'have a great weekend!'s'
Now, there may be a multitude of participants attending these meetings. I have had an opportunity to observe them on many occassions, and have had rather amusing observations. All of these attendants can be clubbed in a few typical categories.
The 'Who's just joined' types:
Somebody tells them (mostly their managers) that a pin has dropped, and a meeting needs to be scheduled with the whole world in the invite. Not sure what 'whole world' comprises of, he sends the invite to, well, the whole world. His job is to repeat 'Hi, who's just joined?' after every beep. Sometimes he commands some more attention by being a little more innovative " Hi, I heard a beep. So who's just joined? " Once the meeting is in swing, his job is over. He will then wait patiently to finally thank everyone just before another spate of beeps (this time the sign off beeps). Most people don't even wait for him to say thank you and wind up. They know there's going to be nothing new.
The drivers without a licence:
These will very bravely attempt to 'drive' the meeting, by blabbering a few lines at the start about the fact that a pin dropped. At the very moment that another person speaks, they will take the backseat. They will then conveniently not speak until absolutely required (that is, till someone calls out their name and asks a question). And if noone else volunteers to speak, they will keep repeating that a pin dropped, in ten different ways, and confuse everyone, till some impatient soul finally speaks up (not because he has something to say, but because he wants the driver with no licence, to shutup.)
The vultures:
These will silently log in, without announcing their identity. They will wait for their prey to speak, or rather, misspeak. Until then, they will remain silent, and the rest of them will not know they are there. Once the prey becomes complacent, and puts his foot in his mouth, they will pounce. They will then blame the poor soul for being responsible for the pin to drop. A deadly silence will then follow, mostly because of shock, with everyone thinking to themselves "Hope I did not say anything I shouldn't have, the vulture was watching his prey all along!" Needless to say, the vulture is usually a very important and powerful person in the organization.
The so-called managers:
"What do we need to understand clearly the reason for the pin to drop?"
"What do we need to do to make sure the pin does not drop again?"
"XYZ, could you take this up and go ahead and make sure the pin does not drop again?"
"Do we have everything we need to make sure the pin does not drop again?"
"XYZ, could you just schedule another meeting to discuss what we need to do to make sure the pin does not drop again?"
The Yaaawwn-mmmm types:
These got invited by mistake, they have no relation or contribution or knowledge about the pin, or the calamity of its dropping. They would rather just stay on, as they have nothing better to do anyways, or want to show their bosses that they are attending an 'important' meeting. They will announce their name when they join in, and say 'thank you' when they sign out. The time in between that, they will utilize for restful slumber.
The common man:
This guy will come prepared to the meeting with his notes, about the significance of the pin, how it dropped, what are the consequences, and how it can be avoided in future with a backup plan. He never gets a chance to speak.
Yet most people spend most of their day at work attending meetings. It seems to me like an addiction, a compulsion that people must perform in order to feel that they are 'working'. If a pin drops, a meeting would be called immediately to discuss its 'Causes and future action plans', in which they would discuss :
First, the day's weather
Second, yesterday's weather and how they had to deal with it
Third, how they had to skip lunch to attend another meeting that just ended
Fourth, why XYZ could not make it, as he had to go to pick his kid from school
Fifth, how yesterday was their teenagers prom night, and how difficult it is to deal with teenagers
Sixth, how its been such a long week, and thank God that the weekend is here, and how they plan to leave early this one Friday
Seventh, its going to be sunny this weekend!Yeah....!
Eighth, how unfortunate it is that the pin dropped from its usual place
Ninth, future plan is that another meeting should be scheduled on Monday to talk about how to deal with this rather unforeseen development
Tenth, exchange a thousand 'thank you's', and 'have a great weekend!'s'
Now, there may be a multitude of participants attending these meetings. I have had an opportunity to observe them on many occassions, and have had rather amusing observations. All of these attendants can be clubbed in a few typical categories.
The 'Who's just joined' types:
Somebody tells them (mostly their managers) that a pin has dropped, and a meeting needs to be scheduled with the whole world in the invite. Not sure what 'whole world' comprises of, he sends the invite to, well, the whole world. His job is to repeat 'Hi, who's just joined?' after every beep. Sometimes he commands some more attention by being a little more innovative " Hi, I heard a beep. So who's just joined? " Once the meeting is in swing, his job is over. He will then wait patiently to finally thank everyone just before another spate of beeps (this time the sign off beeps). Most people don't even wait for him to say thank you and wind up. They know there's going to be nothing new.
The drivers without a licence:
These will very bravely attempt to 'drive' the meeting, by blabbering a few lines at the start about the fact that a pin dropped. At the very moment that another person speaks, they will take the backseat. They will then conveniently not speak until absolutely required (that is, till someone calls out their name and asks a question). And if noone else volunteers to speak, they will keep repeating that a pin dropped, in ten different ways, and confuse everyone, till some impatient soul finally speaks up (not because he has something to say, but because he wants the driver with no licence, to shutup.)
The vultures:
These will silently log in, without announcing their identity. They will wait for their prey to speak, or rather, misspeak. Until then, they will remain silent, and the rest of them will not know they are there. Once the prey becomes complacent, and puts his foot in his mouth, they will pounce. They will then blame the poor soul for being responsible for the pin to drop. A deadly silence will then follow, mostly because of shock, with everyone thinking to themselves "Hope I did not say anything I shouldn't have, the vulture was watching his prey all along!" Needless to say, the vulture is usually a very important and powerful person in the organization.
The so-called managers:
"What do we need to understand clearly the reason for the pin to drop?"
"What do we need to do to make sure the pin does not drop again?"
"XYZ, could you take this up and go ahead and make sure the pin does not drop again?"
"Do we have everything we need to make sure the pin does not drop again?"
"XYZ, could you just schedule another meeting to discuss what we need to do to make sure the pin does not drop again?"
The Yaaawwn-mmmm types:
These got invited by mistake, they have no relation or contribution or knowledge about the pin, or the calamity of its dropping. They would rather just stay on, as they have nothing better to do anyways, or want to show their bosses that they are attending an 'important' meeting. They will announce their name when they join in, and say 'thank you' when they sign out. The time in between that, they will utilize for restful slumber.
The common man:
This guy will come prepared to the meeting with his notes, about the significance of the pin, how it dropped, what are the consequences, and how it can be avoided in future with a backup plan. He never gets a chance to speak.
Sunday, November 26, 2006
How mysterious thy ways
She speaks a different language
Her eyes tell a million words
A tiny crease on her smile to say what she feels
She will leave you spellbound and amazed.
O woman, how mysterious thy ways!
Jewels worth thousands to adorn her beautiful self
But priceless treasures buried within her heart
The key to which she gives only to one for love
Or those treasures will hidden forever stay.
O woman, how mysterious thy ways!
Roses and lilies shower their fragrance
The morning sun shines only for her
The running stream hums her a tune
They know her heart is but of clay.
O woman, how mysterious thy ways!
Rich and pauper, Good and bad
All wish to have her for themselves
She knows she has the power of beauty
Yet, she is lonely night and day.
O woman, how mysterious thy ways!
Monday, October 23, 2006
I'm With You - Avril Lavigne
Im standing on the bridge
Im waiting on the dark
I thought that you'd be here
by now
Ther's nothing but the rain
no foot steps on the ground
Im listening but ther's
no sound
Isn't anyone trying to find me
Won't somebody come take me home
it's a damn cold night
Trying to figure out this life
Won't you take me by the hand
Take me somewhere new
I don't know who you are but I
Im with you
Im with you
Im looking for a place
Im sarching for a face
Is anybody here
I know
Cause nothing's going right
And everything's a mess
And no one likes to be
alone
Isn't anyone trying to find me
Won't somebody come take me home
It's a damn cold night
Trying to figure out this life
Won't you take me by the hand
Take me somewhere new
I don't know who you are
But I
Im with you
Im with you
Oh
Why is every thing so confusing?
Maybe Im just out of my mind
Yeah yeah yeah...
It's a damn cold night
Trying to figure out this life
Won't you take me by the hand
Take me somewhere new
I don't Know Who You are
But I
Im with you
Im with you
Take me by the hand
Take me somewhere new
I don't Know Who You are
But I
Im with you
Im with you
Take me by the hand
Take me somewhere new
I don't Know Who You are
But I
Im with you
Im with you
Saturday, October 21, 2006
I want...
I want to fly
Touch the sky
Head back and kiss the earth
Live the low, and the high
Feel the wind caress my hair
Smell the fresh dew in the air
When time stands still just for me
And I take a moment to stand and stare
Enjoy the fragrance of a flower
Watch the world from the highest tower
From the nadir to the acme
Experience life's beauty and power
Walk the seashore in the first rains
Wash off my heart from all the pain
Live, breathe, see, love
I want my lust for life to forever remain.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)