Silence

And then, Pinkoo asked Punkoo, "How you doing?"

"Fine."

"Hows life - your job, health, friend circle...?"

"Okay."

"Hmm..."

(Silence)

"Hows ur life - settled in the job and everything?

"Yeah. It's a very different experience, but I like it."

"Good."

"Hmm."

(Silence)

"So, Punkoo... Who's been giving you the strength to stay away from me?"

(Silence)

"Who's giving you the energy to be without me?"

(Silence)

Some questions are left unanswered...

Some relations end despite the love and commitment being evergreen...

What happens to the people?

Silence...

That invincible silence...

Update Time!

Yoo hooo!!

My brand new DELL INSPIRON 14R lappie is finally here!!


Take a bow girl, take a bow!

There she is... Hot red and sexy sleek... Woahhh!!! I can't believe it...

Now don't you guys be taken aback by my enthusiasm - it's my first lappie ever, in fact, my first ever personal system. Prior to this, it was either the computer at my uncle's office, a friend's laptop or a cyber cafe comp that had the pleasure of being the focus of my five senses. And now, its THIS!! Hurrayyyyy...

I used to feel like a relic in my growing up days when people all around me, a lot older and much younger to me, flaunted their personal computers while I didn't even have a basic desktop at home. Doing my assignments during school and college on commercial comps was troublesome, but I didn't complain. I bid my time, and here's finally my baby. Oooohhh... Can't take your eyes off her, can you now?!!

Ok, enough of my nautanki ;-)

Say what, I've taken "being a chatterbox" to a whole new level. In Jab We Met, you saw Kareena speaking nonstop when awake, and even in her sleep. What do I do to better that? I read aloud as I type! Yeah... Just realised that when I started at IBM. I speka out the words that I type in business and personal mails, presentations and even chat! Ufff... it's silly and embarassing, but I just can't seem to help it! (FYI - I'm speaking aloud even as I type this... Grrrr!!)

I've been doing a 2 pm to 12 am shift for the last couple of weeks, and though it might seem bothersome to some, it's a delight for me. I can sleep all I want till 11 and I anyway don't go to bed before 1. Suits me just fine. However, I guess I'll be doing a later shift soon. Got to handle a US process where agents come in only by 5ish. No problemo! But it sure will be a challenge for my family that needs to maintain pin-drop silence while I catch my 400 winks :-)

They got their tactics, too. Wise Rathi folks... They place our darling Bhoomik next to me as I snore, and I'm awake before you can say "John Hopkins". I cuddle close to him as he sleeps and I pamper his sleeping arms and cheeks. He's an angel... Bless him! He's 4 months old now, and such a beautiful thing never graced this earth before nor will hence... His cheeks are smoother than porcelain and just as sparkling. He coo's and aah's and aw's when spoken to, and is the jaan of everyone in my immediate and extended family, including neighbors and friends! He loves music, and he loves long hair!! I feel like smacking him when he scratches himself, but he looks at me with such adoring charm that I can't resist giving him a kissie. You should see him for yourself - words aren't half as good!

Hey, I've also been reading a bit when I can. So, I'm almost done with Sybil - a true story, a psychological thriller about a woman with 16 split personalities. it's supposed to be a bestseller, but frankly, I didn't like it much beyond the initial 100 pages. As a breather, I had to put in a couple of pages of BPO Sutra, a book that contains 120 real incidents from BPOs and call centres across India. It's fun at some point and some stories are boring, but ok... Good to know info... What surely blew me off (maybe because the other 2 books I was reading were quite dull) was Melissa Senate's Who's Wedding is it anyway? It's a typical chic flick kinda paperback, where a woman gets a free wedding, but isn't sure whether she loves this perfect guy. Good timepass...

Did you catch the showers this past week? The monsoons have really arrived, Punekars! Most of us are already down with coughs and colds and sore throats and bodies, but no one can deny that the rain brings with a lot of cheer and excitement! And it also brings my budday :-D

Oops, forgot the most important news in all my other bakwas. I watched KARATE KID, and this movie is a bloody-fuc*ing 20 on 10. oO watch it people. There's not a dull moment, and to be honest, you won't know when to blink coz the second you do, you'll miss some superb feat by Jackie Chan or Jaden Smith or the other Kung Fu experts in the film. A movie with people who look good and fight well has to be paisa vasool, right? And then, you get to learn some Chinese too - She She Ha Pongya, Jhing Jhung. (Dont ask me what that means, but it has me and my buddies in splits!)

I also caught Kung Fu Panda and A Bug's Life on TV, and loved them both. The psychological learnings in these animated flicks are brilliant! They teach you things in subtle ways that help you cope more effectively with life. Quick tips? There's nothing called good or bad news. It's only NEWS. Your reactions determine your appraisal and categorizing of it.

Chris Pfeiffer is another hunk that took my breath away. He was touring India with Rannvijay from MTV, doing bike stunts and charming the people throughout the country. Man, what wouldn't I give to catch these folks live and see their stunts?!! Help someone! HELP...

Time to run, be back soon!

Adios!
Princess

Karma Konnection

It’s said that souls are born with human bodies after they commit a given number of good deeds. It’s supposed to be a blessing of the highest order to be born human. And more so, if you’re born in India. Didn’t know that, did you?

Additionally, some people know exactly what they will do/be, either at someone else’s behest or their own vision. So, I see folks who are sure they will be doctors or housewives and nothing else, and I see people who want to travel the world for as long as they live. And it’s lovely to have that knowledge. At least I find it exciting and inspiring.

But I know of other people who would rather discover their calling as they traipse their varied paths. They say knowing beforehand what one is born to do isn’t really motivating. Rather, they’d prefer to experiment and try different things before they freeze on a particular line to pursue as a career/purpose. To explore and identify for themselves their reason for being, as opposed to being born with the erudite information. Or having it thrust upon them, where they have no choice…

The former reminds me of Dhristadyumna and Shikhandi – both kids of King Drupada (Draupadi’s dad) - born to take vengeance. One for his father and the other for her own self. And that is why they began the pursuit of their goal right since their first breath.

Even my schoolmates and peers who knew they wanted to be engineers and accordingly molded their careers in the most apt ways. B.E. then MS abroad followed by jobs and weddings. Life set.

While I was open to checking out the options and then making my selection. So, I thought about going in for Commerce, but then, everybody does it, so why join the rat race? My parents said Science, but I was sure I wasn’t fascinated by the future prospects after putting in abundant effort; I definitely did not want to be a doctor or engineer. Leaves what? Arts. Bring it on. I don’t care what people say. At least it’s my personal choice and I won’t regret it later. And if I do, I’ll blame nobody but myself.

So, which life is better? The one where you know, or the one where you don’t?

Is it better to meet your soul-mate right in school and stay together for life, or to meet a range of people from all walks of life and then choose your partner?

Is it preferable to work in your family business and go the secure way your ancestors trod, or to go from one company to the next, searching for the job where your heart, growth and interest lies?

Providence makes about 60% of the decision. The rest is upto you. And 40% isn’t peanuts.

Draupadi was born with a name she hated. All it meant was Drupad’s daughter, nothing else. I know exactly what she felt, my name means younger sister. Hullo! How egoistic is that?!! Have we no identity of our own except for being someone’s sibling or offspring?

Anyway, my reason for mentioning her in this post is that she was born to end the era of the warriors; she was destined to be the nemesis of the kshatriyas in the Dwapar Yuga. However, she still had a choice. Vyas had warned her not to do three things if she wanted to avoid what was imminent – to hold back her question to Karna at her swayamvar, to hold back her laughter in her palace when Karna stepped into the water, and to hold back her curse when she was insulted in the Kaurava sabha during the game of dice. Yet, she did not (or perhaps could not) control herself and her actions. And fate took its turn.

I remember I’ve asked mum several times why we’re referred to as masters of our own actions when we really are just slaves to our destiny and past actions. Look at Karna and how his life turned out despite being righteous and generous. He was repaying his sins in another birth. So, how can we possibly claim that WE did something, wouldn’t it be more apt that LUCK made us do that thing? That it was pre-destined to be done that way? That the Almighty wrote our naseeb – every event and action in it, the moment we were born on this earth?

There are days when everything is just so right. We wake up in the morning feeling cheerful and relaxed for no reason, and we welcome the day with arms wide open. And as we live through the day, our spirits continue to soar high irrespective of the ups and downs we face. There are also days that are just the opposite. We wake up morose, and whatever happens throughout the day only serves to annoy us further and drag us deeper into the dumps. Who do we hold responsible for this? Who do we turn to, to change what is taking place?

Let me know if you know.

Cheers, and good luck with your ambitions!

-Princess

Wazzaaaa...?!!

Hellozzz!!

Here I am, 3 weeks an IBMer, and loving it :-) Good people make great companies - I have learnt and accepted this fact. Much to my pleasure.

So much to learn, so much to do, so many people to meet... Really didn't realize how fast time flew. I breeze from one day to the next, and the week is over before I can say "WOW" and the weekend is rapider still...

I've told you before, I don't log onto the internet often, handicapped due to the absence of a laptop/computer at home. But I'm gona fix that soon... Planning to buy a laptop... Maybe by the time you read this, I already have one! Amen...

So, the deal is I post my articles in advance and hence my blog remains updated and active. Thanks all for reading and responding. Always eager to know your feedback and comments.

Coming back to my work - I frankly don't know how much I can share and what I cannot, because IBM like most other big companies has serious confidentiality regulations. We don't even say the real names of our processes, settling for pseudonyms that most folks know anyway ;-)

However, I can tell you that I am aligned to a US process and currently work 2 pm to 12 midnight. Yeah, it's a 10 hour shift, inclusive of 1 hour break time. I take the cab to and fro, and get to meet quite a lot of new folks from different processes everyday. It's nice and disturbing at the same time. Nice coz it's good to network, and upsetting coz you really can't familiarize yourself with everybody and at times you just need to be with the same old people that you already know... Anyway, not a big issue... Hardly a 20 minute minute drive (lesser if you get a crazy, F1 driver!)

The building is massive, with pantries on every alternate floor that serve decently prized, tasty snacks and meals. So, it's bhel one evening and corn cheese sandwich the next, I relish parathas and paneer for dinner or sometimes opt for a chicken wrap or samosa. Not bad, eh?

Oh I almost forgot! IBM has a lot of environmental initiatives, and I once went on a tree plantation drive to the Chatushringi temple. We couldn't really plant any trees as water was scarce, but we laid stones to construct a water pond for birds and small animals that wander from the denser areas of the hill. Got a cute little badge for my effort - it says "I love our Earth". I've pinned it to my lanyard and it feels good :-)

Hey, I watched Kites. And I wish I could have told you earlier it's a DUD! I did tell all my other friends, but could not update that recommendation here sooner. My apologies. I mean what else can you call a story that can be summarized in 3 lines - boy and girl fall in love, girl's don boyfriend chases them, finally the couple commits suicide. WTF?!!! really didn't expect this from FilmKraft and Hrithik.

True, the actor's a delight in every sense; his dance and Greek god looks make him appear scarcely human, and he's even sung a song for the very first time. But wasn't anyone paying attention to the story?!! Barbara Mori, who I am sure guys are swooning over, really didn't impress me much. She's a just another firang... And there's Kangana Ranaut too. Plays the usual psycho. Didn't know she danced so well, though. As far as the movie is concerned - those who haven't yet, PLEASE avoid this one. Not worth wasting the money.

By the way, I watched this movie at R-Deccan, which is the newest multiplex in Pune. It's in the same place as the earlier Deccan theatre was. The only difference is that it's a part of a swanky commercial complex that houses Mochi, KFC and other shops. They have 2 screens, of which one has recliner seats (the ones that go 180 degrees low). Costs about 300-400 per seat, the recliner... Gonna check that out next time, when a better film is released.

What else... Well, I'm terribly worked up about the Mangalore air crash. All those poor people who lost their lives or relatives - its a shame. 160 individuals dead thanks to the negligence of politicians and crew; it's unfair and disgusting. I hardly read the newspaper these days. Its full of gore and bad news. How I wish I could make a rule that the first page of every newspaper/magazine always be good news... People across the country needn't wake up to disaster and sorrow...

What else, what else... Nothing else for now that I can think of... Life is following a set routine, and I'm doing ok. Will let you know when something exciting occurs...

Until then!

Cheerio!
Princess