Perfect timing

There have been times in the last month and a half when I have been busy like crazy and other times when I have had ample of time to myself. Whenever I have had time I have thought about writing something in my blog or maybe for our office magazine, but nothing would come to my mind. Not that I am short of ideas, I have plenty of them. The problem is, they come only when I am too busy with other stuff and hence unable to write. At times like this I have even thought about jotting down whatever comes to my mind for future reference. Most of the times I am too lazy to get a paper, and the few of the times when I have managed to jot down, the paper gets lost miraculously when I try looking for it only to re-appear again when I am busy with something else.. For example, I should have been fast asleep now since I have to get up very early tomorrow morning, but my mind is almost 'bursting' with ideas. I'l probably be skinned alive if found awake..so I'l go to sleep now and hopefully will write soon since, as I already said, I am full of ideas now.. (which also directly concludes that I am very busy these days :) )

Growing up...with respect to myself

The other day I came a bit late to office. It was around 11:15 and I was hungry. Now 11:15 is neither breakfast nor lunch time. It's sort of an in-between time. I have quite a few friends here in office, but I didn’t feel like disturbing any of them. I went to the canteen ordered my lunch and ate it with leisure. Infact, I was enjoying my solitude so much that it took me almost double the time I normally take to finish my lunch. Almost all the while I was conversing with myself, rest of the time I was simply taking in the activity around me. Inspite of the hustle bustle around me I was at peace with myself. It was then that I thought how I have changed with time!

I am a quiet sort of a person and enjoy spending time with myself, but in private. When it comes to public life then things are quite different. When I was in college I would hate the times I had to be alone. I wanted to be seen with friends, wanted people to know that I too have friends like them. It was the same in school. By school I mean since around the time I was in class 5.

Before that the concept used to be different. In Lower and upper kindergarten our teachers would allot us our seats and whoever would sit beside me would become my best friend and perhaps the only friend. Our benches used to be long ones where almost 4 kids could fit in comfortably. I remember one parent teacher's meeting around the time I was in upper kindergarten. I introduced the girl, who used to sit next to me, to my parents as my best friend. She on the other hand introduced the girl who used to sit on her other side as her best friend. It never occurred to me that if I think of somebody as my best friend then it is desirable that the feeling is reciprocated. Now when I look back, that is the ideal kind of friendship one can imagine of, where you don't expect anything from the other person.

Since class 5 things started becoming a bit different. I didn't take it for granted that the person I am made to sit beside has to be my best friend. Infact in class 6 when we were given the freedom to choose our partners then almost everybody rearranged like i did and sat beside their best friends. I use the word 'best friend' so many times because at that time it was the most important word in our social life. If you have a 'best friend’, mind you not just friends, then you have a status, a recognition. Almost every year there would be a bit of shuffling among the students in different sections that would put our social lives in complete chaos. In those times being in a different section (different section necessarily used to be adjacent rooms) meant being far away!!

Things did change as we grew up. By the time we were in class 9 we had a big group of 12 and we had lots and lots of fun together. By that time the concept had again changed, from less is more it had become the more the merrier. So there were different phases, but i could not picture myself alone in any of these phases. I had to be seen with friends. At that time around I wasn’t comfortable with myself. I would admire seniors and wish i could be like them. My acceptance for myself was directly proportional to the way my friends accepted me.

By the time I was in college I was a bit more comfortable with myself, at least I didn’t want to be someone else. I was sort of ok with myself but not totally. In college status had a different meaning. Status meant having a boyfriend. It was amusing to watch the way people around me shifted from one boyfriend to another. I used to admire them somewhat, perhaps coz I could never achieve that status myself! I had a few very good friends and I was comfortable with them, but again, I was not comfortable being alone and whenever I would be alone I would become a bit conscious.

I really cannot identify one particular time when things started changing. And anyways, changes like these hardly happen consciously. Now I am comfortable with the person I am. I know myself a lot better. I know my faults and shortcomings and I am no longer uncomfortable about them. Most importantly I am no longer afraid of being alone. I had realized long ago that it is impossible to always have friends beside me, being far away no longer means being in adjacent rooms. But now when I go through such times I don't feel gloomy, instead I enjoy being with myself.

Priceless Tips To Feel More Free This Independence Day.

Do's

1. Go to your nearest Shopping Mall and shop specifically those articles which give something free with it. Sort of 'Buy 1 get 1 free'. If you search properly you might also get objects where you buy 1 and get 3 free. Go for those. The more 'free' you get, the happier you will feel.

2. For non-IT people: Get a chair, drag it to a corner (preferably facing a wall) and sit still for as long as you can (at least for 2 hours at a stretch). Then go to your balcony, take a deep breath. Does it not feel wonderful to be free?
For IT professionals: Since you do this exercise for the better part of every day, you can skip this. Infact you can supervise your non-IT folks when they do it. After all no one knows the rules of this game better than you!

3. Collect as many mattresses as you can from your neighbors, arrange the mattresses at the base of a high rise, climb to the rooftop, and position yourself at the edge below which you have placed the mattresses. Then with your head held high and hands spread out jump off. Free-falling is not only a very 'in' thing to do (must have seen all superheroes do it in the movies), but also gives a wonderful sensation of feeling as light and free as a bird. You can also tip off some news channel . That way, at the end of the day, you will not only get a wonderful experience but also nationwide sympathy (remember the live footage of a girl trying to jump off the roof?)

4. Are you angry or displeased with somebody? Do you feel blood rushing to your face whenever you meet one specific person. Lets call this person 'target'. Well this independence day round up your target at some street corner and give him a free-kick. Or you might also go for free-style punches too. Whichever way you are comfortable.

5. Watch Born Free. This 1966 film, with a lion as a central character establishes the fact that freedom is a state of mind. You can have all the freedom in the world but not be free. On the other hand you can be tied down and yet be free. It's all in the mind.

Don'ts

1. Please don’t watch Independence Day Related films. The rifle shots, bomb explosions, freedom cries (or rather patriotic howls) depicted in these movies causes too much of sound pollution.

2. Don't give free smiles to anybody and everybody around you. This isn't exactly 1AD where you get a smile or maybe a good turn in return for your smile. You might also get a wink or a comment or a whistle for free, needless to say, none of them very desirable.

3. Incase you manage to get slapped on one cheek don't even think of following Gandhigiri and extending your other cheek also, for free, to get slapped. The ‘bhai log's’ these days practice a lot of body building. One more slap and you might go straight up to Mahatma himself.

4. It's advisable that you don't schedule any picnic this independence day. Reasons are as follows
a. Some political party might grab the opportunity to call a bandh or strike or political meeting or procession, in short whatever causes the maximum chaos.
b. Even if there aren't any political unrest, 99.99% chances are that you won't get any square millimetre patch of green grass/concrete free on that day at any ‘picnic'able’ place. Sometimes, I feel Independence Day should be renamed as 'Picnic day'. So only if there’s a provision for booking a picnic spot beforehand then go ahead with your picnic plan, though even then chances are that the concerned booking person will be bribed by some other party at the last moment.

5. Lastly, kindly don't make national flags out of paper or cloth either for yourself or your kids. You might be charged/arrested for using our national flag for the wrong reason. Naturally imprisonment, publicity, nationwide concern and finally SMS poll will follow. We are honestly tired sms'ing for every goddamn reason. Give us a break!






Disclaimer Text: 1. Follow the above DO's and DONT's at your own risk.
2. If you get any positive result the author takes full
credit of that.Incase of any unfavourable result
please refer to disclaimer no 1.

Thumbs UP Guys..

Even in times like this when all that happens around us is murders, bomb blasts, floods and scams, a few good things also happen that touches your senses and makes you hopeful for the future.
Recently I have noticed that quite a few guys have started using perfumes and deos. It's amazing that atleast some guys have realized that theres nothing manly in smelling like a rhino and that it is important to smell good for the benefit of people around you. Guys, please keep up the good work.
So you see good things do happen even now! Just keep your eyes (or maybe noses) open.

Cheers!!

Got a charger??

I had lent my mobile charger to a colleague one friday, who forgot to return it to me and thus I was left without a charger for the weekend. When my mobile started giving 'battery low' signals, I went to my next door neighbour's place in search of a charger.
Uncle opened the door, I told him that in case he used a Nokia set I would like to have the charger for a while. He said he wasn't aware of what set he used and immediately went in to get his mobile. After a minute's invetigation he said his was a 'Hutch' mobile, so his charger would be of no use to me.
Before I could say anything aunty came out and asked what the confusion was about. When uncle explained to her she too went in search of her mobile and after a carefull investigation she too expressed that her charger would also be of no use as it was an 'Airtel' mobile.
By that time I had seen that both used Nokia sets. So I asked uncle if I could take his 'Hutch' charger for a while and see if I could somehow manage with it. Uncle was only too happy to be of some help atleast. He got me his hutch charger and I hastily took leave.
Later when I informed him that his hutch charger worked fine with my nokia mobile, needless to say both uncle and aunty were awestruck with the advancement technology has made.

thought process...

I was discussing with a friend of mine that I don't have anything to write in my blog. My friend said that "it's actually like your scrapbook, write whatever comes to your mind". So incase you feel mad after reading any of the following, you know who to blame.

Thought 1:

I am on a self-imposed diet control plan. No, I am not fat, I am dieting to maintain my figure. I was in the canteen for a longish coffee break and 'chanced' to see what’s on menu today for lunch. One of my favorites, Mutton Chap. There's a war going on between my heart and mind since then. Following is an excerpt from the very closely fought battle.

heart: it's ok if u have lunch for one day. One day will hardly make any difference.
mind:u've been saying that since last week Tuesday!! Think of all that you had for lunch since last Tuesday. how could you even think of mutton again!

heart: yeah, guess you are right. It's just that you don't have to have the entire plate. Have some and.... well, throw the rest.
mind: u seriously think u can 'have some, throw rest' !
(I know a vast majority of Indian population goes without one square meal a day, I don't throw food either...no harm thinking).

heart: Mallika (name changed without request) is also having mutton. You think she would have had if it was that bad.
mind: Oh God! Forgot to ask her where she got that shoe from.

heart: what about lunch then....
mind: won't get that item if you go now. Coupons get over by 1:45. it's 1:48 now.

(The above drama also had musical accompaniment. That of my growling stomach.)


Thought 2:

Is it okay to post anonymous comments on your own blog....Just 1 comment so far, that too from a friend, whom I had threatened with dire consequences if he did not read my blog, and more importantly comment.


Thought 3: (Just occurred)

Why is it "Labels for this post:e.g. scooters, vacation, fall " . Why 'scooter','vacation' or 'fall' .Was the writer also going through a 'mental-block-phase' like me....or maybe the designers wanted to convey the message that you can write about just anything, everything is worth mentioning.


Thought 4:

I will have grilled chicken sandwich and juice for snacks.

Cause of the because

I honestly had no intention of being 'different' or 'out of the box' when I named my blogspot url as 'will miss the bus'.

Llike 90% of other s/w enggs, I too have no work 60% of the times. I was going through some blog links that a few kind hearted friends had mailed me to help me pass my time. Most of them were from IIM students or passouts, others from a large variety of professionals. I enjoyed them so much that i decided to start a blog of my own. There was (and still is)...a little problem though. I didn't (and still don't) have anything to write.

By the time I decided that I would start a blog of my own, it was already time for luncheon and by the time i finally clicked the 'create blog' option it was already 4pm(post lunch nap is essential for my health!). I couldn't think of a proper heading for my blog, so I named it 'Whats in a name' (I think thats philosophical enough though). After much deliberation I finally decided to keep my name as the url , but apparently somebody else also has a blogspot by that name. I tried a lot of permutation and combination with the letters, until my name was looking like the names of one of those filmstars(or tvstars) with too many extra alphabets, but still kept on getting the message that some other person has also tried the same permutation and combination. I finally gave up the idea and for the next one hour (I am not exaggerating) tried out scores of creative, common place and arbid names (in that order). None of them were available. I have seldom felt so frustrated before, I mean what the heck, any stupid name I think of , someone else has already been stupid enough to think of before! Finally, it was time for the office bus to leave. As a last ditch effort I typed 'will miss the bus' and pressed continue. It worked. Apparently nobody had missed the bus before.