2008 – The year gone by……

This will be my last blog for the year 2008…so thought of jotting down what I have learnt during the past year….

Lesson 1:- Don’t run behind money….develop a skill set and money will come running after you.

I had left my job at ICICI Bank tow years back(2006) looking for a job which would pay me well…I ended up taking up a job in a KPO which gave me a rocking pay but also gave me irregular working hours and a unstable mind…Work was routine and monotonous which required no use of my knowledge and skills….positive part of this work was that my excel and system skills improved…finally frustrated and irritated I started looking out for a job which was very difficult as all jobs I was offered were KPO jobs while I wanted a front end job….most of the places I was rejected or not considered as my pay scale was high….finally I managed to get a job in a leading brokerage at a 30% pay cut…

After working in the brokerage for a year I switched jobs this year and ended up working for a leading insurance company as a part of the fund management team…

This job would not have come to me if had not realized that what is important for me is not money but utilizing my knowledge and skill set…money will flow with time…..

I sometimes think I am behind the curve with respect to my peer group cuz of the 1 year I lost in the KPO but I know that experience will stand me in good stead in whatever job I take…..This year strengthened my resolve in this belief….

Lesson 2:- Office politics is present wherever you go…its how you handle it will determine how far you go….

The earlier brokerage I was working for was steeped in office politics and I had the bad luck of working with a colleague as a team who was the bosses pet. This senior of mine took all advantage of my work…he never worked hard enough to fulfill his potential nor did he ever give me due for my work…at the end of the year when the appraisal was on….I was given a paltry bonus and this guy got a promotion and a huge raise….this made me realize that you need for the credit of the work you do…never ever let someone take advantage of you just because he is your senior or anyone at work…fight for what is your due…..

Lesson 3:- The most difficult and complex thing ever made by god….girls

Right from my mom, sister to my friends…I have never been able to understand how a girl thinks…I have been able to crack and solve the most difficult of situations but have never ever lost…understanding a girl is one task at which I have failed number of times and continue to do so….I earlier used to spend a lot of time thinking about it but this year a few instances(too personal to mention) made me realize its no use wasting time on it….the end result is that I have decided “I am going to go with the flow and stop thinking too much about this”…in short…be myself.

Lesson 4:- The only cornerstone of your life is your family

Till a few years back, the only thing important for me was my friends…I never ever used to listen to my mom who used to say that “Have friends but family first”…the only people who will bail you out in the time of need is your family….

I made substantial losses in the stock market crash leading me to a situation where I had to pay my broker a substantial sum. I tried borrowing money from friends but the only person who stood by me at that point of time, it was my mom and dad who lent me the amount. Though I repaid the money to them later, they were my “Rock of Gibraltar” during my time of need…..As they say “In your life, people come and people go but the only thing constant is your family”.

Though the learning’s were a lot more…but these were the major learning’s…I hope I can imbibe something from them and be a good human being….

See you guys in the New Year……Have a rocking New Year…..

School or Bhool

Again a conversation with my pretty neighbourhood aunt made me realise the defunct and dysfunctional times we live in....the aunt in question has a 2.5 year old kid and she was looking out for a school for her...now the question arose which school is the best....the school closest to our place (the school where i studied) was mentioned by me and her response was "i don't want my kid to study in the Maharashtra board"....

So my response was then where do you want your kid to go....and off she went how bad the Maharashtra education board and how good a ICSE and CBSE was....she even went to the extent of saying she was looking for a school with a Australian board affiliation...

All this forces me to think about the times we live in..where the school the kid goes to is important but the education you give to him is not important...tats the biggest school the kid has....his family....tats where the greatest education happens...observing how your parents and elders behave....i am not against sending a kid to the best of schools...all i am against is that we forget that instilling right values in kids is more important than the school he goes to...there is a friend of mine who stays in Mira road but sends his kid to dhirubhai ambani school in bandra kurla complex.....i mean the kid spends half his life travelling...when does he speak to his parents, when does he play, when does he live his life as a kid....

I am not against sending a kid to the best of schools...all i am against is the farce we participate in the name of schooling...a kid who wants to study will study in the worst of schools...i went to a school from Maharashtra board but never have felt tat as a roadblock in any part of my life....

As they say " a child educated only at school is an uneducated child"

bye till the next time....


PS;- its that time of the year where i think and introspect about the year gone by...and create some new year resolutions...dont want to party and celebrate the new year this time around...want to jus pray for the departed souls of 26/11....

George Bush vs Shoes and Pissed Off Journalist 12-14-08

Please do watch this video on the blog……

Was at work when I saw this video on Monday afternoon in which a Iraqi journalist threw his shoes at Mr George Bush…I really am happy that this Iraqi news reporter had the guts and gumption to show the entire world what a big fraud Mr. Bush is….My only regret is the shoe did not hit him…wish the gentleman would have taken some throwing lessons before doing the act….

If there was any person in world history who was single handedly responsible for ruining the world economy and peace it was Mr. Bush….and the entire American population was foolish enough to elect him once again as the president twice….Mr. Bush has a very interesting achievement list as given below;-

1) Pushed the entire world economy on the brink of bankruptcy by his mishandling of the US financial and economic situation
2) Failed to fight terrorism – Osama still rules in Afghanistan and our hearts tremble in fear with mere mention of his name.
3) Got America into its worst war situation in Iraq and Afghanistan since Vietnam
4) Has still not managed to find Weapons of mass destruction…the basis of which was given to attack Iraq….
5) Has dragged the American citizens into the worse situation of their life by making them live in a make believe world….so bad that it had to end someday and the new political dispensation would have to bear the brunt of a single man’s stupidity….

If you ever thought that Bush was good for India please think about the 26/11 attacks on Mumbai or have a look at the BSE Sensex……

As the great Martin Luther King Jr said “Nothing in the entire world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.”

And a Poem on George Bush to end with…..
Georgy Porgy pudding and pie,
Took cocaine which made him high,
When the sheriff came his way,
Georgy's pa sent him away.

Georgy Porgy wasn't daft,
Wanted to avoid the draft,
He found being a coward not too hard,
Daddy's friends got him into the guard.

Georgy Porgy businessman
With daddy's money his career began,
When the seed money all dried up,
Georgy's business went belly up.

Nice story by mukul sharma...worth a read

A little knowledge goes a long way

ONCE upon a time there was a high IQ cheetah who couldn’t run at a top speed of 120 km per hour. As a result, the Thompson’s gazelles that he chose to chase easily outran him and he was never able to get hold of one. Thus, in order to survive, he was forced to catch rodents and frogs and other small animals which lived in the Serengeti.
Of course he had to do this surreptitiously because if any of the other cheetahs ever found out it would be terribly humiliating for him. “What’s the use of being the fastest land animal in the world,” he would often say to himself, “if I can’t even run down a decent high speed deer for dinner?”
So one day he went to a cheetah who was renowned for her astonishing speed and blurted out his predicament. “I have all the evolutionary adaptations that enable our species to run as fast as we do, including large nostrils that allow for increased oxygen intake, and an enlarged heart and lungs which work together to circulate oxygen efficiently. Also, during a typical chase when I can accelerate from zero to 100 in three seconds my respiratory rate increases from 60 to 150 breaths per minute.
And, while running, in addition to having good traction due to my semi-retractable claws, I use the tail as a rudder for steering which allows me to make razor sharp turns, necessary to outflank prey who often make such turns. And yet”, he concluded lamely, “I can’t manage a top speed of 120 km an hour no matter how hard I try.”
“That’s interesting,” said the other cheetah who was staring at him wide-eyed by now. “Because you know, all this time I thought my nostrils were for only for smelling and my heart and lungs for keeping me alive. During a chase all I ever had time to notice was that the surroundings became a blur, my breathing increasingly deep and heavy, and by the time it’s over I’m pooped for the rest of the day.
As for my claws and tail, I just try to keep them clean. But, like I said, this is amazing stuff. If we were to live together I could do the hunting while you can teach me things about myself and the world so that I too can become as knowledgeable as you.”
So the two hitched up and soon the Serengeti had two cheetahs that couldn’t run at a top speed of 120 km an hour and had to live off rats and frogs instead of gazelles to the end of their days.

Moral: A lot of knowledge is also a dangerous thing.

People speak....

Was waiting in eager anticipation for the election results in the 5 states which went to polls with the terror shadow of 26/11 behind them....and lo behold the results did not surprise me.....
Congress won the polls 3-2 by winning delhi, rajasthan and mizoram and losing MP and Chattisgarh....

The overwhelming verdict was that people voted for development...terror was an afterthought and tats the reason why BJP which used this a plank lost badly....People voted for politicians like Sheila Dikshit in delhi, shivraj chouhan in MP and raman singh in chattisgarh cuz they believed that these guys were for constructive politics and development...unlike a certain maharani who thought she was a maharani and bought down to mother earth by the people of rajasthan...
Winning delhi thrice is not a mean achievement and this clearly shows the faith the people of delhi have in Sheila Dikshit.....this jus proves democracy wins over all forms of government at all times.....

I just wish we had more politicians like these people...and not people like vilasrao who believe in terror tourism and not in terror prevention.....

I hope i am not proved wrong by these people...u know u can never trust politicians....jus hope we get a stable government in the next election which not only speaks of reforms but does some reform....

bye till the next time....

Terror aftermath....

A single statement made by one of my office colleagues opened my eyes to the world we live in....it made me think we have forgotten all the sacrifices made by our soldiers and policemen to protect our country....i always used to think....that we the youth are the future of india and looking at the youth participation in the rally held at gateway of india corroborated my thinking.....

A couple of us friends were having evening snacks (awful to say the least) in our canteen and we were discussing the terror attacks....and the solution proposed by friend who is well educated and a sophisticated person....."genocide of the entire muslim community"....for 2 mins i could not grasp wat was said....i felt disgusted to the core tat i was sitting next to a person like this....nonetheless i had a fight with this lady.....but left before i said somethin which would vitiate the atmosphere....

Just because certain radicals have created problems does not mean you need to belittle the entire community....one of my closest friends is a muslim....i never felt this way for her....i attended her wedding and was made a part of her family....i never felt left out or a miscast there....

I felt that day that my participating in the rally was no use...if this is wat my peer group thinks then i am not proud to be a part of them.....i just feel that our fight is not against the community but against the radicals who are dividing our lifes...so let that radical be a certain Raj Thackeray or some muslim radical.....

We dont need a Hitler to cause a genocide but a Obama to make some drastic changes.....

A Poem on mumbai terror attacks.....plz read

Doob Maro by Ashish Khazanchi

Main deeth hoon,
Umeed hoon,
Moti chamdi,
Ki peeth hoon.

Ek baat hoon,
Awaaz hoon,
Chal jawab de,
Naraaz hoon.

Aur jawab to,
Mein le ke rahoonga,
Choopa le moonh,
Par main na chupoonga.

Ke mein teri,
Tooti duniya ka haal hoon,
Tere apne hi zehen main udhta,
Ek chota sa sawal hoon.

Lets not make another Afzal Guru out of this

lets not make another "Afzal Guru" out of the terrorist caught in the mumbai terror strikes....Afzal Guru who was the brain behind the parliament attacks( in which some brave gaurds lost their life and no politician died....though i wish they would have....) has been sentenced to the gallows by the courts but is still not being given death due to some political pressure from the Kashmir region....

Do you think America would let Osama live if he was caught due to some petty politics....We as Indians need to rise above small gains and set a example so that whoever thinks of attacking us shudders to think of the consequences....lets not disrespect the sacrifices of our brave police force, commandos and army....Give the terrorist what he deserves?????

The chief minister of kerela after being thrown out of Major Unnikrishnan's house by his dad when he went to pay his respect says "If it was not Major Unnikrishnan's house no dog would visit his house"......Is this how we treat our heroes....

I pray to god to give parents of the major strength in their time of need and some sense to the stupid, incompetent and insane Chief Minister of Kerela.....

Please do try attending the rally organised on Wednesday - December 3rd(Gateway of India) at 6 pm as a sign of support for the departed souls.....Show you are a true mumbaikar and be there.....