We are well past that childhood.. But cherish those memories!!

 

Long time indeed.. and hope everything go well with all of you there..

 

Being a story teller I am, let me narrate yet another, real one indeed, as usual!

 

My daughter comes back from School every day at about 1:30PM in the afternoon.. She makes it a point to buzz me soon after lunch at around 3PM (she takes more than an hr to finish that ordeal, watching CN non-stop!)..

 

Well, it was a mundane Thursday evening.. Worried that I didn’t get a call from her till 4 in the evening, I decided to call home.. To my surprise, she herself picked up the phone.. I asked her why she didn’t make it up as usual and how worried I had been till that moment.. My sermons didn’t make sense to her in any way.. and she sounded damn serious.. and made a shhhhhh sound to shut myself up… Well, I was out (a bit tensed too!!) and asked her the reason why..

 

She said.. shhhh.. they are there.. don’t make noise, please.. daaad, speak in a low volume…Unable to contain my anxiety (I was nervous by this time..), I couldn’t help asking.. Tell me dear, who is there? Is there a stranger in? Where is Grandma?

 

Silence at the other end…I could feel my heartbeat going up by a notch… Daaad.. I told you to keep your voice low.. Grandma is talking to them.. I can hear their concerned voices there.. Well.. I was about to run down to the ground floor, still talking to her on my mobile.. Hey… what are you talking about? Who are they? Have you ever seen them before? Male or female? How many of them? Are they inside the house? Do they look neat and clean? And can you figure out what Grandma is telling them?..

 

Long silence again… Boy, I lost out.. Thought of calling my wife and rushing home.. Daaad… now the search team has come.. They are right here.. I can see the leader shouting out at Grandma.. They are a bit upset.. And they all seem to be worried… and Nandu has started crying…

 

My God… I was at the parking bay this time… Ready to jump in and drive home… Daaad.. you still there?? Yeah.. telll me girl..? What’s up now… Daaad… the search team finally managed to find me hiding under the desk… Aunt and Nandu have found me and they are all excited.. Grandma is relieved now….. I am going to get out.. There is no point hiding anymore.. By the way, what time you are expected home tonight…?

 

I just hung my mobile… Sigh… Long Sigh… But I scored that sweet incident in my memory for ever… When she grows into a lady, I am going to narrate this to her again… I can imagine her face blush…J

 

So long

Roy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Survival of the fittest!

Bangalore… Part II

 

Into the third month.. and let me talk a little bit about my professional experiences.. At the outset, It’s a tough world, and surviving in the team, especially in a leadership role, takes all your grits, wits and nerves!

 

It’s a tad easier when you have a bunch of pals who think alike, and are from similar personal and professional backgrounds.. But the story changes when you have people who, invariably, think different and are from diverse personal, professional and cultural backgrounds, with stress on the last attributeJ

 

To add a fourth dimension to this diversity, you have the client, again, a diverse team, with stress on ethnicity this time, adding an international flavor!

 

I find it extremely challenging to communicate with the stakeholders, both oral and written! Imagine, a situation, wherein every word you choose is going to be important, and would reveal your personality and every word you speak would talk volumes about the inner youJ

 

You should negotiate, you should cajole

You should convince, you should get the buy-in

You should clarify, you should not confuse

You should lead, you should not sound arrogant

You should be simple, you should be assertive!!

 

Boy, are we not talking about contradictory, sensitive, attributes and personal traits here? I am sure Yes, but then that’s the tough part of corporate world. And there is not much of a choiceJ

 

Did I say I enjoy the profile? I may not, explicitly, but I love the responsibilities. It gives you opportunities to prove yourself.. And to stretch to your limits and explore the inner you! And finally say, hey.. what the heck.. I can do it.. and here I am!

 

So long..

Roy

Now..... and then!!!

 

Home again:

 

Feel good on setting up home again.. you know it's tough when your wife and kids are away and you just gotta live a dry life.. And now we just enjoy the warmth of togetherness!

 

Our home away from home is a little abode, on the first floor, in a silent Koramangala residential area!! Pretty neat and serene, with trees dotting all over the place.. Believe me, I could spot a few monkeys nestling on a peer tree just beside my house:-) There are couple of parks around, a shopping mall, though small in size, and a few grocery stores.. And yes, the milk man is there for sure!

 

I have not started working out yet, but would do rounds of brisk walking around the inner ring of our premises.. it's just fun and you get to meet lots of pepople around!! Come 9'o clock, it's time to drive kids school.. I continue my way to office.. It's just a couple mins drive from the school..

 

Back to work:

 

My office is right on the main road, painted blue and yellow! Since I come in early, I usually end up getting a comfortable parking lot!! Not started working full time in my project yet, there are a million formalities to be completed, both project related and misc before you really go full swing! Anyways, I just enjoy this passing phase, contemplating the tough days ahead!!

 

Tea breaks do coincide with our times.. as I said before, people keep talking about tech stuff always.. billable times, appraisals etc.. Mostly, I finish off my tea, savouring the happenings around.. Lunch is awesome, being a lover of food I just enjoy the Buffet system.. it's fabulous,  and tasty.. At times, they dont come on par with the packed meal I used to have at eSoft with a garrulous crowd, discussing anything under the sky!! Thats something I miss, and things wont come back again:-)

 

Back from work:

 

Six'o clock is a good time for me to pack off my bags, because of less work during this initial days.. The four of us head to the nearest park, kids play around a lot while we just enjoy talking to each other!! Post seven, it's time to savour the paaani puri from the road side vendor.. Now, have you ever tasted this rustic, north indian favourite? Anyone? Me was a starter too.. didnt like it a bit on the first day.. Somehow, I am addicted to it now.. rounds and rounds of small puris dipped in sweet or sour paani, served in a small round leaf bowl.. you know, it's just plain rustic.. miles away from the urban pop-corns and burgers.. I am just captivated by the charm and the enthusiasm with which the boy serves them one by one, until he says you are done.. It's after round 7, I guess!!

 

So, people who have never tasted paani puri, dare to take a small risk taking cues from my note??

 

And the rest is just routine.. and it's just life, day in and day out!! And, slowly I started liking the place and the life here..

 

My wishes are always with you...

 

So long

Roy