Scribbles

It's been nine months and finally we have managed to organize our monthly meeting. We as in people I work with. See, every month we are suppose to have a gathering at our circle office in Ahmedabad to discuss good and bad of past month, progress of current month and planning for month closure. We are not a big team, I at Surat, another guy at Baroda and three at Ahmedabad. Me and my colleague from Baroda always travel to Ahmedabad. You would think how difficult it can be to organize a meeting for five people. The answer is painfully hard. I remember during first few months when my manager would call me and ask are you ready with your ppt and I would draw blank. He would tell me I should be ready with my material irrespective of whether he tells me meeting schedule or not. You may be inclined to think he has point, I did too. So, I started preparing data that can be added to ppt at moments notice. Even this didn't solve the problem as the notice given was literally of moment

Current work assignment has me posted in Surat, away from my beloved Ahmedabad. Though it is painful to not be able to indulge in usual social and political activities, I find quality of my family time highly improved. It may simply be a case of our need to include a whole week's worth conversation, love and fun in a short lived weekend but nevertheless we are finding ourselves engrossed in various adventures each week. Well, adventure might not be true in a literal sense here. However each of our Sundays have been filled with a renewed experience and brilliant set of memories. Yes, you read right. My weekends are reduced only to Sunday now. Last month my employers realized a sudden need to increase productivity and declared six day's working week thus I lost two precious Saturday leaves. So, effectively I get to spend four days in a month at home. I can't say it is not annoying but as stated earlier it has definitely helped me enhanced quality of time I spend with loved o

In the worst of times, how some people manage to keep their morale is one of the greatest mistry. It is also, arguably, the skill to develop to lead a happy life. An old saying goes, "you can never change your journey so far but you can always make a new beginning and reach new destination." Optimism is not an inborn talent but rather a cultivated art. Most human qualities are developed by observing and copying other people. Same is true with optimism, you learn through observation of family, friends and colleagues. The trick is to attack your doubts with unwavering faith. Faith doesn't mean not allowing doubts to enter rather it is ability to withstand any doubt while keeping hope alive. Your faith may be aligned to a God or your family or your own talent or luck. But it has to manifest from within you. Any external influence, however strong, can not last forever. The inner conviction holds fast till the end. You just need to keep fueling through happiness. It is t

Lincoln is in conversation with two black soldiers during his visit to army front heading for an assault on Wilmington port while two white recruits barge in. These while boys talk about Lincoln's speech at Gettysburg cemetery. When Lincoln enquires as to whether they heard anything that day, one of them starts reciting his speech. Suddenly their company is ordered to march and both boys leave. Then, the black soldiers complete the famed speech. This is the opening scene from Steven Spielberg biopic Lincoln released in 2012. And the speech they talk about is arguably one of the greatest speeches about country, democracy and patriotism. In his succinct address, Lincoln conveyed his gratitude for the sacrifices made by American people, highlighted the importance of a continued civil war and motivated the armies to fight for a higher purpose. And to think that this whole speech is merely of 250+ words and was concluded in around three minutes, you can't help being awed. A few gli

Theodore (Ted, we will call him) is a customized letter writer, a talented one. He writes beautifully emotional letters and is good at work. On personal front, however, his life is complete mess. His marriage with his childhood sweetheart Catherine has ended and they are going through divorce. Ted uses a voice recognition software for everything, to use his phone, to write on his computer and even to play three dimensional video games. One day, he comes across a new operating system with artificial intelligence, an OS that can think on its own. He buys it and configures it choosing a female profile. He is pleasantly surprised by the OS's originality and intellect. The OS dubs herself Samantha stating "she liked the sound of this name". Well, thus commences a new relationship, a complicated but wonderful one. They even enjoy a tremendous virtual sex just through conversation. They both help each other evolve and become better individuals. They go through all the ups and d

Change is always for better. It may be any area of life, a new change, always brings forth renewed energy and excitement. I am undergoing similar phase right now. Last month I joined a new organization and recently completed my first month-end there. Though I was not quite at the assigned target, I had an excellent month. Meeting new people, new bosses and team members worked as stimulant. I particularly enjoyed the part of meeting new clients and vendors. Though meeting up with a few old friends was equally enjoyable. Well, first month is over and in our industry that marks the end of "honeymoon period". Now begins the actual business. This weekend was a welcome break before getting into the outright war that is to come starting tomorrow. Weekend was spent in a leisurely fashion with maximum time spend with kids and friends. For someone like me, who hasn't stayed away from home for a long duration, it was painfully pleasant to witness the joy exhibited by my daughters