If you travel everyday in a Mumbai local, then you are bound to have certain trains (and their times) in your mind. For e.g – I take the 8.24 Churchgate Slow from Andheri in the morning, if I miss that, then there is the 8.45 Churchgate Slow and the 8.51 Churchgate Slow, etc.
Tag: philosophique
Uncertainty
I had gone to a friend’s place today to see his new born baby. Babblo* has a cute little daughter – I hope she doesnt take her looks from her dad!
So we got talking as friends do when they meet after a long time. Our favorite “R” word did come up. and so did the job switch. I see so many people who do not love their jobs, that I wonder has anybody written a paper on this? (let’s figure that out later)
This guy works for one of the big 4 consultancies, has been working with that firm for the past 4 years now. A job that any Systems MBA would kill for … yes, present company included :-) But I know the hours are long and the gyaan is hot. It requires the sheer dedication that dissolves my resolve to get into a post like that. Again, this is not the point, moving on …
Babblo’s reason for wanting to switch is that he does not see himself becoming one of the head honchoes and top guys in the next 5-6 years. He see himself reach the middle echelons of the organization, but still sees miles to go before he sleeps. Hence, the idea of moving out and getting into a different vertical altogether. A new stint even a startup. Have you imagined a guy who eats, sleeps, breathes ITIL trying to get things done in a startup? A comic strip on these lines can rival Dilbert :-D. Moot point being that Babblo (of course its not the true name!!) is actually turned off by the certainty of the job.
I cant identify with this funda. I for one would love some certainty on knowing what I will be doing 5-6 years down the line. Its easy to bluff, but do I really KNOW what I will be doing … hmmmmm … web surely, technology definitely, startup – could be, big hulking monolithic organization – sure why not, just pay me well!! I don’t know which is better – the certainty or the uncertainty!
The Weaker Sex
- There is a 30% quota on all engineering seats in Mumbai, reserved for girls
- Women have a higher tax bracket of 1.8 L.p.a
- Free education for girls in all public schools
- Have you tried getting a facial? Or your limbs waxed? A bikini wax?
- Or delivering a child?
- Or handling cooking and other chores alongside your job?
I sometimes wonder why they don’t call men the weaker sex?
Peace of Mind
Just the other day I was talking to Amol aka Baba. Our discussions can meander from technology to yoga to relationships, well to put in a nutshell, they makes you think (yes, its a philosophical post). So, the question that cropped up was – What is peace of mind mean to you?
Any takers? Well for me, peace of mind is the place where I don’t have to make any extra efforts to reach my destination. Further thinking led to the point that you can be en route to that destination and still have peace of mind, which I think could be the case when you know that in due course you are going to get there.
Baba later pointed out, that a person can feel uncertainty, anger, frustration, et al and still have his/her peace of mind. If the person knows the difference between his core feelings – the ones which help him achieve his id and his ternary feelings – the ones which can be dispensed off with i.e.. the anger, frustration, et al. But that person would have to be completed detached – a sadhu of sorts. That would be some person … well for one, his family would not be happy with this guy’s eternal cool.
Kind of reminds me of that Socrates’ incident, when his wife threw a bucket of water at him because he would not get into a fight with her. After which Socrates coolly said, “It seldom rains after the thunder”. Now that is peace of mind :-), What say?
New leaf
An extension of the last post, but I figured – that it deserves a separate mention. So, here we go!!
On the day I touched Mumbai, one of the first things I did was back-up my machine and format it. Formatting is like a cleansing mechanism for me … like turning over a new leaf. A new OS, a new folder structure, my choice and my will to decide how I want to proceed forward. The data of the past legacy long forgotten and the freedom to take decisions as I want them.
Erasing all the baggage and getting rejuvenated for a new life. As I write this, it gives me a secret thrill … to be on the verge of a new year, in the middle of an economic crisis, without getting shackled to a conventional “job”. Have decided to benefit from the past years, and the advises given by friends … and here is my resolution for the new year (I know it’s early, but I intend on keeping this one).
To be more critical – because chalta hain does not cut it.
Think about it.
Bounce
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In life there are many ups and downs Don’t let’ em weigh you down an ounce A smile on your face will take out the frowns Remember, all you have to do is bounce |
I’ll take boring
As a child … and as a teen even … well lets just say the pre-25 years :), I used to love the thrill of life. The excitement of it all … resigning from the job to give the CAT, not knowing what I am going to do next, walking around in the city with friends … carefree, without a care in the world. The one thing I looked down upon despised, was the normal, routine rote of a life that my folks and all the 40 something’s were following. How boring!! How can one live a life knowing ahead their every move?
I then touched 25. Finished by Post Graduation. Got a job. Welcome to the real world Neo.
With my risk appetite going down every coming year, and with my blood pressure going up, it becomes a necessity to know these things. To follow the simplicity of a routine. No surprises. Give me my daal-roti and I will gladly leave the Chicken Makhanwalla’s of the restaurants. Yeah … I would love having a normal, boring life for once. We as human beings are constantly striving to achieve that normalcy … and so few of us actually manage to achieve it. As Fido Dido would have you believe … Normal is boring .. hey give me boring, and let me be :-)