!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You might have guessed it.
After it happen there and there and many more places. Its happening here.
You can term it Bloggers’ block or just say Gon blanc! but the fact is "I just cannot write!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

waiting to come back,
Neo

Only the Paranoid Survive

Written by Andy Grove, this book is not really about Intel but it is about what one can learn from the experience. The book can be summarized in one quote:

Success breeds complacency. Complacency breeds failure.
Only the paranoid survive.

Andy explains his point through a strategic inflection poin(SIP)t. When a company is going through an SIP, all the business rules suddenly change. A company that is able to spot this and act upon it will be the one moving forward. Frequently, it is not possible to recognise the strategic inflection point until it is actually occurring. For this reason, the most successful companies are the ones that are always questioning and looking over their shoulders. The outcome of an SIP is illustrated aptly:

The book is full of common sense, backed up with case studies from the world of successful - and not so successful - businesses. This book reminded me of a quote by Charles Darwin:

It’s not the survival of the fittest or the most intelligent species,
But the one who is most adaptable to change.

Truly - Only the Paranoid Survive.

Watchful,
Neo.
img courtesy intel

WorldSpace - Not in My Space

It's been around 2 years since WorldSpace hit the Indian market. For the uninitiated, WorldSpace is the world's first digital satellite radio network. Started as a single channel free service in its early days, it went on to become a yearly fee based subscription. It won't work with the standard AM/FM Radios and requires a special radio, which is a satellite receiver, and comes at a cost of 1800 onwards.

Being a prospective consumer first and a marketing student later, an obvious question is why I will invest when I have some 5 free FM channels ringing for my ears. The USP according to the company is in 3 Cs: Choice, Clarity and Coverage.

• Choice - over 40 music channels with out ads
• Clarity - very obvious as it's digital, delivering near CD quality sound
• Coverage – delivered almost everywhere.

I am not much impressed. And so are others if you go by the subscription figures. The problems are many. So let's dissect the case –

1. Pricing: WorldSpace yearly subscription is at rs. 1800 but doesn't deliver value. It have little over 40 channels but only a mix of 5-7 channels interests an average Indian. So according to me the pricing should be per channel basis but I think its technically difficult to implement(not really sure though)


2. Alternate Music? : If you go through the list of channels, apart from 2-3 channels, most of them provide alternative music which has its own set of followers but won't appeal to masses. Niche content will not get subscription figures, a fact which Mid-Day's Go 92.5 learnt the hard way.


3. Niche Player: Taking cue from the above point – WorldSpace would like to be a niche player as it doesn't need huge subscription figures to sell to an advertiser. Agreed. But Radio being a mass communication product and the kind of technology used by WorldSpace definitely needs subscription to stop it from bleeding


4. Portability: Ice age, Stone Age, Iron Age and now it's an iPod age. Mp3 players and phones are plenty. And with memory space being no constraint, you can carry your world of music where ever you go. WorldSpace, too, works almost anywhere but I would defiantly not move around with a stereo box in my bag.


5. Piracy: Almost any thing to do with online – be it music, eBooks, software – is bogged by the piracy bug. With mp3s freely available on the net, one can make his favorite collection to fill in the gigs in ones player and never hear a song which he dislikes. And for those averse to piracy, will be more than happy with downloading legal and cheaper music


6. Competition: WorldSpace is in direct competition with FM radio players. We must come to believe that we live in free times. Though there is no such thing as a free lunch, but there is always a free sponsored (read: advertised) lunch. FM Radio players with their ad supported free service are widely accepted and difficult to break. While there's is nothing stopping WorldSpace to shift its revenue model, there are few competitive advantages FM has :
   
• FM Radio has gained popularity is because of its integration with mobiles and car stereos, who form a huge base of listeners. ( Related to Point 2 )
• According to me, radio is also more about local content than anything else which is out of question for WorldSpace. This holds true specially when we have calamity like the Mumbai floods

All said and done - the technology is surely rocking and ahead of its time. And if issues like content, portability and pricing are tackled, which I am pretty sure they will be, WorldSpace will definitely get a warm welcome in My Space.

waiting,
Neo

Who am I?

I would like to share a piece written by Bob Conklin, found in "The Difference Maker" by John C. Maxwell

I can make you rise or fall. I can work for you or against you.
I can make you a success or failure.
I can control the way you feel and the way you act.
I can make you laugh ... work... love... I can make your heart sing with joy... excitement... elation...

Or I can make you wretched... dejected... morbid...I can make you sick... listless...

I can be as a shackle... heavy... attached... burdensome…
Or I can be the Prism's hue... dancing...bright... fleeting… lost forever unless captured by pen and purpose.
I can be nurtured and grown to be great and beautiful... seen by the eyes of others through action in you.
I can never be removed.... only replaced.

Who am I?
I am a THOUGHT.
Why not know me better?

Truly,your thoughts will be lost forever unless captured by pen or purpose! Thoughts must be written down or lived. Only then will they become building blocks of your life. Know I can relate to the old proverb of sowing a thought results in developing a habit. Habits shape our character which ultimately leads to creating our own destiny.

When what we think has a profound effect on our behavior, then why not know a thought better

thinking,
Neo

The Fifth Mountain

I am an avid reader, but I must admit that recently my reading habits have become wierd.Never in my life I have left a book in between just to start another one. And this time I have some 4-5 books which are half read.

Right now there are a number of books I’m struggling to finish reading but still I finished The Fifth Mountain one before everything else because a borrowed book has to be returned and its relatively shorter than the others. And of course I did like it (though didn’t loved it completely as The Alchemist by the same author)

I am not going to post a review or a summary of the book, but instead some really thought provoking lines from the book. Hoping these lines will help you scale your mountain



When we delay the harvest, the fruit rots. But when we delay resolving problems, they continue to grow. Learn something.

At this moment, many people have stopped living. They do not become angry, nor cry out; they merely wait for time to pass. They did not accept the challenge of life, so life no longer challenges them. You are running the same risk; react, face life, but do not stop living.

All life's battles teach us something, even those we lose.... you'll discover that you have defended lies, deceived yourself, or suffered for foolishness. If you're a good warrior, you will not blame yourself for this, but neither will you allow your mistakes to repeat themselves.

A child can teach an adult three things: to be happy for no reason, to always be busy with something, and to know how to demand with all his might that which he desires.

Take advantage of the chance that tragedy has given you; not everyone is capable of doing so.

The greatest wisdom is blinded by the glare of vanity.

Make whatever decision you wish but never forget one thing: all of you are much better than you believed.

pensive,
Neo.

Happy Diwali!!!!!

Diwali, the festival of lights, is the most popular of all the festivals.The festival celebrates the victory of good over evil, light over darkness, and knowledge over ignorance.

In simple words, regardless of the myth surrounding Diwali,its about celebrating hope and bursting crackers of friendship and goodwill and to reaffirm once again that life is celebration of simple joys which make a lifetime.

Here's wishing all my readers, friends and family a very Happy Diwali and a very very prosperous New Year ahead.

Tamaso ma jyotir gamaya - Lead me from darkness to light.
Neo.

pic courtesy

Palak Pulao

Palak(Spinach) is one of my favourite veggies and endorsed by Popeye. But apart all that its a a veggie high on nutrition. So in one of the cookery shows I happen to see a recipe of Palak Pulao. And it tempted me to make my own version. So here it is.

Need :
1 Bunch of Spinach
2 onions
2 tbs green chilly-ginger-garlic paste
2 cups of Basmati rice
Salt to taste
1 carrot; shredded
2 tbs ghee
1 clove
3-4 cashews cut in two halves

Way:
1. Cook the rice before hand and keep it aside
2. Cut Onions in to long strands as shown below

3. Wash Palak before using so as to remove dirt. Take a vessel and put water,salt and palak in to and boil for 5-7 minutes till the leaves become tender enough( This procedure is know as blanching - though not sure)
4. Grind the spinach and ginger + garlic paste and 2-3 green chilies together and form a thick paste.
5. Heat ghee in a thick bottom vessel, add Jeera and mustard seeds then add chopped onions and stir fry for 3 minutes. Add other ingredients such as cashews
6. Add thick palak paste,rice and little water.
7. Mix evenly and cook for 5-7 mins.
8. Dress it with shredded carrot to give a good colour combination

Pet full,Dil House Full,
Neo

Khosla ka Ghosla Review : Middle Class Humour is Back

(Credits to this post majorly go to Pinky Patel a.k.a Pinank)

It is so simple to be happy but it is very difficult to be simple. A famous quote from Hrishi-da's Bawaarchi, summaries my take on this down to earth, glamour less but very real and true to life film.

Star power, song and dance sequences, foreign locales are the core ingredients of today's Bollywood fare. KKG has none. Off lately, creativity has taken a back-seat. If songs were not enough, film-makers have now started 'remixing' old movies. Extremely hazardous, yet widely accepted, I just hope and pray that this trend vanishes soon. In such times comes an original (as far as my knowledge travels) light-hearted healthy comedy, tackling real life issues the reel way.

KKG reminds me of the simple 90s. It is about this middle-class north Indian family living in Dilli. The family is lead by a 'about to retire' father (Anupam Kher, suites his character to the T). A father to two sons (Ranvir Shorey and Parveen Dabbas) and a daughter, he (Anupam Kher) purchases a brand new plot in the elite South Delhi area and plans to live his post-retirement life in his new, soon to be build three storey apartment. The family is happy by themselves in some way or other apart from the fact that the MNC working son (PD) aspires to go to AMRRIKKA. I noticed one thing about Dilli in this film; it has agents for just about everything and anything under the sun. PD has an agent working for his Visa application and processing…!!!

Anyways let's get back to the story. One fine day the Khosla household finds un-wanted guests at their newly purchased, virgin plot. To their horror, the watchman claims that his master is the owner of the land. Khurana (Boman Irani) has his hands on the land. The Khosla's first try to check if it's a case of mistaken identity, then play the legal card but both the methods showed zero results. Khurana was hell-bent to sell the land which belonged to Khosla's to the Khosla's, that too at a discounted rate!!!


The typical middle class crisis is perfectly portrayed and you start living with the Khoslas.A good (read sarcastic) shot is attempted at all the avenues which a common man can try to get what is rightfully his. So after failing at all corners, does Khoslas revert to a high charged drama and drastic steps (read violence). The answer is a comforting No.Out of the box thinking save the day and manages to bluff Khurana at his own game.

The acting and situations do not make you feel cosmetic. I guess, certain sequences seem straight out of life. Like the one where Mr. Khosla asks for CHUTNEY while having his PIZZA. The conversation between Mr. Khosla and his friend on the railway bridge et all. Just perfect. The acting department on my side is lead by Ranvir, Anupam Kher and Boman Irani. There is no second and third place. Other actors have shown maturity and sensibility.

Ending Note: The reason why the review is being posted even after 3 weeks of the movies release is a reason enough to watch Khosla ka Ghosla.Movies and stories like this need encouragement and appreciation.

Happy Birthday Mom !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's Mom's Birthday today!

You have been the best Mum in the world. You gave up your life's desires and ambitions to see us grow up,loved us no matter how we fought,taught and guided us through our lives.

I thank you for being there for me whenever I need you.
Here's wishing you all the very best in life.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM!

loving,
Neo

pic courtesy : Brad

Paneer Bhurji

Mom's away
Bored of eating out
And a cooking urge

The perfect ingredients for a recipe

To tell a long story short, parents were away and I had the opportunity to make something for myself.

So here is a simple but very delicious recipe for making Paneer Bhurji

Need :
2 chunks of Paneer, crumbled coarsely,preferably by hand (I took 150 gms)
2 finely chopped medium onions
1 tsp chopped green chilies
1 chopped tomato diced
1 capsicum diced
2 tsp ginger and garlic paste
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
1/2 tsp pepper powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp red chilli powder
Salt to taste
2 tbsp butter for frying

Way:
Heat butter in a pan.
Add the ginger-garlic paste and fry for one minute.
Add the onions , green chilies and capsicum and stir fry till the onions turn color.
Add the tomatoes and keep frying till the tomatoes turn mushy.
Add all the dry powders and fry for one minute.Add the crumbled paneer and salt.
Mix well and voila !!!!!!!! Its Done.

And now The Great Indian Twist in the Tale :

Take 2 slices of brown bread and evenly spread the panner bhurji between them. Grill the bread to a crusty layer. And you have your Panner Grill Sandwich ready to serve.

Pet full,Dil House Full,
Neo

Dassera and Gandhi Jayanti - coincidence?

Isn't it a coincidence that Dassera and Gandhi Jayanti falling on the same day. One talks of overcoming evil and the other talks about truth and nonviolence. Both of them have the same message encapsulated in a different way.

Also, isn't it a coincidence, that suddenly the Mahatma has found a voice amongst the youth thanks to the masterly - Lage Raho Munnabhai.I would like to believe that its providence and not a mere coincidence.

Here's wishing you all a Happy Daseera and Gandhi Jayanti. And with this I leave lines of a song from Swades

Dekh taj ke paap raavan, raam tere mann mein hai
Raam tere mann mein hai, raam mere mann mein hai
Raam toh ghar ghar mein har, raam har aangan mein hai
Mannse raavan jo nikaale, raam uske mann mein hai

Its time we burn down the "Raavan" within us.

combating,
Neo

Smart Advertising

Religious arms have often showed some really creative advts in recent times. The most recent being the snap below



Found @ Amber Mac's Flickr


uninventive,
Neo.

Dor: Music which will take your breath away

So, what’s playing in my Winamp nowadays? The obvious answer could be Himesh. But life is full of surprises and so is the answer. Dor, the new offering by Nagesh Kukunoor, has some brilliant music.

Going by the promos, the movie seems to be set in rural Rajasthan and the music also has a rustic feel to it. The main track - Yeh Honsla Kaise Khule, Yeh Arzoo Kaise Ruke, is a poetry (and not a song) written by the ink of inspiration. Mir Ali Husain who has penned the poem draws a picture of a fighter struggling in his battles of life. The songs finds its place among the list of inspiring songs like Yeh Safar Bahut hai Katheen from 1942 – A Love Story, Zindagi Har Safar Ek Nayi Jung Hai from Meri Jung or Ashayein from Iqbal.

Another song from the album which is worth its salt is Imaan Ka Asar. The lines go as
Jalti Dhoop Mein Halki Hava Chal Gayi….Mila Bharosa Yaar Ka….Jaan Phir Sambhal Gayi…. I need not say more. And unlike the previously song, which has a classical tone, this one has a western undertone running through it and makes a huge impression without being loud.

Both these songs are not catchy like the tunes of our rock star Himeshbhai, but they grow on you with time and will keep on playing in your mind long after you have switched off your iPod.

If you ask me, am really happy that the baton which was held by Gulzar and Javed Akhtar in recent times is safely been passed on to the likes of Prason Joshi, Mir Ali Hussain , Sayeed Quadri.

Do you have a taste for songs with meaning, a liking for quality lyrics and music which makes a mark subtlety then Dor is specially cut for you.

Inspired,
Neo.

Lage Raho Rajubhai!!!!!!!!!!

Manager's (a.k.a Mihir kanakia) take on Lage Raho Munnabhai and the message it encapsulates.

Why Rajubhai;alias Rajkumar Hirani? Well.he is the real hero of Munnabhai Lage Raho.It is HE who has brought to the fore,a movie which has delivered entertainment like an art movie but still maintaining the status of a mainstream bollywood movie(almost).Well usually the load of making serious movies with meaningful stories with a so called message or learning ,lies on the shoulders of ray's & jha's of the directors guild.But the problem with such movies is that they are very clearly classified as "art movies" which are generally not patronized by a large audience,which in fact,tends to defeat the whole purpose of taking such concepts to the general public ,as such.Needless to say,they hardly make any economic sense, with the entertainment value for most viewers,restricted to the acting brilliance of the likes of devgan's,the sen's & the shah's.

Rajubhai,however has used the same characters,continuing his endeavour to drive home the most obviuos but simple truths of our lives and our frustrating events around it. It again throws light on the fact that we leave so many oppurtunities to learn and improve our standards of living,generally defined as 'material' standards of living and not the quality of our thoughts,our acts and the way we conduct ourselves in the continuous cycle of life.Categorising this movie as a comedy would be not only be unfair but also undermine the underlying message of the movie-Gandhigiri.One must appreciate and realize that till now doing Gandhigiri was being unnecessarily honest,naive and impractical as per the current times.But suddenly,Gandhigiri sounds quite practical and correct,as a policy to get our way,without having to use any real diplomacy,contacts,favours as the tools....and hilariuos at it!!! The best proof about the directorial excellence is the fact that it has all been brought forward in a very light and jovial fashion and the apparent serious irony of Munnabhai & Circuit(read as a difficulty faced by any lay person) comes across very straight.The breakthrough solutions to our life using Gandhism look quite achievable without going thru the usual but inappropriate(in the long term) short cuts which tend to add to our woes,more often then not.Being altruistic in fact ,looks more enjoyable and satisfying then being selfish.

So what really is this Gandhigiri. I have read the autobiography- "My Story of Experiments With Truth" of Gandhi and he says-"My life is my message" Thats the beauty of Gandhigiri.Its tried & proven as the means of self purification by following the path of 'Truth' as the only religion...its an infallible means of leading a simple but ideal way of thinking.What Rajkumar Hirani has done,is make this fact relevant in todays times with the kind of problems we face "now".It manages to depict some of our day to day issues. Munnabhai's struggle with getting over truth and become humble while apologizing to Circuit,depicts how effortlessly we hurt our own loved ones but still need a lot of effort to realize and reverse that.The typical mumbaikars life which starts with putting the earphones on and listening to their favourite RJ's who fill the vacant gaps of any major inactivity, like travelling.The mild attempt at hinting that irrespective of age and stage of life,one must nurture his or her dream.The end result is not as important as the journey towards achieving that dream...the oldies from the 2nd Innings House did prove that life is but a mix of various innings and the game continues till the time you want it to.. All this along with 'Lucky' as the character which resembles one of the most common breed of selfish people(not too hard to find) who can ignore and walk over the others well being,blinded by their vested interests.Most importantly,here it may be observed that a character like Munnabhai can in fact meet such 'Lucky's' with 'tit-for-tat' policy but holds to test Gandhi's way of dealing,ie.to hit and solve the problem where it started,the heart & mind of Lucky.Its the same story of all of us..it inspires us to try this path with the key ingredients of patience,determination and genuine intention.It shows that if the motive is righteous,then these ingredients will make a good recipe to meet our problems face to face.One needs to distinguish here between philosophy and pragmatism but at the same time realize that in fact both of these go hand in hand .....BUT one must try.One may never know if it can work unless one tries and persists..and as suggested in the movie,enjoy it!

Lage Raho Munnabhai is one of its kind and it deserves its praise and appreciation for once again touching upon the possibility ,of finding the most coveted and sought after feelings of joy,happiness & probably solutions to our miseries and problems....within.How...?By being true to yourself and enjoy the process.Rajubhai has very wonderfully shown that 'It is only through experience of trial & suffering can the soul be strengthened,ambition inspired and success achieved."

All I can ask for is more of such thought provoking and motivating "acts" to encourage us to reflect and attempt an approach,that can & will improve our lives manifold.

That's why I started with ~Lage Raho Rajubhai!!!!!!!!!!

Best Regards,

Mihir

My Space is Our Space

My Space is now going to be shared by my fellow mates who want to voice their opinions, share joy,grieve hurt,give advice,or just want to express themselves. I will be posting notes written by my near and dear ones and also invite others to share their experiences.

Starting tomorrow, you can share and touch others lives.

excited,

Neo

A Great Poem by Harivanshrai Bachchan

The lyrics of this poem were used in one of the title songs of a movie called " Maine Gandhi Ko Nahi Maara" . Let me know if any body has that song

searching,
Neo.

Lage Raho Munnabhai Review: Refreshing as ever before.

So finally came the D-day of the much eagerly awaited second innings of the hugely popular Munnabhai MBBS. First things first, let me clear all doubting clouds; the movie is neither a prequel nor a sequel to the earlier one. It can safely be termed as a second edition.

Three years back, two characters got shaped and sculpted from the laymans’ scalpel. And this time they are back with a bang. Munnabhai, rogue with a golden heart and his totally adorable side kick – Circuit. Apart from these two, all the characters are new and even some actors.

The plot is quite simple but often simple things have sharp twist. So the twist is that Gandhi is back from the old history books. Munnabhai has some “chemical imbalance” and ends up seeing the Mahatma himself. So for a while Munna is his usual self but soon finds Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi as his agony uncle - infact his agony bapu.

Munna is madly in love with a RJ and pretends to be a professor of history in order to impress her. But in the course of events he finds his tried and tested ways of using unlawful power utterly useless. He turns to Mahatma Gandhi – the greatest man who ever walked on this planet as proclaimed by the man of the century, Albert Einstein.

Gandhi guides Munna towards the ghandhian principles and Munna in turn leaves his dadagiri and gets in to Gandhi-giri.

The script is top notch, infact if you ask me, its one up than the previous one. The acts are also of a higher order. Sanjay Dutt, I believe, is just born to do this role. Arshad gives more current to ‘Circuit’ than ever before. Boman Irani as ever gives a classy act in a mixed role and Vidya Balan is grace personified.

The music might sound a bit damp but it gels really well in the movie and works wonderfully. So what’s missing, the adorable jaddu ki jaapi. There are some glitches here and there but the numerous hilarious episodes peppered in the entire movie make you glide smoothly over them.

Ending note: The movie manages to make you laugh, cry and at the end think about the forgotten values of Gandhi. It manages to do all this without sounding preachy (just like Rang De Basanti). It’s about finding Gandhi once again - and this time not in museums, text books or on a 500 Rupee note but in Ourselves.

beaming,
Neo.

From Rags to Riches

Here's story which is heart warming as well as inspiring enough. Its about a classic rags to riches story of a boy born and brought up in slums and goes to complete his MBA from IIMA!!!!
And then gives it up all ( read a 8 lac job) to become an enterpreuner. Infact, I would term his as a social enterpreuner.Go ahead and get touched.


inspired,
Neo

Where Google gets all the Hard Drive Space from?

Found this pic which revels the secret of Google's mighty storage space ;)




Follow up the link to read on how Google is marginally revolutionizing the digital world and business all over.


amazed,
Neo

Immortal Hrishida - End of an Era

Yesterday my favorite director passed away. Veteran filmmaker Hrishikesh Mukherjee directed several memorable movies including Anand, Bawarchi,Golmaal, Chup ke Chup ke, Abhimaan, Anari….the list could go on. Better know as the common man’s director, his portrayal of a middle class family touched a million hearts.

Be it sensitive issues of male ego ( Abhimaan) to much lighter veins (Golmaal). In each and every movie, Hrishi da weaved stories in and around a middle income house and told them in a way which touched our hearts. Unlike many today’s film makers (read yash raj and karan johar kind), who bring in lot of grandeur and gloss, Hrishi da’s movies were simple and down to earth. But the difference doesn’t end there. His movies have story. Today’s movies are big in scale and heavy on marketing but strongly lack content.

Here’s a tribute to the greatest film maker of all times.

Sad,
Neo

The difficulty of being good

I always wanted to blog about the infamous header by a magician called Zidane. But, due to lack of time i couldnot write.

But as i was surfing and reading articles written by some of my fav authors. I landed on Gurcharan Das weekly article on the act of Zidane as well as talking about the macro picture of being good in this world. His anology with Mahabharata is also quite apt.

"It is one of life's cruelties that the best must also fail. " - TRUE

Go ahead.Enlighten yourself
Neo.

Against all Odds

I was having my regular doze on rediff this morning and one particular link interested me. It said "Siddharth's amazing success story".

Off lately i have been reading quite a entrepreneur stories on rediff and thought this also to be one. But to my surprise, this one story is of a person (Siddharth) suffering from cerebral palsy and the heights he has scaled in his career.

More into the article i found a link which details Siddharth's entire story from childhood to the day he lands a job at ABN Amro Bank. The story is too real to be true but heroes are made of this very stuff - Unbelievable.

And there is one statement of Siddharth which stuck me - "Everyone has some disability. Think about what we can do instead."

inspired,
Neo

Ten Rules for Being Human

I came across Cherie Carter-Scott’s ‘Ten Rules for Being Human‘. They are absolute truths which we accept or deny but the fact is they will remain as long as we live.Am not sure about other rules but we definately follow rule no. 10 ;)

pensive,

Neo.

1. You will receive a body. You may like it or hate it, but it’s yours to keep for the entire period.

2. You will learn lessons. You are enrolled in a full-time informal school called, “life.”

3. There are no mistakes, only lessons. Growth is a process of trial, error, and experimentation. The “failed” experiments are as much a part of the process as the experiments that ultimately “work.”

4. Lessons are repeated until they are learned. A lesson will be presented to you in various forms until you have learned it. When you have learned it, you can go on to the next lesson.

5. Learning lessons does not end. There’s no part of life that doesn’t contain its lessons. If you’re alive, that means there are still lessons to be learned.

6. “There” is no better a place than “here.” When your “there” has become a “here”, you will simply obtain another “there” that will again look better than “here.”

7. Other people are merely mirrors of you. You cannot love or hate something about another person unless it reflects to you something you love or hate about yourself.

8. What you make of your life is up to you. You have all the tools and resources you need. What you do with them is up to you. The choice is yours.

9. Your answers lie within you. The answers to life’s questions lie within you. All you need to do is look, listen, and trust.

10. You will forget all this.

Four Stages of Life in a Bottle!!!!!!!

Got this pic thru email. A message very succinctly told !!!!

Neo.

The Road less travelled

One of my fav poems.

Neo.

The broken Window…We can mend it.

Let’s start from the point where I left. We can, by a conscious effort, contribute towards sociable society. It’s not only by dumping garbage in bins and respecting public places but by thinking innovatively and most important from others’ perspective. Some background before I share my anecdote.

My previous office was at the top floor (6th floor) and situated in those classy archaic buildings of the pre independence era. Due to this, the lifts are old and quite slow as compared to the latest high-speed lifts. It takes some time for you to reach the top floor as well as to come down. In the morning rush hour, when most of the times I am late to the office, I have to spent 5 more minutes for the lift to arrive and then some more time to go up. Also due to the slow speed and the limited carrying capacity of the lifts, there is quite a queue in the morning to go to the floors.

One fine day, I entered the lift and pushed the 6th floor button. As soon as the lift left the ground floor, an elderly looking man came forward and pushed the ground floor button. I looked at him inquisitively and he was ready to explain. He reasoned that after reaching the top floor, the lift will go straight down to the ground floor. Otherwise, the lift would have remained at the same floor and will only move if somebody calls for it. His simple logic was that, in morning the traffic is upwards – people need to go to their office floors; the lift will be directed straight to the ground floor once it reaches the top floor. This will eliminate the waiting time for the lift at the ground floor – howsoever small.

He said that this is one of the small way in which we can give back to the society and indirectly help others. His idea might not sound great but his intentions were. Intentions which were pure and didn’t demand a thankful note from the beneficiary of his act nor an acknowledgement of his small grateful deed. Infact, it would hardly be noticed.

I was touched by the incident and afterwards every time I entered the lift I made it a point to direct the lift unconsciously.

We can bring in change if we each of us can touch at most one life. What we need is the will and some tinge of creative thinking.

(If you are still reading and are willing to put good to the society, I would urge to share any of your suggestions/ways in which we can bring change.)

Indian Government Blocks Blogs - Outrageous

Indian government has given an directive to almost all the ISPs to ban particular blogs ,supposedly hate blogs. This has ended up in blocking the entire domain. Any body login on to the blog will get a " Timed Out" error message.

Surprisingly, I can still post and publish!!!!!!! And as we have heard since time beginning - "Where there is a will there is a way" - we can very well circumvent this ban.
Just go to http://www.shysurfer.com/ and type the blog address which is www.viralshah.blogspot.com and voila!!!!!!!

Lets hope the govt gets sane and stop this policing which has misfired big time.

Waiting for my blog to be up
Neo.

Bombay Rocks - This Time Resistance not Resilience.

Bombay rocks once again. And this time it’s been hit where it hurts the most. The blasts occurred between 6 and 6.30 pm in Mumbai. Latest estimates indicate 180+ dead, with several hundred injured, most of them are critical. Train services were shut down and local telephone lines jammed. The day may have ended, but the trauma has just begun. “Gory” has a new meaning today. This word has come out of my old fat dictionary on to the railway tracks and station.

Yesterday again, we saw helping hands in form of common citizens and not authorities. We again saw commoners going out of their way to help people reach their homes safely and rushing the injured to the hospitals. How can I forget that these are the same mumbaikars who gave a helping hand during the last year floods or the more recent last week downpour. Always showing their solidarity when it matters. And did I hear somebody calling us rude? And after seeing and experiencing our spirit, I am proud that we are rude. Yes, we are rude because we don’t wait for exchanging gratitude while we are busy helping the distressed. Yes, we are rude because we don’t serve the needy only when they politely plead. Yes, we are rude because we believe in helping selflessly with out being rewarded with a dose of courtesy. We are happy to be called a helping city rather than a courteous city.

And now when the city is grappling back to normalcy, we are again proud of the great spirit of Mumbai. I totally agree on the resilience of mumbaikars and have been an avid advocate of the same. But am I happy about us being up and running today. The answer is a shocking – “NO”. Not that we should be sitting home and fearing the bloody terrorists. That would mean an easy victory for them. But somewhere down the heart, I feel that our spirit is taken for granted. Its been almost assumed by the authorities that we will bear the brunt of any and every thing and almost from the next day we will be happily back to work and keep on filling their coffers.

Last year floods were something waiting to happen but the authorities were caught unaware. This year also all the promises of taking preventive action were broken with a small downpour on last Tuesday. At all times we have been back to our toes in less than 24 hours and this is what makes us easy targets. Our resilience is being used against us for the authorities to be complacent. But we should put our foot down and draw a line somewhere. If we can be resilient, we can also be resistant. And its time, we show our RESISTANCE.

The Broken Window….............

One more of a routine day and I board the train to my office. My ears get hooked to a conversation between two Gujarati guys. It’s a typical discussion on India bashing. Cries about lack of facilities and basic amenities. Also on the attitude of Indians regarding cleanliness, politeness and overall civic sense. But the irony of their whole discussion was that they themselves were using abusive language while occasionally giving relief to their mouths by spitting the toxic pan masala/zarda on the tracks.

This is not a rare phenomenon as we all indulge in this kind of hypocrisy. We all shout our lungs out that the country is going nowhere. It’s the typical Indian portrayed perfectly in “Rang de Basanti”. This reminds me of an excellent article written by our president Mr. APJ Kalam - wherein he has the vision of making India a superpower by 2020.He argues that we all appreciate how clean other countries are and takes a case in point of Singapore, where you are heavily fined on throwing rubbish or spitting on the streets. But nobody is happy about fines when it comes to India. He also points that the same Indians, who have been to the “clean” countries, indulge in littering once they return.

After much thought on finding the reasons as to why this happens, I stumbled upon a likely answer. Some months back I was reading “The Tipping Point” by Malcolm Gladwell wherein he has explained the concept of “Broken window”. It’s a simple concept of people throwing stones at a broken window just because no one cares to mend it. The same applies to littering. We won’t hesitate to litter at places which are already littered. The problem will be eased - not solved, if the places littered, are cleaned spick and span every time they are abused. The developed countries are kept clean and this to an extent discourages others to litter around. Of course civic sense is something which needs to be aroused in each and every citizen.

Coming back to the focal point of writing this post. One of my ex-boss used to give us a very sane advice. He used to tell us that we should not approach him with only problems but instead recommended us to think through the problem, try to figure out a solution before approaching him. In his own words, “Don’t come with problems, come with solutions.” Though, at that time, I rubbished this as just another management gyan – but now seem to appreciate it.
Will like to share an experience about how we can contribute, howsoever small, towards making a better society but break ke baad ;) - i.e. in the next post.........

The Philosophy of Stock Market

Got this mail - good logic.

smiles,
Viral

Once upon a time, in a village a man appeared who announced to the villagers that he would buy monkeys for Rs. 10. The villagers seeing that there were many monkeys went out in the forest and started catching them.

The man bought thousands at 10 and as supply started to diminish and villagers started to stop their effort he announced that now he would buy at 20 rupees. This renewed the efforts of the villagers and they started catching monkeys again. Soon the supply diminished even further and people started going back to their farms

The offer rate increased to 25 and the supply of monkeys became so that it was an effort to even see a monkey let alone catch it.

The man now announced that he would buy monkeys at 50! However, since he had to go to the city on some business his assistant would now buy on behalf of the man.

In the absence of the man, the assistant told the villagers. Look at all these monkeys in the big cage that the man has collected. I will sell them to you at 35 and when the man comes back, you can sell it to him for 50.

The villager squeezed up with all their saving to buy the monkeys.

Then they never saw the man nor his assistant, only monkeys everywhere!!!!!!!!!

Gain V/S Profit

I always understood that both these terms - Gain and Profit - mean the same. Infact to be honest, I have never thought if there is any difference between these two terms. But today have got a new perspective.

Reading my daily dose of news, I came across this interview of actor Kay Kay Menon.Here is what he said

"I believe in gain, not in profit
Profit is related to monetary and material growth. Gain is in kind, it’s beyond money. The film has helped me gain extra sensitivity and understanding. I am happy about looking good in the film too!"

Though here Kay Kay is talking with respect to his upcoming release – Corporate, I have come to understand the real difference between gain and profit.

It’s difficult to explain in detail but it’s very much like the difference between price and value. That’s the reason why we always "gain new skills and knowledge" and not "profit skills and knowledge !!!!!!!!!!!!!" And now I understand the deeper meaning in the old adage “No Pain, No Gain”.

Truly, we should look after maximum gain rather than maximum profit in all our dealings.

learning,

Neo.

Managing is Playing Chess, not Checkers

Found the following piece on the net on managing people.
enlighted,
Neo

Managing is Chess, not Checkers
by Marcus Buckingham

“The best managers share one talent the ability to find, and then capitalize upon, their employees’ unique traits. ‘The guiding principle is, ‘How can I take this person’s talent and turn it into performance?’ That’s the only way success is possible.’ And yet not everyone has that knack, Buckingham said. If he has learned anything from his years spent interviewing the best minds of the business world, it is this: Truly great managers, and truly inspiring business leaders, are rarer than many think...How to tell a good manager from a bad manager? According to Buckingham, it’s simple: Bad managers play checkers. Good managers play chess. The good manager knows that not all employees work the same way. They know if they are to achieve success, they must put their employees in a position where they will be able to use their strengths. ‘Great managers know they don’t have 10 salespeople working for them. They know they have 10 individuals working for them…A great manager is brilliant at spotting the unique differences that separate each person and then capitalizing on them.’”

Here's to the Crazy Ones ..................

This one's truly revolutionizing and moving.
inspired,
Neo

(From Apple Computer - courtesy - Jolvin Rodrigues)

Krissh Review

I am a big fan of Hritik and eagerly wait for his movies especially after the kind of work he's done in Lakshya.So how did i find the movie? Does it live up to expectations? Well the answer is two fold.

Firstly, Hritik is just amazing, be it his histrionics or his screen presence or his perfectly sculpted body. Hritik dons the role of a super hero and makes you believe that he truly is one. The perfect display of emotions and the restrained mode of acting which is essential when you would be playing a super hero.

Now about the film - really appreciate the efforts and guts of Rakesh Roshan on attempting to make a super hero movie which is still an area dominated by the Hollywood.

Let me first talk about the good things. The movie quiet gels with its prequel - "Koi Mil Gaya”, which I thought would be difficult to achieve. The SFX are also above the pathetic standards set by Indian film industry (barring the climax which I thought was inspired, for a change, not from a Hollywood movie but a Rajnikant starrer.)

Now about the minuses - Rakesh Roshan tries to make a futuristic film but sticks to the old treatment method. You can’t move in to the future carrying your past.

Also there are some really glaring bloopers which should have been taken care of.Hritik's age is supposed to be 19-20 yrs old which is really not believable. Secondly, there is this future-telling computer which is constructed by Krissh's father (Rohit - the main lead in Koi Mil Gaya") and which can be unlocked by a password consisting of his heartbeats and eye retina. On knowing the cruel intentions of Dr.Arya (Nasseruddin Shah), he destroys the machine. Now, Dr.Arya has to again build the machine from scratch referring to the technical notes of Rohit. Dr.Arya puts Rohit in an eJail (some stupid electronic-laser- machine kind of jail) and keeps him alive just because his eyes and heartbeats are the key to the machine. Now I fail to understand that when you make a new machine, how can the passwords be same!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Indian Filmmakers get confused between fantasy and fiction. They make fantasy in the name of fiction. I must say that fiction is more difficult than a factual representation. Cause fact is a fact no matter whosoever disagrees but to make fiction believable you need to have strong convincing story. To make fiction believable is the most difficult part of any fiction/sci-fi movie.

The move is positive and the first few steps in this direction will have its teething problems but am sure, Indian filmmakers will make excellent sci-fi movies in near future.

As of now, Hritik makes Krissh work.

Got this email...thgt to share it.
-Neo.

Work to be done
As long as there is work that must be done in this world, there is opportunity. And there is always much work to be done.

As long as there are problems to be solved, there is a clear and accessible pathway to success. And there are always problems to be solved.

As long as there are challenges to be overcome, there is a way for you to create whatever things of value you envision for your life and your world. And there are always challenges to be overcome.

When it seems that there is no end to the work that must be done, stop and consider just what that means. It means that the future can be very bright indeed.

For when there is much work to be done, there is much to be gained by doing it. Wherever there is work to be done, there is buried treasure waiting to be unearthed.

Be the person who rushes quickly in the direction of the work that is to be done. And you'll be the person who tastes life's treasures in abundance.

-- Ralph Marston

Coffee or Cups???????????????

Got this mail piece from an impressive uncle of mine...worth reading and giving it a thought.

contemplating,
Neo.

A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university lecturer. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life. Offering his guests coffee, the lecturer went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot ofcoffee and an assortment of cups: porcelain, plastic, glass, some plain-looking and some expensive and exquisite, telling them to help themselves to hot coffee.

When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the lecturer said:"If you noticed, all the nice-looking, expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is but normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the better cups and areeyeing each other's cups."

"Now, if Life is coffee, then the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life, but the quality of Life doesn't change. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee in it."
So friends, don't let the cups drive you...enjoy the COFFEE instead.

Y Google Rocks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This one is too good !!! (got a mail)

Reason Google is the best search engine.

Its not only fast, its accurate and shows only truth.

1.Open Google Site [ http://www.google.com ]
2.Type 'Failure'
3.See what is the Very First Match !

I know you are rolling with laughter.

smiles,
Neo.

FutureMe

Want to let ull know about this interesting site which I have been using for almost a year.

its known as FutureMe...URL www.futureme.org.

The function of this site is quite simple. It lets you write emails into the Future!!!!!!!

Amazed!!!!!! Let me explain. You need to create an account with an email id. Then just write an email to a future date and it will be delivered to your email id on that future date.

Best to write your one year goals and then actually see how much have you achieved.

One more way I use this service is write a mail when I am too anxious/worried about a particular thing. It kinda relaxes you and infact when you get the mail after months/year(s), you will be amazed at the kind of worry you had for such a trivial thing.

Worth trying...take my word for it!!!!!!!!!!!

futuristic ;)
Neo

The Second Partition of India.

The title may seem shocking but rest assured that with the final call on the reservations taken by the UPA government this has become inevitable.Infact why am I talking about the second partition, India has been divided many times over without we Indians realising that the we have been separated.

There is this famous saying that we have learnt two things from the English - Thank You and Sorry. But our beloved politicians have also adopted the most effective “Divide and Rule policy".

Am I now going to present facts and figures which point against reservations? The answer is No. Because reason is a feeble warrior when it come to irrational humans. I fail to understand how equality can be achieved by practicing inequality.

The most ridiculous part is that the guys who will get a seat on the basis of reservation and a chance to be at par with others will also get a reservation when it comes to corporate jobs!!!!!!!! Is this undermining the quality of the institutions from where the candidate will pass out? Not at all, cause these are the same institutions which have produced some of the India's finest brains. Then this surely undermines the potential of the candidate who even after passing out of a prestigious academic institution will need reservation for jobs.

So if reservation is the call of the day, then let’s have reservation on birth - out of every 100 child, let’s have 27 OBC, some 12-13 % SC/ST and so on. And why not reservation on deaths too. Sounds irrational, but can be doable by our honorable ministers.

The only point I would like to raise is that how this move for reservation will further divide the already fractured Indian society. And this could again throw us back to the times when castism was at its peak. Social Divide unlike Digital Divide can’t be bridge by economic measures.

So will this impending partition will be averted? Wishful thinking I must say.

divided,
Neo.

Nayi Dagar..Naya Safar Mera

Want to share the good news with ull, Infact "relieving" news.

I have put in my papers (" I always wanted to quit on Monday Morning").
And finally after lot of hardships, tomorrow is my last day at RI.

Now about by new journey.............
I am finally getting in to an IT firm. ITs into e-learning products.
Please Visit www.learningmate.com for more info....
I am joining their Pre sales and Marketing Group.

Hope ull to be my "Humsafar" in "Nayi Dagar..Naya Safar Mera"

relieved,
Neo
PS : This blog will be no more an another Dead Blog. Will Update it regularly.