Random rambling (RR1)

There were 2 incidences which prompted me to put up a post and I wanted to do it the very same day. But somethings just don't happen as you plan. So since its been sometime I would try to recall them as vividly as possible. I would prefer putting the disclaimer again right at start just to reiterate that it my views and they might be biased.

In the current term of degree we are undergoing a course called Managerial Communication. Needless to say more, most of us feel this is an irrelevant course. But there is flip side to it as well, most of us think we have a great command over language and rate our side on the higher spectrum, when it comes to actual evaluation results might prove otherwise and I do not deny the fact. Just like we feel that we are good enough if not perfect our Professor feels the same way (though she has a specific accent which I don't have an apt name and she has her own set of fillers as well). I had been a part of Toastmaster International (TMI) where I was working on improving myself and I should continue on that rather then evaluating Professors and others. Since the Prof is Doctor (Ph.D) I am sure I will get to learn something from her.
  

I guess life has interesting stuff in store for me, where ever I go I find something which really interests me. While at SAP we had the LTS (Leadership Talk Series) and the Literati (the bookclub/author speak session). Here at NU we do have guest Lectures, though because of clash in timings/other blockers you might not be able to attend all of them but I managed to attend 2 out of the 4 so far. The most recent was from a Dr. Prafulla Padhi and believe me it was interesting one as well. I would prefer not talking about the guys credentials since it was 3 page printout which the Organizer had in his hand :-). What he covered during the talk included change management and growth that beckons the Indian economy. What I enjoyed was the energy level at his age (70+) and he made the session interactive. The talk was about numbers (historical GDP) India, China and World economy, current state and projections for future 2050 which were really astounding. What was proved again was, it's just not the content but how you deliver it matters a lot as well. The outlook he gave was really positive and which was supported by logical explanations as well.

PS: The guys has retired now and stays in a village near Bangalore after spending his majority of life abroad and he was one of the first Venture Capitalist of Google Inc.

Stones (gemstones)

Was a part of an interesting conversation after the breakfast in the morning. Astrology, palmistry and gemstones on similar lines. Lessor to add I was an active listener since I have my own view points on the topic which I don't claim to be perfect but its just the the rational me tends to hold them stronger.

Since we were done with our exams and none of us had better things to do (sane people had already decided and made trip back home or nearby places for excursion like Sariska/Jaipur etc.) being in a campus which is far from civilization. After breakfast we decided to have a walk and get our quota of sun rays, which ended up in long conversation right from the culture of bank we are about to join after completion of our course to many other topics. The conversation started on lines of believing in astrology and moved on to belief in gemstones.

When we get to interact with people we understand lot of their biases and prejudice or what you say is "getting in their shoes". What really intrigues me is how can people with similar educational background tend to have such vast differences in opinions/beliefs. I always thought education was big factor for making people think logically and rationally but somehow the logic doesn't hold good anymore. People more learned (higher degrees) and matured have shown irrationality in taking decisions which implies that there are other factors as well. BTW during the conversation I realized that there are stones which I considered useless/colorful rocks have loads of beliefs associated and people go to any extent (from thousands to hundred thousands[lacs]) to get them on their rings and those stones have a life too.

After a lot of deliberation I figured out probably everyone has a certain way of making things work for them. Just like I follow the Law of Attraction and believe in the power of positive words(reaffirming self) people resort to their own ways and probably stones is just one of them. If that's the case, my technique is lot more economical then :-P.

Survived

Well at the end of first term exam and to prove that one can go back to studies even after a long break of close to 7 years, I couldn't come up with a better title. Though the results would take another week or so to be out, but am confident enough that I would make it through with good grades since its a relative grading and not absolute here.

As I stated before life constantly gives you lessons and depends on us whether we take anything out of it or not. The reason I keep penning them down is that we as human have a fickle memory and hence we tend to forget. Maybe if and when I get to shuffle through these posts again I would be able to recall them more vividly.

Adversity always looks huge in isolation but the moment you have a righteous comparison it might even stop existing. And I strongly believe that if you end up being in a situation either you handle it or you get to learn something from it. I happened to talk over to one of my best pals after a really long time (its normally this way between us but somehow we connect instantly and start from where we left last time) and realized that she happens to be going through a tough phase....got sacked and since visa is dependent on job as well its about to expire as well.... uncertainty over her marriage plans as that too is dependent on a similar issue. She plans to start her double master coming fall and finding short stint jobs is extremely arduous task. As they say what matters more is the attitude. Since I have known her for close to 10+ years now I know she would turn the tide and come out of more stronger than ever.

Again a funny incident, I believe the Law of Attraction and works and has been advocating it for a long time now. Believe me its easier said than done in this case, one needs to be really cautious and needs to practice it constantly.  I do slip here and there at times and before I realize the damage is done. While talking to her I realized that she is practicing it consciously and felt really happy about it and that's when I started to recall that I haven't been "walking the talk". But as they say the first step to fix things is identifying the problem and since that's done, rest is being worked upon.

The First

Well there is always a first time for everything in life. This post has been due for a long time now. Since there have been quiet a few posts on arranged marriages and one of the essential steps is to meet the person. Best part about life is that the learning never stops, though it's a different topic whether we take back anything from any experience or not. Well let me name the lady as Miss X just like the mathematics classes where the unknown variable always gets this name. I need to politically correct as well since I know the blog is followed by lot of people and Miss X knows about it too :-P.

Well I would consider myself completely naive and there were hundred other things on my mind which were on extremely high priority (that's the best excuse I can come up for being such a moron). Probably being a guy I did not think much as well and just landed up in a place close to Miss X so that we can meet up. A bit of background before I move ahead. We had talked exactly once over phone and had exchanged a few gmail chats before that day and we were being hooked up because of common relatives (typical arranged marriages). No points of guessing it was me who initiated as I was on fix it up mission. Was out of job...going back to school, hunting rented accommodation for my parents. Let me try not to justify but the truth is I almost landed up blank with absolute no clue how to take things forward. I feel I make friends really fast and meeting new people is just like another activity which doesn't get me thinking but I guess its not the same with everyone. So I landed up being shabbily dressed for the meeting and we had planned to meet at a coffee shop.

As soon I stepped inside the coffee shop I got to meet an office colleague of mine and I came up with an excuse/lie (since you do not go about telling everyone that you are out to see someone) that I was there to met a old buddy of mine. Since I wasn't probed much I found a table and started wondering if Miss X walks in how do I  introduce her to my colleague, but seems the ubiquitous force did not want me to lie anymore and hence the office guys were done and they started to leave and Miss X was running late as well. Well I gave the compliment to Miss X when we met as well so nothing wrong being truthful, Miss X walks inside the cafe and I gotup to greet her and frankly was stunned as she was pretty and was aptly decked up as well unlike me.

Now the funny part of the episode, how can things go wrong and learnings part. Miss X broke her heels while entering the coffee shop and had to go back n look for cobblers but since it was late evening she trudged back and had to manage with broken heels of the footwear (reason for her running late). If you haven't thought about how to make the conversation there would be uncomfortable silences. Making conversation is really easy when you do not have an agenda but when there is a thought at the back of you mind on the purpose of meet you wont be comfortable at all. Well being a weekend and the place being the hustle bustle center of city there was lot of crowd and I was wondering if we would run into familiar faces and Voila..... Miss X younger brother's ex girlfriend was in the coffee shop as well and she called up her elder sister who was classmate of Miss X to tell her bout gossip that Miss X is seeing someone. Where she had to clarify that it was date setup by parents and she wasn't seeing someone, later when she was called.........indeed its a small world :-).

Miss X was uncomfortable/nervous/.... which was evident right throughout and which made me wonder If I should keep it running or just exchange goodbye and move ahead. We did get to spend sometime together and obviously it was me who was trying to keep the conversation running but the question stayed how can you meet someone for an hour and so and decide if things gonna work out between you or not.  Now the most interesting part which I guess everyone (my parents, her parents and anyone else who knew that we have met) wanted to hear. The moment I reached home I was probed but I made the answer complex by telling the truth that it was nice meeting her but there were lot of uncomfortable silences to make a sense out of it. What I guess they were expecting was a YES/NO but I had left them with a maybe instead. Had no clue how things were on other side and I am sure NO would have made my life simpler. Later did I realize that it was first time for Miss X as well and there are lot of things on a girl's mind and I guess rejection being one of the major ones.Well frankly I do not know how things would turn out but if we stay as friends that's gonna be enough (easier said than done especially when you know purpose wasn't making a new friend). Probably if we would have just met as friends I feel there were higher chances of things working out.