Dew

It was quite a journey from the farms till the store, where some people arranged me and my friends to live on a vegetable crate. I had ripened up a bit, when I finally got picked up by a lady. I was then   packed, billed and brought to her home. Her children loved mango pickle is why she apparently bought me, I understood from her conversations. It was rather cold, and I was glad that she did not take me out of the paper cover that the shopkeeper covered me with. Good for me.   In the evening, she opened the fridge and took me out. A small portion of me was cut and salted thoroughly to be enjoyed by the children.   She took a bite and from what she expressed; I understood that she is not probably going to pickle me. She kept the rest of the mango inside the fridge, this time without the cover. I froze. I hoped that the family would think of making a warm meal with me or pickle me. The coldness of the refrigerator made my skin freeze to hardness and the juice...

Happy Birthday! Not the first time, I have felt like asking this question to someone: What does a birthday mean to you? As kids, we were all very excited about birthdays. As time and tide pass by increasing the wear and tear on our bodies and life’s routines with its shocks and surprises, somewhere we lose the thrill of celebrating Birthdays. Of late, I have been observing this in many people over the physical age of 35. In my office today, we had a cake cutting gathering for one of our seniors’ birthday - Senior in terms of age and designation too. People like and respect him for his down-to-earth nature, approachability, elegance, and friendly aura.  After the very thoughtfully done cake was gently cut ( leaving me astonished for the nth time as to why bakers put such a lot of effort on their cake art that quickly goes into the grind of the teeth. I mean, the cakes are so beautiful to be cut, that I always tell my baker friend to be baking cakes with general ici...

On a casual conversation today, I mentioned to a friend: "It is like am watching a thriller movie, all scary, and the movie is starring me!!!” Coming to think of it, it's nice to imagine ourselves sitting alone in a movie theatre, munching popcorn or chips and watching our own situations being screened as a movie. I think it may be interesting in many ways: There is no prior review of the movie that you can read, as it is your life and running live. You are the only spectator. There is no need to get stressed, as it is just a movie and you are free to emote based on the story, and still be assured it is not happening in the ‘Now’. You can clearly see the responses and reactions of the actors in the story because you are sitting in the audience side and can understand what is working well and what does not. You can be your own critic. The movie will not fetch money, so in essence it is just done as an expressive artwork just for your eyes. The movie d...

I looked up "Technical writing trends online" when an idea occurred to me as I was writing today. I saved the lookup for the afternoon, because I knew I will need a diversion. Upon a few casual clicks on the subject I was looking for ( Simplified Technical English ), I figured out something… Every one is unsure of the importance of his/her job in the other person’s mind. There is a race for being on-top-of-everything in a given field to grow up the ladder. There is a confusion about being a generalist and specialist. "Which is fancy now?” is a big race in the already maddening race that we are on. How much is too much? is still a big question in life when it comes to knowledge and learning. "Do you have to know this and this and this also to be what you want to be?? “ is according to me a perineal professional dilemma. Where are you as a person anywhere?? You can be an engineer, a doctor, a professional with a million claps by half of the globe...

Its a long route to freedom.. a winding steep and high When u walk in along with the wind on your face And cover the earth with the songs you sing The miles fly by... I suddenly recalled this verse from somewhere. Should be school verses.  Coming to think of it, the lyrics are so freshening up and rejuvenating for the mind. Aren’t they? Yes, Freedom feels quite freshening. Undoubtedly.  I read somewhere, 'Enjoy Freedom Responsibly’. Beautifully said. It's easy to lose track of responsibility and commitment, when the freedom is ingrained so much in our minds, that it borders on the thin line of control wall with indifference and carelessness on the other side. Freedom is going out. Responsible freedom is to be aware of the surroundings too. Freedom is dressing up comfortably or dressing up to feel good. Responsible freedom is to dress up for the occasion/event/place. Freedom is doing whatever feels good. Responsible freedom is to evaluate if it may hu...

Just how does it look like to be at the top?? He believes : Everyone loves him. Everyone listens to him. One word from him and people know its final He decides and it gets done. Its only because of him that everything is going on the way it is. He is the only person who is responsible for things that are happening in his organization. What it may really feel like to be at the top?? No one is a real friend. No one listens because he wants to, but because he has to. Nothing can be done by a mere word unless these people invest their effort, but saying is minimal, so say it. When I decide, I have so many people to convince to see it happen. I am not the doer, just the facilitator for all that may happen if they get convinced. I get paid to play the game, face the blame whether in a win or a loss. Everyone looks at me from behind the screen of a painted tainted glass. Beautiful to see, touch, and appreciate but hard to own. Every smile I get is in anticipation of...

Recently I joined work after a long break of seven years. Which means, I am a fresher to the current setup in the IT offices. Yes or no?? Yes, I think so. With my conservative looks and modern thoughts ( that's what I believe, God knows if everyone thinks the same way too) I can easily pass off as a middle-aged woman ( lady?!) who can accept nonsense better than I could ten years ago. People who have met me ten years ago should meet me now, to check this statement of mine! A cold and slow morning in Bangalore... I was wrapped in Sweater and scarf and battling a severe cold with a steaming hot cup of green tea ( !!!, I know.. I don't believe this too) and struggling to write one line which was definitely luring. After the tenth edit of the line, I kind of gave up and stood up for a break which is usually turning my eyes off the screen to change the line of sight for a few minutes.. so I get a different angle practically and it may sometimes work well for the sentence in the...

Slow down.... Once in a while, Slow down a bit... In the heavy traffic, to let a fellow on the road take over you. Once in a while, Slow down a bit... In the midst of a chaos, to breathe deeply and consciously. Once in a while, Slow down a bit... In the mad rush to success, to ask yourself if its really your success that you wish for, or a win over someone or something. Once in a while, Slow down a bit... In your busy work calendar, to just smile a greeting to a colleague. Once in a while, Slow down a bit... In your craziest of temper, to look the other person in the eye for ten seconds. Once in a while, Slow down a bit.. In the middle of a complex work assignment, to talk to a friend. Once in a while, Slow down a bit... In racing with the clock, to check if its the clock that decides your actions really or yourself. Once in a while, Slow down a bit... In a restaurant while being served your meal, to ask if the server has had his meal. Once in a while, Slow d...

A simple word as it may sound, Recall simply keeps happening in my mind. Not sure, if its the same for everyone my age and kind, but thought its okay to share anyways. I looked at a sketch that my daughter made and recall how some of our precious books back home had similar scribbles - those of mine, my mother told me later. I heard two college students talk about Voltage, Shunt and Series and Parallel Controller and some such highly "Electrical Engineering" like words this morning. Could not help recall how I was in a similar position fifteen years ago discussing and studying same subject. I bought coconut cookies yesterday for my children and recalled how I used to be crazy about them back in childhood. I got dressed in a saree the other day and my daughter asked if I would buy her the same color saree some day. Recalled how I had asked similar questions to my mother when I was of my daughter's age. I take the children out today and t...

Its a popular colloquial term I recall from my Chennai times used in many contexts. Here my context is : At four minutes past midnight on a very normal day/night, what are the masalas on my head : 1. How do some people's skin glow like they just came back from utopia where there are no rashes, blemishes, tan and wrinkles? 2. How do some children sleep through the night from day one of their birth? 3. How can work be exciting after a trying and tiring day at home with regular demands from everyone? 4. How does programming glue you to computer like nothing else in this world? 5. Why does a No Whatsapp message bring a slight 'low' to you at this hour? Would everyone you know be night watching like I do? 6. What is for tomorrow's breakfast? 7. Did I sign the school diary today? 8. Do I have a work plan for tomorrow's home day and work day? 9.Isn't multiplication the toughest math in this world? 10. What is it like to Sleep like a Log and to Sleep like a ...

I remember reading this in one of the office emails I received one fine morning. There was another email from the sender saying ' Sweets at my Desk. First come first serve'. Now, I was a new joinee and didn't know if you have to know the person to accept sweets from them to share their joy or would it be a dishonor of the invite to just let the email go unnoticed. When I was still deciding, I saw this message from the same person saying he was generally feeling happy. I am quite choosy with the sweets I take and generally keep it minimum unless it is my favorite Gulab Jamoon ( yeah, that is for a later reference for the readers.. in case you plan to send me a box of sweets for some reason... if not anything else, the same ' am feeling happy ' reason ). The email made me go over to this new friend's desk and share the joy..I really liked the second email message.. that's the only reason I went over. Took a Dhoodh Peda and ate it fully for the first time!...

I disconnected my internet after trying very hard to rewrite something that I rewrote already.. Oh yes, these things are very common in technical writing. The best decision that has always worked for me is to switch to my blog and write or read something that I wrote before or approve a comment or may be even write a post that day. For a while I have not been doing this and so it never occured till I almost pressed the shut down button. [ Okay dont ask me, why, you can always restart... You cant, especially if you have worked hard on one page and finally emailed that copy to your client and didnt find the next page interesting enough to spend the next three hours on.. and I dont have that kind of 'bandwidth' in my present lifestyle ]. I really do not know how but I suddenly remembered something I wanted to write about and was sure it wont take long to write it out. So reconnected the net and logged in to blogger. There was a comment waiting for me. As always, comments ma...

I have not had a chance to open this page at all over the last few days.. Suddenly, it seems like I am too occupied with many things to do, say and think, all at once.. Half a dozen sayings and quotes crossed my mind in the morning in one of the most enlightening session of "dish washing... ". Oh yes, Dish washing does teach you so many things.. 1. When you have a lot of writing to do, almost always there are too many soiled vessls in the kitchen sink. 2. When you have to patiently edit a document, you have to quickly throw away plates in the kitchen sink. 3. What does God think about dish washing? We can never figure out. 4. Why is soiling easy and cleaning tough? Read: Why is the 'good' always tough to be, do and say? 5. Whoever wrote the quote, 'work is worship', didnt think of the possibility dish-washing and writing together. 6. It is always possible to write quickly in face of a timeline or committment to the client. Similarly, it is possible to wash any...

- You must know to manage your time. - There is always an uncertainty that you must deal with. Two big truths I learnt over the last few days of freelance writing experience. I like to manage my time and work plans. I didn't really think that I needed to work with a manager. As it happens in a work place, you are generally assigned to a manager and you have to go with the hierarchy. Over the years, many managers have taught me a lot on work and people management, but to appreciate all of that, I needed to see this day. I have no manager to boss my work, no office to keep the peer pressure on, no team to chat with, but I have immense responsibility than ever before, in the form of my own work committment. No matter how careful you are when you respond to an assignment, no matter how much regular work experience you have, it still is not easy to work as a freelancer. It is easy to get distracted or too engrossed when you are working from home as a freelancer. The idea of managing yo...

My writing has taken off again as a freelancer. I have not yet got too many projects to work on, still, it is definitely nice to get back into writing. A nice lesson in this journey of break and make in my career : When you are feeling bored, go on a holiday or simply switch off your computer for a few hours. Often we do not know how important or interesting a job actually is until we take a break. I had needed a break badly, but I didnt quite know. There were times I had felt super-bored at work, but with timelines and meetings and planning hovering above me all the time, I didnt have the time to realize that I needed a break. One of life's interesting moves gave me a break from work. I moved to a new country and took time to settle down. It was then that I realized that I was missing something.. Started trying to find projects on my own and didnt see much progress. Then, some friends gave their helping hand and I finally got back into writing again. It surely feels nice to be abl...

That's how I see the guy behind the coffee counter in my office cafeteria. 1 coffee!!!! 2 tea without sugar!!! 1 Badam Milk!!! 1 coffee strong!!! 3 coffees, 2 teas, 1 badam milk!!! 4 coffees -one without sugar, one strong, 3 teas, 1 badam milk, 1 Boost!!! One of these orders was ours. We were paying cash, some were paying the vendor's coupons, some others were paying sodexho passes. And none of us were tendering exact change. The guy at the coffee counter is a super-quick juggler, I must say. You should see the speed at which all these orders were processed. The change for each payment were given out correctly. Coffee or tea or badam milk... you got what you asked for with the right specification without having to repeat your order. Everyone seemed to get their orders immediately. The wait time is almost negligible. In the three minutes that I stood there today, I noticed how swiftly his hands worked on filling up the coffee ( strong or light ), adding milk ( with or without su...

If it is not yours, do not take it was the first moral science lesson we all would have learnt in our early childhood. Here is an incident when this thought came back again. My friend had troubled look on her face day before yesterday. When asked what was bothering her, she said, she was unable to find her wallet. Now, we all know that Wallet almost equals to a hold-all to most people. It had some cash ( thankfully minimal), a credit card, a debit card and an Insurance card. Enough reason to trouble one's mind and face. In a crowded bus, where she remembered taking out her wallet last, there was no hope to be able to trace it, ever. Without much delay ( thanks to her commonsense quotient) she called up the bank and blocked the cards. When you lose something, you look and feel lost, more so, if it is your wallet; the most important, close to heart, best friend everywhere - because it has the cash and cards and also because it might be a gift from someone. This wallet was also a gi...

In the corporate world, emails are common, so is the 'Reply All' syndrome. This post is inspired by a 'Reply All' email that said, "Unable to access the files" in response to one of yesterday's emails. I am not in the management ladder as yet, but work has been keeping me very tied up for the last whole week. This morning, I logged in to quickly check my emails and see this very IMPORTANT email. [ Sorry about being so loud.. I really did not think that email was important.] I glanced through the thread briefly and understood that some files were posted yesterday and an email has been sent to all the concerned people, including the members of the senior management who really do not even have time( is it 'take time??'.. lets rest this argument for the moment. ..) to eat three meals a day and have a good night's rest. One of the recipients has attempted to access the file immediately after seeing the email and found an access issue. So, he has jus...

We've heard this word quite a lot of times till date, haven't we? Welcome is used so often that it seems to have lost its importance.... but then, there are some Welcomes that we can recall even after years later... The freshers' welcome party in college... The Seniors' welcome party in hostel... The wedding welcome party... Some airport/train station welcomes.. ... ... ... We also recall a lot of not-so-welcoming tone/note of welcomes... that's something we park aside, never to pick up again.. :) When I was writing " See where life takes you " I recalled a hearty welcome I had three years ago, on the same day. It deserved a separate post and that's what this post is about. January 8th 2007. It is a very important day for me. First, because I am joining one of the biggest companies that my mind could imagine, till then. I mean, I never even opted to attempt a test or an interview in this company till three months ago. Second: I was hit strongly by a wi...

Its all in the mind. We hear it most often from most seniors. Give it a careful thought and you will know that it is your mind that decides anything you do or say. And how often do we take those decisions? Every waking moment we keep taking decisions - major or minor. It is the mind that decides to wake up early in the morning and practice an exercise routine, and the same mind that decides to let go of the thought and continue the early morning sleep for another hour. When mind can have so much control on this simple decision of waking up early in the morning for an exercise routine or not, don't you think, it can have a better control on the way you work? In my opinion, one of the Job Descriptions of the mind, personified as a Manager here, is to take decisions. This all-powerful mind needs a break once in a while from its train of thoughts. On a bad work day, when it comes to action, there are times when we decide to walk around the problem,mostly tend to take up the external su...