Half empty or half full...?

It was exactly a month back that I packed up my bags and moved to Kuala Lumpur. J (my husband) was offered a great opportunity with a Malaysian bank and after years of living in Gurgaon and working with the same company, life had become dull and predictable. We have taken a leap into the great unknown as countless others have done. We got rid of our furniture, packed away our belongings, settled financial matters, bid farewell to our relatives and friends and moved to Malaysia. 

I had a vague sense of what it would feel like to live in another country. But no matter how much you read and talk to people, nothing prepares you for the move. This country is familiar (how I would hate to live in a place where people didn't even vaguely resemble me; think Sweden and the like) and maddening (Malaysians need to be educated on the benefits of vegetarianism and unrefined, whole grains) 

While J has immersed himself in his work, I have decided to take a break from work. For a year or so, this is what I wanted. I was stuck in a dead end job that didn't interest me and longed for a different routine. And boy, have I got it! Yes, there are times when I miss not going to work everyday and that feeling of security that I'll have a paycheck at the end of the month.  Yes, I do get nervous at the prospect that everything that I have learnt and achieved in the last 8 odd years will go down the crap hole if I continue to be jobless. Yes, I miss the banal conversations with my colleagues and observing all the politics that gets played out between people at all levels. 

I'm reminded of a line from a movie that I watched many years ago (don't remember the name)

"Don't be afraid to die, be afraid of living an unlived life" 

For the first time in my life, the plan isn't all that clear. The future is vague, but the possibilities are many. To live in the present, isn't that what happiness is about? 

What a body!

Did you see Bhaag Milkha Bhaag? Did you? Did you? 

If you haven’t, you must see it. It is awesome. Yes, it could have been shorter and Sonam Kapoor’s role could have been eliminated. Let’s not get picky, ok? It is one of the best Bollywood movies to come out in a long long time.

Farhan Akhtar’s depiction of Milha Singh is award worthy. His physical transformation is incredible. I got jitters as he transformed from a lean runner to a muscular world class athelete whilst skipping to the rock version of the song Bhaag Milkha. What a body, I whispered to my equally transfixed husband. I love Farhan Akhar. He’s supremely talented and thanks to him, hotness quotient of turbaned Sikhs has gone up ten-folds (in my eyes)

The movie is inspiring. My husband and I've vowed to devote ourselves to improving our fitness. He’s been working out in the gym. I've been going for walks and short spurts of running.  This translates into 15 seconds of jogging before my lungs collapse.

P.S. Spell check suggest that I should replace Farhan by Farmhand. I thought you should know.  

Strange and funny things (episode 1)

I've been working for the last 8 years (wasting my life in a line that doesn't excite me but more on that in another post) and have seen a lot of strange and funny things (henceforth referred as SFT) 

SFT No 1. The five day week is a myth. If you work in a place that gives you the weekends off, you must know that the work week is actually 3.5 days. The remaining 1.5 day(s) is spent in finalizing the restaurant for Friday lunch with your colleagues, searching for deals on Groupon/Snapdeal and planning the plan for the weekend in order to answer Monday morning queries on weekend happenings. And most importantly, this is when you get really creative and push back work to the next week (my favourite- let’s think about the approach)

On the other hand, if your work place has a 6 day work week, this rule doesn’t apply. You are screwed. Good luck.

SFT No 2. Outings with team are a complex set of dance steps if you work in a place that has a hierarchy. So you have managers, directors, business analysts, system analysts etc who got out for lunch. Observe the complex maneuvering that happens as you reach the car parking. Glances are exchanged and business analysts, system analysts and assistant managers will furtively move in a pack until there appears a natural division- managers, directors etc are packed off in one car and everyone else in another car. The same is repeated when you are being seated at your table in restaurant.

SFT No 3. The number of years you've worked is positively correlated with your dependence on certain catch phrases- dig deeper, divide and conquer, low hanging fruits, that’s what the data shows, going forward etc. The phrases, while just a couple of words, contain a whole world of meaning. For instance, if someone tells you to dig deeper, it means that what you've done so far is total crap. Going forward means that your boss has screwed up and is positioning the mistakes as learnings for the future. (another catch phrase since there is no word in the dictionary such as learnings!) 

A beginning

In the beginning, there was a girl. Head strong and full of dreams. Dreams of becoming an actress ( Chitrahaar on DD would bring a huge smile on her face), a teacher (since her mother was one) or a beauty salon owner ( fascinating place with colorful bottles and jars) She played in the sand, dragged her stuffed toys all over the house, loved the wind in her hair as she coasted along the Delhi roads in her father's scooter.   She had a best friend who was like her and yet different. They were inseparable and their parents wished that they would widen their friend circle. She loved food- cakes, ice cream, chilli garlic noodles from Golden Dragon, pizzas from Nirulas. She fought with her grandmother (Why, you may ask. That's a story for later) She had smooth silky hair, big eyes and a toothy smile. She was tubby much to her parents' dismay. She loved taking long showers and imagined herself either as a voluptuous actress in a rain dance or as a blonde haired teenager water skiing in a town called Summerdale. She followed the tales of Archie and the gang. She loved to read. It began with the Famous Five and the Secret Garden, and soon she moved to Sidney Sheldon and the wonderful novels written by English writers of the 18th and 19th century. Her favourite subjects in school were English and Geography. She loved acting in school plays until she became painfully aware of her tubby figure. She was rude and pushy, since her always got her way at home. Her mother and father doted on her. Her grandfather adored her and wished that she would visit him more.

This is her story. Of what is. Of what could be.