In one of my previous projects, I was working on a proposal. I was not very much interested in working on that proposal, I already had a project in hand and I was asked to do something extra.
As things progressed, there was a delivery pressure on that proposal and there was this news going around that we may need to work over the weekend to complete that. I never liked the idea of working in a weekend that too for a proposal which I was not passionate about. I was like, “that’s not my main responsibility, why should I stretch for this?”
That Friday I met my manager and said, “I’d completed this and this and the proposal is in good shape.. blah.. blah.. tell me if I’ve to come over the weekend?”
“You tell me”, he said
I looked at him baffled.
He smiled and said, “You are working on this proposal and you know how much needs to be completed. If I want I can ask you to come over the weekend, but there is no glory in me doing that. You decide”
I silently walked back to my cubicle.
This particular dialogue was the most disturbing I ever heard. This incident never changed me, but as I look back this is the reminder on what I was lacking.
What’s the difference between ownership and just doing your work, caring and just trying to be politically correct?
What would you do?
“What! Your father is in hospital!! Don’t hesitate to call me if you need something”
Or
Do you just show up?
Monday, August 22, 2011
Saturday, July 23, 2011
The Dance of Fire - Blurb
The Young man moved across the mountain ranges with sheer determination. He was on the move for many days, he knew that he was moving in mountains which were never visited by men, except may be for the Maker of Fire. He wanted the knowledge; he wanted to know how to make the fire. This single skill, this single technique would decide the survival of his clan.
Wrote this story recently. Please drop me a mail if you are interested in reading this story.
Wrote this story recently. Please drop me a mail if you are interested in reading this story.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
The Book of Eli - Review
Saw this movie some time back on Sony Pix.
The movie that you enjoy or for that matter anything in life is when you watch something without any expectation and then you are pleasantly surprised.
ppl recommending a movie is good, and you see it you like and you are happy, but what is really good is that you bounce on something and you like it.
This movie is very cool, there are a number of post-apocalyptic movies in hollywood which are standing out like I am Legend, The Postman ..
What is important in a fantasy is that it should be realistic. ppl should feel it, they know that its not possible but what if it is?
So the movie which wins the heart is not the one with lot of actions and graphics, but the one with characters ppl can identify. A theme where ppl may be curious to know what they would have done.
So here is a story of Eli who walks towards West to deliver a book and he comes across a town controlled by Carnegie. Carnegie is looking for a book which he hopes will make him control the people. Maybe thats the book which Eli has.
The interesting thing here in this post-apocalyptic theme is ppl who are born after the apocalypse are illiterates!
Is Eli superhuman? No says Carnegie. But it doesn't seems to be the case. May be he is protected by the book.
Eli leaves the town and a girl follows him and they are in turn followed by Carnegie and his men (Carnegie already wounded in leg by the bullet fired by Eli in a previous fight)
The movie touches on themes of belief, being grateful
As a person who loves reading I got glued to the theme of young people being illitrate and old are literate and if the dwindling old population doesn't do something then the written words will be lost.
The movie that you enjoy or for that matter anything in life is when you watch something without any expectation and then you are pleasantly surprised.
ppl recommending a movie is good, and you see it you like and you are happy, but what is really good is that you bounce on something and you like it.
This movie is very cool, there are a number of post-apocalyptic movies in hollywood which are standing out like I am Legend, The Postman ..
What is important in a fantasy is that it should be realistic. ppl should feel it, they know that its not possible but what if it is?
So the movie which wins the heart is not the one with lot of actions and graphics, but the one with characters ppl can identify. A theme where ppl may be curious to know what they would have done.
So here is a story of Eli who walks towards West to deliver a book and he comes across a town controlled by Carnegie. Carnegie is looking for a book which he hopes will make him control the people. Maybe thats the book which Eli has.
The interesting thing here in this post-apocalyptic theme is ppl who are born after the apocalypse are illiterates!
Is Eli superhuman? No says Carnegie. But it doesn't seems to be the case. May be he is protected by the book.
Eli leaves the town and a girl follows him and they are in turn followed by Carnegie and his men (Carnegie already wounded in leg by the bullet fired by Eli in a previous fight)
The movie touches on themes of belief, being grateful
As a person who loves reading I got glued to the theme of young people being illitrate and old are literate and if the dwindling old population doesn't do something then the written words will be lost.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Thoughts
Isn’t it amazing? Isn’t it absolutely marvelous that whatever man has created has its origin in the mind? Call it idea, vision, imagination, intuition, dream, fantasy or curiosity. It is in the mind and lets generalize and name it ‘Thought’.
The company you are working on, the commutation you took to reach office, the machine in which you are reading it …all started off as a thought.
Man has this thought in mind, but that is not enough for him, he wants to see it in the physical reality. If man got contended with what he saw in his mind’s eye, there would’ve been no civilization, no modernization; man would’ve been just an animal, which spends considerable time of its life in thoughts. This urge to create the thought in physical reality, makes our life interesting.
Isn’t this physical reality just a collection of thoughts? Agreed that there are many things in our lives which are not created by man, like stars, plants, animals, may be these things could also be thoughts coming from some source which we don’t know. Lets not worry about those non-man made things, what matters is there are still many things which are in our ‘circle of influence’ which were created by men and it means that it has its origin in thoughts.
If what I am experiencing now is a bundle of thoughts, not all my own. I want to take an active part in this experience, I want to experience something which currently in physical reality is not in sight. If I could dream about it, visualize and develop the desire to experience it in physical reality then it should be possible to create that experience.
If the experience desired is individual , that is changing my ‘state’ in the physical reality then it could be experienced fairly quickly. If I want my thoughts to affect the physical reality considerably then the thought has to attract similar thoughts. A single thought by a man looks very tiny, but if that thought can spark similar thoughts among men it can create an ‘avalanche of resonance’. It can create magic.
Whatever may be the scale of experience which we desire to experience in the physical reality. If we can focus and nurture the thought, telling ourselves that ‘its possible’, so that the thought can overcome counter thoughts in our mind. Then we have better chance of creating the experience in physical reality.
The company you are working on, the commutation you took to reach office, the machine in which you are reading it …all started off as a thought.
Man has this thought in mind, but that is not enough for him, he wants to see it in the physical reality. If man got contended with what he saw in his mind’s eye, there would’ve been no civilization, no modernization; man would’ve been just an animal, which spends considerable time of its life in thoughts. This urge to create the thought in physical reality, makes our life interesting.
Isn’t this physical reality just a collection of thoughts? Agreed that there are many things in our lives which are not created by man, like stars, plants, animals, may be these things could also be thoughts coming from some source which we don’t know. Lets not worry about those non-man made things, what matters is there are still many things which are in our ‘circle of influence’ which were created by men and it means that it has its origin in thoughts.
If what I am experiencing now is a bundle of thoughts, not all my own. I want to take an active part in this experience, I want to experience something which currently in physical reality is not in sight. If I could dream about it, visualize and develop the desire to experience it in physical reality then it should be possible to create that experience.
If the experience desired is individual , that is changing my ‘state’ in the physical reality then it could be experienced fairly quickly. If I want my thoughts to affect the physical reality considerably then the thought has to attract similar thoughts. A single thought by a man looks very tiny, but if that thought can spark similar thoughts among men it can create an ‘avalanche of resonance’. It can create magic.
Whatever may be the scale of experience which we desire to experience in the physical reality. If we can focus and nurture the thought, telling ourselves that ‘its possible’, so that the thought can overcome counter thoughts in our mind. Then we have better chance of creating the experience in physical reality.
Monday, December 6, 2010
I Choose to Believe
What we call reality is actually our perceived reality. We have physical filters like our vision is sensitive to a range of wavelength and our ears can hear from 20-20kHs. We perceive the reality with our physical and mental filters. The mental filters are called belief.
Belief is so powerful, once we have a belief in place, whatever happens out there. We have our own explanation. Everything looks so logical with our belief in place.
Some common belief systems
1. Everything is happening for a purpose. There are no accidents
2. We are writing our exams. God gives marks
3. Life is to enjoy
4. Everything is random
I don’t want any belief system. I want to see the world as it is. I need no filter
Well, it can be a worthy pursuit, to see as it is. But we humans with so many physical filters, can we see as it is mentally? May be our brains are tuned to work with filters. If we throw all the filters out how will it behave?
If you really want to experience ‘no belief’, then try, “I belief in no belief” (it’s the other way of saying ‘everything is random’)
Even if we fully comprehend the reality, will it be really exciting? What if the reality is just a collection of the total thoughts and belief systems in the universe, then it will be noisy.
When you are talking with your friend near a traffic signal don’t you tune yourself out of the noises so that you can focus on what you really want to hear?
Why can’t belief be a tool to tune in to what we really want to experience?
I see no harm in putting a pleasing ‘green’ filter over my perceived reality. It soothes me and it doesn’t distort the perceived reality.
I choose to believe, in belief.
• I believe that I am worthy of receiving all the abundance, beauty and love of life
• I believe that good things happen to me
• If life throws a challenge, its not to test me and not to correct me. The challenges are for making life more interesting. Challenges are pathways to new exciting experiences.
• I feel extremely grateful for all the wonderful things in life
Belief is so powerful, once we have a belief in place, whatever happens out there. We have our own explanation. Everything looks so logical with our belief in place.
Some common belief systems
1. Everything is happening for a purpose. There are no accidents
2. We are writing our exams. God gives marks
3. Life is to enjoy
4. Everything is random
I don’t want any belief system. I want to see the world as it is. I need no filter
Well, it can be a worthy pursuit, to see as it is. But we humans with so many physical filters, can we see as it is mentally? May be our brains are tuned to work with filters. If we throw all the filters out how will it behave?
If you really want to experience ‘no belief’, then try, “I belief in no belief” (it’s the other way of saying ‘everything is random’)
Even if we fully comprehend the reality, will it be really exciting? What if the reality is just a collection of the total thoughts and belief systems in the universe, then it will be noisy.
When you are talking with your friend near a traffic signal don’t you tune yourself out of the noises so that you can focus on what you really want to hear?
Why can’t belief be a tool to tune in to what we really want to experience?
I see no harm in putting a pleasing ‘green’ filter over my perceived reality. It soothes me and it doesn’t distort the perceived reality.
I choose to believe, in belief.
• I believe that I am worthy of receiving all the abundance, beauty and love of life
• I believe that good things happen to me
• If life throws a challenge, its not to test me and not to correct me. The challenges are for making life more interesting. Challenges are pathways to new exciting experiences.
• I feel extremely grateful for all the wonderful things in life
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Two Flower Sellers
The king was crossing a small village when he saw a temple nearby. The king decided to visit the temple and offer his prayers. The chariot stopped near the temple and the king got down and saw two flower sellers outside the temple.
The king approached the first flower seller and said that he needed the full basket of flowers and asked him how much did it cost.
The flower seller said, “Your Highness! It costs 100 bucks”. The flower actually costs 10 bucks but the flower seller decided to take advantage of the situation. The flower seller thought that the king may never know the actual costs of any commodity. For the king 100 would be a meager amount and he wouldn’t think twice to pay that money.
The king took the basket of flowers and said he would pay after offering his prayers. The king then approached the second flower seller and asked the same questions.
The second flower seller immediately gave the basket of flowers.
The king asked, “How much does it cost?”
The second flower seller replied, “King! It’s a high privilege that these flowers are of use to you. I feel very happy to be of service to you. I need nothing.”
The king went inside the temple and offered his prayers and then came out paid the first flower seller 100 bucks and returned back to his palace.
The king narrated the incident to his minister and said, “I like the second flower seller very much. I want to give him 10 acres of land, please be ready with the necessary paper work”
The king approached the first flower seller and said that he needed the full basket of flowers and asked him how much did it cost.
The flower seller said, “Your Highness! It costs 100 bucks”. The flower actually costs 10 bucks but the flower seller decided to take advantage of the situation. The flower seller thought that the king may never know the actual costs of any commodity. For the king 100 would be a meager amount and he wouldn’t think twice to pay that money.
The king took the basket of flowers and said he would pay after offering his prayers. The king then approached the second flower seller and asked the same questions.
The second flower seller immediately gave the basket of flowers.
The king asked, “How much does it cost?”
The second flower seller replied, “King! It’s a high privilege that these flowers are of use to you. I feel very happy to be of service to you. I need nothing.”
The king went inside the temple and offered his prayers and then came out paid the first flower seller 100 bucks and returned back to his palace.
The king narrated the incident to his minister and said, “I like the second flower seller very much. I want to give him 10 acres of land, please be ready with the necessary paper work”
Friday, November 5, 2010
My Investment Style
• Invest in stocks for long term. When to exit? When you need the money or when the company is not performing.
• You cannot time it rite, try but never wait for the ideal time. Ideal time doesn’t exist. Good enough is always good enough, some of your good enough picks may turn out to be good timed picks in the future. Din’t understand financials, leave it. If you believe in the company’s growth story stick to it.
• The company should be a Indian growth story, shouldn’t be a MNC Subsidiary, shouldn’t be PSU (I don’t care about Navaratna, Maharathna. Govt companies may have lot of slackness and bureaucracy and corruption). The company should be Ethical .
• Shouldn’t be in a cut throat market, like FMCG, Telecom
• If you believe in a sector but can’t identity the companies or if that sector is having cut throat market then invest in a sector MF
• Never invest in a sector or company if you don’t understand them. Energy is a good sector with large good stocks, you don’t understand then leave it. There are many many good sectors and many more good stocks to pick up.
• Shouldn’t be easily duplicated by competitors, egs of easily duplicated FMCG, Telecom, Bank
• Good brand image, less need for advt. Conditions equaling monopoly
• Shouldn’t have flamboyant CEOs (what happens if this CEO goes, how good will be the other CEO, we are investing for a long time rite?). Shouldn’t be first generation entrepreneurs.
• Never invest in IPO
• You cannot invest and forget, have a stop loss I have currently set to 10% trailing stop loss. I also monitor a stop loss of my avg price, so if I newly buy a share, I focus more on the stop loss and if it is been some time then in trailing stop loss. When the stock goes low you've 2 options, buy them or sell you stocks. If you buy you create a fresh stop loss from the avg prize. But you shouldn't keep on buying. You should get out of anchor, if you are proven wrong by the stock market time and again.
Well ofcourse there will be exceptions to these rule, because what is fun in sticking to your principles :)
• You cannot time it rite, try but never wait for the ideal time. Ideal time doesn’t exist. Good enough is always good enough, some of your good enough picks may turn out to be good timed picks in the future. Din’t understand financials, leave it. If you believe in the company’s growth story stick to it.
• The company should be a Indian growth story, shouldn’t be a MNC Subsidiary, shouldn’t be PSU (I don’t care about Navaratna, Maharathna. Govt companies may have lot of slackness and bureaucracy and corruption). The company should be Ethical .
• Shouldn’t be in a cut throat market, like FMCG, Telecom
• If you believe in a sector but can’t identity the companies or if that sector is having cut throat market then invest in a sector MF
• Never invest in a sector or company if you don’t understand them. Energy is a good sector with large good stocks, you don’t understand then leave it. There are many many good sectors and many more good stocks to pick up.
• Shouldn’t be easily duplicated by competitors, egs of easily duplicated FMCG, Telecom, Bank
• Good brand image, less need for advt. Conditions equaling monopoly
• Shouldn’t have flamboyant CEOs (what happens if this CEO goes, how good will be the other CEO, we are investing for a long time rite?). Shouldn’t be first generation entrepreneurs.
• Never invest in IPO
• You cannot invest and forget, have a stop loss I have currently set to 10% trailing stop loss. I also monitor a stop loss of my avg price, so if I newly buy a share, I focus more on the stop loss and if it is been some time then in trailing stop loss. When the stock goes low you've 2 options, buy them or sell you stocks. If you buy you create a fresh stop loss from the avg prize. But you shouldn't keep on buying. You should get out of anchor, if you are proven wrong by the stock market time and again.
Well ofcourse there will be exceptions to these rule, because what is fun in sticking to your principles :)
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