I wonder....

Man must've come after all the land on earth was already present. How did man go about dividing land and owning it?

Working across cultures

We had a talk a few days back about "working across cultures". Well, it was all about the mentality of people in different countries and how to work with them, interpret what they mean, etc.. However, what is most important is not that people have different mindsets in different countries alone. People within a country can have different mentalities and thoughts too. It should be a team building exercise to make everyone be able to adjust and work with people who may be very unlike them. Take for example my team! Most of my team members prefer to keep things down and don't like being confronted and I, on the other hand, prefer to be confronted[I HATE BACKBITING] and I prefer being open and honest. One of my team mates who attended the same talk, came and gave me the same feedback -that "I had an American mindset". I guess, it should be more of a team building talk than "working across cultures".

Nostalgia

The "pich-pich" climate in Bangalore, these last few days, brings back memories of the "very dear" Niligiri Networks. The way we all used to huddle around the "antique" heater [which Ismail always wanted to sell off to Mohan's :) ] and warm our feet or Ismail would use to dry his wet clothes. The gossip, Suja's chai.. playing with the "bambarams" from the cheetos packets - I don't believe I used to eat so much and that too junk most of the time. The all-time favorite second breakfast of bun n butter from the local bakery - playing carrom.. playing badminton.. playing cricket... taking walks with various different people.. the kadalai mittai that Partha and ADS never forgot to buy me.... Bike rides!!! Yaay!!! Riding in the rain... Biking on my scooty pep.... the treats of pizzas, choclate croissants, chocolate log.. the list is never ending... oh and how can I forget the "togetherness"? The fights that I had with Ambareen on bugs...

I truly miss all you guys... Ismail, KP, Navin, Siva, Jayanthi, Suja, Murali bhai, Kishor, Ambareen, ADS, Partha, Nanda, Senthil, Abu, Rags, Hema, Lavanya, Selvi, Shiju.... I am glad I got a part of all this as my hubby - B.Prashanth :)

Innovation

Most companies nowadays talk, advertise and advocate "Innovation". And this one word is given a lot of importance in the team that I am in too. I was told that it would be the deciding factor for the performance grades and that did put a lot of pressure. It has kind of forced me to try to be innovative. I have been seeing other people and their innovations and have been thinking 'Now, how did he get that idea?', 'Am I not creative?', 'Why did I not think about that?', etc.. I also bought books on how to be innovative,etc. However, I don't think I have succeeded in the past one year :( I happened to watch this video by some Allan guy on TED.com, about thinking simple... Now, I am overusing my head to think like a child[as children think simple?] - to see how a child would perceive what my eyes can see, to rekindle the childlike curiosity and hopefully after all this, I will someday be innovative.

Hmmm.....

My colleague asked me to read his blog and I did not know that he had one till I noticed the link in his gtalk status message. Well, his blog posts seem to be a nice refresher. However, they got me thinking - is it that girls are very cynical about the way we see the world? I can get very cynical I know and I do know a few others who are very cynical about mundane happenings. Are guy's very easy-going as compared to the fairer sex?

Poor doggy

On my way to work today, I happened to notice a dog crossing the road, dragging one of it's hind legs. It was howling[louder so when a vehicle was approaching - may be as signal that it was there]. I guess some bike or car had run over its leg or it had hurt itself before. Whatever the case may be, the poor doggy. Do we really care about the animals around us? We get to read about the number of people who were killed or wounded in an accident or bomb blast or other natural calamity, but what about the animals??

I am not perfect!!

It has been a while since I found the time to blog. Though my schedule is as hectic as ever, I deserve a break. :) Every one of us are entitled to our opinions and judgements[I am not a very judgemental person though I can be very opinionated]. When it comes to poverty, I can be very nasty. It is not my fault that I may be better privileged than many others around me. However, that does not entitle me to be ignorant of the suffering of others around me. No, I don't feel guilty that I am more privileged. It is just that I feel for the under privileged and their suffering. I do try to do my bit for such people via donations/buying clothes for street kids/buying expensive biryani for street kids. I am not trying to show off or any such thing here. All I am saying is that I am doing my bit. I am happy with what I have and I don't want more and more. Yeah, but I am a human being and I can get greedy. But, is it entirely wrong on my part to be greedy sometimes just cause I feel that people should not be ignorant towards the needs of the under privileged? Does my feeling entitle me to be so austere as to not enjoy my privileges within my means?
Is it not ok for me to eat out at an expensive restaurant once in a while? Or do I need to donate all my earnings? Just cause I feel that the better privileged should help under privileged people?