First for 2010

Almost a month after the start of 2010, here is my first post for the year. Rather slow dont you think? Me too! So what's been happening? Well, lots actually...

1) 2010 came with a bang. Yes, new year was lots of fun. I was with my sweetums, my lil colour tele and we had the most romantic new year together... she serving me the mind numbing visuals and me lapping it up. Anyone's guess who the bigger idiot is!

2) Well, the debate about the bigger Idiot will be made clear with this next happening. I quit as Station Head of BIG 92.7 FM! And that too without another job in hand. So come Feb 22, ill be out on the streets without a job. None of my attempts so far at another job is bearing fruit.

3) Im thinking of alternate career options:

a) Entrepreneurship - Dotcom company. workin on a few ideas.

b) Agriculture and associated industries

c) Rural Tourism - what say? I am from a very scenic village in south india with mountains, waterfalls, temples and beaches. If i have a good product, will you buy?

So there you have it. An exciting start to 2010. Well, lets see where it leads me.

What do you think?

Workaholics anonymous...

I was at Cochin yesterday on client calls when I got a call from one of the office numbers...

Me: "Hello"

Parvathy: "Hey, just called when I got some free time... 30 secs!"

Me: "Ok..."

Yes, thats right, I was confused... after all, Parvathy, my Programing Head, was supposed to be on leave and even so, why was she calling me?

Me: "What are you doing at office?"

Parvathy: "What do you mean 'what are you doing at office'! I told you I'd be coming"

Well, on the contrary, she had actually told me that she would NOT be coming... but what the hey!

Me: "Ok... So whats happening there?"

Parvathy: "Oh! Im so tired... So much work to do"

Me: "Ok.. then go home and enjoy your leave dude!"

Parvathy: "You know I cant... and since when have you started to call me 'dude' !"

You can make out just how much girls don't like something just by the tone of their voices... and yeah maybe we are not to call colleagues "dudes"

Me: "Err..."

Parvathy: "Don't 'Err' me ok? And don't forget... make sure you buy groceries when you return from office today... IF you want dinner!"

At once the detective in me woke up... I got this strong feeling that something was definitely not right...

Me: "Parvathy! This is George here!"

Parvathy: "What? George? Aaiiyyoooo.... I thought I was speaking to my husband!"

And she quickly hung up!

So, is there something like being too engrossed in work? Is there something like working too hard? Well, if there is, then the award definitely goes to Mrs Parvathy Nair!

You know you are working too hard when:

1) You go to office even when you are on leave...
2) You dial your colleague's number when you actually want to talk to your husband...
3) Having dialed the number you fail to realize the person on the other side is NOT your husband even after talking for 5 mins!!!

:-S

Sight and Vision are so very different...

It is not often that we come across a personality who, after a brief interaction, impresses and affects your life in a profound manner. I had one such encounter yesterday (07th June, 2009) when I met Sabriye Tenberken (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tibetan_braille) . I met her at the Radio Play hosted by the International Institute of Social Entrepreneurship (IISE) for which I got an invitation since I am part of the radio business .

When Mr. Rajesh, the manager of the institute, sent me an invitation, I did not know anything about this. I thought it was a function at a blind school discussing the importance of radio for the visually impaired. Also, I like volunteering and hence thought it would be a chance for me to get involved. So with these thoughts in mind I traveled to the location of the institute. The road to the institute was a winding one, full of twists and turns and roads leading left and right. The more I traveled the more I was convinced that it was a blind school for children with visual impairment.

I could not have been more wrong. The gates opened onto a sprawling 2.5 acre campus which had a total of 5 buildings overlooking a the serene waters of the Vellayani Lake. All the buildings are state-of-the-art and completely eco friendly. The campus can house a total of 45 students who are given training for an entire year during which they learn the nuances of running a business and becoming independent for life.

And all this was possible due to the hard work and determination of one woman. She is a Nobel Peace Prize nominee, a recipient of the Mother Theresa Award, and TV host Oprah Winfrey’s choice of “Eight Women Oprah wants you to know”. Her vision is to remove the taboos that are associated with any sort of handicap. She believes, and rightly so, that each of us are capable of changing the world and making it a better place to be in one small step at a time. The institute shouts its mission statement in everything it does “Do you have to have vision to be a visionary?” and it proves with equal fervor that vision need not be a hindrance to human development in any way!

Not only the IISE, but she has also built schools in Tibet, where she also helped to develop Braille script in the Tibetan language. This was in 1992 made the official Braille script for the nation. Apart from this she also swims, opens schools, learns new languages, uses a laptop, rides horses and also climbed upto the base camp of Mount Everest. So, what’s so great in doing all this? Nothing, except that she has been completely blind since the age of 12 due to a retinal disease!!

The passion with which she spoke to the audience… the passion with which she interacted with each and every one of the guests present yesterday… the passion with which she carries the light of her vision aloft… it is something that needs to be seen and experienced.

So, how were the Radio Plays that I had gone to listen to in the first place? They were OUTSTANDING!!! I listened in awe as the 5 plays filled the room with emotions and zeal. They were very proffesionalyy done by teams of 4 visually impaired participants. Over a 7 week period, they mastered the techniques of story, scripting, casting, recording, editing etc. And came out with works of art that truly deserve a larger audience. The topics selected were relevant and heatfelt. The execution was proffesional and the final outcome were 5 plays that the institute can be truely proud of. I felt humbled by the creativity shown by the participants. Each of the plays was better than the other in one aspect or the other. And it was so wonderful seeing the smiles on the faces of each of the participants... the happiness in what they were able to achieve in the short span of time alloted.

The world really needs more visionaries like Sabriye. And I wish her all the very best and heartfelt prayers in all the endeavors that she takes up.

(Please go thru the link, you will be as impressed as I was)

OOH is not just a media problem!!

I work for a media company now (BIG 92.7 FM part of the Reliance ADA group; 45 stations across India) as Station Head for Trivandrum. I head the Kerala Market... essentially because there are no other BIG FM stations in the state which means I take care of the entire state, as far as BIG FM is concerned that is (Dont blame me for the sorry state of affairs there otherwise)!
I joined the company on the 4th of May, 2009 and ever since have been on a whirlwind tour of the length and breadth of India... Readers dont mistake me, its not that I'm an important Jet Setter in the company... its just that I have been booted from place to place on the excuse of training me. This ass-kicking took me to Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and finally to Trivandrum.

Anyway, part of the groups business is OOH media... expanded, it is Out Of Home. Meaning, all those hoeardings that you see at junctions, Malls, Buses, Metros etc. the BIG company (on many levels!) has many of these assests that we rent out. (For advistising please contact me at 9020680385 :) ) Well its not easy business. With so many players in the business, its cut throat competition.

So, anyway when I reached Bangalore after 2 weeks on the road (literally!) I went on a shopping spree! I went to all those stores in Bangalore which screamed 60% OFF!! Even at those prices, most of the clothes were out my reach and having just spent a year doing my MBA and not earning did not help matters at all either! All the same, I managed to grab hold of my bag full of 1 Rupee coins and heaved it to the shop.

My friend who was with me all the time was obviously impressed with my high speed purchasing rampage. I was like a Rhino in a China shop! Or rather like a star crazy girl when her hearthrob hero enters the room... I bought everything from shirts to trousers to socks to undergarments! After doing this over quite a few shops and maxing out his credit card, he took me aside and councelled me, "Dude... slow down. These shopd will be here later too. You can buy all these clothes after you get your first months salary too! And since when did you start getting so finiky about the clothes you wear? From what I know of you, you wear just about any old rag that covers you!!"

"Dude..." I whispered, "Dont tell anyone, but this is what happens if you are OOH for 2 weeks at a stretch... laundry not done!!"

:-S

The Placement song...

Adapted from Jim Reeves Merry Christmas Polka

This is Placement season 

So there isn't any reason 

We can't prance the Placement polka...
Hear phone-bells ringing

Everybody's shouting, 

doing the GD polka...

Placement freeze and chaos 

Makes everyone so potty 

And gloom just fills the air...
It's a bloody screwed up time 

For a boy and a girl to get placed

While crying the Placement holler...

The scary Placement polka

Let's howl, let's scream, let's shriek...
Everyone's so snappy

The air is filled with dread...

Watch the sweet friends bluffing 

As they pace beneath the company logo
It's a sight to behold 

For the placed and the not-so-placed 

The meeeerrrrrry Placeeeement pooooolkaaaaaa...

:D

The modern day bullies...

Child: "WWaaaaaahhhhh.... WWaaaaaahhhhh....."

Mom: "What is it Beta?"

Child: "I want my lolly..."

Mom: "Beta, you are not old enough to have a lolly..."

Child: "WWaaaaaahhhhh.... want my lolly..."

Mom: "Beta, look around... even your elder brother has not got a lolly..."

Child: "But... but..."

Mom: "Now, stop sounding like a moped and calm down..."

Child: "Mama.. when will i get a lolly?

Mom: "It will be atleast 2 years from now... when you have grown enough teeth bite the lolly"

2 years later...

Child: "Mom... are you getting me my lolly?"

Mom: "You are still not ready for a lolly..."

Child: "I am too... and don't think i dint know about you giving lolly to big bro after just 1 year!"

Mom: "Now, that was different... he deserved it. Dint you see the menacing teeth he had? You also got bitten once right?"

Child: "Yea, but now i have such teeth. See? {EEeeee}"

Mom: "Hmm so i see..."

Child: "So, are you giving me my lolly or what?"

Mom: "Well, what did Aunty Hira say?"

Child: "She told me that i should not be sad about not getting lolly this year!"

Mom: "Don't you think you should listen to Aunty Hira? Afterall she is a dentist. She might pluck out a few of your teeth if you don't"

Child: "Oh No you don't! Don't try that old trick on me... Im not falling for it!"

Mom: "I'm not pulling any trick Beta.. Honest!" {crossed fingers}

Child: "If you don't give me my lolly, I'm going to shift in with Kanom Aunty"

Mom: "Oh! I'm sure you won't!"

2 days later Mom got this note from the Child...

"I shall be shifting in with Kanom Aunty. She has promised me 2 lollies and also ginger sweet every other day! See you. I shall be clearing my stuff out this weekend"

Mom was in panic mode. The kids today have a very bad habit of doing wht they say... and she can't even do anything about it coz if she tried, the kid would call child support!

Mom: "Ok Beta. All the lollies are out of stock at the moment. So you will have to wait for a couple of days before i can get it for you ok?"

Child: "Well, you better! else im outta here..."

And so it is with kids (big and small) nowadays...

:-S

Hint: Look at label for clues.