Its a new day...

I havnt penned my thoughts in a long tim... mostly was empty headed.. so nothing really to pen... my job was getting mundane... challenges over and was personally at the top of my game at BIG FM. i had to do something when the going was good.. instead of picking up from the rubbles...

but then a sudden wave hit me... start my own company... what an inspiring thought.. so i thought and i thought and then i thought some more.. finally running out of ideas... went off to wrk.

I knew that for me to move my fat ass and do something wud take a monumental task. and so i did just that. Come jan 2010, i put in my papers and quit BIG FM.

Now i had a mission... do something worthwhile and not wrk for some company. decided to launch my own chain of preschools (hey! everyones doin it!)

So there u have it folks... Me George Mathew... launching my own preschool chain....

My friend put it aptly when she said "Oh! so now u can start ur education!!"

:-D

Life as I know it...

I wondered... How long since i have been around? I typed my DOB into WolfarmAlpha (which is a fantastic info portal BTW) and got this answer

Time difference from today (Sunday, September 20, 2009):

---

---

---

Well, apparently not too long ago eh?

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)

A humble request, that backfired...

Now that the job scene is really really bad for MBAs, I decided not to wait for that coveted job that I expected to get from my school. Instead, I have started my search in earnest. Exactly a month back I sent the following mail to all my friends, hoping that they will forward my resume' to their companies. 

It's been an enormous success! I got one call, asking me if I was ever serious in life!

Hi

Its that time of the year when budding MBAs such as myself, with hunger and stars  in our eyes and a stomach to match, start sniffing around for the best den to creep into. With not having had my monthly intake, for almost one whole year, I am hungrier and meaner than ever! Only, this year when I went sniffing, I almost choked due to all the fire and carnage around me from all those burning businesses. All the ASatyams of the world had to find this one year to surface!!

Well, in these times of gloom when the world has gone BOOM , I have but one appeal to my friends – HELP

PFA my resume' for your reference (and also for your forwarding). Do send them to your companies and also to friends who might be able to help me out with my search to satisfy my hunger pangs. 

I'm looking for Project management, business analyst, business development, product management, delivery manager kind of roles... In short, I'm just short of hanging a board around my neck which proclaims "Will Work For Food" 

If any of my  readers take me seriously, id like to meet you. 

After this mail was sent out, I begged, pestered and provoked Jamshed V Rajan (Jammy) of OuchMyToe to take an interview of mine for Ibibo.com. After the 45 min interview, they have put me on hold. So if any of my readers try to call me, thats why my phone says its busy (not coz i dint pay my bill like some of you think)

BTW, did you know that my gtalk status says "You cant fool all the people all the time, but try me :)"?

:D

The real banking woes

Letter from a customer to the bank!
======================

Dear Sir,

In view of the current developments in the banking industry, if one of my cheques is returned marked 'insufficient funds', does that refer to me or to you?

Yours faithfully,

Customer

My Psychic powers...

Way back in 1998 when I joined engineering everything was wonderful in the world. It was the internet boom era... Multi-Billion dollar companies were getting created left, right and center. The entire world seemed to have taken a leap, way into the future... Traditional business models were getting re-written and the world seemed to be at peace... 

All of us were happy to be at the right place at the right time. Fresh engineers from reputed institutions were being fought over by companies... Infy, TCS, Wipro... even the likes of Microsoft, IBM, HP etc... 

Then Y2K happened. Everyone predicted the end of the world... But Indian engineers were getting recuited to solve the Y2K bug... The world's problem had become a massive opportunity for us... Good news. What was predicted to be a Big Bang came and went with a whimper! 

Then in 2001, two independent events rocked the very core of this existence... The World Trade Center was bought down by terrorists and the Internet bust happened... there was mayham everywhere... jobs were lost in the tens of thousands... multi-billion dollar businesses became worthless overnight... 

All this happened during my 3rd year at college resulting in just a handful of companies coming for recruitment and taking just a few of us. The problems in the markets lasted till early 2003. Luckily for me I had to wait only a few months before I got my first job.

I know, you are wondering... what this got to do with my psychic powers... 

Well, I predicted at the beginning of the year that since I'm going for studies this year, something major will happen to the world and that by the end of the year the world would be in a straight mess!

Well, looks like my prediction has come true... Sub-Prime crisis, US banks tanking all around, world financial markets all gone for a toss, US trying to salvage it by offering 1 Trillion dollar bail out (and congress rejecting it), terrorists attacking locations around the world, India seeing atleast one terrorist attack on a daily basis, Wars all around the world, world food crisis at an all time high... 

Looks like its gonna be job hunting on the streets for me again...

:(

Long time, No see...

Hi all,

I kow i havnt blogged in a while. Reason? I was touring Singapore and Malaysia as part of an International Study Tour that we have here at Great Lakes. 

It was a fantastic trip. I shall be writing about it soon... but now, i have an exam to write tomorrow and havnt started prep for it. 

Ill take my leave now. and be back with a bang (or whimper) however it is you see it...

:)

shocking PPT on world hunger...

I got this PPT from a classmate and was so disturbed by what i saw that i felt it is my duty to spread the word. What you are about to see will rock your very core, but hopefully it will also jolt you into action. 

Take a look  at it below...

My first payment...

Today was an important day in my photography "career" :) I got my first ever "payment" for a picture that i took of my classmate - Abhishek. What did he give me? A big pack of Cadburys Dairymilk :) (Ofcourse, i dint ask for it)

Actually, the pic in Qn is not one that im particularly proud of due to several reasons like its out of focus, the exposure was way too high, the ISO is at 1600, there is visible shake etc etc etc. 

But hey! My client is happy... Not only happy, he is positively ecstatic! And that's what matters... the happiness of your clients. Apparently, he got a LOT of positive comments and admirations from friends and others...

Thanks Abhishek!

:)

The Grisly Beast

It lunges itself across the pathway, sweating and heaving at the effort. It carries on its shoulder something akin to roadkill. The 'stuff' just sways in rhythm to the it pace... 

Every morning it descends from the jungles on its way to the 'factory'. The factory where it gets its feed. They feed it with scraps, tiny tit-bits that are not enough to satisfy its palatable hunger...

The children of the village run for cover when they see the ghastly sight. Even grown ups move away, but thats more in disgust rather than in fear. They know its harmless. Never-the-less, they keep their young away for they don't want it scaring the little ones...

Once a while it stretches its big fat arms and tries to fan away the flies above its head. It growls at being disturbed thus. It salivates as it grunts and heaves. But the flies just don't give a damn...

It reaches the corner tea stall where it stands, anticipating a morsel. It lets out a growl which the bystanders don't quiet fathom. But the tea shop owner understands the tone. He takes out a snack from his old stock and tosses it across. He knows there is no payment, but it does not really worry him. It was old stale stock anyway and moreover this gets the beast away from his shop. It catches the food and in one bite finishes it off. It moves on again, licking its paws to savour every bit of the taste...

It moves decisively towards the factory. There is no one to even look half interested in it there. It sits at the corner waiting for its food to come. People come, people go. All the while and thru out the day it waits. Nothing much happens there at the factory...

In the evening it gets up and walks back to its lonely den, all the while keeping a tight look out for potential trouble. There is always someone to throw a rock at it. It sleeps all alone in a corner, keeping warm under a coat of fur...

As usual, today morning it did its daily walk. But to its amazement no one ran away, no one screamed. The children continued to play on the streets as it passed. There were no files to torment it and the tea shop guy gave it good food too. Even at the factory people came up and patted it! 

What was different was that I got myself a shave after almost 3 weeks! 

:)

The pause...

I've exhausted my share of stories,

I've said what I had to say,

I've looked back at my life and think,

Boy, what a crappy life I've had!

Im seriously thinking of retiring this blog,

Maybe I ought to do it before I die,

Coz I have very many promises to keep,

And miles and miles to go before the deep sleep... (adapted from Robert Frost)

I know, crappy poem,

But what the hey,

This is my blog,

So its all my way!

10 things to do before i die...

Like most people, I too have dreams of some things that I want to do before I die. As a matter of fact, my real list is really really long and might infact stretch around the world. To make things a bit easier for the reader, ill publish just 10 things from that list.

1) Start my business - cud be an internet company or even a spice extraction unit. But only when have done it and succeeded in it would i call my self a success in life.

2) Visit Egypt and Machu Pichu

3) Adopt a child

4) Buy my dream Willys Jeep and RE bike and go to the Himalayas in it!

5) Get a Golden Retriever for a pet.

6) Learn to be the best darn photographer i can be.

7) Get Lenses in the range of 10mm to 800mm

8) Buy the top end Bose LifeStyle music system

9) Build a palatial but traditional Kerala illam overlooking green fields

10) And finally, Write a book.

Wonder how many of them will be possible. I would think 2, 4 and 5 are the easy ones. The rest are big challenges. Hope i will achieve them...

Introspection...

Writing is tuff work... trying to write humour is tuffer... and actually being funny is tuffest! 

As i have already said in a couple of posts, my aim for the month is to write at least one article a day. And i have said this whenever i had a missing day. As in, when nothing came to my head (as is usual) I wrote im supposed to be writing and just for the heck of it, i posted such articles with 2 sentences. 

I think i should have made my goal a bit more concrete and said ill post one funny article a day. Again its easy to cheat the system. All i need to do is post funny videos from youtube. But it again beats the purpose as im supposed to be writing funny articles myself.

So what have i learned over the last 20-odd days? That i have run out of funny incidents to write about, that i have had a life that can be summed up in less than 20 days, that i shall never ever take up such a challenge again. 

:-S

The new RE Thunderbird Twin Spark

I am a BIG (literally and figuratively) fan of Royal Enfield (RE) bike. It has been a long held dream of mine to own an Electra 5S. But the initial cost has been holding me back. But looks like my wait is getting rewarded...

RE has been comming out with  lot of technological break thrus of late the latest one being the twin-spark engine Thunderbird. The thunderbird is the ONLY TRUE cruiser bike in India. Other wannabes like Yamaha Enticer and Bajaj Eliminator are a joke. Infact the only thing about those bikes are their looks, which again is not too enticing! 

The RE Thunderbird is different. Its a mean machine and handles the highways like a song. I once had the opportunity of riding it for around 1000 Kms and it felt.. Great! Liberating! Truly a marvel of engineering...

Check out the new RE twin spark here --> http://www.royalenfield.com/ThunderbirdTwinspark/home.html

Behind but not out...

Oh.. Oh.. Oh... im 2 days behind schedule... And still no posts... Not to worry ill be putting up one soon on the Salsa thing soon. With pics too!! 

:)

Will i be able to do it?

My target for this month is to write one article a day... i.e. 31 articles in 31 days. Its 18th today and im fast running out of ideas. Ther is one thing that is pending from my side - the salsa blog. But im still int the process of writing it. 

Im not getting too much time nowadays with all the college work piling up. Looks like ill have to resort to writing serious stuff like this article... {bleach...}

Wasted...

Oh Man!!! what a day it was... 

I went to meet up with a few friends in the morning and got a blooming headache by afternoon. Slept thru the entire afternoon and evening... and now I'm up sitting here at 11:30PM not feeling the least sleepy... 

but still have a bit of that headache going though...

:|

Swept away...

The cute little thing walked determinantly towards me. My heart skipped a beat. Girls have that effect on me... Especially if they are this cute. I smiled at her... And she smiled back... My heart skipped another beat...

Was she really coming towards me? I looked around. It was just me there. OMG!!! She WAS coming to me. Wooow...

She came and stood by me... I looked up at her glowing face. She was still smiling. I lost all pretences. I believe I even leaked from my mouth... Aaahhh... {Drip Drip Drip}

To top it all off, anything she did, any action, I saw in slow-motion. Like when she shook her head... and her little bun of hair came cascading down. Or like when she blinked... her long eyelashes swished in the air. Or like when she bent down... And said softly to me, in her sweet nightingale voice,
“George, I want to update my T-Shirt size...”

My jaws dropped... Did she just...? But, why...? Didn’t she know I’m married? Oh God!! Give me strength...
“Errr...”

“Can I? Pleeeease?” she cooed

“Are you sure? Why me?” I asked confused

“Well, you are the only one around!”

“Eh?”

“Cummon George... Help me out here please...”

“Ummm... What is it exactly that you require me to do?” I started sweating profusely...

“Well, just open it!”

“What!? No Way! Leave me alone please!” I implored...

“Dude... What are you getting all worked up for? I just wanted to update my T-Shirt size on the server for the college T-Shirts!! Can you open that excel sheet??”

“Oh! Is that all you wanted? Hee... :-D Sure! Ill help you with that!”

Proves it, doesn't it? We men seldom think beyond a certain critical point...

:-D

The final call

On a ring of fire

I wait, for it to burn thru

On the ring I sit

waiting for the final call...

There is no turning back

I know it to be impossible

To seek what cannot be gained 

is a folly we people oft make...

What for is this life

of utter useless waste

To be of someone great

is but something quite afar...

Why then must I live on

if not to be a burden on this beautiful earth

Hence I must travel

into the unknown world...

Into the world of eternal calm...

TOI teach

I got this mail from a friend of mine Aanand and felt it to be an important issue that i nee to pu out there. So if anyone feels they can help, Please do so.

Thanks

"

Times of India (TOI) had always been trying to do something positive and this time they have come up with an amazing initiative of Teach India. This initiative is aimed at helping the underprivileged children who cannot go to schools. While we boast of our technological progress and massive GDP growth, we must not forget that India still have a very sizeable population which is illiterate and Below Poverty Line (BPL) living under inhuman conditions. As people who had been benefited by the progress, I think it is time for us to give back to the society and i feel Teach India is the best way of doing that.
 
Many of us would have had the wish of helping out the poor and needy but would have not known the way of doing it. TOI has now come with the brilliant initiative of Teach India where you can help to teach the real underprivileged Indians. This initiative is being kick started in the traditional metropolitan cities of Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata which has a very high number of poor people. All you need to do is to spend some time of your weekend for this noble initiative. You need to first go to the website http://www.teach.timesofindia.com/index.aspx to register yourself as a volunteer to teach the kids. The necessary information regarding the Teach India initiative can be obtained here http://www.teach.timesofindia.com/about_teach_india.aspx. Alternatively you can also read through the free TOI electronic newspaper http://epaper.timesofindia.com/

I think we the younger generation of India are really eager to do something positive for the country's upliftment and Teach India is indeed a wonderful initiative which can be used to realize it. Do please join the initiative and try to do your small favor to the kids who would really like to come up in their life.

"