The author of this blog-book: The Voices in My Head
(Yes, the title's a rip-off of Salt. What to do, I haven't watched it, but can't miss the posters and trailers that I see everywhere?!)
I know that there are about three people or fewer who read this blog, and most of those are familiar with Unmana's words. If someone new stumbles upon this blog, I'd urge you to go read her. She's spinning some a stories over there. But I'll always remain a fan of her non-fiction work :)
Friday, August 06, 2010
Hyperactively excited
...is what I become when I unexpectedly come across a person I know and adore. I was out for a team lunch at Not Just Jazz by the Bay, when Gouri Dange walked past.
I could not just keep my ass stuck to the chair and wave a decent hello. I almost ran over to her and hugged her out of joy. Even though she lives in the neighborhood and I can visit her often, I don't/ get to. It was such a thrill to see her there! She mentioned that she had just watched (the world's worst film--in her words) Aisha and I was like, but why?! Why put yourself through that? She explained that she had accompanied a friend who was critiquing that movie. I told her I'd rather watch Predators.
Which I truly will. Booked tickets for the weekend already. Husband made the mistake of asking what the story of that one was. As if I care. I'm just going for all the guns and lasers and mini-nuclear weapons/beasts and spooky scenes. Although a lot of thought and work might have gone into making that one, for me it's a no-brainer. Which is what I need right now.
Also reading Confessions Of A Listmaniac by eM. Trying to not work longer than 8 hours a day.
I could not just keep my ass stuck to the chair and wave a decent hello. I almost ran over to her and hugged her out of joy. Even though she lives in the neighborhood and I can visit her often, I don't/ get to. It was such a thrill to see her there! She mentioned that she had just watched (the world's worst film--in her words) Aisha and I was like, but why?! Why put yourself through that? She explained that she had accompanied a friend who was critiquing that movie. I told her I'd rather watch Predators.
Which I truly will. Booked tickets for the weekend already. Husband made the mistake of asking what the story of that one was. As if I care. I'm just going for all the guns and lasers and mini-nuclear weapons/beasts and spooky scenes. Although a lot of thought and work might have gone into making that one, for me it's a no-brainer. Which is what I need right now.
Also reading Confessions Of A Listmaniac by eM. Trying to not work longer than 8 hours a day.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Professional hazards - II continued
Remember I said I was in mourning? Scratch that. I was in denial. I thought it would be difficult for me to get over, but that G would be there even after V was gone, and that would be enough.
This morning, G pinged and asked whether I could speak for a few minutes. I gladly agreed, assuming that it was about some urgent tasks for the upcoming product release. I never suspected what I'd be hit with. And then she said the words. She's about to move on too.
Although, I'm very, very glad for her, because it's a wonderful opportunity--she's getting the exact job she wanted, without taking a pay cut. She can continue working from her home office twice a week, and the rest of the days have fixed work timings. It sounds like a really wonderful opportunity for her.
G is so sweet and considerate, I could die of all the sweetness! She informed our manager about this on Friday, and could have dropped the rest of us an email, or spoken to us on the same day. She waited until Monday morning when I reached office to break the news, because she knew it would have ruined my weekend, had she done otherwise. I'm really thankful to her for that, because I had an unexpectedly nice weekend. Bless her soul!
And now, I'm at a loss for words and feelings. G was my last reason to have any emotional attachment to my project teammates. I'll forever feel the void when working with this team now. I thought I'd be crying my eyes out when this happened, but I'm not. I think I shielded my heart after L left, so even V's news didn't hurt enough. I'm not letting the pain reach within. Right now, we have to focus on the impending release, and make sure all the necessary tasks are done. There's no time for mourning too.
Also, even though our managers would appreciate us taking over V's and G's responsibilities in such a short time, it just wouldn't feel right to me. I think I jinxed the team through and through. Now I have a very silly hope that our managers would be able to contact the folks we lost or let go earlier, and convince them to come back. Like I said: silly hope. I'm in denial and I don't want to get out of it.
This morning, G pinged and asked whether I could speak for a few minutes. I gladly agreed, assuming that it was about some urgent tasks for the upcoming product release. I never suspected what I'd be hit with. And then she said the words. She's about to move on too.
Although, I'm very, very glad for her, because it's a wonderful opportunity--she's getting the exact job she wanted, without taking a pay cut. She can continue working from her home office twice a week, and the rest of the days have fixed work timings. It sounds like a really wonderful opportunity for her.
G is so sweet and considerate, I could die of all the sweetness! She informed our manager about this on Friday, and could have dropped the rest of us an email, or spoken to us on the same day. She waited until Monday morning when I reached office to break the news, because she knew it would have ruined my weekend, had she done otherwise. I'm really thankful to her for that, because I had an unexpectedly nice weekend. Bless her soul!
And now, I'm at a loss for words and feelings. G was my last reason to have any emotional attachment to my project teammates. I'll forever feel the void when working with this team now. I thought I'd be crying my eyes out when this happened, but I'm not. I think I shielded my heart after L left, so even V's news didn't hurt enough. I'm not letting the pain reach within. Right now, we have to focus on the impending release, and make sure all the necessary tasks are done. There's no time for mourning too.
Also, even though our managers would appreciate us taking over V's and G's responsibilities in such a short time, it just wouldn't feel right to me. I think I jinxed the team through and through. Now I have a very silly hope that our managers would be able to contact the folks we lost or let go earlier, and convince them to come back. Like I said: silly hope. I'm in denial and I don't want to get out of it.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Professional hazards - II
This one isn't funny. Not one bit. Remember how I mentioned that I work with the best team in the world? Well, all my blabbering took its toll. I jinxed it.
When I joined my current company 3 years ago, I wasn't sure of what I was getting into. I'd moved on from a very fun work environment. Not that all was rosy, a lot of people complained, but their issues were alien to me. I didn't think about how my new team would be, I just switched jobs because I had to move cities and it was the easiest thing to do. When they hired me here, they had two positions open and weren't sure which team to put me on. It was my terrific luck that I landed where I am. I had a very professional and gentlemanly manager, and it was inspiring to see him at work.
He moved on within less that a year of my joining. Fortunately, I wasn't working with anyone else locally, my team stayed intact. Then came the horrible month of December 2008 when a LOT of employees were laid off globally. We lost the most senior and knowledgeable member of the team and also a contractor who part-timed with us. In 2009, our lead decided to move to another project. We couldn't complain, because she was on the same project for a decade and needed change! Later that year we also came to know that our manager was battling with a dreadful disease. Even though she wasn't around a lot, we heard from her via emails, and assumed that she'd be with us for a few more years. We lost her earlier this year.
Soon after, there was another round of lay-offs, and the next most senior member (am I seeing a pattern here?) was let go. It was a shock and I was sad and angry for quite a few days. What sort of business strategy aims for success by laying off people with over 20 years of experience and replacing them with freshers or folks with 3-5 years of experience in a country where they don't even have the relevant curriculum?! (It's another matter that we learn and adapt well.) Now, there were only2 of the 6 members that I started off with. I decided that I'd stick around as long as there was at least one of them. Today morning, we received an email that one of those two is leaving.
This awesome woman has resigned, and she'll be gone in 2 weeks! I hate change and I'm officially in mourning.
What's the hazard here? Well, in my profession, you need excellent communication skills. That is one thing, which if used correctly and with good intent, can make life easier for everyone around you. However, people can also use it to manipulate and twist things only for their personal advantage. It's a subtle power that can disrupt the harmony of a near-perfect community. The wonderful people that I have been with will always be my benchmark for future teams. And I'm not sure I'll be third-time lucky.
PS: G, with V gone, it'll be just you and me, that too in different continents. I hope you don't decide to leave too. I'll have no motivation to stay put. I'll hate coming to work. Baaawwwwwwllllll!
When I joined my current company 3 years ago, I wasn't sure of what I was getting into. I'd moved on from a very fun work environment. Not that all was rosy, a lot of people complained, but their issues were alien to me. I didn't think about how my new team would be, I just switched jobs because I had to move cities and it was the easiest thing to do. When they hired me here, they had two positions open and weren't sure which team to put me on. It was my terrific luck that I landed where I am. I had a very professional and gentlemanly manager, and it was inspiring to see him at work.
He moved on within less that a year of my joining. Fortunately, I wasn't working with anyone else locally, my team stayed intact. Then came the horrible month of December 2008 when a LOT of employees were laid off globally. We lost the most senior and knowledgeable member of the team and also a contractor who part-timed with us. In 2009, our lead decided to move to another project. We couldn't complain, because she was on the same project for a decade and needed change! Later that year we also came to know that our manager was battling with a dreadful disease. Even though she wasn't around a lot, we heard from her via emails, and assumed that she'd be with us for a few more years. We lost her earlier this year.
Soon after, there was another round of lay-offs, and the next most senior member (am I seeing a pattern here?) was let go. It was a shock and I was sad and angry for quite a few days. What sort of business strategy aims for success by laying off people with over 20 years of experience and replacing them with freshers or folks with 3-5 years of experience in a country where they don't even have the relevant curriculum?! (It's another matter that we learn and adapt well.) Now, there were only2 of the 6 members that I started off with. I decided that I'd stick around as long as there was at least one of them. Today morning, we received an email that one of those two is leaving.
This awesome woman has resigned, and she'll be gone in 2 weeks! I hate change and I'm officially in mourning.
What's the hazard here? Well, in my profession, you need excellent communication skills. That is one thing, which if used correctly and with good intent, can make life easier for everyone around you. However, people can also use it to manipulate and twist things only for their personal advantage. It's a subtle power that can disrupt the harmony of a near-perfect community. The wonderful people that I have been with will always be my benchmark for future teams. And I'm not sure I'll be third-time lucky.
PS: G, with V gone, it'll be just you and me, that too in different continents. I hope you don't decide to leave too. I'll have no motivation to stay put. I'll hate coming to work. Baaawwwwwwllllll!
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Professional hazards - I
Yesterday, I received a friend's email via Yahoo groups. The subject was: What To Do When You Are Trapped in A lift? I didn't see any content or attachment in that email, so I ignored it.
This morning a friend from that group responded to that thread with this: So what do you do, press the "untrap" button?
Instead of 'getting' the joke, the first thought that crossed my mind was: Shouldn't that be "click" the untrap button?
Then I realized, the lift might not be one of those cools ones with a touch-screen input panel. Where do they have any of those anyway, except in sci-fi movies? Also, in that case, shouldn't we call it "touching" the untrap button? Then again, that would be wrong because we're actually touching the screen and not the button as such.
By then the joke died a silent death. Dang the profession!
PS: Initially, I wrote content / attachment, but scratched that to include "or." Like we say in Indie English... I'm a gone case. Mera kuchh nahi ho sakta.
This morning a friend from that group responded to that thread with this: So what do you do, press the "untrap" button?
Instead of 'getting' the joke, the first thought that crossed my mind was: Shouldn't that be "click" the untrap button?
Then I realized, the lift might not be one of those cools ones with a touch-screen input panel. Where do they have any of those anyway, except in sci-fi movies? Also, in that case, shouldn't we call it "touching" the untrap button? Then again, that would be wrong because we're actually touching the screen and not the button as such.
By then the joke died a silent death. Dang the profession!
PS: Initially, I wrote content / attachment, but scratched that to include "or." Like we say in Indie English... I'm a gone case. Mera kuchh nahi ho sakta.
Monday, June 21, 2010
A certain Ms. Noor
...whose name truly befits her. Noor-Ul-Ayn, meaning aankhon ki roshni. She's such a loving soul, I'm sure she personifies that concept for her loved ones.
We met at Wadeshwar on F.C. Road this weekend, and because it was too crowded, we moved to Horn OK Please. I'm glad we did, because it had a decent (I meant in numbers) crowd and no music (if it was on, I don't remember), so we could chatter to our hearts' content. (Actually not, 'cuz we hung out for only a couple of hours.)
The woman truly is non-stop, but I think I did cut her off a few times! Been a long time since a conversation with someone was so fluid. Even though she has twins approaching the terrible twos, she didn't seem stressed at all! Sure she must be tired with working through the week and staying up nights for the li'l ones, but she hid it very well. If it was me, I'd be all harried and not even bother to go halfway across town to meet a bloggie pal. Noor, you have awesome stamina and patience.
I had parked my car about half a kilometer away because I thought walking would take me from KNP to Wadeshwar faster. Even though she spent more time chattering with me than planned, she dropped me off on Bhandarkar Road and then headed home. And, here's some news: she doesn't drive as slowly as she says she does (I tried to look up that post, but got lost in a heap of those on her blog). I imagined her to follow her own words to the tee, but she's good! :D (You can beat me up for this, N!)
I wanted to post some flowers for you, N, but can't transfer them online right now. Stay tuned. Also, we'll try and meet up with G. She must be back soon. Hopping on to her space to check.
We met at Wadeshwar on F.C. Road this weekend, and because it was too crowded, we moved to Horn OK Please. I'm glad we did, because it had a decent (I meant in numbers) crowd and no music (if it was on, I don't remember), so we could chatter to our hearts' content. (Actually not, 'cuz we hung out for only a couple of hours.)
The woman truly is non-stop, but I think I did cut her off a few times! Been a long time since a conversation with someone was so fluid. Even though she has twins approaching the terrible twos, she didn't seem stressed at all! Sure she must be tired with working through the week and staying up nights for the li'l ones, but she hid it very well. If it was me, I'd be all harried and not even bother to go halfway across town to meet a bloggie pal. Noor, you have awesome stamina and patience.
I had parked my car about half a kilometer away because I thought walking would take me from KNP to Wadeshwar faster. Even though she spent more time chattering with me than planned, she dropped me off on Bhandarkar Road and then headed home. And, here's some news: she doesn't drive as slowly as she says she does (I tried to look up that post, but got lost in a heap of those on her blog). I imagined her to follow her own words to the tee, but she's good! :D (You can beat me up for this, N!)
So here are your flowers, N. It's you, RS, and SS :)
Saturday, May 29, 2010
I miss
... having someone who 'gets' me.
Well, it's not so bad. It's better than having someone who pretends to do that. Or maybe there's no pretense, but then they just go on and flat out refuse to do that.
It's like I'm my own and only best friend. The problem is, I suck at being friends!
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