The background:
November 2008- Tiny, overdramatic but adorbable girl Mitali meets suave, charming US boy Harsh over pasta. They bond over lots of cheese and conversation.
December 2008- April 2009- Harsh proves to be persistent and manages to sweep the entire Munshi clan off their feet (Ba included).
May 2009- Mitali flies with her family to the US and gets hitched to Harsh. The wedding date is set for 3 January 2010.
As the parents kickstarted the wedding preparations, Mitali’s younger sister and my partner in crime Mansi and me started with blueprints forthe bachelorette party.
The party had to be kick ass as the game of one-upmanship had already begun with the ‘ladke waale’. Post the release of ‘Hangover’ , the groom to be revealed his trump card and his grand plans of hosting his bachelor party in Las Vegas…GRRR!!
Tempted as we were to attend Harsh’s party instead, we solemnly decided to try to get as close in awesomeness to his Vegas bash. The venue was a no-brainer really. Which is the one place in India that could be as great as Vegas with the sun, sand, booze and gambling………..GO GOA!! We hatched a brilliant three day plan much to Harsh’s dismay. I guess he must have really cursed our plans with absolute vengeance because what followed was plain tragic..
The dates were frozen- 9th to 11th October. Personalised naughty t-shirts were made for each hen. Bookings were made at beach side hotels. We even managed to get hold of a shady person who could apparently arrange for decent strippers…. (still not quite sure about the connotation of decent here)
Cut down to the week of the much- awaited bachelorette weekend in Goa- the heavens opened up and lashed out in complete fury all across coastal areas in India. Upon channel surfing, I chanced upon the news of how tourists were stranded in Goa, beaches cordoned off, roads blocked and what not. Of course, this was not precedented and had not been witnessed in Goa in years. I immediately relayed the news to the bride to be who was devastated and ready to perform a ‘havan in her bikini’ (quote unquote) to appease the sun gods of Goa.
To answer the question in your minds- the above method did not work and we were left to watch the rain gods work it. Like small kids who refuse to part with their bicycle after just mastering how to ride one, Mansi and me refused to give up on our Goa plan. We decided to wait a while for the calm after the storm and post pone our trip.
However, what followed can only be explained as a global conspiracy to restrain us from Goa.
1) On 8TH October- news broke out of a serial killer patrolling the roads of North Goa and preying upon unsuspecting tourists- especially female. (pleasant isnt it)
2) Soon after- the Goa Express derails (did I forget to mention we were planning to go by train)
3) Very soon after- Minor bomb blasts reported in Margao.
4) Oh yeah and it kept raining through all this.
Now was this a sign or what! Groom to be snickered through all this and the resonance of his guffaws were felt all the way back in Pune.
And this was the reason for the sudden demise of the Goa Bachelorette Party.
But what was more tragic was the devastation and post-incident trauma it put the bride to be through (I told you she was over dramatic)
One heads up for everyone- if you think a pregnant woman has varied mood swings, try a bride to be who’s leaving her nest in Pune and moving to Washington.
Anyway, Mansi and me decided to make it up to Mitali by trying to plan a party in Pune and that’s what makes the premise of my next post.
Coming Shortly……..
Friday, November 20, 2009
IM BACK!!!
I am back from the self-imposed exile/coma. For those who thought that this blog had died its early untimely death, let me tell you the end is not even near.
Anyway I thought today was a perfect day to get back to old beginnings as this blog has just got its ISO 90001 approval from Indiblogger. (taking a bow) I now feel its my duty to keep writing and stop procrastrinating.
I really don’t have much of an excuse for the three month hiatus except that I was not so bored at work (!!!) (which basically goes against the foundation of this blog)
I kept gathering post its in my mind about what I would first write and well here goes nothing…
Anyway I thought today was a perfect day to get back to old beginnings as this blog has just got its ISO 90001 approval from Indiblogger. (taking a bow) I now feel its my duty to keep writing and stop procrastrinating.
I really don’t have much of an excuse for the three month hiatus except that I was not so bored at work (!!!) (which basically goes against the foundation of this blog)
I kept gathering post its in my mind about what I would first write and well here goes nothing…
Friday, August 7, 2009
Eventful Ridiculous Monday!
For all my colleagues and ex colleagues- this one your totally going to get!
For all those who are still up for reading this- you can atleast scoff at how haphazard an MNC can actually be:-
Monday mornings can best be described as drowsy, droopy and just plain dreadful. Why would anyone start anything new feeling like the above. However, in most workplaces like mine, we always schedule new assignments for a Monday.
Which brings me to the biggest farce of them all-Scheduling meetings.
To the uninitiated, these are meetings where our managers get together with a fancy projector and a staff list and decide how best to keep everyone from having any free time. The premise of these meetings being- to make sure every assignment and its team are scheduled well in advance with no overlapping. Great idea right- but unfortunately just in thought! The well thought out purpose is almost always defeated.
I reached office Monday morning at 9.15 a.m for a 9.30 am meeting (after a late Sunday night dinner at Chandni Chowk, that’s just downright admirable.)
I felt really purposeful as I knew I was going to finally start a new assignment- one I had gone to three years ago as a wide eyed intern.
9.30 a.m: My manager’s is known for his punctuality. I wonder what is keeping him but give him the benefit of doubt.
9.40 a.m: I fill my expense claim for the previous client (a princely sum of Rs 2000)
9.50 a.m: Go make myself a hot cuppa ‘chai’ in the cafeteria.
10.00 a.m: Can’t stop thinking about what is keeping my manager. I plan to give him leeway of 10 more minutes and in the meantime download my official mail.
10.05 a.m: Bombarded with mails from my manager , sent on a Sunday , if I may please add!
The mails mention nothing of the client I am supposed to be on. It is for a new startup client-lets call it ‘XYZ Corporation’. The icing on the cake- it’s to be completed in 5 days!!! Wowee!
I read the mail once again to comprehend the goings on-and I observe another colleague (lets call him Roly Poly) marked on the mail. Yay! I have a partner in crime in this madness.
10.15 a.m: I call Roly Poly (after a crazy hunt for his number in the online directory) Roly Poly has no freaking clue what I am talking about but who can blame him- who checks mails on a SUNDAY! To top it all, he is on a client on the outskirts of Pune so there is no way he can make it to XYZ. Right about now, I control my murderous urges.
10.25 a.m: I call my manager who is down with a fever(maybe even swine flu , obviously my call goes unanswered.
10.30 a.m: I call up the client contact mentioned in the mail- No prizes for guessing – his phone was switched off too! Help!!! I am being attacked by Murphy’s law.
I am hyperventilating now! Another manager- ST stops by my seat, laughs uncontrollably and states matter-of-factly-“You should be used to this by now”. Really now!!
I am stumped and I just sit waiting for some call- any call from anyone!
10.40 a.m: My manager deigns to call me!! It’s a breakthrough! He makes me see sense in this totally senseless scenario. I am to go to this client by afternoon he says and Roly Poly will join me on Tuesday. I speak to one of the directors at the client place- sounds like a jolly old man (how wrong I would be)
11 a.m: I leave for the client , situated in the most crowded part of town. It takes me forever to get to the address and when I do, I realize- the hospital its situated at is actually a maternity home cum paedetric ward !
12 noon: I make my way up the stairs (formula:when the number of floors is more than two, result is the lift is always under maintenance) Amidst my climb, I am accompanied by the sweet symphonies of screaming women in labour and noisy children bawling their lungs out. I also get looked at curiously - coz neither do I look pregnant nor am I a child.
I finally reach my destination- the fourth floor – I hunt for a board that claims it is XYZ but there is no such thing. I ring the bell of what looks to be a house. A young guy opens the door and with a cute American twang says “Welcome Priyanka”!
This is my “Oh My Gawdd” moment- was he the same director I spoke to on the phone- the one I thought was a jolly old man. I am embarrassed- the guy does not look a day over 30.
What follows are several OMG moments.
A) The office of XYZ Corp is actually the not so humble home of the cute American Indian director. This has never happened to me- In my tenure with this organization- I have been to warehouses, godowns, swanky glass buildings, run down Government like offices but never, I repeat never, to a Director’s house! LOL!
B) The cutie asks me to join them at a dining table which doubles up as their workstation.(!!!!) I politely decline saying there’s no plug point for my laptop.
C) Cutie placates me by saying “Oh, you can sit in the bedroom. We have made arrangements and all the files are there.” (WHAT!!!)
D) I apprehensively enter the bedroom which thankfully has no bed. There is a small wooden table and chair (the kinds sixth standard kids have at home). The thought that occurs to me is how the hell will my colleague Roly Poly fit at this table. (I was to later find out that it was a sight better than the thoughtJ))
E) I set shop on the table , files and laptop et all. The cutie’s employee- lets call her scientist lady- her 2 year old tot marches in and sits next to me. This really takes the cake. I now have to deal with this pesky tot for the rest of the day who starts with running away with my pencils. Aaargh!
F) The income of this company- Rs 100,000 (!!!) I backtrack to the financials to read whether the figure is in million. Nope-it really is 1 lac. [ my eyes pop out of their sunken sockets]I give up!
G) And the worst revelation of them all- no CHAI is served….now for all my friends and colleagues who are caffeine addicts- I am sure you guys emphatise with what a catastrophic situation this is.
Due to lack of tea, I am now facing a writer’s block . So here’s where I embark upon to discover the best roadside tapri cutting chai.
For all those who are still up for reading this- you can atleast scoff at how haphazard an MNC can actually be:-
Monday mornings can best be described as drowsy, droopy and just plain dreadful. Why would anyone start anything new feeling like the above. However, in most workplaces like mine, we always schedule new assignments for a Monday.
Which brings me to the biggest farce of them all-Scheduling meetings.
To the uninitiated, these are meetings where our managers get together with a fancy projector and a staff list and decide how best to keep everyone from having any free time. The premise of these meetings being- to make sure every assignment and its team are scheduled well in advance with no overlapping. Great idea right- but unfortunately just in thought! The well thought out purpose is almost always defeated.
I reached office Monday morning at 9.15 a.m for a 9.30 am meeting (after a late Sunday night dinner at Chandni Chowk, that’s just downright admirable.)
I felt really purposeful as I knew I was going to finally start a new assignment- one I had gone to three years ago as a wide eyed intern.
9.30 a.m: My manager’s is known for his punctuality. I wonder what is keeping him but give him the benefit of doubt.
9.40 a.m: I fill my expense claim for the previous client (a princely sum of Rs 2000)
9.50 a.m: Go make myself a hot cuppa ‘chai’ in the cafeteria.
10.00 a.m: Can’t stop thinking about what is keeping my manager. I plan to give him leeway of 10 more minutes and in the meantime download my official mail.
10.05 a.m: Bombarded with mails from my manager , sent on a Sunday , if I may please add!
The mails mention nothing of the client I am supposed to be on. It is for a new startup client-lets call it ‘XYZ Corporation’. The icing on the cake- it’s to be completed in 5 days!!! Wowee!
I read the mail once again to comprehend the goings on-and I observe another colleague (lets call him Roly Poly) marked on the mail. Yay! I have a partner in crime in this madness.
10.15 a.m: I call Roly Poly (after a crazy hunt for his number in the online directory) Roly Poly has no freaking clue what I am talking about but who can blame him- who checks mails on a SUNDAY! To top it all, he is on a client on the outskirts of Pune so there is no way he can make it to XYZ. Right about now, I control my murderous urges.
10.25 a.m: I call my manager who is down with a fever(maybe even swine flu , obviously my call goes unanswered.
10.30 a.m: I call up the client contact mentioned in the mail- No prizes for guessing – his phone was switched off too! Help!!! I am being attacked by Murphy’s law.
I am hyperventilating now! Another manager- ST stops by my seat, laughs uncontrollably and states matter-of-factly-“You should be used to this by now”. Really now!!
I am stumped and I just sit waiting for some call- any call from anyone!
10.40 a.m: My manager deigns to call me!! It’s a breakthrough! He makes me see sense in this totally senseless scenario. I am to go to this client by afternoon he says and Roly Poly will join me on Tuesday. I speak to one of the directors at the client place- sounds like a jolly old man (how wrong I would be)
11 a.m: I leave for the client , situated in the most crowded part of town. It takes me forever to get to the address and when I do, I realize- the hospital its situated at is actually a maternity home cum paedetric ward !
12 noon: I make my way up the stairs (formula:when the number of floors is more than two, result is the lift is always under maintenance) Amidst my climb, I am accompanied by the sweet symphonies of screaming women in labour and noisy children bawling their lungs out. I also get looked at curiously - coz neither do I look pregnant nor am I a child.
I finally reach my destination- the fourth floor – I hunt for a board that claims it is XYZ but there is no such thing. I ring the bell of what looks to be a house. A young guy opens the door and with a cute American twang says “Welcome Priyanka”!
This is my “Oh My Gawdd” moment- was he the same director I spoke to on the phone- the one I thought was a jolly old man. I am embarrassed- the guy does not look a day over 30.
What follows are several OMG moments.
A) The office of XYZ Corp is actually the not so humble home of the cute American Indian director. This has never happened to me- In my tenure with this organization- I have been to warehouses, godowns, swanky glass buildings, run down Government like offices but never, I repeat never, to a Director’s house! LOL!
B) The cutie asks me to join them at a dining table which doubles up as their workstation.(!!!!) I politely decline saying there’s no plug point for my laptop.
C) Cutie placates me by saying “Oh, you can sit in the bedroom. We have made arrangements and all the files are there.” (WHAT!!!)
D) I apprehensively enter the bedroom which thankfully has no bed. There is a small wooden table and chair (the kinds sixth standard kids have at home). The thought that occurs to me is how the hell will my colleague Roly Poly fit at this table. (I was to later find out that it was a sight better than the thoughtJ))
E) I set shop on the table , files and laptop et all. The cutie’s employee- lets call her scientist lady- her 2 year old tot marches in and sits next to me. This really takes the cake. I now have to deal with this pesky tot for the rest of the day who starts with running away with my pencils. Aaargh!
F) The income of this company- Rs 100,000 (!!!) I backtrack to the financials to read whether the figure is in million. Nope-it really is 1 lac. [ my eyes pop out of their sunken sockets]I give up!
G) And the worst revelation of them all- no CHAI is served….now for all my friends and colleagues who are caffeine addicts- I am sure you guys emphatise with what a catastrophic situation this is.
Due to lack of tea, I am now facing a writer’s block . So here’s where I embark upon to discover the best roadside tapri cutting chai.
Friday, July 31, 2009
When did the world turn single - unfriendly!
I was just browsing through my friend list on FB to send a link and this rather sudden realization struck me like a bolt out of the blue.
Almost everyone on my list was attached, in the process of being attached or already married.
When did the world turn into Noah’s ark with everyone coming in two by two. And was I really sleeping through this apocalypse .
Here I am, 24 years old, reasonably attractive, sufficiently smart but bombarded with the oft repeated question- “Are you seeing someone? No, really?! That cant be true.”
To which I respond- No I like to hide my relationship status so that I can enjoy attention from and have tempestuous flings with random strangers.
My point being – why is it such a big deal if I am single. Why is my dating history of as much significance (if not more ) as my qualifications.
I am single as I choose to be single.
Don’t get me wrong- I am neither an avid feminist nor am I embittered by a past relationship.
I really do enjoy seeing people in love but I am willing to wait for the biggest cliché in the book – the elusive ‘right one’.
Its not entirely the majority population’s fault for being pro-relationship- generations are fed on candy floss movies about knights in shining armour and lovey dovey songs that hum happily ever after. We just subconsciously get conditioned into believing we are not good enough if we have not yet found someone to be with.
Here’s what others out there need to know- being single can be ‘sunny side up’. It’s a matter of perspective and here’s mine-
1) You own yourself, your time, your decisions, your opinions. A lot of friends I know lose their own identity in relationships. When your single- your always on a path of self discovery.
2) You do not have to deal with someone else’s grumpy/ moody personalities.
3) You do not waste precious time stroking the fragile and insatiable male ego.
4) You enjoy free drinks, complimentary desserts and less waiting time in queues- Men have an unmistakable radar that can sense when you are single and automatically become very generous.
5) You can have as many male friends without having to constantly justify yourself or tie anyone a ‘raakhi’ just to announce how platonic a friendship can be.
6) You are allowed to be totally selfish- It is OK if you spend your whole paycheque on yourself.
7) You can snicker when you see couples fighting in public places ( or the more commonplace type - couples who go through an entire dinner without speaking a direct word to each other)
8) You do not have to worry about other girls. This also transalates into being in a space where your not jealous or constantly looking over your shoulder.
9) The world is always your oyster- You can flirt, you can date, the possibilities being boundless.
10) Every day can be Girls Night Out (which is way more fun than Guys Night Out- guys night out is just ‘gang of girls meeting up and chatting over beer and maybe poker’)
11) You can watch as many cheesy romantic chick flicks without being pressurized to watch football or play Xbox.
12) You can stay home on a Saturday night if you want to.
13) Last but not the least- By default, you end up spending quality time with your loved ones i.e family, friends, etc (basically people you take for granted while in a relationship)
Disclaimer of Opinion: The irony in this whole scenario is that none of these things matter once you meet the person who sweeps you off your feet. Love is indeed blind to logic!
Monday, July 27, 2009
The beginning!
My blog was initially going to be titled just ' Confessions of a Workaholic' - the genesis of this being the countless nutty things i encounter daily at a place i spend maximum of my time at i.e work! My friends encouraged me to do this as I apparently have a funny take on everything so here goes. I sit here at the client place awaiting the arrival of my difficult to track down manager ,herin referred to as PT and I am just plain bored. Hence, the revision to the title.
This blog is not intellectual, it is just a fun place for me to list down what I feel. Notice the emphasis on what I feel, so really if you enjoy reading this - its just a generous add on.
A little background on what I do- I am a Chartered Accountant and a total misfit in this highly sterotyped profession. But there is this highly inspiring quote I read somewhere which says- ''Why try to fit in when you are created to stand out?' and its my official mantra hereon.
Typical character attributes of an Accountant:-
1) Boring - Am i ? Heck no!
2) Speak in jargon made infamous by Pranab Mukerjee at the recently concluded Budget session- I consider myself sufficiently aware of most terms but I have to confess I have to keep going back to brush up on repo and reverse repo rates and their impact on the economy. (I like to think of myself as a micro-minded person, who could not care a damn about the macro view as long as I saved tax and made me some money)
3) Consider going for seminars on IFRS as a weekend outing- Never been for one though I am sure my institute has made sure I will in the near future thanks to their compulsory training hours.
4) Looks down upon frivilous talk- I love frivilous talk if u ask me! And I abhor people who can only talk shop even after office hours.
A wise teacher once told me - Chartered Accountants almost always look like oranges who have been peeled off with dried up personalities. Give them Excel and their sunken eyes light up and otherwise good luck getting them to do anything fun!
And thats when I decided- I would never be a dried up orange- I would rather be a big juicy mango, ripe with my gregarious and cheerful demeanour. Not to say, I would not be good at my job- Just that I would also strike a fine balance between being the professional I am expected to and being the crazy unabashed person I am.
Now you would ask how anyone like me would become a workaholic- victim of the system is my answer. Stemming from my basic problem of being sincere and not being able to say no to responsibility- 3.5 years into my profession, its hard to pinpoint that one day I got sucked into the abyss of deadlines, burning the midnight oil to complete reports and deliverables.
And here I am , like the proverbial fly in the soup, sometimes struggling to stay afloat, sometimes comfortably bobbing up and down but never really getting myself to leave everything.
I have to now go order lunch for my manager-PT who has no time to tell me when he's coming for a review but all the time to SMS me what he wants to have for lunch and when..Oh well.....
Until later then
*PGN*
This blog is not intellectual, it is just a fun place for me to list down what I feel. Notice the emphasis on what I feel, so really if you enjoy reading this - its just a generous add on.
A little background on what I do- I am a Chartered Accountant and a total misfit in this highly sterotyped profession. But there is this highly inspiring quote I read somewhere which says- ''Why try to fit in when you are created to stand out?' and its my official mantra hereon.
Typical character attributes of an Accountant:-
1) Boring - Am i ? Heck no!
2) Speak in jargon made infamous by Pranab Mukerjee at the recently concluded Budget session- I consider myself sufficiently aware of most terms but I have to confess I have to keep going back to brush up on repo and reverse repo rates and their impact on the economy. (I like to think of myself as a micro-minded person, who could not care a damn about the macro view as long as I saved tax and made me some money)
3) Consider going for seminars on IFRS as a weekend outing- Never been for one though I am sure my institute has made sure I will in the near future thanks to their compulsory training hours.
4) Looks down upon frivilous talk- I love frivilous talk if u ask me! And I abhor people who can only talk shop even after office hours.
A wise teacher once told me - Chartered Accountants almost always look like oranges who have been peeled off with dried up personalities. Give them Excel and their sunken eyes light up and otherwise good luck getting them to do anything fun!
And thats when I decided- I would never be a dried up orange- I would rather be a big juicy mango, ripe with my gregarious and cheerful demeanour. Not to say, I would not be good at my job- Just that I would also strike a fine balance between being the professional I am expected to and being the crazy unabashed person I am.
Now you would ask how anyone like me would become a workaholic- victim of the system is my answer. Stemming from my basic problem of being sincere and not being able to say no to responsibility- 3.5 years into my profession, its hard to pinpoint that one day I got sucked into the abyss of deadlines, burning the midnight oil to complete reports and deliverables.
And here I am , like the proverbial fly in the soup, sometimes struggling to stay afloat, sometimes comfortably bobbing up and down but never really getting myself to leave everything.
I have to now go order lunch for my manager-PT who has no time to tell me when he's coming for a review but all the time to SMS me what he wants to have for lunch and when..Oh well.....
Until later then
*PGN*
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)