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Monday 24 March 2008

Making things work!

At work, of late, things have taken a rather different turn for the better. The working hours are quite strict, with the only (and my most preferred) form of entertainment being Table Tennis at the gymnasium. I have found that just a single game preceded by a short warm-up can have your mind savvy to take on problems with much more ease. Adding more to it, if you do tend to move a lot while playing Table Tennis (which I do a lot), it also works as a very positively fulfilling exercise for both the body and the mind.

The resultant is the ability to quickly think of solutions to problems, create results when they are required without bleeding across the working hours. Our new working hours depend on the new location, availability of service staff and facilities. Ultimately you start learning to do more with less time and less stress to body and mind. Of course, there were times when I felt I was taken up to spending a lot more time at the gym rather than at my terminal. Finally one can always create a balance to enhance both work and play. Both of them become equally rewarding to the self.

This also leads me to believe that games are the best way for the human mind and body to exercise together in tandem helping one's health by both relaxing and pushing physical fitness. There's the fun too. Perhaps many corporate companies are missing out on an effective tool that can help employees enhance productivity. The other self-imposed exercise activities including cycling and walking or running the treadmill do not have the element of excitement that a game gives, and serve purely a physical fitness purpose. There are those who need that too, but I find far less people frequenting them.

As I've tried and planned out all my weekends and sometimes weeks to involve a greater amount of social interaction than I previously had, this week seems to be bringing in the results I've been looking for. While I do not specifically go on creating new year resolutions; I like bringing into myself change that suits me and helps me become better in every perspective. It's been a long time since we had a team outing with Dinner and a Movie at least, and we hope to be doing that this week just ahead of a hopeful outing (where it's presently raining cats and dogs.)

Sunday 23 March 2008

Holi and the Holy Week

It has been quite a long time since I've posted on my own Blog. Today being Easter, is probably a nice day to post. It is actually a mark of the beginning of resurrection. It is truly a wonderful day; on the basis of showing mankind that even after what might be perceived a fall or unfavorable conditions, there is triumph of the unabated soul through resurrection.

During this week, specifically this year a lot of festivals came up together on the day I remember as "Good Friday." At work there has been specific devotion to product quality improvement, new product planning, preparing our unit for stronger leadership and taking more roles on my part to see things through smoothly and strongly. This has taken a lot of positive effect, infused energy and enthusiasm to make our jobs as problem solvers more satisfactory.

We also played Holi on the day of Good Friday where I chose to be at office having taken leave on Maundy Thursday. I must say this is the first time during my 1 year 10 month stay in Bangalore that I chose to participate in Holi. Back in Pune, I used to be literally scared of the colors and the dyes, so much that I used to vanish before dawn only to be at work while the fun lasted. I understood that Holi (in its present cosmopolitan form against its true origin) is a sociable, fun-filled, friendly event. It might seem in converse to Good Friday which is spent in mourning for the suffering of Christ. I have no regrets on the choices made for the day.

At home, there has been the dawn of a calm after an unexpected turn of events over the last year which I had commented on my blog prior. There are those who have suddenly sought to contact me after a long while. Old friends have networked with me (including schoolmates, I had lost touch with.) There is also the rain that has showered this week, after (literally) sunny days where our usual afternoon walk (at office) seemed a bit more unpleasant than it usually was.

Some paid lighting visits over the month on trips to Bangalore and as a gesture of friendship I accommodated them at least long enough for them to refresh for their busy day in the city; arranged for transport to help them get back to the airport. There are those who chose to stay out of contact from me who have suddenly chosen to start communicating. Either way the effect has been more social contact. Across every week/weekend either I have visited (usually closer to my house) or someone has visited me (close to my house or at home.)

There have also been those who have solely communicated by phone (who believe the phone is an instrument that guarantees privacy over long distances; an urban myth I do not subscribe to). As I prefer to do any personal talking from home rather than while at office or on the move or outside; this has sometimes led me to sleep later than I've wanted to. I like e-mail as the high speed equivalent of written communication, which wastes less time and carries with it more clarity.

There have been those reading my blog frequent enough without commenting and expressing opinion. Either way it makes for readership of what I thought was a vain loss of expression. That is what makes this exercise of blogging fulfilling. Ultimately the scribes get to write History that lasts longer than the events. The blog if it survives on the Internet (for long enough), will do exactly the same thing that a "Minutes of a Meeting" do after the meeting. So perhaps there is readership and record.

On the whole, The Holy week was filled with peace and calm and as the entire period of Lent came to an end with a fulfilling joy in the mind; combined with mixed feelings at work (where we presently seek and await new Leadership), yet appreciate all the energetic things we've done till now.

We are also planning a farewell to someone at work who has chosen to spend time rather differently, indulge in self-exploration and understand the true fulfilling pursuits of self. We intend to club it with a team picnic and make it memorable to all of us as an outing we haven't had over 9 months. These details are being worked out and executed at a pace that is too fast to describe.