I
POSTED AT 01:38 PM as a stickied post

bungi

Note: This is a sticky post. For the latest entry look below...

Also, check out my new blog for newer entries...

Things I am (Read More)

In the mirror
POSTED AT 04:21 PM

bungi

When I first heard the phrase 'intolerant of the intolerant', I was fascinated at having found a phrase to describe people that were… well, intolerant of those who were not tolerant. Thus, they became the very thing they were fighting against. Being in India, which is a secular country, tolerance is a highly appreciated trait. I guess it could be the same in many other places as well.

It is amazing, however, how we become intolerant of those who do not hold the same views us - even if it is views on tolerance...

The reason I am revisiting this whole thing is, I am struggling with intolerance towards those who do not think like me; who are not being broad-minded, kind, socially-minded, proud (to the extent of looking down on others), and on and on… I have become intolerant and unkind towards them, and proud of the fact that I am not like them. I am doing the very thing that I do not want others to do; I am being the very thing that I don't want to be.

Is this another moment of struggle in my life where I am exposed to myself? A kind of a coming face to face with one-self? It is yet again time to rely on His grace; to allow Him to break me and make me... Yet again... It is not easy. But I do hope I would emerge reflecting Him a little better...

Just as i am
POSTED AT 06:34 PM in Thoughts

bungi

"Why do you beat yourself up so bad?"

It is because, Lord, I am not all that you want me to be…

"I love you just the way you are."

Uh? You sure? But I keep doing all the wrong things. I never seem to get it right. And… I judge people…

"You also do all the right things. Besides, you have forgiveness as I have died for all the wrong things that you do. And I am working on you still…"

Hmmm. True. I shouldn't make Your sacrifice small. I shouldn't be limiting You.

Tell me Lord, how do I love people?

"Just remember that I love them just the way they are."

With their quirks and all (??)

"With their quirks and all…"

Just as You love me with my quirks and all…

Hm. Makes sense. I pray Lord, help me...

Feeling: Calm

Rightfully yours...
POSTED AT 10:21 PM

bungi

I feel like writing something, but i don't know what to write on.

Well, there are a lot of things on could write on. One of the old ideas that has been stashed away in my ideas folder is this thing about rights. I thought i should write about that sometime. You know this whole thing of me having my right...

Let me tell you a story. I was travelling home one day. And this time i had booked myself in the a/c compartment. For those of you who know Indian Railways, there is the a/c and the non a/c. And the non a/c is divided into two categories again - the reserved and the unreserved. Well, this classification holds good only for day trains (which means that you start in the day and finish the journey in the same day. It is not an overnight train).

I had decided to treat myself this time, so i was travelling in the a/c compartment. But the seat assigned to me had a problem. When you push it back, it would push back. Like a good citizen i complained and demanded my right. I wanted this thing fixed or i wanted a seat that was good. The response i got was that i would get a seat if there was one available. And i got smart and i said if i dont get a proper seat i would need a refund. Afterall, i paid for the pushback and all. (Who was i kidding anyways?!!) The man in-charge i.e., the TTE said that i'd get a refund if i give up this seat and move to a non-a/c seat, since they may not be able to provide me with a proper a/c seat! I was like "WHAT?!!"

Anyways, the idea was, if this seat wasn't good enough, i had the option to wait for a good seat or to move to a non a/c compartment and get the difference paid back to me. (Gulp!) Well, for those of you who don't know the Indian trains, second-class sitting, non a/c is very cramped. Forget your push-back individual seat. And forget about leg space. And don't even think about ergonomics! The bottom-line is, you'd end up with bad backache by the end of the journey. And this is something i definitely didn't want!

So, i tucked my tail and went to my non pushback a/c seat. Well, something was better than nothing. A shortwhile later, the TTE came up to me and said that there was a seat free and that i could change seats! And i did that greatfully!! And he said something that summarized this whole thing i have been thinking about rights and stuff! He said, "We can demand our rights and stuff and ask that we play by the rules. But that will not usually work as people will make you run about. You are human and i am human. We try to help one another the best we can. That is all we can do to make our lives better."

You see, i was thinking along the whole thing of rights and grace. Yes. Rules are good. And they are there to protect us. But after a limit rules are not enough. They can help us this far and that is it. At this point we need to play by a higher rule - that of grace. Allowing another person some kindness that they don't necessarily need or deserve as per rules.

And we need to learn to accept grace. It can be humbling, but it is good for the soul...

Friday Giggles!!!
POSTED AT 07:31 AM in Trying to be funny

bungi

Received this in mail this morning. Made me laugh non-stop. Think i am going to try out a few of these!!! What do you think you want to try out?!!

19 Ways To Maintain A Healthy Level Of Insanity 

1. At Lunch Time, Sit In Your Parked Car With Sunglasses on and point a Hair Dryer At Passing Cars. See If They Slow Down.

2. Page Yourself Over The Intercom. Don't Disguise Your Voice.

3. Every Time Someone Asks You To Do Something, ask If They Want Fries with that.

4. Put Your Garbage Can On Your Desk And Label it "In".

5. Put Decaf In The Coffee Maker For 3 Weeks. Once Everyone has Gotten Over Their Caffeine Addictions, Switch to Espresso.

6. In The Memo Field Of All Your Checks, Write " For Smuggling Diamonds".

7. Finish All Your sentences with "In Accordance With The Prophecy".

8. Don't use any punctuation.

9. As Often As Possible, Skip Rather Than Walk.

10. Order a Diet Water whenever you go out to eat, with a serious face.

11. Specify That Your Drive-through Order Is "To Go".

12. Sing Along At The Opera.

13. Go To A Poetry Recital. And Ask Why The Poems Don't Rhyme?

14. Put Mosquito Netting Around Your Work Area And Play tropical Sounds All Day.

15. Five Days In Advance, Tell Your Friends You Can't Attend Their Party Because You're Not In The Mood.

16. Have Your Co-workers Address You By Your Wrestling Name, Rock Bottom.

17. When The Money Comes Out The ATM, Scream "I Won! I Won!"

18. When Leaving the Zoo, Start Running towards the Parking lot yelling"Run For Your Lives! They're Loose!"

19. Tell Your Children Over Dinner, "Due To The Economy, We Are Going To Have To Let One Of You Go."

Feeling: crazy

Moments
POSTED AT 12:50 PM in Thoughts

bungi

Have you ever tried imagining that perfect moment? And when that perfect moment does happen it doesn't seem to have the magic that you imagined it would have. It is kind of disappointing, eh?

 

Everything tells us that there is something such as that perfect moment and if you buy their product or if you stay in their hotel or use their spa or fly this airlines or go to this country, you will find that perfect moment that they advertise. It is not only the advertisements. When others tell us of their vacation or their job or their marriage, when we look at their pictures, relate stories of what happened when they grew up, we imagine such perfect moments for ourselves. But we never seem to find it really. Why is that so?!

 

I think it is because we fail to live in the moment now. We are more interested in seeking moments that others have had. But our lives are filled with such moments. And these moments punctuate the mundane of everyday life. We needn't search for it the airlines and hotels.

 

Even when such moments happen to us, it may just seems so ordinary. We get disappointed because we haven't learnt to treasure such moments in our everyday life. And there are times when the extraordinary do occur, but we end up not being aware of it as we haven't learnt to treasure the moments.

 

Another thing is we expect life to be series of such moments without interruption. But these moments are interspersed with the ordinary and the mundane. If you let the ordinary and mundane bore you, you will not find the moments that do happen when you are not looking for it.

Don't know if I make sense. Anyways, these are my thoughts.

Reading: Footprints of Faith - Sonya Svoboda
Feeling: Pensive

If you aim at nothing...
POSTED AT 11:59 PM in This funny thing called life

bungi

I have imagined standing in front of students at my old school and giving them some advice. The problem is, if I give the kind of advice that I want to give, they may never let me step into the school again. Hence, I have decided to dispense this advice in my blog. It is my blog and nobody can stop me!!! So here goes…

From when I was kid it was told that one should aim for the first rank. In fact, first in anything. You see, there are some kids that are the go-getter kinds. And then there are some who just aren't. I am not a go-getter. If someone isn't ambitious, they are looked at as if something is wrong with them and that somehow they are not 'as good'. This is so untrue, I tell you. the fact of the matter is, each one is good at something. It may not be academics. It may not be sports. It may not even be singing and dancing and all that stuff that gets the attention. Everyone is definitely good at something or the other. And the key is finding out what it is you are good at and excelling in it. It may be taming frogs for all you know. But hey, not everybody can do that.

You have been told that you have to study hard if you are to make it in life. When you are in high school, std 10 board exams are so hyped, you think you are writing the exam of your life. What you haven't realized is, it has only begun! Following this is your std 12 board exams. And then your entrance tests, etc. And then your semester exams. And then your CAT, or MAT, or BAT, or RAT… And then your interview and group discussion and your first job and appraisal and sheesh, the list doesn't end. It is like you are caught in this trap of always trying to be. My advice here is, just be! It is ok if you are not like someone else. And it is ok if you don't seem to fit in the league of the extraordinary. The truth is, everybody is ordinary in their own way. In trying to be what the competitive world is expecting of you, don't let it squeeze into its mold. Be yourself. And people will take note of you for that. And in that you will shine.

This brings me to the second advice. Don't follow the crowd. Well, don't jump into something simply because the field is proven to give you lots of money or make to successful. For God's sake, there are other course to study other than medicine and engineering! Well, if you do like medicine or engineering, don't let this post convince you not to do it. Identify what you may like to do (I say 'may' because you will still not be sure of what exactly you will want to do&hellip. Follow your heart. And then there may be this issue of people not giving you your heart's choice! Don’t let them break your heart. Do the next best thing. Or worse comes to worse, do what is available. It is not bad you know. Sometimes, you may end up enjoying this more than you would imagine.

Don't be worried if you are not too ambitious. Like I mentioned earlier, the are different kinds of people - and you just aren't the ambitious kind. Don't try to be something you are not.

Learn to take life as it comes. Well, sometimes you can make it happen. But don't be too rigid with your plans. You may miss the best of opportunities by trying to fit in your life according to your measly plans. Be willing to be surprised by life - even if it is a nasty surprise. You will always come out learning more about yourself and the world around you.

Be a learner. Don’t lose your eagerness to know. That curiosity. Don't lose it. Be teachable. Never reach the point in your life where you think you know it all. Even after 20 years experience, you may end up learning new things. If you think you have reached the point where you know it all, you cease knowing it all. (It sounds cool to put it this way… lol… it may make no logical sense, but you get the drift, don't you? If you don't, never mind&hellip

[Stuff below are for when you begin your 'career' or are half way into it (or out of it)…]

Question you should hate with intense hatred and refuse to answer in interviews (if you are a HR person, don't ask this question!!): "Where do you see yourself in 'n' years?!" What are they interviewing me for? The post of an astrologer?!!! I don't know what is going to happen to me tomorrow, leave alone 'n' years from now…

Love this line from Baz Luhrmann's Everybody's free to wear sunscreen: 'Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still don't.'

If you like a job, stick with it. Well, for however long you can. But if you hear the call of adventure, step out. No worries either way.

If you don't like a job, stick with it. Well, for however long you can. You will definitely learn how it should not be. And this lesson will go a long way when you climb the career rung…

Don’t be afraid of small beginnings. In fact, I will recommend starting from the scratch. When you are a manager, you will have a better appreciation for people in the lowest rung.

Never forget your humble beginnings. Write them across your heart and never never forget it.

Jumping jobs is not necessarily a sign of lack of stability.

Lack of stability is not necessarily a bad thing.

It is never too late to follow your dreams.

Treat people with respect. Don't treat them like commodities. They have families, loved ones, dreams, hopes, aspirations, a heart - just like you do. I am not saying hire people out of pity. What I mean is don't treat them like objects - to be used and thrown and trampled upon. Respect them.

Confide in someone about your work worries and insecurities. Be vulnerable with at least one person. It is good for your soul.

Don’t let the world know that you are that vulnerable.

Build contacts. Be good to people. Be willing to help. Don’t hesitate to go the extra mile. These people may go an extra mile for you someday. Well, I am not saying use people here. I am saying your paths may cross and it is good to help one another out. And oftentimes, you may be helping out another through your contacts.

When you don't know something, be willing to admit it. That is the first step to learning it.

Do not worry when you feel that you have lost your vision. Feelings will pass. And once the clouds of doubt clear out, your vision will be out in the open again.

If you wake up in the morning and start calculating to see how many sick leaves you have remaining to call in sick, quit.

Don't be afraid of quitting. The ocean is big and there is a lot of fish in it. Why hold on to the dead stinking one. In fact you may find an exotic one out there! (I have to thank Swetha for this advice.)

Take breaks. Don't burn out.

Build in energizers - Let us face it. All of us may not enjoy the work that we do. Even if we do, we may get bored of it sometime simply because we HAVE to do it. But we don't have a choice as we need the money! So the secret is, build in energizers. May be during your break or during your day off. Use your casual leave. Take time off to do that thing which you enjoy doing. Build it into your routine. I like to think on stuff, and write in my journal. (Some of it you read in my blog ) [The credit for this advice goes to Rob]

Whatever you have in your hand, do it well. Oftentimes, happiness is a choice.

If you aim at nothing, you will hit nothing. If you keep aiming, still you will hit nothing. For God's sake shoot that arrow! (That way, you will sure enough hit at something - atleast… You see, the secret is in shooting and not in aiming!)

[I would like to thank Maddy who is responsible for this post; Rob, Swe, Ajoy and others for giving their precious little life's instructions; Anju for inspiring me to make lists; my old manager who has taught me what bad management is; my blog readers - the regulars* who keep checking in to see if I have written anything at all (and I don't write in so often) and the irregulars and the new ones (hope you enjoy it) - whichever category you fall in, please let me know of your existence. Otherwise, I may make my blog private! It feels weird writing to thin air for an audience. Anyways, happy reading.]

* I don’t know if you guys really exist...

Reading: Footprints of Faith - Sonya Svoboda
Feeling: Comfortable

What do i do?
POSTED AT 11:08 PM in Jus' wondering

bungi

There is this guy on the road. Badly wounded. Dry blood around him. Looks like he as been there like that for a long time. It is not a by-lane although it doesn't look too crowded. People must have gone past that way. Was there nobody who helped him? Didn't anybody stop to even look at him? You know, at least call 1066?

 

Now, hold on a sec. What if this guy was murdered? Man, if anybody gets involved in trying to rescue this guy, they are in for it. The police will harass them for days together. Worse still. What if this guy is faking it? What if it is just a ruse to trap the poor, innocent person that goes to help? Ah. It is better if one doesn't get involved in this. People are wise...

 

Hey you. Stop! Are you in your right mind? Do you know what you are doing? Hey, he may be faking it, you know? Listen to me mister, I think you are inviting trouble upon yourself. The police are going to make you walk to the station every other day.

 

Ah well. He wouldn't listen. I tried to warn him...

Wait a minute. That man is really wounded! He is not faking it… And there seems to be some life still left in that wounded body...

 

Mister, it is enough if you call 1066. They will take care of the situation. No. you don't have to take him yourself. Hey, you are implicating yourself. You will have to deal with the police later. And Mister, there is no use trying to hail a cab. They will not stop for you. they will not want to get into trouble and they will not want to get the car upholstery stained. You are taking him in your car?! Are you out of your mind? Alright. Don’t think there is anything that will change your mind. And there is nothing much I can do anyways. Anyways, it is your problem now. I shall be on my way. Good luck, Mister, with all the police station visits and getting the stain out of your car. Mind you, they may try to pin this one on you!

 

This guy is a crazy one! I mean, who would do such a thing?!! Does he have any idea what he is getting himself into? Anyways, what is it to me?

 

Perhaps that man will live after all. I hope it is not too late. What will happen to the man that helped him? Will the police harass him? Will he have to spend a lot of money? Does he have the money to pay the hospital bills?

 

Why did he do it? What is there in it for him? Didn't he know the sort of trouble he brought upon himself? Is all this trouble he is putting himself thought really worth that one life?!

Reading: Ponniyin Selvan - part 4
Listening to: Phat Planet - Left Field
Feeling: Whateva...

Off to work - in a school bus
POSTED AT 03:01 PM in This funny thing called life

bungi

The funnest thing happened today. I had to leave my scooter at the service centre for its quarterly check-up. This place is on the way to work.

 

What I usually do is, drop my bike off at the service centre and hire an auto-rickshaw to work from there.

 

I was planning to do the same thing this morning. And so, I tried hailing an auto. This guy zoomed off saying he can't stop. I decided to walk a few meters further and then hire an auto. As I was walking this school van pulled over and a couple of kids asked me where I wanted to go and I told them. They offered to drop me and asked me to hop on. I got and this sudden wave of joy hit me! It has been over a decade since I had been on a school bus. It was so fun to be in the bus with the kids - even if it was only for some 15 minutes! Two of the kids were talking about studying synonyms for exams. Another kid had done a pencil sketch of Karunanidhi (for those of you who don't know Tamil Nadu politics, he is our Chief Minister). He asked me if I thought it was beautiful. I said it was very beautiful!

 

All through the journey, I was just smiling to myself and trying to chat up some shy kids. Ah! Why do I feel so happy that I got to ride in a school bus?!!

 

Anyways, thus I came to work today - in a school bus.

Oh, by the way, as I was walking down to work from where I got dropped off, the auto driver who refused me the ride, apologized to me for not stopping by. He said that he didn't know I was coming to the same neighbourhood. Had he known, I wouldn't have got my bus ride.

Reading: Ponniyin Selvan - part 4
Listening to: Aradhna - Satsang