Bangalore So Far...

I've been in Bangalore for a good five months now... been thinking ever since I landed up in Garden City, that I must spare some time and blog about how I've been doing in the new place. Somehow something or the other took priority and time decided not to spare itself :D Here's a quick one on what changed and how during my time in every Bangalorean's Namma Bengaluru :)

• The big fat house hunt began as mission #1 when I landed up in Bangalore. I spent the initial first month at a family friend's place. Had a wonderful 'home away from home' experience there :)
• After a month's hunt I found this little 1BHK for myself. Always had this secret wish to live alone, all by myself, some day. Was thrilled when this wish materialized :)
• Got busy setting up my new house... it's a cute, cozy place that I enjoy being in :) Best part is I have IIM Bangalore as my next door neighbour and I ensure I make a mention of it when someone asks me for my address. That's the closest I could get to the IIMs :)
• Got to be a part of Infosys! I never once miss the raising eyebrows or throats clearing when someone says 'Oh wow! You're with Infosys!' :)
  
• Was on bench for the initial one and a half months or so. Having been in the IT industry for over 4 years and never once been on bench before was kind of making me feel left out! I completely enjoyed this 'bench time' :)
• Joined up Infosys Toastmasters to continue my journey as a Toastmaster. Have been busy at work of late and not able to spare as much time for it. Managed to attend a few sessions and even MCed a milestone meeting here. Met some amazing Toastmasters and even shared the same stage as many distinguished ones :)
• Crossed paths with a wonderful person at work. She's turned out to be my best dost at Bangalore. We've giggled like idiots, cried like babies, passed remarks at anyone we sight, shopped and have not yet dropped and have had loads of fun together :)
• Shopped like never before... from clothes to footwear to you name it I've shopped it :)
  
• Got to meet my batchmates from Symbiosis more often. Quite a handful in Bangalore :)
  
• Met someone special for the first time at Bangalore... his folks and mine decided we go ahead and get married :) We're happily engaged now and we're getting married soon and I am so looking forward to it :) He's the best and the reason behind why you'll find me smiling at any time you choose to spot me... including at the end of every line above :)

Missed blogging and the whole blog duniya for a long time now... I do try and catch up with blogs that I read regularly... I hope to get back to being more regular with my Bindaas Baatein soon!!!

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Thankyou Irena

In May 2008, a 98 year-old Polish lady named Irena Sendler died.

During WWII, she got permission to work in the Warsaw Ghetto, as a Plumbing/Sewer specialist but she had an ulterior motive. She KNEW of the Nazi's plans for the Jews. Irena smuggled infants out in the bottom of the tool box she carried and, in the back of her truck, she had a burlap sack for the larger children. She had a dog in the back of the truck that she trained to bark when the Nazi soldiers let her in and out of the ghetto. The soldiers wanted nothing to do with the dog and the barking covered the noise of the children. She managed to smuggle out and save 2,500 children before she was caught; the Nazis broke both her legs and her arms and beat her severely.

Irena kept a record of the names of all the children that she smuggled out which she kept in a glass jar buried under a tree in herback yard. After the War, she tried to locate any parents that had survived and reunited the families. Most, of course, had been gassed but she helped those children to be placed into foster family homes or adopted.

In 2007, Irena was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize…

She LOST.

Al Gore won for doing a slide show on Global Warming!!!!

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I got this article couple of days back by email. My heart goes out in appreciation for Irena. I'm not sure how much the Nobel Prize would have even meant for a lady as selfless as Irena... but I strongly feel those who take a call about the Nobel Prize need to take a few moments off to think if they'd ever do something as selfless!!!

We may not necessarily get our due credit for the efforts we put in at work or the good we do as humans... does that mean we stop doing well or being good??? Does expecting appreciation and recognition take away the essence of what we're doing???

I'm not sure... I'm confused...

For the moment I'm all praise for Irena... hats off to you lady!!! May we have more of your type...


PS: this post's for my friend kavitha... thanks for pushing me to make sure I publish something asap :)...

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The 2-minute Magic Spell

'Mummy bhook lagi hai' mumbled two little hungry kids... 'Bas do minute' said the mother... and quite rightly so in the midst of an exciting television ad jingle a yummy platter of noodles was ready in two minutes flat!!! Oh yes, I'm talking about everyone's favourite - Maggi Noodles!!!

If you're in your twenties or thirties and if you have not had Maggi... then you've probably just landed from some other planet. Maggi was and is my favourite kitchen rack item. It takes you just two minutes to decide to want to eat Maggi, then just about two minutes to get it ready and if you're really hungry... just another two minutes to slurp it down :)

Amit's ode to this favourite snack of mine prompted me to write this post. Apparently Maggi completes 25 years this year... 25 years of filling hungry tummies in the quickest possible time! It sure is quite something. I'm quite impressed by the different variations that the Maggi family has tried to offer over the years... somehow though the original Maggi Masala will always remain my favourite.

As kids, my sisters and me were even part of the Maggi Club. We used to get these fancy Maggi memorabilia, Maggi Club pin-up badges, loads of mailers from the Maggi Club etc. The mailers would be something that we waited for longingly... who else would be kind enough to mark letters to some less-than-10-year olds :) Maggi did!!! It connected with us right then... and the bond continues to last right through... up to now and am sure for a long way down the future. It is almost as if the 2-minute magic has cast a spell to last us a lifetime :)

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Generation Fast Forward!

The young and trendy like to be referred as Generation Next... but the generation that's catching up loud and clear is Generation Fast Forward - a generation branding that I've done for the kids of today, clearly much quicker in thought and action than most of us who'd want to call ourselves GenNext just coz it sounds cool.

My little niece, who's as little as one does so many things that we would have probably never imagined when we were that age. She does everything from humming a lullaby to put her doll to sleep to walking around so matter-of-factly with a mobile when someone calls. She even speaks in some kind of language that she understands so well and speaks with a 'you don't understand this??!!' attitude!

When we were kids, we were known to be sweet, cute and cuddly. Kids of today are not just all of that but are also smart, intelligent and quick!

Here's a conversation I heard at a bookstore between an affluent mom and her smart little kid, a young guy all of 7 years maybe:

Rich Affluent Mom (RAM): Come on son, we've picked up enough books for yourself.
Smart Little Kid (SLK): Yes mom, just for Rs.2000. We can add some more to it. Check out this one, its ONLY Rs.675/-
RAM: Don't you think its expensive, son!
SLK: It's really worth it, mom! I've read about it somewhere and it is really worth the price (economics pro in the making... I never knew to judge if things were worth their price at 7 years of age!!!)
RAM: Son..!!
SLK: Come on mom, be a sport! You could even pick a copy for yourself!!!

Now how mean was that! Just imagine your own kid not willing to 'share' his books with you. Imagine him/ her asking you to get yourself your own copy of music, books or whatever else. I'm sure the kid didn't mean to sound rude, he was just being practical and detached... Now whether that's a good sign or a bad sign or no sign at all... I'm really not sure. Somehow that conversation struck me... and in a way made me believe that Generation Fast Forward have ways of their own... ways that may shake you up at times.

I'm intimidated at times... sometimes amused!!!

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