I spent most of the last week in bed, laid up with a fever that had my temperature imitating the Sensex at its best. I was bloody miserable.
But it did put a lot of things in perspective. I suddenly realised the importance of being able to enjoy one’s meal or to be able to chat to one’s friends. Heck, I even found out a lot about many of my friends – I was amazed at the utter lack of attention some of them paid me, later claiming that they did not want to ‘disturb’ me. Incidentally, it is fascinating how many people avoid calling you when you are sick because they do not want to disturb you but have no problems calling you at work, when you are actually busy! I don’t know about you, but I have always welcomed anyone who is willing to talk to me when I am sick. Being ill is a rather lonely business.
Anyway, as my temperature dipped, I realised that there are a few things that are as, if not more, important than meeting deadlines and worrying about meetings – a good appetite, a normal temperature, and friends who care.
If you too need a fresh perspective, I would recommend falling thoroughly ill. It will change the way you think. Well, for a while at least.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Happy times at office: a bunch of VOPs (very overworked people) :D who share a love-hate relationship with each other depending on whether they are in or out of office. As Adi recently philosophised, it's the people who matter :)
Rajjo, Adi, Sunny bhai (aka manpreet) and me (Bobby) - from Left to Right
Friday, July 6, 2007
Grades...admissions...crushes...affairs...breakups...MARRIAGE?????????
Life is one funny journey. Things around you change and change so fast that at times you find yourself unable to keep pace with it.
The last few months have been all about most of my acquaintances getting married - it used to sound like one big celebration till it was happening to someone else. However, perspective changes when things happen to people close to you.
Very recently, three very close have informed - two of them via e-mails and the third one via call respectively, that they are getting engaged followed by marriage very soon. Believe it or not, the first thing that comes in to your mind is Oh Shit!!!
I mean these are the guys you have grown up with - cribbing about grades or crushes - the most diheartening being a break up or tough time at work. But Marriage - it always was a part of your conversation but you were never at it. But now...Oh shit!!!
It's a funny feeling - somehow that friend's better half is always going to be around and you will never have your friend all to yourself. Somehow the two of them will always have things to talk about that you cannot even relate to. Somehow you cannot understand why and how this one change has changed and will change your equations completely. I mean you can no longer call up at 12 am and abuse your friend for not having called you or for having missed your birthday - the chances of which are all the more strong now that they will have better distractions in life.
Hmmmmm. Probably all this is just an outcome of not knowing how to react. Probably, I would be dancing around at all three marriages and be happy as ever and wishing them good luck. But for now, it's not sinking in.
The last few months have been all about most of my acquaintances getting married - it used to sound like one big celebration till it was happening to someone else. However, perspective changes when things happen to people close to you.
Very recently, three very close have informed - two of them via e-mails and the third one via call respectively, that they are getting engaged followed by marriage very soon. Believe it or not, the first thing that comes in to your mind is Oh Shit!!!
I mean these are the guys you have grown up with - cribbing about grades or crushes - the most diheartening being a break up or tough time at work. But Marriage - it always was a part of your conversation but you were never at it. But now...Oh shit!!!
It's a funny feeling - somehow that friend's better half is always going to be around and you will never have your friend all to yourself. Somehow the two of them will always have things to talk about that you cannot even relate to. Somehow you cannot understand why and how this one change has changed and will change your equations completely. I mean you can no longer call up at 12 am and abuse your friend for not having called you or for having missed your birthday - the chances of which are all the more strong now that they will have better distractions in life.
Hmmmmm. Probably all this is just an outcome of not knowing how to react. Probably, I would be dancing around at all three marriages and be happy as ever and wishing them good luck. But for now, it's not sinking in.
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Office Office!!! – A typical day during deadline
Okay, so yet another day in office, yet another deadline and yet again the same old crib stories :D
Those much dreaded days, hours, minutes, secoonds and milliseconds are back once again. My office turns into one little zoo around the first week of every month. We are a small team and usually it so happens that the designer, the DTP guy or the writers just go missing. I mean people have better priorities in life than just delivering this 'baby' every month.
A routine scene around the first week is like this - enter office, call up the designer, the art director, the DTP guy, the photographer, production guy etc etc so that you almost wonder if you are a reporter or a tele caller. Calling up people isn't the end of your work, if pictures, fonts, e-mails , people disappear, you are supposed to arrange for them.
Calling up isn't the word actually. Literally beg these people to grace office with their presence - the magazine can't go to print without their expert contribution. The mind does wonder whether these 'professional' people with all those years of experience shouldn't be in on their own? Anyway, we understand their priorities - taking the dog for a walk, sleeping, watching a movie -are different and are far more important.
Well, this is an important learning process, you have been told, so you learn month after month.
Phew!!! How I wish they had also taught us this at the journalism school.
Those much dreaded days, hours, minutes, secoonds and milliseconds are back once again. My office turns into one little zoo around the first week of every month. We are a small team and usually it so happens that the designer, the DTP guy or the writers just go missing. I mean people have better priorities in life than just delivering this 'baby' every month.
A routine scene around the first week is like this - enter office, call up the designer, the art director, the DTP guy, the photographer, production guy etc etc so that you almost wonder if you are a reporter or a tele caller. Calling up people isn't the end of your work, if pictures, fonts, e-mails , people disappear, you are supposed to arrange for them.
Calling up isn't the word actually. Literally beg these people to grace office with their presence - the magazine can't go to print without their expert contribution. The mind does wonder whether these 'professional' people with all those years of experience shouldn't be in on their own? Anyway, we understand their priorities - taking the dog for a walk, sleeping, watching a movie -are different and are far more important.
Well, this is an important learning process, you have been told, so you learn month after month.
Phew!!! How I wish they had also taught us this at the journalism school.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)