raving and rantings of my corporate world

I fired someone today.
Did I feel bad about it ? NO
Am I comfortable with not feeling bad about it? NO

I think she deserved to go.I have always considered firing someone a personal insult.I think that I could have done a better job at not getting to this stage.

I have to deal with a lot of young people as a part of my job.Usually I feel very old when I do so except for a few exceptions.I do not understand the expectations of this generation. They always seem to expect without doing anything return.It is always what the college, the parents, the organizations (they work for ), the government should do for them. Most I have spoken to have attributed it to the age. 'They will mature with age' the wise ones tell me..

battle with the weight continues..

Started my walks with mets today.It had gotten too cold to swim and I almost came down with pnemonia thanks to my bravado. Sad, I love swimming.Even as a kid, that was the only thing that would make me get up at 06:00 a.m. even in the holidays.we used to race to be the first ones to 'break the water' as we called it. Diving into the pool which looked like a sheet of glass early in the morning and spalsh around to create the ripples.
Called Dr.T and asked him to recommend a dietician.He has recommended somebody at the hospital.

My crush has resurfaced..I feel like a teenager everytime I meet him and I'm sure I behave like one too! It's a good feeling , if not for any other reason , to feel like 14 when you are 31.Divs saw him yesterday and she says she recognized him instantly because she had heard so much about him from me.The sad part is that I am not the only one who feels that way .. he apparently has a huge bunch of admirers (turn off#1) and is married- happily (so am I).

dada is back..

Sourav Ganguly is back into the Indian cricket team amidst various speculations and controversies surrounding the comeback.
I missed an opportunity to see dada (elder brother in bengali) in person. He had come to the hotel where I work to check if he could shift his team (he was a part of the Bengal team playing for the Ranji trophy in Pune and had been put up in a sidey hotel in the city along with the other players) there. Unfortunately we did'nt have enough rooms and not wanting the team to split up, dada went back to the the sidey hotel.
The fact that Dada's fall from grace has taught him a few lessons was evident when he was seen arriving in an Indica stuffed like sardines in can with a couple of other players/ officials. This was the same guy who had refused to carry replinishments to the batsmen on the field as the twelfth man.

Lessons in life # 1

Lesson # 1 :Swimming in an outdoor pool when the temp. is 15 degree Centigrade is a bad bad idea for people living in tropical climates.

I am currently down with a bad cold, a woozy head desperately in need of TLC. Thank god A coming back tonight.

Somebody said something to me and I have been thinking. Am I really so inwardly focused..Strangely A feels I am too outwardly focused. I have never been conscious of what the people around think of me.That is probably the only way my sister and I are alike.
Or may be it is defiance. I don't want to know.

NY, London, Paris, Delhi.. where does this stop

I am an aethist. I have always been one.I will never stand up , fight,marry (I'm married but hypothetically speaking), write, hire or fire, trust or mistrust any one for a religious cause. At least that is what I thought till NY, London,Paris and Delhi happened.
What is it with the Moslems? No religion can ever teach any one to kill innnocents, create terror, hijack planes and crash them into buildings.Why would a CTU (counter terrorist unit) first start searching for suspects under 'Muslim fundamentalists groups' everytime something like this happens?
I was returning from a movie show with a friend late one night.As the car was parked a little far away from the theater, we decided to take an auto to the car.When we approached the autos, we saw a bunch of auto drivers all trying to give us a better deal. One of them was this muslim chap.. distintively so dressed in a kurta and a high (typical of hyderabadi muslims) pyjama, sporting a beard. I could feel a chill going down my spine as soon as I saw him. We got into another auto to get to the car.
I am not to sure of the 'trust and misttrust' bit anymore.

Diwali - festival of lights

Diwali has come and gone.The winter is approaching and there is a nip in the air.B was home this diwali so we had planned a whole lot of things for his benefit.We had lit up the verandas with electric lights and the windows with diyas (earthern oil lamps). Once we were done with the lighting we took B downstairs for crackers. A very conviniently took his place behind his tripod to click pictures.So B and I were bursting crackers and posing for pictures every now and then.."Good move A! your bravado (or the lack of it) did'nt go unnoticed"
B wanted to go out for dinner so we took him to this new restaurant in town called "All stir fry". It was a delightful place, great casual dining for oriental food.They have an intreactive display kitchen where you can ask the chef to make you a stir fried dish out of the ingredients you choose.All of us had our stir fried bowls and A decided to try out one of the lamb curries from the menu.The food was good and so was the service. We were probably their first ever customers as it was the restaurant's opening night. The staff was very much in sync with all the products and services.
Next day was work as usual.

B has left to visit grandparents in Lucknow.He will be spending a day with his aunt in Mumbai before being put on a flight to Lucknow.
Somehow A and I have been very brave with this. This is the 4th time B will be on a flight half way across or completely across the country in his life.If not anything these experiences have boosted his confidence levels with strangers in a big way.