Saturday, December 29, 2007

I walk it alone

I walk it alone

The end in sight
I walk along
There is none else
I walk it alone

I meet the smiles with dreamy eyes
Do not yearn to be one of those
There is none else
I walk it alone

They take different paths
They walk within themselves
There is none else
I walk it alone

Ideas do not match
Thoughts and dreams not too
There is none else
I walk it alone

The climb not too tough
The journey not too long
There is none else
I walk it alone

To each her own
To each her self
There is none else
I walk it alone

The end in sight
I walk along
There is none else
I walk it alone


I saw this lady walk in the park today...

-Max

Thursday, December 27, 2007

If you were easy

Life

Life, if you were easy
You would not be a challenge
If you were not a challenge
It would not be worth the effort

Life, if you were easy
You would not be a dream
If you were not a dream
I would not be awake

Life, if you were easy
You would not be a game
If you were not a game
I would not be running hard

Life, if you were easy
You would not be a song
If you were not a song
I would not be singing along

Life, if you were easy
You would not be beautiful
If you were not a beautiful
I would not want to be alive

Life, if you were easy
You would not be a mystery
If you were not a mystery
It would not be worth the effort

Life, if you were easy
It would not be worth the effort


-Max

Monday, December 03, 2007

Snow white and the dwarf

It is my first snow fall in New York! Well, it's my first snow fall ever! Coming from sunny state of Goa, India, snow is something that I have never seen, of course other than the time it is on the television. The lowest that it goes is 19 degrees C or 64 degrees F. Fair enough to say its a stark contrast huh?

So, it is beautiful to wake up and see a sea of white outside the window.
View from the window
It feels like you are in heaven past the gates and into the clouds. It is so beautiful and serene that it looks as though god came by the previous night and cleaned the place up with milk. I choose the second option. I dont think I would be in heaven just yet!

Snow and the trees

It is the first snow fall of the year and one finds children and adults, all playing in the snow, having fun and making snowballs out of the snow. We checked the place out and it is prettier than it looked from the window. Tiny flakes of snow suspended in the air, its difficult to keep the warm overcoat and gloves on. You want to get them off and feel the snow. But, it is too much of an adventure for the first time, so I decide to let it pass. Once I am used to the snow, I could probably weather the storm...

I am no photographer... but these are pretty!

The view from my window


The view of the Newport Marina - I


The view of the Newport Marina - II

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Hope in the heart kindled

Land Ahoy!
On the threshold of insanity,
I see the light afar
hoping for it to be the sun,
dreading lest it be a train

Hope in the heart kindled
fear in the mind abound
clutching the crutches i walk
seemingly small the steps seem

Covering oceans if you do believe
and hope is all there is to be
for the end i need to see
and thus i nudge along

Hope in the heart kindled...
and thus I nudge along

Penned this while chatting with a friend.
-Max

Monday, November 19, 2007

Chats from the past

It was a while... a really long time. Some part of me wants to argue that it was unjustified. I was busy... which I don’t think is anything new. Nevertheless, I have not been in touch with a friend who means a lot to me. A small gift is no means to believe that I have been in touch. He is an unlikely friend: grumpy as he (it is a he) can be, does not speak a lot easily, extremely secretive and in many ways different from me.

Friends

In the same breath, there is SO much in common. I do not know if I am any important in his life. Only that I know that I am. Over a period of two and a half years, he was almost like another elder brother to me. Yet, he was the friend. Always there when I needed him. Helping me out... fending for me and taking care of me. Cursing me when he needed to and protecting me when he needed to.

I almost thought of him as a protective hand over me at times. A friend that I wish I could be. A friend I hope and try to be.

Did I wish he were more jovial? Maybe.
Did I wish he were less stiff at times? Maybe.
Did I wish he would listen to me? Sometimes.
Did I wish I had listened to him? Sometimes.
Did I thank god that he was around? All the time.
Did I wish to be like him someday? All the time.

There are so many great instances that I would devalue them by listing. Time and tide wait for none. And as times change… people change. People move to places apart. But, the memories remain…

Dreams and hope has compelled me to move on… to places far away. I hope that some day we are in the same place again… some day!

He's Scared

scared


He can't wait to see her
To meet, to be with her
To watch her as she smiles at him
He's scared

He wants to look into her eyes
To hear her whisper "I love you"
He's scared

He wants to hold her, to stroke her
He wants to feel her wrap her arms around him
To give him all her love
He needs that
He's scared

He wants to fall asleep holding her tight
And wake up that way too
He's scared

He wants to care for her and show her passion
He wants to show her that
And he needs it in return
He's scared

He wants to be in love
He wants her to feel the same
He's scared

He wants her to give him all her trust
And he wants to trust her too
He needs that
He's scared

He was hurt once, he really wants to try
He wants to wipe away the old memories
And the things that made him cry
He's scared

He needed her love but he wouldn't let it be
It was unconditional love but he just couldn't see
And so he backed away from her
He's scared

But she wants him to know that it was true and real
All he had to do is let himself feel
She cared...


This wonderful poem was posted anonymously as a comment to one of my poems. I want to recognize its meaning by bringing it to the fore!
-Max

Saturday, September 15, 2007

Friends back home

As I left for future unknown, leaving life as I knew it behind... I left home... I left family and I left my workplace...

I also left an important part of my life... I left my friends behind...

This is dedicated to those special friends at work that went beyond just being colleagues at work and meant a lot to me!

Friends


look not thy what you see
for all you see are words and pictures
understand rather the thoughts
something that you rather see
for the thoughts if you see
have a beautiful story



one of four people vastly different
yet similar in ways more than one
one of four people who walked their life
sharing moments and having fun<'p>


one of four walking away
all by himself on the river quay
time and tide wait for none
try you may, they still run



the rest at junctions in their own life
matter of time that they walk their paths
finding themselves far away
each walking their own way



life takes us down these paths
for we have to do what we have to do
and we take memories in our heart
for that is all there is to take



so smile it out and accept the fact
its time to sign the friendship pact

one with NY
one with PA
one with NJ
one with DJ



but path whatever shall we choose
what we have, we shall not lose
for we are what we are
let time not take us too far


-Max

Friday, September 14, 2007

You will be missed

It may be quite a while since I have quit the job in pursuit of a dream. It may be quite a while since I have received this list... but today, as I open the farewell message and looked at the list... I felt a clot in my stomach as I remembered the good old days back at work. Not that I am not having a great time... its just that you grow fond of people when you like them.

I am one of those few people in the world who was happy with the people he worked with. I had a great time and hence miss the times once in a while... today is one of those times... so I thought that I should write the list down! This will not sense to most people. This is dedicated to the RENG team that I had a great time working with! This is what was said...

You will be missed in
1) Holdings Inquiry JIRAs
2) Lagaan - Part 'N'
3) APF Opsware and BuildForge
4) Report Usage
5) CAPGAINS
6) tWiki
7) MyContent
8) Town Hall Bars
9) Bird Watching
10) LBI Challenge
11) One-on-One scheduled for 30 mins and that finished >= 1 hour
12) Late Sitting Support
13) Guttur Guttur
14) Raksha Bandhan with your 'Behana'
15) Your e-mails
16) Lezhim dance with Merao for KK's blackberry
17) Get Account debugging
18) Mentoring
19) Family Fights with Anup
20) Unreachable phones
21) Goa Cashews
22) Cry for 'Surmai'
23) Comments passed on KK along with Merao
24) Bachhon jaise fights with Merao
25) Show-off with Dual monitors
26) Nonsense jokes
27) Lost calories and ghaas-phoos lunch
28) 'Mambo'
29) 'I was not there' & 'Not me' statements
30) Smilies on jabber
31) Invite to jabber meeting rooms
32) Future presentations by KK
33) 'Death Machine' bike
34) French beard and 'subject' look with shaved head
35) Dahi and sweet fights
36) Ringing of RENG ghanta
37) ReportFeed schema discussions
38) and finally Business Knowledge

- RENG team!

Saturday, July 21, 2007

Waqt Nahin...

har khushi hai daman mein,
par ek hansi ke liye waqt nahin...
din raat daudtee duniya mein,
zindagi ke liye waqt nahin.

maa ki loree ka toh ehsaas hai,
par maa ko maa kehne ka waqt nahin...
rishton ko to hum maar hai chuke,
unhe dafnane ka bhi waqt nahin.

saare naam toh hai phone mein,
par doston ke liye waqt nahin...
gairon ki kya karein baat,
jab apno ke liye hee waqt nahin.

aankhon mein neend hai badee,
par sone ka waqt nahin...
dil ghamon se hai bhara hua,
par rone ka bhi waqt nahin.

jeevan ki daud mein aise hai daude,
ki thakne ka bhi waqt nahin...
paraye ehsason ki kya kadr karein,
jab apne sapnon ke liye hee waqt nahin.

ab tu hi bataade aie khudaa,
iss zindagi ka kya hoga...
har pal hai marne walon ko,
humein jeene ke liye bhi waqt nahin...

har pal hai marne walon ko,
humein jeene ke liye bhi waqt nahin...


- Adapted from the works of Anon

Friday, June 22, 2007

Mock not thy

Mock not thy those who dream...

For while they dream...
They have a foot on the ground
For while they dream...
They do so at night

For while they aim for the sky...
They have an eye on the ground
They choose not to fall
The mouth open and face down

They don’t want to lose on days
Their Lady Luck chose to frown

Mock not thy those who dream...

-Max

Thursday, June 14, 2007

Trust

My mum says this all the time... Trust no one and you will never be deceived, fooled or compromised. I guess that mom knows what is best!
Contrary to what my mum has to say and what is essentially me, I have trusted people and shared some of my deepest thoughts! However, time and again, I have found myself fallen flat on my face...
It is best to talk about the journey after it has completed and not while its in progress or is yet to begin.

Two rules suddenly present a whole new meaning:
Golden Rule: Silence is golden
Silver Rule: If you believe otherwise, please refer to the Golden Rule.

Monday, May 28, 2007

Lessons in Management

Today I learnt a few lessons in management... Some that I already knew!
Some that I did not.
People Management
1) One should never date at work.
2) One should never make the best of friends at work.
3) One should never tell the truth. At the same time, one should never lie!
4) One should never talk more than is required. Information should not be shared unless asked for.

The right mask
May make sense... may not! Nevertheless, these are some important lessons...
After all... its all about the right mask!

max

Thursday, February 22, 2007

We are what we are












Us lesser mortals
Mock us not!
We are but nothing poor souls...

None too great
None too smart
None too bright
None with too head a start

Yet we are winners
for we are what we are
Yet we are winners
for what we choose to be

None too lost
None too slow
None needs a chance
None needs the flow

we value our two pence
we value our belief of the right
may not have favor on our side
yet will put up a fight

brave not we be
strong not we be
yet choose to stand strong
we are what we are

it may be dim
may not be seen
the absence of it
a result of the screen

open the eyes
look around you
more than meets the eye
more over the horizon

it may be dark
blame not the light
blame your mind
blame not your sight

we are what we are
we are no poor souls...


-Max


Thursday, February 15, 2007

Hope

The Sunrise
I wait for the sun to rise...
I wait for the dawn to come...

Hoping things change for the better...
Hoping the change happens at all...

Hope...hope...hoping away...
Dear god...hope there are good things to say
Don't leave me dejected...
Have good things to say!

The sky is dark
But the dawn is not far
I look with bated breath
for the sun to arrive

I wait with bated breath
for the sun to arrive
to rise up high
to fill up the sky

I pray to god
let it not be an eclipse
I pray to god
let it all be good

Oh Almighty! Make me happy
Let there be a smile
I will be indebted
for as long i am alive

I live with hope
for what else do I have
With nothing in my hands
hope is all I have

I may be scared
I may be petrified
But I hold to all that I have
hope is all I have...
hope is all I have...

-Max

Sunday, January 28, 2007

Challenges

A life without challenges...
it is like going to office with no work to do
it is like going to school with no lessons to learn

Challenges come not to depress or get you down,
they come to grow us as a person
they come to teach us the ways of life
they come to make us feel good of ourselves
they come to uncover our abilities
they come with a reason... let us not question that reason
Let us rather relish the challenge and work towards winning it!

Friday, January 19, 2007

Trek to Matheran

After a long time, I am going on a trek on Friday 19th Jan 2007.

The following is the itinerary:
* Leave from the Powai office @ 17:00 IST
* Catch the fast train for Khopoli @ 17:58 IST from Ghatkopar.

Neral Station
* Reach Neral by 19:15 IST.
* Start trekking around 19:45 IST and reach Matheran latest by 23:00 IST. The plan is to take the road while climbing.
Mystic Matheran
* Sleep over at Matheran.
* Sight seeing the following day
* Start back by around 1530 IST.

We are coming back early on Saturday as we have to be up and running (literally) early on Sunday for the Mumbai Marathon.

It is going to be a PACKED schedule this weekend with the trek, marathon and other things planned on saturday and sunday nights.

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Charity

Like last year too, I have enrolled myself as a part of the corporate team for the Mumbai Marathon. Besides the fact that I have a chance to participate in the marathon itself, it gives me an opportunity to contribute to the funds that would be donated for charity by the firm.

The new thing this year is that the participants are also required to take a few pledges from the general public and collect donations for a charity of their choice (In my case the employer decides, and I dont disagree!).

I had a few apprehensions. This was like my experience as a Boy Scout. I would take part in collecting money for charity. Or the time in Sanvedna where we collected money for the disadvantaged children!

The corporate environment has its own challenges when it comes to requesting for donations. First of all, the fact that I have to request those people to donate whom I work with is a tricky situation. Asking is not the problem. The problem lies with their discomfort. Since it is for a noble cause, most people cannot be seen to be not donating. Hence, many of them feel compelled to pay. While the money is important, my thoughts are that any money that is not given from the heart should not be collected.

I try to ensure that people do not feel compelled to pay up. I throw the idea across and then gauge the enthusiasm. If there is no enthusiasm, I do not pursue the matter any further. In fact, I make it a point to request only once. Only if the person has shown a strong desire to donate would I get back to them.

Another thought is that people judge others based on their donations. I have had instances of people commenting on the amounts donated by others. Personally, I believe that it is the thought that counts. Another point to take cognizance of is that we are unaware of their participation in money and/or kind in other charitable causes. They may make it a point to have a token gesture to participate.

I made it a point to explain whatever that I could with regards to the Non-Government-Organization (NGO) that the proceeds would go to. The NGO in question is one named Magic Bus. I explain all the work that it does for the children and how we as a firm have been associated with this NGO for the past 2 years. It is important for people to realize that the money that they are donating is going into the right hands. I do not blame them for that as I would probably have done the same.

Anyway, there has been a notable collection of INR 5000/- (and counting) as of now! I have a total of 20 or so pledges. And I am yet to add my money to this! :)
It feels nice that a lot of people have donated!
I used a different strategy from the others. Instead of mailing and requesting others, I gathered the attention of a group of individuals and addressed them. This gave me a better attention span. Having explained the basic process, I would wait until the individual showed some enthusiasm!

On a personal note, I realize that I am 1500/- INR away from matching the person with the highest contributions that was cited in the booklet that we were given!
That sure is great going!

Monday, January 15, 2007

I have a dream

Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the US.
But that is not what this is about!

Obstacle race

Long long time ago, he famously said "I have a dream".
I too thought of this in my mind and set out to achieve the dream.
Piecing block by block, I am building the puzzle. The road is not easy and there are obstacles aplenty! But that has not deterred me.
That has not stopped me from dreaming! That hasnt stopped me from trying!

Try and try till you succeed!
After a while, even faith will lose patience!
All that matters is who is the first person to blink...you or fate!

potter

There is another school of thought that says that our destiny is in our own hands! We need to mould the clay and shape it like a potter!

Thursday, January 11, 2007

Land!

Land is now in sight!
Land is now in sight!
The future for now
is looking very bright!

Feel happy, relaxed and relieved.
Not crossed the finish-line, but inching steading towards it!

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

The end in sight

On and on we go...
the end not in sight...
its like a ship at sea
water till the eye can see

but the hope of land
keeps us going
for the land is where
we want to be
for the land is where
we want to be...


-Max

Overheard
'Try and try till you succeed'
- Prince Arthur

Ditto!
- Max

Sunday, January 07, 2007

Calling

Its not always that you get a call from a number that is unrecognizable and that results in a pleasant conversation.
The tele-marketing menace has reached alarming proportions.
But this call was not from a tele-marketeer. it was from a number that read +86...
I wondered who it was. I had never seen that country code before. and not a lot of my friends were in unrecognizable country-code countries.
It was a pleasant surprise to realize that it was an old friend who was currently in Guadong, China. He is a sailor and serves as the 5th engineer on one of the international maritime routes.
He routinely calls and talks of his travails...it feels nice that he chooses to keep in touch with me. i feel guilty as i have been unable to reciprocate the same with a few of those lost friends.
this friend taught me a valuable lesson.
I hope that i can learn something from the lesson...

Temptations

Its tough to not do what you know is wrong when your heart is urging you to do it. Your mind plays games of the funny kind. Deep down, you know that you have taken a decision. Deep down, you know that you are right. And yet, every now and then you hear a voice. A voice that tests you like no other test ever can. It tests your resilience and it tests your patience. Most important of all, it tests your conviction and your ability to resist temptation.
As I am often heard saying, it is easy to run with the herd, but its tough to swim against the tide. And it is times like these that are a true test of character. The rewards are pleasing and it is an enriching experience. What you have to do for it: resist and not cave in.

Anybody who can say assertively that he/she can resist temptation is either lying or is blissfully unaware. Assuming that the temptation is enticingly sufficient, it is difficult for anyone to keep their head above the water at all times. If you do, you rise within your own eyes. That for me is the biggest victory. Personally, winning isn’t about awards, rewards, money or certificates. All these definitely help! But what matters is that winning is about feeling good of yourself.

Knowing that you have resisted temptation is one of the most wonderful things in life. The temptation could be anything. That is not the point. The point is the resistance to the temptation.

Resisting that craving for extra bit of cheese on your pizza, resisting the laziness prevelant on a chilly winter morning. Resisting that sarcastic caustic comment at someone. Resisting in doing the wrong thing at the workplace...
Its tough!
But the feeling of having achieved it: priceless!

Winning thought

This is a winning thought!

You don't quit at half-time!
And you don't score until you have scored!

May make sense to some...may not to others!

Source: American Wedding - The movie.
Moral: Good thoughts and ideas can come from the most unlikeliest of sources!