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!

Sunday, December 31, 2006

007

007
Its time to bid good bye to the year that had...

ups and downs...
moments of joy...
moments of despair...
moments of love...
moments of broken hearts...
moments of togetherness...
moments of loneliness...
moments of hardwork...
moments of rewards...

The moments that were 2006 have to make way...

for 007 to come...
for 007 to spread joy...
for 007 to rekindle hope...
for 007 to spread smiles around...
for 007 to break the shackles of the facade...
for 007 to party...
for 007 to have a good time...
for 007 to fly...
for 007 to be in the sky...


The Giant Leap
Let us take the giant Leap!

Its time for 2007 to arrive!
Here's to a great year ahead!

Saturday, December 09, 2006

All Blacks

All Blacks

I can’t sleep a wink
The night has left us sore
I think we could have done better
I think that we deserved more!

We were so near
and yet we are so far
we may have not won
yet each of us was a star

The last fall that we had
Let it not get in the way
We know our worth
Whatever the others say

Each of us a pillar
That made up the stack
Those that stood strong
Each one an All Black!

- Max


Note: The All Blacks is a trademark of the New Zealand Rugby Union.

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

The Facade


Life is so strange. I feel alone. Yet I had a good time today. I went out. I did many things. Yet at the end of the day, in the middle of the eerie night, I sit here in the middle of deep darkness. I wonder where life is leading me. I want to lead the path. I wish to show the light. Yet I find myself typing my thoughts. I cannot see the keys that I am typing. They feel as if they are shots in the dark. Yet I know that they are not. Everything seems to be moving according to the plan. Yet I find myself confused. I see the milestone.

Monday, November 13, 2006

Optimism

Glass Half Full
What am I without it
What am I without it
it is what keeps me strong
it is what keeps me going

it eggs me on
to do the right thing
pushing me on stage
it makes me want to sing

it makes me want to reach out
making me want to touch the sky
it makes me want to spead my arms
making me want to fly

it makes me believe
someday i will get there
gives me the hope
someday will be my day

gives me the hope
someday will be my day...

- Max

Greed


Greed and malice in thy mind
what cometh upon thou
in thy bad times
thou too have to bow

- Max

Saturday, October 28, 2006

The Whiff of Honey

Sunset Boulevard

The count is down
and so is the frown
what was meant to be done rare
is now all brown

it happened to soon
it happened to fast
wish it weren't a dream
wish it were to last

mulling over the thought
wonder if it were meant to be
it was staring in the eye
and yet I did not see

on one side is a scissor
on the other is a cliff
the honey was always there
I just never had the whiff


-Max