The joy of everyday things

People often look for jubilation in big successes. These successes can include anything from a job change to buying a car. We strive for these achievements. But we often neglect the small successes. The miniscule things we achieve that go unnoticed.

The result of everything you do depends on one thing only; YOUR CONFIDENCE. Where does this confidence come from, some of us talk ourselves through it,” yes you can do it”, some of us consult our friends, some of us pessimists say, “I’m not gonna make it”. You don’t need to go anywhere for confidence. Everything you ever wanted is right in front of you, all you need to do, is look.

A fat guy, who doesn’t exercise, goes to the gym and puts in 10 pushups; that is achievement. If he tells his pushup story to his friends, they’ll ridicule him, because that is his achievement, not theirs. The point to be understood here is, look for the things that you can do, that you could not do some time ago. It may be a very very small thing for someone else, but it matters to you. It is something you could not achieve; it is something you never ever thought you would do. But today, it is something that you have accomplished. People make the mistake of comparing their lives with others. They don’t look at their 10 pushups; they writhe in the melancholy of their friend’s achievement of 20.

I still remember the time, when I was out of shape, my stamina sucked and I could barely do 10 pushups. It was not more than 1 and half years ago. If anyone would have told me then, dude in 1.5 years, you’d be in the best shape of your life, you’d have the stamina to trek better than your friends, you’d be able to do 70,80 pushups, I’d have laughed. I wanna be honest with you guys; I could never ever even imagine me being physically active and fit. I remember the day when I started going to the gym, it was the 4th of August, 2007. I remember the moment I listed an entry in the attendance book. That was the first day and I haven’t looked back since. Today when I start my exercise and do those pushups I could never do, I get an immense joy that yes, I can do it. I can do what I never could. Today when I take bath with cold water, I know this is something I could never think of doing. It is a very stupid thing to brag about your cold water bath, but it is not something to brag about, it is something to feel happy about.

After reading this post, think to yourself, today, did you do something that you were not able to do before? If the answer is yes, smile to yourself, be happy, because u have achieved a feat. Don’t think about how small a thing it is for anyone else, it matters to you, and that is important. If the answer is no, do something tomorrow so that the answer will be yes. Confidence is not something you tell yourself; it is something you get, by being yourself and doing things yourself.

Remember, you are the protagonist of your own movie; the others are just the audience. Make the movie such that others watch in awe for the extravagant work of art you are making.

The thoughtless approach to life

Guys, its 2.46 in the night, and I guess I am too excited to sleep. Why you ask, well I’ve just had a drastic change of perspective. Many of you might be wondering, what an odd title for today’s post, “The thoughtless approach to life”, what the hell does that mean? It means, acting the way your heart says, it means acting without the brain coming into the picture, in other words, THOUGHTLESS.

There’s an old cliché that goes, “Do what your heart says”. I agree, at times this does act out to be a better approach, especially when you depend on your ‘gut instinct’. However, I must say, I disagree with ‘going with the heart approach’. There are many situations in life, wherein, going with your heart, will make you feel like a jerk. These situations are the ones in which you get angry, your heart tells you to lambaste the person you are angry on, your brain doesn’t tell you anything because you are too angry for it to comprehend what you are doing, and you go ahead and berate the person. In any other saintly blog, people would tell you, think of how it makes the other person feel, thing of his/her feelings, you hurt the person you care for, blah, blah, blah. That’s all a bunch of BS. Think of what YOU get after that. Let the person you roughed up (not literally) will think about him. Think about you, you’ll get a totally tempestuous demeanor.

Let us take a simple example which will make this lucid. A typical scenario of a boy and a girl, they are not engaged, but there could be something cooking there. The two plan a date, at the last moment, the girl cancels it because there is another friend of hers who has some problem and she has no alternative but to help him (common he’s a friend too). A typical example in which the both, the girl and the boy are right at their positions but the boy is super pissed off coz he feels he was ditched. Let’s say, you are the boy, there are three approaches you can take to handle this situation:

Approach I:
You don’t call the girl coz you are angry and wait for her to call you. (There’s good chance that she might not call you for a couple of days), this will stoke your anger and you’ll feel more pissed off. Ultimately there’s a dialog, and you give her a piece of your mind in all vehemence.

Repercussions: You are more pissed off, coz now, not only are you angry, you’ve lost that chance for a date, or at least delayed it.

Approach II:
If you are like me and can’t sit tight until you’ve taken your revenge, you’ll gush out your anger on the girl.

Repercussions: The girl is afraid of you as you are now whimsical in her opinion and areunpredictable. She stops telling you the truth about things coz she doesn’t know how you’ll react. You are obviously still pissed off. Also, similar to the earlier approach, you’ve lost that chance for a date, or at least delayed it.

In both these approaches, you are losing out. You are still angry, the girl thinks you are crazy and your chances of the date have slimed. Now comes the third approach:

Approach III:
Talk to the girl, very gently. Conjure up some dialog which will make her feel important (remember we are using our brain here). Explain to her that you are going through all this trouble to make her understand and blah blah, you get the hint.
Result: The girl feels you are a very mature person (you know you are not ;)), she respects you more, you are closer to her, you’ll surely go on a date now, next time, her other friend might get the second priority since you care about her so much.

The example is just to make you guys understand but the bottom line is, think about how your approach benefits you. Ultimately, being angry is justified but you have to make the best out of the situation for yourself. And that comes only when you stop thoughtless approach to life. All of us are cerebral; we just have to make use of our wits.

Cheers,
Swapnesh

Happy Birthday Akshay

Hola Amigos!!!

Well, I thought the least I could do was start with a salutation in Spanish since I’ve embarked on the journey to learn the wonderful language. First of all, my sincere apologies for this long hiatus in updating the blog. I had many personal activities going on and I couldn’t devote any time to blogging. Also, to be honest, I couldn’t even devote time to conjure up an idea to write about in the blog. As they say, look no further, for I was checking my gmail, and saw a mail from my friend Rahul. He suggested writing about Akshay’s birthday celebration. For those of you who don’t now, Akshay is one of my best friends and also, now my roommate.

Akshay’s birthday is on the 9th of November. This year, it was a Monday. The tentative plan was (also the stereotypical one) to bring a cake and cut it at midnight. I was outside on Sunday (the day before the big day) and I wanted it to be a surprise for him. I called him up to inform him that I am not going to be home for the night. The ever exited guy that he is, was fast asleep on the night before his birthday (usually one would expect calls then :D). I had already brought a chocolate cake and at the stroke of midnight, Ashwani and I (another of my best friends) were gonna crash the place with the cake. Everything went according to the plan, we came in on time and took him by surprise (or at least I think we did). I don’t know, but I hope he expected me bringing the cake. Then finding time between the many calls he was receiving, we sang the birthday anthem and sliced the cake, with a lot of the cream being applied on his visage. The ceremony didn’t last that long and we all went to bed soon.

The next day, was the main program, THE BIRTHDAY BUMPS. The plan was orchestrated by Amol (not much to say about him :D) and Nikhya (Nikhil Bhai). The plan was that they would come to our place with the cake, some candles and cold drinks. For the plan to execute, it was imperative for me to delay Akshay’s coming home from the office (at least till the time they get home). I had a great plan; I told Akshay that I have to get some stuff from my old house, so we had to go there. I knew I could pass as much time as I wish there so it was a good plan. It worked well, and after a while after going there, I got Nikhil’s call that Amol and he had reached our place. It was now time to head back home. As we reached there and parked the bike, we saw them, with the evil reflecting on their countenance. It was clear that something devious was up their sleeves. Steven Covey is the author of the book, ‘First Things First’. It was the same case here, and the first thing was to wet Akshay by pouring a bucket of water over his head (not to mention over his new half sleeves shirt). Then we poured Thumbs-Up followed by cracking an egg over his head. I know it sounds stark but that was the plan. Now came the kicks, it was Nikhil and I holding Akshya and Amol with the kicks on the keister. Amol is a martial arts expert and if there is one thing he can do well, its use his legs. The ruckus was so much that people thought we are having a fight and came in to stop us. So as to not to make a scene (as if it already wasn’t) we came upstairs to the house.

Akshay took a bath and now there were some more kicks to be landed. After some more leg swings, the ceremony was declared and now it was time to cut the cake. The ceremony deviated from the normal because it involved Amol being kicked by all of us :D). After the cake cutting, it was now time for a party. It had gotten pretty late and we had to leave soon, else we might have had to sleep empty stomach. We finally left at around 11. The venue for the party was Garden Court (a hotel that I would recommend very few people to go to) .The dinner marked the end of the birthday, it was great day and a day on which I hope Akshay had a lot of fun.

German, French or Spanish?

This was one dilemma that I was facing, which language should I learn. I had three options in my list viz. German, French and Spanish. I knew I had to add at least one of these languages to my repertoire. I discussed with my friends about the advantages of each. Personally, German for some reason was with the lowest priority on my list. I figured, German is mostly spoken in Germany (apart from Austria and Switzerland) and at least at this point, I have no plans (at least for study) to go to these places. Also, with the ken of how wretched my company is, I know I am never going there at least for my company's sake.

As far as French goes, I am really a little apprehensive to go to France. I fail to understand the point, in ONLY speaking French in the country. It is understandable to the extent that it is imperative for the people in the country to speak the language, but it is absolutely untenable to make it imperative for the tourists to speak French. Sadly, its an ignominy on the part of the French to do so. How do you justify (indirectly) asking a tourist to learn the language for a sojourn. Consequently, French was out of the list now.

Spanish was now the only language remaining on the list. I had a chat with my friend Rahul who’s in the US pursuing his Master's degree. He advised me to go for Spanish. Just to shed some light on Spanish, it is the second language in the US. Also, 13% of the populace in the States speak Spanish. Moreover, it is the official language of 22 countries. These were reasons enough for me to take up Spanish. For someone planning to go to the US, having a certification in Spanish is definitely an added advantage.

My mind was set. Spanish was the language for me. Without much ado, I inquired about a couple of classes. Among those, Multiversity seemed a good choice. I've got the admission now and classes start form 1st Nov. Let's see how it works out, will keep you guys updated.

Catch ya later,

Swapnesh

Sarkha Chatit Dukhtay

'Sarkha Chatit Dukhtay', translates to '(My) Chest is paining continuously' is a Marathi play which stars Ashok Saraf and Nivedita Saraf in the lead roles. The play is an experience that might let you have a stomach pain if not a chest pain. Although full of clichés and a banal story-line, the play is worth a watch for the mere panache of Ashok Saraf.

The story mainly involves Bhau Taishette, played by Ashok Saraf, a 50 odd year librarian who is always concerned and nagging about is health. His wife, played by real life spouse Nivedita Saraf is a naive house wife, unknown to the deceitful ways of the world. Bhau finds out his end is near and is troubled by the incessant fear of how his wife will survive after his death. The story takes a turn when Rajan Bhise, Nivedita's college time friend and one who has had amorous feelings for her in college comes to visit India. He stays with the family for some days giving Bhau the idea to unite the pair that couldn't be united in college.

The story revolves around the confusion that is created by Bhau's drunkard lawyer (played by Vinay Yedekar) about Bhau's affair with his assistant. The story is predictable every step of the way, but still manages to be hilarious due to excellent performances by Ashok Saraf, Nivedita Saraf and Rajan Bhise. Vinay Yedekar is brassy is always and tends to irritate with his repetitive appearances. Sanjay Mone does justice to his role although he only has two 10 minute cameos.

The play is worth watching once if you are a fan of Ashok Saraf. If you go in with the expectation of something novel, 'Sarkha Chatit Duktae' is not the play for you.

I give it two and a half stars.

A succinct explanation of the battle

Hello guys,

Sorry for not updating the blog yesterday. I had gone to a drama with my parents and got home very late, but more on that later. First, to complete the exam experience.

In the story so far, I had finished my breakfast and left for the exam center. It took be about 20-25 mins to reach there. By my watch (I'd borrowed one from my Dad), it was 8:55. The exam was scheduled at 10 and I still had one full hour to go. I decided to shop for a bottle of mineral water to kill some time. It did kill 10 mins but that was not enough. Finally, I decided to go the hall and check to see if someone else had also come. To my surprise, there were two people already present, discussing about the exam and admissions. It didn't take us long to get introduced to each other. The discussion was mostly related to the exam and the sections of the exam, but later, it shifted to the colleges which offer MBA, various countries, etc. After 10-15 minutes some more people arrived. Now the discussion started to become intriguing with each one of us sharing his experience of the preparation exam. Four of us were from IT (that in itself explained how common our profile was, IIM - Indian IT Male), one from a mechanical background and one a business analyst. We had a very interesting discussion none the less. It was now 10:00 and the person at the counter asked for our passports. Fear now started to insinuate itself in our hearts. It was not long before the first person was called to start off with the initial formalities.

I was the second person to get in. The first procedure is to match your sign with the one on your passport. Then they take your hand print and your photo. The procedures were now done and they showed us the boxes where we would sit to give the exam. The instructor logged us in and the exam started. I guess it would be a bore if I describe the exam experience to you (Frankly, I am a lil bored to write all of that :)) All in all, it was experience that will certainly help me for my next exam.

Tomorrow, I'll post a review of the Marathi Play 'Sarkha Chatit Duktae'

Till then,

Adieus Amigos

The night before the battle

Hello people,

A warm welcome to all of you. This is my first entry in the blog. It's been a long time since I have been thinking now of starting a blog and finally I've found the time to make it a reality. I figured writing one should be a piece of cake, since any drab and dingy kid on the block is starting to write one now. Jokes apart, it's 00:48, make that 00:49 by my laptop's clock. I had lain down some time ago and was thinking of useless things like many of us do while embarking into slumber, but I just couldn't get that much wanted sleep. Then I thought to myself, this looks like de-ja-vu all over again from two days back. It was a Friday night, I went to bed at around 2300 hrs. Y so early u ask, well I had my GMAT CAT the next morning (seems such a hep name doesn't it when u write CAT after the GMAT. GMAT by itself doesn't sound that imposing).

Believe you me, I had absolutely no tensions about the exam and there was nothing that could keep me from sleeping, also, I had no qualms of having been to Pune Central one day before the exam. I had got up at 8 in the morning that day, add to that the travel from Nira (place where my Mom n Dad stay). All this should have been sufficient to ensure a good night's sleep. After one hour of rolling in bed, trying each position to get the comfortable position for sleeping, I got up, had some water and said to myself, 'C'mon man, now you'll sleep, it's midnight and your daily time of sleeping has come. Seven hours of sleep is enough'. I kept the bottle and was flat on the back again. Five minutes into the bed and there it was, a god damn sneeze, two seconds and another one, and it continued till like 8 - 10. As if insomnia was bad enough, a vicious cold set in. I was now frustrated to the hilt. Another hour went by with no sleep and an hour in which my best friend became by handkerchief. My friend had warned my to make it a habit of sleeping early so that I can sleep on time before the exam. But clearly, two past midnight was way of limits. I'd always be in deep sleep by then. Anyways, finally I lost my much unwanted unconsciousness but before you know it, I was up again. As frustrating it was to not get sleep, it was more frustrating to get it and again wake up. I was thinking to myself, 'Don't worry dude, you've never slept more than 4 hrs before any exam in your life (this was not b'coz I am sincere, but hey, face it you can't waste much time on sleeping when u have 12 hrs to prepare for an entire engineering subject)'. The whole night went on with short spells of sleep and distortions of sleep. To add to my nusiance, the sleep spells were dream-ridden ( I should say nightmare-ridden really), dreams of Critical Reasoning questions from the exam. It was the worst sleep anyone could ever have, when you have an exam the next morning, you can imagine how happy I elated I was!!

It was now 7.15 and the alarm in my mobile started ringing. It took me 2 seconds to get yup (it wasn't difficult since I was not doing a particularly good job at sleeping anyway). I got fresh, took a warm bath and got ready by 8.15, fully dressed. I checked with all the stuff required for the exam, got good luck wishes from my roomies and was off to have some breakfast. Normally I have cornflakes and eggs from breakfast but today just wasn't the day to get the milk, boil the eggs, etc. I went to the hotel below and ordered a plate of 'idli sambhar'. I had got some notes in my bag to read till my order gets in. Wouldn't you know it, that day the waiter got the order in 5 minutes. I had the idli and a glass of milk that I'd ordered and I took off.

Guys, I'll write the details about the actual stuff at the exam center and how I fared in the exam tomorrow. It's 1:30 and I'll try to get that sleep now. Also, I have to create a blog to post this stuff. I am hard-pressed to find a name for the blog. Umm, how do you like Swapnesh's Endeavours, or Swapnesh's Ventures? I guess the later is a lil of the mark, I'll go with the first one.

Till tomorrow then,

Ciao
Swappy