Smitten, I was Smitten

Stepping out of the hostel I realised 'yeah! it drizzles the one day that I decided to leave my umbrella behind'. Strange enough, I also wasn't listening to any music while I was out the door. Maybe I needed a break from the monotony. I was a little late to the bus stand than usual, and wondering if I need to ride the dreaded MTC standing amongst the mad crowd.

I am claustrophobic, but had no time to worry about it; I'll be late to the office. So I boarded the bus, a pole struck my eye; I needed a support to rest by back throughout the ride. A few girls got into the bus, spite of the over crowdedness of the vehicle.

I was reading Study in Scarlet on my mobile, and took a quick break. That was the moment a beauty stole my vision, ah! Words can't come close to explain what I felt. The girl was gone! She saw my gaze, didn't respond; the girl didn't even smile she took a look at me and was off. I was totally smitten, lost in a sense of wonder. Asked some random girl if there was a specific IT company nearby; coz I noticed that that girl who stole my thoughts, wore the watch with that companies logo. She said meh, I replied huh?

Lost in thought-whether or not to take the same bus, at the same time again tomorrow. I got back to the book, some more girls entered the bus. I was focused on the book, and the back of my mind was on the girl who didn't even smile. Some time elapsed, my destination grew closer and I decided to close the book.

Almost close to the stop, I was near the footsteps of the buses' entrance; ha one more cute and lively girl caught my eye. I did the same thing, I smiled a little at her; I was mesmerized at her beauty. She recognized my gaze, responded with a 'thank you' smile. I was lit like a Christmas tree, happiness took complete hold of me. I was floating in the air while crossing a busy road. Her smile gave me the boost of a thousand kisses.

From the bus stop I didn't get into any Auto as I regularly would, decided to walk this time. Was somewhat tired from the walk; had a quick snack before entering the office. Happiness is still around, you just need to wait patiently till it finds you.

Controlled explosion

Climbing out of the bus, I found it hard to walk besides Chennai's traffic. There are no more way/path for the pedestrians in the metropolitan city. The cars occupy most of the road, the heavy and medium sized four wheelers the rest and bikes are pure evil. The people who drive any bike has figured out the way to ride 'em everywhere, and I do mean EVERYWHERE; They just don't care about the pedestrians. Human beings who can't afford to buy a bike/car or someone who simply decided to ride on a bus are people who have a lot patience.                                       

A guy almost ran me over, the tire scratched my leg and I was ablaze with anger. Lucky for the guy behind the wheels, that I was in a good mood; I had it completely under control. I half-yelled at him, so that he realizes the mistake he committed. Being in control felt so powerful; I was happy that I didn't do anything that I might regret, and that was a great thing.

Life teaches you patience and be glad that you will learn to be a lot more patient. If a guy like me(read my blog completely and you'll know what I mean) can do it, you can do it. And, if you own a bike please make sure that you don't hit someone. Cheers and good luck on whatever you are planning to do.

Vacation?

This is the first time I'm getting some time off from work, I mean a real vacation. No calls from the office, no friends who need me to go shopping with them. Lone time was just the thing that I needed, and I got it for sure. Sometimes you will always get what you want one way or another, it's just that you need to be a little more patient. And, that grand quality has always been scarce in me; everyone advices me 'go slow', 'relax', 'patience!' and 'calm the fuck down'. You see I got a wacky nerve, it'll be hard for me to contain myself. I find it real hard sometimes to control the words that fall out of my mouth. It's just sad that I can't go back in time edit,re-edit shuffle things around to make the things that I said a bit more meaningful and beautiful 'like writing and re-writing'.

To kill off sometime, I took a ride yesterday evening. Wearing shorts and a jacket I looked all set for a ride. Music! I love listening music, and almost always do. Be it during a walk, commute, or a ride, I need me some music to mute down the “nagging writer's voice” in my head. And, Apocalyptica - A metal band with a lot of string instruments did hell of a job smoothening my ride. I was listening to the song “I'm not strong enough to stay away” while wondering if I should pay a visit to my high-school crush (more of an obsession really). 

Before I could decide I was at her place. I was strong enough to walk away, while I was a few feet 'close' to her house's threshold. There was a train wreck in my mind while I was thinking things over, and the way back to my bike which I parked cautiously away was 'spooky'. The rules of 'Time' went numb, I heard my heartbeat and was caught up in the moment. No matter how much I hate myself for being in that situation, I enjoyed the moment. The memory of this little encounter may resurface to guide me to walk away from things that are better avoided.

Can you tell me something about yourself?

Can you tell me something about yourself? is 'The dreaded question' by every job seeker. Most of the interviewees answer by talking about his hometown, high-school and college education. But, the recruiter wants to know about your recent work experience, your current/previous employer and your roles and responsibility in that organization. The best thing to do is to draw a map in your head, draw a pyramid and list all your positive attitudes in it. As the answer to the 'dreaded' question, work your way up to the ladder from completing projects within the deadline, types and categories of projects that you've undertaken or gained knowledge in. Finally finish it up with you're best characteristic trait, it might be positive attitude, efficiency or plain old attention to detail.

Learn the difference between talent acquisition team and the recruiter. Talent acquisition team have to shortlist the profiles that have come in, their primary aim is to help as many candidates they've picked to get a job. They are doing this because it's their job to do so, just like salesperson's need to sell. And as they are selling something they have their targets which usually follow with incentives and accolades. The Recruiter is an animal of different breed, his job is to reject as many candidates as possible,and to pick the one who is perfectly right for the job. So, he needs a lot of convincing from the candidate. An interviewee must spend all his efforts to the recruiter, face him with all the might he could muster. One must gain knowledge of the post he/she is applying for, and strain damn hard to learn the nook and corner of it. The recruiter might ask anything that is related to do the job. If the job involves selling products, he might ask you to sell a pen to him. I had a difficult time selling a calculator to the recruiter. If you are nervous, don't say that out bluntly. Say that you're thirsty and would like a glass of water. And in the moment prepare for the answer, make an order of ideas and sell it to him just the way any salesperson would.

Clearing an interview, any interview is actually a easy thing if you're prepared for it. And being prepared is what most people have their difficulty in. As there are lot of misinformation and in-helpful guidelines floating about near the water-cooler and pretty much everywhere. Try to be confident, loud and clear. These are the basic qualities the recruiters want from the candidates.

A little more personal...

I always had to catch up, since I was and still am reluctant to follow the tide. I believe in swimming the other direction. Respecting the authority and the rules have always been a problem for me. I think rebellion is common among creative people. I'm a more self involved person, at times my behavior may seem selfish. Only those who had had spend some(more) time to know me, can actually know me. Needless to say I've had problems with understanding girls. A rare breed of creatures I must still devote a lot more time to comprehend and mingle with.

Spending too much time in your head might make you go cuckoo. Trust me, I went further into my mind than any other 'normal' person had visited theirs. But, finding your way back to reality is not so easy. I had to take therapy, boggle down a bunch of antidepressants, and boy that was not fun. I hate that, I have to depend on a pair of glass to read and enjoy a book. Now, imagine if I had to rely on some medicine to feel a bit more like other people. Here goes one relevant Facebook status update of mine:

"Sanity is a not a matter of perception for those who rely on prescription."

I had the habit of avid reading, and without proper guidance I read material that were beyond my age and comprehension. When I was 16, I read a Tamil book on a detailed explanation of the research and life of Sigmund Freud. And, after a few years got my hands on 'Interpretation of Dreams' by Sigmund Freud. Ignoring the warning of the father of psychoanalysis, I played dice with my mind. The phrase "When one tries to rise above Nature one is liable to fall below it." by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle has haunted me time and time again. 

Let my jagged road to sanity be a kind warning to the readers, the reality might seem boring but bear with it. Try to not to spice up things with over indulgence of drugs or alcohol, else you will be a desperate slave to it. If you want to be truly free, you have to be a master of your body, mind, and soul. It is easy to feel at ease, confident, and comfortable with one's self while intoxicated; but, doing the same while being sober is hard. You have two paths ahead of you, pray pick the path less traveled; it is hard and definitely is worth it.

To enhance, one must observe.

I really love to write;not type. I always enjoyed the pleasure of writing with fountain pens. I was suggested to use fountain pens, citing that it'll help improve handwriting. The ball point pens were famous, cheap and stylish. Fountain pens however were traditional. One needs patience and forethought to use the traditional methods. I found that I don't scribble while I use fountain pens. If I use ball point ones, it'd be hard for me to read my own handwriting after a day or two. I love to get my hands really dirty while filling up the pen with ink. I'd consider the drops of inks on my hands as a reward for my efforts, like the bloodshed on a glorified war hero.

And, now I'm arbitrarily hitting the keys of a keyboard. I want personal a connection between the modern world and the traditional methods. The joy I had reading and re-reading my words on a published material, i.e printed magazine was overwhelming. And, I never got that feeling from my blog, I try to post meaningful status updates on Facebook and Twitter; and, as all regular writers would, I get pissed off with the lack of recognition. People don't update "What's on their mind" anymore. They post pictures, tag people who they're with, usually in a mall. And, wish people for their birthdays. People these days find it hard to type something cohesive. Even I spend less time on reading and spend loads of it watching a movie or a TV show. I have to get back on the road of heavy reading, intellectual thinking and meaningful writing. And, trying to write these days ha! that's hard. I mean the actual pen and paper writing, I'm so used to the method of typing to get my thoughts out. And, now trying to write legibly with a pen isn't that efficient. We've to adapt to the modern world, and Tweet like any other person would. Still coming up with something meaningful and catchy within the character limits of Twitter is hard than one could imagine. And, gaining an audience is harder still. Okay you got all the content, meaningful stuff that's is grammatically correct and fashionable; what's next?

You need to motivate the readers, visit their blog, read and comment. If you appreciate their comments they will reciprocate the kindness. And, this is the only way to get a number of followers to your blog/material.

Goldie...

I watched Sin City: A Dame to Kill For and it has shut my mind. I loved, enjoyed Sin City; was amazed at the artistic creativity Robert Rodriguez has pulled off with Frank Miller.

If you're not familiar with Rodriguez let me enlighten you before you Google him. He's the one who gave us Spy Kids, The Mexico trilogy. He has written,shot and directed many good movies, but I'd say the collaboration with comic book writer Frank Miller in the Sin City series has made him one of the great directors in the history of cinema. 

A Dame to Kill For, a story that's dark and thorough, that only great writers can come up with. I lived in Sin City for more than an hour, experienced the pain, fear, the darkness that lurks in every corner of the baSin City. Words can't do justice to what I felt.

I wanted to watch The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies

The festive season, a time for hope,joy and love. Special events/ festivals like Christmas and New Year to be celebrated. All my friends are scattered and busy with their own life, I can't blame them for I too am pretty occupied. Still my love for cinema seldom fades away, I was keen on watching Interstellar; booked it watched in on the first day all alone. But, I was kinda hoping for watching The Hobbit with my friends. Still waiting, asked my colleagues to join my venture today. Well I was alone and hate my lone time when there's nothing to do. At first my friend Amber denied my proposition, citing it's the first day of the new shift and thought that I was asking her out or something. Asked Joe too, he said he hasn't the time or money to spend it on movies. I wondered if what he said was actually true, isn't cinema worth the price?

I'm still pondering over that question in my mind. 

Why do we go to cinema theaters?

For me it's the movies and nothing else, and I don't look down on people who treat a movie/cinema as gathereing event. It has always been the thing that friends do together, spend some money for valuable time with their loved ones. Not me, I like to watch movies alone. Want to experience the whole cinematic experience, feel what the director wants me to feel. Yell,cry and laugh with the scenes, that is what I do in theatres; I don't have the habit of sitting idle and watching the film like any Tom, Dick or Harry.

Getting that off my chest, it takes a lot of time to plan these little get togethers. I'm always the spur of the moment guy, and decided to watch The Hobbit. Not even sure if I still remember the first two parts of the triology. I was going through the online booking portals, and man do they bag a lot of money with all the 'online' dealings. I understand the appeal of sitting at home and doing things, but what has it come to? I wanted to watch a much hyped Tamil movie 'Kathai Thiraikathai Vasanam Iyakkam', and I spent a lot of time searching for theatres and trying to get tickets, failed at all my efforts and finally went inside the theatre without a ticket caught a small glimpse of the movie before it ended, but was satisfied that my goal was partially achieved.

A avid movie goer should have the dedication to come to theate and buy tickets. But, these days I've to sit home weeks earlier and plan with the peers and book the tickets way ahead so that the opportunity isn't snatched away by someone else. I can still watch a movie whenever I want, but I've to pay the same amount for the ticket that too for a bad seat, thats way to closer to the screen. I've such great love for the cinema that I want all the seats close to the screens to burned to ashes. Anyone who wants to watch a movie must watch it with wholehearted happieness and satisfaction. Not like the terrible time I had watching the movie 'Inception' by sitting in the very first row, slouching in the seat looking up at the screen with a aching neck.