the Good, the Bad & the Struggly

There are all sorts of people in this world (wait, have I used this opening line a bit too many times?)

OK, in this world, you will find people of all kinds – some nice, some not-so-nice and some just not nice! Apart from encounters with people at a personal level, you also interact with a lot of people at a professional level. Now, if you were like me, you would observe and analyse and maybe form judgements as well. In my 2-odd years of work experience, I think I have come across ”workers” of 3 major kind: the Good, the Bad & the Struggly.

Well, back in the days where anyone who got a job was considered o be the smartest fellow in the town, maybe things  were not so complicated. Everyone was considered great at his work – there was little shrewdness, more fondness and more respect.

With our work culture, coping with world’s culture, the demarcations have become darker and more legible. Now, whether or not you are good at your work is much clearer. There is something called ‘Street Smartness’, which usually implies to people who may not be brilliant at their work, but they know how to be noticed by the right people at the right time. This, I feel is the category of ‘Good’ people…

Now, we have the ‘Bad’ ones – not only are these people not good at their work, but they are also very bad at PR – ing themselves. Neither are they Street Smart, nor extremely good at their work – nothing really works in their favour. They give up, they just have to.

The third, and my favourite is the ‘Struggly’ category – these are people who are still learning how to master their work, and are also trying to be noticed for the right reasons. Once bitten twice shy, I am someone who has defied this law repeatedly. Irrespective of how many times I get played by others, I don’t learn my lesson. But hey, I am learning and I am working on being a Master of my Art. I may not be the best when it comes to ’speaking’ for my work, but I definately believe that good work never goes unnoticed and I plan to stick by this theory till I fall (which I hopefully won’t!).

So, I fall under the ‘Struggly’ category, and I love being there. What about you?

State of mind? Kindly Calm.

Weather? Interestingly Pleasant.

Song? Ye Dilli Hai Meri Jaan - Dilli 6

Slumdog Something

I finally watched Slumdog Millionnaire! Since I did almost nothing over the weekend, I spent time watching movies. Slumdog, the much talked about movie that has suddenly put India on the International cinema market was something that had created ripples of inquisitiveness in my mind. With the whole ‘Oscars’ thing splashed all over the news, this was something I *had* to watch…  Earlier too Bollywood has been noticed at this level for Lagaan but Slumdog has created another level of waves!

The movie, hyped and portrayed as an ‘Oscar winning’ piece is nice, but I am not sure if I *really* like it or not. I mean, the performance by the young artists is worth a watch and the story does bind you till the very end but at the same time, it moves a bit slowly. Even though that is not usually a problem, since the story line is slightly tight, a little bit of pace would have been better. I do like the movie, but I haven’t got what the hype is all about!

It’s a plain love story wrapped in a rags-to-riches saga. I am not entirely sure as to what is so ‘Oscar-y’ about it. It also shows India in a poor light – maybe that attracts a few people as the movie may have a documentary kind of feel to it.

The movie, despite it’s strong story has a few flaws. I am not a critic but I can have opinions based on my very little knowledge of film making. At the end of the day, it is an English movie, with undertones of sarcasm and dark humour, directed by a Britisher! I feel that the whole ”Chai Wala on the Show’ was a bit too overbearing – I mean, who talks like that to a contestant on a show? If he was trying to portray a shade of grey in Anil Kapoor’s character, it may make sense though might not justify it enough in my head.

The movie is shot well, the editing is almost perfect and even the performances are quite appealing – though something somewhere has killed it for me. I am not sure what it is – the disappointment of showcasing India in such terrible light where a slum kid would jump into a pool of crap just to see his favorite actor, or the fact that the whole hype about it having the Indian connection making us Indians feel proud of something that does not even belong to us!

Anyway, how did Jamal get onto the show??

Hopefully Brighter.

Even though 2008 was a highly eventful year, it left me not-so-happy.

Happy New Year to you all  

The torture of not being able to find a job right at the beginning of year, to apprehensions about a precarious future, finally finding a job – meeting and interacting with a very different category of people there, quitting the second job and looking for another change, has drained me completely. I have been professionaly exhausted and am lying low. Even though my current work place seems to be getting me somewhere, I only hope that things work out fine here - fingers crossed!

So, New Years was nice. A friend came down from Mumbai to be with us and another one joined us over the long weekend – not extended but was wholesome fun. I had a great, great time and I am happy that I have friends who care No offence to those who didn’t come down, coz I know they had different plans already – Mr Baldy and Tiny Tunu!! :p

Last year, amidst the many unpleasant events that took place in my life, a few good things happened as well. Re-affirmation of a certain relationship, a stronger bond, slight maturity (yea KG, I know u think I am nowhere even close!), little more confidence, lessons of judgements, cousin’s long-pending wedding, family reunion, swalpa weight loss , reestablished lost contacts, forgave some, forgot some, and deliberately threw some out – a not-s0-bad 365 days I must say!

But one thing, a real bad one that prevailed throughout is this negativity about being alone and lonely (refer to a previous post). I reviewed and re-reviewed (is that a word?), certain relationships and actually figured out who all do I really want in my life. Even though that section is kind of sorted, I still haven’t found *what* I am looking for – not *who* I am looking for.  It is strange coz if you see all the circular boxes from up above, things don’t look so bad. But, the moment you try breaking in, there is so much confusion and chaos that it can baffle a stable mind. Some say I am weird, some say I think too much but the fact of the matter is – it exists!

I have entrusted myself with responsibilities – is good, but I am expected to perform them *all the time* – not-so-good! I am growing old - stand far from marriage (oh, don’t ask me!), have lost the innocent charm, have lost honest trust in people, have become suspicious … have lost some and gained some…

If I look at our pictures just 2-3 years ago, I can see a trail of change on the look I carry on my face. From someone whose laughter was loud as a bang, to someone who thinks twice before expressing a certain reaction in public, I have become much low profile. I look pale, the twinkle in my eye is gone and it sucks to feel that only kohl can help me survive the day!

What once used to be a happy, delighful time of the year has become a long-extended series of retrospection and analysis of myself and all around me! Ugh, trust me it is a horrible feeling.

And guess what, I didn’t notice it but nowadays, I actually am *scared* to visit malls or public places. I anyway hate malls, but if we have to watch a movie, they are unavoidable and hence, I end up going there. It is strange that the whole ‘terrorism’ deal has taken a toll on my sleep as well.

Oh, one more good thing of 2008 – a recovered fondness, love and respect for my parents. Another! I now voice it up if need be, feels good though I barely relate to it. But a verrry dear friend of mine – R- says that I must not lose my self-respect and esteem at any cost, which I now believe is one’s biggest asset.

This is a really long post, man!

I hope 2009 is a better and a brighter year for all of us - a very happy new year guys!