Comedy Store Anyone...

Well this post has been in the making for a long time now...At least in my head...

Every time I sit down thinking I'll recollect and note down my experience about "The Comedy Store" in Phoenix Mills, Mumbai, I am hit by a brain freeze and then conveniently procrastinate the blog for another sitting...:)

Well my first experience of this very successful franchise has left me wanting for more...Right from the ticket counter to the bouncers at the entrance to the bar attendant, and the usher who saw us to our seats, the experience was wonderful, since the franchise made it a point to treat every patron with the same respect and care...Well good to see that at least some businesses in India is taking care to engage with the customer and trying to provide the best of service, and not solely focussed on improving their bottom lines and sales...

Getting back to the main highlight of the evening, the show itself was wonderful...The entertainers for the night were all from the country of the Queen, England and there was enough of English humor to keep the laughing exercise going for the entire evening...

The performers were hilarious and really quick witted (well I presume that's why they are in the business in the first place)...Prior to the show, me n my friends were skeptical to sit in the front rows, cause we had heard that the comedian really take the case of the guys sitting up front.

I was all ready to get a hammering of my life and be the butt of all jokes for the evening for wearing yellow colored shoes to the show that day, but lucky we were seated at the back and safe from the vision of the performers (at least my bright colored shoes weren't visible)...

Well coming back to the performance, they did a great job in keeping the crowd engaged for the complete duration of 2 hrs of the show which also include a break of 10-15 minutes...Good idea to force a break for the patrons to go and spurge some more dough on the expensive food dished out by the in house restaurant/eating joint...

The theme of the jokes, though left me a bit disappointed...Most of the jokes had sexual overtures, which will have anyone in splits but the over bearing use of the same kind of content got too boring for me after a while.Though I couldn't stop laughing for a second till the show ended, I was bored with the same topic of India's crowded roads, population and sex which was repeated in-numerous times the entire evening...

Having paid a premium for the show, I was left a bit disappointed with the lack of variety and topics which could have been brought forward by the performers...

Never the less, at the end of the day, I would recommend the show to any and everyone over the age of 18 & who has an open mind and the innate quality to be able to laugh at yourself what ever the situation, because you never know when you could be the next target of the performers...

I would love to get into a verbal duel with one these guys the next time I go to the Store which I most definitely will, just to test my mettle against these seasoned campaigners and see how badly I get butchered in the battle of words and wits...

Well there is always a first time...Right...

Life in the Big Apple

New York...Its considered the epicenter of the world...A place where no one stops to think; everybody is in pursuit of something/someone...

Its been close to 2.5 months since I shifted to New York to start a new life... Its been a completely new and brilliant experience. After a long time, although I feel completely out of my comfort zone, but at the same time so in touch with my feelings.

Well for starters, the day I landed in New York it was super cold and the next day was suppose to be the coldest day of the winter. Luckily my friend Arpit took good care of me and got me settled in the first few weeks to face the brutal NY winter.

The first time I saw snow, it was as if I had completed a life long wish which had lasted close to 25 years. My experience of first snowfall came the very next day after I landed and I must say I loved every bit of it; for the first 30 mins. After that the day was so gloomy and cold that I just couldn't stand it...Talk about major disappointment. 

One of the best things I have enjoyed till date in NY, is the long walk across Manhattan or Central Park. And since getting my new "Fit-bit", I am just excited in getting miles after miles clocked everyday. So at every given opportunity I make it a point to walk, instead of taking the much renowned and efficient NY public transport. And I have loved every minute of it so far. With the onset of spring, there are more people on the street, more vibrant colors around and a picture perfect weather on most days to discover the city on foot.

One thing which really astonishes me about NY are its people. Everybody in Manhattan seems to have a race against time. Everyone is in a hurry to reach somewhere and that too quickly. During my first few walks around the city, I realized soon enough, that leisurely walking is a big no-no in NY streets. The first few days I was constantly booted off the pathway by people who used to bulldoze around me and through me in their race against time...Plus you have those annoying tourists, who stand in the middle of the road taking selfies from different angles while office goers navigate around them.

All in all, NY is a beautiful city and there is nothing more beautiful that its people as well. For all their arrogance and lack of empathy on the streets for fellow travelers, people in New York, do know how to dress you for work and other wise. And then definitely know how to unwind and party... No doubt about that...So many gorgeous looking women and smartly dressed men around that sometimes I feel completely out of place. 

Well all in all, it has been a pleasant first experience of the city which indeed never sleeps- NY. One thing is for certain...

Back to blogging...Again!!

It's been 2.5 years since my last blog post and lots has changed since then. I spend a good part of 2 hrs yesterday, going through my blogpost from the last so many years and I couldn't believe how happy it made me to read through some of the posts.

During my MBA, I used to diligently post a blog every 10 to 15 days and now when I read them, I remember how much I enjoyed writing them in the first place. It was a kind of high for me to document what was happening in my life then. Sadly in the past few years I have become older and lazier and stopped blogging completely.

Its cyclic for me, I guess. The last time I came back from a break, back to blogging was in 2007 if I remember correctly. Then I took a break in 2008 and got back to blogging in 2009 during my B school days. And now here I am again after a hiatus of 2.5 years. Back to the drawing board once again.

And once again, I will make the same promise to self...

• I will be sincere in my effort to update my blog going forth
• I will try and make an entry atleast once every forthnight
• I blog because it makes me happy and not to showcase to the world what's happening in my life. I take pleasure if someone is amused with the random rambling in my life...:)
• Lastly, I hope to include lot of pictures in my future blogs (Fingers crossed). I have always thought of adding pictures to my blog entries to give a visual feel of the events which I refer to in few of my blogs. Hopefully this time around I will actually do something constructive around this. 

Greatest Spectacle on Earth...WC-2010

South Africa-2010 was the greatest spectacle on Earth till date. Agreed the quality of football on display as well as the drama quotient was at a level lower than what we experience in Germany-2006; however South Africa as a host nation;TAKE A BOW...

The FIFA World Cup is the pinnacle of international football and as such the tournament offers fans the unique experience of seeing so many stars performing at the highest level.

What an extravaganza!!! Everything about the tournament was perfect, right from the stadiums, to the organizers, to the crowd. The action on the pitch could have been better but still the tournament saw it's glimpses of extraordinary skill and supernatural performers with the likes of Diego Forlan, Wesley Sneider, David Villa, Meuller, Messi lighting up the stage at every given opportunity.

The stadiums for the tournament were indeed a piece of art as far as infrastructure is concerned. Not only were they state of art but the buzz around each stadium was an experience to cherish. South Africa came alive in all its colour and splendor; especially because of its people who were instrumental in making the tourney a huge success...

The Soccer World Cup provided South Africa the opportunity to show case to the world that they are no longer a third world country and are more than ready to step into the limelight.

The World Cup in itself was a wonderful sporting spectacle capturing audiences world wide. The action on the pitch was wavering in terms of quality and drama. However the strong showing of countries like Ghana, Paraguay and Uruguay brought the element of uncertainty to the fore.

However countries like England, Brazil, Argentina,France & Italy failed to live up to the pre-tournament hype.

The World Cup however did throw up some new soccer powerhouses who were traditionally known to be big tournament chokers. Spain and Netherlands did their reputation no harm and showcased their pedigree all through the duration of the tournament, establishing themselves as best 2 teams in the tournament.

In it's 80th year since the inception of the tournament in 1930; World Cup-2010 bought forth a new holder of the trophy in the form of Spain. Spain became the 8th nation to have won the most prestigious tournament in the world.

To conclude, as I said earlier, world Cup 2010 will be etched in my memory for a long time

Force Visit from the Tooth Fairy

In my 27 years of existence, I had never had a fracture, surgery of any kind or hospitalized for even 10 mins. Touch wood...! So it came as a surprise when I came to know that my first ever surgery of any kind would be to extract a tooth. Now I believe tooth ache is the most unbearable pain which one can endure in his/her lifetime, but I never knew that there was something such as a tooth surgery until my dentist suggested I underwent one at the earliest in order to eradicate the pain and the infection on my last molar in the lower left of my teeth structure. I had heard about root canal procedure, extraction etc , but an actual tooth surgery was unheard off till date.

So I prepared my self for 2 weeks for the D-Day which was on 3rd Nov'11. The doctor saw my discomfort and apprehension and bought me to ease straight away saying that the procedure would take only 45 to 50 mins and the entire procedure would be painless.

So we get to work. I switch on the music on my phone and settle my self in the patient's chair as the Doc and her assistants get ready for work as usual. First up an anaesthesia injection in order to numb up the entire area of the surgery. Then started the ordeal. First up a mini driller to drill a hole through the centre in order to break down the tooth since we need to remove it through its roots. Once the drill started its work, if seemed to me as if an F1 car was zooming across inside my mouth. The sound of the drill was more frightening even though I could feel an pain whatsoever and with Lady Gaga and Black eyes Pea for company I was rather enjoying the music as well as the feeling of the F1 engine inside my mouth.

However after 20 minutes of on-off F1 drilling it was time to pull the teeth out. Now this was petrifying because 2 of the assistants held my head as the doc tried her mighty best to pull of the teeth from its well entreched roots. I could here the cracking of the roots and also the force exerted on it by the doc but it just refused to budge. No this was scary since I could see the amount of strength used by 3 women to get one tooth out of my mouth. With the operation light firmly pointed into my mouth and the faces of three masked women glaring into my mouth I couldn't help but think of the irony of having 3 women focus soley on me even if it was for a mere tooth.

So after an ordeal of 40 mins, the lower tooth was drilled, broken and pulled in installments. In the end the entire tooth was ruptured and extracted out in 11-12 bits and pieces. The cavity and the extent of rotting can be comprehended by just seeing that very little of the white calcium of the teeth was visible.

Now came the googly by the doc. Here I was listening to chamak chalo on my phone, and feeling secured within, thinking that I had passed my first surgery with flying colours. at this precise moment the doc asks one of her assistance to get the needle ready for another go. I was taken aback and completely clueless, until the doc comes up with the gem: - ek par ek free. We need to extract the upper molar too, since there is no supporting teeth for the same and it will create complications in the future. So there I was, sitted on the dentist's chair, as the clock read 11.45 am , readying myself for another nerve racking extraction.

Well the second time round, it was less of F! style drilling and more of plucking. I could hear my tooth crackling and been uprooted from its roots. The sound was very similar to when a tree is uprooted from its root.

Finally with both the teeth uprooted the doc finally starts with the stitches. Now I am completed numb and actually sleepy because of the anasthesia and also the ordeal of the last 1 hour. so my reaction was one of absolute disbelief when the doc started stictching the incisions she had done to get the lower molar uprooted.

It is absolutely bizarre to witness oneself getting stiched in side the mouth and getting to feel the thread and the needle through your gums. I have to give it to these docs. They really have steady hands and also the heart to actually put a needle inside someone's mouth and stich it up.

At the end of the day, after 1 hr and 15 mins, the ordeal was over with 2 of my teeth extracted from my gums and my left cheek looking as if I had just come second best after a round with Manny Pacquio.

Well the entire surgery was an experience to cherish and remember for a lifetime. Lets pray and hope that's the only surgery I ever endure.

Courage...

Right from childhood I have been fed with stories of courage and sacrifice by the great Indian kings of old as well the freedom fighters and people who fought for India's freedom from the British.

Films depicting struggle and extreme adversities which in the end of the day is overcome by true grit and courage of the protangist has always done well at the BO, if provided the correct treatment by its makers.

Even after being exposed to stories of courage through stories, books, t.v, movies etc, I am still in a dillema as to the true meaning of courage.

Do only soldiers show courage in their day to day life? Or do sportsman show courage during a game? Well I am sure they are the most glorified of the lot...Or is courage something which social activists show while going against a corrupt minister or the government.

I believe every individual shows courage in their day to day life. For a kid it takes courage to go learn riding a bike for the first time. It takes courage for a mother to give birth to her children. It takes courage for a bachelor to change his status to married after 25 odd yrs of a carefree life.

In essense what I am saying is courage is needed in anything and everything we do...

Sometimes we need courage to go against the norm. To do what we feel is right. To go against established practises in order to bring a sense of existence in our own lives. So courage can sometime be seen as been prudent... It could be percieved as an act of arrogance by the person who exibits such courage...Or as a act of foolishness by others.

For e.g if you go against your parents, it is percieved as an act of disrespect towards them. Similarly if at work, you go against the set norms, you are considered to be an outcast. I could give numerous examples where an act of courage could be easily mistaken for a more negative adjective.

The biggest pridicament, I face right now is to decide between what I know is right for me and what people closest to me, think is right for me.

In the end I know its my decision, but the no. of people affected by that decision has an overbearing affect on me deciding on my decision. (Confusing isn't it)...

Well as of now I guess the courage lies in enduring the pain and going through the motions for a little while longer. In the end of the day, the tide has to turn sometime or the other.

The smarter thing would to wait for the tide to turn... The foolish and more courageous thing, would be to force the tide to change...

Well knowing myself, and the way things are panning out, it will be much sooner than latter that I decide on acting the fool all over again...

Bored To Death with mundane Existence

Life's back to same old death knell like it was before I went to do my MBA...:(

Working life sucks...N when you are in a job for which you have no inclination or motivation to do well, it sucks even more... There is no doubt about that what so ever.
So what makes me go to the same work place 5 days a week for an average of 12 hrs everyday to bust my ass off. What motivates me to go through this ordeal day in - day out...
Well if I had the answer, I wouldn't have been blogging...right...:)

The 16 months at AIM had filled a sense of optimism in me, that post MBa I would be able to follow my dream and realize it easily. However the situation at ground level is completely different. Getting a job itself is an arduous task now a days, so one can imagine my plight trying to make a foray in to an industry in which I have no experience what so ever, though the determination and passion to do well knows no bound.

After 16 months of (I wouldn't say arduous) learning, strategizing, implementing and understanding different marketing jargons and models, I thought I was ready to jump into the word of marketing, branding and advertising and make a huge difference in the industry.
However, I couldn't have been farther from the truth. Not only getting a foot in a marketing job is difficult at the moment I am finding it difficult to get a toe nail in to this vertical.

I just don't understand these economical forecast made by different banks, publicationsand research companies saying that India is a growing economy and there is no stopping its progress. How can I believe this hog wash when I and my peers are struggling to get a job in an industry we prefer. The only industry willing to hire and is hiring at the moment is the ITELS industry. With most of my MBA-Engineering background batchmates have found themself getting into the same set up in an IT company as a Business Associate or a Project Manager I guess only IT is fuelling India's growth engine at present.

Going back to the question of what motivates to continue with this meaningless existence is the knowledge at the back of my mind that 30th of every month my bank account will be compensated for the frustration of the preceding 30 days with a good salary to boot.
However what's the use of getting money to spend when you don't have the time to spend it. After a 12 hr routine at the work place and an avg of 7 hrs of sleep, and counting around an hr for commuting to the workplace and back, I am left with a paltry 4 hrs.

Well atleast my parents seem to be reaping the benefits of my salary at long last. However the frustration within is quite visible to them too.

So what's the solution.... Pre-MBA I would have answered- Go get an MBA and switch industries.
During MBA - The MBA has taught me so many things and enabled me to look at things differently. I have a flair for marketing; it wouldn't be difficult to land a job of my choice. After all I am empowered to choose what I want to do...lol
Post MBA- Lag gayi re waat, zindagi main...Abhi kudh ka business karneka sochna padega...Afterall I have learnt a lot in the MBA; isn't it...