Saturday, February 17, 2007

Happy Birthday DAD!

(18-02-1941 to 31-10-2006)

A year back we really did not think about this,
That a year from then you would give us all a miss.

Missing you in person is something we will all have to live with,
Hence your thoughts are something we always look up to indeed.

You lived a life that was really so simple in every sense,
And thinking about it gives a pleasure which is really immense.

The pain which you had to endure in your final days was not what you deserved,
However the resolve which you displayed even then was something unheard.

Returning to your house was something you desired for long,
However seeing you very tired GOD decided to call you along.

Wishing you in person now, is something that has ended,
Hence by celebrating your life, we will have to be contented.

Happy Birthday DAD!

Sunday, February 11, 2007

Jealous Guy


She came into my life unknowingly,
Played a role in my decisions unintentionally,
By being part of my life she changed my mentality,
Hence i am really sorry for the times i hurt her personally,
Not having her as a Valentine, is something i will have to live without,
But losing her as a friend, is something which i really do not want.

The lyrics below are of one of my favorite track: Jealous Guy by Roxy Music. I always try to relate with this song.

I was dreaming of the past,
And my heart was beating fast,
I began to lose control,
I began to lose control,
I didn´t mean to hurt you,
I´m sorry that I made you cry,
I didn´t mean to hurt you,
I´m just a jealous guy.

I was feeling insecure,
You might not love me anymore,
I was shivering inside,
I was shivering inside,
I didn´t mean to hurt you,
I´m sorry that I made you cry,
I didn´t want to hurt you,
I´m just a jealous guy.

I was trying to catch your eye,
Thought that you were trying to hide,
I was swallowing my pain,
I was swallowing my pain,
I didn´t mean to hurt you,
I´m sorry that I made you cry,
I didn´t mean to hurt you,
I´m just a jealous guy.

So remember if u want to maintain a relation:
It's really important for the other person in ur life to love u as u love that person.

Friday, February 09, 2007

An interesting reflection


(This is the second article on my blog which i have not written. I liked reading it from a forwarded mail and hence publishing the same.)

Slow Down Culture......Pl find time to read it.....its worth it

It's been 18 years since I joined Volvo, a Swedish company. Working for them has proven to be an interesting experience. Any project here takes 2 years to be finalized, even if the idea is simple and brilliant. It's a rule.

Globalize processes have caused in us (all over the world) a general sense of searching for immediate results. Therefore, we have come to posses a need to see immediate results. This contrasts greatly with the slow movements of the Swedish. They, on the other hand, debate, debate, debate, hold x quantity of meetings and work with a slowdown scheme. At the end, this always yields better results.

Said in another words:
1. Sweden is about the size of San Pablo, a state in Brazil.
2. Sweden has 2 million inhabitants.
3. Stockholm, has 500,000 people.
4. Volvo, Escania, Ericsson, Electrolux, Nokia are some of its renowned companies. Volvo supplies the NASA.

The first time I was in Sweden, one of my colleagues picked me up at the hotel every morning. It was September, bit cold and snowy. We would arrive early at the company and he would park far away from the entrance (2000 employees drive their car to work). The first day, I didn't say anything, either the second or third. One morning I asked, "Do you have a fixed parking space? I've noticed we park far from the entrance even when there are no other cars in the lot." To which he replied, "Since we're here early we'll have time to walk, and whoever gets in late will be late and need a place closer to the door. Don't you think? Imagine my face.

Nowadays, there's a movement in Europe name Slow Food. This movement establishes that people should eat and drink slowly, with enough time to taste their food, spend time with the family, friends, without rushing. Slow Food is against its counterpart: the spirit of Fast Food and what it stands for as a lifestyle. Slow Food is the basis for a bigger movement called Slow Europe, as mentioned by Business Week.

Basically, the movement questions the sense of "hurry" and "craziness" generated by globalization, fueled by the desire of "having in quantity" (life status) versus "having with quality", "life quality" or the "quality of being". French people, even though they work 35 hours per week, are more productive than Americans or British. Germans have established 28.8 hour workweeks and have seen their productivity been driven up by 20%. This slow attitude has brought forth the US's attention, pupils of the fast and the "do it now!".

This no-rush attitude doesn't represent doing less or having a lower productivity. It means working and doing things with greater quality, productivity, perfection, with attention to detail and less stress. It means reestablishing family values, friends, free and leisure time. Taking the "now", present and concrete, versus the "global", undefined and anonymous. It means taking humans' essential values, the simplicity of living.

It stands for a less coercive work environment, more happy, lighter and more productive where humans enjoy doing what they know best how to do. It's time to stop and think on how companies need to develop serious quality with no-rush that will increase productivity and the quality of products and services, without losing the essence of spirit.

In the movie, Scent of a Woman, there's a scene where Al Pacino asks a girl to dance and she replies, "I can't, my boyfriend will be here any minute now". To which Al responds, "A life is lived in an instant". Then they dance to a tango.

Many of us live our lives running behind time, but we only reach it when we die of a heart attack or in a car accident rushing to be on time. Others are so anxious of living the future that they forget to live the present, which is the only time that truly exists. We all have equal time throughout the world. No one has more or less. The difference lies in how each one of us does with our time. We need to live each moment. As John Lennon said, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans".

Congratulations for reading till the end of this message. There are many who will have stopped in the middle so as not to waste time in this globalized world.

So how slow are you living?