Day I

I look like going on a hottest date of my life till date. Best fit suit . .. crisp n clean white shirt .. polished shoes .. trimmed nails and nicely cropped hair .. feeling as fresh as I can .. ..where am I going..? really on a date..? ..NO.. I am on my way to first interview round of my dream company. Have already checked the bus routes. I am on time. Had a good breakfast. Feeling positive.. confident.. have to change three buses and as per my calculations will be there at the company well within time. BUT a minor hiccup. Due to construction work, route of second bus has been changed for two days .. aahh.. couple of words of appreciation for the guys who manage the website for missing out on updating this little piece of information .. nyways.. I evaluate my options..decide to go via alternate route.. .. after changing couple of more buses n bit of anxiety, reach the place 10 min ahead of the interview. Job well done. Check with receptionist of the firm. I really wonder if she is the receptionist.. she looks much more capable then handling the job of a receptionist;) .. nyways.. I try to recollect my thoughts .. all the hard work I hv done for interview preparation.. to get into this dream company.. stick to the basics.. 5-8 rules to make it past this interview.. recall them n remember them.. alrite.. 2 min before interview.. this is it.. now or never.. Senior consultant appears from a hidden door and greets me with the warmth I never expected. I try to keep upto him with energy and at the same time try to remain calm. But I fail miserably.. We go to a conf. room. 3 min walk ..in those 3 min we had already discussed mine 90 min bus travel, his morning 60 min work and lovely weather..

Enter the room. Have a seat opposite to the Robert, ease a bit . .. try to relax.. (oo.. rule #1 keep smiling).. settle down.. some more chit chat.. about school n firm in general.. some market stuff.. alrite let us start the interview.. he says.. n I wish can we talk in general for a bit more.. nyways I said sure..

he glances over my resume.. lot of stuff professionally and on other fronts .. can I briefly tell him something in general about myself? he asks.. the std Q.. ... well I start off with a nice smile.. n spit out a nicely prepared answer to this one.. but I missed out on couple of things which I should have mentioned to direct the interview in that direction BUT.. anyways.. keep going.. 90 sec.. thts it try to finish it off.. 105 sec.. I have given him every relevant detail of my 27 years..wow.. talk about elevator pitch.. Ok.. thts good .. nothing impresses him in that... bad signal..

Robert says he will now ask me one market sizing Q.. aaahh the dreaded one.. I hate these Qs.. n I say sure.. Give me a rough estimate of number of flower buds being sold/purchased in Vancouver in a year..? Wht.. My mind went blank for a sec. Cmon man.. its ur time.. I try to recover from the shock.. I ask him politely if I can take couple of moments to think about the problem. How will I do it.. think think.. fast.. 5 sec.. 10 sec alrite.. now start.. I start to explain ur methodology.. ask couple of Qs.. I move further.. n there I am.. in the end I have one number which looked pretty big but.. .. I recheck my calculations.. n logic.. ny outlier.. nopes.. I give my figure.. he asks couple of Qs related to that..I explain him the rationale of my assumptions etc... over.. ok move on move on..

Next he asks me a business case.. how will I help his client from shipping industry to improve the profitability ? .. went on for 20-25 min .. alrite its almost been 50 min since I entered into that room.. Robert finally says if I have some Qs for him.. I ask him couple of Qs... which I always wanted to ask guys working in the firm.. and the interview was over.. we walk out of the interview.. n thats it... I thank him for taking his time .. n before I leave the office I make it a point to thank the smart n good looking (thts n understatement) receptionist ..BUT surprise surprise.. there is somebody else sitting at the front desk.. equally smart n vibrant n good looking .. wow.. I want to work in this firm.. another incentive (I wish I could add tht to dozen of factors I have listed for my interview..)..

I take the longest route back to my home.. since I dont have to change the bus in this case.. n the moment I was boarding the bus.. beep beep.. beep beep.. its getting louder.. beeep beeeeeep.. more louder.. beeeeeeeeeeeppppppppppp wht is this.. I realize I am in my bed.. n wht happened was yet another dream.. I double check.. yes.. it is 8.10 am in the morning and I am again going to be late for my morning lecture.. ...Run run.. no suits.. no crisp shirts.. no nicely cropped hair.. u grab a quick bite.. freshen up.. n rush to make it in time ( within 10 min of the official time)..

Time does not wait for us ...
Its better for us to keep us pace with time..

Why ...

In Vancouver it rains for almost the entire year (I was told it rains just for 9 months but I guess facts say something else)... In some other region on the same earth, mother nature keeps it dry and hot for most of the year. Rain is a luxury in some part and it is in excess in some other places. WHY ?

Isn't that same with our lives. Some guys have excess of one thing which others lack. But at the same time the same 'excess guys' lack something which the other guys have plenty off. Why don't they trade things to have a nice balance? Simple !!! For we need things which we do not have but at the same time most of the times we are not ready to part away with things which we have. We value things differently

when we have it VS
when somebody else has it VS
when no body has it...

classic example(s)..
Marriage.. consider relationship between two people when they start dating .. just before marriage .. post marriage.. long after marriage ..
[ in general.. but there are exceptions as well ] OR

when one starts losing hair, one starts taking more more care .. why not earlier..
[I have realized that now..:-) ]

Why.. same thing but different scenarios causes different opinions. Strange !!!
Of course it is understood when it is a competition or a game !!! A home run is good for a winning team but not good for losing team. But what about things which can be shared say learning, knowledge, happiness etc.

... A poem by PravsJ (inspirational note from pravsworld.com)

You are rich or poor in life by
Smiles around you
Friends you make
People you are with
Ideas you have
Dreams you chase
Love you spread

How rich are you ?

While I was sleeping

Rather I should say while I was worrying about things in my life, three weeks went by pretty quickly. Finished off my exams and started my internship. Even results are out for the exams and I managed to sail through without a scar. TTG !!! Looking forward to summer but it is still raining and pretty cold in Vancouver. Does it ever stop raining in Vancouver? I doubt !!. It never stops.

Life is moving on at a scorching pace. It is always a mix of good news bad news.. but if you are awake it teaches you lot of things to improve on in life. I was reading some other blogs and there are so many things to ponder upon. :)).

Let me go a bit more philosophical this time. Probably time to delve into those depths where everyone is afraid of going... I will try to provide an objective view.. suggestions/comments are welcome..

A person's character is defined by his reactions in tough conditions or situations. Everybody is happy and doing great in good times. How does one react when an interview goes bad or a bad exam or lost game or fight with BF/GF .. These are really petty things in the large canvas of life but unfortunately most of us are occupied in these things and forget about the bigger and more meaningful things in life such as your family, friends, pets etc. It can be your first sketch or first home or first trophy or first job. Trying to recall the emotions when you did not have that 'first' how valuable that was ? But what happened now. Why is that no more as valuable as it was then ? Any thoughts.. It is strange that perspectives change so often about the same things. I am afraid with changed perspectives people also change. Some call it maturity but I think it is immaturity. Think about it !!! These changes are influenced by peers, colleagues, family members and even the persons who are not linked to you even remotely. Yes we get influenced by even those guys. You dont believe me!! Ok Try this..

When was the last time you saw an 'ABC' person riding a Mercedes and forced you to wish you had one.. OR
When was the last time you were influenced by somebody else's clothes OR
You wanted to be like somebody who is not even from your own country or society..

I can bet that was not long ago.. Strange !!! Isn't it. Some say it is natural and good to strive for good things in life. BUT is having a Mercedes or wearing good clothes or be somebody else is good..?

I am still searching for answers .. If you have one do let me know !!!

Lass dich nicht unterkriegen !!!

Do not wait for somebody else to come and help you.. If you need it and want it..go and earn it... !!!!