Stranger Friend!!

Have you ever had a 'stranger friend'? May be someone who travels in the same bus with you or eats at the same place as you do.. Someone who you have never talked to, don't even know name, might have smiled once in a while? Its strange how such a 'stranger friend' gives a sense of assurance to our minds..

Recently, while studying for my exams in the library for the past 2-3 days, I have made such a 'stranger friend' too.. She sits next to me everyday - we both sit at the the exact same place each day, smiles at me every morning at 9 am when I reach the library, and smiles again when I leave the library around 8:30 pm.. Thats all the regular interaction we have had, aside from the occasional whining about the noisy Exchange Students.. We also have some unspoken agreements - we look over each other's laptops and other belongings when one has to leave the room; if one of ours place has been taken by someone else we make room for the other one and general respect for each other..

Actually, I didn't realize her importance until she left the room this afternoon taking away all her belongings.. This was the first time she did that!! It was a moment of inexplicable relief when she came back.. And I did something which I had never done before - I talked to her, asked her how her exam was, which faculty, which department.. Its kind of interesting that sometimes we get so engrossed in our own worries, work and "issues" that we make them bigger than the people around us.. I usually avoid doing that with people I know, but today I pushed the limit to people I don't know as well.. In the world where virtual communication is taking over face-to-face communication so fast, smiles are just not good enough.. We need to create more "Human Moments" for keeping the sanity of our kinds intact..

Leia Mais…

Dimaag ka dahi!!

'Dimaag ka dahi' literally means brain becoming yogurt..
I always found this expression very funny until today when I used it for the first time in my life!

In the past 30 hrs, I have watched 12 hrs+ (stopped in the 13th hr) of webcast, prepared for the entire 2nd part of a module, prepared for a presentation and then delivered it, got my internship offer letter with some admin problems which were later settled, sat in a 3 hr long sectional teaching class, slept for only 5+ hrs, had only 2 meals (still so full), given a mid term. When I came out of the test venue I knew the precise meaning of information overload..

While walking towards the mid term venue I used the phrase dimaag ka dahi.. and a ganda followed : If more information is overloaded, the dahi will become Chhaach (The yogurt will become butter milk :P) due to the churning of the brain.

Now.. Its solace.. Awesome weather, feeling of accomplishment and SLEEP.. Need some rest! :)

Leia Mais…

Too many countdowns to track!!

I have too many countdowns to keep track! Just hope that everything comes out good in the end:

15 days to first exam
25 days to last project submission
26 days to last exam
32 days to NLDS pre meeting
35 days to NLDS
40 days to home
61 days to my internship :)

I am living the countdown every moment!! Really looking forward to the break after the most stressful semester of my NUS life so far!!

Leia Mais…

Why I love International Congress!

I just love AIESEC International Congress! There are several reasons for that of which I want to highlight the key ones:

1. I get to be with over 700 people from 106 countries and all these people are passionate about things which usually people our age find fluffy - changing the world, fighting HIV/AIDS in Africa, creating more awareness, being culturally sensitive and leaving this place better than we found it.
2. I am motivated to work even harder to achieve my AIESEC as well as personal goals.
3. I get trained by the top management people of top brands about management and leadership.
4. I get to dance all the AIESEC roll calls and learn some more.
5. I get inspired to continue my AIESEC XP and to complete it by participating in every stage.
6. I find value in my life and get the confidence back which kind of seeps away during the course of the year.
7. I become closer to whichever team I am part of.
8. I get to talk to people from such countries which no one can imagine and change my perception about those countries - this year, the country about which I learnt the most is Afghanistan
9. I get to make friends who will last the lifetime
10. I understand the importance of my friends back in Singapore and most importantly my family.
11. I get to thank God! for whatever vegetarian food variety I get to eat.
12. I get inspired to travel round the world.
13. I get to see the cultures of different countries and specially of the hosting country.
    
14. I find the value in the phrase - "I am an AIESECer"

Isn't is amazing to do all this at the age of '20' and be willing to give back to the world?

Leia Mais…

Passion and The Future!

Today, I realized the power of my life and the difference I can make to the world, to the future. Being present in the plenary of International Congress means that I have the brains, the talent, the skills, the passion to make a positive impact in society and make up the top 2% of the 32,000 members present in the AIESEC network. This gives me immense influence, even beyond my realization, but only for one year. I have 2 options now. To have a good impact in this 1 year or to have an unbelievable impact on the future? I can celebrate the 60 years of AIESEC’s history or work hard to make history which impacts the next 60 years of AIESEC and the world in general. If I believe in anything, I need to be BOLD. If I don’t know what I can do to change the world, I still should be BOLD anyways.

If I am lucky enough, I have 60 more years to live. Do I have a dream to change the world? What am I doing this year to achieve my dream? And now I ask you, do you have a dream to change the world, to make a difference? What are you doing to achieve it?

“If your dreams are not scary,
they are not big enough”

The very reason that I am sitting in International Congress is because I am afflicted by the passion which runs through the entire organization. But is this passion becoming my comfort zone?

“Passion is scary only when its right”

To experience that observe a person who is head over heels with love, the passion is terrifying, but its right coz Love is always right. Is my passion of creating a positive impact in society scary?

What difference will I make when its time for me to move on in AIESEC?
What difference will I make in the world when I am done with life.

Life is a gamble.
In the end, death always wins.
But what are you doing in the present to impact the future?
Living in fear always or being BOLD and creating the impact?

Its not about creating Your Future, but its about creating THE FUTURE!

Leia Mais…

Life and How to Survive it!

I was just reading Sharon's blog and found this amazing Convocation speech at the NTU Convocation 2008.

Life and How To Survive It!!

I must say thank you to the faculty and staff of the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information for inviting me to give your convocation address. It’s a wonderful honour and a privilege for me to speak here for ten minutes without fear of contradiction, defamation or retaliation. I say this as a Singaporean and more so as a husband.

My wife is a wonderful person and perfect in every way except one. She is the editor of a magazine. She corrects people for a living. She has honed her expert skills over a quarter of a century, mostly by practising at home during conversations between her and me.

On the other hand, I am a litigator. Essentially, I spend my day telling people how wrong they are. I make my living being disagreeable.

Nevertheless, there is perfect harmony in our matrimonial home. That is because when an editor and a litigator have an argument, the one who triumphs is always the wife.

And so I want to start by giving one piece of advice to the men: when you’ve already won her heart, you don’t need to win every argument.

Marriage is considered one milestone of life. Some of you may already be married. Some of you may never be married. Some of you will be married. Some of you will enjoy the experience so much, you will be married many, many times. Good for you.

The next big milestone in your life is today: your graduation. The end of education. You’re done learning.

You’ve probably been told the big lie that “Learning is a lifelong process” and that therefore you will continue studying and taking masters’ degrees and doctorates and professorships and so on. You know the sort of people who tell you that? Teachers. Don’t you think there is some measure of conflict of interest? They are in the business of learning, after all. Where would they be without you? They need you to be repeat customers.

The good news is that they’re wrong.

The bad news is that you don’t need further education because your entire life is over. It is gone. That may come as a shock to some of you. You’re in your teens or early twenties. People may tell you that you will live to be 70, 80, 90 years old. That is your life expectancy.

I love that term: life expectancy. We all understand the term to mean the average life span of a group of people. But I’m here to talk about a bigger idea, which is what you expect from your life.

You may be very happy to know that Singapore is currently ranked as the country with the third highest life expectancy. We are behind Andorra and Japan, and tied with San Marino. It seems quite clear why people in those countries, and ours, live so long. We share one thing in common: our football teams are all hopeless. There’s very little danger of any of our citizens having their pulses raised by watching us play in the World Cup. Spectators are more likely to be lulled into a gentle and restful nap.

Singaporeans have a life expectancy of 81.8 years. Singapore men live to an average of 79.21 years, while Singapore women live more than five years longer, probably to take into account the additional time they need to spend in the bathroom.

So here you are, in your twenties, thinking that you’ll have another 40 years to go. Four decades in which to live long and prosper.

Bad news. Read the papers. There are people dropping dead when they’re 50, 40, 30 years old. Or quite possibly just after finishing their convocation. They would be very disappointed that they didn’t meet their life expectancy.

I’m here to tell you this. Forget about your life expectancy.

After all, it’s calculated based on an average. And you never, ever want to expect being average.

Revisit those expectations. You might be looking forward to working, falling in love, marrying, raising a family. You are told that, as graduates, you should expect to find a job paying so much, where your hours are so much, where your responsibilities are so much.

That is what is expected of you. And if you live up to it, it will be an awful waste.

If you expect that, you will be limiting yourself. You will be living your life according to boundaries set by average people. I have nothing against average people. But no one should aspire to be them. And you don’t need years of education by the best minds in Singapore to prepare you to be average.

What you should prepare for is mess. Life’s a mess. You are not entitled to expect anything from it. Life is not fair. Everything does not balance out in the end. Life happens, and you have no control over it. Good and bad things happen to you day by day, hour by hour, moment by moment. Your degree is a poor armour against fate.

Don’t expect anything. Erase all life expectancies. Just live. Your life is over as of today. At this point in time, you have grown as tall as you will ever be, you are physically the fittest you will ever be in your entire life and you are probably looking the best that you will ever look. This is as good as it gets. It is all downhill from here. Or up. No one knows.

What does this mean for you? It is good that your life is over.

Since your life is over, you are free. Let me tell you the many wonderful things that you can do when you are free.

The most important is this: do not work.

Work is anything that you are compelled to do. By its very nature, it is undesirable.

Work kills. The Japanese have a term “Karoshi”, which means death from overwork. That’s the most dramatic form of how work can kill. But it can also kill you in more subtle ways. If you work, then day by day, bit by bit, your soul is chipped away, disintegrating until there’s nothing left. A rock has been ground into sand and dust.

There’s a common misconception that work is necessary. You will meet people working at miserable jobs. They tell you they are “making a living”. No, they’re not. They’re dying, frittering away their fast-extinguishing lives doing things which are, at best, meaningless and, at worst, harmful.

People will tell you that work ennobles you, that work lends you a certain dignity. Work makes you free. The slogan "Arbeit macht frei" was placed at the entrances to a number of Nazi concentration camps. Utter nonsense.

Do not waste the vast majority of your life doing something you hate so that you can spend the small remainder sliver of your life in modest comfort. You may never reach that end anyway.

Resist the temptation to get a job. Instead, play. Find something you enjoy doing. Do it. Over and over again. You will become good at it for two reasons: you like it, and you do it often. Soon, that will have value in itself.

I like arguing, and I love language. So, I became a litigator. I enjoy it and I would do it for free. If I didn’t do that, I would’ve been in some other type of work that still involved writing fiction – probably a sports journalist.

So what should you do? You will find your own niche. I don’t imagine you will need to look very hard. By this time in your life, you will have a very good idea of what you will want to do. In fact, I’ll go further and say the ideal situation would be that you will not be able to stop yourself pursuing your passions. By this time you should know what your obsessions are. If you enjoy showing off your knowledge and feeling superior, you might become a teacher.

Find that pursuit that will energise you, consume you, become an obsession. Each day, you must rise with a restless enthusiasm. If you don’t, you are working.

Most of you will end up in activities which involve communication. To those of you I have a second message: be wary of the truth. I’m not asking you to speak it, or write it, for there are times when it is dangerous or impossible to do those things. The truth has a great capacity to offend and injure, and you will find that the closer you are to someone, the more care you must take to disguise or even conceal the truth. Often, there is great virtue in being evasive, or equivocating. There is also great skill. Any child can blurt out the truth, without thought to the consequences. It takes great maturity to appreciate the value of silence.

In order to be wary of the truth, you must first know it. That requires great frankness to yourself. Never fool the person in the mirror.

I have told you that your life is over, that you should not work, and that you should avoid telling the truth. I now say this to you: be hated.

It’s not as easy as it sounds. Do you know anyone who hates you? Yet every great figure who has contributed to the human race has been hated, not just by one person, but often by a great many. That hatred is so strong it has caused those great figures to be shunned, abused, murdered and in one famous instance, nailed to a cross.

One does not have to be evil to be hated. In fact, it’s often the case that one is hated precisely because one is trying to do right by one’s own convictions. It is far too easy to be liked, one merely has to be accommodating and hold no strong convictions. Then one will gravitate towards the centre and settle into the average. That cannot be your role. There are a great many bad people in the world, and if you are not offending them, you must be bad yourself. Popularity is a sure sign that you are doing something wrong.

The other side of the coin is this: fall in love.

I didn’t say “be loved”. That requires too much compromise. If one changes one’s looks, personality and values, one can be loved by anyone.

Rather, I exhort you to love another human being. It may seem odd for me to tell you this. You may expect it to happen naturally, without deliberation. That is false. Modern society is anti-love. We’ve taken a microscope to everyone to bring out their flaws and shortcomings. It far easier to find a reason not to love someone, than otherwise. Rejection requires only one reason. Love requires complete acceptance. It is hard work – the only kind of work that I find palatable.

Loving someone has great benefits. There is admiration, learning, attraction and something which, for the want of a better word, we call happiness. In loving someone, we become inspired to better ourselves in every way. We learn the truth worthlessness of material things. We celebrate being human. Loving is good for the soul.

Loving someone is therefore very important, and it is also important to choose the right person. Despite popular culture, love doesn’t happen by chance, at first sight, across a crowded dance floor. It grows slowly, sinking roots first before branching and blossoming. It is not a silly weed, but a mighty tree that weathers every storm.

You will find, that when you have someone to love, that the face is less important than the brain, and the body is less important than the heart.

You will also find that it is no great tragedy if your love is not reciprocated. You are not doing it to be loved back. Its value is to inspire you.

Finally, you will find that there is no half-measure when it comes to loving someone. You either don’t, or you do with every cell in your body, completely and utterly, without reservation or apology. It consumes you, and you are reborn, all the better for it.

Don’t work. Avoid telling the truth. Be hated. Love someone.

You’re going to have a busy life. Thank goodness there’s no life expectancy.

Leia Mais…

Loose Strings!!

My life consists of so many loose strings at this moment and I am unable to tie them together.... No lah, not being emotional! I am talking about work.... I have been busy busy busy..with neither the weekdays (including nights) nor the weekends at my disposal... Phew!! But as always I will say, I Love Life this way!!

Lets get a sneak peak into my to-do list!! (Note: The items here are in the URGENT list.... If I write my to do list then it will be endless)

Internship:

1. Get the CSR Manual ready by 29th May
2. Write a booklet for the UN Singapore Compact Summit in Geneva
3. Preparation for the World Environment Day event
4. Preparation for Change Makers
5. Usual Daily Work


AIESEC:

1. AP MC Transition at Penang (Malaysia) from tomorrow
2. Consolidate the LC planning
3. Prepare for MC planning
4. National planning
5. Revamp the AIESEC in NUS Blog (http://aiesecnus.nomadlife.org/)
6. Revamp the LC NUS community in aiesec.net
7. Get the sponsorship for the recruitment
8. Preparation for Matric Fair, Welcome Tea, Selection, Induction (posters, banners, flyers, getting speakers, speaking, selecting the right talent)
9. LC T-shirt Design to be finalized and T-shirts to be printed (looking for a sponsor)
10. Preparation for the Global Village (A new concept, needs a lot of attention and time)
11. Finalize the NUS-KU study tour organized by AIESEC (Looking for a sponsor)
12. Prepare the Job Description for the new members
13. Prepare the Job Description for the Senior members
14. Apply for grants for the International Congress to be held in Turkey
15. Fill the APX Conference report to claim my New Member Excellence Award
16. Prepare for International Congress
17. Database of each department and the LC as a whole
18. Database of our partners (Exchange partners or Sponsors)
19. Preparation for Jump Start (as a faci I hope)
20. Taking care that the Vikings meet up their targets
21. AIESEC in Singapore AGM
22. Meeting the BOAs
23. Other things which will crop up while doing these..

Personal:

1. Getting hold of myself (Doing all this will definitely drive me crazy....bah)
2. Making back up CDs forall the important info in my laptop
3. Reformatting the laptop
4. Going back to India (Haven't booked my tickets still :( )
5. Devoting a lot more time to God (I devote time still but it seems too less)
6. Buying a Sony Cyber Shot T20 (I love this digital camera but its toooooo Ex.. I think I'll buy in June with my first pay :) )
7. Spending more time with Komal (She is left alone most of the time)
8. Setting my priorities right
9. Learning Mandarin
10. Learning Lindy Hop Dance
11. Getting to know my teams (MC, LC and Work) and build lifetime friendships
12. Getting a life by reading books, watching movies, going out! (Haven't done all these for ages and don't see any prospects of doing so in the near future :( )
13. Celebrate Komal's Birthday (very unlikely, its on the World Environment day) but will do whatever I can!
14. Celebrate my 19th Birthday (Not Possible at all :) and I don't have any hopes.... I don't want to leave the 18 year old brand that I have been attached to.... 18 till I die

I need help from you guys!! Help help help!!

And thanks to those who are already helping (the list long)

Leia Mais…

Crazy Week!!!!!

I never anticipated that a week (6th May - 13th May) that will start by visiting the temple would be so crazy (No connection but still some connection)... Going to the temple gives me the power and energy to face all the challenges (And someone said to me : it seems that all the challenges somehow can easily find your address)... This Year is not-so-good for me but it surely is laying the foundation for the coming years which will be mine!! :D

Anyways, sorry for the distraction... But seriously, this week had been one of the craziest and busiest week!!

Why busy???? Lets have a look at my schedule on each day:

Sunday : Going to the Temple at 7:30 am and reaching the LC transition Venue straight after that.... Then conducting the sessions for LC transition till 8 pm and going for dinner with some of the Vikings and Sharon... Dinner and then feedback from BOSS..... I love Vikings...they make me so proud :D Return back at 10 pm and help Komal shift till 00:00 hrs!!

Monday : 6 am - wake up and start getting ready!!
9 am - Reach office and stay till 6pm (Lunch break devoted to getting to know the place).
6 pm - Leave for Mustafa for some shopping :)
10 pm - Return and clean the room...

Tuesday : 6 am - Wake up
9 am - Reach office and work till 7 pm
7:30 pm - Start my Mandarin Class
10 pm - Return home and prepare for LC planning

Wednesday : 6 am - Wake up
9 am - Reach Office and work till 6 pm (Lunch Break used up for LC planning preparation)
7:45 pm- Reach the LC planning Venue and conduct the Planning till 11 pm. And then do the office work..

Thursday : 6 am - Wake up
9 am - Reach Office work till 6pm (Lunch Break used up for LC planning preparation)
7:45 pm- Reach the LC planning Venue and conduct the Planning till 11 pm. And then do the office work..

Friday : 6 am - Wake up
9 am - Reach Office work till 6pm (Lunch Break used up for LC planning preparation)
7:45 pm- Reach the LC planning Venue and conduct the Planning till 11 pm. And then prepare for MC transition

Saturday : 8 am - Wake up and MC transition till 8:30 pm. And then roam the city area with Komal till midnight....

So, isn't it busy????

Now I didn't say that it is crazy just because it was so full.... Here are a few reasons:

1. The Deo bottle blast at Mustafa
2. Komal's clumsiness everyday
3. The Lau Pa Sat conversation where Komal claims that even though we are sleeping on the same bed, we aren't doing anything and then everybody staring at us.
4. Making Komal Jay Walk at Robinson Road (which is very busy). Even when we are crossing an empty road, she holds my hand...So you can imagine what she went thru during this. She was totally unaware that I would pull her while jay walking and then she was howling in the middle of the Road
5. Stupid, weird and hurting predictions from someone from whom I expected Belgian Chocolates
6. Attending the HR Summit for free
7. Learning Mandarin
8. Stupid conversations with Komal
9. Crying on a call with Sharon
10. Sleeping very less
11. Trying new cuisines every now and then
12. Falling in LOVE with myself after a long long time :) (I mean 2 weeks)
13. Scaring everyone around us on a bus
14. Warning every couple at esplanade that the guy will ditch the girl soon (In Hindi of course)
15. Seeing Prof A.J. Berrick at Esplanade

And the best one:

There was a very classy restaurant with candle lights... Suddenly I felt the urge of Blowing off the candles... "Komal, are you wearing heels?" "No, why?" "Coz I am thinking of blowing off the candle there and the Guard is roaming around so, we may need to run" "But Shubhangi, your bag is very heavy....will you be able to run?" "Don't worry, I'll manage..... Dare me, quick!" "Dared Shub... all the best!"

And then I go to the table with utmost elegance.... pretend that I lurve the candle and bend down.. Suddenly, whoosh and I run away taking Komal with me.... Finally got lost in the crowd!! hehe...

Leia Mais…