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Professional Services

2008-01-15T20:01:00.000+08:00

Greetings for a new year!

Wanted to share some thoughts (and invite some as well) on a topic I have long been pondering over. Although being personally involved in a 'professional service' may bias my opinion on the subject, I think explaining the subject from an insider's perspective might lend some insights and credibility into any hypotheses that develop.

As simple as the etymology of the word seems to be, a lookup on the word 'Professional' resulted in the meaning I refer to in this blog - "engaged in one of the learned professions". To keep it simple, let us include medicine, engineering, accounting, law and similar professions requiring some kind of advanced learning - either by study or by vocation.

When i was growing up in India, the clear objective of most children from middle-class families was to be employed as a professional (preferably in a professional services firm). Today, one may add that one of the great Indian dreams is to be an 'IT' professional. However, today - as was the case 5-10 years back - professional services were not a just a good job, they were reputed jobs. To be an auditor, lawyer, consultant etc. with a big multinational gives one access to more respect and admiration from family, peers, friends and acquaintances. This, I deduce, is one part due to the tremendous quality of the select few who succeed against a populous candidate pool and secondly, a result of the value clients give to professional services.

This value for professional services is something I find absent in Singapore. As I mentioned at the start, my opinion may be biased and limited to the perspective of the industry I work within. However, be it audit or consulting, it seems these services are not valuable enough for client organisations. This is reflected in the lower fees that professional service firms can demand from clients in return for meeting not just normal clients needs but tighter deadlines (for audit) and covering larger scope (for consulting) as compared to clients in other countries. I may also find support from professionals in these sectors who have worked in other countries and have worked in Singapore.

On many occasions, I have thought about underlying reasons for this. These include reasons such as the small size of the market, clients being to short-term focused, lack of a truly competitive manpower base and some others which I am either not clear about or I cannot articulate coherently enough. But as I get more entrenched into this business of services, I hope that varied experiences can provide a logical pattern which explains this. And of course, once one can identify that root cause, we can work towards improving the perception of value of professional services.

Will write in more on this as we go along.
Wishing a very Happy Pongal to the Tamil community.

Cheers,
Satish

Living in acronyms

2007-12-31T09:48:00.000+08:00

Hi,

This is something funny I came across recently. Thought might be amusing to most of you, and certainly gives a preview of this acronym-crazy city. Ofcourse, not all of it (infact very little) is an accurate reflection.

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"In Singapore, the majority of us live in Highly Dangerous Buildings (HDB), And most people have already got used to Paying and Paying (PAP). Not only do you have to pay, you Pay Until Bankrupt (PUB). If that's not enough, somebody still Purposely Wants to Dig (PWD) and get more from you. So what more can you do when you are in the Money Only Environment (MOE)? With the current Mad Accounting System (MAS), you are forced to Pay the Sum Ahead (PSA), Which will leave some people Permanently Owing Some Banks (POSB). And forced to live on the Loan Techniques Always (LTA) system.

When you fall sick and happen to be admitted to a Money Operating Hospital (MOH), You might be able to use your Cash Prior to Funeral (CPF) fund. If you are out of luck, you may meet doctors who Never Use Heart (NUH) to treat you, And you will be Sure to Give up Hope (SGH).To help ease the traffic, motorists have to pay Cash On Expressway (COE). If that doesn't help, they can always Eternally Raise Prices (ERP) on the roads.

If you don't own a car, you can always make a Mad Rush to the Train (MRT), OR get squashed in a bus Side By Side (SBS). Lastly, under all these pressures, there are not many places we can relax, not even the good old place we used to go because it has become So Expensive and Nothing To See Actually (SENTOSA)!!!

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Cheers,
Satish

In the pursuit of conviction. .

2007-03-30T15:33:00.000+08:00

Hi,

I am getting consistent with the breaks in my blogging. Almost developing a "competence" in it - a term, some colleagues of mine are very passionate about these days. Their goal is to define boundaries for the terms - skills, competencies, talent, capabilities; in the context of job requirements for employees.

Anyway, retracking back to my own competence of getting consistent with breaks, its one part due to the optimism I have been trying to generate in my mindspace, and another, due to my affinity for being euphemistic (read "satirical"). However, the root cause of getting into these breaks is just lethargy, in a chaste and simple sense. And I believe lethargy has a cyclic dependency on the state of mind (a 'depressing' state of of mind).

Work has been occupying the bulk of my time and mindspace over the last few weeks. And it hasn't been worth diddly to me. Just in terms of learning and living upto to constructive challenges, there has hardly been an opportunity knocking at the window. Quite ironically, the challenge has been to just measure upto expectations (albeit vague expectations) of more experienced individuals. All this has made me look for reasons (and excuses & shortcomings) related to people (and their beliefs), the place and the circumstances - but I have realised the reasons may not be worth nailing down to the detail. Simply because the opportunity cost of such analysis is outweighed by the benefit of finding solutions and making outright changes. The conclusion to me is simply that actions outweigh thoughts.

So the resolution I have made and found to be useful, is rejigging our own effort at the most basic level. I guess thats what many wise persons refer to as going back to the basics. Like in Cricket - when you are out of form, the best way to claw back into form, is to apply yourself and do the basics right - move your feet, watch the ball closely, and play as straight as possible. The analogy for consulting is - ask what is required, agree on deliverables, write down your thoughts, invite feedback, review your output and check if expectations have been met.

I guess the common thread in all comebacks is to generate and exude the mental strength (conviction) that all of us are capable of . It is this pursuit of conviction that probably helps us become better professionals, and in most cases, better individuals. I think reading books or articles from some thoughtful persons (authors, philosophers, leaders) can help this process, as it does for me. The other aspect is to really be able to talk and discuss about your performance (or rather the drop in it) with trusted friends and family. I guess having a confident and trusted partner helps this process a lot - and is also invariably a great opportunity to buttress the bond you already have.

The one benefit of coming out of a trough in the state of mind is that it makes you ready for bigger challenges. You feel more energised to try new things, and to go the extra mile to distinuguish yourself. I guess the redundant question to ask ourselves at such a point, is whether we are capable of achieving any distinction. The goal of doing that is the dignity of our own effort and individualism rather than the achievement it brings. I draw this belif from the grand message from the great "Bhagwad Gita":

"You have a right (and responsibility) to perform your prescribed action,but you are not entitled to the fruits of your action.Never consider yourself the cause of the results your activities,and never be associated to not doing your duty."

Without wanting to preach or sound religious, I just want to highlight that the attitude to our work can be an end in itself, just as the attitude to life can be the base of our aspiratons. So,if you are giving yourself a hard time, thinking hard about hard work, just try going back to the basics. My hypothesis is that it is true in all contexts and situations.

To end - want to share this anonymous quote (limited to my knowledge) that I discovered with my wife today. For everything we desire to do, "the time is now, the place is this".

Cheers,
Satish

Values, career, family and a weekend

2006-12-09T16:49:00.000+08:00

Guten Tag,

I continue my procrastination with blogging, and that certainly needs some serious explaining. However, rather than giving something potentially unwanted - I think more interesting is the life of 27-year olds in 2006 AD.

I wonder what 27-year olds did in 1996, in 1956, in 1906, 1506, 1006 and 6 AD. Not very sure about the other things I mentioned in the title, but I think the weekend was not a concept they looked forward to, like I and many of my other peers do. The weekend, quite simply, has come to be a time to recuperate, feel wonderful about on Fridays and only dream about on Monday mornings, to iron clothes, to have the perception of catching up on reading (what we do is so minimal), and most importantly to spend quality time with family and friends.

Family and friends seem to occupy that cherished spot within our minds, and certainly do give us the moral and logical highground while grumbling about working the hours. However, when we do have the time - we do not realise it. I think this one is really a specific to individuals and their families but atleast for me - the idea of spending quality time is always being able to have a great conversation and have a bit of fun.

Not sure if I want to talk about career and values, though I started writing out this blog thinking about the things that matter in life and thinking about the interconnections they have. I have been thinking quite a bit about work and what its in one's work that one can leave an indelible impression on - and it becomes quite obvious to me that it can only be the attitude. Irrespective of industry, function, talent, qualification, hard work - it is really the attitude that will seperate the achievers from the have-beens. And attitude is something that is challenging to define, keep, change and measure.

Think this is where the interconnection between career and values becomes the strongest. We possibly can enjoy work in a career which allows us to use our intrinsic attitude and values. If our values include being intellectually challenged, our work must be such or the team which we work with must spur us for the same. Simultaneously, we must be able to bring the energy and challenge to the workplace. Thats resonant with the idea of sustainable growth, which requires a symbiotic and mutal relationship between all entities involved.

Hmm.. I wander off yet again into convoluted prose of the language. But it helps me, so I think its alright. And I can only hope that you made some sense of what I managed to write.

I watched the movie 'Happy Feet' yesterday. Its a decent movie - simple and entertaining, but not something that energises many of your brain cells. But for the kids in us and those who have them - its a good opportunity to acquaint with the Penguin.

thats for now then. Hope you are making the best of your weekend.

Cheers,
Satish

Getting Along

2006-10-20T10:02:00.000+08:00

Hi,

Today feels like a different day, and I seem to be in a clinical mood where I could dissect every idea and issue to the smallest level. And yet in such a mood, the question is always the biggest of them all. And that always is, what is the purpose of life.

While I was on my way to work, I watched parts of an interview on the mobile TV on the bus. An interview with Shashi Tharoor, author of a new book called "Riot". I guess people know him better these days as India's candidate for the UN Secretary general. The relevant point was the inerview set me thinking on what was it that made people tick at something. For Mr. Tharoor, it probably is writing and along with it a plump diplomatic job that he is weel suited to. The next obvious question, what is that thing for you and me.

In being a consultant, I often times ponder over the stereotype of the profession and I must admit that at most times I see a fantastic fit. But I guess having been into this for almost 18 months now, I have begun to question whether the stereotype is valid. I think the consulting job is more influenced by the organisation and the particular team you are working with, than the job itself. There are just too many variations in the approach to client engagements, in terms of context, attitude, leadership, approach and of course, the people; that describing the consulting job generically may indeed be misleading.

Back to the purpose of life, I keep reiterating to myself and others that the main thing is to live passionately. And yet in the daily scheme of things, passion gets thrown out of the window to be replaced with things like financial security, soceital existence (another term for emotional security) and not the least of all, career progression. If you are confused about these, think again, and you will find the diverging paths of your passion and the three pursuits I mentioned. I do not mean to say the paths will always diverge, because you can always live passionately while pursuing anything. But we tend to focus on the convenience of the journey rather than the completeness of the journey itself. I remember someone who believed in the phrase "Convenience Rules!" :)

The hope is to carry on the journey of life with vividity and completeness, so one can look back and feel that the time spent has been worthwhile and made a positive difference to atleast a few people. And as all consulting projects, such goals will need to be translated into action items and attitudes that can sustain. So here I begin a project for and on myself.

So much for now. For all those who celebrate, wish you a very Happy Deepavali!

Cheers,
Satish

Between the last big thing and next big thing in life

2006-09-08T14:30:00.000+08:00

Hi,This has been a truly long hiatus, and the primary motivation of writing in today is just to get rid of the inertia. Well, its going to be almost 5 months since I last wrote and thats a big chunk of one's life.Well, apart from the primary excuse of being busy with my wedding, I think the biggest reason for not logging in should be my lethargy and laziness. Wonder sometimes on what makes us rational individuals tick, and be at something for no tangible benefits. Think I have resolved to myself that the benefit of blogging to me, is just a constructive expression of my thoughts - including the many contradictions, arguments and questions.Have many things to share about the last 5 months, some of those I feel are more private now than before. So thats already one big difference. But I think in terms of attitudinal differences, a major one is that of the anticipation of the next big thing in life. I dont know about all of you, but I have always perceived daily life as the progression between events that provide discontinuity. A bit like the theory of disruptive technologies - because these events change the course of our lives. It seems to me that our anticipation of the change is often times greater than the change itself. I still think that the anticipation of change is the hope that all of us live with each day.Going back to the next big thing in my life, I really dont know what it is going to be. There are a few dimensions in which it could happen - in terms of work, personal life, the place I live or the things or beliefs I choose to pursue. I guess the most important measure of knowing the big change of course is the passion and enthusiasm it may induce. I admire people who are passionate about something. I admire my mother who is so passionate about living righteously and being productive 24 hours of the day, a few friends who are passionate either about their familires or their work and the majority of successful business, sports and entertainment personalities - for the fun they seem to have at work. So the next big thing in my life would certainly have to make me enthusiastic and excited. Put it another way, I am looking for making things exciting by pursuing something that I can be challenged with and have fun in accomplishing.I guess this is already a heavy restart into blogging. So I will keep it to this much for now. But with a resolve to write more often - and the hope to be more coherent.Hope life is good to all of you.Tschuss!Satish

Turn Turn Turn

2006-04-12T10:55:00.000+08:00

Hi there,

Bang in the middle of a workday, just thought about the worth of my individual effort in the scheme of things. Well - its small and insignificant by most paramters, but by my own - it is singinificant and may I say, decisive about the future of the world, atleast my view of the world.

Have you ever wondered while listening to the number from Forrest Gump, "Turn Turn Turn". I have and it has been quite an amusing intellectual excursion everytime I have listened to and ventured into the thoughts that the song stimulates. This time around it was- how does ambition or drive really give your life a direction. Or probably if you have been conveniently lazy like me - to think about the actual control over the direction of one's life. To me, there is no one single answer to any question you pose in this sphere of metaphysical exploration. You do control some part of what and where you will be in the future, but there is still an element of chance that you might end up elsewhere, either a lot more interesting than you expected or in a different realm of existence altogether.

Hmm. . . hope that was coherent enough to be understood in one read, but anyway something more on the song itself. The central theme, there is a time for everything. So when I think about getting hitched, I try to think this is the time. Not important if its right or wrong. This is just the time for this to happen to me. I am glad to anticipate and hypothesise about the big change that might come about (not sure if this hypothesis is statiscally proven) once you change from being bachelor to being married.

A good friend of mine introduced the concept of unlearning to me, and hypothesised that we could go beyond unlearning. What does that mean? A lot of things, but essentially, it means that the natural state of development in all respects, is cyclical. Our environment changes, we face a problem, we innovate, we falter, we learn, we succeed, and then the environment changes again. So someone else comes up with an innovation, and that involves change which involves some unlearning of the current ways. And we repeat the cycle, on and on. But what we unlearnt isnt something that is useless - it will be relevant at another time. Also unlearning is restrictive in the paradigm it operates, to truly bring significant change - we need to move beyond unlearning. Well, I hope my version of it and the compressed representation is meanigful enough for digestion.

Have rambled enough, but the key takeway for this piece will still be the song. If you havent heard it as yet, suggest you do. And if you havent seen the movie Forrest Gump, suggest you do that first :) Its time to do that!

A few lines from the song:
To everything - turn, turn, turn
There is a season - turn, turn, turn
And a time for every purpose under heaven

till the next time,
hv fun!

satish

The World and me

2006-03-12T17:45:00.000+08:00

Hi,

Coming back from a relatively long hiatus, just feel the anxiety of making a comeback. Though there is no milestone to achieve, or form to regain - there still is a sense of uncertainty about posting a blog.

Liked something a theatre artist said on TV a couple of days back. This dude quit a relatively comfortable and well-paying corporate job, to pursue his interest in theatre. He says "I really dont owe anyone an explanation for changing my profession and ... " I dont think I remember either the artist or what he said after that. For all you know, he did give an explanation. But the statement was etched in my memory. At the end of it all, we really don't owe our success to anyone, but ourselves. Isnt that just so painfully and wonderfully true?

In recent times, I have wondered why having a drive and passion for anything in life gives you a higher chance at being successful. I think the rationale simply is that being passionate provides us with a higher purpose and a factor to dinstinguish our own lives. Each of us individually, endeavors to be a unique individual, in our own idiosyncratic way. Some of us prefer to think we are simple, and keep life simple with the primary purpose of life being happy on a daily basis. Others believe life is a continuous effort towards a grand ambition, either personally or professionally. And I am sure there are a zillion other perceptions of we as individuals, want to be unique individuals.

So the purport of my random wonderings has been that passion is the only available and self-made choice an individual has to make his life different. We are passionate about something, so that our life means more to us, and distinguishes us from that additional count in the 6.5 billion population of the world. Obviously, there are other parameters, such as talent, intelligence, luck and what not - that allo us to be different, but none of them is wholly in our control. Atleast not as much as passion and the effort that it drives.

I am still in my quest to find something that I am passionate about. Till such time, I like to think that I am passionate about life. And I realise even that needs such a significant effort, definitely more than I am currently putting in. Anyways, writing up that makes me realise the shamelessness I have in admitting my laziness, and hopefully I am gonna be inspired to do more here on.

Wanted to finish this post with a piece of good news. I shall be quitting my bachelor status come June this year, when I get married to a lovely person and a good friend. That will surely open up my life to a lot of new experiences.

Here is wishing all of us the enthusiasm to try for a more fulfilling life.

Adios,
Satish

The convenience of Culture

2006-01-24T10:14:00.000+08:00

Hi,

I intentionally title this piece the convenience of culture and not the oft used culture of convenience? Well, its exactly what I feel many of us modernists and neo-conservatists have come to live by.

But before I go into that, just wanted to marvel the revenue management done by the telecom companies. I was entitled for 3-month rebate on caller id, and for this month, they conveniently split the month into two parts. One for 2 days and the other for the rest 28 days. SO the rebate applies only to the 2-day period, in effect earning them a bulk of the rebate they offered me. I find mobile phone service bills relatively complicated pieces of calculation. Didnt have so much challenge in calculating the cost of capital and probabilities, as much in decphering these bill statement.

Back to the original thought, the convenience of culture just seems to be a common reference point for me and the many people I live and share my life with. Whenever there seems to be a question of doing the right thing, it seems culture takes a precedence. But only so long as it is convenient for us. The moment our cultural traditions make it inconvenient for us, we run to the other pillar of rationality and the modern world, where practicality gains favour over traditions. This to me is the "Convenience of Culture".

An example of this case, is the tradition of fasting that man of us Indians adopt. I may not be very religious, but as I understand it fasting has been meant for both a demonstration of the will power and as a dedication to God. The former being an acceptable reason, and the latter being a demonstration of private and individual faith. But when fasting, some people tend to keep away from staple foods while eating rich and nice food - this isnt something I can comprehend. To me, its just being convenient, in this case with the aid of culture. Am sure there is more to it than meets the eye, but I think there is still a case for my point.

It is not necessarily a bad thing, as I have come to believe that most of us are convenient about most of the things, most of the times. The few times we are not, are probably those situations when we make the difficult choice and gloat over it as thought our individuality was defined by them. We claim to be honest people full of conscience and integrity because we made the tougher choice on those few occasions. For me personally, I am generally convenient about most things most of the times. But I think as I grow older [and wiser ;-)], there is an increasing desire to be bolder about creating more moments of truth, where I can decide to live my individual self than in giving in to the desire of the moment.

So the convenience of culture in itself is establishing as a culture. So in essence you have another cyclical dependency that will break itself only on a few occasions of triumph of our conscience.

So how much has the culture of "convenience of culture" pervaded your life. Mine has to a certain extent, because I love the nice parts of culture- for me they represent the festivals and their rituals, the joy to be with loved ones, the food. But the other parts, where I am required to practice a non-selfish life, devotion, rituals that mean nothing without faith - are parts of culture which I have conveniently given up.

Way forward, I may choose to go down one path more consistently than the other. Or I amy just continue to be, the way I am - because its convenient.

for now anyway,
cheers!
si

Rains in Singapore and Cliches!

2006-01-13T08:33:00.000+08:00

Hi,

The sky in Singapore has cleared today for the first time in about a week, the longest period of rains I have seen here. The weather has been depressing for most people, although I think the temperature coming down is such a welcome feeling. Not to forget that the water running it taps feels a lot colder now, and just reminds me of winters, the mild ones in India and the freezing one in Denmark I experienced last year. Hmm. . all in all, things have been different from the routine, and ma sure some couples would have found it delightful to have lush greens everywhere, just creating a spectre of freshness and a rejuvenated earth (whatever is left besides the concrete and tar).

All this thought about the weather (the most simple topic to talk about over long distance - not sure if its the most popular) coincides with the other chain of thought I am having. That of "cliches". Over the last 10-12 years, the genuinely concious part of my life, I have developed a bias against them. Maybe in themelves they are ok, but its just how much we abuse them in daily life. We use these generic statements to decide our course of action, and worse, recommend it to others. I know at times its just about the only thing we can say, but to say it in the 'form' of a cliche just defeats the substance and purpose of what is said. The bad part really is that we just say it so casually and conveniently. Like saying "Sorry". I am sure all of us use it atleast 10 times a day. This one has come to be more a figure of speech, but I just hope that there arent many more like it. Else conversations would become a picking and choosing of cliches rather than actual original thoughts.

Want to write so much more about this, but I think my coherence will be lost in the quagmire of multiple perspectives. So I will rest the case for now, probably convinced that you would have given it a fair thought, and if I were to be optimistic, evaluated your perspective on using cliches.

TGIF!
Satish

New Years - Sentiments and Social Constructs

2006-01-02T11:01:00.000+08:00

Hej (Hi in Danish),

Here is wishing everyone a lovely and wonderful year ahead, and hope the earth will be a safer place for the whole of humanity in 2006. While going through the process of swtiching form one year to other, the only significant differences that apply to the majority of us are:

1. We plan to and try to enjoy the new years eve. There seems to be charm in counting down and a vague excitement in sharing a common thing with a whole lot of other people (known and unknown). A social construct.
2. We look forward to spending the year and getting closer to someone special. - A sentiment
3. Make some resolutions or think about making some - this I cannot categorise as a sentiment or a social constuct. Its a passing thought for me :)
4. Getting to change the last digit if you are used to writing the dates on paper - capturing change for posterity.

Anyways, there might be a few other things, but the point I wanted to make is that most of these things are either sentiments or social constructs. For that matter, new years celebration itself is a social construct. No doubt, a valuable social constuct, that lets life become a little special for some part of the ephemeral time that we endure. Often times, one starts to wonder if there is any real excitement or meaning in celebrating the coming for a new year, without even knowing whats in store. But I think it is just an eventful manifestation of that one beautiful sentiment than individuals cherish, HOPE. We hope for a good year, thinking of it in terms of the events and achievements that we want it to be marked with, for us and for the world. For the community of us human beings across the planet, we hope that the new year will provide a glimmer of miracles and prosperity rather than strife and disaster.

I just want to revel in the momentousness of the occasion, for its own sake, for what mankind has come to make of it, and for the sentiments it raises in me, mostly for the future and some for the past. I can recall some beautiful new year eves, and can only hope that there will be more in the future.

Here is wishing everyone a lovely year ahead, wishing an abundance of joy and achievement in all aspects of life, individual and social.

Cheerio!
Satish

Searching for that thing. . they call it motivation!

2005-12-20T16:46:00.000+08:00

Namaste,

Motivation is the driver of effort. Continuing with my chain of thoughts over the last 2-3 weeks, I think that effort, being the distinguisher of men, can be analysed on one more dimension. The dimension that drives the effort itself, the concept of motivation. Motivation is an awesome force, it makes you produce a fantastic effort, at times surpassing your own expectations.

Dont want to analyse the term and concept so much, but rather want to communicate the constant search for motivation that seems ingrained in me. Over the years, I have accumulated multiple perspectives of life and the approaches people take to achieve what they want. For many of us, even deciding what we want seems to be a question unanswered. Yes, we want the similar objectives of wealth, health and prosperity. But where do we see ourselves in 20 years - professionally, personally, individually. What can be different about our vision of ourselves, that can drive some motivation in us to make that extra effort, rather make that unique effort for that unique vision of success in life.

I have always believed that motivation is an attitude, it applies to all aspects of life. More for some, less for others. For the many of us, its easier to think of motivation in terms of our careers, or our hobbies. BUt isnt there motivation in making and maintaining relationships, in setting up a house (and a home), in living life in a house, in being with your companion and friends, in doing all the random the things that give you pleasure. It takes motivation to excel and enjoy in any of these, but is there a sum of all these parts that can be knownm understood, sustained and grown. I dont have an answer to the question, but maybe be thats the determination I need. To find the answer to the big picutre, to know the sum of all parts. Dont know if the answer will be satisfactory, but the hope in the search for it, there are different perspectives that I learn - and one of them might just define my life.

Hmm. .. or can I upfront define that one thing I want to do, and then everythign else can surround that. That seems equally plausible, and to a great extent, more proactive. The only hitch being how do you I decide on the one thing I can devote my life to! Hmm. . its an interesting thought. Will call it a blog with that.

Do you have that one thing in your life? If you know it, I suggest you start thinking about doing everything you can about it.

Cheers,
Satish

Monday to Friday!

2005-12-13T07:09:00.000+08:00

Hi there,

Think it is something that a whole lot of us share in common. Going from Monday to friday, waiting for the weekend, and lo behold, before you know - it runs past you to get you into another working week. And then you start on Monday, thinking the week would be so long, but the five days pass you by, and probably Friday afternoon you realise that there is not much that has happened in 5 days.

Hmm. .. to me, life seems to be making progress through these small steps called weeks, further broken down to days. So when you try to look at the big picture, one wonders what he could do to make one week different from another. Often times, each day seems the same, and so you try to make it different. Either by calling up that old friend, or mailing him/her - or trying to read a little more of a good book lying in your room, or as it is sometimes for me, trying to cook something different or taking a breather for regrouping myself under the blue sky and stars.

But during the week my thoughts keep returning to work, since I pretty much beleive its integrated into my life more than anything else. And I do wonder about how satisfying my work has been, more so for myself than anyone else. A part of that satisfaction is also the value it generates. And the only applicable parameter of measuring that seems to be the integrity and depth of your own effort. THe thought that goes into that effort, and if you have given it your best as against just doing it because it needs to get done. Capability and knowledge help to leverage on good effort, no doubt, but I think my belief in human effort surpasses most other talents of the human mind. As long as people make a genuine effort to think and act, you tend to appreciate their involvement. I think this thought continues from my last blog, and just reiterates the point.

Thats enough for a Tuesday morning. Just wanted to also send out a thought for all those friends of mine, who are getting along with their own setups of life. Here is wishing each of them a wonderful holiday season and a new year coming. If you are reading this, do drop me a line and I will surely respond earnestly.

Cheers,
Satish

Effort

2005-12-05T00:00:00.000+08:00

Vanakkam,

I know the title of the blog might tend to people off, or draw the curious onlooker to test waters with the first few lines. But for the lack of a better phrase to communicate the central message of my thoughts at the moment, I choose to retain the word at the centre of it all.

Was reading about some of the memorable Asians known around the world, and the list seemed fairly interesting, incomplete and diverse. For a reason imbibed in me by education, I was looking for similarities or patterns among the 10 individuals mentioned - and frankly couldnt really find any. The mental gymnastics although set me thinking about what qualifies these people so they are remembered after years of their most prominent times (sometimes for the wrong reasons) and if I could find those reasons, could I possibly emulate them or at least draw some inspiration.

And the answer lay in this one word - effort. To me, the effort made by these men rises them among men of equality. Talent, determination, intelligence, persistence, courage and other things probably are as important, but the true lever for each of these forces has to be the effort made by these men. Whether it be Myanmar's Suu Kyi or India' Gandhi - China's Mao or Singapore's own Lee Kuan Yew - or the hundreds of other inspriational people we know - without their effort at being what they wanted to be, there realyl wouldnt have been much. Stephen Hawking comes to my mind as an epitome of this - makign an effort. But probably no less is the effort of that granny in the village, who tries learning to read at age 70. So then if effort is the qualifier of men, why arent all men equal.

That is where the many other things become significant. What are you making an effort for. To build a home or to rent a condominium - to turn around a company or get a good-paying job - to make sense of love or to be in a relationship - to be keen or to get along. Whatever it is that makes you tick, I think the objective and the quality of effort go along with the definition if you had to use the concept as a differentiator among people. probably that explains why being more careful about our hygiene or being more fashionable also makes us happy. Its not about just the consequence of the choice, its the choice itself that matters. We choose to do some things a certain way, and thats our effort at life. Our effort at ourselves. And the results make us the unique individual that we are. The sum of many parts, which no one person can comprehend - our individuality remains elusive to most of us. And rightly so, else what would be the point of waking up a new day - making a new friend.

Hmm. . guess have blabbered enough. Just thought I will put thought on some silicon before I went to sleep. As I log off for now, am feeling an awesome sense of time, like I am floating in it at the moment, but I know I will be riding a force when I wake up tomorrow. Wanting to get to work, and moving things a little further and living my life a little more. Wanting to be with a few people more than others.

so much for an effort :)

cheers,
satish

Where to lunch?

2005-12-01T11:37:00.000+08:00

Hi there,

Am in the middle of the mass internal mail chat, the objective of which is to decide where to go for lunch. Its quite interesting how a group of relatively intelligent people get stuck in deciding where to go for lunch. And dont tell me it has not happened to you. The idea simply is that its something we dont mind being civil about and hence letting another person decide. Nevertheless, you have few individuals coming up with a craving for something, or suddenly someone just decides to go to same old place since its comfortable and known. One such place for me and my colleagues is China Square. I guess and hope we are not going there today :)

Anyway, have just finished 6 months at my current firm, and it definitely seems longer than that. And yet time seems to have flown past. Have lived 6 months more of my life, doing a job that sounds better than it is. Well, thinking about it a little more, the work ispretty cyclical - so you have times when you feel great about it and at other times, you wonder if you were born to do this.

But this experience also has reiterated my belief that the people and co-workers contribute a lot to your feeling good about the workplace. And its not them as individuals, but together as a group. And hence the group chemistry takes precedence over individual comfort factors. Well, just know that all this is never existent by itself and so every single one of us, has to try to make it happen.

By this time I think everyone has got hungry, so we are gonna leave and take a vote in the lobby. So lets hope the vegetarian me gets some consideration :)

cheers,
satish

Spectator or Player

2005-11-24T22:22:00.000+08:00

Hello,

Ever wondered while watching a game if you could have been playing the sport. Or you could have been dancing there, for that matter said something that another person managed to say. Thats the spectator frame of mind, wanting to be a player. Not wanting to sound too philosophical but my take is that most of takes turns at being a spectator and player through the couse of our lives. Some of us are more consistent with the roles we taken on in particular parts of our lives. Some take the lead in social issues, while some in professional. But most of us go through phases of being either.

At the moment, I think I am happy being a spectator, albeit an active one at that. For one being a spectator allows you to think about the game in a bigger picture, and lets you get perspective. In contrast to be ing a player, where you are really into the game, thinking what to do next, and what the other players are going to do next. I can quite easily claim that I thrive on being a player, being in the middle of action, taking everything thrown at me as something I need to deal with and make a score.

But being a spectator, just lets me see what as a player I could have done, and can do. It doesnt provide the thrill of being alive, but it certainly reiterates the power of thinking, of analysing and the sheer sense of comprehending oneself.

Hmm.. am sure that has been heavy enough to read. On a lighter side, none of this is actually driven by anythign in particular. Just wanted to feel normal when things seem to be abnormal. Want to rejuvenate my passion for life and the beauty it embodies. Its within grasp and yet the effort seems so huge. And not even sure if an effort will allow me to grasp it, probably need more than just an effort. Need that something extra.

The thing we call - the human spirit. that which manifests as Hope, that which rises as curiosity, that which occurs as determination. Extra could never be enough and so it remains suspended between our will and experience. And so long as we try, it shall be ours to name.

so much for a musings of a quiet evening.

cheers,
satish

Home sweet Home

2005-11-14T18:05:00.000+08:00

Guten Abend,

Have no excuses for taking a while again to write except that I really have been lazy, without much regret. Was home for the last two weeks, and frankly just enjoyed being a lazy bum at home – although I managed to be active at eating.

Had a fantastic trip home this time, albeit it had some surprising events in store for me. It had been a while since I was surprised by anything, so that part was good. The surprise itself (alas, I really cant share it with you at the moment) I am still dwelling upon. Anyways, back on to track, the important event of the trip was the function. Calling it “Shashti abthapoorthi”, or completion of 60 years referring to my dad’s 60th birthday. However, the event was definitely more than just a birthday, since we also had a re-marriage ceremony for my mom and dad. I have always been fascinated by festivals and celebrations, and this one just went to add to the allure. For me, what added to the charm was that I was there with mom and dad to celebrate their married life and all of my life. Never been so much of an emotional person, but this is the closest I got to being emotional after my sister’s wedding.

There was lot more that I observed and realised as I lazed around at home. For one, was completely comfortable staying put at home, unlike a lot of the other times, when I have wanted to be out, meeting people, watching movies or just checking out developments in the city. Guess, had some quality time (a function of quantity of time as well) to spend with my folks. Other than that, I really was enjoying being at home, doing simple things and being taken care of. Also the fact that, I had a perception of having come of age, meaning that, I had become a true adult in the sense of holding independent responsibility of myself.

Its funny that in so much that we want to discover new things and adventures, we find solace and satisfaction in old things. Be it sitting in the chair in your room, where you spent many lazy afternoons chatting away with friends or having that favourite food of yours made perfectly so by your mother. If I would like to keep doing that, my answer would probably be no, and I guess that’s what defines and gives meaning the beautiful experience of nostalgia.

Here is a cheers just for all those wonderful people I have been with for the wonderful times we have shared, enjoyed and continue to remember. And also wish everyone of you a lot of happiness and joy wherever you are, whatever you are doing.

Till later,
Adios!
Satish

22 Hours and counting

2005-10-07T04:41:00.000+08:00

Hi,

Morning! I must say. And it would not be pleasant if I actually greeted you that, since its 4.45 in the morning right now. Am about hour and a half away from pulling a 24-hour. Got up at 0630 hours yesterday, got in office at 0730 and probably will get back home 0630 hours today.

Anyways, thats only something different so as to make life more interesting. In so much as I am dreading the night-out, am satisfied that most of the time has been well spent. Well, it has been spent on making a proposal for a project. Which could possibly just fall by the wayside by the stroke of a club or something as random as that. But I guess the merit is in the effort and the meaning in the process. Been there, done that - kind of logic.

One good thing about pulling an all-nighter is that you are just so exhausted that more exhaustion does not deter you from staying up longer. The effects really show when you have slept and woken up. warped logic, but its true - and I bet you have experienced it too.

So there i go in my half dreary state of mind and conciousness. My eyes are beginning to strain, but want you to know what a heroic effort you are reading here ;-) Haha. . no lah - just kidding.

Its Navratri in India and the Garbas must be on in my city. They were really amazing times. I still can remember the times when I used to get excited about going otu in the night. Never was a big dancer or anything. But always took my observer status seriously, and exercised my rights in full at the colourful and cute things available in sight. And I am talking about the food ;-)

btw. . . am writing in from my workplace. at 5 in the morning. Bizarre. . no. . just plain sleepy :)

cheers,
satish

Dont let the wine get warm!

2005-09-29T22:22:00.000+08:00

Hola,

Bet you are wondering why I put the subject as it is. Well, frankly to admit that its something that set me thinking today about the societal influences on behaviour, and especially on what we call being cultured or sophisticated. The people closest to this complication of civilized society are those who adopt it and those who shun it. The latter group comprises of those rebels, who just want to go against what is socially accepted as a higher level of living, or just being well off in material terms.

Let me explain the metaphor of the wine. You know that the proper way of holding wine glasses is to hold it by their bottom base between your thumb and palm. Never mind if you didnt know, I got to know it at 24 years of life and it didnt make huge difference to my happiness or popularity. Hmm. . so a wine connoiseur friend of mine was explaining to another senior person how it kept the wine from getting warm. My mind went ballistic at the point. People were dying of hunger around the world, did it really matter if your wine was 1.5 degrees warmer than what it should be. Probably am being a little harsh, but the point I wanted make was that, there are some things that we think are so fine and refined that we forget that they remain small in the larger scheme of things. As long as we can treat things with the attention they deserve at a point in time, and know how significant they are for the lives of the 6.5 billion people in the world, I think we have been fair. All this, assuming that we as passionate human beings want to be fair.

Hmm. . guess I am feeling philanthropic today. So am donating some of my mindspace and throughts to the less privileged. But frankly, I just thought how funny it would be to suddenly lose one of the many things we took for being granted to us. Sight, sound, speech, physical well-being etc. etc. Sadly enough, even the dramatism of this extreme thought doesn'tm motivate me to do the things I ought to. Because the the rationality of the human mind if overwhlemed by two things. One - Convenience and two - passion. Probably one is the anti-thesis of the other, or plainly put, they are mutually incompatible.

Guess will leave the thought at that. I need to think more on this as well.

for now,
adios,
satish

long time . . no see!

2005-09-25T19:02:00.000+08:00

Hi there,

Was watching Top Gun. There are a few things in life, and among them some movies, that just can never run out of steam. Steam probably is not the best word to decribe the connection these things make, but my point is that, we could see these movies and read those books time and again, and yet be equally captured by their intensity.

Hmm. . so that was the capture attention part of the write-up. Or atleast my attempt at it. Been back after a hiatus. thinking I just have been so irregular at this, that I just don't even call myself a blogger anymore. Apparently missed a blogger's meet held a week or two back here.

Can say the days have been busy, but I think those of us who read in between the lines, know better than to belive that. Let me just say that, life has been on a cruise mode, and i wasnt trying to put a direction to the wheel. BUt I think much of the essence of living is in trying to steer the path its headed on. Not so much of significance, in us knowing the path, since the untreaded path will most likely be the one you will remain satisfied about, and the untreaded path can never be known in advance, right!

But somewhere, I think I have learnt somethign about myself. I become uncomfortable when the situation becomes comfortable. The ability of the human mind and the ewnthusiasm of the human spirit wasn't made to sustain a comfortable life. Having sais that, the challenge some of us wage-earners have is to find the challenge in our daily routines. Be it bringing innovation to your approach and work scope, or involving more of your co-workers into a rigorous approach to things - its not incentivised enough, for one to keep doign that. And also that, the work scope seems so awesome sometimes, that you just wonder if you should spend more time analysing than building solutions. Its a typical challenge for those of us in the buiseness of consulting, something I hope to come on top of sooner than later.

noticed this quote from Emerson in theo morning, "Envy is the tax distinction must pay". Quite an intersting though, I must say. And it just comes back to me, the power of metaphors. Want to use that to express myself better, and communicate and create some efficiency in the chaos of organizational sporadisms. At the moment, that is my business :)

for now, will try to keep more regualr at writing up.

cheers,
satish

Two annums

2005-07-29T10:09:00.000+08:00

Hi there,

Been a reasonably long break, long enough to disqualify me from being considered a blogger, in the notional sense of the blogger world. Been some years since I had this concept in mind of mindspaces, essentially those coloured views of the world that each of us develops based on our experiences and perspectives. This could typically formed around a central theme like our college, or our personal circle of friends and so on and so forth. The blogger world, a world which I dont claim to belong to, is one such interesting mindspace. It is full of figureheads, bringing on their alter-egos through their blogs on the web while the true self is being conveyed to the world without their concious intent.

Anyways, I wanted to write in to celebrate (not so sure but for the lack of a better word) the two years spent in this tiny and iconic island of Singapore. It has been an extremely interesting two years, opening up a whole spectrum of experiences and influences. In the while, finished the study part, the legacy of which is a loan to pay back for the next few years, and thankfully a decently exciting job which allows to pay the installments. Other interesting things to have occured during the 2 years here have been lost in the efficiency of Singapore :) I am kidding, I must say I have had fun on the whole, and made a buch of good friends.

Way forward, not sure how long I will intend, continue and manage to live here - but till I do, I want to appreciate the place for what it actualyl does well. Efficiency does not always come at the cost of excitement. The place and its people still have some eccentricities that one can like, we just need to allow for evolution of a people and the fabric of a city-country.

On a more broader level, the last 2 years have been quite full of action, given that I had the opportunity and energy to want to experiment and achieve some milestones.On hindsight, I achieved some and forgot others, but life just seems to have turned 2 years richer. Whether I could have spent these 2 years better, is a question of idle curiosity, which I will ignore for its lack of value.

Want to also rememeber of couple of individuals who were instrumental in me coming here, and in as much as I can thank them, I think the distance always seems painful. The distance itself at times having become more notional than geographical. Anyways, here is a heartfelt wish for those lovely individuals to be happy.

getting senti now, so I guess its time to pullthe plug. Which reminds me that the one time this phrase really struck me staight was while watching Matrix. Remember how the bad baldie guy is pulling the plug out of Neo.

hmm. . so much for the two annums and their memories. more once I move into my own apartment (finally !!!)

cheers,
satish

In three words. . . Life goes on!

2005-07-05T15:40:00.000+08:00

Hi,

Wonder if simplicity is truly the most beautiful of virtues and sentiments. The quote from Frost just seems so daringly beautiful, that it seems scary to just admit that its blatantly bare. Life goes on, and it always will - but is it really the best thing or somethign you want, well - it will differ from the situation you are in and perspective you adopt.

Contrary to what most of us might tend to think, the quote is a powerfully positive and strengthening statement. It lends credence to the concept of living, and packs a punch for the fighting spirit of the human mind. So regardless of what happens to us, we can still believe that living will still be possible. And with living, come the innumerable possibilities for man. Possibilities of beautiful experiences, exciting learning, overcoming challenges and lazy afternoons.

Coming to simple daily life, my life seems fairly decent now. It is comfortable in so much that I have both, the luxury of choice and time. But as is ironically true, I am beginning to dislike the comfort. Want to be challenged and made uncomfortable. I need to tell myself that craving for that which is not yet grasped, is the next hill. But the hills are always there, what bothers me is if the hill I choose to climb is the one I want to. Is this my hill? Will it take me to the pinnacle from where I will see the next peak to conquer.

Guess there is only one way to find out! Parallel lives are not an option, and hopefully, will never be an option. Our lives are like rivers, they just follow one direction and never turn back. So here is a tribute to that direction in life!

Another stone left turned, another day lived past,
What is life but a cast,
it feels slow, yet goes by fast,
hoping to find peace at last.

Cheers,
Satish

Metaphorical Existence

2005-06-23T08:57:00.000+08:00

Hej (Hi in Danish),

Metaphors seem so numbly comfortable. Every decision process we undertake, or get induced to undertake, there comes a point when we just like to change the variables with those from some situation we have experienced in the past. A quote from Oscar Wilde goes " Experience is the name so many people give to their mistakes". But I digress! I was saying that metaphors make so much of our decision making convenient and enable rational comprehension for us to resolve actionable solutions.

An example is how much I use the little education I have recieved back into relationships and daily life situations. Even exciting but loss-making happenings such as a burglary. Some happy but nervous minds made away with a good amount of hard earned gold and jewellery of my family from my house in India a couple of nights ago. The risk/return analysis of the situation indicated substantial loss, but if you take into account the risk of physical injury and such - then you think it was pretty alright. I just started to think about the time I will need to recover the lost(rather stolen) possessions. But the dent it leaves in the psyche is something I doubt I can do aything about. The metaphor I could think of was gambling. So it makes things look far better, because there were things beyond our control.

Metaphors are an extension of imagination. In that sense, I think many of us are creative minds. All of us have some metaphors that we keep using or atleast try to more than half of the times. I really wish my imagination ran free of my current environment, but I acknowledge my limitation at creativity. SOund modest enough right!

The second part of the title for this blog reiterates that I continue my existence on the planet. I say existence because I doubt if I am adding value on it. Maybe from another person's perspective, I could be, but the point is that I am striving to do that on my own parameters. I know those parameters, the quest is to find the methods and means.

Since I promised myself to keep my blogs short, I will cut this one here. But hope the day has some new metaphors for me to discover. Perhaps someone will share theirs with me :)

Life is Beautiful! (if you havent seen the movie, see it today)

cheers,
satish

P.S.: Apologies for the endless grammar and spelling errors in the last blog. Trying to learn from experience.

Knowing thy self!

2005-06-16T23:26:00.000+08:00

Hi,

Was amazed today as a good friend brought it up on me in a random chat today the fact that I think I know myself and what I want. Now that is a long complication of thought of perspective on the wants of an flagrant mind. The mind is so effusive and ephemeral, that one couldnt want to possibly believe it continually believed something and yet as rational thought would argue - the human mind is the most brilliant and consistent performer among all things living or otherwise.

Anyways, I wanted to talk about this entire conscience thing about knowing oneself. And further, knowing what one wants. As such, it is probaly simple enough. You know there are things which make you happy and others which make you sad or whatever sentiment you prefer to live in (saw Hitchhiker's guide to the Galaxy - my favourite character was the depressed Robot).

Hmm. . back to the topic, the problem to the simplicity of knowing what one wants is that we know what we want at a given point in time. This is because our mind relays a sense of things at a given point in time. BUt the problem is that we are constantly changing as individuals. You dont always learn from the first time you make a mistake. Some of us learn the 2nd time, some after the 10th time and some never learn. The point is with every passing minute we are changing as individuals, and with out "eat-the-evil-apple" attitude, we want to try new things. So then, what we want becomes a function of what we think will look good on us. And since that is only an imagination - the want itself becomes an illusion. I think this is all just a play of words. I would admit myself most times, just that I really think its not possible to know all that you want.

If you knew all that you want, you would really become a boring person. because you would never be open to anything. You would always just go so far as getting what you wanted.

Hmm. . i managed to not tell the context in which the conversation started. The original conversation was about this one statement - "Women want to be WANTED and Men want to be NEEDED" Intersting statement, and before you start agreeing or disagreeing with it - just for a moment leave it alone, and think what you really want from a relationship - to be wanted or to be needed. There is a significant in the imports of both words and hence the thought exercise. The exercise gave me some other good pointers and raced me through my relationship experiences. Made me realise I would like to be wanted mroe than be needed, although being the nice guy that I am - I always make sure I am capable of being useful in someone's need. So much for modesty!!!

hmm. . this has been a tongue twister and I hope it has not been so much of a mind twister. But atleast it has brought me back to blogging. Just felt shy for sometime - something I have never admitted to but I guess, in somethings, I am.

I am 25 and am still learning about life. Love that about it!

cheers,
satish

The NUS MBA

2005-06-01T15:48:00.000+08:00

The NUS MBA