Blog@GraceJunction

Hey Freddy,

I reached Mumbai a week back in search of a better job and opportunities. But I have been missing those beaches and the time that we used to spend watching those beautiful waves, sipping lemonade, our hangouts near D’Souza restaurant and those football fields.

Here you get the real taste of city life. The huge population, the busy streets and stations, rush hour, the confluence of the rich and poor, skyscrapers overlooking hutments and slums, brightly lit buildings hosting glitzy and glamorous events and the hungry man who begs on the roads and sleeps on the streets. (more…)

Last week I happened to visit a nationalized bank after a long time. Frankly speaking I expected to see some changes in the office premises and the attitude of the employees. Not that all of them were the same always, but there were some branches whose employees were extremely helpful and courteous but I was talking about the approach adopted in these competitive times.

When I went to the counter to enquire, the officer just pointed me to another desk without even looking up at me. When I confirmed the direction, he just nodded and seemed to not care. The next experience was not too good either, a middle aged lady was handling some customers and wore a frustrated look, probably because of handling a continuous flow of customers from the morning. My problem seemed to evoke some interest on her face when she realized that she can get some easy deposits but that too disappeared when she came to know that I wanted to continue it at another branch of theirs. What followed were the same old pointers with fingers without much human touch. (more…)

Usain Bolt is “too” tall to be a world class sprinter, Mike Friedman “too” fat to be an elite world class cyclist, Stefan Holm is “too” short to be a champion high jumper, and Erin Donohue is “too” short and stocky to be a star middle-distance runner. Yet all of them are Olympians, athletic anomlies, bucking conventional wisdom and somehow rising to the same arenas as Michael Phelps and Dara Torres.

Its amazing, how much man relies on statistics to make decisions, be it the vital or the numerical kind. But these wonderful people have attained that which has made experts revolve in their chairs and just confess, “It’s a mystery“!! (more…)

” ‘VIBGYOR’- this is how you will remember the color pattern of the rainbow, OKAY??”

” Yes, ma’am” said everyone in a uniform chorus.

“Gud”- smiled she.

“Ma’am when do we find the rainbow in the sky?” asked one.

“Oh, the rainbow appears during the rainy season or during the last days of the rainy season”

Everyone’s eyes still fixed on the teacher and wondering if she was telling us the truth or was she introducing us to some imaginary fairytale thingy.

“Ma’am, can you show us the rainbow during the rainy days?” asked another one. (more…)

Hey hello Mr. Blog Reader. I am the brain of Mr.Hyde Junior! Thinking? Wondering? Trying to figure out? Leave all that hard work to me. Relax and just listen carefully to all that I have to say and things will be clear. And yes, don’t try to make an impression. It will not help. Just plainly simply listen now, period.

I am one of the most important parts of any human being’s body but when I get a wicked heart to scheme, I become the most powerful tool of the modern man! Yes I depend on the heart for oxygen, you see!

But let me tell you what I did to Mr. Hyde Junior. His mother was devout, God loving lady. Her parents brought her up in the fear of God and she slowly became a beautiful young woman in the eyes of the Creator. All the people around adored her, Miss.Wisdom as she was always called by her parents then one day went off to study at the IIM. (more…)

6 a.m…..Chirp Chirp

Hello Friends! I am the heart of Mr. Go Getter. Well not only is his name like that but he is a Go getter since his childhood days. Yes, born to get what he wants in life, a super achiever.

My job is to keep him going no matter what his pace of life. Every day I beat for more than 100000 times at the rate of close to 70 times a minute. Well, I don’t need a thank you or a clap because I have been made to do so, made to give out oxygenated blood to every part of his body through this complex structure. I still remember the day he was born and I used to beat for 90-120 times a minute, well I think I was all excited then. The realities of life were yet to set in. (more…)

LIFE LESSONS

A church pastor once asked young men in the church to volunteer to sell new bibles in their neighbourhoods and raise some funds for the church. Three of them volunteered. Jack and Paul were professional salesman and so the pastor was glad. But Louis, was only a local farmer and he stammered too! However, not wanting to discourge him, the pastor sent them all off with a stock of bibles.

The following week, Jack proudly reported the sale of 20 bibles and Paul reported the sale of 28! The pastor was really impressed. When it was Louis turn, the pastor asked him, “Could you sell any at all?”. Louis handed him a packet, which the pastor discovered had proceeds of the sale of 320 bibles! (more…)

Hey Shridhar!

Sorry I did not get any reply from your personal mail id and did not have any contact numbers to get in touch with you for these last two years. Heard that you are doing well in life, that you joined an IT major and are now settled in the U.S. Ravi gave me the news when I was chatting with him. You are the only guy who has got settled so fast, but you deserve it.

It has been two desperate years for me, hunting jobs and making ends meet has been a Herculean task. Natasha and I soon moved in to another apartment after our graduations, she has landed a job in a bank and I am still languishing in a call centre, the same old routines, only thing that has changed is that now I am a floor manager. The BPO’s have been hit hard with the fall in number of clients due to the American slowdown. Pressures to keep our jobs are increasing and my medical bills are not likely to come down any time soon. (more…)

Some years ago when youngsters would be free and would want to unwind themselves, they would meet up with friends and have fun. The fun element would be derived from the various games they played, movies, music, lunch or dinner at a good restaurant, or just simple chitchat at a coffee shop or an ice cream parlor. But today if you think that the usual hotspots would be one of the coffee shops or favorite restaurants, you may be wrong. Those are a bit outdated now. The latest ‘cool’ hangouts are hookah bars or restaurants offering hookah facility. The latest trend rampantly creeping in amongst the teenagers and youngsters is the hookah trend, which is mistakenly believed to have no health implications. A new tobacco fad to attract the youngsters it seems. Another challenge for the government and anti tobacco campaigns trying to curb tobacco usage and smoking. So hookah trend is in. Is it in to devour the moralities, valuable time, health,talent and parents’ money or is just an instrument to relieve stress or a mere substitute for cigarettes?

What is a hookah used for anyway? Is it trendy? A cultural tradition, social activity or a substitute cigarette vice? A hookah, shisha or narghile is a water pipe used to smoke sweet-flavored tobacco. It can also be used to smoke other drugs as well. (more…)

“Dr. I am mad, I don’t have a brain”, were the first sentence I heard during my internship period in a clinical psychologist’s clinic. Next patient softly utters, “Nobody loves me.” Sitting in the room, I realize how many irrational thoughts encompass us: God is angry with me so I am depressed, or I am worthless or I am a failure, I don’t get anything right….

As I sit back and think about the patients and all that they spoke about during the session, I wonder what made them think the way they did. These patients didn’t have evidence to form basis for their thought.

Did they perceive things the way they wanted to? Yes to some extent. (more…)