Small Things Big Impact

This post is dedicated to lovely management and QC team at SPI. From Sid Mookerji sir, Divyashree Sanjay ma’am, Abhi, Sanjay Srinivas Murthy, Mohammed Ali Jinnah and Mallikarjun Patil sir. 

Back those days when I started off as Trainee at SPI, little did I know that working in the organisation, the learnings will impact my life this big in the future. I have obviously shifted careers, I don’t work in the world of testing anymore - but the kind of process, quality checks that I knew SPI was doing, the things that I learnt is helping me fix a lot of issues in my company today. 

I hated processes back then just like how my employees hate it right now; so much that there are jokes that float around me for my excel-mania. But I am ok, I guess I now totally understand how huge it is for organisations as big as SPI, coz as a start-up it is for The Big Little. It has fixed a lot of recurring issues, made a lot of lives easier, and given a sort of space where you can avoid a lot of confusions. Of course it isn’t CMMI yet, but I am slowly getting to that level soon. 

Not getting much into details, just wanted to thank everyone who shaped me and my process game back in SPI, forever indebted to you guys! 

I Turned 38 This Year

No matter how much of an extrovert one is, when it comes to feeding birthday cake to folks singing the song around - the consciousness sets in. The mess the creamy pastry creates, the horrifying process of feeding the cake without them literally biting one's fingers, the apprehension of 'what if cake drops' - Ah HORRIBLE. 

The dilemma of someone taking a small bite, and then the thought of should you feed the same piece to the next person, or should you drop rest of the cake to a plate, or just shove the entire piece inside their mouth - the mind races all this in literally 5-6 secs. The safe bet would always be joke about it - ನಿಮಗೂ ಇದನ್ನೇ ತಿನ್ನಿಸ್ತಾ ಇದೀನಿ, ಹ..ಹ... They'll also be like "WTF ಕೊಡಮ್ಮ ಆಯ್ತು"! 

                                                                  

10 years back I thought the worst part of this is people smearing cake on your face and then you spending next few hours taking the cream off. But as you age, things change. What was pain in the ass actually starts becoming your comfort zone. That is the beauty of birthdays. It tells you, how you've aged, how you've travelled 'whom should I take to distribute chocolates' to 'Birthday Bumps ಬೇಡ' to 'Don't smear cake' to 'how to feed the cake'. 

ಮುಂದೆ ಹೇಗೋ, ನಾ ಕಾಣೆ. But I want to sign a petition that says "stop obligation of having to feed everyone the birthday cake if you aren't comfortable" ARE YOU IN? 

ಚಿಕ್ PENCIL

None of the pencils I used in school went down half their size. By the time they reached 50% my mom would throw them or give them away, saying “pencil ಚಿಕ್ಕದಾಯಿತು”

Little did I know that the size of the pencil was also what showed economic status. I thought small pencil would spoil the handwriting until one day my mom declared “ಎಲ್ಲರೂ ಗತಿ ಇಲ್ಲ ಅಂದ್ಕೊತಾರೆ”. I was too young to counter this, nor did I understand the nuances of ‘economics’ :)

Cut to today, my kids were sharpening their pencils & I found couple of pencils that where 10% of its original size. I appreciated the fact that they used the pencil till the end, without losing them and that showed how responsible they are with their belongings. They were happy :) 

You are as an individual how you were in your childhood; most of the times. But you can choose to unlearn/learn based on your current eco-system & exposure to the world. The choice is always YOURS! 

What Is Your Differentiator?

She was jealous. Of his texture. His rigidity. His ability to blend. As local as she was, she could never become like him. Forget getting closer even. He could gel with everyone on the table, she couldn’t. She just couldn’t.

It’s not like she hadn’t tried. But no-one liked the change in her. They liked her as she is. Local. She tried blending in and became a mess. & no one likes mess. 

But then there was one thing that was her differentiator. She could be sweet. He could never walk the sweeter road. Ever. 

With that, shavige/semiya decided she’d won over him. The Noodles. He could blend in with Indian, Chinese, Vietnamese,Thai, Continental and what not. But he could never become a kheer ❤️ 

P.S. The inspiration for this post is from my kitchen’s shavige uppiT for breakfast today

37 years of "no" self-love.

37 years of "no" self-love. 

March 30th. Exams are over. So no birthdays at school. No colour dress, none fighting over who will be my 'best-friends on my birthday'. 

Back home, my father didn't believe in birthday-cake cutting. So no cake-bisibelebath-chips parties also. Sometimes no-one even wished. 

Imagine how much of a trauma it is for an 'attention' lover that I am. Che!!! I'd once told all my friends that my parents didn't know my birthday hence they didn't celebrate it like "normal" kids did. #WipesTears 

Maybe that is why I have been persistent, (read idiotic) about birthday presents. Sometimes I plug in hints to my friends, sometimes I say it out loud, most of the time I create wish list also. The joy of receiving gifts is the favourite part of my birthday. I look forward to it. Big small huge, surprises make me jump in joy. 

The last time someone took that effort without me having to cajole them was my ex. 20 Gifts for my 20th Birthday. Oh he’d gotten it all right, so cute. That was also the first time I CUT CAKE. (Insert shocking dramatic music) YES that's right, I cut a birthday cake when I was 20! Anyhooo...

Many birthday, many celebrations, many craziness later cut to today while picking a gift for someone else (it is not even an occasion) I am 37 and will turn 38 this year (no worries in telling age plus I look younger so that's OK)  I realised that I have been doing this birthday gifts all WRONG. I am still trying to give hints, send links saying "hey look so cute no?". I think I am done with this. Time to grow up, unlearn and embrace the fact that I can myself pick what i want, I can myself choose what I like and I don't think 'who gave what' shouldn't matter. 

It's time for some self love. No more expectations. No more anticipations. No more looking forward to 'someone' making me feel good. I can and I will do it' for myself. 

Bye folks; TIME FOR SOME SHOPPING! 

P.S: This is not one of the ways to make you guys buy gifts, I promise! 

#ಸರಿನಾಹೋಗಿಬರುವೆ