If we were allowed to take pictures of people while down loading crap, the pictures will surely find a place in the ‘elated’ or ‘nirvana’ section of the exhibition. It is complete bliss.
I believe restrooms are one of the best places where ideas can originate. It was not reported for obvious reasons, but I am sure Newton was taking a load of crap out under that tree when that apple fell on his head. And when they say Archimedes ran naked in the streets shouting ‘Eureka’ he was not coming out of shower as they proclaim, but was sitting in his crap room I tell you. How else do you think he could have thought ‘density of any material can be identified by the water it displaces.
Think about it, you are alone, relaxed, relieved, happy, free from all sort of inhibitions (come one you have your pants down your ankle what more can you do to feel free) the perfect state of mind I believe to think fresh, think out of the box ideas. People can be most productive when they are happy, and when one sits there, with every passing minute one is left with lesser crap in one’s body than before. So many people think of so many creative things in that 10 minute seating, but all those thoughts go down the drain (pun intended) with a gushing sound.
I have been a strong supporter of placing notebooks and pens inside all office restrooms (hygiene can be taken care of through facilities department and IKEA). It can surely prove to be as fruitful as Google’s “20% personal time for all employee” experiment. These notes will help in the well being of employees as much as providing new fresh thoughts for the company.
And I only speak from experience. I have learned to tie a tie knot while sitting in there, have learned to whistle sitting in there, have thought of process improvements for clients, have made lists of things to do before I die, watched classic movies, finished assignments, prepared presentations, been on chat consoling friends out of suicidal tendencies and all this while I was sitting in there. In fact I have made so many important decisions sitting in there that the pot seat is one of my favorite places to be in when I have to think about a critical decision. It is my thinking seat.
My ‘notes from the restroom’ notebook run into several pages (filled with some random sketches alongside some well defined lists and diagrams etc.) and have helped me a lot in various aspects of my life, personal and professional. I hope a time would come when companies and individuals realize the potential of this location which can be so useful for idea creation and management. I hope you have realized that by now.
So the next time you head toward the restroom don’t forget to carry a notepad (writing on toilet paper is difficult, trust me) and don’t laugh on someone who is doing the same.
Happy crapping.
Thaati
PS: I am enjoying writing, it takes a lot of effort, but I realize I have a lot of stuff I can write about (will anybody enjoy reading is totally different question). Btw, this is a serious thought.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Fly like a seagull ...with your feet firmly on ground
It has become awkward to crack those ‘life sucks’ and those ‘I am an underachiever’ jokes
Success is like a heady cocktail. And for first time drinkers, it can give a very bad hangover in the morning if not handled properly. My mom is a Hindi teacher in a high school nearby and she has a way to share her wisdom through one-liners, which she seem to have for almost every situation in life. I have grown up learning from these adages. This is what she told me the day after I got my ISB admit.
“Udaan jitni bhi unchi lo, dhyan rakho ki pav zameen par hi rahe” ..which translates to (However high your flight maybe, keep the feet firmly on ground)
Message is loud and clear. I had long believed that modesty can be seen as one of the most attractive qualities in a person but it is not something everyone can enjoy. Not everyone is eligible to be modest. You need to posses something worth praise in the first place before you can be modest.
When he was not the star he is today, Shahrukh khan could easily stand on the seashore and shout “ill rule this city someday” and nobody thought it was immodest of him to proclaim that. It would be a different matter if he does that today though.
It has been around 3 weeks since I seem to have ‘become someone’. Yeah I know it sounds funny but that is what I keep receiving congratulations for….’becoming someone’ (‘good for you, akhir kuch ban hi gae”). It feels good to know that someone acknowledges your efforts but at the same somewhere it sounds insulting. It would really suck if my only identification from here on will be that I went to ISB
I am not sure how this next year is going to change me. I am going to be in company of some very intelligent minds, going to encounter some very different schools of thoughts and am scared of what will I bring to the table for everyone's consumption. I am sure each and every one present in that batch will be an achiever in his/her own rights and each will have an interesting story to share. The oppurtunities to know, to share, to grow, to fall will be immense. I expect to learn and unlearn a lot of things from everyone but amidst all the noise which is going to engulf me in next one year, I hope I will still have the strength to make those quite conversations with myself time to time. Keep reminding myself of what defines me, and what has been important to me. I hope I will manage to maintain an identity, an identity which will be independent of the college I attend, courses i chose, groups I associate with, job I get or friends I make. The me, when no frills attached, the person me.
Year 2009 has given me a lot, personal and professional, and in many ways changed my life. Year 2010 will be a test to see how I handle those changes. For a while it had been an empty room, a wandering treasure hunter, a long drive to nowhere, a fruitless tree. It will be interesting to see how things change when the room is filled up, the treasure is found, destination arrives and fruits weigh down the tree.
Funny how the more the number of fruits there are on a tree, the more it stays closer to the ground.
thaati
PS: I should admit that it takes a lot of time for first time writer like to me to put together thoughts in a coherent manner and still I am not really sure if this can be called coherent. I can see that I have a lot to learn but with time I hope to improve. Hope I’ll be back soon.
Success is like a heady cocktail. And for first time drinkers, it can give a very bad hangover in the morning if not handled properly. My mom is a Hindi teacher in a high school nearby and she has a way to share her wisdom through one-liners, which she seem to have for almost every situation in life. I have grown up learning from these adages. This is what she told me the day after I got my ISB admit.
“Udaan jitni bhi unchi lo, dhyan rakho ki pav zameen par hi rahe” ..which translates to (However high your flight maybe, keep the feet firmly on ground)
Message is loud and clear. I had long believed that modesty can be seen as one of the most attractive qualities in a person but it is not something everyone can enjoy. Not everyone is eligible to be modest. You need to posses something worth praise in the first place before you can be modest.
When he was not the star he is today, Shahrukh khan could easily stand on the seashore and shout “ill rule this city someday” and nobody thought it was immodest of him to proclaim that. It would be a different matter if he does that today though.
It has been around 3 weeks since I seem to have ‘become someone’. Yeah I know it sounds funny but that is what I keep receiving congratulations for….’becoming someone’ (‘good for you, akhir kuch ban hi gae”). It feels good to know that someone acknowledges your efforts but at the same somewhere it sounds insulting. It would really suck if my only identification from here on will be that I went to ISB
I am not sure how this next year is going to change me. I am going to be in company of some very intelligent minds, going to encounter some very different schools of thoughts and am scared of what will I bring to the table for everyone's consumption. I am sure each and every one present in that batch will be an achiever in his/her own rights and each will have an interesting story to share. The oppurtunities to know, to share, to grow, to fall will be immense. I expect to learn and unlearn a lot of things from everyone but amidst all the noise which is going to engulf me in next one year, I hope I will still have the strength to make those quite conversations with myself time to time. Keep reminding myself of what defines me, and what has been important to me. I hope I will manage to maintain an identity, an identity which will be independent of the college I attend, courses i chose, groups I associate with, job I get or friends I make. The me, when no frills attached, the person me.
Year 2009 has given me a lot, personal and professional, and in many ways changed my life. Year 2010 will be a test to see how I handle those changes. For a while it had been an empty room, a wandering treasure hunter, a long drive to nowhere, a fruitless tree. It will be interesting to see how things change when the room is filled up, the treasure is found, destination arrives and fruits weigh down the tree.
Funny how the more the number of fruits there are on a tree, the more it stays closer to the ground.
thaati
PS: I should admit that it takes a lot of time for first time writer like to me to put together thoughts in a coherent manner and still I am not really sure if this can be called coherent. I can see that I have a lot to learn but with time I hope to improve. Hope I’ll be back soon.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
and we meet again...
It’s been a while I visited this page. As I said in my first post, I would not write a blog even if I was getting paid to write one. This proved true as for the whole last year when I was back home in India, writing a blog was the last thing on my mind (I am assuming that automatically conveys that it was never on my mind). Few of the reasons I am back at this page today and giving blogging a fresh start are listed below
· I have received admission for the one year MBA program at ISB and I believe writing things down will help me keep track of the changes that happen because of this new event
· I know that I don’t write well and maybe blogging will be one of the steps to improve the skill. I am assuming I will have to write a lot during and post MBA anyway
· I am back in the US for a short assignment and even after all the work, parties, movies, photography, books I am still left with time to kill and blogging may help
· As we grow, we change, and our beliefs change, and so I have changed as well. Contrary to my earlier beliefs I am not opposed to sharing my opinion now.
I don’t know how often I would be able to update this, and what purpose, if any, it would serve to people reading it but the above reasons are enough for me to give blogging another shot. It is 10:30 now and time for me to get back to finishing ‘se7en’ (left it midway to write this blog), and then read the book, and then maybe watch some tv and finally catch some sleep before I go to work tomorrow to sit in front of a PC and wonder why haven’t I quit yet.
Hope to be back soon.
thaati
· I have received admission for the one year MBA program at ISB and I believe writing things down will help me keep track of the changes that happen because of this new event
· I know that I don’t write well and maybe blogging will be one of the steps to improve the skill. I am assuming I will have to write a lot during and post MBA anyway
· I am back in the US for a short assignment and even after all the work, parties, movies, photography, books I am still left with time to kill and blogging may help
· As we grow, we change, and our beliefs change, and so I have changed as well. Contrary to my earlier beliefs I am not opposed to sharing my opinion now.
I don’t know how often I would be able to update this, and what purpose, if any, it would serve to people reading it but the above reasons are enough for me to give blogging another shot. It is 10:30 now and time for me to get back to finishing ‘se7en’ (left it midway to write this blog), and then read the book, and then maybe watch some tv and finally catch some sleep before I go to work tomorrow to sit in front of a PC and wonder why haven’t I quit yet.
Hope to be back soon.
thaati
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