TrendSpotting via Social Networking Sites

Some pretty Interesting patterns

1. Going abroad is cool, really cool

God knows how many ppl hop on to the networking bandwagon when they are in edmonton or little rock or washington.

On last count there were 38 towns and cities called washington in Wikipedia in USA. Edmonton's can be found in USA,UK and the Australia.All this just makes the above mentioned trend even more popular.


2. You got kids. Pls let the world know.

Michael Jackson, was hauled up for holding prince from the balcony.

This emerging trend is becoming more observant as i move up the age ladder.

Guys and Gals or rather young mumma and puppa just make sure the kid is happy and not as much of a net freak as we all are.


3. Trekking/Jogging/Mountaineering/Hitchhiking

The Great Indian Outdoor Journey has begun. Perhaps brands like Timberland and The North Face should finally begin their trek to India...or atleast to the young Indian consumer on Facebook.

4. Gizmo's ......

You got mail. You show it. You got a Google Wave Account. Shout from the top of your voice.

5. Degrees Help

Its the new caste system of the world. I mean don't go far, see my own blogger profile for the same.

Journeys via the marquee degrees you obtain is definately far shallower than experiencing life.

Guess the best way somebody described it was a 5 minute dialogue by Boman Irani in the movie bluff master.

Some of theese even i am guilty of, but by and large i observed the same , rather than participating in the same.

Changeling

I changed my blog template today. Changed it after 3.5 years. I edited my profile. Changed my place from Kolkata to B'lore after 3 years of being here. I had got too used to kolkata. I got even more used to blore.

Had a great run in both cities.Literally. Have written before about kolkata, so this post should be about bangalore.

What can i say about my life here.

Stayed alone for 15 month; then moved in with angad since the last 6 months;
Richards town and its park. The movies at Everest . Small town life in a big city.
Quizzes at KQA ; pubbing at Opus ; Monopoly at Kartik's ;Jogging at Ulsoor;Running at Cubbon;

The best possible entertainment.Long hours, first time with SAP, first time at sales,murli for company to drive to markets. Learnt stuff, cried cribbed, but generally enjoyed.Food for thought with Mikhail, evenings with goutom, sujata , rajshri, jishnu, .....with music and great food.Cultivated a baggage of even more beautiful memories than kolkata.

Had a brilliantly worked out life. As there is no such thing as a perputal motion machine, this great setup too will have to go.

There is enough anecdotal eveidence that this has to happen.Just don't know where ITC will put me next.

Hope it still would be bangalore.

Either ways,i will always cherish my time in Bangalore. Next time though would like to stay.

3rd time lucky - An ode to Mr Sekhar Chandra

My first 3 bosses, in my rather short corporate carrier were from my own MBA Alma mater - xl. In fact only my current boss is not an xler.

The 3rd amongst those, but perhaps the one who left the most lasting impression on me, was Mr Sekhar Chandra. He retired a few days ago.

We gave him a good farewell. But he is the kind of guy who will celebrate it as his birthday. God given or acquired , on wouldn't know but he had an amazing sense of humour.

Here is one for the record. On the last day of his working life , he met another colleague while peeing at the toilet.He replied to goutom the colleague --- isiko Peer Pressure kehte hain.

If you gave a smart ass comment, you would get a smarter retort back.You sent him a cheeky mail, you would get a cheekier one from him back.He was my boss for a year.

He taught me some valuable lessons on tobacco industry,and taught me some rather invaluable lessons in life.

His corporate climb was far from spectacular, but his impact on me was spectacular.

I used to discuss golf with him, a sport i have no idea about. I gave him a pack of assorted confectionery some 13 months back. Going to his cabin, eating a candy and talking to him about anything was my favourite stess buster for a year.

In his last days he was busy writing anecdotes from around the ITC sales organization in the last 30-40 years. I was his part time editor, though i may have only edited a story or two. In fact he liked a blog entry of mine and used it too for his collection.

During the last phase of the project , during the last days of his active working life, we tried to find an appropriate title for his book. I was so stuck on Gen 42- the answer to the universal question in ITC , a double pun on 42 of hitchhikers guide to the galaxy and Gen 42 - an antiquated but an extremely useful report created for adequate stock planning in ITC. He showed me the folder which kept his collection of stories. Rather i peeked into the same, and saw that there was no presence of " Shit Happens" my blog entry which was to be made into a story.I was anyways going through some other strange notions on some other work and personal front related issues. I just added this , and i thought perhaps he never really put my story and just told me the same so that he could use my help.

15 minutes into my imagination, he casually showed all those stories to me , including my " Shit Happens" which was now renamed "Diary Notes". The story had been there all along.

He taught me perhaps the most important lesson on that day - the importance of trust.
Trust i guess is a weapon we need to rely on even when it gets broken. Its something we just need to trust.

That was Mr Sekhar Chandra. You can trust him to say a few lines on this passage. And trust me they will be memorable gems and not some random lines.