Smokers at any workplace have this unwritten or unsaid permission to go out of the building at frequent intervals to have a ciggie. While smoking the Ciggie itself is not the best thing to do, these frequent breaks have a lot of other advantages.
Smokers have this mutual affinity of bonding with each other quickly. The smoking area is a great place (not environmentally though) to meet and interact with a variety of people. I hear that this place is host to everything from gossip to some of the most important business decisions. Eureka moments also strike u while on these breaks.
These breaks enable us to get away from the computer for a while, get out into the natural environment and breathe some fresh air, get some Vitamin K on us and also get to see something green and cool to soothe the eyes. These breaks also help in breaking the monotany at work and provides a channel for relaxation.
Contrary to common belief, these benefits are not a result of the habit of smoking, but are the benefits of taking breaks from work at regular intervals. I have become a fan of such breaks. I just walked out of the office and it felt great to breathe in some fresh air and see things green and far. I stayed away from the smokers zone for obvious reasons, but then found no one else like me for company downstairs. Thats not gonna stop me from taking these breaks, cause I enjoy the benefits of it, even though I do it all alone!!!!!
Note : Reproduced from my other blog at http://o3.indiatimes.com/rpramod
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Monday, May 21, 2007
Looking back at my Day 1 in Melbourne
I was reminded about my first day in Melbourne when i was interacting with my friends colleague who has just come down to Melbourne. I did not know about blogging then, but that doesnt mean that my first day in melbourne cannot be documented on my blog!!!!
I took off from a 40 degree hot Mumbai to land in a 7 degree cold Melbourne. That was the first bit of change. It was bloody cold and only the excitement of a new country, a new place, new beginnings, new friends and more that kept me going. The infrastructure (roads, traffic etc) was not such a surprise to me as I had been to Dubai before. The accents of people and the numerous Goras that were there all around me was a change indeed.
I checked into the Hotel and just stretched after that long flight. It was about 9 in the night and I munched on some roti and jam that Mommy had packed for me. After a quick call home to tell tham I reached safe, myself and my 2 other friends were left wondering about what to do. It was Friday night and university would not start until Monday. Because of the time difference there was not an ounce of sleep in our eyes. We decided to go out and explore the city.
The Hotel was in the heart of the city and being Friday night, it was a happening place. Lots of people, many with beer bottles in hand and almost everybody were in couples!!!! There were so many 'Chinkis' there that I wondered if I got on the wrong flight and landed in Shanghai!!!!!
Whatever I saw, was so different to what I was used to seeing - the way people look, the way they speak, dress, walk, laugh, the roads, the sounds, the boards ....everything. I saw the first case of PDA when this couple was making out bang in the middle of Bourke Street. I was taking all of this in. My university, my course, my ambition etc were all secondary and I was just taking in everything that I was actually seeing.
We walked a bit further and saw boards that read "ClubX" and "Adult Show" and "Peep show" and the like. Whoa!!!!! Now thats a big change. It was all too much to take in in teh first few hours of having arrived and I needed some water. I went into a 7-11 and bought the most expensive bottle of water at 2$ and thought to myself that 52Rs for a bottle of water is ridiculous. (in those days 1AUD = 26Rs)
It was about midnight and we decided to go to the HOtel room and try to get to bed so that we got into local time schedule soon. We lied down on our beds and put the TV on. It was one of the National channels and what was playing is what I better knew as "porn"!!!! We said to each other "Sahi Desh hai yaar ye!!!!"
The nights sleep was quite disturbed and i woke up only next afternoon!!!!!! i walked into McDonalds and looked up the board for something veggie. There was none. So I ordered a Cheese Burger. When I collected my burger, I could see some meat inside my burger. When i asked the counter girl, she said it was a Cheese burger and that is had a slice of beef. Oh Ok - cheese burgers have beef in them. I asked if I could get a burger with just cheese inside and I got an affirmative. But what followed was just plain funny - the girl took the cheese burger from me, removed the slice of beef from between and gave it back to me as a burger with just cheese in it.
It was not their fault, I paid 4$ (oops i mean 104Rs) for it and threw it straight into the bin. I think I had a jumbo margherita pizza slice for lunch. cant remember.
Day one was eventful and its been a long way since then, but times have gone by so fast. It was a challenge and all i can do is to hope for more such challenges in the future.
Note : Reproduced from my other blog at http://o3.indiatimes.com/rpramod
I took off from a 40 degree hot Mumbai to land in a 7 degree cold Melbourne. That was the first bit of change. It was bloody cold and only the excitement of a new country, a new place, new beginnings, new friends and more that kept me going. The infrastructure (roads, traffic etc) was not such a surprise to me as I had been to Dubai before. The accents of people and the numerous Goras that were there all around me was a change indeed.
I checked into the Hotel and just stretched after that long flight. It was about 9 in the night and I munched on some roti and jam that Mommy had packed for me. After a quick call home to tell tham I reached safe, myself and my 2 other friends were left wondering about what to do. It was Friday night and university would not start until Monday. Because of the time difference there was not an ounce of sleep in our eyes. We decided to go out and explore the city.
The Hotel was in the heart of the city and being Friday night, it was a happening place. Lots of people, many with beer bottles in hand and almost everybody were in couples!!!! There were so many 'Chinkis' there that I wondered if I got on the wrong flight and landed in Shanghai!!!!!
Whatever I saw, was so different to what I was used to seeing - the way people look, the way they speak, dress, walk, laugh, the roads, the sounds, the boards ....everything. I saw the first case of PDA when this couple was making out bang in the middle of Bourke Street. I was taking all of this in. My university, my course, my ambition etc were all secondary and I was just taking in everything that I was actually seeing.
We walked a bit further and saw boards that read "ClubX" and "Adult Show" and "Peep show" and the like. Whoa!!!!! Now thats a big change. It was all too much to take in in teh first few hours of having arrived and I needed some water. I went into a 7-11 and bought the most expensive bottle of water at 2$ and thought to myself that 52Rs for a bottle of water is ridiculous. (in those days 1AUD = 26Rs)
It was about midnight and we decided to go to the HOtel room and try to get to bed so that we got into local time schedule soon. We lied down on our beds and put the TV on. It was one of the National channels and what was playing is what I better knew as "porn"!!!! We said to each other "Sahi Desh hai yaar ye!!!!"
The nights sleep was quite disturbed and i woke up only next afternoon!!!!!! i walked into McDonalds and looked up the board for something veggie. There was none. So I ordered a Cheese Burger. When I collected my burger, I could see some meat inside my burger. When i asked the counter girl, she said it was a Cheese burger and that is had a slice of beef. Oh Ok - cheese burgers have beef in them. I asked if I could get a burger with just cheese inside and I got an affirmative. But what followed was just plain funny - the girl took the cheese burger from me, removed the slice of beef from between and gave it back to me as a burger with just cheese in it.
It was not their fault, I paid 4$ (oops i mean 104Rs) for it and threw it straight into the bin. I think I had a jumbo margherita pizza slice for lunch. cant remember.
Day one was eventful and its been a long way since then, but times have gone by so fast. It was a challenge and all i can do is to hope for more such challenges in the future.
Note : Reproduced from my other blog at http://o3.indiatimes.com/rpramod
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Keeping up with the times
The world is ever progressing and things of the future and becoming things in the present. What once was a luxury is now becoming a necessity. In this ever changing world we need to keep moving ahead, to make sure we are not left behind and outdated. I was pleasantly surprised yesterday when i noticed how a particular thing had kept up with the times. My friend bought Monopoly - the game, so that we could all get together and play on the weekends. Its been years since I have see a board, although i still remember what Chance 7 is and what Community Chest 11 is.
Coming back to the point, Monopoly has kept up with the times. What once was 600 pounds is now priced at 600K pounds. It might just be that extra K, but it makes so much sense and impressionable young kids dont have to wonder why Dad and Mom cant buy a house when its so cheap on Monopoly. Not just that, there is no longer the paper or coin type money. The game has, would u believe it, a swipe machine and credit card type funds. You have credit on ur card and u swipe it to transfer money to others or pay the bank. Its all electronic. That, I thought was absolutely fantastic and innovative.
Just like everything else, keeping ahead with times has its down side. Kids would no longer know how their grandparents conducted business. They wouldnt now about the cash and coins and keeping it all safe. But i suppose there has to be a tradeoff somewhere and to make that to benefit progress, is what keeping with times is all about.
I think our lives shd be pretty much the same, move on with technology and change, maybe being humans we can make sure that we not only remember the past but also take some lessons from it.
Note : Reproduced from my other blog at Http://o3.indiatimes.com/rpramod
Coming back to the point, Monopoly has kept up with the times. What once was 600 pounds is now priced at 600K pounds. It might just be that extra K, but it makes so much sense and impressionable young kids dont have to wonder why Dad and Mom cant buy a house when its so cheap on Monopoly. Not just that, there is no longer the paper or coin type money. The game has, would u believe it, a swipe machine and credit card type funds. You have credit on ur card and u swipe it to transfer money to others or pay the bank. Its all electronic. That, I thought was absolutely fantastic and innovative.
Just like everything else, keeping ahead with times has its down side. Kids would no longer know how their grandparents conducted business. They wouldnt now about the cash and coins and keeping it all safe. But i suppose there has to be a tradeoff somewhere and to make that to benefit progress, is what keeping with times is all about.
I think our lives shd be pretty much the same, move on with technology and change, maybe being humans we can make sure that we not only remember the past but also take some lessons from it.
Note : Reproduced from my other blog at Http://o3.indiatimes.com/rpramod
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