Farewell

In a totally different context, we bid farewell to a bunch of folks at work today. A farewell that wasn't very fair. Or very necessary. We'll miss them.

When you stay and see your work buddies go, no matter how you worked together, there is a little unexplainable pain. There are times you go into total in communique, buried in work and life or in-between a combination of both. But they are there in the background doing their thing. Out of nowhere someone decides to go for lunch. You come out of the haze to enjoy the breezy sunshine of the people. Refreshing, rejuvenating, fun and interesting, all these. While having fun doing what you do, the load you pull becomes totally bearable with people who care for each other and care for what they do.

Yes, I know change is the only thing that never changes. We can never be eternally married to the work place. We might move on at some point and choose another path to walk and talk or walk the talk. Still it is sad to see friends leave :(

I wish they fare well after this farewell and life treats them fairly well.

Friends...

Its the little acts of kindness and little moments of sharing, caring and understanding can make random people we would not have otherwise known, as great friends for life. it can be a colleague, someone who went to school or college with you, a neighbor or your kids classmate's mom you met in school.

How does this happen? We may know someone for a long time.  But internally we would never connect at the same plane. Its strange how friendships are reciprocal, yet unbinding and non obligatory. Friendship flows like water, nourishing the landscape it flows, as it goes. Possessiveness and control can try to contain water, only to see the flow escape the boundaries when the pressure builds on.

Friendship helps you to be yourself while enabling a strong non-restrictive support and life long bonding.  Your orchard may be all apples and your friends orchard can be all pears.  You share the goodness of apples and pear all life long without forcing the other person to uproot his orchard to replace with the fruits you grow in your garden.

Distance or lack of it is never a factor in friendship. You can live thousands of miles away from each other, but still can share the love beyond the distance with simple acts of  love. An email, a phone call or a text is all that matters to keep in touch. While all these are not absolutely necessary to retain the friendship in your heart, these kind of sharing comforts the other person in times of need. You will never be too busy to do such things if you really care. But your friend does not expect this from you! That is the beauty and love we share in friendship.

Volcano

In the innermost recesses 
Lies the combusting coal...
Amidst the multitude of opportunities
To erupt into a fiery volcano...
Runs life seemingly orderly.
Some sneaky moments
When mundane guard goes down
Escapes steamy words
Shocking normal life - unaware.
And momentarily cools down on the exterier
Still combusting coal
Emanating unbearable heat 
Skillfully covered in the day to day sweat.

Housing Situation

I was sorting through mails and came across two shiny flyers. The kind made in glossy card stock paper from No. 1 sellers agents in the sought after area where we live – rather where we rent. Both flyers were screaming loud that they sold most of the homes for much more than the listed prices. Some prices were over 100 K or 150 K than the listed price. Some of them say cannot disclose how much more. The factor that got my attention was two words in green, in most of the transactions -  ALL CASH.

So who can buy a home for 1.5 Million in all cash? And why? How does this impact the economy? My simple knowledge about the US economy is that the financial institutions need to generate loans and revenue though interest to create a sustainable economy. Is that not true? What triggers the home pricing hike? Did a simple search for “United States Economy”. The following is a statement I found in one of the articles.

“A central feature of the U.S. economy is the economic freedom afforded to the private sector by allowing the private sector to make the majority of economic decisions in determining the direction and scale of what the U.S. economy produces. This is enhanced by relatively low levels of regulation and government involvement,^[as well as a court system that generally protects property rights and enforces contracts.”

Economic freedom has made a United States a highly sought after land for living from people all around the world. With the abundance of natural resources and opportunities, this country became home to millions of hardworking individuals who thought they could realize the American Dream and live happily ever after. It is a pity that at least three fourth of those who made this country home, cannot really afford to own a home for themselves. Just thinking a little more on this situation, what causes this? Is this governed by the law of supply and demand?

A recap of the law of supply and demand: “The law of supply and demand defines the effect that the availability of a particular product and the desire (or demand) for that product has on price. Generally, if there is a low supply and a high demand, the price will be high. In contrast, the greater the supply and the lower the demand, the lower the price will be.”

Personally I think US housing in some parts is governed by Surplus Money + Controller Demand + Opportunistic Greed, than the actual Supply and Demand in the market. Buyers with a lot of money from stock options or whatever, and out of country buyer who desperately wants to invest in the US are always willing to pay anything more than the listed price for a house. The hard working families with normal income pattern can only dream of a dream home forever.

Should there be some regulations in place? Should someone look at this situations? Or is this a situation created for a reason?

Change….

A tornado from nowhere, tsunami, hurricane, accident. Soil erosion, water levels, seasons, growth and aging.

All of these factors cause change. In human life. We change, grow, develop for better or worse in the process of life. Until one fine day, the eternal change removes us and then the traces, from being human on this earth. That again causes change in lives of our loved ones...and change. They move on.

What kind of change is more sustainable and digestible? The tornado type or the soil erosion type? From my perspective, it would the soil erosion type. It is not sudden, not drastic, not supremely disruptive. Yet, we are aware, it happens, is disruptive to the existing thing, and one day, in time, there will be something different than what is. New sand on the beach caused by erosion. Increased water levels and melted snow peaks. Hotter summer and warmer winters. We do see/feel traces of the change as it happens….right?

What makes me think about change today? A change that is not happening.

Well I had been discussing some potential proposals that could change stuff for the better. People listen, agree, understand, sympathize and are not going anywhere. So what happens when we are stuck in the past, a 15 years earlier time frame, style and presentation, and the rest of the world is sprinting onto 2015 with vigor and enthusiasm? When we hit stagnation in growth, and do not plan to change with time, a negative change, deterioration starts happening. The history that built momentum becomes the historical past.

What can we do? Any monumental change is not possible in a day. Start slow. Look around. Listen. Start little. Alexander the great conquered nations by starting at the peripheral territories. Start changing small peripherals, move slowly forward. When the peripheral change gains visibility, that becomes the proof of concept for the bigger change. Do not hold on to something that worked for you 15 years ago.

Revisit, review and revamp to rejuvenate. Embrace change.

பிரிவின் வண்ணம்

சற்றே இருளாய் -
கருமை படர்ந்த மாலை பொழுதாய்
தனிமை தொடர்ந்த அந்த நேரம்
எண்ணம் கலங்கி வெறுமை படர்ந்து
தூரிகை எடுத்து எண்ணம் வரைய
வண்ணம் குழைக்க -
எண்ணம் போலே குழம்பிய வண்ணம்
கோடாய் குயிலாய் மரமாய் மடுவாய்
எங்கோ சென்று எதிலோ முடிந்து
பொருளே புரியா புதிய படமாய் ...

கண்ணாமூச்சி

வாழ்க்கை பாதையில்
ஒரு பொம்மலாட்டம்-
சொல்லாத எண்ணங்களில்
தெரியாத வண்ணங்களில்
தொலைந்த கனவுகளை
தேடும் குருடர்களாய் ...
எங்கோ என்றோ நிரடிய எண்ணங்களை
இங்கு இன்று தொடாமல் தொட்டுக்கொண்டு
வார்த்தை விளையாட்டில்
வாழ்கை தொலைப் போமோ?

Morning Musing

I woke up this morning. Have roof over my head, a job, family, and more family back home that care for me and I care for. Have great friends. I am blessed. Thank God for these blessings in life.

There are times when life looks gloomy, hopeless and fearful. We are born and we die. We, as in us do not decide when we are born. Same way we do not decide when we die. So why would I let anxiety take over? Fear cripple my way?

Work honestly, communicate openly, appreciate little pleasures, live on, until the day we are ready to move on and make space for those lives that'll happen after us. That day can be anywhere - just a few feet away or miles. Waiting for that to arrive takes away the present.

Living in the present - thoughtfully, appreciatively, joyfully and thankfully, at the same time counting the little blessings, hoping for a future - not fearing for the future would be very helpful to find way through life, living it.
 

Relaxation...

A little farther way
Beckons the elusive relaxation
I'll reach you soon
Just one more chore
I'll finish and start.....
Relaxation listens and moves a little farther than that
Fold the cloths.
Do the dishes.
Tidy up kids room.
Vacuum the carpet.
Sweep the floor.
Just one more chore
I'm coming to you relaxation...
It seems to listen-
Ah the stove top.
Mop the floor.
Make the bed.
The bathroom?
Just one more chore.
Relaxation exasperated
Moves one step closer.
Oh no... not today...
I can't relax.
I am not completely done with my chore.
Its pickup time.
I'll pursue you tomorrow, relaxation.
Go relax.
Don't wait for me.
 

Winning Together

How do we want to spend time working on cross functional teams on a project? ‘A project’ is a key term. When the outcome of ‘a project’, the product - ships, and when the customer uses it – they look at the product as a whole. They do not care who developed, which team from which geography contributed to which feature etc. The perception one product. The life of this product and reputation of the company depends on whether it works or not. Features, functionality, usability, support and documentation – all of these factors contribute to one goal – user’s experience with the product.

From conception to deliverable, ‘a product’ is chunked into multiple components for development and testing by sometimes hundreds of skilled engineers. Everyone works to make their part perfect. And take of making all the parts work together as expected. Someone steps in to test if things are working as expected. And someone starts documenting the functionality to enable the user navigate through or use the product without going through much frustration.

There might be issues and glitches everywhere. Of course we are all human. So when we find an issue of a glitch, try to bring it up and help the owner fix. If we don’t and start finding faults at the last minute, instead of spending time in resolving the problem for a better quality, we spend more time in finding reasons to defend ourselves. How does that help us being productive? We lose track of the common goal, and start chasing our individual interest that may not contribute to a common goal.

It is common knowledge that team work is all about working together, complementing and helping each other to succeed as a team. To achieve a common goal.

And...

2014 is already two months into and running on to March tomorrow. When I was young, I seemed to have time. Just like everyone else. I did school work, volunteered to teach, read books, played in the front yard, visited friends, went to school, did all in one day. Those days, when I had to wait for the weekend, I had to actually feel going to school for five full days. It feels different now. Its like the weekend never happens...week days neither. Clock just seems to be running out of control. Who invented the clock anyways?? Yeah Google will find an answer or Siri....no I don't need to know now. I need a break.

Its all one constant rush.

When was the last time I sat and played scrabble, anything with my kids? When was the last time I was not chasing my never ending list of to do items? Even now - the network is way too slow, the deliverable I need to post to preview is still not happening. Need to take a shower...who cares right? As long as the work gets done.

Looks like I am being consumed by work....mmm taking a step back and think? Well I do love my job - enjoy the little successes and can handle the little or major frustrations. But these past few weeks, I am numb.

 

Love

Passionate moments of lonely intensity
Fiery cold and biting heat
Ravenous heart filled with
Unsung music's blaring noise
Is loudest on the lonely afternoon-
Unsaid word's deepest meanings
Drifting in dangerous solitude-
Vanishes with -

A gentle breezy touch
A warm glistening look
Filled with Love. 

Memories live on

My periyappa passed today. On his Birthday. At a temple. My mom's older sister's husband. I am grief stricken. So far away. Can't do anything except think about my childhood and the warm memories that flood the cold reality. I cannot be there to mourn through the ceremonies. Cannot share my grief with anyone around, because those memories are only close to me.

Like everything else, this grief too shall pass. And we will continue live. I have spent an essential part of my childhood at my periyappa's house. He is not a man of many words. His caring affection and love can only be experienced. I experienced his affection in more ways than one. I wish my kids got to know him better.

Now all we got is a few pictures of him with me and my kids. I cannot think beyond today. Today will pass too.

காதல்

தஹிக்கும் குளிரை
அணைக்கும் நெருப்பாய்
நிழலும் பொசுங்கும்
அனலின் சுடராய்
நிஜமாய் இருக்கும்
பொய்யின் முகமாய்
பொய்யாய் தெரியும்
உண்மை நிறமாய்
காதல் கொண்ட
பெண்ணின் மனது
அவளே கூட அறியா பொருளாய் ...