Satisfaction VS Achievement – the pillow way.

Friday, November 21, 2008

I started to sleep after a stressful nightshift and my brain was still awake. Surprisingly, my brain began to talk to the pillow. The pillow was inquiring about my wellness of the day. My brain started to crib about the day’s bad happenings. At some point of time the pillow had to interrupt and said “Stop that. Why are you so pessimistic?” That was hard to take. Pessimistic. I was never a pessimistic person. i don’t see the empty half in a glass of water. The pillow said “Is that just sufficient. A person who knows psychology can never fail a psychic test”. True, the actual test is not just that simple. Pillow continued, “Life is simple. Just live it.” The brain asked “But how, what will happen to ambitions, the landmarks which want to cross. Importantly, my promises to keep before I sleep.” The pillow asked “what are they”. The brain listed all that I wanted to do from my childhood and never achieved any. The pillow asked “is that what you wanted to achieve.” The brain said yes. “Will you be satisfied then ..?” the pillow asked. The brain said it will try. The pillow asked “Do you have a hobby? How often you’ve rejected your own idea? How many things have you assumed rather than understanding the actual?” The brain started to ponder. The pillow continued “Great people don’t compromise. They don’t work for achievement; but it’s their passion. Satisfaction is just the state of mind. State of contentment. But passion is a burning desire it never sleeps. It never recognizes milestones. Neither hatred nor flattery falls in the sight of passion. Passion leads to achievement and achievement leads to glory. Passion is hunger and satisfaction is contentment. Think of what you can do today than tomorrow” The brain started to think “What am I working for? Money, glory, passion or just the need? Am I really passionate about something..?” The pillow stopped but brain started to think “is this simply my inability to cope up with the change or should I create something of my choice…”
To be continued….

Tough needs to be going ... before I sleep!

When Going gets tough, the tough gets going! The going is getting tough; I am not sure if the tough will get going at once. I am in the late twenties now – half of my life is gone now and I have not done anything great – not yet! When will I do that ‘something’? How will it be done? Will it be done or will it happen? When will it happen?

Well, too many questions to (en)counter now. Too much of question marks all around me – in office, at home and everywhere else. I have got questions to answer before I sleep. I know; but then, working for 9 hours in the night shifts with an additional 3 hours of travel – one needs to sleep – I need to sleep. I don’t get enough, but when I do, I ensure to have my pillows all around me. There was this incidence when my wife came back home that day and I was still sleeping. Looking at the bed, she asked, “are you sure, that you were (only) sleeping?” Well, I was sleeping – trust me. I could do nothing else that time, once I reach home after office at dawn. All my tiredness and my anxiety end when I hit the sack. The time is odd – I understand, but then, this is the time when the Americans sleep. They are the ones who pay for my living – so, I have to (literarily) sit when they do; stand when they do and sleep when they sleep. No worries.

Self Satisfaction is factional. It has to indulge your family and the people sharing time with you. In my case, family means my wife, as my parents stay far from me. I spend the lion’s share of my day with my colleagues in office. So, all these people contribute to my satisfaction – factional satisfaction. You say you do not need so many people around you to be satisfied. May be you would go to Himalayas – but you would not be satisfied if people concerned to you are not. You can avoid your thoughts to roam around your family only if your family is satisfied and can go on without you. You will not be happy if they long for you and you pine for them in return – not even if you are in the Himalayas and you want to become a sage.

Where am I? No, I am in the same track. I was telling that with all these questions revolving around me, how can I be satisfied? I cannot be. And till I am (read my soul is) not satisfied, I cannot relax, think, dream or act with discretion. To do these one needs peace of mind. Peace, I get only when I am among the pillows in my bed – fast asleep. Well, I can practice Self Control – actually, one has to practice that. Without ‘Self – control’ one would not be able to relax, think, dream or act with discretion when there is no peace of mind.

As the heading of the blog says, ‘I can and I will’ find peace of mind someday and will answer all the queries and I will be happy! Till then – “thanks to my pillows.”

SELF CONTROL

Monday, November 17, 2008

Let us learn the basic lessons of self control from this lovely little friend. What ever is the scenario we can see that these pillows are calm and collected; not just that after all human torture we can see them back at work- " no grudges". This can be said to be as the signs of Orthodox Professionalism.
Let me explain: At the heights of frustration; my biggest satisfaction is in punching the pillows and throwing them with out any aim, as if I am throwing away my anger far away from me. Pillows are so loving and so caring that they literally take off all our anger and when we go and take them back; they would come back to us again with a beautiful dream. I know pillows are life less but there role in our life is remarkable. A pillow gives you something beyond comfort. Now you may think Comparing life less things with life is craziness, but I feel it’s not a mistake; because we can learn life from any thing or any one. India is a fast growing country now. We can see a remarkable growth in all aspects of Indian life. All this happened after force fully taking in, a handful of a life less substance called salt. Thus we know how we can make life with life less substance.
Just like soup without salt, sleep without pillows is incomplete. And a life without sleep would be a disaster!!! So let us break the shackles of hesitation and prejudice and get freedom from all our physical and mental bondages; with a good sound sleep over these sweet little pillows.
“Let’s relax”
“Let’s think”
"Let's dream "
“Let’s act with discretion”, and
“Let’s practice self control”

Pillows and QC T

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Think of a pillow, think of sleeping, so think of QC Team its as good as thinking a pillow. This was the stage when i came to pctune up. It was in its nascent stage then and nobody had any idea of what the process was. Today we have crossed 3 years, truly a successful transition. We fought, we cried, had thrown attitude at each other, still we stayed united. Should I call United People of QC T. Do we really have the same scene now? I doubt. Earlier we were motivated to work. I know people who have sacrificed the offs just to come to work. Am just one among them. We never had manager, no operations support infact we sat in a corner of the floor but we never felt we were alone. Here I have to mention Mr. Abhijith Chakraborthy for the only psychological and operational support to everyone. serious issues looked like petty things and every one had a dream to chase. After 3 years in the new scene do we have anything to act, its indeed a serious question. we sit in the middle of the floor and no one cares, we have everyone only to transfer blame on us. Petty issues were made serious ones who cares. Even now every one has something to chase thats not a dream its just a happy sleep.
Nothing like Nostalgia. Earlier I used remember my pillow to remind my dreams and ways to chase it indeed like mothers lap. Now!!! Am scrambling for words and looking for sleep. GOD SAVE QC T!!!

Quotes on Pillows...

Friday, November 7, 2008

Many people have come across the thoughts regarding pillows and have seen the pillows in different ways. Things are as we see them. They saw - they felt and put their feelings in black and white. There are many quotes and proverbs on pillows . A selected few are listed here:

“Fear can keep us up all night long, but faith makes one fine pillow.” .... [Anonymous]

“How come the dove gets to be the peace symbol? How about the pillow? It has more feathers than the dove, and it doesn't have that dangerous beak” .... Jack Handy

“If you're alone, I'll be your shadow. If you want to cry, I'll be your shoulder. If you want a hug, I'll be your pillow. If you need to be happy, I'll be your smile. But anytime you need a friend, I'll just be me” .... [Anonymous]

“When I lay my head on the pillow at night I can say I was a decent person today. That's when I feel beautiful.” .... Drew Barrymore

“I put a piece of paper under my pillow, and when I could not sleep, I wrote in the dark” .... Henry David Thoreau

“No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow.” .... Lyn Yutang

“The sick do not ask if the hand that smoothes their pillow is pure, nor the dying care if the lips that touch their brow have known the kiss of sin.” .... Oscar Wilde

“There is no pillow so soft as a clear conscience” .... French Proverb

Hope you like the quotes. The first one is my favorite of all those quotes that I read recently on pillows. Have fun and stick to your pillows … have a good one!

Change... We can believe in.

Friday, October 31, 2008

Disclaimer: This has nothing to do with American politics. I mean it!!
1. My pillows don’t complain in me working in night shifts.
2. My pillows don’t crib if I smoke or come home drunk.
3. I don’t have to seek its permission b4 sleeping next to it in case am drunk.
4. I can punch it; I can throw it and even kick it.
5. I can give a tightest hug and still it doesn’t shout back for my rudeness.
6. Importantly, I don’t have to take it where ever I go.

Jokes apart, we work for a comfortable life and always crave to earn more. The more we earnthe less we sleep. One can’t eat properly when there is no sleep. When one can’t even eat andsleep properly what is the point in earning more. Look at the life of a pillow it evencomforts someone who is a heavyweight head weight has it ever complained of the stress. It’sgetting squeezed when we see a movie or watch a highly intense cricket match. It remains silent and doesn’t complain on this.It gets thrown to the wall; even when it’s not its fault and it doesn’t complain on this as well. To put it in a nutshell it never complains of over working, however we do. It accommodates to the change. Flexes its muscles when we stretch it and it is the most sought thing even at someone’s birth or death. How much are we sought for? Still we complain. I was wondering how this could happen.

Its simple, it doesn’t carry a heavy ego. No one likes a heavy pillow. I think thechange should start from here, let’s shred all our egos in terms of education, lifestyle, salary and possessions. Let’s become lightweight jus like a pillow and we will be sought after, after all we are humans and can change!!!

Adaptability and Pillows

Thursday, October 30, 2008

One of the most important lessons that we can learn from these pillows is their adaptability. If we look at the way they can be utilized by everyone; we can see a million different uses for the same pillow. For sleeping comfort itself we may use the pillow in hundreds of different ways and in thousands of different shapes. Pillows are a blessing when we have back pain and we keep them under our knees while lying flat on the bed. Watching movies would never be complete without pillows and pop corns; here again pillows!!! And the list keeps on growing like this. But the utilization of pillows is remarkable.

Now let’s take our pillows and try to understand our life; just like watching a good movie.

Any change that happens to our thought or to any other factors that directly or indirectly influences us, makes our life miserable. At least it takes some time for us to get adjusted with the change and make that change ours. We are not like pillows; we will show maximum resistance to any change in and around us. With this resistance to changes we hurt ourselves and people around us. But at last one thing is inevitable; we have to change; then why to make a negative by product for all these changes. We all know that change is a natural phenomenon and we have to change our self with the change so as to survive. That's why they say "Survival of the fittest" – only the fittest ones can survive. Let us say good bye to the state of being unfit and let's work towards being fit. Let's make every change a pleasant experience.

Let's say "hi" to all changes with a smile :-)

The Story of the Pillows!

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Everyone has pillows in their beds – pillows, where we keep our heads while sleeping; pillows, where we surrender every time we go to bed; pillows, where we dream about our future and the same pillows, whom we leave to get up from sleep and start working towards transforming those golden dreams to reality. Pillows take our thoughts into their unlimited storage room and keep it safe; later helps us think, dream and analyze the possibility. Pillows let us crawl in and get immersed in our own thoughts and let us have a warm and tender ambiance where we could do what we really wanted to do! Sometimes, they are like mother’s lap. Sometimes, they are like a friend’s shoulder and at times, they are like tissue papers (and you know when...) I feel, once in a while that pillows act as a good, caring and loving wife!

Well, I have got a small home, in this large city of Bangalore. A home, rented though, but painted and decorated with love. I live in a small one kitchen, one hall and one bedroom house with my wife – who is always my strength and motivation. She is the best place where I can lean on when I am sad, down or alone. Just like my lovely little pillow she supports me.

We have a few pillows at home – four, to count them up. All four are lovely ones – whom I love very much. All are like my partners in times of sorrow, loneliness and also during celebration and happiness. They share everything – my joys and woes. They remain with me during a movie; they remain with me during my lonely afternoons, when my wife is gone to office; they remain with me all the time I sleep and dream – dream about my wishes and desires; they take active participation when me and my wife fight (You know, the pillows can be used as a weapon in fun fights!) I love all o’em.
There are many things in my small, little and tiny house, but I would love to rest only on my pillows – my partners in my life. I am happy to get this opportunity to drop in my life with my pillows – well, I am sure we have a long way to go in a life full of ups and downs and I sincerely hope that my pillows will be with me – all the way!!

Cheers!