Valuable lessons that the recession taught me

750 job applications and 5 months into my job hunt in the US, I was staring down the barrel. Human that I was, the initial reaction was sheer disappointment.This had been a trying time no doubt, and a lot of effort had gone into looking for a job.  It has taken me a month to just get to the point where I can comfortably write about it. I even have relapses sometimes ;-). But, cutting to the chase, hunting for a job in the recession has taught me many a thing, in fact, lately, I've been thinking of it as the best character test that life could throw at me. I've done my best to list out what I learned, in the order of importance of course.

A lesson in humility

Lets face it, all of us, and I mean ALL..at some point or the other deem ourselves 'above average'. Ever though about it? How come all of us are 'above average'? We all love comparisons, especially if we are on the higher scale.And quite so often, we are disappointed that life gives someone else an opportunity that 'I truly deserved'. I have been cured of this sin of snobbery. It is very minor snobbery, really. And yet the cure has arrived.

Whiskey is awesome

I have always been a beer person. As cliched as it may seem, some tough times introduced me to whiskey, the single malt variety. And I love it. Chivas, Glenmorangie and Glenfiddich(the only ones that my budget permits). Tastes best when consumed in solitary confinement, in a prim and proper whiskey glass, coupled with soft rock. Neat is the way to go, but an ice cube or two and a dash of club soda won't hurt. Adding Coke or any other such beverage is a huge no-no, as is making your drink a popsicle by adding too much ice.

Odysseus must set sail again

Odysseus had tried to avoid the Trojan war by feigning lunacy, as an oracle had prophesied a long-delayed return home for him if he went. But we all know that finally Odysseus had to go, and he had to endure the delayed return. He did survive, and have a couple of wonderful books dedicated to him though. You are free to make your own conclusions, but this philosophy is something that really eliminated the 'why' angle from my self blown up miseries.

Triumph of the will
Its all about how strong you are, isn't it? I would clench my teeth when someone would point out that I was the longest serving intern in The Company. I eventually learned how to maintain my self-control, and have become really good at it! These days, I laugh along as well! No, seriously, this is the most useful lesson that the recession has taught me, composure in public. Emotional intelligence.

I am as significant as the other
During one of my moping sessions, a friend said "A 108 year old multi billion dollar company collapsed. What can a small insignificant Ramachandran Eswaran do?" That just shocked me out of self pity. I have come to realize that in the bigger realm of things, the word 'I' holds no true meaning. The sooner you start thinking 'us', the better for you.

More to follow, watch this space!

Sex and the automotive

I had a lengthy discussion with my better half this morning about my recent post on the Yamaha VMax. And I list her opinions: "That thing looks hideous." "The silver tube thingys on the side of the bike looks ugly, why can't they just take it away? Or just paint it in fuschia?". But what really took the cake was "This thing looks like a car on a diet, or a bike that overate. I think what it really lacks is 2 more wheels." And I know she was genuinely voicing her opinion, and not just trying to be funny. There have been many such discussions. For instance, she doesn't believe Michael Schumacher is anything special. "Ask him to come to Bangalore and drive that silly looking red thing of his at those speeds and I will accept. Any monkey can drive a four wheeled thingy fast enough on an open race track." Women, barring a few hate anything automotive. Just the other day, I was trying to get her identify different car shells. Coupe, Sedan, Hatchback, Station Wagon and SUV. Simple enough isn't it? Nothing over the top. Needless to say, I failed miserably. According to her, a sports coupe is "really low, cannot be good for arthritis". The automotive supplement that we get once a week with our newspaper, the one that I look forward to, is her  'chappathi making newspaper'.

However, there is hope left in the world. As I learned, there are some things that cannot be discussed between soul mates of opposite sexes. Unless you want to hear statements that are really hard to find retorts for, men, please confine the automotive within your own male circles.

Random thought on a boring Wednesday

If its only human to not count our blessings, to be unhappy with whatever we have, want what we don't have, to err, etc. etc., its not my fault I turned out to be a complete jerk.

The king of beasts launched in India

I have been eagerly following the news stream for the last few days, a direct consequence of  Yamaha Motors India announcing that they would be launching "not only the fastest motorcycle in India, but the fastest motorcycle in the world". I pride myself in having predicted it would be the 2010 V-Max. Yes, I am shamelessly parading it, patting my own back, as any motorcycle ego-centric person would. Anyway, I will spare you the gloating, and move on to what is much bigger and  more sacred than my ego: the monstrous VMax.

I have had the pleasure of watching this monster zoom by at dizzying speeds on a deserted parking lot stretch . I will also shamelessly admit that I was on the deserted stretch just for the purpose of leching at two wheeled beauties. For those who do not understand leching at motorcycles (even though I generalize, this is meant solely for my fiance), here are a few words. A thing of beauty is joy forever. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Blah blah. Jimmy Choo shoes may do it for ya, Kim Kadashian may do it for my good buddy Javed, but going to the 'race lot'(undisclosed location lest the Natick police is scouring websites) does it for me. But I digress. Coming back to the VMax, this is a creation of orgasmic proportions. It is rumored that the sole purpose of creating this machine was to deliver acceleration, and make the rider feel every g of it. Having not ridden it myself, I am not going to do a quick google search and pretend to 'review' the bike. All i can say is, its huge, its got 4 cylinders, a full sized radiator, shaft drive and humongous Brembo brakes on each wheel. Its also got a 'you cannot miss me' air intake by the fuel tank. And its incredibly fast, with an authentic 'wooooaaaaaaaaaaan' engine scream. Styled deceptively like a cruiser, this is the real bad ass. For those who really love specs, like me, here you go. Yamaha India is going to import 25 of these, and price each at around Rs.20 lakh. Which is why I love leching. Its doesn't cost me a penny.

Congos and others

What in the name of Zeus is 'Congos'? Who invented this word, and what were they thinking? This is one word in the vocabulary of the diaspora that makes my blood boil whenever i see/hear it. Chants of 'Congos buddy' on Facebook puts me in serious risk of pulmonary hypertension. I've always hated all the words in the SMS lingo, without any discrimination. 'Kewl' increases my systolic blood pressure as much as 'Dog! ow u diing?'. Excessive usage of 'lol' does an Incredible Hulk to me. You wouldn't like me when I am angry. But 'Congos', now that's a totally different ball game. I tend to bench press a good 20 pounds extra when I think about it. As Jules from Pulp Fiction would say..I shall strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison my brothers with such parlance...

Harley Davidson in India

To the uninitiated, Harley Davidson is coming to India. Here is the official press release. Bless them mangoes and the trade negotiation gurus. India, imposes the most stringent emission standards in the world in its Bharat Stage III norms, which most imported motorcycles don't adhere to. You heard me right on that one. Not withstanding the huge hue and cry over the 'India is the most polluting country in the world' statement issued by the west(which is not true statistically anyway, and is something I would like to dedicate a whole post to), the Indian government requires all new CBU vehicle imports, to adhere to the Bharath Stage III norms, which however does not come into effect until April 2010. The vehicles manufactured in India have to conform to Bharat Stage II which is a notch up on the Euro II norms. Anyway, without digressing further, the crux of the matter is that, after a lot of bickering, trade gurus on both sides came to an agreement wherein India would allow the American icon to import its big thumpers conforming to Euro II, in exchange for mangoes that are irradiated, and not conventional-pesticide-treated.

These are good time for Indian motorcycling enthusiasts, no doubt. But again, here comes my pet peeve. I would really love to see Harley build these hellraisers in India and not CBU them. You see, the Harley 883 Sportster, is the entry level Harley. It would set an American back by $7000. Add to that import duty and operational costs, I doubt if we'll see the Sportster in India priced below Rs. 8 lakhs. Harley is bringing to India the Dyna Street Bob, heritage Soft Tail Classic, the V-Rod and the Electra Glides as well, none of which could be priced below Rs. 13 lakhs. Looks like the 'aam junta' will have to wait longer until Harley decides to establish a plant in India. Official Harley Davidson India website

I blog, therefore I am

Grrr. I used to hate this. I've hated it even before hating it became cool. Blogging. Translated to 'rant and rave online'. A quick statistic here..over a 24 hour period, there seems to be 900,000 blogs posted worldwide. Blogging activity has grown 59% over the past year (courtesy: http://www.internetworldstats.com). I assume I can be forgiven for being a minuscule contributor to the big picture. But anyway, here we go. Open up and welcome me to the blogging world!