What are the essential ingredients that you should have in life? I dont know the answer and I doubt there is an answer that is right.... but here is my list... a. A good hobby: this is your alternate profession if the main profession really gets to you b. A friend in need: You are lucky if you have this one so please grab it and hold on to it... a friend you can call and scream, cry, shout with ... and next day behave as if life is just normal... you are even luckier if that person is your spouse c. a mentor: a person you look up to... and feel great when you get that pat on the back... and one you are afraid to let down in any situation.... that mentor keeps you in check... d. children: I think they are a critical ingredient - I was never one to crave for kids but I think my nephews made me see the fun side of life.... my sister thinks I have only seen the fun things and hence I love children now... probably true... but you dont necessarily have to have your own kids... you can love kids anyways.. e. a plan for your 60s: whether you will be learning karate, yoga, scuba diving is your choice... mine is to fine an isolated villa and lock myself in. f. a dream that is an aspiration: a dream that is so difficult to achieve that you constantly strive to achieve that... a dream that will make you stronger because it doesnt kill you...

I see it going away.. and I am scared to let it go... but I know it is in my best interest.... so why am I scared to let it go ? and if my mind knows that it is in my best interest, why is my heart not listening.... damn this complicated life....

Home.... finally..... so much to do still.... God, I know you will send help..... actually if you send some cash my way also i will be happy :)

The job of the Prime Minister of India is extremely hard... given that I wonder why anyone goes through the trouble of being one... and risk being assasinated at that .... I know it is too simplistic an analysis

So many thots that occupy my mind in the course of the week and I never get down to penning it... so what have I been thinking about? the monsoons for one thing... there is something so gorgeous about Mumbai during the rains... ofcourse I understand that it is easy for me to say that it is the beautiful season in Mumbai when I dont take the trains... but i have some experience in that department but nevertheless I think monsoons are the best part of Mumbai..... after the heat the whole city gets enveloped in a blanket of cold rain... it calms me down immediately... I feel peaceful... as if the rains are cleaning all the ikky things of mumbai.... ofcourse that is far from the truth... yday in my enthusiasm to enjoy the rains I started walking in bandra.... only to immediately jump into the refuge of an auto when I realised that every car passing by was splashing mud on me... note to the world: Mumbai is not europe where walking is a pleasure...here people actually are a hindrance to the roads....... My friends and I were having a debate.. .about why is it that India is so different.. there is a pall of negativity that surrounds you as soon as you get off that international airport in Bandra... not to mention the stench of dettol swept floors.... I have had a few unpleasant incidents greet me at airports - mostly to do with taxi drivers.... all of them are foul mouthed and create a fuss everytime there is a slight change in plans...you get abused and threatended... and you end up feeling intimidated in your city/home... you hate that feeling.... we all concluded that one of the reasons why Mumbai/India is like this is that there are limited resources... everyone is fighting for the same pie...everyone is trying to outdo the other... and everyone things that life is about that coveted position (I am not denying that it is a very lofty ambition)... but to have your life entirely designed around that ambition is what is so screwed up about India... we forget that life is also more meaningful when you have other things in life .... I also thot about my generation of professionals... somehow this generation really lost the plot... we stopped being simple and started becoming very much a clone of the other... so everytime I go into meetings I see women dressed in crisp neat suits resembling a female lawyer from law and order (ofcourse even the sales woman at Shoppers Stop looks like that but that is another matter)... and there are some cliches which just bug me... everybody will have a ferrogamo tie, a mont blanc pen or accessory, a black berry, an Ipad now and ofcourse the fancy accent... we are all such suckers for such accented english.... we forget that we are in parel India and think we are in manhattan ... when did it become more about the show than about the profession... that is why I respect some of my seniors in the profession who are so brilliant but do not have the need for any paraphernalia to add to their resume.... am i that simple? heck no... but who says I cant complain?

I am not really great at forgiving... it is a flaw... I take a lot of time to realise that I dont want to put up with a situation and then when least expected I snap and move on.... but I never forget... or forgive... I just cut them off... and while I have always felt that cutting off is much better than pretending to be nice to each other I also realise that better than cutting off someone it is best to forgive that someone.... otherwise you end up holding grudges for years (without realising it) and stewing in your soup... Ahh I feel so lighter ......