Ode to Mistry

Okay, here is my first JV on the song writing front.. Thanks to my dearie JMCite and IMIite...TUTU.. those who know us, me and her, would know whom I am talking about... and would know that the best plans, creations, etc happen when she and I join hands (i mean my hands and her paws.. :D) Exhibit one was SAPMAN.. now for Exhibit two!!!

(Prelude: tutu made me and i mean MADE me appreciate this young innoventor (meaning inventor+innovator) of sorts... and I being very Bridget Jones, thot immediately to court him. Ergo, the idea to be-frand him on Facebook and the like... Here is what my/ our FRANDSHIP request to Mr. Mystery ( i know, cheeeeeky) would read liek... )
OUR ODE TO (INTELLIGENT SINGLE YOUNG) MISTRY

Me: saw u in TV
and now u lives in my heart
Tutu: hhahahhaha!!!
and occassionally comes out in my fart!
Me: pls let me living ur heart too... and also USA
haha
Tutu: so now i think it's time for us to start!
chuck microsoft ..let's go to walmart!
Me: hey come on, u mite like science, bt love is an art
Tutu: and when we are happy, we'll both wheel-cart
Me: let u be the board and my love the dart
Tutu: becoze u, oh u .. deary ..u re my only sweetheart!
Me: and i dont want us to ever part
Tutu: in am ur cream and u are the tart
hey ... no wonder i can take a pest like u ... coz u can come up with stuff like this!!


The bolded part was bolded cos it shows that she does infact LOWWWWW me..!!!
The basis of this poem, well.. we were bored..!! Perhaps her blog shall put forth the argument better..!!

She will claim otherwise ofc.. let her... :P

Take care Delhi, goodnite!!!

What IMI did right!

This is an article I wrote for the Alumni Mag 09 of IMI. Its quite straight from the heart, and my fear being it might end up on the chopping board (there goes path breaking journalism :D ). So here it is, trying to see the light of the day.

What IMI did right!

Why I think IMI groomed us well for the corporate world.

I think we are a very critical people. We tend to look and point and linger onto peoples’ shortcomings, nag them of their failures and remind them of their shortfalls. Which is exactly what we, I, did in the last few months of me being at IMI to the time I finally got recruited to my ‘Dream Company’!

“The placements weren’t handled well”
“We weren’t taught the right things”
“The exam system is a mockery”

Sounds familiar? Thought so. Doesn’t matter if you had passed out of IMI in 1987 or were born in 1987 and are now a part of IMI student community; you aren’t a true blood IMIite until you critique it and talk on the aforementioned terms.
Well, let me be the “Devils’ advocate” here. (Very loaded terminology, I am aware)

What IMI did right!!!

These views of course are personal, and are derived out of my understanding of what was the final product delivered to me by IMI vis-à-vis my learnings as derived from my Aircel experience so far.

» These things are the tasks IMI and its people (professors, staff, students- seniors and juniors) made us do. It is only now I realize the relevance of it.

» I also choose to elucidate my top three choices of what I think IMI did right. For more of my choices or to share your views, please feel free to email me.
Allow me, for the ease of reading, let me do a myth-reality kind of setup here.

What IMI did:
Why it was right:

I. What IMI did: Made us not beauty sleep for 10 hours a day and Lion sleep for 16 hours on weekends.

Why it was right: I think the answer is obvious. You really don’t get to sleep for more than 6 hours on average during the week (debarring the hectic weeks of budget planning, operating plans, XYZ calendar creation etc).
(It is 1 am as I speak.. or type rather. Have just finished my days work about half an hour ago, have to finish this article, catch a few Z’s and wake up at 7 am. You do the math.)

II. What IMI did: Made us check our mails (and be well connected always), every thirty seconds, especially the PlaceComm mailers requesting candidature at 1 am, and deadline being 15 minutes.

Why it was right: Day 3 at my job, my senior colleague, trying to drill in the importance of being connected and online said, “Meghna, you will have to on a regular basis, verrry regular basis, keep on checking your inbox. Every hour, every minute if possible I need you to check it.” I think she expected a look of utter despair and distraught to appear on my face depicting my ignorance of such matters. Alas, she was disappointed.

III. What IMI did: Being lassie faire in its overall approach.

Why it was right: I think it gave us a chance to safely test our abilities to plan and manage ourselves. It gave us a chance to learn to be our own managers. Because there will be times in your organization when you feel about as directionless as a headless grasshopper. I am still experimenting with this, and in my limited capacity, dealing with it. Hence not many derivations here, work still in progress!

Moving on => The point(s) I am trying to vehemently drive thru this little article/ exposé are:-

a. Your organization will be as good or bad as IMI (in terms of “hands on/off” approach; of being too laidback and uncaring or being too involved and nose poking; and in terms of the presence of red tapism.)

b. Your organization will be as good or bad as you perceive IMI to be (point being the organization can be a mirror, a Monalisa as they call it: it will show you what you are. If you think IMI isn’t proactive, ask yourself honestly “Have I done anything to be more observant and proactive myself?”. If the answer is yes, then Kudos. Chances are you don’t see IMI as pure evil).

My advice to the students still in IMI: - Use this time as your ultimate “Trail and Error” Period. Learn how to go around the obstacles, or go thru them, to find loopholes and optimize them: do whatever you want to/ have to do, to achieve your target. If IMI frustrates you, it will also teach you how to improve your process of dealing with it.

At the end of the day IMI is a pretty decent place to be in for 2 years. Professors, Sirs and Madams of IMI, thank you for all the on-the-job training.

Take Care!
<3
Meghna

The Curious Case Of Crazy Chennai Characters!!

The Curious Case Of Crazy Chennai Characters!!
Part 2: Aiyo Madam!!!

Right, morning of 29th July. Wednesday, 7.20 am. Summit 1. Taj Mount Road, Chennai.
A dutiful Meghna walks into the banquet hall. She is a good 15 minutes late. No body cares. Ouch that hurt!!!

I walk over to my sweethearts, Kavitha (Kavz) and Gracie and ask how I can be of assistance. I am given the difficult task of sorting thru some files, into alphabetic manner. But, I protest, I am new. How can I do that? Oh dear. Is there someone out there, to hear my prayer, and help me here. What, whats that I hear? Is that the sound… yes, that is the sound of my white knight in shining armour coming.

Well, white knight is kinda dusky. And shining armour is Taj’s black, unflattering, gay uniform! Still. He asks if he can help me. Of course, said a flabbergasted me. I was too out of my element to play the damsel in distress. Especially when he asked how do I put them in alphabetical order. And I pointed to the name tags at the bottom of the files!!! Ahh, one criteria still STAYS!! The guy was dumb!!! Hallelujah.

The next guy person I saw was Karthi. Came over said “Hi” and all of that. Charmer that guy was, is, always will be!!! Some of his lines made my day (all of them are in a non-pick up way. He is 46 years old and has a 13 year old daughter!!!). Top five are:

1. Meghna. Nice name. don’t hear it much in Malaysia. Such a sweet sounding name. Meghna!!!
2. I saw this tamil movie recently. The female protagonists name was Meghna. She was a really sweet character. As I am sure you are too. *Meghna blushes to no end*
3. Intelligent girl she is (was said to people other than me. DUH!!) Words like ingenuity used for me, which honestly have never been used to describe me!!
4. Little puppy looks, puupy face, puppy eyes. PUP!!
5. You were a joy to have to come to know. *awww*

Anyway, moving onto the proceedings of the day. Me sitting there with wide eyes, blank stare, trying to absorb what the frick was happening around me. Took me a day or two to come terms with my surroundings. There were briefings after briefings by my boss, my other boss, May and Grace, and Kavitha. Was so lost. The obvious things weren’t so obvious here. Like, why the kinda cute manager person, who was a Punjabi and ergo-WHITE, wasn’t a hit with the girls here. Delhi gals would be flirting with him and getting their way with him. Instead here, he and we were logger heads. OHHH-KAAYYY!!! Interesting. And then, kavz’s best friend seemed to be her boss. OHHH-KAAYYY. Why the malls were crowded every day, sale or no sale, weekday or weekend, 9 pm or am!!! OHHH- KAAYYY. Or why the taj boys knew more about the program, my program than me!! NO-KAAYYY!!!

Anyway, soon enough, the deer-in-the-headlight look faded away. And I started to show the real me!! Ah yes. The silly, self deprecating, witty, very amorous Meghna Singh. And of course, weirdly enough as always, people liked it. Who cares, they love me, they really do love me. Smirks*

I don’t know when, but soon enough a bond was created between me and the girls, which helped through the seemingly ling 18 days. But actually, the days went off so quickly, that I want to relive them now. Taking in every second slowly and savoring it. Savoring every sad joked we cracked at the devil, screaming Stella, stealing-NO, scratch that- borrowing without asking cookies, rasam, trays and God knows what not!!

Soon enough the realities of these girls also started unfolding. Like how May’s petite frame is just a cover up for that glutton gremlin!! How if you ask Kavitha one question, you will get answers for around 25 questions that you may or may not have. And that during the answering she doesn’t really stop to breathe, so that you can snuggle your way back into the convo.

(What babes, thot I was going to spare you!!!! Reminds me of your quote, “pay her for rs.10 worth, she will act worth rs. 100” Hee hee. Come on, take it in the right spirit Mrs. Devil)

• And Grace, don’t know where to start and end. The accountant turned training consultant turned photographer turned wants-to-be Indian bride to but-i-wanted-that-bag-so-i-didn’t-know-what-to-do: as kavithas and my jaw hits the ground!!!

Soon enough the taj guys also started shedding their polite, there to serve you, good old boys of taj training bit. And the polite taj boys turned into normal boys.

• Mani: all the smiles get double if you take someone’s case in front of him. And the next time he will join in to pull their leg. Not to forget his threatening the telephone fixer dude, when our Miranda Priestly was going to bang on our heads for screwing her meeting via a telephone related mishap. He tired his best to not let us get screwed too much. Alas, his efforts went vain. We still needed the ciggie at the end of that!!

• Karthik: My god this boy!! Here is an actual conversation that took place between our gal and this guy.
Its 9.15 at night. Kavz is still stuck in the banquet hall, sending emails. (talk about the devil wears prada, tamil version. Aiyo, Devil Amma wears Pothys)

Karthik walks in, smiles at kavz.
Kavitha (all earnesty on face, apologises): Sorry aa, Karthik, two more minutes ma!
Karthik (as translated into English by kavz to me): Yeah yeah, that’s what I was wondering.
Kavitha (almost happy at his un-taj-liness!!): gigles!!

• Sugu: Damn good observer, doing his MBA in HR. once I was standing holding a damn tray, as per my KPI, to be Chennai’s answer to Mansi. Sugu walks by, looks at me holding the tray in his direction, smiles and says, “No thanks”!!!

• Thiru: too sweet. Only taj dude to get us cappuccino without having to order. Also, doesn’t eat chocolates.

• Arun: Chennai’s answer to Shewwwwww!! Didn’t feel like saying anything Meghna-ism to him. Was scared that I will ruin his innocence.

• And not to forget the devil himself, with that sorry look on his face which hides the smirk, “please Kavitha, how long will it take” Idiot. He was stupid enough to bribe the wrong people!! Khi khi… Instead of appeasing people who would actually take a decision whether we come back to his hotel and his services for our future programs ( ORRRR at least would play SOME part in that decision making process.), the idiot was appeasing the consultants and the like. My god, I cant say it enough, IDIOT!!!

And I guess, thanks to these character, the 18 days went off so quickly that I was still left asking myself, what just happened.

They truly did become my family. We had mummy and the stupid sister and the best friend and the uncle that no one likes and the sasu maa!!! within the few of us.

The night before I was to leave Chennai, in fact, I had coached myself thoroughly, not to do a tearful bye-bye. But I did do a very tight bear hug goodbye ceremony. :D itna toh chalta hai!!! And when I got kavz and mummy’s message on the way to the airport, I almost had my cab turned around!!
The only respite was, when I was boarding the plane to Delhi (beside the fact that I was going home to my family!!!), was that I will see some of them again in a months time.

I guess the city was/ is as important a part of this as the people. My first real corporate job, this was my first city of functioning. It was surprisingly quite, sweet and accepting. And I guess, somewhere during the 18 days here, it was quite evident that it was one of the cities I could actually settle in.

Rehna tu, hai jaise tu, Chennai!!! :)

A Meghna Singh extra!!!

More Chennai masala in the same price!!!



Figure 1. "Meghna in Gracies' room, with Gracies' sunflower", in reference to Points 1 and 5.
31st July, 2009, Taj Mount Road, Chennai


Top 5 SUPER reasons why I like Chennai over Delhi now:

1. Everyone there thinks I am super pretty. “Meghna, you have the face of a model” “meg you should seriously consider modelling” etc.


2. Everyone there thinks I have super nice singing voice. Yeah!! Even I don’t believe that one. Had them repeat what they said, told them the ‘north Indian’ reaction to my voice: *Slap* Shut up!!


3. Things are super cheap there. So more things: read items of clothing nature: can be bought in the same amount.


4. Certain characters. *female Chennai readers don’t get excited. These characters are those characters from whom I prefer to get hugs from* Especially since these characters fall in the TDH category.


5. And am not always the most dark skinned girl in the room. No body gives me any grief over my slightly dusky skin. Cheers to that!!!

Crazy Chennai Characters Part II, coming soon to a blog near you!!!

The Curious Case Of Crazy Chennai Characters

The Curious Case Of Crazy Chennai Characters!!
Part 1: The wobbly beginnings.

Back after an 18 day work trip to Chennai. I know it sounds worthy of a lot of blank looks, so here's’ a little on what’s happened:
Got a call from my company around the 23rd July stating they need someone in Chennai from Monday. Okay sure said I, interviews happened, and I got selected… blah blah… within 1.5 days. Friday, 4 o clock I got my offer letter. Tuesday morning I joined!! (In the middle days I went on a shopping spree for my new job, plus a trip to god knows where.)

The entry into the office was not-so-auspicious. Got stuck in the office elevator for 20 minutes. “Speed” movie’s opening sequence flashing thru in my head. And, I thot to meself to message my new office people I will be late. Either late time-wise, or late Meghna Singh!!!! Okay bad time to think of jokes, I thot to myself. Oh and btw, I was the only girl in the lift. So all the men were staring at me, waiting me to crumble under the pressure and break into tears. I didn’t. I was having a hard time hiding my smirk. Well done God! Got me fooled into that I got the company of my dreams and that I had made it! Okay, finally the gates opened. Alas! No Keanu Reaves. Anywhoooo, proceeded to my office, with very shaky knees now!!

Couple of hours into the day, I reminded them that they might need me in Chennai. I thot, and here is where I faltered, I thot they mite need me to fly out the next morning or something. Wrong. They need me to fly out in 3 hours. Frantic calls made to mum. Start packing. Not knowing where I would be made to stay, if I would have a laundry facility etc, mum packed me ready for a war. Everything a person might need for 3 weeks, were pushed into my bag.

3 weeks!!! Seemed enormous at the time. 3 weeks away from my family, at a place so far away where I cant guilt them into coming for a visit. Sad faces would be in order, but didn’t have time to do that. Had a flight to catch. Finally boarded the flight. Damn small aircrafts. They shake and whimper like a kitten during the takeoff. Bad weather, turbulence all the way, and bad reminisces of the fact that its all an elaborate plan of God to give it all to me and then in an instance take it away by- yes- killing me. Sneaky fellow, HIM!! Finally. 2 hours 35 minutes over. Landed in Chennai. Still alive. Yes, praise the lord.

It was around 8.30 pm, when I had finally overcome the language barrier and told the driver who had come to get me how to find me. Sitting in the car, I confirmed with him, “bhaiya, hotel pride?” the hotel that my company had made reservations for me at. Allegedly!!!

Bhaiya, rather, anna replied, “No madam, Hotel Taj Connemara”. Nahh, they wont put me up there, would they. They wouldn’t and they didn’t. I was to have dinner there and go. Oh, maybe there are more people from HR team there that I am supposed to meet. Little did I know. There was our COO, my boss, international guests, and around 50 odd employees!! All senior people!!

This I got to know only after I entered the conference hall dressed in a lycra kurta, jeans, sports shoes, bad, messy bed-hair and a big laptop bag. Oh damn. Yeah. But at this point of time I was so above such humanly emotions! I had been thrown into the deep end of the ocean long before. I was just realising that the ocean was made of quick sand, and there were meteors falling near my quick sand, and there were little blood sucking Egyptian cockroaches on my neck… You get the idea right!

Anyway. I sat motionless thru whatever presentations that were going on so as to ensure least bit of attention onto me. The presentations ended. Met my boss, met my team. Apologised profusely for my attire, ate the most uncomfortable dinner I have ever could have imagined. And then excused myself for the night and headed for my hotel. Ps. thank God, my boss is a nice lady!!!

Oh here the alleged reservation part comes in. I asked the reception desk person, “reservations for Meghna Singh?” No. Gave my company’s name, city. Nope, nothing on the system. Irritated, frustrated, on the brink of screaming my lungs out, called my saviour, Herbert sir. Apparently, as soon as I said, hello Herbert sir, the hotel desk guy was like, yeah yeah I know now! Idiot.

Then I proceeded to a pretty lavish room, considering my post, and tenure with the company. But I guess it pays to be a girl. You are taken care of. Called my parents. Was on the brink of breaking down over the phone. They sensed it too. Couldn’t help it. Was damn tired, in a foreign city. So far away from them. Didn’t know what the heck was going on. Had no free wi-fi thing. Just a very very expensive LAN connection. Did connect to it. Spoke to my other saviour. AD. Who convinced me not to cry my eyes out that night. But I still did. That is Meghna Singh at her best!!!
Next morning had to wake up at around 5.45 am (YEAH, I know!!!) to reach Taj at around 7. Little did I know that for the next 18 days I was the only person to be anywhere on time, and will be the first one to reach anything/where. Arrgh!!!

> End Of Part 1 <

To be continued…

Special mention to my Chennai sweethearts here. Kavitha: She didn’t know me much, but didn’t rag me at all. Me being a newbie and all. She was all like, you can come a little late. We all are coming around 7.30. come aaram se!! And all of that.
Taj boys: made our live easier, funner, and most importantly filled with choclate cookies. Cant wait to yell out my version of STELLA again. The boys were sugu, Arun,Thiru, M.O.N.E.Y, Karthik among others. And then there was the devil!!!

The IBM squirrels: I don’t know where to start!!! May and Grace. Truly international, but contributed to some good unadulterated Indian fun for the last 3 weeks!!
More on these characters to come later on!!! Actually am sure rest of the blog will be mostly about them, their antics, and the fact that they became my family in Chennai. Yep, we had mummy, my twin sister, my friends, my buddies, my crushes, and of course the- guy-that-we-all-liked-but-no-one-owned-up-to-it!!

About me

Well, I was finally out of things to write in the "about me" section and hence I concocted this little rap/ rhyme whatever. (This is the extended version :D)

















Yo, Yo, Yo,

let me tell u a story, but it aint gonna be pretty,
cos its about me, not exactly a perfect young lady,

Here it goes, Yo!
*Chorus: give it up, give it up,for the lady,
Meghna Singh,come shake your booty*

quite a contradiction, she is an addiction,
too much of her can seem like an affliction,

*give it up, give it up,for the lady,
Meghna Singh,come shake your booty*

wears her heart on her sleeve, falls love so swiftly,
does the chase and gets bored with everything so quickly,
oh she loves them boys, oh them cutie pies,
loves 'em even more if they sindhi, have names ending with a "NI"
even the hollywood superstar sweetheart gotta be CLOO-NEY!!


*give it up, give it up,for the lady,
Meghna Singh,come shake your booty*

loves her soul sisters, her friends,
a sweet little group called the tamarinds,
its nothing less than the ya-ya sisters,
and their motto, "sisters before misters",

*give it up, give it up,for the lady,
Meghna Singh,come shake your booty*

Now, I am tired of sounding so concieted,
I'll get back to this rhyme, once i m well rested!!

*giving it up... giving it up..*

Everyone join me in this now.

Me: God, m so vella. *U SING*
Everyone: God, u r so vella,
Me: Hey, m so vella,
Everyone: you are so vella!! You are so vella.. You are so vella...

*everyone keeps on chanting: You are so vella... You are so vella...*


Peace y'all!!!

Thank You, New Delhi... I love you!!!

“I wanna be a STAR”

I had an epiphany recently.

(which was... read on...)

I had always thought I was a romantic, the kind that pines for love, the kind of kindred spirit that searches for its other half… you know all your regular starry eyed movie stuff. And it has always eluded me. It was always a glance away, a few steps ahead of me; it’s always been a tease. Exasperating isn’t it? Or at least sounds so. And this got me to thinking, there has to be a rational explanation why this irrational feeling called love dodges me.
But really it doesn’t really evade me always. There have been a couple of times that I had come very close to having it, to having someone special in my life… and I did a 180 degree turn and walked away. Every time. I walked away from love. Not many in this world dare to this. And I would convince myself that the person isn’t right for me, or isn’t a perfect match. In a way, now I know, it was the right thing to do because I wasn’t looking for love.

That’s when I had my epiphany. It was not love I was after, it was something similar yet so very different I was after, which I had confused with love. I was after “stardom”. It is totally opposite of love is all about: being the alone with someone special, living for them and only them and not caring for the rest of the world. But they are the similar too: when you are in love you are the star for the other person. I am enamoured with this feeling, of being the only important thing in someone’s life. And obviously like love, stardom is addictive to the extent of being destructive. But the most important reason I confused my search for stardom with love was because when you are in love, you promise the other person to be a witness for their lives. To be there to celebrate everything about them, and ensure the world wouldn’t forget about them. And that’s what I want. I didn’t want a life which would go unnoticed except by a few people. I want don’t want to be forgotten, I don’t want to feel invisible. I guess that’s why I want stardom, the attention of all. It’s almost stifling for me to think that I would live my entire life just being Meghna Singh: a daughter, a sister, a wife, a mother, a friend. And nothing more. Not a great leader or an Oscar winning actor or business empire builder in league with Bill Gates and Donald Trumps of the world. Just another one of the millions of “people”.

I guess, this is one of the reason I actually like Paris Hilton. Because she refused to go down in history just as a “Hilton empire heiress” and actually made something of herself- and I am not here to discuss her methods. But what I am do admire about her, is that she is an entity in herself now. And not just a mere carrier of the Hilton genes.

It shouldn’t be too surprising for the people who know me to understand. I have always, always thrived in attention.

Anyhow, I guess the realisation was the easy part. The hard part is the “coming through”. I somehow have to find a way to be this star. Till I do achieve that… Good night and good luck. Yes, another George Clooney (or should I say cloo-ni!!!!) movie.