Have you ever felt bad about all the melodies that have never been made?
Well I do. All the time.
A colleague at work introduced me to a band called the Traveling Wilburys. An absolute delight to listen to and I couldnt stop myself from playing their tracks over and over again.As I scanned the internet for more info about them and their music, I realised that they had come out with two albums(Vol 1 and Vol 3. Loved the madness).
I couldnt but help and feel low about all the wonderful music they might have made had they stuck around for a little while more(or may be if Roy Orbison had not died.) Its not bad enough I havent been able to attend a Simon and Garfunkel concert at Central Park,now I have to live with the fact that the Traveling Wilburys made just a handful of tracks.
Sometimes I feel, a lifetime isnt enough to really listen to all the songs we want to listen to, to read all the verses we have to.
Monday, August 20, 2007
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Zap 'em all!
Vidya and I hurried from the grocery store. We reached the main road.One look at the traffic and I remarked, " If I die, just tell people at work I am vacationing in Europe."
Thanks to the Lord in Heaven and the mercy of a Benz driver, I and Vidya reached the other side of the road to Landmark- our only window to culture in Gurgaon.We could hear people jamming and Vidya was furious the performance had started before time.We were there to watch parikrama perform.
Early? Was she kidding me? We were in gurgaon.The proximity we share with Delhi is no laughing matter and it is only natural Gurgaon apes Delhi in matters of punctuality. Phew, the band was just testing. Another 45 mins later when the band finally started, roomie and I glued ourselves to a comfortable spot -just in front of the speakers!
Just then a sweaty dude wormed his way ahead of us. In slow motion he began swaying his head. The strumming began. Then came the placing the left hands on the chords. Then he synced himself in unison with his friends who had already set the pace for this.Then they started coming.More of them.They trickled in from all directions and slowly they took over the place! Them and their air guitars!!!
I watched the kids in front of me with their dates slashing down their imaginary guitars and striking the virtual chords, jumping up and down, pouring their diet pepsi all over the place, mouthing " Give us some ****ing Metallica man", flashing their I love you signs. I half expected them to flash a lighter or maybe a cell phone. They missed that one out.
Vidya was plenty irritated seeing them. Why do they all have to be so wanna be she kept claiming through out the show. I just ignored them having seen plenty of them previously.I maybe even able to fish out a couple from my best friends bag! I preferred concerts of the more dreamy, poetic men with their guitars more than the metal guys.Which boy wants to be man who is a singer song writer kinds(Whoever wants to be, contact me- Right now!)
But as ever I went into my own stream of thoughts. So this was the moment. I have to do the unthinkable- I have to take a stand!
Do I like the air guitarists or not? Hmmmmmm....
Well let me begin with the thought- Can I ever be one? Oh gees. Hell No!
Just I strayed into my thoughts, the violinist came on stage. A 22 year old, he had an infectious smile. He started his melodious mischief. The virus spread. The guitarists smiled. The lead vocalist broke into a grin and soon the whole band was smiling enjoying their own performance. Well, this is the one thing I enjoy most in a concert. The musician enjoying his/her own style. Indulging themselves in every note of music. Syncing himself with everyone else. Now with so much to celebrate, how would it be if the crowd was composed of a 100 Me-s.A 100 me-s who just mechanically mouthed the lyrics of a Coldplay song. A 100 mes whose maximum amount of exhilaration was just shaking of the head, a scream at the end of the song.Horrible!
We need the air guitarists. The band needs them to pep them. We need them to entertain us. For us to laugh at them as they move about hysterically in their space.As they become a Vai in their own right!As they mouth every word with as much passion if not more than the performers.We need them to prance around trying to gaher as much attention as possible, try and steal a chance to perform with the band. After all I had been one while in school!
There I have said.I have taken a stand it!!!!!!!! Is that a tear I see in the corner of your eye?
Thanks to the Lord in Heaven and the mercy of a Benz driver, I and Vidya reached the other side of the road to Landmark- our only window to culture in Gurgaon.We could hear people jamming and Vidya was furious the performance had started before time.We were there to watch parikrama perform.
Early? Was she kidding me? We were in gurgaon.The proximity we share with Delhi is no laughing matter and it is only natural Gurgaon apes Delhi in matters of punctuality. Phew, the band was just testing. Another 45 mins later when the band finally started, roomie and I glued ourselves to a comfortable spot -just in front of the speakers!
Just then a sweaty dude wormed his way ahead of us. In slow motion he began swaying his head. The strumming began. Then came the placing the left hands on the chords. Then he synced himself in unison with his friends who had already set the pace for this.Then they started coming.More of them.They trickled in from all directions and slowly they took over the place! Them and their air guitars!!!
I watched the kids in front of me with their dates slashing down their imaginary guitars and striking the virtual chords, jumping up and down, pouring their diet pepsi all over the place, mouthing " Give us some ****ing Metallica man", flashing their I love you signs. I half expected them to flash a lighter or maybe a cell phone. They missed that one out.
Vidya was plenty irritated seeing them. Why do they all have to be so wanna be she kept claiming through out the show. I just ignored them having seen plenty of them previously.I maybe even able to fish out a couple from my best friends bag! I preferred concerts of the more dreamy, poetic men with their guitars more than the metal guys.Which boy wants to be man who is a singer song writer kinds(Whoever wants to be, contact me- Right now!)
But as ever I went into my own stream of thoughts. So this was the moment. I have to do the unthinkable- I have to take a stand!
Do I like the air guitarists or not? Hmmmmmm....
Well let me begin with the thought- Can I ever be one? Oh gees. Hell No!
Just I strayed into my thoughts, the violinist came on stage. A 22 year old, he had an infectious smile. He started his melodious mischief. The virus spread. The guitarists smiled. The lead vocalist broke into a grin and soon the whole band was smiling enjoying their own performance. Well, this is the one thing I enjoy most in a concert. The musician enjoying his/her own style. Indulging themselves in every note of music. Syncing himself with everyone else. Now with so much to celebrate, how would it be if the crowd was composed of a 100 Me-s.A 100 me-s who just mechanically mouthed the lyrics of a Coldplay song. A 100 mes whose maximum amount of exhilaration was just shaking of the head, a scream at the end of the song.Horrible!
We need the air guitarists. The band needs them to pep them. We need them to entertain us. For us to laugh at them as they move about hysterically in their space.As they become a Vai in their own right!As they mouth every word with as much passion if not more than the performers.We need them to prance around trying to gaher as much attention as possible, try and steal a chance to perform with the band. After all I had been one while in school!
There I have said.I have taken a stand it!!!!!!!! Is that a tear I see in the corner of your eye?
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
Listen O ye All
O YE LITTLE ONES…
Listen to the song of the Old ones,
Before thy step into the world of Human Resources…
Spent about a year being a human resource professional and these are what we have to put with.
Scene 1:
Enter cafeteria on Friday with the oh-so-happy it’s a Friday morning glee. As I stand in the line for breakfast, someone nearby yelps, “ yeppie its Friday morning.” . A new York minute wouldn’t have passed before I finished my acknowledging smile when the person retorted, “Oh HR also feels like that?”
"I bow in reverence to thee my master. We HRs donot enjoy the pleasures of enjoying a Friday morning. We are forever bound by the invisible rope of thy criticism- forever and ever. "I kiss and anoint his feet and bow out of the cafeteria.
Scene 2:
Three people in my team were on a holiday. Passerby stops and asks, “ Where are the rest?”
They are hiding in the Trojan Horse to eat you. “They are on holiday.”
“OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, HRs on holiday, smirk smirk.”
I immediately go down on all fours and beg for pardon. "Master punish them not. For my colleagues know not that they can take off”
Scene 3:
As I walk across the hall, “ Hey HR, why don’t you motivate us?”
Hmmmmm…. I click my fingers and Lo there are two Lebanese Belly dancers dancing for their masters.
Trust me, working on HR challenges is not half as challenging as walking the tight rope of working in an HR team in the organization.
Listen to the song of the Old ones,
Before thy step into the world of Human Resources…
Spent about a year being a human resource professional and these are what we have to put with.
Scene 1:
Enter cafeteria on Friday with the oh-so-happy it’s a Friday morning glee. As I stand in the line for breakfast, someone nearby yelps, “ yeppie its Friday morning.” . A new York minute wouldn’t have passed before I finished my acknowledging smile when the person retorted, “Oh HR also feels like that?”
"I bow in reverence to thee my master. We HRs donot enjoy the pleasures of enjoying a Friday morning. We are forever bound by the invisible rope of thy criticism- forever and ever. "I kiss and anoint his feet and bow out of the cafeteria.
Scene 2:
Three people in my team were on a holiday. Passerby stops and asks, “ Where are the rest?”
They are hiding in the Trojan Horse to eat you. “They are on holiday.”
“OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, HRs on holiday, smirk smirk.”
I immediately go down on all fours and beg for pardon. "Master punish them not. For my colleagues know not that they can take off”
Scene 3:
As I walk across the hall, “ Hey HR, why don’t you motivate us?”
Hmmmmm…. I click my fingers and Lo there are two Lebanese Belly dancers dancing for their masters.
Trust me, working on HR challenges is not half as challenging as walking the tight rope of working in an HR team in the organization.
Saturday, August 04, 2007
A whiff from the past
This morning as I opened my inbox, I was pleasantly surprised. Usually cluttered with group mails, mails proclaiming Delhi's events of the day, forwards, chain mails, spam there was a mail- addressed to me.
It read Dear Akila.......................
How endearing it is to receive a mail from a long lost friend.
Long lost not because I had not known his whereabouts, long lost because the bond between had withered.
The mail revealed a wedding in his family and he had invited me to the wedding. The sentimental nut that I am, my mind raced down to Coimbatore. To days which I think of with great fondness. Of friends who are like no other(Doesnt everyone say that about their friends!!!). I dont stay in those memories too long for fear of wanting to relive them. For fear of wanting to bring those beautiful people back to the way they were.
I thought about the wedding for about a few minutes. How will I manage my holidays? How would they be? Are they still the same?Will I feel bad if they werent.Should I go for the wedding or not?Never really liked wedding anyways.
Or should my fake "nothing has changed" attire and fly down for the wedding?
Then I adopted the strategy to solve most mysteries in my life-I shall procrastinate.
I have postponed the decision till just a few days before the wedding. Dont think I will ever be ready to face friends from the past. I want my keep me memories intact.Bank in the comfort of the glory days. Call me old fashioned, call me stubborn, call me foolish. Thats the way it is in my Kingdom- simple things are thought over, over anaylzed till I am paralyzed!
It read Dear Akila.......................
How endearing it is to receive a mail from a long lost friend.
Long lost not because I had not known his whereabouts, long lost because the bond between had withered.
The mail revealed a wedding in his family and he had invited me to the wedding. The sentimental nut that I am, my mind raced down to Coimbatore. To days which I think of with great fondness. Of friends who are like no other(Doesnt everyone say that about their friends!!!). I dont stay in those memories too long for fear of wanting to relive them. For fear of wanting to bring those beautiful people back to the way they were.
I thought about the wedding for about a few minutes. How will I manage my holidays? How would they be? Are they still the same?Will I feel bad if they werent.Should I go for the wedding or not?Never really liked wedding anyways.
Or should my fake "nothing has changed" attire and fly down for the wedding?
Then I adopted the strategy to solve most mysteries in my life-I shall procrastinate.
I have postponed the decision till just a few days before the wedding. Dont think I will ever be ready to face friends from the past. I want my keep me memories intact.Bank in the comfort of the glory days. Call me old fashioned, call me stubborn, call me foolish. Thats the way it is in my Kingdom- simple things are thought over, over anaylzed till I am paralyzed!
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