There are times when you think too much into the future.. that's exactly what i've been doing today.. It's just that I am thinking of how life would be barely 12 days from now...
Hopefully all the great times will continue to roll and my belief of "the best is yet to come" will remain as strong as ever!
And the only thing that would remain constant would be the fact that I would come back and write a post about how I feel stepping into the future - that is surely greeting me with the newest of challenges :)
I am sure its all worth the change and even if it ain't I am sure Abhi and Me together would make it seem all worthwhile!
Cheers!!
~ sayli
Monday, 19 May 2008
Thursday, 3 April 2008
This Day - That Year in 2005! :)
The day was Sunday - The Time 10 AM. An unusual Sunday considering I had got up well before my usual Sunday wake up time of 9:30 – 10 AM. The purpose was clear. We had a family coming down to visit us and assess if we could strike our relations for the long term.
I was my usual self – hair nicely shampooed and neatly left open, my favorite Fast Track watch on the left palm, a single bangle in the right, a simple gold chain bearing the unique ‘S’ pendant, a crisply ironed cotton dress – only I was carrying the dupatta this time in spite of it being a conservatively measured neck with a Stand collar and absolutely no trace of makeup other than a lip balm.
Dad was busy organizing the logistics – the Boy's Dad would sit here. The Boy would sit on this chair and you sit exactly opposite to him. Mom would be in this corner and I would sit beside his Dad with his Mother sitting beside you. :)
And all this seemed so very funny – I even remember asking if he is going to command them to sit where their seats were planned and he said of course not but I would definitely guide them. And I thought in my mind what a waste this exercise was!
My brother Anant, assuming that this is going to be just another family which my Sis isn’t gonna approve of had already left to meet his friends for the supposed project work that they had taken up! [I had disapproved of two other proposals that my parents short listed].
The clock struck 10, when seconds later the door bell rang - the family is here – SHARP at 10!! While we @home were prepared with all that was to be served and in place, our extended family was still to come. The Boy’s Family was welcomed home – I don’t know who came in 1st cause I was in the kitchen and wasn’t supposed to come out till commanded :) They were 5 of them – The Boy, his Parents and his Aunt and Uncle and we shortly after were 3 families from our side – Mom n Dad, Aunt and Uncle [both Maternal and Paternal] and me.
So it was 5 People to see the girl and 7 to see the Boy! Maan the place was crowded and amongst this crowd I was suppose to figure out if this Boy was indeed my dream match! I however had it easier since I was rehearsing this for the 3rd time. For him though it was his 1st time [and he hoped post meeting that it was his last as well! :) ]
Shortly after when the Poha, was finally to be served amongst several other things I picked up the tray and told Mom I am Going to serve this! Mom was shocked – its too early for you to make an appearance – I said I don’t care!! I am going! And in my usually fast pace Out I GO! My Mom by then had probably almost collapsed :).
Well the Boy dint have the guts to look up but his Dad introduced me to him [I was wondering that like my Dad, he too had his actions well pre planned :) ] I said “Hi!” and he was astonished “Is this the Girl, or is there someone still waiting in there” ***
And so now that I was there, seated right in front of him as planned, I was being variedly questioned. The talkative and extrovert soul that I am, I spilled it all in one go :) and
slowly, so did the Boy – not once did he look at me! When the Father figures asked us had I anything more to ask I said: "No he summarized things very well". My Dad however, was uncomfortable with that and so was the Boy. He said he would like to have a moment in person and I was quite speechless – my heart skipped a beat!
So when we were given privacy, he was casually discussing a lot of other things only to find me not responding as vivaciously. So he said “its fine if you are short of things to say or are not in a mood to talk – maybe you could call me up or email me and we could talk at ease when you wished to – and he handed me his Business Card” I thought wow how considerate – I should be humble enough and play a good host!
That kind of eased me out and then I got talking. I do not know how, but he had managed to get the 3 most important things out of my mind and they were - that I dint have the intentions of retiring doing technology, that I wanted to pursue a Masters Degree but what I would specialize in was something I needed help in figuring out and that if I was faced with an impending situation where I would have to choose a career and family I’d always choose the later.
And while he agreed that the moment he saw me in the snap he found himself looking at a girl who had a warm and loving look, that he would love to come back to, after a hard day of work, his decision to marry me was reaffirmed only after he had learnt the above things. The only thing not clear to him was whether I was going to approve of him.
What I had learnt from him was, he always wanted his wife to keep herself occupied - that dint necessarily mean that she is compelled to work. To put her skills and education to good use. And it was perfectly fine if she dint know how to cook.
Before we parted, there was no handshake, no “nice meeting you nothing”! We just exchanged smiles. It was close to Noon when both the families exchanged pleasantries and were guided downstairs accompanied by my Parents and Uncle. The ball was in our court and we were asked to communicate my decision.
Everyone came upstairs to ask me what I thought and I said: “He is the best out of the ones I met till date”. My Dad continued to complete “... and he is the BEST we have for you” [after going through a painful search process of a couple of months scanning 50 odd profiles and filtering just 3 that matched my requirements]
It was this day April 3rd 3 years back - the day I met Abhi for the 1st time.
As someone rightly said : “There is someone made for each one” and that one for me was always Abhi… :)
Luv as always
- sayli :)
3 days later [when Abhi had refused to see any other girl till I responded, and on the 3rd day, while he was in the middle of a clean shave, and was thinking of starting afresh on his Bride Hunt, my Dad called up to convey a YES !! :) ] While the rest is history in itself, I am convinced each day, that Life couldn’t be any Better!!
*** Later on I learnt that when the daughters of the Yadav family had guys coming over to see them, they would always be presentably dressed up in a zari bordered saree, jwellery and make up and would make a late appearance – always, only when they were asked to. The exact opposite of what I did and was hence perceived by Aai - Baba as bubbly, original self, open minded and easy to get along with!
I was my usual self – hair nicely shampooed and neatly left open, my favorite Fast Track watch on the left palm, a single bangle in the right, a simple gold chain bearing the unique ‘S’ pendant, a crisply ironed cotton dress – only I was carrying the dupatta this time in spite of it being a conservatively measured neck with a Stand collar and absolutely no trace of makeup other than a lip balm.
Dad was busy organizing the logistics – the Boy's Dad would sit here. The Boy would sit on this chair and you sit exactly opposite to him. Mom would be in this corner and I would sit beside his Dad with his Mother sitting beside you. :)
And all this seemed so very funny – I even remember asking if he is going to command them to sit where their seats were planned and he said of course not but I would definitely guide them. And I thought in my mind what a waste this exercise was!
My brother Anant, assuming that this is going to be just another family which my Sis isn’t gonna approve of had already left to meet his friends for the supposed project work that they had taken up! [I had disapproved of two other proposals that my parents short listed].
The clock struck 10, when seconds later the door bell rang - the family is here – SHARP at 10!! While we @home were prepared with all that was to be served and in place, our extended family was still to come. The Boy’s Family was welcomed home – I don’t know who came in 1st cause I was in the kitchen and wasn’t supposed to come out till commanded :) They were 5 of them – The Boy, his Parents and his Aunt and Uncle and we shortly after were 3 families from our side – Mom n Dad, Aunt and Uncle [both Maternal and Paternal] and me.
So it was 5 People to see the girl and 7 to see the Boy! Maan the place was crowded and amongst this crowd I was suppose to figure out if this Boy was indeed my dream match! I however had it easier since I was rehearsing this for the 3rd time. For him though it was his 1st time [and he hoped post meeting that it was his last as well! :) ]
Shortly after when the Poha, was finally to be served amongst several other things I picked up the tray and told Mom I am Going to serve this! Mom was shocked – its too early for you to make an appearance – I said I don’t care!! I am going! And in my usually fast pace Out I GO! My Mom by then had probably almost collapsed :).
Well the Boy dint have the guts to look up but his Dad introduced me to him [I was wondering that like my Dad, he too had his actions well pre planned :) ] I said “Hi!” and he was astonished “Is this the Girl, or is there someone still waiting in there” ***
And so now that I was there, seated right in front of him as planned, I was being variedly questioned. The talkative and extrovert soul that I am, I spilled it all in one go :) and
slowly, so did the Boy – not once did he look at me! When the Father figures asked us had I anything more to ask I said: "No he summarized things very well". My Dad however, was uncomfortable with that and so was the Boy. He said he would like to have a moment in person and I was quite speechless – my heart skipped a beat!
So when we were given privacy, he was casually discussing a lot of other things only to find me not responding as vivaciously. So he said “its fine if you are short of things to say or are not in a mood to talk – maybe you could call me up or email me and we could talk at ease when you wished to – and he handed me his Business Card” I thought wow how considerate – I should be humble enough and play a good host!
That kind of eased me out and then I got talking. I do not know how, but he had managed to get the 3 most important things out of my mind and they were - that I dint have the intentions of retiring doing technology, that I wanted to pursue a Masters Degree but what I would specialize in was something I needed help in figuring out and that if I was faced with an impending situation where I would have to choose a career and family I’d always choose the later.
And while he agreed that the moment he saw me in the snap he found himself looking at a girl who had a warm and loving look, that he would love to come back to, after a hard day of work, his decision to marry me was reaffirmed only after he had learnt the above things. The only thing not clear to him was whether I was going to approve of him.
What I had learnt from him was, he always wanted his wife to keep herself occupied - that dint necessarily mean that she is compelled to work. To put her skills and education to good use. And it was perfectly fine if she dint know how to cook.
Before we parted, there was no handshake, no “nice meeting you nothing”! We just exchanged smiles. It was close to Noon when both the families exchanged pleasantries and were guided downstairs accompanied by my Parents and Uncle. The ball was in our court and we were asked to communicate my decision.
Everyone came upstairs to ask me what I thought and I said: “He is the best out of the ones I met till date”. My Dad continued to complete “... and he is the BEST we have for you” [after going through a painful search process of a couple of months scanning 50 odd profiles and filtering just 3 that matched my requirements]
It was this day April 3rd 3 years back - the day I met Abhi for the 1st time.
As someone rightly said : “There is someone made for each one” and that one for me was always Abhi… :)
Luv as always
- sayli :)
3 days later [when Abhi had refused to see any other girl till I responded, and on the 3rd day, while he was in the middle of a clean shave, and was thinking of starting afresh on his Bride Hunt, my Dad called up to convey a YES !! :) ] While the rest is history in itself, I am convinced each day, that Life couldn’t be any Better!!
*** Later on I learnt that when the daughters of the Yadav family had guys coming over to see them, they would always be presentably dressed up in a zari bordered saree, jwellery and make up and would make a late appearance – always, only when they were asked to. The exact opposite of what I did and was hence perceived by Aai - Baba as bubbly, original self, open minded and easy to get along with!
Tuesday, 1 April 2008
It Ain't Easy Being an HR Professional
I have absolutely no idea what motivates me to write on this topic. Maybe it’s the fact that I have moved across and been astounded by the HR Professionals that I have interacted with.
At times, when I put myself into their shoes I think – its way too taxing to be the bridge between the Higher Management and your Employees. Depending on what you are asked to communicate, you might almost always (if the communication is not pretty much in favor of the employees) run the risk of being criticized to the core!
I’ve had the pleasure of having interacted with at least a quarter dozen HR Professionals who are a part of my social circle. I’ve seen them all go through their own set of ups n downs. So where do the challenges really stem from and in what circumstances. And while attrition is the most obvious of all the varied challenges HR Professionals look to tide over, I think it is worth thinking about the other factors as well.
One: Maybe you have the responsibility of downsizing, right sizing or even ramping up the workforce. These are challenges in themselves. Issuing Pink Slips isn’t easy and neither is it easy to meet recruitment targets when you have people accepting an offer and not joining you.
Two: At times you may not always be empowered to take decisions. There may be situations when the Job you do, may not be truly strategic in the sense of completing the triad of the Business Leaders, the Finance Guys and The HR. You may be desperate to be participating in driving key business decisions, but instead might be asked to focus on other administrative functions.
Three: There will be days you feel not one soul is happy with the work you do. While you do wish to keep the employee interests in mind on one hand, you may be constrained by the company policies on the other.
Four: You might run the risk of carrying the emotional burden of the concerns your employees have. While it’s always wise to be practical, it’s not always possible.
Five: You might be misguided by incorrect feedback. Well when training is being conducted, and you ask in person for a feedback people might be nice to smile and say things are perfect. It may turn out to be the exact opposite when you start going through the feedback forms.
I’ve always heard people say that “HR is the most cursed of all the functions within an organization” – well may be, but it surely is a key driving force in keeping your staff satisfied. And while these 5 paragraphs might lead someone to think against pursuing a career in HR, I’d vouch that there definitely are more motivating factors to truly consider this as a career option – of course only if a passion for communication, people, and teamwork figured bold on your inherent skill set.
At times, when I put myself into their shoes I think – its way too taxing to be the bridge between the Higher Management and your Employees. Depending on what you are asked to communicate, you might almost always (if the communication is not pretty much in favor of the employees) run the risk of being criticized to the core!
I’ve had the pleasure of having interacted with at least a quarter dozen HR Professionals who are a part of my social circle. I’ve seen them all go through their own set of ups n downs. So where do the challenges really stem from and in what circumstances. And while attrition is the most obvious of all the varied challenges HR Professionals look to tide over, I think it is worth thinking about the other factors as well.
One: Maybe you have the responsibility of downsizing, right sizing or even ramping up the workforce. These are challenges in themselves. Issuing Pink Slips isn’t easy and neither is it easy to meet recruitment targets when you have people accepting an offer and not joining you.
Two: At times you may not always be empowered to take decisions. There may be situations when the Job you do, may not be truly strategic in the sense of completing the triad of the Business Leaders, the Finance Guys and The HR. You may be desperate to be participating in driving key business decisions, but instead might be asked to focus on other administrative functions.
Three: There will be days you feel not one soul is happy with the work you do. While you do wish to keep the employee interests in mind on one hand, you may be constrained by the company policies on the other.
Four: You might run the risk of carrying the emotional burden of the concerns your employees have. While it’s always wise to be practical, it’s not always possible.
Five: You might be misguided by incorrect feedback. Well when training is being conducted, and you ask in person for a feedback people might be nice to smile and say things are perfect. It may turn out to be the exact opposite when you start going through the feedback forms.
I’ve always heard people say that “HR is the most cursed of all the functions within an organization” – well may be, but it surely is a key driving force in keeping your staff satisfied. And while these 5 paragraphs might lead someone to think against pursuing a career in HR, I’d vouch that there definitely are more motivating factors to truly consider this as a career option – of course only if a passion for communication, people, and teamwork figured bold on your inherent skill set.
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