Painful but true

Only a few hours ago I was happy to hear that my friend and colleague, who until now worked for another team but was not happy doing so, is moving into my extended department. This was an occasion to celebrate, raise a toast. But first things first, we decided. We set up a conference with my US counterpart, who is himself celebrating a narrow escape from the clutches of globalization and pink slips. At the conference, we hit it off from the word go; my US counterpart thought that my friend is a good addition to our team. The conference room on either side (India and US) may have resembled a party floor as we were at our humorous best; we swore to have fun at work day after day come what may, and my friend immediately felt at home. He noticed how drastically different this team was from his immediate past - he thanked heavens for helping him bring home the bacon in spite of going thru difficult times. The past was history and he saw great opportunities lying ahead of him.

That night we returned home happy, thanking god for small mercies he showered on us. I hitched a ride with him because we stayed in the same neighborhood. During the ride, e spoke about our old times in the cab and the funny incidents that brought us joy during times of strife. It was a rather short ride homewards. I thanked him for the ride and slept peacefully that night.

The next day we were invited by the product managers to take stock of the ground situation and plan our future actions based on the estimated work load. The meeting was scheduled for 11:00 am. At 9:10, my friend showed up at my seat. When he insisted that we should go 'out' but not the cafeteria for tea, I could read his mind. In my heart of hearts I vehemently tried to avoid any negative thoughts. Finally, he broke the news at 9:30 over a cup of tea. One of his past efforts had paid off. He is on the verge of conquering the world. Can "I" stop him? No one can.

I am happy for him; but am also sad that he will not be working with us. We will still be in touch. He's too precious to let go; I'll miss him as a friend, humorist, guide, fellow blogger.

I had always encouraged him to look for another job when he complained about the indifference shown by his team lead; I sensed that his ego had been bruised. A new job and new environment would have helped tide over the past. I hadn't dreamt that one day we may get the opportunity to work together. Now, I am falling prey to my advices. The year-long struggle in his erstwhile department had made him sore and stubborn. Naturally, he started hunting for a greener pasture, and I hope the one he has found for himself is very green.

But I cannot imagine how companies can take as long as six months to close a position. This happened to my friend. At the new company that my friend will join, he had interviewed in September 2005. Today, when he finally got the offer letter, is March 17, 2006. Unbelievable! But then strange are the ways in which companies work. I wish him the best in his future.

I am back to square one. The building has to be raised from ground up. I'll enjoy doing it as much as I had expected I would when this friend moved in to our team. I am off to meet my manager…

It's a wife's job to listen to her husband...

There was a man who had worked all of his life and had saved all of his money. He was a real miser when it came to his money. He loved money more than just about anything, and just before he died, he said to his wife, "Now listen, when I die, I want you to take all my money and place it in the casket with me. I wanna take my money to the afterlife."

So he got his wife to promise him with all her heart that when he died, she would put all the money in the casket with him. Well, one day he died. He was stretched out in the casket, the wife was sitting there in black next to her closest friend. When they finished the ceremony, just before the undertakers got ready to close the casket, the wife said "Wait just a minute!" She had a shoe box with her, she came over with the box and placed it in the casket.

Then the undertakers locked the casket down and rolled it away.

Her friend said, "I hope you weren't crazy enough to put all that money in the casket."

She said, Yes, I promised. I'm a good Christian, I can't lie. I promised him that I was going to put that money in that casket with him." "You mean to tell me you put every cent of his money in the casket with him?" "I sure did," said the wife. "I got it all together, put it into my account and I wrote him a cheque."

Interesting one liners!

*Interesting one liners!!!*

• Join the army, see the world, meet interesting people, and kill them.
• Until I was 13, I thought my name was 'Shut Up.'
• I'm not afraid to die. I just don't want to be there when it happens.
• Always and never are two words you should always remember never to use.
• I've never been drunk, but often I've been over served.
• The road to success is always under construction.
• I say no to drugs -- they just don't listen!
• Marriage is one of the chief causes of divorce.
• Work is fine if it doesn't take up too much of your time.
• When everything's coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.
• Born free; Taxed to death.
• Everyone has a photographic memory; some people just don't have film.
• Life is unsure; always eat your dessert first.
• Smile -- it makes people wonder what you're up to.
• I love being a writer... what I can't stand is the paperwork.
• A printer consists of 3 main parts: the case, the jammed paper tray and the blinking red light.
• The hardest part of skating is the ice.
• The guy who invented the first wheel was an idiot; the guy who invented the other three, he was the genius.
• The trouble with being punctual is that there's no one there to appreciate it.
• If our constitution allows us free speech, why are there phone bills?
• If you tell a man there are 300 billion stars in the universe, he'll believe you. But if you tell him a park bench has just been painted, he has to touch it to be sure.
• Beat the 5 O'clock rush: leave work at noon!
• If you can't convince them, confuse them.
• It's not the fall that kills you; it's the sudden stop at the end.
• I couldn't repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder.
• Someday is not a day of the week.
• When I was born, I was so surprised I didn't talk for a year and a half.

Coffee time

A forward from my friend's circle...

A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got togetherto visit their old university Professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life.

Offering his guests coffee, the Prof went to the kitchen and returnedwith a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups: porcelain, plastic, glass, some plain-looking and some expensive and exquisite, telling them to help themselves to hot coffee.

When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand,the lecturer said: "If you noticed, all the nice-looking, expensive cups were taken up,leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is quite normal foryou to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of yourproblems and stress.

What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but youConsciously went for the better cups and are eyeing each other'scups."

"Now, if Life is coffee, then the jobs, money and position in societyare the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life, but thequality of Life doesn't change."

"Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy thecoffee in it."

So friend, don't let the cups drive you...enjoy the coffee instead.