There is always a first time for everything

There is always a first time for everything. Last evening was my first tango session. It had been on my bucket list for a while, so finally I pulled myself together, got some friends interested and off we went to the milonga at Balthazar.

The “first time” is always made up of a bit of nervousness, tension, excitement, anticipation and expectation. So with a bundle of nerves and butterflies in my stomach, I drove to Balthazar.

As I was driving, I thought of some other memorable “first times”. The first time I watched a cricket match, I was mesmerized by the electric atmosphere of the stadium with the thousands of screaming fans. Though not a lover of cricket, I will forever after jump at the chance of going for another cricket match.

The first time I flew in a helicopter was equally memorable. Bombay looked so beautiful from the air that one quite forgot the squalor, filth and chaos on ground. The pink flamingoes on the mudflats at Sewri and the fishing boats at Colaba made for a pretty picture. Despite the electronic chatter from the radio conversation between pilot and air traffic control and the general noise from the rotor, I felt calm looking at my beautiful city from above.

I have been on many airplanes but to jump out of one at 12000 ft was madness. The first time I skydived, I was numb. It took a lot of courage to go through with it considering that I had a fear of heights. The long wait for my turn was unbearable and nerve racking but once we were kitted up, briefed, photographed, interviewed and boarded on the tiny plane, there was no time to think or agonize. Before I knew it, I was jumping out of the plane strapped to my instructor who kept whispering into my ear to breathe and stay calm. His reassuring words were what kept me sane. My first reaction on jumping from the plane was “gosh, I am going to hit the wing” and later “wow, I am actually floating through the air” and finally “this is so awesome”. Once the parachute was inflated, it was heaven. I felt like a bird, someone disconnected from earth, observing the beauty of the lakes around Roturua – a truly spectacular location to choose to skydive. I was intoxicated from the experience for the next 3 months.

My first hot air balloon ride, recently concluded in Cappadocia, is still fresh in my mind. The peace one experiences floating above the earth in the stillness of the dawn is a personal memory that is special. Once again the unique landscape with its volcanic rock formations and pinnacles added to the surrealism of the experience. You are forgiven if you believe that you have landed on the moon. At some point I was a bit nervous thinking about crashing into one of those pinnacles which looked sharp as needles. Thankfully we floated away for an hour before we safely landed in on a grassy field and popped the bubbly to celebrate.

I still remember the first time I had sashimi. I could not bring myself to eat the raw fish. My mind was blocking my senses. And adding fuel to the fire was the dollop of wasabi that I swallowed! Now, sashimi and sushi are my preferred cuisine. What a long way I have journeyed, from looking at sashimi as a slimy sliver of fish and being repulsed to the present where I savour the freshness of the flesh and enjoy the texture of unadulterated taste enhanced by the wasabi and soy.

I also remember very vividly my first time at the Formula One Race. I had won a prize for two to view the Sepang race in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. My brother was the lucky one who got to accompany me. However my boss heard I was there and invited us to the Paddock Club to cheer his team. The Paddock club in itself was an experience with abundant exotic food and drink continuously flowing as well as entertainment like spas, caricature artists and visits to the pit lane, garages and meetings with the drivers. Observing the pit stop and the precision team work was a lesson in management. From having no interest in Formula One, I was hooked with the entire experience. Since, then I am a keen follower of the races and in particular our team.

So as I drove to Balthazar, I felt a bit reassured with my memories of the various “first times” in my life and my butterflies calmed down a bit allowing me to get there with a positive frame of mind.

The Talent Connector

Adversity is a time when you introspect, appreciate what you have and see things in a different light.

With all the time in the world, I was able to actually take notice of people and things around me. Many of the people around me seemed depressed, bogged down with the events at work. But there were quite a few others who had lifted themselves up, dusted their backsides and got down to work – work which they loved doing. Picking up on hobbies long forgotten or focusing on areas that they enjoyed, turning their hobbies into money earners.

I was inspired. I wondered how I could help them achieve their dreams. I did what I knew best. Created a blog – The Talent Connector – which is meant to be a repository of all the various talented resources I come across. Easy to access and helps the people featured to promote their services and achieve their dreams.

So please check it out if you want personalized cakes, fancy meals for your loved ones, doggy treats, handmade jewellery, someone to plan your event or learn to dance or even show your guests a glimpse of Bombay.

A miracle.........

On 4th April, we had a miracle in our family - little Chloe Eden D'Silva was born.

The birth of a child is truly a miracle and when one sees the newborn for the first time, one’s heart skips several beats. The little fingers and toes, the soft hair on the head, the tiny nails, the red chubby cheeks and the small frame – must melt even the hardened heart.

I was truly touched to see the little angel. And to carry her was a bit frightening to begin with, but later such a joy. I am amazed at the fact that newborns have a personality of their own and to see the manifestations of it, is a revelation in itself. I am going to enjoy myself watching this little miracle unfold over the next few years.

Goodbye 2011 and Hello 2012

Once again it is time to say Goodbye to 2011................thank you for all the experiences and learning. Some of the memorable ones are.........

• Visits to the Phillipines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Maldives and the Czech Republic.
• Walking amongst the mystical temples of Angkor.
• India winning the Cricket World Cup.
• The first Indian Formula One Grand Prix turning out to be so successful and well organised.
• Experiencing the Eurovision Finals contest in Dusseldorf.
• Meeting Sebastian Vettel, the Formula One World Champion unexpectedly at Agra.
• Being part of my friends Martin and Hasna's wedding in France.
• Taking them around Agra and Jaipur which was absolutely beautiful.
• Reconnecting with old friends, making new friends and spending time with family.
• Spending time with my cousin John on a trip to Canterbury.
• Numerous trips to Singapore to spend time with Floyd and Cheryl and taking in the arts and culture scene - Lion King, Swan Lake on Ice, Elton John live, etc, etc.
• A helicopter ride over the city of Berlin.
• Visiting the beautiful Chamonix and Mont Blanc and the awesome Montreaux.
• Walking the streets of Paris during Fete de la Musique.
• Enjoying the KLM Golf Open with my friends.
• Spending time with Jan and Irena in Prague.
• The announcement of the impending birth in our family filled us all with hope and excitement.
• The horrific bomb blast in DEL that injured my dearest friend Ron made me appreciate my friends and family even more.
• The brutal murder of my friend's mother made me realise life is all too short.
• The realisation that I have many many friends and well wishers who truly share my joys and success
• And ofcourse conceiving and executing the Fun@Work initiative which reinforces the fact that we have some amazing people who need an environment to blossom.

2012 ............am sure you will have a lot of surprises in store for me. Please be kind...........to me and my family and friends. Shower us with love, joy, peace, good health, excitement and prosperity.

On my wish list........

• Continue with the Fun@Work initiative and make it more fun for those at work.
• Learn Spanish to be able to converse fluently.
• Travel as much as I can to new places.
• Participate in the Dream run of the Standard Chartered Marathon.
• Participate in the Lavasa Women's Rally.
• Spend more time with my family and friends.
• A coast to coast drive across the USA.
• Hone my photography skills.
• And of course, work on my blog.

"20 years from now you will be disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the one’s you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover” ~ Mark Twain

Fun @ work

I truly learned to have fun and enjoy life when I joined Kingfisher Airlines. This is a fun organisation and full of amazing, talented, young people. Therefore when the airline was going through a crisis I decided to do something that would keep people engaged, motivated, connected and involved.

It’s the synergy that comes from people working together and gathering creative ideas that leads to long-term organization wealth creation. That synergy and “above and beyond” behavior is evidence of employee engagement.

 

Employees are in a highly engaged state when they are doing the nonjob roles. In general, we find that most employees have a sense of fairness, and even if their employer treats them poorly, most will show up to work and do the job role. But having employees show up at work simply doing their jobs gets an employer nowhere in terms of long-term competitiveness. If all of your employees show up and only do their jobs, then you are not building organizational strength and long-term competitiveness through people because anyone can hire those same employees and duplicate what you are doing.

Source: http://www.eepulse.com/

 

Some of the results I hope to see are:

- Breakdown of barriers - work related and personal related.

- Open communication at all levels.

- A positive environment at work.

- Continuous learning through sharing of ideas and experiences.

- A sense of team work so that there is less politics and more action.

- Happiness and Joy.

 

Some of the initiatives are:  

• The Library @ Qube where employees can avail of both management and fiction books.
• A staff recreation area where they can relax, take a break, chat with other colleagues and destress.
• Movie Fridays as this is a great opportunity to interact and make friends in a relaxed environment.
• The KF Book Club to exchange ideas and thoughts centred around a book theme.
• The Joy of Giving week where we spread the joy, love, care, concern and some of our fortune to those who need it more than we do.
• The KF trek club for the "fitness" and "not so fit" freaks. Great opportunity to promote team work.
• The intranet message board to encourage communication and breaking down of invisible barriers.
• The photography contest where we showcase our talent and encourage the artistic side in us.

The modern communication medium - BBM

Technology never ceases to amaze me. First, there was the pager, then mobile phones that looked like walkie talkies! Over time the mobile phones got sleeker, thinner and smarter and probably smaller. Then the phone was not just a phone, but also a camera and now it is also your office.

Our lives have changed forever. The way we communicate has changed from what it used to be. We now know our friends' moods by their "dps".

What is a dp?

A display picture on the BBM profile status.

I love dps and am constantly checking to see what is the latest. I don't know where they come from but I have collected quite a few from my friends over the last few weeks.

Some of my favourites are..........