March 2012
1 post
WatchSit on the Red Chair !
December 2011
5 posts
Grace Hopper Celebration
Attending Grace Hopper Conference today and tomorrow. Follow me on twitter for updates.
4 tags
What would you do if you wern't afraid ?
Had one of the most enriching heart-to-heart chats with Shanti Subbaraman (Aarohi Communications and Emulex) on Friday evening.
It took me down memory lane and through my days when I ran a company and then a non-profit organization. Given that its the end of the year, I was in a contemplative mood already. The chat further got be thinking about the year that went by. How I executed what I...
An initiative for the privileged
In October we launched an initiative at our company which aims at making the workplace more inclusive to women employees. It’s a pleasure being a part of the core team and using this platform as a medium to engage all employees and together enhance the work culture.
During the launch we spoke about the mission and the activities that we plan to do as part of the initiative. In particular, I...
September 2011
1 post
There is no secret ingredient !
Last week I was watching ‘Kung Fu Panda’ with my daughter. All through the movie she giggled and I heard her giggle. It was a wonderful experience.
Wonder why so many people run around attending spiritual seminars in search of ‘inner peace’ and ‘happiness’ when true peace and happiness lies in the simple joys of life.
People need to realize that ‘the...
March 2011
2 posts
How to ask for perks
Dont we always find the best inspiration where we least expect it ? The best strategies for pitching in a request for perks spring out of my maid’s mind. The other day, I asked her if she wanted the mattress that I wanted to dispose off. She agreed immediately and followed it up with a request for a bedsheet to cover it. Fair enough I thougt. She may not have a double sized bedsheet....
“Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplacable spark. In the hopeless swamps...”
– Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged US (Russian-born) novelist (1905 - 1982)
January 2011
3 posts
Slow down now
As a child I remember collecting the week’s newspapers on Sunday just to read the column called Jugular Vein by Jug Suraiya. (At that time they were pure humour. Now he writes more serious stuff.) He made us all laugh at ourselves and made us more fond of ourselves. It was a calming feeling - both laughing at oneself and liking oneself. He would subtly show us the mirror and help us become...
planet of the apps
Apple recently got a trademark for the phrase ‘There’s an app for that.’ http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/10/12/apple_trademark/ Interesting hint to the future.
Was watching Ratatouille with my daughter. There is a scene in the movie where Remy eats cheese and then strawberry and experiences their taste individually. He then eats them together and experiences the combined taste. Something similar happened to me this afternoon. Two separate thoughts experessed at two different times by two different people made a great combination. In the preface of a book...
3 tags
Conventional wisdom, anynone ?
While chatting over coffee yesterday, one of my friends said that his wife is looking for a job as a school teacher in order to get more time at home and with children. She currently works in the IT industry.
Yes, that sounded familiar. Back in the earlier generation, when all jobs had fixed timings, a school teacher’s timings had shorter hours. However, even though they were shorter they...
December 2010
6 posts
I dont wanna be you !
In the year 2000 I read an article titled ‘Mediocre Minds”, authored by “James Ray”. The article changed the way I looked at relationships. For the first time I realized that I had a choice. I decided to spend no time with “people I did not want to become” and seek out connections with “like minded” people. That decision changed me forever. I...
Pleasant surprise !
Pleasantly surprised to find that Noam Chomsky’s eldest daughter’s name is Aviva !
Integrated Disqus
Just integrated disqus on this site. Feel free to comment and react :-)
“When you are tolerant towards the intolerant, you are intolerant towards the...”
– Namita Iyer
“Opportunity does not knock your door. You got to run behind it with a club.”
– Namita Iyer
Dora the rolemodel
We need role models like Dora,the explorer, for preschoolers because all old fairytale tale ones are too victorian.
November 2010
2 posts
Trust
The merchant had a heart of gold His chinacup was rare and old Made in the finest classical mold With care it was shaped and rolled And those who had the luck to behold skipped a hearbeat, truth be told One day it slipped through from his hold broke into half, as it rolled the burmese healer’s eyes were cold ‘it can be done’, to the merchant she told ‘It is no use, your...
Finding Nemo
Crippling protectiveness gave me the lucky fin But I loved my life and wanted to swim Seized the day and explored the night I found out soon that dentists can bite Oh, to be free and reach the quay In Darla’s bag, dead I had to play Learnt to deal with skill and tact And that filters changed just before the act Thought I had broken off the chain when Gill asked me to see Marlin again Bite I...
September 2010
1 post
Mothering Heights
Being a mother of a toddler may seem like a trying and thankless job, at times. On one end, we keep wondering if we are doing enough for the little one and on the other end, we dont understand why toddlers have such unreasonable demands. But the tots dont care either way. They love you absolutely and completely - just the way you are. And they can tell you how much they enjoy your company, in ways...
July 2010
2 posts
2 tags
Rosie, productivity, reproductivity and work-life...
Yes, its Rosie the Riveter again. This time on the front cover of ‘The Economist’ (issue of Jan 2-8, 2010). This issue of the mag talks about women in the workforce and what it could mean to have half the workforce consisting of women - a recent survey showed that 49.9% of America’s workforce is women and 3 out of 4 people losing their jobs were men. It is particularly surprising...
1 tag
Planet of the telemarketers
“Hi, This is veena from XYZ Bank. May I speak to you for a moment ?” That’s how they all start - the telemarketers - and then you learn the new meaning of the word ‘moment’. This time they called me on my desk phone at office !! Who ever told these companies that they can sell their wares by disturbing people at the wrong times and places ? And calls...
April 2010
1 post
Time flies. Navigate it right and enjoy the...
Children are like mirrors. They show us our flaws and help us learn about ourselves. Their simplicity makes us wonder how we manage to complicate matters so much. As I dropped my yet-to-turn-two daughter at her daycare this morning, she said - ‘Mamma come’ and hugged me. I wanted to tell her that I will be back ‘soon’ or ‘in the evening’, but realized that it...
March 2010
4 posts
Six gears and a kick
As I was sipping coffee this morning, the slick voice on the radio sold the new ‘automatic’ Mahindra Scorpio to all listeners. It touted the vehicle as ‘perfect for women drivers’. A decade back this is exactly how the ungeared, button start scooterettes were marketed. What exactly is the basis of this assumption that women don’t like to (or worse, can’t) use...
2 tags
Great team equals great fun
Remembering the initial days of Twincling. This was one team I loved working with. The most important characteristic of this team was that ideas flowed in abundance and execution followed immediately after.
I thrill when I drill a bicuspid
I used to have a queasy feeling in my gut when the biology teacher would walk in with the corrected answersheets in hand. I wouldn’t know what exactly would happen, but I knew for sure that whatever happened would be unpleasant. Biology was one subject I hated.
Its the same feeling I have had whenever I have been to a hospital - as visitor or as patient. I dont seem to see much difference...
4 tags
Make your own sunshine
Had a great evening with Shabana Azmi, Bachi Karkaria and Dr. Villoo Patell. Very intelligent women, all of them. Still reeling under the positivity of the thoughts they shared. I was looking for a mantra for myself that I can live by. Wanted something short and profound, yet simple. It was on my bucket list since June 2008 when I had given the last 3 weeks of my maternity leave to think about...
February 2010
1 post
1 tag
Valentine Cheers !!
Had a great 3-day long Valentine weekend. Three exciting new dishes. Three Cheers to 12 years of love.
Yummy Chicken Liver on 12th February, 2010
Stuffed Mackerels on 13th February, 2010
Fried Fish ‘n’ Chips with fresh bread and mayo on 14th Feb, 2010