Colours of Life...

These days, one of my favourite things to do is hunt for and spot Bouganvilla trees and bask in the colourful feeling they invariably lend me. And the game got very fascinating earlier this week. I hit a jackpot. I reaped what I saw. (But isn't it "You reap what you sow"?. Hey, ignore me or ignore the spelling/pronunciation.) OK. So, I spotted three Bouganvilla trees almost at a stretch....Purple, Orange and Yellow flowers ...in the order mentioned. It left me speechless....my eyes widened to the size of I don't know what and I found the corners of my mouth reaching out to my ears on either side. I think someone next to me noticed the expression and got a bit scared, but I was too excited to care about a stranger's reaction to my feelings....

Come to think of it, I find very few people - when traveling - engrossed in thinking or soliloquy or such pet pastimes of late. Most people seem to be happy chattering away on mobiles. Sigh. No...nothing bad about it, I guess. Just felt like sighing.

Nonsense - The Nerve!

It's been a while since I wrote something worthwhile. The creative (and intellectual?) juices haven't really been flowing. Or maybe I am so preoccupied with a changing life (as a consequence of a change of job....resulting in change of lifestyle....environment....friends....colleagues....processes....challenges.....and almost everything) that I haven't been in my usual form in terms of "writing". Surprisingly enough, I haven't been so very worried about lack of awesome content on my blog of late. After all, not everyone can generate good quality - conceptual or intellectually stimulating - stuff everyday. And I, honestly, feel good to think that I don't necessarily have to live to meet someone or the other's expectation everyday. But I know it won't be long before it starts to get to me and I start thinking that it is my responsibility to say something worthwhile on my blog...something that will be of use to someone or the other. And I also know life will anyway throw something intellectually stimulating - from the perspective of blogging - my way sometime or the other to meet my needs. God. Wait. Hold on. I just realized how much I am rambling out here!! I guess I have this need to ramble something nonsensical if I happen to reach a stage where I feel I have been deprived of intellectual content in life for too long a time. Get the crazy point? Actually, I do have something good to chew on at work but that's, unfortunately, not blog material....at least not as yet. So, I (and you, if you've not given up as yet) will have to wait.

I find it perfectly fine to indulge in nonsensical (goofy and illogical if you want me to be specific) thinking when I am running short of intellectual stimulation. Maybe the corresponding nerves believe in operating in a mutually exclusive manner or maybe there's a hidden connection that we can't see. (Caveat: May not be valid for your brain. Maybe you don't have a 'Nonsense Nerve' at all in the first place). So, okay, where was I? Ya....nonsense......here's something on those lines for your consumption...I cooked up something while complaining to a friend who is far away from the country. If you're angry with someone that you can't physically hit...all you do is put the person's photo on your desktop and drag and drop the Recycle Bin on the person's head when the RB is full of junk. She did not respond....probably because she was too stunned by the ingenuity of the idea.

PS: If you want to be saved from such posts, I have a suggestion - you can pose a nice thoughtful question on Life/Spirituality/KM/Creativity/Innovation/Change Management which I will take a stab at....if I think I have the necessary 'material' to consider the question.... :-)

Enthusiasm

Methinks, Enthusiasm is a fire that must rage on.....unextinguished by silence, indifference and unjustified criticism. It must however embrace genuine feedback as a fuel.

Hanuman Happiness

Thanks to Kishore yet again (He's been a Godsend in more ways than one!). He read my 'interview' with Prashant and sent me this link (Kishore himself manages this site) after observing that I consider Hanuman to be one of the greatest mythological heroes. (Hanuman happens to be Kishore's favourite too) I explored the site and found this gem of an article....contains a lot of repetitive stuff...but is worth all your time if you're intrigued by the source of happiness!

Service comes from the Heart

I love this video....and believe in each and every word of it.

Interview!?

Well, what do I say? I've been interviewed! Gosh, can you think of anything more horrifying than that - for the interviewer I mean? And what's sad is that this chap is not even an established interviewer who'd know how to handle a crazy person like me. He's an amateur. You might want to pray for him.

I've been through job interviews and interviews with some of my Scorpio friends (you know what I mean if you happen to have a typical Scorpio friend or two). But this is the first time ever someone has really really interviewed me. Does that mean I am a celebrity? Not at all. Not at all. Please. It's just that I appreciated someone for some smart questions that he thought he'd ask people in the talk show that he dreams of and he decided to turn the tables and ask me to answer those questions. I had to oblige....I'll be careful about what I appreciate from now on ;-). If you're sure you have what it takes to listen to (read) my answers, apply some pressure on that left mouse button right here and then don't be surprised if the pressure slowly spreads to your brain. Har har.

KM - People, Process or Tech?

I have been quite silent in the online KM forums – that I am a so-called part of - for sometime now, due to reasons I don’t have to waste your time going into. This is probably the beginning of a phase where I may get active again or maybe not…depending on how much time I want to spend thinking and listening versus talking.

Anyways, I found some time to answer this question on Linked In.

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I think the answers that we have here are all thought-provoking and nice ones to consider. Based on my experiences so far, I'd have definitely chosen People....but I love the answers that point towards Processes too. Having said that, let me add that I've seen most people slip through the cracks in processes somehow or the other. It's difficult to design a perfect process. And people will always find a way out if they don't like or believe in what they're being asked to do. Anyway, here's how I look at the three –

http://nirmala-km.blogspot.com/2007/05/body-mind-soul.html

Let me just add one more dimension to this discussion. I think you ought to decide what to focus on after studying the context - the business environment in your organization, the focus areas for your KM plan and so forth. For example, if you're in a conventional organization that isn't too tech savvy, then you need to focus on technology in order to make people feel more comfortable with your KM tools...

B-R-E-A-K

Hey Friend(s),

Psst....Bloggy, wonder if I am addressing at least one person ;-)? It is more likely that I am talking to the space around you...the space in blogosphere :D

Okays. Here's the news. I will most probably be unable to post for the next 10 days or so. Till then....enjoy your break from the so-called Aa..ha! moments....!

Nimmy :)

A New 'Earth' Experience

I think I have been lucky enough to experience 'natural' bliss in its purest form for very brief periods of time so far in my life.....times when I have briefly felt that life (as opposed to events within life) is the most wonderful thing that could have happened to me. I am not talking about those occasions when something external stimulated happiness (of a different kind). I am talking about those occasions that do not involve contributions to regular/typical desires, greed and selfish interests. I am talking about those moments when I've experienced immense joy on simply seeing a bird glide or a flower sway or a tree whisper or a squirrel hop around or a baby smile....these have been Aa..ha! moments of a different flavour....leading to a recognition of the 'real' joy in life. There have also been such rare moments involving creative thought...poetry, prose, discovering something enchanting about life, and 'inventing' something that I have been able to apply at work.

But I've never encountered these moments 'consciously'. They've just happened. Out of the blue. Without any warning whatsoever. I've perhaps not truly believed - so far - that one can actually choose to have such moments. But Eckhart Tolle's book - A New Earth - has convinced me completely that we can experience such moments whenever we want to. In short, the book is extremely insightful and enlightening. I recommend that each and everyone who believes that there's more to life than daily routine, money and selfish motives read this book.

PS: Tolle says that the book will make no sense to a person who is not 'ready' for it....and I believe he is right. I am reading the penultimate chapter of the book and will probably have a lot to post once I am done. I think this book has all the potential to truly change our lives if we approach it with an open mind and let its contents sink in.

Who is Someone?

Noticed this board on the way to office. Have seen variants of this before....

Drive Safely.

Someone is Waiting for You!

Now, this is serious stuff. But..er...I couldn't help but see the underlying - bitter - humor. Who is Someone? Someone at home or someone up there? Wonder if it was consciously intended to either let the person driving get emotional thinking about people back home or get scared thinking of 'someone' up there....waiting for the slightest opportunity to end things. :- [

It's a perfect world!

I simply don't know how to start this post. Hold on....for that matter, I have no clue how to end it or even stuff stuff in the middle. But I must share this story with you. So, I am going to give it a jab. I've been blogging for over 4 years now. If you've seen my profile and some of my posts, you know that I worship P.G Wodehouse (PLUM). I think he was a genius born to bring joy to many a depressed/bored soul....generally make this world more worthwhile to live in.

Kishore here happened to read some of my passionate posts on PLUM and decided to be a perfect Godsend. (It probably became obvious to him that I might even kill for a P.G Wodehouse book and he decided to save the world from a few early dead bodies.) He wrote to me telling me his dad is a great fan of PLUM as well and that he (his dad) has a collection of PLUM's books that he (his dad) might want to give away to an equally devoted fan. I thought it was too good to be true. Honest. I thought such things couldn't possibly in happen in today's world. So, I took it a bit lightly and did not probably completely believe that I'm blessed enough to get the books that were missing from my collection on such a platter. Kishore then actually followed it up and asked me to send the list of books I already have and I did that by taking my own sweet time as I was going through a job transition at that time and moreover I had to sit down and make a list of the 70 odd books I've managed to collect in the last decade or so. I finally did it (without any expectations) and then Kishore very modestly happens to have spoken to his dad and arranged for the books (that his dad had but I did not) to be couriered to me.

I did not follow up after I sent the list....and went about life as usual..... But then Kishore and his dad were very committed, sincere and serious about the whole thing. So, to my utter joy, I received the courier - 14 delicious PLUM books - this weekend. The end result being that I now almost know what it is like to be in Heaven. I was so overwhelmed to see the books that I screamed out in joy (the person who delivered the courier definitely seemed to be in a hurry to leave, if you get the drift). I immediately called Kishore's dad (BTW, he is a retired literature professor) and thanked him profusely. He said he was extremely happy to find a 'modern' PLUM fan to whom he could send the books, but I brought it to his notice that he couldn't possibly be happier than I was (and for that matter 'am). Sigh. God. This is just too awesome and overwhelming. Paulo Coelho is absolutely right. The world does conspire to give you what you really and badly want!!

I can't thank Kishore and his dad enough for this magnanimous gesture. Words fail me. As one of my friends put it, "This is a PLUM deal!". But only PLUM could have done justice to my feelings in that impeccable English of his. Right now, I am still floating somewhere amongst the clouds....if you look up, you might find someone with all teeth and an intoxicated look. Thanks a zillion million Kishore. Thanks a zillion million Mr.Ramamurthy! Did I tell you that it's a perfect world? :))

The PERFECT questions...

I believe that Prashanth's 'Perfect' questions may lead one to his/her purpose in life - as it touches upon what one likes doing, what one is good at doing and what one passionately believes in! :-) There's so much one sometimes discovers in blogosphere.....hours of random and skeptical browsing sometimes does lead to gems that lie undiscovered or unappreciated...till serendipity takes over.

Are you Silly or Serious Today?

Silly is you in a natural state, and serious is something you have to do until you can get silly again. - Mike Myers

I am able to relate to and appreciate this quote.... ;-)