The Rambunctious Rambler

Happy Birthday Aju Baju

Love you my darling …. I’m sorry you missed the yummy cupcakes we had yesterday

This comes to wish you a very Happy Birthday Almeida

It has been ages since I have gone on a road trip and when Ryan asked me if I was interested in coming along I said yes! The plan was to head to Karnala on a short trip – there was no mention of a trek! But a trek there was thrown in for free   Now this does not pose a problem for me – I love the outdoors and need no excuse to head out – but for some other people who have not been out in the ‘wild’ for sometime, I am afraid there was a problem.

We met up in Andheri and rode/drove to Karnala. Thank you SP for the safe ride

Had a quick breakfast and headed up to the Bird Sanctuary – it was pathetic and sad to see the birds holed up in tiny cages. But the peacock put himself on display for us …… even the bedraggled feathers were a sight to behold. See for yourself.

Then came the surprise – The Trek! I knew at once that I was going to be in trouble. First I was NOT dressed for the hiker role (you will know soon what happens when you are not!) and I had not told SP that we were going hiking and was going to get grief for it

This is what we set our sights for – Karnala Fort.

20 minutes onto the trail I was so badly bitten you could have played a game of “Join the Big Red Spots” on me! Lesson to self – always check if there is going to be a tramp through the forest.

However, I enjoyed myself to the hilt, just a I always do on these trips. Here are some pictures from the trip

The people who came on the trip

The creatures we met on the trip

The view from the top – which made it all worth while

Our journey down was shorter that the up hill one, guess the basic needs of food and water came into play. We pigged out on yummy chicken, Kokam sherbat, rice rotis and skittles when we got back.

And finally with the man who made it all happen – Thank you Ryan

My sister decided to make a batch of cookies out of the new Chocolate recipe book that I had been hoarding for a nearly a year. The cookies had a vanilla base, orange flavored icing with a sprinkling of chocolate swirls. I use the past tense because I’m sure they have been polished off by now!

Here’s what they looked like at 12:30 AM after we had finished decorating them

If you’d like a batch just holler

The Sapling Project is a mission, to plant and share plant saplings. This initiative was taken by two Mumbaikars, Satish Vijaykumar and Ranjeetsinh Walunjpatil – just the thing that smogy Mumbai needs. Two thumbs up to the duo. The saplings (Neem and Ashoka) are given away free of cost to the participants -  the only strings attached is that you have to nurture them and monitor the health and progress of the sapling for at least 2 years. I’ve already earmarked spaces in my garden where I can plant the saplings

The next sapling project is happening on 6th June 2010 in Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Pune, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Thane and New Mumbai.

You can be a part of this project by planting a sapling, sponsor a sapling or both.

I’m going to be there. Are you?

You can hop along here for more details.

At Directi we are always recruiting:)

If you know anyone who is interested in the position or if you are interested yourself drop me an email at marise.lobo@gmail.com and I will respond

Talent Acquisition Specialist

Job Description
As a Talent Acquisition Specialist, you will work with a team of seasoned talent scouts to identify and onboard “A” players for our expanding team (current size: 550+) across our multiple offices and functions. We have been doubling in headcount year after year. Your task will be to devise and execute creative recruitment strategies for continuing this growth pace while maintaining our high standards of quality.
You will be responsible for the entire lifecycle of recruitment, including strategy, sourcing, short-listing, pitching, communication, coordination, scheduling and negotiation. You will be required to execute myriad sourcing strategies conventional and unconventional, online and offline, and will have the creative license to adopt any approach as long as it is within the confines of our value system . You will be our brand ambassador, and evangelise Directi to potential candidates.

Who should apply for this post?
You have an innate ability to spot talent, the gift of the gab and the charisma of a young Keanu Reeves. You leave no stone unturned in filling a position, and have been known to adopt creative sourcing techniques to find the right match. You firmly believe that an organization is only as good as its people, always have your recruitment hat on, and are always on the lookout for “A” players.
You are internet-savvy, understand the technology space well and can leverage the web effectively to assist your search. You understand that Talent acquisition is the most important role within an organization, and you possess excellent oral and written communication skills, and the required sales and marketing chops to convince top performers to join our organization.

Location(s): Mumbai

Requirement Specification

General Requirements
Age: 25 or lesser

Experience: 1-3 years of volume hiring. Candidates that have proven experience in managing requirements in large numbers will be preferred.
Educational Qualifications: Graduate from any stream.

On a recent trip to Ahmedabad, I had the great pleasure of meeting a Jesuit bishop who shares my love for plants. I was so thrilled to be in the Bishops’ Garden, that I spent quite a few tranquil hours just wandering around it. I also brought back quite a few plants and seeds. The Basil is growing nicely and the lettuce will be planted after the monsoons.

I sat among the Vinka

Sniffed the Chrysanthemums

Plucked lettuce straight from the patch

The baby tomato plants

Took a walk through winding paths of the gardens …..

…. to Brother Lobo’s Green House (yeah I was really tickled by this)

And finally with the Bishop Greenfingers himself

Though I don’t fall into the “wifey” category as of yet …..  I soon will. This is something a friend’s wife sent her and I said …. well …. lets share it for what its worth

He didn’t like the curry

And he didn’t like my cake.

He said the biscuits I made were too hard ….

Not like his mother used to make.

I didn’t prepare the coffee right

He didn’t like my stew,

I didn’t mend his socks

The was his mother used to do.

I pondered for an answer

I was looking for a clue

Isn’t there anything I could do

To match his mother’s shoe!

Then I smiled as I saw light

One thing I could definitely do

I turned around

and slapped him tight….

Like his mother used to!!!!!!

author unknown

These are pictures taken on a family trip to Nagaon – Alibag. The credit goes to Ruth and Dad.

They come from an album called “At the water’s edge”.

When a colleague suggested that we try to catch “Chaos Theory” at the NCPA I jumped at the opportunity. A round about taxi ride and a cup of (terrible tasting) coffee at the NCPA snack counter later we were seated in the plush seats of the hallowed National Center for Performing Arts. Boy it sure was an experience! While it was not my first play, it was my first time at the NCPA (yeah … yeah I’m the movie person) and I was suitably impressed.

We were laughing our hearts out at the dialogues that were crafted so beautifully and delivered to perfection to elicit the very responses from the audience that the writer intended.

The play was brilliant and a definite must watch.