The Rambunctious Rambler

I have never been particularly found of cats. Infact I will go so far as to say I dislike them. But all this changed last Sunday morning when my sister brought home a frightened kitten who could not have been more than 2 weeks old! Since then Grey has become the center of my world. I have fallen head over heels in love with our mackerel tabby cat

She came to us crying, shying into corners and refusing to eat (she refused to eat for 2 days!), now she plays with my fingers (I owe KJD this one ), thinks my toes are toys, is proud of the fact that she can fight with her shadow and win, has a voracious appetite, follows us around and scampers around the place.  It broke my heart to leave her at home this morning after having spent the entire weekend with her.

Here are glimpses of out little kitty cat.

Photo Credit: Ruth Lobo

Photo Credit: Kevin D’Cruz

Photo Credit: Kevin D’Cruz

Photo Credit: Kevin D’Cruz

Photo Credit: Kevin D’Cruz

Photo Credit: Ruth Lobo

I have been worrying KJD to take me along for a trip to a Jesuit mission station for years and so when he suggested Nandurbar I jumped

We packed our bags and headed to Nandurbar on the Sharpline bus after picking up a whole lot of goodies. Nandurbar is about a 10 hour run by road from Mumbai and we arrived at our destination at 8:45 in the morning. Fr. Godfrey who is  incharge there came chuggin’ along in an autorickshaw to pick us up and escort us to  Jana Seva Mandal.

One of the initial things that you notice about  town is that it is a typical Indian town, with a lot of shops and various establishments and  does not look like a cut-off tribal area. However this is not the catchment area of the Jana Seva Mandal - who target the Adivasis who live about 40 to 60 kms in the interiors of the Taloda and Shahada districts.

After a good breakfast of eggs, bread and chai, Godfrey took us on a ‘grand tour’ of the place.  Apart from the main administrative building and the boarding for about 70 boys, the campus now boasts of  halls and restrooms that cater to large groups of individuals. We sat and chatted with him about the work he is doing and the plans he has for Jana Seva.  KJD  and I went for a botanical walk of sorts around the campus and had a poke around at the various plants and trees.

Lunch and a much needed rest followed. I spent some time by myself in the evening. The rest of the gang joined us in the evening and we headed to town for a while.  Had a hilarious dinner  and hit the sack - or tried too

Sunday morning saw us walking the kilometer to the house of one of the parishoners where morning mass was going to be celebrated.  It was the couple’s 21st wedding anniversary that day. It was really nice to see the community come together to celebrate the Eucharist. After mass in Marathi,  KJD  and Kenneth being ‘ordained’ and a lovely home made breakfast we walked down to the sister’s place. Sr. Lillian chatted with us about the work she is involved in and the herbal dispensary and course that they run.  We spent the morning setting up some computers and wi -fi connection.

We were due to leave in the night and then realised that the bus back to Mumbai left earlier in the evening! I spent the afternoon in a long heart to heart conversation - just the type I love We packed up and took the same rick back to the bus station.

I must say that the journey back was a lot more comfy We got in at around 5.30 in the morning. KJD, the gentleman as always,  dropped me home and I managed to get some sleep before I headed to work.

I had a lovely time on the trip (Thank You KJD) and am so looking forward to the next one

We had a food tasting session at work today at lunch time.

Caterers - Taj Caterers

Menu - Vegetarian packed lunch

Here is what we ate and my ratings on each of them (Out of 10)

A preparation of chana dal and spinach which was really yummy-  8/10

Paneer in white sauce (because I dont know what else to call it!) which had what seemed like raw pieces of paneer tossed into it - 2/10

Vegetable Kadai which was mixture of peas, french beans et al in a spicy red gravy - 6/10

Steamed Rice was cooked well though I didn’t quite get the semi boiled gram that was stuck into it as decoration - 5/10

Chapattis which were soft and tasty - 8/10

Gulab Jamun which was semi cooked from the inside and completely without shape! - 3/10

Packaging  and Presentation- 8/10

Overall Ratings -5.5

I always believe that pictures speak louder than words.  Here are some of the pics from my first Directi party - the warming of DirectiPlex

The ‘grand entrance’ from the boys who usually drive a Mercedes and Porsche.

A great truly great achievement for the young guns- DirectiPlex

Kinnari -Mommy dearest

My Mentor and me!!!!

“The party is on” -Ankush

Ha ha Supandi …. look who I got

And finally with the man who made Directi possible for me. Thank you Ryan

The rest you can have a look at here

We were the designated guinea pigs for the move to our new office premises! So we packed our boxes and headed to Andheri and our very own DirectiPlex

Here are some pictures from our first day at the Plex (as we like to call it)

It has been a month since I’ve joined Directi and I’ve been having a wonderful time. So what has made it so ……….

Interesting colleagues ( I will hopefully be able to do a piece on them)

A fantastic mentor

Challenging work

Flexi hours

An office closer to home

Intelligent people, uncommon ideas

Good Perks

Casuals to work

5 day week

Need I say more

A very special girl celebrated her 2nd birthday today.  Happy Birthday darling.

And here is what she did.

She spent time with the little children at the Mobile Creche

And had a lovely party with a big yummy cake (I know because I had a big bite of it )

I decided to risk a new guy who tailored saree blouses (courtesy Jessy) for the ensemble for Ashish’s wedding. While the blouse turned out a lot more risque than I would have liked it, it looked gorgeous and was a perfect fit Now the problem remained about the possible hazard of traveling with the office rush at peak hours to Sanpada (for those who are unfamiliar with the Mumbai Suburban train routes, this place is located on the Central Harbour line - a station away from Vashi)

Made it safely to Thane  - crazy women and crazier crowd on the train and all - only to find out that my escort decided to ditch me! All said and done I got to the venue in one piece as did my clothes

I wished the couple -Ashish my colleague, looking all spruced up complete with mehndi on his hands (yup among his community the men get the mehndi too) and his lovely petite bride Priyanka.

The Reliance gang then headed for dinner while I chatted with Kuldeep and Hemkiran’s wife for a while. Got a drop to the station and made it home in good time.

I’ve finally quit Reliance Retail after spending 2 years with them. It has been a rollercoaster ride with plenty of good times and the share of not so good times.

The best part of the 2 years have been the friends I’ve made for life and the exposure to a variety of process and people.

To the people who made it all worthwhile - THANK YOU. I could not have done it without you.

The following is the philosophy of Charles Schultz , the creator of the “Peanuts” comic strip.

The following is the philosophy of Charles Schultz , the creator of the “Peanuts” comic strip. You don’t have to actually answer the questions. Just read the e-mail straight through, and you’ll get the point.

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world .

2. Name the last five Wimbledon trophy winners .

3. Name the last five winners of the Miss India Contest .

4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize .

5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.

6. Name the last 3 Cricket World Cup winners.

How did you do?

The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. They are not second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

Here’s another quiz. See how you do on this one:

1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.

2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.

3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.

4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.

5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.

Easier?
I love this!

The lesson: The people who make a difference in your life are NOT the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones who care.

Go tell that someone today how much he/she means to you