Monday 28 January, 2008

Goodbye X

31-Jan-2008 will be my last working day at X (my current company). I have been with X since 2000. I have worked for another company before joining X, but X has been my first job in the true sense. The rich experience at X has shaped me into a good professional. I have had my share of issues with X, however deep down I know, I have a lot to be happy about, thanks to X. Today as I sit and think about the few issues that I have had, I realize that the issues are almost neligible compared to what I have gained from X in the last 8 years.

I am going to miss being part of X, I am going to miss ...

1) The "brand X" - I have been enjoying the "Brand X" for the last 8 years. Wnenever I told people that I worked for X, I would more or less get these responses/expressions-
Older generation - "acchhi bacchi" (proud)
College going -"wow!"(but she looks so "non-corporate" kinds)
Friends, "well, okay.."
Relatives "uh! so what"
Strangers "okay" (so she must be worth something).

I am going to miss the "brand X" a lot.

2) The "speed of operation" at office - Being in this company for 8 years, I know the processes in and out, I know from whom/where I can get what information. I know the right channels, the right people who can help me. This has increased my "speed of operation" tremendously over the last few years. So I got to spend more time in adding real value to the work rather than
getting stuck in the operations.

I will miss this "speed of operation" - atleast till I achieve the same in the new company.

3) My employee number - after I joined X, the company added more than 50,000 employees to its rolls, so my employee number shows that I am an "old timer" at X. Some people in the company admire that while others think of us oldies as "jerks who cannot get any other job".
But I always took pride in being one of the oldies at X and I would definitely miss that.

4) The beautiful campus, the sprawling lawns, the facilities, the huge library,the very efficient support systems and staff.

5) Bulletin Board - Definitely the saviour of my "bench" days. Though I have hardly contributed to it, I have spent a lot of time reading movie reviews, jokes, poetry, matrimonial ads, general discussions and most importantly the fights :-) I have immense respect for X for providing such an open platform for expression of ideas and feedback.

I will miss being part of such highly intellectual and creative group of people.

Although I will not be an employee of X after 31-Jan-2008, X will always remian "my company".

Tuesday 15 January, 2008

"Library" of plants

"Plants Library" - I saw this advertisement on my way to work today.
What it means is - library of potted plants from where one could rent plants. rent plants? Although an interesting concept, I found it quite weird. Why would someone rent plants? Just to decorate their house?Renting plants just for decorating and changing them after some time somehow does not fit in my scheme of things. I am neither a great lover of plants nor a great gardener, however when I do pot a plant I somehow get attached to it, it becomes a part of my home. I cannot give it away just like that unless my balcony is overcrowded or the plant is not doing well.

I fail to understand what satisfaction one would get by renting a plant for few days and then replacing it with the next one. It may satisfy the eyes for some time but what about the satisfaction of seeing a plant that you potted grow to its fullest potential.

It may sound stupid to some, but to a certain degree I feel the same about books. I usually buy the books that I read and very rarely borrow from the library. Along with the words in the book, I enjoy the smell of the new book and the feel of the fresh pages.

Did someone say, there is a "library" of sarees too? Sure, only if Shabana Azmi, Satya Paul and Shaina NC are members :-)