Cautious while purchasing Eureka Forbes Trendy Steel Vacuum Cleaner

Check the retracting coil - Trendy Steel Vacuum Cleaner

I purchased the Trendy steel vacuum cleaner a month and half back. The Flipkart experience was great but two things you should check about the machine. The retracting power chord in my case was faulty and would recoil rigorously from day one.The service executive informed that the retracting spring/ rubber needs to be changed. So look for that part when u run it first. Second the communication in the collateral does not say that its preferred we clear the dust bag every time. I had to call customer care because the machine started throwing out fine dust from the rear end. The service exec informed that though the bag was not full but i need to clear it every time preferably to avoid getting the dust appear from rear end. 

The Customer care executive asked me to take the machine to the closest service station. All this within first 1.5 months and 3 -4 uses. I thought Eureka Forbes and those ratings could be trusted. This is supposed to be their best selling vacuum cleaner. Any ways just look for these two when any one of you purchase or choose to go for this one.

Avoid using India plaza ( Indiaplaza) the online purchase engine

Just for my friends who use online engines to purchase . Though being aggressively advertised recently on all major India portals BEWARE and avoid using India plaza.

Recently reluctantly I used India plaza to purchase a microwave for a colleague at work. I was promised delivery in seven working days. I paid by credit card. Not receiving the merchandise till 10 days I reached them. The customer care bought couple of days first saying there was a courier issue then later in the week reported stock issues.

I tried reaching the CEO, who writes a personalized mail, upon registering with them to make payment. The response from his office was delayed. Finally the person he aligned to my case came back saying that the particular model I had ordered was out of stock and I was given options higher in price than the one I shortlisted.

Finally after 20 days I was at square one. I disputed their payment with my credit card provider.

Moral of the story AVOID India Plaza. They over commit under deliver or do not deliver at all.

Insecure people……..potholes to be avoided

WOW ! second half of the year already !

Just felt like writing about this interaction I had when I was put across one of the Indian colleagues in IBM US. She had all the qualifications anybody could muster under one’s belt – a computer engineer, MBA & PMP but the lady was holding on to her pants like nobody’s business. The call was to discuss something relating to me but she started on her life history and how she won all the accolades. She did not need to sell herself further I was sold enough therefore talking to her. One thing I realized for sure that she had a huge ego and was certainly not a people’s person. She was leading a dream life, may be better and she was wanting to hold onto it with her teeth. Gosh!!! you do not need so many degrees to be successful, to the level she was, one would be enough. May be it was a strategy to overwhelm those who get overwhelmed by degrees. Even the system at times overlooks their soft skills. This one would be a horrible people manager for sure. She had room for no one else but herself on her radar. She keeps doing what she is good at i.e studying and accumulating degrees and keeps neglecting what she is not so good at - working as a team, interacting with people. It works for her, works may be in most work cultures.

Sometimes one comes across people who try to hide their insecurities behind those degrees. The cliche to give them benefit of doubt of being bright/ intelligent and absolving them of their insensitivity and lack of soft skills is very common in the Corporate world. Such people ruin so many other lives reporting to them. Other times one comes across insecure people -  men who are always surrounded by female friends and vice- versa. They feel vulnerable in the company of male friends or the competitive spirit gets into action but some cases this is very noticeable. They always feel more comfortable among female friends. Some others always have this feeling that the other person is dominating them or trying to lead a discussion or trying to change them.

Strange - degrees, money, success nothing gives them the security they should enjoy, given an opportunity they still yearn to feel tall. They are ready to do it by making others feel small or just keep on ranting about themselves.

May be feeling secure has a different basis, may be it not related to the money you make or degrees you muster, may be it is more about how you feel about yourself, may be it is related to your own self evaluation of your integrity, may be.

Life’s best things are for free……..

Friendship, love, air, water, blessings………….

I realize the more transparent it is the more genuine. Opaqueness entails a conflict of interest at some level and therefore lack of integrity. All people you really connect with are more like you and just flow in, are easy to access, are always there when you reach out, are transparent.

What belongs to you would comes easy to you and what does not, is not worthy to sweat for.

Value those who value you, rest are not important :) !!!!!!!!!!!!

Reality Check

What we think about ourselves is not certainly what the world thinks about us. I think following what J Krishnamurti suggests watching our own actions one can understand the workings of our own mind and how beautifully we do what is convenient for us “ glorifying our achievements” and “ wrapping our selfishness” in sentimental garbs.

Listening to others (people with established credibility) and their opinion about one, not getting baffled by the reaction but trying to understand the root cause might be another way of understanding the self. Why others say what they say?

Psychological evolution is much, much slow one realizes. The temptation, to be amidst people who talk in your favor, say things to massage your ego, herd mentality of being acceptable colors our perception to quite an extent. The feeling of being in control, a false perception of being in control by just being able to manage a puny household or corporation, trying to override opinions and always trying to lead conversations is actually sad.

The more we try to seek control of situations the harder we convince the world of our insecurities. So called friends usually do not bother to point out, once a while one meets a true friend who speaks up, what he/she feels without bothering of their self image in our perception, to wake us up from this make believe world we live in. We must Thank God for such a friend/s and cherish the friendship more than ones life.

WELCOMING 2012 !

WOW another New Year ! seems by the time we settle into 2012 it will be time to bid it adieu.

A good suggestion would be to make 5 year calendars going forward, time is really fleeting …..its a hassle to change calendars every year now :)

As I look back 2011 charmed in its own way got to learn so much, earn and grow. Each year has its own flavor. For me 2011 was leveler in more than one way. It gave me opportunities to travel and do stuff I really wanted to do. So my heartfelt thanks to the Supreme power for enabling me do what I wished.

2012, have made my New year resolutions and usually I do not break them :)

Its more courageous to lead life without a plan as is, on a day to day basis being fully aware of time passing. Sometimes hard work and planning does not get one anywhere. Where to go from there?  Well experienced inform  hang on, have patience… and do not lose the dream in your eyes, persevere. Keep it going, hold it fresh in your eyes and some day your dream shall see the light of day.

Happy New Year to one and all !!!!! May the New Year fulfill all our dreams :)) Hope is it a friend or foe :) i wonder..........

Life draws you to itself in so many ways….

Well I have a 11 year old nephew who is visiting us currently. He lives in a different city and he is one source I turn to in order to liven up. I call him often and throw random requests or questions waiting to relish his responses and creativity. This exercise has a magical rejuvenating effect on me.

This fellow created a fictitious profile on Facebook and sent me an invitation. The intent was to play the games on FB and the rule was only his close friends and family would become his friends. I am no good at games and I would hear him talk to my sister in law who also plays discussing his scores and how he was ahead of her etc.

Every now and then he would come back to tell me that he had won an apartment and had to buy furniture and so had to earn more gold coins etc. My only ask of him was that when he bought a house he names it after me so that the world knows he loves me and only then will I start playing these games with him. He used to always put it away saying he could not do it, that was not allowed.

Couple of months ago I got another FB request from him from another account he created and he jokingly told me that this time I should accept his request and that he would name his empire after me. I accepted the request with complete faith that again this fellow was taking me on a ride. But guess what yesterday my sister in law was playing with him and told me you know what he has named his empire “Aunt Jyoti empire”. He told me "well maasi I was waiting for you to join the game because I have named it after you when my friends name their empires as “Achilles” or what not.” He said he named it 2 months ago hoping I will now start playing with him.

Welllllll was really touched and hugged and kissed and now am compelled to enter and learn the world of games on FACEBOOK ! How Life/ Love takes you by the little finger and twirls you around :))

Socio - Cultural pressures on women

Life has different tests for each one of us. One finds people longing for kids, others having too many, some wanting a particular sex a son or a daughter, some having either of the two too many.

Sometimes I wonder about this cultural obsession to have sons prevalent in India and China which has impacted female infanticide and our population growth at large. Its sheer social and cultural pressure created with no biological or rational relevance. A classic example of unwanted cultural stress. China announced a one child policy, which limits couples to having one child, though allowing exemptions for several cases, including rural couples, ethnic minorities, and parents without any siblings themselves. The policy limits couples to one child. Fines, pressures to abort a pregnancy, and even forced sterilization accompanied second or subsequent pregnancies.  The rule has been estimated to have reduced population growth in the country of 1.3 billion by as much as 300 million people over its first twenty years.

In India the social pressure is lived as a “natural yearning” to have “an heirloom” in the cultures that follow patriarchy. Women even in educated, upper middle class & elite strata of society are not exempt from becoming victims to this crazy “emotional/ social” demand. If you think about it, each kid whether male or female has the genetic components of both his parents so biologically it represents genes of both families. Nature is so just but we make life complicated by endorsing one sex with carrying family name for social reasons as if the other sex is any lesser to do the same. In reality each of them is carrying the family genetic legacy through them.

Culture socialization or whatever the right word takes its toll on the women in a lopsided way especially in these two countries. Sad but true.

Stop Fooling start Living

Gosh !!!!!!!! you meet brilliant people royally fooling themselves. They will visit the temple on every occasion but refuse to let go of the duplicity in their lives. It is sad to watch them year after year trying to live in a wishful state. Anyone who lives such life with lack of integrity whether he eats the best food, lives in the best country and in a dream house will never have a peaceful sleep. They have common restlessness in spite of having the best at their disposal. Such characters are perpetually unconfident with lack peace and fulfillment in their lives. Well happiness, what is that ???

It is funny to see them give away non veg, alcohol and what not but the key weakness -  their obsession with sex that drives them to live lives they are living and pay a price through their nose that part remains unaffected. No rethinking about handling that part. They live a life of utterly selfish convenience highly compartmentalized. Worshiping the book but ignoring the word.

Selective telling, hearing and sense of justice well………. The best part I have observed with such people is they live in their make believe world and believe that everyone else would believe their make believe story. Clever guys the only people you are fooling are your selves. Wake up start living and enjoying this beautiful life TRUTHFULLY, it is really worth it!

Similarity between India and US current political situations - Our world is changing faster than we think

While India reels under the pressure of introducing a Jan Lokpal bill which has literally put the current Government with foot in their mouth in handling this crisis situation, the US debt debacle occupies the minds of international investors.Both at some level are demands of a world which is changing way too fast for the current governments to handle. 

In India the state of affairs is that the current Govt. is still using their archaic “Babuism” tactics of mitigating the effect of the protest which is growing with every passing day. Literally the situation is similar to a parent, handling a teenager, who does not realize that their son/ daughter has grown up but continues to treat them as kids. While the youth joins the Anna campaign and the nation is looking forward to more effective corruption free politicians we have the likes of Kapil Sibal who represent arrogance of power incarnate. In his address to Lokpal bill and related public addresses Sibal showcased a perfect example of politicians we the people of India are regretting voting for. We regret our choices while voting for likes of Sibal assuming education and experience might make them wise. Sibal represented what a normal minister epitomizes in our politics today that they are most divorced from the common man's sentiment living in a self created world like demi Gods. The way this govt missed the point is not funny seems its time the reigns are passed to the younger generation in Congress and overall  Indian politics and give kinds of Sibal the much deserved retirement.

US with their debt debacle has a similar political situation, has similar ask of the times where world is changing fast and power equations changing even faster than US realizes and finds time to react. The politic positions relished so far in terms of a simplistic division of just two party makeup - Republicans and Democrats is no longer relevant where one party gauges the interest of the rich and the other upholds the interests of the common man. The situation demands someone who thinks what the country needs  i.e partly to tax people and partly to cut down on paid facilities. A coalition party seems the way out and the United States needs to come to terms with it sooner than later. What is good for the growth plan and an effective debt plan for the country to retain their stature of a super power?  Times are changing fast............