My first mechanical table clock

It’s circa 2010 and it’s a world when a table clock or wall clock is more of a decoration than a device used for knowing time. These days its cell phones, laptops, PDAs, Tablets, which serve additionally as a clock.

Today I was trying to find a key, when I came across my first mechanical table clock. I bought in USSR in 1991 when I went there to study Computer Science. So this table clock is 19 yrs old. I used it for 2-3 yrs till 1993-1994 after which digital clocks took over, and this modest clock was discarded in a cupboard as an antique.

I hoarded many things in my 6 yrs in USSR. And when I was coming back to India for good I had to decide on very few things which I can get back to India. And I kept this table clock as it reminded me of my old college days, and the alarm which woke me every day. And yes this clock had stopped functioning till then. But I still got it back.

I came to Bangalore and 1997. I lived in many rented houses till I bought my first house in 2002 and then my second apartment in 2007. And in all these house moves I somehow always kept this table clock. Looks like I am really attached to it.

And today on 20 Nov 2010, 19 yrs after buying this table clock, I took it out from the confines. I knew it was not working for more than 16-17 yrs.

Suddenly I got an idea. I know it’s a mechanical device and I know Russians are very good at making mechanical devices. I was sure it would have not rusted and the problem could have been simple.

I winded the table clock and shook it, but it did not tick. I opened the two screws, removed the metal cover and sprayed it with WD-40. It’s a liquid lubricant for stopping squeaks, driving out moisture etc, for mechanical and even electronic devices. I had a feeling that I am doing the right thing :-). I sprayed a lot of it in the mechanical parts of the table clock. And then shook it well.

And Eureka ! It started ticking. I could not believe my eyes at the oscillating parts of the table clock, and my ears at the distinct ticking sound. I knew this sound so well. No digital clocks make this sound. And this mechanical tick, like a beating heart, made me feel as if a dead loved one is back to life again. It was all Euphoria ! And while I am writing this blog it’s still ticking… (See its photo above which I clicked now.)

Mahtab Syed

Sat, Nov 20 2010

On Emotional Intelligence

It has been a realization that just IQ is not enough for success in life...

I was trying to find the right words to express my inner thoughts, and I knew it’s not easy, as the concept is complex.

Recently I started reading the book "Working with Emotional Intelligence" by Daniel Goleman. Luckily the book I read before this was "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell.

Now the thoughts are crystallizing...

As both Daniel Goleman and Malcolm Gladwell put, success in work and life is not directly proportional to IQ. It is true that a basic IQ (above a threshold level, depending upon the area of work) is required as entry criteria. Beyond this, the IQ level becomes relatively unimportant as criteria of success.

I have been using the terms soft-skills and maturity.

Soft-skills, as I learnt them, generally refers to

1. Communication skills (oral, verbal and non-verbal),
2. Leadership skills (using proper Situational Leadership technique (Directing, Coaching, Consulting/Supporting, Delegating)
3. Networking skills (how do you go along and connect with people)
4. Negotiation skills (how to influence decisions in your favor)
5. Planning and Time Management skills (Working on more of “Not Urgent but Important activities”)

And Maturity is displayed when your actions and reactions are not spurt of emotions, but are balanced with the wisdom learnt over life (of situations and the good decisions taken). This is a not a clear definition and people don’t like to be told that they are not mature yet. This is taken rather personally by people.

So while Soft-skills is not completely defined, Maturity is not the right term to be used. I am thankful to Daniel Goleman for the new and more elaborate term “Emotional Intelligence”.

So what is Emotional Intelligence ? Its summarized here.

Refer : I found a very good video on Daniel Goleman's website http://danielgoleman.info

Two strangers at my door.

It was a typical Sunday morning, and I was listening to some Sufi songs. I heard the door bell ring and I opened the door. There were two strangers; both were men in their late 60s.

One of them was leading the other, as the other was blind. They were from a blind association looking for any kind of donation. They mentioned old clothes, old newspapers (but not money). I looked at the men; they appeared to be having good stature when young, but now in their late 60s they were quite frail. And my first thought was, “Can they lift a load of 5-10 kgs of old newspaper?”

There was an air of self-respect around them which was tattered now, facing the wind of poverty, helplessness and pain in life. Their eyes reflected honesty and genuineness. Even being blind could not hide that. They were very well mannered and the first reaction was to give respect.

In my apartment complex we get lots of other people asking for donation. And they are mostly people with good sales skills. They try to deceive but a moment is enough to decide otherwise.

Such incidents, and many others, we face in life make us hard, emotionally hard like rock. I was going through such a mental turmoil last day. And the appearance of these two strangers changed things in a moment. Their honesty, genuineness, tattered self-respect, helplessness and suffering in life, had so much magnetism and warmth, that my rock like hardened compassion melt like wax in seconds.

I got some money which we had kept aside for donation when my son was born premature. These few hundreds had more value than thousands as they were part of the most important prayer in life. This money was kept untouched since more than a year now. And today I got the best use for it.

I am not sure who was more needy today. The strangers who were seeking donation or me who wanted to donate this money for the best cause…

Mahtab Syed
Sunday, January 17, 2010

Learnings so far...

Girte hain sheh savar hi maidaan-e-jang main,Woh tifl kya gire jo ghutano ke bal chale !
by Allama Muhammad Iqbal

Meaning
Only daring horse-riders can fall in the battlefield,
How can a child fall who crawls on his knees !

Only those who are courageous enough to try to do a difficult job, those who dare to be different can fall down i.e. fail. Those who do not try at all, and just walk on the side walk i.e. the safest path and don't take any risks can't fall at all !

"While you are swimming in calm waters, learn the art to swim and survive in rough seas !" - Mahtab Dec 10 2010

Enlightenment is a step by step process, with one realization at a time. – Mahtab : 10 Jan 2010

If you ask me one key to success, it’s perseverance.
If you have a definite well defined goal, and you keep working towards it, in spite of difficulty and obstacles, all the negative forces opposing it will slowly cease away. – Mahtab : Jun 18 2008

I realized lately that if I am really interested in doing something, I do it well and my productivity is also high. Here the key is really interested. So I need to find out what interests me in my career and keep on doing that and move up the chain. – Mahtab : Apr 02 2008

There is only one way which gives you
• Confidence
• Self respect
• Good grasp of the subject
• Future Career road map
It is honest hard work, along with strong apolitical desire to get the work done in the best possible way. – Mahtab : Mar 18 2008.

If your desire for something is strong, very strong, and you work towards it regularly, you will ultimately get it. There are exceptions but if you closely analyze you will get what’s good for you. – Mahtab : Dec 06 2007

Don’t try to change everything which is not good.
Focus your energy only on those which have long term benefits to you and society as a whole. – Mahtab : Dec 05 2007

The seed of entrepreneurship.

It’s Thu Jun 25 2009 and I am at home. The state of mind is fertile and it’s a good opportunity for writing a blog. I will express my inner thoughts using lots of simile (a figure of speech in which two unlike things are explicitly compared, as in “she is like a rose.”). I will also name some similes for better imagination. :-)

Of late I am noticing a small seed of entrepreneurship, comparable to a yellow mustard seed, developing a bright green “3 mm” stem with two tiny leaves. This tiny seed was present from 2-3 years but it was dormant. And the changing favorable landscape has made it grow to a tiny life. This is like God deciding that, “Ok you can take a try to become a life form.” Well, I am the small seed of entrepreneurship.

Let me describe the landscape. It was a small monolithic island, with no lakes or shrubs. Few months back a volcano erupted bringing in fertile soil from the bed of the ocean. A small geyser emitting hot water is slowly turning to a small lake. Now the water is cooler, earth warmer, sunny and moist. The condition is favorable for new life forms to originate.

Living creatures that were confined to the cliffs and crevices have started surveying the new place. I am lucky that I have some friends helping me. There is a queen ant (my mother) with her army of followers. She is hard working and she is surveying the work of the other worker ants. They are digging tiny tunnels and this is bringing fresh oxygen to the new soil. There is a humble frog (my father) who is selective in eating and destroying the insects who got attracted to the green tiny growth of the seed. There is a tiny stream of the flowing water (my wife) making the soil wet and giving me the confidence of survival. There is a small baby monkey, (my son) who has immense energy and endless desire to learn something new every day. It’s an inspiration for everyone to learn.

Now let’s come to the seed. He has no idea of what he will look like after some growth. There are no other mustard seeds in the vicinity that can set any example. There are many dangers lurking that will eat the seed in one pick. There is no guarantee that the favorable landscape conditions will continue. More volcanoes will erupt and it will rain badly. The seed can be washed away and die.

But the seed is optimistic. He believes in the one in thousands chances that he will grow. He has faith on his Karma and knows that the conditions will be favorable for him for the first bit of growth. And then he will learn and adapt to the changing circumstances. He knows that he will blossom soon to have bright yellow flowers.

These forced breaks

It’s Fri morning and this week has been hectic, with 5-6 hours of official meetings on some days. On an ordinary Friday, I will be working extra hard in office to wind up things, so that I have a cleaner list of TODOs on a Monday. And on top of that I have a piling list of my personal things to do, which I had moved to today.

But The Creator had a different plan for me today. I have a sore throat and slight fever, so there is a forced break for me. :-(

Initially I was a bit upset, as this requires complete re-planning. I dropped a mail to my team and moved all my appointments to Mon. There were some important personal things to be done on Sat. I delegated that to a friend, and I know it will be taken care of.

I took some medicines and I know it will take care of the sore throat. In-spite of the fever, I took a hot shower, had a 10 mins meditation, and had a cup of sugar-less black coffee. All appointments are moved and there is nothing pressing now. I will be alone for 5-6 hours before my wife comes in the evening from her office.

Now, I am free like a bird. Free to fly in the realm of imagination and dreams. Finding such a free time, when you can be in the zero state of mind is priceless. And it’s difficult to plan for it. But The Creator knows when it’s required for a soul to get this break. And here it is ! :-)

I feel happy, and contended, as I understand the plan of The Creator. And this gave me an opportunity to be with myself, think, dream, plan, re-plan and jot down this blog.

Have you had such thoughts ?

Mahtab Syed
11:21am May 16 2008

Abundance kills the desire.

Anything in abundance kills the desire. To enjoy things we need to consume in moderation. Like say sipping Darjeeling Tea slowly and enjoying every bit of the aroma.

The root of this thought is the observation of a wide spread problem these days, which young parents with toddlers are facing. These tiny toddlers don’t show much interest towards food, and I have seen parents trying all the gimmicks to fool them to submission, so that they somehow swallow it.

This problem is faced by new generation parents who are economically well-to-do. Every fruit and all types of chocolates are at their disposal. In fact these toddlers got these food items in abundance before they are actually hungry and before they develop the natural craving. And this abundance has killed the desire.

I remember as a kid, we used to get a Five Star chocolate as a present once in say 3-4 months. And we used to relish it slowly. We were not supposed to open and swallow in public, where we got it, as it was against the manners. So we had to wait to reach home. And that wait was killing… The chocolate used to almost melt in our tight clutch. It was the heat of the craving which was more responsible for the melting… (Exaggerating a bit ! ) And as soon as we got the first chance, we used to swallow the first half quickly, and then the senses of an economic child alerted to save the next half for some later time, may be half a day. And the wait and then the relishing was worth it. :-)

And the matter did not end there. The gold or silver aluminum wrapper was made smooth, and preserved in a favorite book, so that it can remind of the happiness, till we were presented with the next chocolate, God knows when.

Now compare this feeling, with the feeling of our kids who get a chocolate, whenever they want. Sometimes before they want…

And this general philosophy also applies to the other things we get in abundance these days.

As kids, do you remember how we waited to go to a movie ? The whole process was like a celebration. And then the best part was having potato chips, which we had to share with a sibling or a friend during movie interval. Well that was also so much fun. :-)

And we waited for new clothes in festivals, which we used to flaunt shyly, with people appreciating how neat and charming we looked.

We can get back the fun in many things by consuming in moderation.
What do you say ? :-)

Mahtab Syed
5:23 pm Feb 15 2008