Small Things Make a Big Difference

My first trip to Hong Kong was in 1990 when I was 8 years old. Some memories from my visit then are of the Cathay Pacific goody bag my sister and I forgot in our cab, the trip to the Ocean Park, watching lots of Chinese cartoon (as we were young my parents left us in the room with colouring books and T.V. when they went out shopping) and yes the landing strip in the airport right next to the sea.

A little more than 20 years later, I was planning my 2^nd trip to Hong Kong. This time I was going alone…for work…very different from my last trip. I knew about this trip about 3 months back and I initially was super excited about travelling for work outside India. However as the week of my travel came closer, I was more anxious about my meetings and was a little low coz I was going to be on my own for 4 days. And despite my many travels that was the first for me. Something I can check-off my ‘Before I turn 30’ list!

When I got on to the cab to the Bengaluru airport I had the weirdest combination of feelings – anticipation and edginess and somewhere a little nostalgia and fatigue (yes, I was already tired coz thanks to the week in Hong Kong my previous week at work had been quite a lot to juggle). All through my drive to the airport I kept telling myself to catch up sleep and then I’d think of something from my work to my presentation to if I had packed the all the right shoes to start worrying about.

Anyways skipping past all the mundane check-in, security and boarding trivia I’ll get straight to landing in Hong Kong. The landing strip was vaguely familiar, but the airport definitely was not. Neither was the journey in the MTR from the airport to Hong Kong Central. As looked outside the window, the city still looked familiar with the tall buildings and the traffic and the red cabs.

After checking into my room I decided to get some sleep. Honestly I was so drowsy that I just wanted to lay in bed…but I had promised myself that I was going to push myself out of my room every chance I got to get out and explore the city on my own…a first of sorts! And I am proud to say I did just that.

My days were packed with meetings and my team also took me to some really nice restaurants. I went to a Japanese restaurant, a Steak House (where I had the Tomato Mozzarella salad and Alfredo pasta), an Italian restaurant and finally a Chinese restaurant. Being a vegetarian I am sure I didn’t do full justice to the variety of cuisine, but I did enjoy every meal with the limited choice I was offered.

In the evening I went around Hong Kong on my own using the MTR. It was just so easy and simple. I loved the time I spent on my own my first evening in Hong Kong walking all around Causeway Bay exploring Times Square with the really unaffordable brands and I walked around aimlessly I stumbled upon Jardine’s Crescent where I picked up bags. Walking around on my own was fine, but I could not get myself to have a meal on my own. So I made my way back to the hotel after 9.

In all my excitement of going around alone I had not paid attention to the station I needed to get off at and so my first evening I was lost and had to figure my way back to the hotel. I remember asking this guy on the street for directions. He tried explaining to me how far I was from the hotel…but well I really didn’t understand. And just like that he took out an iPad…got on to Google Maps and told me how to get back. By the way that guy was selling Casio watches on the street…I am still wondering how he had that iPad…mmmmm…

26^th November 2010 is the first time I had a meal and a drink on my own at a Hotel Bar. It wasn’t as odd as I had imagined it to be…but yeah I did get a few stares from a bunch of Indian men at another table…and to be honest I put on my cold look and kinda enjoyed their astonishment J

By the last evening the chill in Hong Kong had really got to me. I was all sniffles. But I realised that I had not picked up anything for Tarun yet. Well, the thing is most trips Tarun made he always got me something and all my trips I never picked anything up for him. So I knew that from Hong Kong I just had to get something for him.

I actually left the room around 9 in the night, took the MTR and went to City Plaza in Taikoo…walked a around few shops…picked up something from Bossini and H&M. It was past 10 and I wanted to go to the night market at Temple Street…but that was a few stops away. I still remember walking up and down the Plaza trying to make up my mind.

And then I decided to go. I had to keep the promise I made to me about pushing myself to explore. So I took the long ride all the way to Admiralty. Switched from the blue train to the red and headed up north to Jordan. The thought of being out so late in a new city on my own was really exciting. The choice to be able to have a life after 10 and actually shop and eat out was even more exciting.

So when I got to Temple Street, I walked all the way till the end. Spent time at the shops. Looked at the cheesy souvenirs and had a good laugh. In fact even picked up a magnet for Tarun which has ‘I Love You’ in Chinese on it. As I walked into my room and saw it was past 12 there was a sense of thrill I felt. Yeah I had not had a crazy night, nothing remotely narrate-able happened. Yet, I was so happy at having experienced travel alone.

As I packed my bags to leave Hong Kong, I was less anxious and more joyous. My meetings had gone off well. I had actually spent over 12 hours on my first day without talking to a person (that is the longest Vipasana you can get out of me). I had gotten lost in the city my first night. I had had my first solo dinner and drink. I had worn heels and jacket and walked to work with lots of other work people (this was just super-exciting!!). The trip was filled with small things…maybe some would think they are unimportant…but in every small thing I saw some sense of achievement.

So why are there no pictures you ask? Well, that is the downside of the trip. I lost my camera and I have no memory where I left it. When I realised I had lost it (which was a day after I was in Bengaluru) and was sad that I lost all the snaps from the trip. I was sad that I had nothing to upload on Facebook.

And then I was really really sad…coz that Kodak camera was the first ‘expensive’ thing Tarun and I had purchased. I still remember me asking the salesman at the camera counter in Central (Bund Garden, Pune) a million questions. I had to be sure this camera was good. After all Tarun was paying ten grand for it. That day that time that was BIG amount…

I miss my Kodak camera and I miss the pretty black and pink camera pouch Tarun had picked up for me. Like I said…some small things may seem unimportant…but in every small thing there is a story and there is a memory…and that is what makes all the difference.

The Corporate World is a Pain in the Heel!

'What do you want to be when you grow up?' was a very common choice for paragraph writing way back in primary school. My answer was always - a teacher. I mean, it was but obvious because that was the only profession I was exposed to as a kid. I had a huge blackboard in my room and during my play time I taught my imaginary class all my lessons. In fact soon this became a way of learning for me!

As I grew a little older I thought I should become an air hostess. Trust me back then I didn't once think about all the travel they got to do as the benefit. The uniforms were nice and they always looked pretty...so I wanted to be an air hostess. I loved the Gulf Air uniform. In fact my little sis and I used amma's thrown away dupattas and our hats to imitate their uniform.

By the time I was in high school, I decided that like appa I too would be a chartered accountant. My dream then changed to completing my CA and joining appa's office. I never really knew what appa did...but well he was doing well...and I guess that is all I saw.

The reality is, I didn't become any of these...not even close. I joined an engineering course and specialized in Electronics and Communications. There were a whole lot of silly reasons upon which this decision was based...but let me not digress. 

Just one year into this routine and I knew it was wrong for me. Quitting the course was not something I saw as an option. So I stuck on and completed my studies in E&C engineering, while all through I dreamed of being an actress in Bollywood working with the Khans, the Roshans, the Chopras and the Johars.

It was glitzy dream life that I led back then. I'd spend hours in front of the mirror mono-acting this second life of mine. Initially I thought I was a little nuts, so I kept to myself...but then I found some girls who did the same. Just that in front of the mirror some were actors, some were models...the stories were slightly different but the dreams were all glamorous.

By the end of my graduation, I was 21...and my dreams were more real. So acting in Bollywood went out of the window and I started toying with the idea of branding, marketing and maybe even celebrity management. I still remember the first time I spoke to appa amma about not wanting to be an engineer...I think somewhere appa thought it was all talk and he didn't pay too much attention.

But I think after choosing the wrong field to study for 4 years I wanted to be extra careful with what I chose for my post graduation. So I worked for a while in an internal communications team, with an NGO and also with kids. And at the end of it I knew I loved teaching...my first dream profession...but I had also discovered a love for marketing communications.

Once I had that figured out, I specialized in Marcomm and joined a media agency. Working in an agency was something I always wanted to do. It is a chaotic environment and each client is a specimen...but it was a fun place to be. I worked with a fantastic team. We walked into office most times in tattered chappals and ill-fitting clothes...there were not too many rules...but we still managed to break the few that were there.

My life in the agency was fun...but somewhere from wanting to be a teacher to studying Marcomm...I had started to want different things in my life. I wanted to be more in charge of what I did (I never got that opportunity in an agency as the client usually runs the show), I wanted my brains to be used and most important I needed to maintain my work-life balance. And so began my hunt for the next job.

The hunt took me about 6 weeks and I had 2 offers and it took me 2 days I think to take the final call.

I started working for my new organization on the 3rd of May...and as the days went by I could not fight the feeling that this was very close to my dream job...and I'd keep my fingers crossed and say touchwood! The work was good, the people were nice to work with and there was travel.

Last week I went on my first Corporate travel. I traveled to Mumbai on Wednesday, to Delhi on Thursday and back to Bengaluru on Friday. And you know what? As I walked into the airports to catch those early morning flights, tugging my laptop along I suddenly felt that all my dreaming, planning and a little bit of studying had paid off. I was now a part of the Corporate World!!

I slept 13 hours in 3 days. There was an event to attend and then an event to plan for and present. My phone had multiple alarms to make sure I didn't miss my early morning flights...my dreams were about technical glitches, speakers not arriving on time and an empty hall. I was very nervous.

Well, luckily none of these dreams came true. The event went off well...with very minor hiccups...and after 3 days of running around I was back in Bengaluru.

It felt great to be home...and with the events all wrapped up...I felt so light...but my legs hurt.

Yes...you read me right. My legs hurt!! With all the high-heeled footwear I wore to look great...my legs needed an entire Saturday of not being used to recover!!

So yeah, my trip was in a way liberating...I had started carving a little spot for myself in the Corporate World...but well after the 3 days of being a 'high-flyer' all I thought about was the corporate world is a real pain in the heel!