Parvinder on the move

Dare to Dream

2011-07-25T19:40:00.002+05:30

Some people dream of doing big and these dream always stay with them however some actually make it reality, even if they face enormous challenges. I happen to meet such personality during a seminar. I was invited to attend seminar of Marl Inglis, a mountaineer and motivational speaker. Mark lost his both legs due to frostbite while he was trapped on Mount Cook in New Zealand for almost 14 days and he survived with 4 cookies along with his friend. He able to came out from that and climbed Mount Cook again in 2002 and later Mount Everest in 2006 and become world's first double amputee to climb Mount Everest. His climb and struggle was video by Discovery channel movie "Everest: Beyond the limit".
His journey was not easy to conquer his dream, as fist challenge was to have prosthetic leg not for walking but for climbing the mountain he tried and failed tried and failed but he was stubborn so he never given up and finally he along with his friend able to create carbon fiber leg that helped him to scale the Everest. On his Mount Everest expedition he donated one pair of similar legs to a Sherpa name Teelay who lost his leg same way as Mark.
During interaction I asked about David Sharp a British climber who left to die on Everest in that season which created controversy and Mark was linked to his death. Mark said "Only who never been on Everest created this story", on my asking even Sir Edmund Hillary condemned all including Mark on that Mark said "he was 87 and he was never told complete story". I can only say it was wrong to link David Sharp death with him as more then 30 + climbers passed by David Sharp and no one could have saved him.
He is Mountain biker and created special leg for mountain biking. He ride single gear steel frame bike and I was surprised. He promised to share his bike picture. I have offered to host him for Mountain biking experience he said not this time may by some other time. I found him a humble and jolly person. He shared advantage of having prosthetic leg on example he had said "if I break my leg I can fix it in less than an hour however you will not J "

Great honor to interact with such personality !!

Handle audits smartly

2011-05-26T13:06:00.001+05:30

Last one month I have been busy with internal/external audits. During this audit I have learned many things which I thought of writing it down.

I am working as head of IT services from almost 4 years, and during this tenure I have been working on various initiatives to shape up the IT Services operations. I have seen many challenges however recent audits have given good learning. Here I am not going to talk about the audit findings however surly will touch upon some of the key lessons.

Never take any audit lighter – think twice before responding to any audit, you never know where this would create an issue.
Mock Audit- Conduct a mock audit drill before the actual audit. This is another tool to ensure your audit is not going out of control and you know in advance what potential findings are.
PDCA- in IT services there are 4 departments and their responsibilities is ensure process and procedure are followed and documented properly. Individual team has created excellent, to the point process and efficiently delegated to the outsourced worker however they missed important part of delegation i.e. monitoring, in believe that outsourced partner are doing good and they will manage it well. During audit it was found very basic hygiene things were missing because monitoring was done on very high level not at each process level. I have learned we are too good in "D" that is delegation however very poor in monitoring. So have detail monitor plan with checklist in place and divide it in daily, weekly, and monthly dashboard.
Single face and team confidence on him. – never give a person name who has very low bonding in team
Providing correct data- source of data is big reason for audit findings and if data is not correct it add confusion which leads to lot to misunderstanding and eventually lead to some findings.
Be punctual and meet commitment- Never let auditor wait be on or before time give auditor comfort let him not make any perceptions of your or department.
Don't defend it if you know you are not right- some time you stuck in very thin line of right and wrong, generally auditor give benefit of doubts to auditee only if your aura has given him comfort otherwise be ready to take it from Auditor.
Team spirit- Acting and responding as a team to auditor is one important aspect. Help audit coordinator by providing specific information on time is important instead of passing the buck or thinking its coordinator responsibility to mange this.
Draw the boundary – define the role and responsibilities very clearly for audit and ensure all are in sync with this will help to reduce confusion
Correct management response - If you disagree with a finding, make sure to clearly state your objections and your measurement of the risk
Look for opportunity to improve further- end of the objective of audits is to ensure control are well in placed and are adhered if you find opportunity to improve further don't hesitate to pick it up.
Your comments are welcome!!
Thanks
Parvinder
May 26, 2011

Don’t hit the wall; have proper nutrition

2010-12-02T19:31:00.007+05:30

In morning, I always feel good to take any plan running or ridding however today I hit the wall just after 30 minutes of running I had to stop for recovery, no doubt program was intense however there was fundamentally something wrong.
Upon analyzing, I realized, I am overdoing run that too on road, most probably that created stiff muscle and I have not recovered from properly before my next run. Secondly, I realized proper diet is missing from my meal like carbohydrate, proteins etc. Therefore, I searched the net and found below interesting article, I am sure this might be useful for other too.

Cheers !!
Parvinder
2/12/2010

Guidelines for what to eat and drink before and after exercise used to be as simple as "have a snack" or "grab a water bottle." Times have changed. Today, experts know that properly timed pre- and post-workout meals build lean muscle, improve performance, speed recovery, and even help you lose weight.

When to Eat

"Thirty to 60 minutes before and after exercise is the ideal time for snacks," says Danielle LaFata, a registered dietician and performance nutritionist at Athletes' Performance. Simply put, training requires energy; following a challenging workout, your energy is zapped, your muscles taxed. Your body is in a state of total breakdown, or what exercise scientists refer to as "catabolic." To reverse to an "anabolic," or rebuilding state, you need to refuel (eat) and rehydrate (drink). "The quicker you do this, the better," says LaFata. You'll preserve hard-earned muscle and kickstart the recovery process.

What you eat depends on many factors, which we'll discuss below, but just know that eating something during this window of time is critical—even if you're looking to lose weight. While it may sound strange to add more snacks, or meals, to your day to trim down, the key is to spread your calories throughout the day. So, you aren't taking in more calories, you're just eating more often and more strategically. By eating before exercise, you'll have energy for a productive workout. As a result, you'll burn more calories during your session.

While a pre-workout snack is sufficient for workouts under an hour, training sessions lasting more than 60 minutes require more energy to avoid fatiguing early. This means eating during the workout, too. "Grab a sports gel every 45 minutes, and then drink water the rest of the workout," advises Amanda Carlson, director of performance nutrition at Athletes' Performance.

How it Works

If you've ever felt like you hit a wall mid-workout, it was likely because your body was low on energy, or what we like to call "fuel." Your body primarily uses carbohydrates for energy during exercise. Sure, you have energy stored from previous meals, but your pre-workout meal tops off your fuel tank, so to speak, so you won't sputter out halfway through your training session.

By the time your workout is over, your body is spent. Here's what happens:

An intense workout creates tiny tears within your muscles cells and exhausts your energy supply.
Waste products like lactic acid can build up in your muscles, causing fatigue.
Levels of insulin and testosterone, your body's main muscle-building hormones, tend to decrease.

It may sound strange to hear about your body being under siege because of exercise. But think of it this way: Like any challenge in life, it's your ability to bounce back that makes you stronger. Exercise is no different. To repair itself, your body needs fluids, nutrients, minerals and vitamins.

The good news: There's no better time to eat than within the first 30 minutes following a workout. Exercise stimulates your muscle cells, making them more receptive to insulin. Eating carbohydrates causes insulin levels to spike, which helps move your body into the desired anabolic state. Like a speedy messenger, the insulin drives nutrients from the blood to your muscles. The carbohydrates and protein in particular then spur on the muscle-building process.

In other words, exercise improves your body's ability to deliver much-needed energy and nutrients where you need them most. "If you don't take advantage of the 30-minute window to refuel," says LaFata, "the body won't recover as quickly, immunity will be suppressed, and your ability to build lean muscle will be reduced."

What to Eat

While the research is fairly complex, the take-home menu is actually quite simple. Studies show that a 2:1 or 3:1 ratio of carbohydrates to protein is best, depending on the intensity and duration of your workout. For a short, low to medium intensity workout, a 2:1 ratio is enough. But for longer, harder runs, aim for a 3:1 or 4:1 ratio—you'll need the extra carbohydrates to help refuel your depleted energy stores.

Keeping those ratios in mind, aim for a combination of 15-30 grams of protein and 30-120 grams of carbohydrates before and after your workout. You'll boost energy levels to stay sharp, both mentally and physically, throughout even the toughest of workouts—and you'll recover better afterward.

As you've heard before from miCoach, every runner is unique. Training needs differ, as do your nutritional needs based on factors such as age, fitness, body size and goals. What follows is a basic set of guidelines, courtesy of the performance nutritionists at Athletes' Performance.

Using the chart, select appropriate pre- and post-workout snacks based on your weight and the intensity of your workout. Don't feel constrained to these options. They're simply meant to be ideas to help you get stared and inspire your inner performance chef. Keep in mind that calorie counts vary, so take your overall daily calorie intake into consideration when choosing your workout nutrition. Bon appétit!

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WEIGHT	WORKOUT INTENSITY	SNACK OPTIONS
120 - 150 lbs	Easy to Medium (mostly blue and green zones)	Meal replacement bar (10-20g protein, 20-60g carbs) OR 1/2 cup cooked rolled oats with 10 grams whey protein
	Harder (yellow and red zones)	1/2 cup dry quinoa, 2 ounces chicken OR 2 slices whole grain toast, 3 ounces deli meat
151 - 180 lbs	Easy to Medium (mostly blue and green zones)	1 cup whole grain cereal (1-3 g fiber per serving), 1 cup low-fat Greek yogurt OR 1 whole wheat tortilla, 1/2 cup beans, 1/4 cup salsa, 1 oz part skim mozzarella cheese
	Harder (yellow and red zones)	1/2 cup Asian soba noodles, ½ cup sea vegetables, 3 oz tofu OR 1 1/2 cups whole grain cereal (1-3 g fiber per serving), 1 cup 1% milk
181 - 215 lbs	Easy to Medium (mostly blue and green zones)	1 1/2 ounce pasta, 3 ounces grilled chicken OR 16 ounces 100% fruit juice with 1 scoop whey protein
	Harder (yellow and red zones)	2 slices whole wheat bread, 2 tbsp natural peanut butter, 1 medium banana, 6 ounces low-fat chocolate milk OR 2 cups whole grain cereal (1-3 g fiber per serving), 1 cup low-fat Greek yogurt
216 - 245 lbs	Easy to Medium (mostly blue and green zones)	1 1/2 cups yellow or brown rice, 3 ounces lean meat OR 1/2 package frozen chicken stir fry
	Harder (yellow and red zones)	Turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread with a banana OR 5 ounces grilled chicken, 2 cups whole wheat pasta, 1/2 cup marinara sauce

About the Author(s)

The author(s) is an accomplished trainer at Core Performance, the world's premier sports training organization. Core Performance has partnered with adidas to create the coaching behind miCoach. Learn more at CorePerformance.com.

Joy of Running

2010-11-24T17:17:00.001+05:30

Joy of Running, that would be right name for Airtel Delhi Half Marathon, which held on Nov 21^st at Delhi. Over 30000 runners from Delhi and around came in on fine Sunday morning. It was perfect weather to run long distance race.

Airtel Delhi Half Marathon is now annual affair like rituals for most of us that include Dickie, Susheel, Prem, Darvesh too. However, for this run Dickie not able to make it because of his personal commitment at home in Ranchi to take care her Mom. I personally inspire by him since he love to run but did not because of he has given priority what he felt is right. On other side my wife Rupinder and Rina, Susheel wife also run Great Delhi Run, which was fantastic.

Every time it is detail planning from evening dinner to morning breakfast to travel plan. Transport is one thing which need coordination with most of the people since this require greater coordination with all. This time responsibility of taking everyone to venue had given to Susheel, since he own big car to accommodate everyone and for ladies, whose event was starting late, it was decided to take a cab to drop them at venue and on return, and they can come along with us in same car.

We started on time and on the way to venue we picked up new runner Kanishk, who was running marathon first time; however we reached the venue post the race started, as there was big queue due to security check.

Prem ,as usual run very fast and I lost him in beginning itself, even Susheel started bit early however I started late as I had not got chance to stretch so took bit time to start the race. I had started slow and slowly picked up my pace and finished the race in 1:53 hr. I was expecting to finish the race in less than 2 hour and I did that. I was not expecting great timing since I was not running from some time and few days earlier of this event, I was even not sure if I will be able to finish this marathon or not as I was down with viral and before that some other medical complexity. However now after finishing it is refreshing moment. Prem did it very well so what Darvesh. Susheel took bit time but he able to finish the run very well without any pain or injury.

This event is like annual affair met lot of old and new pal that include Karishma, Amit, Percy, Rahul, Tanvir, Nitin, Tejpal, Sameer, Veer, Suresh Amita and many more..

This time I train only for 14 days and which I think not good, as there is always chance of injury if you run long distance without proper training. However, to my surprise I did well. Now when I look back and I found I did certain change in my training pattern as listed below. Most of things are common however generally we skip while we train our self but I tried to follow these and I feel these all helped me.

I have not exerted myself during my training, I had run only one long run of 2 hours but I did lots of small run.
I eat lots of carbohydrate that include Porridge, Oats, Bread and had lot of water intake to avoid dehydration
Post and prior to run I used to do stretching without any fail.
In my routine, I have added yoga too; I use to do Sun Solicitation and "Pranayam" (Breathing technique).
I tried to choose my best ft attire that includes shoes, T and shorts.
I had worked on speed training too; few runs were with good pace ( I think J ) of 5:15 to 5:45 minute/Km pace.
I also used special coach to train myself that is my cell phone loaded with MiCoach apps from Adidas. This is fabulous application with GPS and gives you all detail of the workout including cal burned, distance covered, your speed etc and it worked as coach to improve your performance.

Now I am gearing up for Chandigarh and Pondi Half Marathon, let us see how well I do in there..

Parvinder 22/11/2011

One another day in Metro train with my folding bike.

2010-10-15T17:42:00.000+05:30

Aha what a day, it was perfect day to travel. You will ask why, answer is very simple, complete Delhi was closed as cete Delhi was closed for CWG closing function.

As usual, I left for office bit early on my folding bike and took metro from Hauz Khas, to my surprise metro train was not full at all and luckily I got seat too, which generally rare to get seat.

Daily in Metro, I get too many inquiries and people ask too many questions while boarding the train or folding and unfolding the bike.

Is this kid’s bike?

How much it cost you.

Who is the dealer?

Is it available in Delhi?

Is it allowed, to carry in metro?

Is it a sports bike?

Why do you use it?

Does doctor recommended you to ride bike.

Oh too many question, but I always happy to answer them, some are amused to see the bike, some just laugh or smile and some appreciate and praise the initiative.

Today post lunch I came to know Venket is in town, so I decided to meet him along with Dickie. It was plan to meet him in Paharganj hotel, where he was staying.

Let me introduce Venkat alias Venkky. Venkky is a bike dealer in Bangalore and he sales various kid of bikes. He also sale bikes components and its accessories. Even though he is in Bangalore but be I s good in delivering bikes components anywhere in the country , good part is you get accessories in best possible prices.

So I left office and used metro train and got out from Rajiv chowk. This was the first time when I was using my folding bike in different station, not in my usual station so this was the time when I want to ensure security guys are familiar with folding bike in metro and if they see this with some other guys they should not stop him/her. Therefore, I decided to spend time with security before getting out of the station. I smiled and asked general question and inquired about where is paharganj? Is it right exit point? And etc.. I was sure they will notice my bike and they will ask question and they asked, “aap iss le kar metro mai kaise jate hain?” (how do you take this bike into metro?), this is very easy, I said. I am travelling on this bike for office going. I fold it in metro it does not take much space easy to carry and it has very less weight. So I asked please hold it and see. They all smiled and happy to see new toy :)

As soon I got out from station I saw Dickie waiting for me on his bike, he was enjoying closing ceremony of Common wealth game on large display in center circle. We reached to Venky hotel met him and brought lubricant, arm warmer, disk break, water bottles and few more stuff. This was first time I met Venkat and I found he is a wonderful person.

After some time we left his hotel. I took call to go in Metro as I want promote folding bike and metro combination and want to ensure security and other public see this combination and some inspired to do the same. Dickie left on his bike to home.

I met same security men those have met while going out from Metro station and they were happy to see me. This time they did not asked any question. I board the train, got out at center Secretariat for changing the metro train for violet line, and reached to Kalkaji. Complete experience was excellent.. One another successful day I spend in commuting in Metro with folding bike. Things are working now.

CWG and Jokes

2010-10-05T13:27:00.000+05:30

There is no if and but; Common Wealth Games opening ceromony was a succesful event. Lots of restless efforts were put in to make cwg a successful event, from school kids to a laborer from OC to the beuracrates and list goes on. However there is anoher set of peopel thoes have worked hard in creating all witty jokes on CWG and made all of us laugh, here is the collection of the the same.

Terrorists set to skip CWG 2010 citing unlivable conditions and fear for their safety.

"Compromise proposal for Ayodhya: Let the Hindus construct a temple, but the project must be led by Kalmadi."
The truth behind bulk sms banning is to stop kalmadi jokes and not Ayodhya

Q: How many contractors are required to change a light bulb in Delhi CWG stadium?

A: 1 Million. (1 to change bulb and rest 999,999 to hold the ceiling)

Look at the brighter side; the more countries pull out, the higher India is ranked in the final medalist tally.

Whats common between CWG committee and students???

Ans: both start their preparations at the 11th hour.....

"Ba ba Kalmadi, have you any shame. No sir, No sir, we are having a Common Loot Game. Crores for my partner, crores for the dame, crores for me too, for spoiling India's name!"

Thanks to Guernsey and Jersey for threatening to pull out of games! We now know these countries existed!

"A collapse a day keeps the athletes away," .

"Sheila Dixit to Kalmadi: Delhi badnaam hui darling tere liye!" "Sadkein bhi jam hui, CWG tere liye".

"Suresh Kalmadi must be the first choice if ISRO goes for trial and error experiments for manned space mission,".

"Suresh Kalmadi walked into a bar. The bartender was still spraying pesticides over the barley plants. It was the best bar ever,"

"Rain rain go away, Kalmadi wants to come out and play. Lyrics by M S Gill, Sung by Mani Shankar Aiyar, Music by A R Rahman!"

"AMAZING BUT TRUE: If you re-arrange the letters "Sir U made lakhs" you get "SURESH KALMADI"!!!

"Sarah Palin knows more about world politics than Lalit Bhanot about hygiene," .

Kalmadi is not the only one dominating the cyberspace. He has CWG Organising Committee Secretary General Lalit Bhanot as competition. Thanks to his "They (foreigners) have different standards of hygiene from us (Indian)" comment, the tweeting population is gloriously doubting his hygiene standards.

"Gill calling himself a sports lover is like Shiney Ahuja declaring himself to be a feminist,".

RIP Jure Robic

2010-10-04T11:20:00.000+05:30

24th September 2010, a legend, five times Race across America winner Jure Robic, died in freak road accident. During a training ride, he collides with a car, on narrow downhill where he was riding at speed of 50 miles/hour. It was very sad to hear about this. He was one of the world finest ultra-endurance athletes. He holds world record of riding 518.7 miles in just 24 hours. That is incredible feats. He was divorced and survived by 6 years old son, Nal. RIP Jure Robic.

In India especially in NCR, pedestrian and cyclist are more prone to accident then western country. Reason is very common we do not have any respect for cyclist or pedestrian. Changing this culture need lot of patients and respect for others on roads. All cyclists to learn to ride save with full gears, especially headgears to protect any head injury. Happy and safe cycling..

CWG Lane Driving

2010-10-04T09:58:00.001+05:30

CWG lane driving is best think happened to Delhi and I know few will not agree with view. I am coming from only one thought that this lane can be life saving for someone who needs to move to hospital and Military or Police can also use this lane in case of emergency. Therefore, I am wondering will this lane will be continuing post games or the best culture will left post common wealth games ?

Folding bike in metro - learning

2010-09-30T13:01:00.001+05:30

I have started commuting using Metro-Bike combination from almost a week. As in last post I have mention experience is good and people are appreciating it however on this Tuesday, I had tough time in explaining security people at IFCO Station in Gurgaon, However I able to manage this, but they said during games you will not able to take bike into metro. I will try if not succeed will leave bike during CWG. One thing I have decided that I will give full cooperation to ensure all safety and other concern are taken care. However, same time I will not give up easily and will give my best shot to make this work. Just to avoid tussle, from yesterday onward I have started using HUDA City Center and skipped IFCO station. At this station, (it looks) security people were very.

In peak hours, metro train is cramped. However I have chosen to travel early hours around 7:30am to avoid rush. As of now, idea is to avoid rush hours and people should start seeing this new concept/culture and formally accept it. Good point is fellow commuters in metro give respectful sight.

In view of common wealth games, there is big rush expected on roads, Metro and most of place and to avoid this, our organization has decided to start early and leave early. From Oct1st onward our office timing has changed and now it will be 8:00 am to 4:30pm, so for that I may need to start from home at 7 am, which, I think will be much easy.

I brought one change, until yesterday I was carrying bike in open, however today I got its new cover made and to my surprise, it came out very well and match to the bike size. This cover will ensure other are not getting disturbed or offended because of bike touching fellow commuter’s cloths.

What you can expect in a traffic jam? Frustration, anger, stress and even some time hungry too. Some time it takes less time to clear or other time more. Recently we have see China’s jam which lasted for more then 9 days, and hope we will able to recall during rain Gurgaon –Delhi jam. Most of time traveling on your own vehicle is not predictable however, with public transport like metro it is. I find Metro is excellent way to commute and adding bike to metro made it perfect combination. With this, you are at your own no cab no auto no parking hassle.

During my Metro ride, few fellow metro riders had given big yes to folding bike and metro combinations, that give me confidence soon or later surly people will join this movement..

One another interesting fact, which I have observed, there is no cigarette butt or spitting or paan peep at the station; we are changing.

I strongly think we Indians are changing our mindset, and Government efforts on creating cycling path and providing public transport such as metro and low floor buses are big steps toward providing excellent infrastructure. Moreover, I believe, using public transport is the way forward. This way we can make a better living and less polluted place, we should encourage use of public transport, and if we can add cycling in our day-to-day work we are done.).

Metro-Folding Bike experience in Delhi, India

2010-09-28T18:17:00.003+05:30

Today was 4th day of Metro-Folding biking experiment, to my surprise all went very well. Initially I had challenge, security people were asking too many questions however now they do not ask any and they smile once I reach the station. Couple of time I had to explain security people that I am doing this to promote use public transport and live healthy life by using bike.

Travelling from Home to station or vice versa is always big fun as bike really zips through even though it has small tires. However, same time I sweat a lot during this small 6 KM ride from Kalkaji to Hauz Khas. However post initial ride, I have taken a call to ride slow and go easy and result it less sweat. During winter, this experience will be much better.

Once I am in Metro, I generally look for either side of the gate as bike perfectly fit into that area and if I do not find space then, I place bike inside my legs.

Generally, people on Metro station come to me and inquire about bike, especially once I am folding and unfolding it, they all amuse to see small folding bike and I am always happy to answer all questions.

I strongly recommending people those can afford to have folding bike should get and start using it in metro, promote biking is they way ahead for our healthy future.

So guys base is set, now get set go!!

15 REASONS WHY ALCOHOL SHOULD BE SERVED AT WORK...

2010-09-17T15:48:00.001+05:30

1.. It's an incentive for staff to show up.
2. It leads to more honest communications.
3. It reduces complaints about low pay.
4. Employees tell management what they think, not what they want to hear.
5. It encourages car pooling.
6. Increase job satisfaction because if you have a bad job, you don't care
when you are pissed.
7. It eliminates leave time because people would rather come to work.
8. It makes fellow employees look better.
9. It makes the cafeteria food taste better.
10. Bosses are more likely to hand out raises when they are drunk.
11. Salary negotiations are a lot more profitable.
12. Employees work later since there's no longer a need to relax at a bar
after work
13. It makes everyone more open with their ideas.
14. Eliminates the need for employees to get drunk only on their lunch
break.
15. Employees no longer need coffee to sober up if they can stay drunk

An interesting reflection : Slow Down Culture

2010-09-16T11:39:00.000+05:30

After reading enclosed article (don't know about author), I felt we are far behind then people those are leaving in the country where respect is there for everyone. We Indian touch the feet to show respect to elder; however on road and other place we show totally different behavior. However if same Indian travels to similar country he change his behavior and start respecting and acting as other do; this is obvious a strange pattern.
If you go deep and understand why we do? I am sure you will realize it is basically person change other person view toward an activity. So if you see other majority people are doing right or wrong, one single change his mind set toward it.
So can we bring some change? I believe yes, if we start observing and correcting our actions other may follows, e.g. if once in a week bring likeminded people to do a car drive from one corner to other corner with discipline way, I am sure we will see change in people thinking (if more people believe this can be done, I am in game) also during this time we no need to worry about if others are not doing right; start focusing on you and on doing right thing. Another important fact is start enjoying what you are doing and don’t rush.

If we start contributing in this move I am sure we may have better place for living.

Please read the article.

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It's been 18 years since I joined Volvo, a Swedish company. Working for them has proven to be an interesting experience. Any project here takes 2 years to be finalized, even if the idea is simple and brilliant. It's a rule.

Globalize processes have caused in us (all over the world) a general sense of searching for immediate results. Therefore, we have come to posses a need to see immediate results. This contrasts greatly with the slow movements of the Swedish. They, on the other hand, debate, debate, debate, hold x quantity of meetings and work with a slowdown scheme. At the end, this always yields better results.

Said in another words:
1. Sweden is about the size of San Pablo, a state in Brazil.
2. Sweden has 2 million inhabitants.
3. Stockholm, has 500,000 people.
4. Volvo, Escania, Ericsson, Electrolux, are some of its renowned companies. Volvo supplies the NASA.

The first time I was in Sweden, one of my colleagues picked me up at the hotel every morning. It was September, bit cold and snowy. We would arrive early at the company and he would park far away from the entrance (2000 employees drive their car to work). The first day, I didn't say anything, either the second or third. One morning I asked, "Do you have a fixed parking space? I've noticed we park far from the entrance even when there are no other cars in the lot." To which he replied, "Since we're here early we'll have time to walk, and whoever gets in late will be late and need a place closer to the door. Don't you think? Imagine my face.

Nowadays, there's a movement in Europe name Slow Food. This movement establishes that people should eat and drink slowly, with enough time to taste their food, spend time with the family, friends, without rushing. Slow Food is against its counterpart: the spirit of Fast Food and what it stands for as a lifestyle. Slow Food is the basis for a bigger movement called Slow Europe, as mentioned by Business Week.

Basically, the movement questions the sense of "hurry" and "craziness" generated by globalization, fueled by the desire of "having in quantity" (life status) versus "having with quality", "life quality" or the "quality of being". French people, even though they work 35 hours per week, are more productive than Americans or British. Germans have established 28.8 hour workweeks and have seen their productivity been driven up by 20%. This slow attitude has brought forth the US's attention, pupils of the fast and the "do it now!".

This no-rush attitude doesn't represent doing less or having a lower productivity. It means working and doing things with greater quality, productivity, perfection, with attention to detail and less stress. It means reestablishing family values, friends, free and leisure time. Taking the "now", present and concrete, versus the "global", undefined and anonymous. It means taking humans' essential values, the simplicity of living.

It stands for a less coercive work environment, more happy, lighter and more productive where humans enjoy doing what they know best how to do. It's time to stop and think on how companies need to develop serious quality with no-rush that will increase productivity and the quality of products and services, without losing the essence of spirit.

In the movie, Scent of a Woman, there's a scene where Al Pacino asks a girl to dance and she replies, "I can't, my boyfriend will be here any minute now". To which Al responds, "A life is lived in an instant". Then they dance to a tango.

Many of us live our lives running behind time, but we only reach it when we die of a heart attack or in a car accident rushing to be on time. Others are so anxious of living the future that they forget to live the present, which is the only time that truly exists. We all have equal time throughout the world. No one has more or less. The difference lies in how each one of us does with our time.

We need to live each moment.

Gangotri-Tapovan Track

2010-07-02T16:54:00.000+05:30

Had great weekend track to Tapovan, On the way to Tapovan at Bhojbasa we spoted Herds of Bharal (Blue Mountain Goat) and taken few excellent pictures. The trek starts at Gangotri and we started bit early morning in view of reaching early and do acclimatization, and reach Bhojbasa at 10:30 and stayed their till lunch post lunch did track till Gaumukh and came back to Bhojbasa. Stayed in Camp overnight and next day early morning around 5 am started to Tapovan and on the way taken some beautiful picture of Shivling peak, one was taken when first sun ray created a golden Shivling peak. We did a short 4 kms trek to Gaumukh sources of the holy Ganga, and a 6 kms hike to Tapovan. The view of various Himalayn peaks, including Bhagirathi I, II and III was fabulous particularly Shivling peak.
I had great time in doing this track, best part is I celebrated by Birthday at Tapovan; one of the best gift given to myself on my birthday.
This trek is best recommended for adventure lovers fond of rock- climbing, boulder- hopping and glacier pass through. It is also a treat for nature lovers due to the range and diversity of plant and animal life.

Riding in perfect weather

2010-05-24T11:55:00.000+05:30

Riding in perfect weather is like blending ice in milk (for other it would be whisky J ) and our Saturday morning ride was exactly the same. This ride was not a week old plan though a day before ride i.e Friday, Dickie called up and we were discussing how interesting it is that Darvesh has left Delhi to ride with Prem from Gajraula to Delhi and we are missing this action. We thought why don’t we also join them? Both said why not? And decided let’s do this ride, we can meet them in mid way on Hapur highway and will ride back along with them.
On Saturday morning we started our ride around 4:30 am in cool breeze. We might not have gone too far that all of sudden rain with loud thunder noise welcomed us it was like God has welcomed us for this ride J. We continued our ride in rain shower and first break comes immediately after covering almost 10 Km, as I had flat. Spend almost 20 -25 minutes fixing it and post that we continued our ride. It was dark and very less traffic till we crossed Gaziabad, however post Gaziabad crossing slowly local traffic started picking up, but it has never bothered us. Second break was sushu i.e. pee break and at this point we had covered almost 35KM, so we decided to call Prem to check where they have reached. As per Prem they were less than 10 km away from Hapur where as we were almost 25km away. It was almost certain that we will not meet them in Hapur nevertheless let’s give try to catch them, with this note we started ridding fast and as per our desired we were able to meet them at Hapur bypass. It was pleasant moment to see Darvesh and Prem. We spend almost 10 minutes in discussing our experience and started back. By now we were hungry and desperately looking for some food. Generally you find road side dabha very easily on highway however we were looking for some good restaurant which is very difficult to find. On this Dickie commented lets go to Prem’s Tadka J, everyone smiled for moment and gave a look to Prem but no was ready to go back and we started to ride in search of Dabha. After crossing almost 2-3 km we were able to see dabha and without a second thought all have stopped and asked for Tandoori Paneer Parantha with butter, cold drink, and tea. Prem (expert in restaurant business) given comment about Parantha that nothing can beat in terms of hygiene of this Parantha, as this is cooked over 4000 degree. All node their head and continued eating thinking we are having hygienic breakfast.
After breakfast we started back and we all were riding like rocket, during this time average speed was almost 35km/hour however as soon as we reached near Noida, traffic jam has pulled the break on our speed. We decided to go inside Noida to beat the traffic and later thought why not go and see Rajesh’s cycle shop too. Rajesh own couple of showroom in Noida, one in sector 9 and other in Sector 18. He has kept diverse cycle brand, including Cannondale, Track, Atlas and many more. Apart from that he has also kept bike’s accessories too and building it further.
Rajesh was not in shop when we called up, but he said visit the shop and he will be there in less than 10 minutes and that what happened as soon as we reached his shop he joined us with 4 sealed pack Lassi’s glasses for all of us. Lassi was so good that Prem whispered he never had Lassi like this in his life. And everyone echo the same.
We purchased few things and moved on, to his another shop and later started back to home. As soon as we reached Oklha railway crossing we stopped again for Banana and Cane sugar juice. Prem was not happy as too many break happened post Noida but he was having no option but to have banana and “Ganne ka Rass”  .
We reached around 11:30 at Dickie place and concluded our ride. It was great experience and great ride. Now looking forward for coming weekend and see where we will go for ride…