Friday, May 06, 2005

Shock...and Awe

May 6th - 2:30pm Well I keyed this post in a few days back....wuz abt to post it then but backed out as my dad or friends or family werent revealed the contents of this post.So didnt change wht i wrote but just added to it.

May 2nd - 11:00 pm Let me start by saying this isnt gonna be happy. When you hear the words...."We are sorry to let you know that your job offer has been terminated"....it feels like the defeat of the man in u. a few hours earlier i had been given my paycheque for last weeks work and the design for my project had been approved. The punchline left me groggy...i stumbled to my feet, cleared my desk out, collected another check for my day's work from the seemingly distressed CEO and walked out. After a few mins I realized I had forgotten to ask the all important question my friends who I later confided in made...the REASON. Realizing it served no purpose I hesitantly drove back home. The co-workers were unfriendly and I didnt like the job...but all my friends had made me promise to stick on there thru thick and thin....and that had come unstuck My mom and sis triumphantly announced they had ordered a couple of beds to put to end our tharayil kedappu... which I had begun to get used to and even enjoy when I meekly broke the news out...What followed was a staring contest between three ghastly pale faces refusing to back down.

Thankfully little wuz spoken that day and my two partners-in-tragedy, mithun and viswan succeeded in injecting a fresh dose of optimism. viswan even took the pains to relate a story of how big kites take time to find their bearings while small kites take-off fast but can never fly as high. I was actually laughing away hearing that. And at pappanabhan's house, along with his 5 mallu roomies we were coming up non-stop with all the funny moments malayalam cinema has thrown up in tragic scenes. At my first company, SMS.ac they wud always say..."a setback is an opportunity that hides behind a veneer of challenges". i havent had setbacks ever in life...so i had laughed that away then. Three jobs that took me nowhere and utterly homesick the magic of god's grace shone the very next day on. i got interviews for two wonderful opportunities and maybe there cud be more coming up...not even by my applying...but by ppl seeing my resume posted on monster. I dont know whats in store but its still not time to give up...think i can stomach a few more ambushes. Interestingly I am abt to apply for a teaching job at the Los Angeles Unified School District and my pals are betting my anthyam at the hands of some deranged kid. Anyways wht made me happy thru this incident is that i understood one thing i have always heard and read and seen ppl coming out of tragedies say....that their faith in God will see them through...although this cant be termed a tragedy but giving consideration to my happy-go-lucky life so far... i sort of sense HIS presence in the wry smile i am still being able to force out and the strength that emanates from the moral support and cheer mummy(as i rite this i see her absorbed in making gulab jamuns for me...well i am an object of deep envy among my us-based friends) , jisha and my friends infect me with.

May 6th - 2:30pm ....A few minutes back I got a job offer from Universal Music Group, a 6 month contract-to-hire job...finally a fading dream of working in a big company materialised. The office is in the heart of Hollwyood at Universal Studios and they share headquarters with NBC and Universal Pictures. My interview got over only a couple of hours back. It wuz pretty intense and lasted a couple of hours. I was subjected to programming, database and psychometric questions. It wuz a touch-and-go affair. Anyways I am not getting heady...i am going to work hard...i learnt some bitter-sweet lessons, albeit the hard way. This is definitely god's handiwork...they were trying to fill the position for months...if i had got fired even a day later things wud have been different...i wudnt even have picked up the call from the recruiter which came on tuesday thinking why do i need to go thru hassles of interviewing again. Today is a big day in my family. My sister's birthday and my parents wedding anniversary falls on May 6th. Well hope this day becomes a turning point in my sloppy american life. Trust me, my friends.... the promise of a better day makes the hard times worth living for.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Its a cool collection you have in here. Its now that I read them though!.

you never know, this may be the start of your dream career in Hollywood. ( Script Writer, Direction, Hero, Comedian, Villain).. I was wondering which role suits you the best, I think you can do it all with ease!!

Wish you all the very best in your new endeavour and this if for you

"Life is like a blanket too short. You pull it up and your toes rebel, you yank it down and shivers meander about your shoulder; but cheerful folks manage to draw their knees up and pass a very comfortable night"

(by the way after reading this ninakku ichiri bhakthi koodittonddonnoru samshayam..haha)

Anonymous said...

When ever you are feeling down and defeated I suggest you should look down. Look down at those people who are unfortunate and less provided than you. You have you mother and sister to your side; just imagine what would’ve happened to your sanity if they were not with you? (Not to forget Viswan who is a real moral booster)

My dear friend if we try to look at all our lives I think we are all the lucky ones to get educated parents and friends who guide us away from darkness. Had it not been for them you and me would have been just another speck of dust in the desert.

Fearing God is good, but don’t depend on him, as far as my concept goes, depending on God for each and every thing will get him/her pissed and I swear if he gets pissed you are trash man. We should do our half for god to do the rest. In the land of almighty I am sure it is “Humans first”.

There are many more challenges and hurdles in life dude. But all goes without saying; if any hurdles you think you can’t leap you have some real good pals to help you; I bet, Good friends are God given. ;-)

With Love,

Jiby said...

thanks anonymous1...obviously ur one of my classmates...wud have helped to know who u were.
anonymous2...ur comments have gotten me thinking. obviously u dont know my type...i am the product of an educational system and society which had spoilt me into a self-centric individual...the well-provided for circumstances of my life in india ensured that its only recently i began to think wht i want to do with my life, only recently wht it meant to go hungry, wht it meant to not have things my way and wht it meant to be a less fortunate person. i admit i have taken god for granted but dont we all at some point in life when the going is good...depending on him in one's hour of need doesnt make u lesser of a man in the eyes of god...i am going thru a phase where i feel my life is meaningless unless it can make a difference to myself and others...and my belief is that its only the god that i pray to and who feeds my spirit and grows in me daily despite all my faults and failings that can guide me to contentment.
all u guys, dont get ideas that i am gonna be the next plato...i am still the same old country fellow...a little bit of contemplation is what makes jabban a wiser fool.

Anonymous said...

haha.. I thought you would have guessed it while you read the comment.. I infact read through most of your posts today and commented on most of them... Read them too..

Anonymous1 ..haha

Anonymous said...

Jabba !! Way to Go Jabba :)
This is really Great Newz!!!
Hollywood.....

silverine said...

Hey cheer up. One road closes to deviate you to another road to Successville!
So we are gonna see your name on celluloid????

Arun said...

Jabs, youve been through the toughest of times...But you have always had it in you to claw out of them. Everyone (including me) has critiqued your happy-go-lucky attitude in life, but very few of us knw whats its like to have been in your position.
I cant think of a better place for you to be in than hollywood...Maybe you can push your own script into bruckheimer's hand when he passes by...;-) who knows?
Life hits you with disasters and throws up opportunities. Need to make the most of the latter and outlast the former.

You've got the small window of opportunity, its time to make it count now.

All the best for your new assignment.

Anonymous said...

Jiby, by the time I post in this comment you would have settled comfortably in the new job. And I hope you have and are really enjoying it!
Well I admit I have often thought of you as one lucky guy. I think most of my opinion is founted on the thought (which i dont exactly remember where i got from )that jobs came easily to you, I mean you have had no fear in leaving ur job and starting from scratch somewhere new. Anyway,as I read ur blog I find it just overwhelming ..it really is. Its awesome to see how God worked in your life through that situation and you recognizing that is something even more blessed. I came across this saying sometime back "Our clearest understanding of life's events comes only when we see those events through the rearview mirror". Its soo true because its always when we look back do we realise that things could not have been more perfect.
Anyway Good Luck with the job ...u are a go getter Jiby ...you can do it!!