Nobody

Mr. Nobody

Cause you can learn from ‘anything’

I have the special talent of being able to watch almost anything on the television. During my initial days in the UAE I even watched a few Arabic comedy serials on the TV box that came along with the house. So much so that I once passed by a curios looking man and immediately remarked to a friend “This guy is famous, but no one recognizes him here in this neighbourhood”. Coming back to watching anything on TV, I have a hard disk, which should ideally be called - Friends Season Storage Device, but FSSD would just be too weird an acronym. Since, the only thing that its used for is to watch Friends. However, over the years its also served the purpose of a backup for data acquired through various jobs and more importantly movies generously handed over and archived in the most random way as movies in folders with dates of when they were acquired (making it impossible to find a movie, unless you specifically spent 2 hours to track it down the last time and have a horrible memory of the process).

I stumbled upon a great film called ‘Unbroken’, only on completion realising that its a movie directed by Angelina Jolie. I highly recommend you watch this long film (I won’t lie), but one that you power through in the comfort of your home, showcases a man’s struggle through the wrath of nature and war - much more than any discomfort you may have; besides constantly having to change the thermostat. After watching this film, I genuinely felt that I had to search for more such hidden gems on the hard disk and decided to give every - non-popular, slow-starting and traditionally considered ehhh-film a chance. 

The second film I found was aptly named Mr. Nobody. A few of you may gasp ‘how could he not have heard of this?’ (again honestly, it just skipped my radar), but then again I feel its a movie that comes to you when the time is right, when you have the time and energy to watch it, reflect on it and then maybe - even blog about it! The movie stars Jared Leto, Sarah Polley, Diane Kruger, Linh Dan Pham, Rhys Ifans, Natasha Little, Toby Regbo, Juno Temple. the only ones I knew of course were Jared Leto and Diane Kruger (well she did play Helen of Troy, for those of us who weren’t looking at Brad Pitt - this is what we saw in the film). Mr. Nobody according to me brings together most of our recurring nightmares, life long struggles with certain truths and most definitely the question of ‘what if?’. It manages to explain the butterfly effect with the simplicity of a kindergarten teacher and go on to explore string theory with the gentle caress of an oriental masseuse.

Its a film (according to me) that manages to get you to think about where you are, how you got there and certain things that you always wonder - theres others wondering about the same exact emotion of commotion. We often ask ourselves, if we deserved this? good or bad. Did we? Only to realise that the answer to the ever so menacing question is bound in some cases with an action of our own. But in some instances, to the most random occurrence elsewhere on earth (or even the universe).

Your choice to snub someone away, who could have been your soulmate to inviting someone in, who could lead you to your eventual true-love. The film asks all of these questions through sheer illustrations. The most powerful of them (be patient with this narration) is:

>He meets the love of his life, whom he lost 15 years ago, because the beggar he gave a quarter to everyday had died in her sleep and he patiently waits for the paramedics to take the body away. Meeting her after 15 years at the very station they both used for travel for who knows how long.
     >They remember the old times together and its time to part ways albeit temporarily - she hands him a piece of paper and asks for a promise that he’d call her in two days.
    >He holds the piece of paper as she walks away, it starts to rain and he loses the number. The rain is unseasonal, caused by (get this) a Brazilian who got laid off from his Denim manufacturing factory was boiling his egg and forgot about it, the resultant evaporation cause a small cloud through his chimney adding to the already existing clouds that would eventually land over New York.
   >Because, the last time Nemo Nobody (Jared Leto) went to buy a pair of Jeans, he chose the cheaper one, which spurned growth of the Chinese manufacturing units and led to a drop in demand for the Brazilian imports into the USA.

Is he a part of the cycle that makes things go right or wrong for himself? While most films would follow a linear path, taking a story forward from just the writers stubborn necessity to manoeuvre the future of a character. This one gives you 2-3 possibilities. Be attentive with this one, otherwise you’d be left thinking this movie is the confused meandering of an inebriated writer with no thought or direction. Instead, its a brilliant rendition of how we are imprisoned by our own 3 dimensions and its realities. With the 9 intended dimensions, you could take two simultaneous paths, if they cross later or not - its an altogether different hypothesis. But the possibilities by opening up just another reality, makes for an infinite number of possibilities.

Another very powerful statement comes from the childhood of Nemo, saying “As long as you don't choose, everything remains possible”. Powerful, as a thought but utterly useless as a consequence - because you are now leaving things to chance and thats just making like 2 dimensional. SO instead of continuing to curse things in a 3 dimensional world, the next time you lay yourself down to sleep, dream on about all the crossroads you reached, the path you took and where they could’ve taken you. Don’t count sheep - try this. I guarantee a good nights sleep, mental exercise and a lesson in decision making for the future.

As I earlier said, this movie got me out of my writing slumber - so it must have more than just dreaming-life-lessons. I also predict that with the shift in the way media is consumed, the way in which we lead our lives - content is constantly being customised to micro-alignment with peoples preferences. The future of story telling, the oldest and yet most compelling form of communication - used for everything from advertising to informing to convincing to more horribly political propaganda will be non-linear story telling.

Its where the end user has a choice to take the story forward, there will be decisions and there will be multiple routes to go. Your reader/viewer will decide how to go ahead. the eventual story will hit further points of division - giving you 2, 4, 8, 16 or who knows how many endings. Based on thought processes, you could have multiple writers collaborating together. Imagine a movie begins with James Cameron, then comes to a point where the protagonist must decide - Yes, No or Maybe. Each of them deeply embedded into an already established story. Yes goes to Ang Lee, No back to James Cameron and Maybe to Baz Luhrmann. Then even further divisions later. No they can’t be theatre prints for these - or can there?

Ponder on - but remember, the first decision you took, was to read this. From here, good luck to you and your decisions, at least you know how it works or it doesn’t.

May the Force be with you!

P + P = Possibilities Unlimited ..

Hi Team,

There are two things that are crucial to take YOU and any team forward.

The first thing is to understand how crucial you are to the team. How your presence and absence impacts the overall functioning of the team. How you coming a mere 20 mins late takes the productivity of 20 mins x 5 people making it 100 mins. Taking the overall unproductivity of the team to over an hour and a half of sheer time-waste.

I’m sure you are curious as to the 2 P’s by now. 2 P’s that will set off a domino effect in the overall ability to set off a charge. To start a revolution.

Eg - When 2 people begin clapping and the cheer begins to engulf 4 then 8 then 16 and eventually a whole auditorium. The effect of an individual starting something that goes on to touch the collective souls of a million is easily known. The same happens when a whole auditorium is clapping and you hear a gunshot!! Exactly the opposite. Now suddenly everyone is silent.

What will it take to wake everyone up again??

What is required to awaken sound of life, as it is??

The 2 P’s.

1 – Perseverance

2 – Personal Accountability

Perseverance is the feeling, when you wake up and open your eyes to the morning sunshine. Based on your drive and passion – you will either see the brightness of a new chance and new opportunities. Or you can see the mundane routine that fast awaits you. Perseverance is kicking the negativity through your own personal admission to strive for newer and higher levels of success. To take that 1 centimeter while climbing the straight face of a rock climbing expedition. Knowing that you’re atleast that much closer to the top. The shivering of your hands as you get to the 18^th push up in a 20 set. The drop of sweat, the bystanders, the critics, the seconds hand on the clock. Everything can distract and distance you from your goal. But if your own determination is strong enough to focus and blank out all the naysayers – then victory is yours. There may not be a standing ovation of cheering fans. But the satisfaction of achieved something. The feeling of self-confidence.

Personal Accountability is the flip-side to any achievement. Because, in every achievement – YOU want to stand up and take credit. But in the times of failure. Personal accountability turns its ugly head into denial and shifting of the blame. Success has many fathers – but out of their own admission. Failure has even more fathers – out of blame and excuses being thrown all over. Sometimes, we even fail to see who and what and why we are blaming others. It’s a crazy frenzy of getting the shadow of doubt, off your back. Its natural – but easily cured. By your own admission. With your own conscience as your witness. Ask yourself – have you really done enough?? Not all that was asked of you. But all that you could do. All that your energies could handle. All that you could dream is possible through your efforts and the support of your team mates.

Personal Accountability drug that makes your perseverance a more potent drug!

Its the spike that makes you try harder and harder – because you realistically can always do more today that you did yesterday.

The goal isn’t far – if you know where to go.

I assure you that I will persevere – I will be accountable.

To myself, before others – I am afterall my biggest critic. With my experiences as testimony – I pledge to move forward. To take us all forward.

Do You>>??

Or

Do you plan to blame the entire universe for its conspiracy against you??

Do you plan to exit and abandon ship when you are most required??

Do you not see a common goal??

Is existing enough??

In it 100%,

Me..

While writing this - I listened to this. Uplifting Song ..May help you with some perspective too.

 - credit also goes to Ms. Apurva Purohit for inspiring me to notice priorities like this.

The un-natural CEO

I've always wondered when I will make it to the big league. The final position that everyone looks up to. What would it be like to be the CEO. And I’m sure that the years that take you to that point will build and groom you to best handle any kind of situation. However, there are many wonderful instances, that I come across in my daily life – where I wonder. What if?? What if, I were a CEO – would the situation pan out the same way??

There would definitely be the advantage, of people asking for my permission before walking in and beginning conversations. There would be the necessary assistants who would take care of typing letters and memos. Now comes the tricky part – How would a CEO, who’s out for a meeting with a stakeholder or influential client; and this urge ‘to let one rip’!! Its the feeling of complete helplessness, its an art you can't necessarily master. Its a situation that will make you sweat more than a stakeholders meet. Every attempt at concentrating on the meeting seems futile. So, what do you do??

Now you have somehow overcome the flatulence and have to make it in time to the WC! Why?? Well that samosa washed down by Mountain Dew, seems to have gone down the intestinal expressway and is all ready for its exit. No time for an exit interview, how do you suddenly stand up and ask for the loo. Note: in your own office, a casual excuse me will do the needful. But now you are in alien territory. What do you do??

Say, you do manage to get through the initial 2 situations with some help from your fairy God-Mother or Genie. Now think about this, you as the grand CEO are exiting a loo, and there is an ugly trickle down your pants. Hmmm. The problem is that no one will even think about the leaky faucet. The joke is on you!! What do you do??

Although all of the above examples are toilet related – I think it’s the most common and incidental experiences each one will come across at some time or the other. I hope that in the coming years, I manage to get the CEO training required to overcome all of the above. Otherwise, maybe something entrepreneurial will be a better option.

Like I say, I have had sex with every person in this office – problem is that I work alone!!