I'd run out of space on my Gmail account and so set about trying to clear up some space before deciding that it really wasn't worth the effort and an annual fee of $5 for 20 GB email storage will save me a lot of grief. Talk about strange coincidences but I discovered during the eventually aborted cleanup that I set up this Gmail account on the the eve of my birthday exactly 5 years ago. In fact down to the exact day. In a way it was like looking into a time capsule of sorts sorting through those mails from way back when. I was just thinking about the time-line. 5 years is the typical period that many of those potential employers ask you about - "Where do you see yourself in 5 years?". I guess the short answer is I haven't changed in some ways but there have been some changes in the way I approach things now and I realize that only now... 5 years down the line.
Speaking of employers and jobs, I quit my last job 2 years too late going by some of the emails I read. I eventually quit in the final months of '08 but the beginning of the end began way back in early '06. There is a slight and quickly fleeting sense of regret about the loss of time. Perhaps I might have been on the road to discovering what I wanted to do a little earlier. Then I start to think about a lot of things which happened to me as a result of those 2 additional years. People I met because of it and what I am doing today might not have transpired at all. Destiny and karma were concepts which I don't/didn't think too much about but it seems like I was destined to be on the creative side of media and not the corporate side of it. There are so many mails from '06 which I'd sent to a bunch of music companies seeking an opening in A&R. For those unfamiliar with it, A&R is short for Artists & Repertoire - the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the recording process itself. A&R execs are the liaison between artists and the record label. I do believe I might have excelled at this job given my interest in music and what not. But I didn't have a clue back then...Things have sorta come a full circle which is a good thing. I am back to where I guess I should have been in the first place albeit in a slightly different way. After putting in my papers and walking out of that office one evening in November '08 I hadn't been a part of corporate culture and swore that I wouldn't be. It's now been a couple of weeks since I've started sitting in an office. The nice thing this time around is that my close buddy sits in the cabin across from mine and it feels more like play than work... well most times anyway...
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| View down into the valley from the top of the Malshej Ghat |
Now I'm a fair bit self conscious about my body but given how casually everyone went about their business made it a touch easier to get into the flow of things. I silently congratulated myself on wearing boxers that morning. Tighty-whities would've been absolutely mortifying! Once I was suited up in my Arab robes I stepped out of the trailer for a smoke and asked one of the passing crew as to who was in the film. Yup I was that well informed. All my friend mentioned was that it was a South Indian film. The only other person I knew on this movie was the director. A very well respected name in the industry, SS as he is called by the senior crew, was a guy I'd met before. He is an amiable chilled out sorta guy and the fact that I knew both these people was enough for me to not know or care about any other details about the film. So regarding my question about cast, the crew member was about to reply when an Innova pulls up and a guy gets down. Said crew member in response to my question points at the dude that just got down from the vehicle. It was Mr. Rubberlegs himself - Prabhudeva. Over the course of the day I got to meet the rest of cast which included a couple of big names from the Malayalam film industry like Jagathy and Prithviraj as well as Amol Gupte (of Taare Zameen Pe & Kaminey fame). Although she is part of the film, Genelia D'Souza wasn't part of the shooting schedule that day so didn't get to meet her. As far as the experience is concerned, it was kinda exciting to actually be a part of a film. It was an interesting opportunity to observe, from such close quarters, the creative process that happens parde ke peechey. In terms of screen time, I will probably be seen for like 20-30 seconds in total (provided I don't get axed in the editing process). To capture those 20 odd seconds, I had to be in full costume from like 9:30 am till 4:00 pm. Whoever called it the glamour industry didn't mention the long periods of time that go by in just waiting around for the next shot to be prepped. But a great first (and perhaps only) experience of being involved in a film and I have much greater levels of respect for the kind of work that film crews put into the entire process.
It's been a pretty hectic month so far. Went to Goa for the IPC. Moved into the office and started work from there. The trip to Malshej and of course the birthday celebrations last night. And finally to round off the month, Madman, one of my closest friends who has been mentioned across these pages is getting hitched on the weekend. The Madman and his lovely soon-to-be wife have asked me to handle MC-ing duties which will be a first for me. 2 drinks for Dutch courage before the event begins is how I've decided to tackle the situation. Also supposed to sing at the wedding but sooo stuck for an appropriate song. Hopefully the next 48 hours will shed some light on the problem...
The birthday has faded into just another regular day as I finish writing this. A midnight chat with a friend has left me with a smile on my face. It's been a good week and month overall. As of this moment I am happy :)
G'nite y'all.
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