The Diary Days - Episode 4

Temptations - you make me weak!!! 

Weeks passed by, the honeymoon period was over and I started working on various assignments. Days seemed shorter - week after week and month after month. With a blink of an eye, I had completed six months in the organization. I had learnt quite a lot in those six months and was looking forward to some more teachings. Our team was one of the best team at Pioneer. We were the stars of our organization and had gained success in a short period of time. The only friends I had were Sujoy, Rolston and Anamika. Apart from being colleagues, they had also become my good buddies. We shared a great bonding; they trained me on various projects and also taught me how to deal with difficult situations at work. There was so much to learn from them. I started coming out of my shell and began to grow as an individual.

I worked closely with Akshay. He thought I was smart and had a liking towards me. I took him as my mentor, and tried to learn as much as I could from him. I think he was the best manager in my office. He was pretty famous among girls. We had many things in common our likes, the love for food, traveling, etc. We gelled well and had become good friends by now. Baring the fact that he was my manger; he was also a friend, guide and someone I could look up to.

Our team had great bonding- fun, frolic and work.

One day during our evening tea break – “Hey, let’s plan something. What about clubbing this Friday? We can plan a night out and crash at Rolston’s place. Everybody ok with this plan?? asked Sujoy.

“Sounds exciting”, replied Anamika.

I was hesitant to even look at them. They knew I wasn't comfortable with this plan.

“So Zi what do you think, do you wanna join?” asked Anamika.

“Hmmmm. No I don't think so. You guys have fun.”

“Oh come on. It will be fun. At least come with us. You haven't even experienced this. You should taste this side of life as well”

“I won't be comfortable. You people enjoy.”

“Akshay you convince Zi. Tell her what she is missing in life. I mean we all work hard and should party harder.”

“Yes Zi, you should experience it once, said Akshay.  “How do you know it is bad and how can you be so judgmental. Just because we go out clubbing doesn't mean we have nothing else to do in life. We are just enjoying our life, living it on our own terms. That's it. Come out of your shell, you’re smart, talented and independent enough to take your own decisions. You should learn to make your own choices and live life the way you want to. Come at least once with us.”

“Relax Guys. I'm not being judgmental and neither am I saying you people are bad. These things don't fit into my values and principles. My parents won't allow all this. Hence its better I stay away.You'll have fun.”

“What do you mean by values? Aren't we all coming from good families?” asked Rolston.

“I didn't mean it that way” I defended.

“It’s just your mental block. You’re smart, you are doing well, but you’re still a kid. Who still listens to your parents? They won't even know what you’re doing.”

“But it’s all wrong.” I defended again.

“That's what we are saying, it’s not wrong its sheer enjoyment. Who cares what will happen tomorrow. Just live in the moment and enjoy the time. It’s like kal ho na ho……. ya Zindagi na milegi doobara types.” said Anamika

“It’s your way of looking at life and my way is different. Can’t stop you from doing what you’ll want and similarly you can’t force me to do things which I don’t want to. I can’t completely promise. I will try.”

“Good at least you’re thinking about it.”

“We are not forcing you Zi. Just that we want you also to enjoy with us. The choice is yours.”  said Akshay

That evening I went home with a heavy heart. Entire evening I was thinking on what they said ‘You need to get out, your still in a shell.’

I couldn’t sleep that night.  Teaching and values or friends and party. Two different sides of a coin. If I go, I'm definitely not gonna drink. I’ll just be out eating, enjoying the music and having good time with them. Anyways I love dancing…. Zi, you never even visited a pub. May be it’s your chance to see and then decide whether this is good or bad. They were right I haven't even seen, then how do I know.

No Zi. Just stop thinking. You’re just getting carried away. Life till now was beautiful, you still enjoyed without drinking and clubbing and night outs etc, then why this way now.

Yes Zi- something new to explore, your last chance may be. Your adventurous and like doing new things then why not this.

No Zi. What if ma and paa get to know what you are upto? How shameful will that be?

You are not doing anything wrong. Just enjoying - in a different way.

Yes Zi go for it,…….. no Zi….. NO NO…oh yes come one,NO NO…… Oh my head. Its spinning. May be ill go just once and see and never go again. No harm.

Leave it ...let sleep now...will decide tomorrow.

The Diary Days - Episode 3

I LEARNT MY FIRST CORPORATE RULE :)
The most awaited moment was here. I had mixed feelings. Several thoughts running through my mind. I waited at the lobby. I was then escorted inside and completed my joining formalities.
I felt so proud of myself as if I had achieved big success in life. The interiors were splendid, bright lights, round cubicles, employee collages and paintings every where. It had a media look with a dash of corporate element to it.

I strolled around, went to the cafeteria, grabbed some coffee and was quietly observing all the activities around me.

After 10 mins, I noticed someone walking towards me, I immediately recognized the figure, it was none other than Akshay. “Welcome Ziya and congratulations!

“Thank you,” I replied in a soft voice.

“If you have finished your coffee, I can take you to your workstation”.

“Sure. I’m done, let’s go.” I jumped to my feet and walked behind him.

Let me introduce you to the team.

“Hello everyone, we have a new joiner, Ms. Ziya Subramanian. Ziya this is the team, you will be working closely with them and I'm the Manager, you will be reporting to me. Please make yourself comfortable and everyone please introduce yourself to Ms. Zi

Zi!!!!!! I felt like a television channel.

“I hope you don't mind me calling you Zi.”

“Hmmm….Yes”, I replied sheepishly. Anyways you have already made up your mind to call me Zi. Wasn't this moving too fast? First day, first intro and I already got a nick name Zi or was he just trying to make me feel at home?

“Hi, I'm Sujoy, this is Anamika and Rolston. You will be working with us. We are a team of three and now including you four. We basically handle the clients; look after their branding, work in unison with other teams etc, etc, we do a lot of work!!!! Since it is you first day, obviously there wont be any work but you can browse through our intranet sites, company policies and stuff.I think that should be enough for today.”

Saying this he pushed off to his workstation, leaving me all to myself. I logged in, changed my password and started browsing the sites he mentioned. I went through some of the magazines published by the company, saw their work pattern, tried to understand how big the company is and was slowly settling in.

It was lunch time and Anamika came by.

“Hey, let's go for lunch.” she said.

“I haven’t carried my Tiffin” I replied innocently. “Awww… you don't need to. We have a huge cafeteria that serves free lunch and if you don't like it then we have many restaurants around the corner, you can always go and grab something there. We usually do at times or order food on special occasions.”

“Special occasions, like birthdays, festivals or so..”

“Noooo FRIDAYS!!!!! That day of the week, which we all look forward to. It marks the beginning of our weekend and celebrations begin in full swing.”

She sounded as if it was a big festival.

“Do you drink??? I hope you don’t mind me asking you this question”

“No”, I said in a stern voice. “Well we usually go out for drinks on Fridays.”

I replied with a surprise look on my face, “Ok. So everybody drinks?”

“Yes, off course they do”.

Well this world was new to me. I know girls drink but I was experiencing all this for the first time. Friday night party and drinking, this concept was a bit difficult to digest. How can a person party every Friday evening and not spend time with his family or friends.
I remember, Friday evenings was a time to relax, be happy and spend time with family - Family dinners and movies with friends was the only agenda on my mind. All this was now slowly being replaced by boozing and partying.

I'm definitely not of this type and I will never do that, I swear to myself. This is not what my parents have sent me here for. I need to focus, learn, excel and grow. I don’t care what others think about me or do but my aim is different and I am a different person.

Remember Ziya Subramanium...IT IS A PROMISE TO YOUR SELF. WORK HARD

Lunch was pretty decent, 4 o clock we went for the tea break and 6 I pushed off. I didn't do anything much on day one...Just learnt that Friday marks the beginning of the weekend, drinks and party.

Wow...First corporate rule I guess.

I was looking forward to my induction. Hope I learn something useful out of this.

The Diary Days - Episode 2

A week passed by and I was still looking out for a job. I was confident that Pioneer Corp would never revert but knew I would definitely land up getting a decent job.
I usually believed in this philosophy - things happen at the right time.The time hadn't come for me yet and probably had to struggle a bit more to get my dream job.

I belonged to an upper middle class family. Dad an Engineer with the Indian Railways and Maa a banker. Both did well in their careers and were heading their respective divisions. My parents worked very hard all their lives and always guided me and my brother to take correct decisions. The field that I had chosen was out of my family’s league. My parents were not very happy when I said I wanted to take up fashion designing, get into media and be a part of the glamour world. The only profession appealing to them was either being an engineer, a doctor or MBA. All my cousins were doing very well as engineers or doctors or MBAs and were well placed in their respective fields. I was the odd one out - glamour world. Though my relatives were not very supportive or must say not happy with what I had chosen for myself but my parents supported me. They trusted my decision and knew I was excellent with my work and would do well in this field.

I was grateful to them for giving me a chance to prove myself and had promised to never let them down. I had a “Plan B” ready in my mind.  In case I failed, I would quietly take up MBA (marketing) and act as my parents say

I realized how important it is to speak to your parents about your career choices and even for parents to understand their children.

Clear thoughts and communication - first key to success. If you manage to unlock this, you have already  climbed your first step towards success.

It was Monday morning and I was ready to start over again- naukri.com, applying for jobs, speaking to friends and college seniors, getting references, forwarding my cv and so on and so forth.

Around 11 am, the cell phone rang. “Hi I'm calling from pioneer corp am I speaking to Ziya?”

“Yes”, I said taking a deep breath. “I have some good news for you.  Congratulations! You have been selected and I’m glad to offer you the position of a Management trainee. You will be working with the branding team .Can you come down to collect your offer letter. May be around 4 pm?”

I was over whelmed, over joyed. Finally my search ended and I have a job now. What a fantastic start to the week! I picked up the phone and spoke to my maa and paa.

"Thank you Lord" saying that my mother congratulated me for the new job.

I was ready at 2 pm, reached at 3 and got the offer letter at 4. ‘Management trainee – branding’. That’s what it read. I signed my offer letter and pushed off as early as possible.

But before leaving I looked around from one corner to the other. The place as huge, employees moving up and down, full of energy and positivity.  I was hoping to get a glimpse of the guy who took my interview. Couldn't see him around but knew I would work with him. I had a mischievous smile and left in peace.

The joining date was exactly after a week.

I shopped as if there was no tomorrow. Formal, perfumes’ bags shoes. I grabbed whatever I could see.  

I was anxiously waiting for ‘THE DAY ...MY FIRST DAY AT WORK.

The Diary Days - Season 1

The new post is a story which will b showcased in parts, like a serial. You need to keep visiting the blog everyday, in order to know whats going to happen next. 

The story is about a girl, her life, dreams, romance, career, family, relationships, and the one big transformation that changes her world upside down. A 360 degree revolution! She keeps writing and noting down all the incidents of her life in a diary, so she knows what went wrong when and can also relive some of the happiest moments of her life...

Keep reading and keep visiting..

Happy Reading!!!


EPISODE 1: Interview call

Lying on my bed with hands over my stomach, I knew it wasn't that mild, food poison I cried to myself. At 3 in the afternoon my cell phone rang and it was the interview call.
"Ma'am u were to visit us today but u haven't turned up". "Well" I replied, "have spoken to the HR, can't make it today. It has been rescheduled for next week." I cut the line, pulled my blanket and was off to dream land

The interview week -  Dressed in my best formals, Lloyd and baker bag, smelt of CK, put on my best stilettos and off I was to visit Pioneer Corporation - one of the biggest fashion house in the country.It has been home to some of the biggest fashion designers, owns few fashion magazine, some fashion channels and everything that belongs to the fashion industry.

A mere 30 min drive from my house, the distance didn't seem that longer.I showed up on on time and finally I was with the HR.

"Hi Ziya, hope you are much better now. Please have a seat, the manager will see you in a while."

"Thanks" I replied and was waiting in the meeting room. The room had a weird name Noeda. I wondered what that meant.

After 30 mins of waiting, a tall, smart guy walked inside the room. French beard, wheatish complexion, well built, seemed smart and very handsome, he is awesome I said to myself.....hold on Ziya...concentrate on the interview.....and he put forward his hand to greet me.

What a strong grip!

"Hi, I'm Akshay, please be comfortable.....before we begin let me introduce myself...I'm an MBA from IIM Bangalore - marketing and have recently joined this organization. Ill be heading the team and you will work under me:"

'work under me'... have I been selected????..you haven't even heard me yet!

"I had called you last week and I suppose you were not keeping well, I hope you doing much better now"

Duh! It was this guy who spoke...and I banged the phone... Never mind. i consoled myself.

"Anyways shall we start." 

And confidentally I said,"Yes, we can"

"Ziya, interesting name...tell me something about yourself."

"I'm Ziya Subaramanium....I have completed my mass media from Xaviers college Mumbai...majored in media and advertising, I have also completed a short course in fashion designing and have done a one year marketing diploma from the university.This is my first job."

"Ziya Subramanium.... What a different combination...Whats your background girl."

"My parents are South Indians...its not a love marriage...they simply loved this name hence I got it. Nothing great to share, just that its me - Ziya and Subramanium which don't go hand in hand..nothing great about the history you see." I said with that side smile on my face.

"Hmmmm..." a plain reply with no expressions at all.

"So tell me more Ziya, what do you like to do, what kind of a person are you."

Is this a marriage interview??? I thought to myself. He first introduced himself and now he wants to know what kind of a person am I.

Well, I'm a fun loving person, happy go lucky, extrovert, full of energy, love talking, meeting new people, I love playing guitar, karate black belt.. swimming is my favorite sport..I'm a state level champion....I also enjoy playing badminton....inter collegiate level..have been the college secretary, editor for magazine, good at drama and singing...I can dance all the way..all night,, love traveling, seeing new places, I live with my parents, younger brother and reside at matunga.

phew...

"Nice introduction...pretty impressive and elaborate."

But u said speak something about yourself... I thought again to myself.

"We shall get back to you." Saying this he wished me good bye.

Thats it!!! What was that..interview?? short and sweet and he didn't ask me any technical questions.

I knew I wasn't getting this job because of all the blabbering I did...but never mind I have many more to look at.
With this belief I walked out of that huge fashion house...leaving my dreams behind
Never even turned back..and I knew I had lost this opportunity.