Skip to main content

It's 100 - The Measure of Success

I seldom set off on a tour or a trek without a book. Books are my source of relaxation and a welcome diversion from the rigors of travel. On one such trip I found myself unwinding on a park bench overlooking a beautiful landscape. I reached for a book within my bag but soon realized that I had left the book behind at home. I had no other recourse but to pull out my mobile and start reading my own blog. 15-20 minutes later when I resumed my trek, the only feeling I had was that my blog made some sense, that for me was my first measure of success. 

Life gets very complicated when we refuse to understand or analyze the motivations behind our actions. Life Etc Etc should have been done years ago when a series of personal misfortunes rocked me. The blog and everything associated with it became the farthest thing on my mind during that period. While I was piecing my life together, I remembered something that my mother told me when I was at school. She advised me that things become easier to analyze and interpret once you put them on paper. I followed her advise diligently to figure out mathematical equations, chemical formulae, English grammar, logical reasoning questions..so on and so forth. Many years later at that critical juncture, I wondered why not follow the same method for figuring out life? 

I needed a medium to figure out life and it didn't take long for me to discover that Life Etc Etc was my go-to medium for filtering out my thoughts and laying the foundation for the way forward. Thus started the second chapter of not only my blog  but also my life. This chapter couldn't have taken off without a solid value system about which I talked at length in my 75th blog. Adhering to those values and reminding myself that I am not selling opinions every time I write a blog is a quality measure that I have for my success. 



Throughout the years I made it a point to never write this blog merely for adulation but whenever someone came back to me with a reply, feedback or observation about my blog it made my day. I cannot celebrate this 100th milestone without treasuring all my readers who have stayed firm with me over the years. Thank you for persevering with Life Etc Etc through all it's changes and manifestations.  Thank you for goading me to start writing when my next blog post was overdue. Thank you for adding your own experiences to my observations. Having all of you along with me on this expedition is a true measure of my success.

***

I got off at the Heathrow Aiport in London with a layover of almost a day before my next flight.  I had checked beforehand that hotels for overnight stay would be available around Terminal 5 of the airport. One particular Travelodge hotel attracted my attention based on the price and the amenities it offered. I made my way to Terminal 5 where I chanced upon a Hotel Reservation Kiosk. The Kiosk manager didn't work with the hotel I was interested in but was kind enough to help me procure shuttle tickets for the hotel and guided me to the exact spot where the shuttle would pick me up. The shuttle came soon enough and I boarded it along with an elderly couple. When I presented my ticket, the couple realized they had to purchase tickets prior to departure and that they could only pay in cash for the tickets on the shuttle. Since they didn't have the requisite foreign exchange they had no other option but to get off and wait for the next shuttle. I wondered what would have happened to me had I not run into the helpful Kiosk manager. 

My day wasn't done yet, I received a rude jolt at the hotel when the receptionist told me that they didn't accept walk-ins and that I had to book online prior to checking in. I was in a very awkward spot, the data plan on my phone was running out which meant I faced the possibility of returning to the airport and spending my night there. Destiny smiles upon you when you least expect it, a lady from amongst the customers who were checking in noticed my predicament and handed me her phone. "Here Dear! take my phone and finish your booking", I was startled by her generosity but jumped at the opportunity. I finished my booking soon enough and was duly checked in. I couldn't thank the lady enough for her magnanimity. She in her inimitable style just said "That's alright dear. You needed a place to rest for the night and I am glad I could be of some help".

Today morning, while I was recounting the sequence of events I understood a lot of good that happens in our life is not due to intellect or talent but just down to pure serendipity. I could have easily missed the Hotel Kiosk and could have ended up in the Airport without a room for the night. Yet I received the help exactly when I needed it. I take this piece of good fortune both as a blessing and as a learning which I can put to use during my future trips. As I am penning this blog an elderly gentleman who was waiting along with me at the Airport Lounge approached me with a network issue on his phone and I helped him connect to the Airport Wi-Fi. Maybe this is my way of paying it forward. Tipping my hat to life as I try to comprehend it's magic is probably my measure of success. 

I started Life Etc Etc as a student in Canada. I retired it almost in India before restarting it. I continued it in Canada before writing it's 100th post in England. A tale of three continents, a saga of several experiences and a journey of a lifetime. My romance with life continues and that ladies and gentlemen is definitely my measure of success. 

Until Next Time,

Yours Contently,

Chaitanya J.J.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

Zamarrud Theatre Hyderabad

More than two decades ago a 5 year old boy (yours truly) found himself in Abids which was certainly then the microcosm of Hyderabad. Abids in the 80s <Courtesy: OkaTeluguAbbayi > The occasion was a family outing to Zamarrud Cinema. And we are stepping out for not just any movie my friends, my parents decided that nothing less than the Raj Kapoor blockbuster Chori Chori was good enough for us. To be honest I wasn't exactly enthused about watching a black and white film of a bygone era even though the movie had all the credentials of a classic. But that was before I saw Zamarrud, the theatre where the movie was being played. Nested in the heart of Abids, Zamarrud was the perfect amalgamation of Hyderabad's old world charm and new fangled ways. Zamarrud was not just any theatre, it was one of the first air conditioned halls in Hyderabad, a premiere cinema hall which used to host the best of what the film industry had to offer and the place to go for Hyderabad...
9 comments
Read more

The Punisher (2004)

There are very few movies which make for a fun repeat watch. The 2004 version of ' The Punisher ' belongs to this rarefied category. I watched the movie almost 10 years ago and then caught up with it again last month. The plot twists were familiar the second time around but the fun was still the same. That's what probably got me started off on this movie review.    Tom Jane as 'The Punisher' The Plot:  When the younger son of mafia boss Howard Saint ( John Travolta ) gets killed in an FBI operation headed by Frank Castle ( Tom Jane ), Saint swears revenge and wipes out Castle's entire family. Castle himself barely survives before emerging from his injuries as the crusading 'Punisher'. 'The Punisher' resolves to extract payback from Saint and proceeds to punish everyone on the wrong side of law with his brand of justice. Will 'The Punisher' succeed (Of course he does)? Watch this lesser talked about installment from the Marvel Cinematic Un...
1 comment
Read more

KBR National Park

In the midst of the hustle and bustle of the fifth largest city in India - Hyderabad lies KBR (Kasu Brahmananda Reddy) National Park . It's difficult to imagine a natural habitat in the center of a concrete jungle but that's exactly what KBR park is - an oasis in middle of an urban desert . One of Hyderabad's prized tourist attractions which in my opinion doesn't get the attention it deserves. The Entrance <Courtesy: Andhra Aroma > I don't remember when I first noticed the park but it soon became a sight which I couldn't miss during the course of my everyday commute to work. I always wondered what lay beyond the entrance but never found the time to check it out for myself until last year. But let me back up a bit, there's a back story to my first visit to the park. In my ' Count Your Blessings ' post, I talked about how a walk around my office building started a positive change in my life. That incident made ' walking ' ...
27 comments
Read more

10 Random Things about the First IPL

It's IPL time, the time of the year where cricket turns from a gentleman's game into a three ringed circus for the stars, the people and the players. It's hard to believe that it's been 10 long years since the IPL started but I just seem to remember it like yesterday. As soon I thought about the first IPL I remembered some tight finishes, some great performances, raw emotion, glamour that was on display and some utterly forgettable moments. So here are 10 random things I remember about the first IPL: Teams of the first IPL <Courtesy: Reddit > Akshay Kumar , the brand ambassador (Oh! the brand ambassadors was one way franchises burnt their hard earned money during the first IPL) for Delhi Daredevils (DD) zip-lined his way into the ground for an IPL match. DD followed his example of daredevilry all throughout the league phase before their stunt went all wrong crashing them into the ground in the semis .            Ricky Ponting (yes he p...
9 comments
Read more

Vera Cruz (1954)

The road to my 25th post had to go through Vera Cruz . Nothing fuels one's imagination quite like a rivalry between two evenly matched foes. As a kid I often wondered who would win if Superman squared off against He-Man and Batman took on Spider-Man. The quest for engaging rivalries and unique match-ups took a life of its own when I discovered sport. Who would win a rematch between Pete Sampras and Roger Federer ? Can Manny Pacquiao KO Floyd Mayweather ?  Will Justin Gatlin ever outrun Usain Bolt ? Whenever a match-up lived up to its potential (See Bibo V/S Kumar ) it became a memory to treasure. Magical rivalries however are not limited to sport and comics alone they have a unique place in movies too. Vera Cruz takes that rivalry to a brand new level by pitting an ultra-aggressive Burt Lancaster against an ice cool Gary Cooper  (both of them incidentally are in the Top 25 actors list of AFI ). But before going into the intricacies of the film we should explore the backg...
Post a Comment
Read more