Random Thoughts

New year and new beginnings!

2017-01-21T15:30:00.000+05:30

Another year has gone by, however I must say 2016 was a happening year for me, personally and professionally. It's been more many months since I wrote anything. Let me pen down some of the key highlights of 2016.

2016 was the year of many firsts. Silki got a project in Sydney, her first international assignment. Thus ended our long distance relationship in January. While the first couple of months she was in Melbourne, I got an opportunity to travel and see a bit of Melbourne.

I watched my first tennis game between Tomic & Murray in the third round of Australian Open in the famous Rod Laver Arena. What a wonderful experience it was!

March & April saw a number of road trips in and around Sydney. I loved the scenic beaches of Coffs Harbour and the beautiful drive along the NSW coast.

July and winter gave me an opportunity to discover the Snowy Mountains. Beautiful countryside, scenic lakes and farms dotted the journey.

However, the biggest change of the year was when I left Cognizant and joined Woolworths Australia. There were a few challenges in the transition but eventually it seems be a good move. At least, this gives me a strong foot hold in ANZ region.

The end of the year saw me taking trips and vacations to Tasmania, Cairns and New Zealand. Each place had its own charm but i think New Zealand surpassed all my expectations.

South Island had majestic views, stunning landscapes, snow capped mountains, crystal clear lakes and valley full of flowers. I am so much in awe that I am sure that I will be go back there again.

2017 has started on a good note. Lots to learn and do this year and it is just the start of the year! Looking forward to another good year.

Hunger games!

2015-03-16T18:07:00.002+05:30

What do you do when you are lazy and did not shop for groceries and all eat out restaurants are closed and worst of all you are goddamn hungry? Well, have apricots with dry fruits and low fat vanilla ice cream!

Trust me its delicious, filling and healthy snack/dessert! I would rate it as 10/10 and best part is that it takes just 2-3 mins to prepare.. Looks yummy? Here is the recipe, try it out and leave a comment if you liked the recipe :

1. Cut small cubes of apricots ( can be replaced with apple, peach, mango or any fruit that is sweet :) )
2. Mash some nuts, cashew and any other dry fruit that you may have
3. Add 2 scoops of low fat, gluten free Vanilla ice cream
4. Eat!
5. If you want it to make it more exotic, add honey and some fresh mint leaves. Season it with Cardamom

New year and new resolutions

2015-01-17T23:15:00.000+05:30

Every new year almost all of us make new resolutions, we decide to do things differently this year, forget the past and focus on the future. But you know the reality, best put in words of Shakespeare, if to do were as easy as to know what were good to do, chapels would have been churches!

Most of us forget our resolutions within a month or so and then when an another year knocks our door then we make new resolutions again and thus the cycle repeats year after year.

This year I am taking a different approach to managing my new year resolutions. I think there is something that can be learnt from performance appraisals systems when it comes to resolution management and execution, setting the goals and periodically reviewing them! Well, only if my manager knew about this very basic fact! :) I think the key is not to be over ambitious and bite as much as you can chew, after all there is no manager to impress and no rating to be earned except the satisfaction and benefit that you will reap from your resolutions.

This year I am going to split the year into 4 quarters and set goals and targets. Evaluate each quarter and take corrective measures and then at end of the year do a self analysis of how I performed and set new goals.

You must be wondering what are my goals for this year. So here I bare my soul to you:

Be Fit- Once you hit the 30s it becomes essential that you take good care of your health. This year I am going to set my goal to get a six pack. I have been thinking about getting one for years and have been procrastinating for just too many years. I think its now or never! In addition to this, I also want to cultivate the habit of doing prayanam everyday!

Become debt fee- I want to clear off my education loan. Well, I did not save much in 2013 and 2014 and hence did not pay much of my loan amount, however this year I am going to get rid of my loan.

Learn analytics- Yes, I will finish the Coursera course on analytics this year.

Family and friends- Be in touch will all my near and dear ones after all they are the ones who matter in life.

Travel- I want to utilize my time in Australia and see this beautiful country as much as I can. NSW in 1st and 2nd quarter, Victoria in 3rd quarter and Tasmania and Queensland in 4th quarter. NZ? Well may be next year!

Blog-Last but not the least, I am going to start writing blog posts again! At least one post per month if not more.

So what are your resolutions this year and how are you planning to manage them?

Image source

Life's like a box of chocolates!

2014-06-13T22:42:00.004+05:30

" Life's a box of chocolates, Forrest. You never know what you're gonna get!!"

Forrest Gump is one of my favorite movies. Perhaps because I was as (maybe I still am) "stupid" as Forrest is. Perhaps I like the concept that there is hope and that the fact that one can shape one's destiny through some bit of luck and some bit of hard work! Isn't it why the saying 99% perspiration and 1% inspiration is what success is made up of?

But the question is can you shape your destiny without any element of luck? Well I do believe that however hard one might work, there is always an element of luck. Things that are beyond our control for instance make chance play a huge role. Some times it is sheer timing, sometime you are at the right place at the right time or may be at the wrong place and at the wrong time. But what I believe is that one should take what life has to offer, swim with the tide, sail along and enjoy the journey because when you reach the destination a new journey starts. Until and unless you enjoy the journey, life will not have the same meaning as it should have. We never know when our time's up and its finally Time.

The rocking thirties!

2014-03-30T17:29:00.001+05:30

So here i am, knocking the doors of the next decade to be. The first 30 years have been spent so fast. It seems that it was only a few weeks back that I gave my class 10 board exams and joined a new race, the race of life. There after it has been a marathon of sorts. So many things and memories in the past decade. College, graduation, job, onsite, fighting to get ahead in life, GMAT, CAT, MBA, USA that could have been, IIM and finally getting married.

The decade has started well for me. Marriage and relocation to Sydney. The coming decade is going to be a very significant decade. New responsibilities, new challenges and many things that i cannot foresee at this moment. All I want to wish is that I have a full filling decade with no regrets. New life, new era, new beginnings. Learn from the mistakes and move ahead!

Happy Diwali!

2013-11-03T20:26:00.002+05:30

Wishing everyone a very colourful, fun filled, bright and prosperous diwali.

May goddess Lakshmi bring health, wealth and happiness in your life.

Happyness!

2013-08-27T09:54:00.001+05:30

Life has entered a beautiful new phase. A phase characterized by verbs such as bonding, caring, loving, knowing, sharing and discovering. I still remember how just the thought of sharing your life with someone else would make me nervous and paranoid. But off late I have realized that each phase of life has its own merits and charms and we must enjoy things as they come. Life is beautiful and happiness is real only when it is shared! After all life is a pursuit, a pursuit of happyness. It is a journey with an end destination but if one does not realise the importance of enjoying the journey then there will be disappointment at the end when the destination is reached. So live each moment of the experience and enjoy the journey, for life is short and made up of just moments! :) :)

Dinged by chance!

2013-06-25T23:58:00.002+05:30

When it comes to chance, luck has not been on my side more often than not. This year was no exception. After five years, the H1B Cap was reached within 5 days and the USCIS adopted the lottery system to randomly select the 65,000 visa applicants.

As luck would have it, I got dinged in the H1B Cap lottery. Well, with more than 75% of Cognizant's revenue comes from the US region, this means that I won't be travelling this year.While it is definitely a loss of opportunity as well as a monetary loss, I believe that some good will come out of this bad luck.

I truly believe that what happens, happens for the good. Sometimes the good is just shrouded in a short term mist that blurs our reality and understanding. It is just a matter of time, when the mist clears out and the underlying good is visible clearly!

Until then..

Photo Source: Wired New York

Renting out a new flat!

2013-06-25T23:42:00.001+05:30

So I have decided to move out from the bachelor pad and take a separate apartment. Since my dad goes out on work for a few weeks out of Ranchi, I wanted my mom to stay with me during such times if not otherwise. However, this was not possible in the bachelor pad where I was living in with my iim friends.

This new apartment flat is a 4 BHK- 1500 sq unfurnished flat in Jal Vaayu Towers in New Town, Rajarhat. While I will have to spend some money to furnish the house, but I think that for 13K including maintenance, it is quite a deal. Calcutta is for these very reasons quite affordable as compared to other cities such as Bangalore and Hyderabad.

Is poverty a necessary evil?

2013-06-24T01:25:00.001+05:30

I grew up reading, watching and feeling poverty all around. It is not a rarity if you are in a city or town in India. The towns and cities of India are teeming with millions of poor people. Beggars asking for alms, old and helpless begging on the roads all these are a very common sight in any city or town in India. While people in villages might not have to beg but there is a different form of poverty there. Millions in the Indian villages live a life full of hardships, toil, misery and disease.

Even my initial years were not very plentiful, though there was enough and my parents ensured that my brother and I had all our basic necessities covered. But I did get a close look at what poverty means and how the poor in this country live while I was growing up in Ranchi. It was a constant reminder for me to take the opportunities that life gave me and be thankful because there are others who did not get as lucky as I got. When I look back at times and compare myself with some of my cousins who live in my ancestral village in Ballia, U.P, I think I just got lucky!

At times I get saddened when my roommates waste food, keep the light turned on and leave the tap running, not because of their apathy or my greatness, it’s because down in my heart I know that there are millions in this country who live on one meal a day or maybe even less, there are millions who pass the night in dark every night and for whom even one hour of electricity is a big luxury and then there are millions who do not have clean water to drink leave along bath. If we are not doing anything for these people, the least we can do is show some gratitude in life and not waste resources.

While in Ranchi, I got a real feel of the extent of poverty and misery that is prevalent in this country. My father started his career as a site supervisor in a construction firm and hence there was always some support for the household work to my mom. Generally the female day labourers would be given 1hr time off from the site to do the cleaning of utensils and the house. It was kind of a win-win for both the parties. While we got household help, the female day labourer got 2 hours of less intense physical labour. After all cleaning utensils in the house was far better than carrying bricks and mortar at a construction site.

Most of these day labourers were adivasis or the tribals or the so called 'adivasis' of Jharkhand. A typical labourer, at least the female labourers, was someone whose husband was either a rickshaw puller or a daily wage labourer and more often than now was generally a drunkard. The male member by virtue of his drinking habit would spend all that he earned on drinks, leaving very little or nothing for the household. Thus, the wife was left with no option but to seek work and earn to keep the fire in the kitchen burning. It was a sight, quite a pity sight to see an adivasi women carry her child to the construction site, keep the baby in the shade and work all the day. But most of these women were proud and would work rather than beg.

I remember somewhere in 1997-1998 when the prices of onions had skyrocketed to Rs. 60 per kg from the usual Rs. 6 per kg and prices of other daily items soared, a labourer told us how she used water instead of oil and onions to ‘fry’ the vegetables and how they had completely switched from the one vegetable a day meal to a starchy rice based meal with salt and chilies for taste. To me that is poverty and helplessness.

While I was in Manipal and Bangalore, I became a bit secluded from the reality of Indian poverty in the glitz and glam of these places. However, after I came to Calcutta I brushed my shoulders again with poverty. Probably this city is still affordable because of the teeming poverty that millions of people in this city live with. Although, politics and power changed hands in West Bengal, however I don't see much change on the ground. People are migrating from this state in hordes looking for work in places such as Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai. No wonder Mother Teresa choose this place as her karam bhoomi!

Just imagine had your household maid/ help not been poor, would he or she have agreed to do the cleaning? Perhaps not! Had there not been poverty would people work in construction sites, coal mines? Our society needs the poor to do the tasks that many of us who have better access to resources don't want to do. Sometimes I feel that after all poverty is a necessary evil!

Image Source: Outlook

CSCP Exam done!

2013-06-22T23:03:00.002+05:30

Within 10 days of toil and a few late night study sessions, somehow I managed to complete the syllabus for the APICS CSCP exam. Well, probably it is the longest duration exam that I have given till date, 4 hours!! So, how did it go. I think it did not go that bad. I think i do have a shot a clearing it! The results would be out in a month or a month and a half. So this is what is left now....Waiting... :)

CSCP in 14 days!!

2013-06-08T23:04:00.000+05:30

Here I am, facing the CSCP exam after 14 days! Did I not have time? Yes, as a matter of fact I had two months. But I again procrastinated and have put at risk 70K and a reputation. Can I do it in 14 days? Well, I don't have the choice, will have to make the impossible possible.

5 books- 1000+ pages- 14 days! - Now this is interesting challenge. I am game for it :)

The Road Less Travelled- Ladakh!

2013-05-17T22:09:00.000+05:30

Had been planning this so many years now! In 2009 after I returned from Zurich, I was already in love with the mountains. Wanted to go to the Himalayas especially Ladakh. But as Harry Chapin says "there were planes to catch and bills to pay.."
It did not happen in 2009.

There was a chance to do this in 2010, but as luck would have it, it snowed in June in Ladakh and the roads opened 15 days late. Late enough that i could not go on the Ladakh trip as my b-school classes had started in Indore by then. Summer internship and financial constraints did not help me fulfill the dream of visiting Ladakh in 2011. And 2012 was spent in fighting it out in the new job.

Finally, its in 2013, after four long years when i first thought about the trip, that I am going to Ladakh. The weekend starting with 9th August till 18th August has 2 public holidays (Id and Independence day, in case you are wondering!) and there are two weekends. So, by just taking four days off, I would be enjoying 10 days on bliss in on the road to/of Ladakh!! :) :)

Flight tickets from Kolkata to Chandigarh and Srinagar to Kolkata have been booked (btw-Akbar Travels has the cheapest rate when it comes to flights). With Das, Niloy, Pulkit and Swappy as company, am sure that this is gonna be legen...wait for it..dary! Because somethings are worth the wait!

Photo Courtesy: Incredible India!

IPL 2013

2013-04-21T00:34:00.001+05:30

In the last 10 days I got an opportunity to watch two matches of the IPL 2013 at Eden Gardens. The first match that I watched was between KKR and PWI. Incidentally I watched this match for free. A friend from my B School gave me two passes in the corporate stand. It was a good match and KKR won.

The second match that I saw was between KKR and CSK. The tickets were arranged by a friend, though they were not free this time around :) Although CSK won, I was disappointed that Dhoni did not bat much.

Liked the game experience, and probably am going to watch at least a few more matches in the stadium.

Google amazes me again!

2013-03-30T20:19:00.002+05:30

I opened Google and the doodle wishes me Happy birthday! Thanks for the wishes, Google continues to amaze me...

Sixth Sense

2013-02-09T14:11:00.002+05:30

So is there something called the sixth sense? Have you ever felt an inner voice that tells you not to do something but you still do it only to realize later that had you listened things would have been different?

I believe that there is some instinct, the sixth sense, beyond the senses of perception that tries to warn us before hand that something is not going to be good, that something does not feel right. Probably we lost our sixth sense once we became civilized and stopped living in the jungles.

Yesterday, I had this feeling that I should not go to watch a movie. Let the ticket go waste, but somehow i changed my mind and went ahead. Three hours later while returning from the theater I met with an accident, luckily did not get hurt much just bruises and cuts and no fractures. But the very fact that I met with an accident made me realize that sometimes you should just listen to that little voice in your head. Had I not gone to the movie I would have not met with the accident. I believe that there is a sixth sense that tries to keep us safe its just that we are not listening.

Have you ever had a similar experience?

Image Credits: Reality Creation

The year that was 2012

2012-12-30T12:02:00.000+05:30

The year that was 2012 for me.

January
The winter of Indore got colder and grimmer with the Lateral Placements starting in the 1st week of Jan. But the cold and gloom did not last long. It was all bright and sunny at least for me after the first week of Jan.

February
Feb zoomed past in merry making and placement parties. 26 Hills became the home away from home for many of us.

March
Sense of ending zeroed in. Two years of MBA life came to an end. March ended with Convocation and saying good byes to many of our class mates. Some am sure will meet with and some probably not. But nevertheless, there is always hope.

April
Spent mostly in watching TV Series and waiting for the joining date and location. It was a relief that I did not get Chennai as my joining location, instead Kolkata welcomed me with 85% humidity and 40 degrees summer.

May - July
New place, new life, new friends. Explored Calcutta and its night life. Pub hopped, eat out almost every alternate day. In short enjoyed life fully. Bench life at work. Multiple trips to Ranchi on the weekends.

August- mid November
Spending binge busts. Understood what it meant to live like the Americans. Party spend cuts, austerity measures, health and wellness focus. Tried out new delicacies and preparations with Das and Niloy. House parties and house boozing. Out of bench at work. Won Consulting excellence award. Long Durga Puja and Diwali vacations.

mid Nov-December
Explored Calcutta's party circuit. Wined and dined at the remaining good places. Explored the culture and street food of Calcutta. Year ends with multiple weddings of friends. Prominent ones- the NE trip and Jamshedpur trip.

2013- So whats the new year resolution- Health and wellness!

Wishing a very Happy Diwali

2012-11-13T10:53:00.001+05:30

After a gap of 10 years I am at home for Diwali! May the festival of light bring new hope and determination in your life! Wishing everyone a very Happy Diwali!

PowerPoint Art

2012-11-11T20:41:00.004+05:30

There is no limit to creativity. People find new and unique ways to express themselves. While most of us agree that for a Consultant, life revolves pretty much around power points. But what if you become so conversant with powerpoint that you start using it as a medium to express your creativity. You start creating art form using power point. Well, does this sound unreasonable?

Have you ever imagined that someone could create a painting in PowerPoint? Yes, that is what my friend Rishabh Sachdeva is doing these days. He has created a Facebook page called Power Painter, where he uploads his awesome Powerpoint art work. The whole concept has gone viral and in less than a week there are already 110+ likes and the whole concept is getting wide recognition and is highly appreciated by people on the internet. Do checkout the "Power Point Art" its pretty awesome.

Photo source: Power Painter
Artist: Rishabh Sachdeva

Obama or Romney?

2012-11-05T23:39:00.001+05:30

So who will be the next president of US of A? Well, you might be thinking why would an Indian really care about who wins the US presidential race this year? Well, because we are all really living in an interconnected world now. Ripples in one side of the world become tsunami somewhere else! More so because last time when Obama ran for the top post, I must say that I was one of the millions who were inspired and believed in the promise of "Change" that Obama had promised. Things were really looking down then. Financial crisis, Iraq war, Afghan war, unemployment and so on and so forth. Well, after four years probably am as confused as the Americans are. Did Obama deliver on his promise? Well, the economy may not be in great shape but its not that bad. The Obama care seems to be decent. But do I still believe in "Change" that Obama promised? Perhaps not!

The first presidential election debate this year highlighted Mitt Romney as a serious contender for the Oval office. In the first presidential debate, Romney overshadowed Obama big time. While Obama talked about his grand mother, Romney had his facts and figures rights and when the debate is about the economy to health care, the grand mama talk does not work. Somehow I get this feeling that Romney understands the US economic woes better and his health care act in Massachusetts has really worked well and probably could be a model for rest of the states in the US. But as an outsider I must say that what may look on the surface might not real. We will have to wait and watch.

With the decisive time just closing in, i think this time the US elections are going to be very close. Maybe post Hurricane Sandy things might pan out quite differently! All I wish and hope is to see a stronger America in the coming years because a stronger US would mean a stronger India too. Cheers, To hope!

Cocktail

2012-10-26T13:43:00.001+05:30

Finally got a chance to watch the movie Cocktail. I must say that the concept of the movie is good. The movie highlights the typical Indian male psyche. While Deepika, the party type girl, is awesome when you are in college or you are casually dating, Diana is modern but with traditional values. So if you have to settle with someone, which type of girl would you choose? Deepika or Diana?

I really liked the 1st half of the movie, its full of good songs and some good comedy especially when Saif is doing the Sheeila ki jawaani scene. However, after the intermission, the movie slows down and get all sticky and emotional. Deepika comes out as a real bitch and Saif does not look good in the serious role. Howeever, Diana Penty does a great job and is looking really cute.

Verdict- *** - Its a one time watch!

Yo Yo Honey Singh

2012-10-26T13:08:00.001+05:30

There is something special about Honey Singh and his music. Perhaps its the combination of the suffix Yo Yo and the name 'Honey' that sets a different expectation altogether. This chap makes some really cool Punjabi music and the videos are glossy and kind of contemporary.

This year during Niloy's birthday on 14th Oct, I got hold of the complete list of Honey Singh songs and we played it till the guard from the apartment came and asked us to slow down the volume.

Honey Singh's music is catchy and in particular I liked Dope shope, Brown rang, Angrezi beat.

Check them out:

Gamification: Coursera

2012-09-18T23:22:00.001+05:30

Well, I am really excited to see my peer reviewed grade in the 1st written assignment. This is the first time I am getting exposed to peer assigned grading and I cannot believe how well this works. The statistics and graphs that Daphne Koller had shown in this Ted talk make a lot of sense. In the Gamification assignment 1, I received a peer reviewed score of 10/10 and my own self assessment using the grading rubric was 10/10 and my self accessed grades and peer accessed grades have a perfect match not just in the grading but also in the "What I liked.." and "What could have been better sections..". This is really awesome.

Gamification has been really a great course. More important to me because am trying to apply the concepts in one of our client's business area. Also Prof. Kevin Werbach is really cool and has a very engaging style of teaching. I love his approach and the three ink stylus that he uses in the course lectures.

While learning on Coursera is fun and exciting, it comes with its own set of challenges. Giving 2-3 hours per week for each subject is becoming really challenging and I had to drop out from one of the Network Model courses because of lack of time. Well, I think the other reason that I dropped out of the course is that the professor was not that engaging. However, working in different time zones and racing against time has its own challenges. I missed a quiz dead line and although Princeton is not giving any certificate and missing those quizzes does not affect my chances of getting the certificate (as there is none!), I feel I could have managed my time better and finished the quizzes before and should have not left it for the last moment. Well, i think that is all learning is about. The last few weeks have been really hectic, esp. given the fact that i was giving the APICS certification also. Hopefully by this weekend I will be ahead in all the courses and will manage my time better.

Racing with time for time

2012-09-03T21:13:00.001+05:30

Ever since I got into a project last month, life has become hectic and the time crunch has started chasing my plans. Suddenly, I am in the center of multiple things. From writing newsletter articles to selling a consulting asset and creating white papers. Multiple people and multiple tasks are now seeking my attention. The time crunch has become severe more so because of the BSCM certification that I am giving in mid September and the Coursera courses that I have enrolled in. But I must say I am enjoying this! The time crunch is forcing me to prioritize and make efficient use of time, thus am learning better time management. Because of so many things happening simultaneously, I am multitasking. The best part is that nothing has been neglected till now. What I am really happy about is that I have completed each and every assignment and Quiz on Coursera. The learning has been great and I am getting variety of tasks and learning.

All I hope is that I continue this streak and manage my time well! Fingers crossed.

The tears and joys of Cooking!

2012-08-13T23:06:00.002+05:30

What is one constant struggle that thousands who live abroad or those who live a bachelor's life in India face everyday ? I am sure smart people such as you, who are reading this blog might have already guessed it. Well, the answer is food, or rather Indian food (the so called Ghar ka Khana) :)

It is not that easy task to adjust one's palate to the western cuisine or to the 'dhaaba' food, especially for Indians who have been pampered with delicious home food for years. Not only is eating out expensive but also it is not very healthy. Many times the food available in the restaurant or the 'dhaaba' is too oily or too spicy. Believe me, having eaten out both lunch and dinner for almost 2 years in Bangalore and having lived in Zurich for 6 months, I have really understood the craving for home cooked food that one gets. At times its depressing, especially if you are abroad. But can this problem be solved? How do you overcome this problem and get the food that you love.

The best way to solve this problem is to try your hand at cooking. Especially if you have time (Grad students and IT engineers). However, I often hear people grumbling that cooking is not my cup of tea or I can't cook. Believe me it not that difficult. Its all in the mind!!

The most important reason why most people do not try to cook, according to me, is the stereotypes that they associate with cooking. Many people, especially Indian men, think cooking to be something that is best done by the girls and women. Yes believe me, male chauvinism is the biggest hurdle that stops men from cooking and the irony is that most of the best chefs in the world are men !!

I have seen lot of people who say I don't know how to cook, i have never cooked in my life before. Believe me there are lot for things that you do for the first time and that you have never done before and you still you do it right. After all we are a nation of more than 1.2 billion people ;) Had people thought the same way about having sex for the first time as they think about cooking for the first time, i don't think we would have ended up with so many people in our country! ;)

Most of the times it is just an excuse that idle that procrastinating people put forward to escape any work that must be done to cook a decent meal.

Well, for those who cannot cook, all hope is not lost. There are other options which you can try. Today most of the Indian food is available in ready to eat form, both in India and abroad. Try your hands at the ready to eat food, though not the best option, it is definitely a decent one. In fact, i tried a lot of this ready to eat stuff when I was in Zurich.

The free rider syndrome

Well I have also seen a lot of times there would be a couple of enterprising souls who would give it a shot and try to cook. However, many a times they do not get enough support. Cooking requires a lot of monotonous operations such as cutting, chopping, cleaning etc. However, when people live in groups or cook in groups, Pareto's 80:20 rule applies. Free riders are found every where and then when the enterprising soul who tried to cook sees this happening, then frustration sets in. After that believe me, cooking is not that fun. So, what can you do to discourage this? Don't allow free riders. Cajole then, use peer pressure, use positive KITA -admire and encourage the free rider even when he or she does a small task. If nothing works be ruthless!Sooner or later they will fall in line.

In a nut shell

Cooking is an experience in itself. It can be relaxing as well as taxing. But it is one glue that bind sour social experience. While, people say that a lot can happen over coffee, but believe me a lot more can happen over cooking! ;)

Only when you actually cook yourself, you will truly realize and appreciate all the pain and effort that people in your life take to make a good and tasty meal for you !! Give cooking a shot and discover and explore a new and creative side of yours.