i went Roller Blading

Oh my god what a day it was!!!!! One that i will definitely not forget for a lifetime.

We decided to head to East Coast park for an evening of cycling and some light hearted fun filled with beach volleyball and maybe a dip in the sea... The entire gang was there. Myself, Vivek, Bharat and Rishi took the cab and others in different cabs to East Coast Park. THe day looked promising. we got a Hyundai Sonata for a cab and the drive was fab.

Well First impressions first: It was a picnic paradise. People with tents, hundreds by the cycle. and thousands with skates. Well decided first to have a nice NewZeland icecream.. True to the day, it was amazingly good. Thats when Shaheen and Bharat turned left and got hooked to the roller blades/ skates shop out there. It looked quite a deal. $10 and equipment and protection gear free. I shy away from it at first and move with the crowd thats going to play volleyball.. Then Rishi calls me for something and i return back with fascination. Thats a call... Now i m too engrossed not to skate today... Everyone around is. what if i fall, i have arm and knee guards.. Yes i will go. Yes i will try. I think and ask the shop guy to give me my blades....

Yes i was in all the gear and before long i had locked out all my stuff into the locker. There's no looking back now.. Shaheen has taken well to skating, it cant be tough.. I move, first few meters, felt like heaven, and then a big thud and a crash landing.. I am down.... Felt so good, they say a fall in the first few steps is a sign of an amazing experience to come..
i get up,, Bharat is there with glides doing alright himself and gives me a helping hand.. Lo, i take Bharat down and ho we fall. What a start!!!!!

Priyanka, Naazish and Kriti take up their skates and i feel they are arent too bad at it.. then like a pack of cards we fall near the first intersection. Shaheen is talking like an expert now. Dude legs in a V, just glide forward, its easy, see i can do it so easily!!!!! Yaaa and thud he falls!!!..

Next quarter of an hour was a bliss. we reached one end of the stretch , slowly walking speed almost, small strides, but good progress. All 7 of us were now pretty alright. Shaheen was good and was often showing off, Priyanka was steady and boasting she hadnt fallen even once. I was falling every few steps. Rishi was suggesting new strategies and somehow disappeared into the Blue.. Bharat was too good. he was helping me all the way to the end..

We now decide to turn back and now, head to the main road.. The Main road looks tricky, a zillion cyclists, pediastrians and more skaters all with great skills showing off. So far so good.
Some thuddy falls here and there, but apart from a few bruises to the hand, we were all doing alright... Turn, i go a bit fast and thump!!!! I fall forward right on the support of my right arm and just with head to the side. Big fall. My arm is writhing.. I know something is wrong.. i just sit there and good amount of pain on the elbow. I just get up slowly. and sit back again.. Bharat helps me on to my feet and we are back on the way. i know theres a problem, but i keep going.

Next, Priyanka falls big time, with two other people also. but no one is hurt. Then finally all land up near the skates shop.. Its over folks!!!!!!.. What an experience. Inspite or even because of the falls and the like, it was mind blowing experience. its sooo tough to learn. soo tough, yet so enjoyable.

The days isnt over yet.. Shaheen and Bharat have a Rang de Basanti moment by immersing themselves in the sea.. Then they play volleyball, throwball and what not. Amazing fun watching while i still writh in pain.. It went to the limit that when Kriti doc was checking the arm/ i just coudlnt stand, felt dizzy and just fell.. Finally doc concludes no fracture.. Thank god. But she still keeps option open of maybe doing a heath check tomorrow. lets see!!!!

Its still not over, Naazish twists her ankle and is probably an even worse situation than i am in. Shes in a soup and cant even walk properly, but she says shes used to it and takes it better than even i have!!!

Well, the food today was also great... The day rocked after all!!!! My arm is still aching.. Ricky doc says its a tendon damage and i l take 4-5 days to recover. So not to worry!!! fingers crossed though. lets see what happens!! If anyone touches my right arm for the next few days, rest assured i l kill u before i leave singapore!!

I sang a song

It feels so great when you always you do something for the first time!!!

I did actually sing a song on stage for the first time in my life and i never imagined that it would also go well. It went alright according to me.. i was alright at the right places ( ie the high pitches that get noticed :) ), Ramiya thanks a ton for the amazing performance yourself. It is such a satisfying feelign that i am also bunking the night party that has to follow to put it in a blog :)

Ramiya and Myself sang the song Pudhu Vellai Mazhai from the movie Roja... Its all about the song!! This movie got me into film music and have been patronising A R Rahman songs ever since.. So many of his songs i could just sing along a hundred times in my sleep. It all started in Dubai when i reeled off Kabhi kabhi Aditi to THE group during a 2 AM Tea JAM session. That gave me the incentive to try when i got an oppurtunity to sing the next time.

Thanks to all my friends Roopa, Sanjay, Matt and Kanno for the encouragement to sing.. But thanks a ton to Sanup, Sojish, Jaejo, Ramiya and Divya ( all the way from Bangalore) who actually made me do this one time on stage.
Trust me it feels like mission accomplished !!! Well i guess the next one would be to learn dance which is another in my to-do list for the long run.

Retail Marketing - An Exciting World

Hey guys!!! To introduce myself as a Retailer would be just like a business card to the unknown. I am entering a world, that I have craven for, only armed with the zeal and wide eyes of a child taking his first steps.
Retailing – It’s an amazing concept that has evolved over the years. Tested over time Buying and selling of goods must have a past that I am unaware of but I can just assume that must have its roots even prior to the barter trade. Concepts evolved over hundreds of years would hence require more than just a lifetime to learn.
It is just fascinating how making goods available to the customer in a way replete with making him buy, would seem so complex that requires more than just an MBA course that would make us more than just an average Retailer.
Our study in the next few months would entail just that, making us smart retailers! Is retailing just about how stores are designed, studying the various formats of stores? Understanding why you and I buy and where? Is it learning about the various success stories that made the Walmarts, Metros and Carrefours of the world? Folks, it is much more, and I m dying to learn and share much more.
Thanks to the college that apart from just classroom study, we have a fascinating class mix of students providing ample scope to learn with and from everyone concerned. Another part of the jigsaw is an exposure to the Retail havens of Singapore and Dubai. There are also two batches in Singapore now to boost. We just formed the Retail Club to have a better coherence between the junior-senior link and enhance a learn-together environment.
This is just the beginning. An intense learning awaits us and I promise to update you on all the interesting news and learning that drives us into a world full of opportunities’ in three of the world’s most promising regions of South East Asia, Middle east, India and beyond, there are not just hurdles and challenges but more than a lifetime of learning to go.
Varun Sankar
Retail Management
December 08

Blood donation Camp

They say providing one meal to the needy is the biggest Dharma. An even bigger one is donating blood to the really needy. One is a life giver and the other is a life saver.
We at SPJCM Singapore followed the latter to conduct one of the most successful Blood Donation Drives for the Singapore Red Cross. Ably led by Thanneer Sir, our team of volunteers and the workers of the Red Cross made it an event to remember for one and all.

Starting at 1 pm at the registration desk, Donors faced the all new thermometer which went into of all places – the ear for reading the temperature. The panic about the H1N1 flu in this region was the reason behind the entry barrier. This was followed by a long registration form. It had the most interesting questions in the world. I would let the others answer what the questions were.
Then finally we had the hemoglobin count and then voila: The blood donation becomes a reality. 58 of us donated blood went through this process while 15 others who made the noble decision got left out due to one reason or the other; but have vowed to donate within the next month with Thanneer Sir who would take it up later. Well, the refreshments offered were also amazing making it a wholesome experience.
The whole affair was a resounding success with hardly any bottlenecks and smooth flow of donors right upto the evening. Kudos to us!! I am proud of being part of the whole drive as a volunteer and we promise that more of such initiatives as part of the Leadership Club are on their way..
Just looking forward to the Palau Ubin trip this weekend!!!