Journal of a Wanderer – Day 5

This was the first day of the extended break and we decided to stay back and explore the outskirts of Munich. We boarded a train to the border town of Garmisch and decided to go all the way up to the highest peak in Germany – Zugspitze. Unfortunately, the weather was really bad and I can’t write much about the view from the top as it was covered in a shroud of white cloud. However on the way back we stopped at Lake Eibsee. This has to be the most beautiful part of Germany...A heady cocktail of a beautiful lake, a forest skirting it and mountains in the backdrop.

We made it back to Garmisch with an hour to kill before the next train to Munich. Barely had we stepped out of the station that we were pulled up by the border police. What transpired for the next 45 minutes is enough fodder to write a book. In a nutshell - I was not carrying my passport; my pan card having a different spelling of my name added to the chaos and eventually the cops could not trace my ID. All the begging and pleading didn’t help and I was on the verge of being arrested. Finally, they agreed to call the hotel. I had to ask the manager to go to my room, open the safe and provide the cops with the information they required to realize I wasn’t an illegal immigrant. Phew! That was a close call...

Journal of a Wanderer – Day 4

Another day of the conference and we were fed some more of the “Right Place Right Time” bullshit. Nonetheless the strategy of nodding your head in agreement to what everyone says and the odd question is enough to prove that one was partially interested and fully attentive.

The “insightful” conference made way for the delightful cycle ride in the English Garden by the Iser River. The temptation to jump into the water was well resisted as one had to be back in time for the gala dinner.

The picturesque setting of the dinner by the lake was straight out of a postcard. While the venue was indeed out of this world – the dinner was as predictable as it gets. The social butterflies fluttered, the alcoholics stuttered and the management uttered...right place right time!

Journal of a Wanderer – Day 3

The football hangover was still lingering from the previous evening and our spirited effort to join a local football team has to be the highlight of my stay in Munich. Rahul and I were put in different teams to ensure liability was equally distributed! We did put up a stoic effort...The best we could do without studs, shin guards and god gifted talent!

After an hour of football, some well deserved rest and a quick lunch and it was time for the conference. We couldn’t crib as the conference was the moot point of our presence in Munich. The conference was indeed ‘insightful’...The management told us how all of us were in the “Right Place at the Right Time”. I have never understood this...I have been fed this mumbo jumbo right through my formative years. What I fail to understand is that if everyone is at the right place what is so damn special about it?

Journal of a Wanderer – Day 2

This was the big day...The knock out quarterfinal match between Germany and Argentina and we had a day off in Munich. It was important to not piss away this golden opportunity and locate the most buzzing venue to watch the match. We finally zeroed in on the Olympic stadium where over 30,000 screaming fans were expected to watch the match on a giant screen. Probably the next best option to watching it live in the stadium...

When we checked for the availability of the tickets, we were politely told – “only if you support Germany”. Support we sure did and what a carnival it turned out to be. It was a complete rout of the solid Argentineans by the young and dynamic Germans.


The ride back home was indeed a memorable one. The entire city was celebrating and every corner was buzzing with victory cheers. Germany as a country is known to be inclusive. Consider this – 9 out of the 11 football players are children of immigrants. Thus it comes as no surprise that all of us were whole heartedly welcomed in the celebration...the flag was painted on our face and everyone obliged when I was roaming around the streets clicking pictures!

Journal of a Wanderer – Day 1

I would often think a late night long distance flight was the most torturous. However I stand corrected after braving an early morning flight with no sleep the night before. Besides, I contemplated filing a legal suit against Lufthansa for serving more chocolates than beer. They should definitely be stripped of their status as Germany’s national carrier.

Reached the hotel in Munich barely an hour before the all important Brazil – Netherlands match. The immediate objective was to dump the luggage in the room and get to the closest beer garden to get a seat. Luckily the beer garden was next door; unfortunately all the good seats were taken.



Nonetheless we used our good old Indian sensibilities of creating space where none exists and watched the match feasting on beer and sausages. While the match created the biggest upset as tournament favorites - Brazil crashed out. I was secretly pleased as that meant our sojourn to Amsterdam would be a lot more fun...

10,000 Hours...

Thanks to all the endless waiting at the airport lounge and few cups of crappy coffee – I have managed to knock back Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers.

I wasn’t too excited about the book until Bani read it and finally I saw this young chap’s interview on CNN. With his mop top hair and the spunk in his attitude, he resembled a rock star more than an author...My initial lackluster response could be because his earlier books failed to impress me. Tipping Point and Blink made it to the never ending list of hip business jargons...yet like all jargons they only sound nice and mean nothing...

Outliers is different...It’s a concept that’s interesting and backed up with a lot of research where the data has been sliced in a rather intuitive and interesting manner.

Besides, various concepts – the one that caught my fancy is the 10,000 hour hypothesis. This bloke proves that to excel in any field (sports to music) one has to put in 10,000 hours of practice. He has done a fine job in convincing his readers with examples ranging from Beatles to Bill Gates.

In fear of emerging as an ordinary rookie – I tried to analyze what have I done for 10,000 hours? The first activity that crossed my mind was “sleeping”...firstly the number far exceeds 10,000 and my back of the envelope calculation reveals a whopping 90,000 hours. More importantly, it counts for nothing...Similarly Bull Shitting doesn’t count either!

Finally I arrived on something that’s a little more respectable...I have watched television for 10,000 hours. Everything on television…sports, music, movies...the works. Here is the calculation – I got cable TV at home when I was 10...thus the last 20 years into about 90 minutes of television a day adds upto a little over 10,000...

Infact as a kid I used to watch television much to the chagrin of my parents. The only time my dad grudgingly approved was when I won a quiz with the clincher being a question on Doogie Howser MD! Ofcourse I could never figure out if his respect for the idiot box went up or his respect for intellectual quizzing plummeted!

However warped this analysis...I’m left with a nice feeling...Guess one day the world will see some sense in why I gave up more lucrative offers from TCS and Philips to join a television network during b-school placements!

Blow Hot Blow Cold

This was an idiom we often used to describe the behavior of giggly girls in schools. Today I relate it to the weather and my current mental state.

Picture this – On 30th I was frolicking on one of the beaches in Sri Lanka in my trunks and guzzling some local beer. To borrow a phrase from Lewis Carrol – ‘The sun was shining with all its might’. The very next day, every part of my body was freezing as I was ringing in the New Year with my family in North India. This was more like a case of the Prodigal ‘Sun’. I resembled an Eskimo as I draped myself in multiple layers. My body is still in a state of shock.

This winter seems a tad too severe. Being a Bengali from Bombay is as bad as it gets. My ability to withstand the winter chill is similar to Tiger Wood’s ability to practice abstinence (from Golf dummy...What did you think?)

On a more philosophical note – This extremity is exactly what we all witnessed in 2009. The year began with fears of a global meltdown and ended with cheers of a recovery. The instability in the stock market was balanced by a stable government in the centre. The constant fear of losing one’s job was overcome by all loved ones regrouping.

So while we all hope for a Happy New Year...The extremes will continue to haunt us. As one learned idiot said – Aal iss Well!