Nov 17, 2009

Go with the flow

Got into a discussion with a colleague who was talking about a book he's reading - Flow. From what he summarized, the book talks about why one should be living in the moment and not worry about anything else.
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (Author) is honest about the fact that this concept has been much written about.
I agree.
So the challenge is not understanding why one should be in the moment and not worry about anything - it's the how ? which is hard to find an answer for.
I believe that we apply Newton's third law of motion in everything we do - we expect a reaction (a positive one at that).
Now if we stop doing that and this is not new - Lord Krishna said this
in 1000 / 1400 B.C.s
Everything seems simple.
Like Nike has been saying for years .. "Just do it" ! :-)

Nov 7, 2009

Presenting a new idea (ideas)

You get up in the morning , get a brain wave, reckon it's a stupendous idea and spit it out in a quick email to your seniors and peers.

Sometimes people jump and say wow ! but most of the time, I bet people throw back questions which shred every fiber of possibility in the idea.
I propose a slight variation in the approach of bouncing new ideas - huddle everyone you want to share the idea with and present this deck of 7 simple slides :

Nov 5, 2009

Royal Enfield Bullet classic 500 disappoints


I had sadly sold my bullet a few years back but the rides and sounds of it have been haunting me since. So, I wanted to buy one again, but then I got to know aout the possible launch of the classic 500 in November and thought why not wait for it !
I have been waiting for it for months and finally, it was launched yesterday, I called the dealer and asked him to give me a test-ride asap.
Well, I did get lucky but not happy, as I was to find out.

First the good points about the classic reborn :

- awesome design
- good ergonomics
- well done chrome
- beautiful and look-enhancing rear tyre
- unbelievable pick-up - i almost made the front tyre jump 2 feet
- lower height and spring seat makes the seating position better

Now, the bad points that make me still vote for the 350 standard

- the thump is dead (although the dealer said that with the off-roading silencer it is there - will go again when those silencers come)
- the ride does not feel like a bullet - it was more like a sports bike (maybe some people like that)
- it feels lighter
- the push-button start makes it sound like a kinetic honda !
- there is no pressure release lever

All in all, i was quite disappointed by the lack of feel in the bike. The bike looks amazing, truly a classic and full credit to the Royal Enfield team for that.
But they have failed to retain the authentic thump and "feel" of the bullet, despite their efforts. I would still like to give the bike another chance, once the off-road silencer comes in.. if it still does not make the sound of the magical 4 strokes like the way a bullet does (a reverberating rhythm that the rider's heartbeat resonates with). I am going back for the standard 350.