Never humiliate a woman... Take Home #400

To all men out there:

Never humiliate a woman. Not because she cannot handle it, but because you cannot handle it if she humiliates you back!   

PS: This is the 400th Take Home post at my blog and its dedicated to all women out there who have fought it back strongly against every humiliation. Together we can!

Being a leader... Take Home #399

Being too much accepting is a trait of a follower and not that of a leader. If you aspire to be a leader, learn to say 'No', be it to your subordinates or to your bosses or to yourself at right times. It's tough but that's being a leader! 

Over this weekend, a couple of conspiracies!

Over this weekend, I've done a bit of study on couple of conspiracy theories, the proofs of which have been strongly put up both by the believers and skeptics. One is about the space travel and the other one is about the terrorist attacks. In one case the NASA says that its astronauts did land on moon as part of the Apollo missions, whereas the skeptics say that no human ever landed on moon. In the other case, the 9/11 terror attacks on USA are said or claimed to be by the Bin Laden's team, where as the other section of the people say that the attacks on the world trade center in 2001 were scripted by the US military forces to take on Afghanistan and Talibans. 

I've my take on each of these historic incidents. I'd like to share the same with you all. 

"That's one small step for man, a giant leap for mankind" are the first words said by a human live from Moon. Neil Armstrong was the man who said these words and along with that scripted the history. Apollo-11 was the mission that first took humans into the space to step onto the Moon. Not sure how much is true off the said and shown about the landings on Moon by NASA . From what I could get to know after reading and seeing through the data available on internet, I vote it as fifty-fifty for the whole episode. It's been almost half a century that the first landing on mood happened and still we are yet to figure out how to set up camps up there on the moon. Isn't that strange in today's so called rapidly evolving world's technology? Why haven't there been any other lunar landings in the later years and until now. What was possible in 1969 could not have been made possible once again for all these years! With the technology advancements as happened as on date, the repetition of the lunar landing of humans on moon shall not be a problem, if at all the landings telecast was live from Moon. Amidst of the huge uproar, NASA must repeat its historic feat, I think. If all that was staged then its not a significant problem, and if they actually stepped onto the moon, then there is no problem at all. But if that was all faked then let's hope that the monstrous lie was with some good intention. I know I cannot be this positive but the highly competitive world that we live in today makes me helpless often to be positive, otherwise the competition ends for you! 

The highly remembered terrorist attacks ever in the world are from the incidents happened on September 11th in the world trade center twin buildings. Somehow, this one does not need  a vote. I somewhere believe that this does not qualify as a conspiracy, if I may say so. it's evident enough that attacks actually happened as planned and executed by the team of terrorists. There are many a video tapes available claiming that there was no involvement of planes at all in the whole incident. I don't believe this. Some argue that there were prefixed explosives in the buildings and the demolition was a controlled one. For those who managed to get hold of the planes, isn't manageable to put the explosives there in the twin towers! I don't know! But to be frank, this convinces me that the whole episode was unexpected and well planed by the terrorists. 

That's how this weekend has been! Yet another Monday is going to start tomorrow. 'Monday blues' shall be the next conspiracy about which the research shall start and stop at the same point in time! Or may be not!

Mind Games... Take Home #398

Mind games are not just of this time. They have been there since many a generations. They are a bit more trickier than the games with the rules laid out. Just be willing, you never know when you need to face or play one. 

Mind games are not manipulative always. But yes, they are more than that at times and that makes them interesting.  

Be prepared... Take Home #397

Hope for the best but be prepared to face to worst. You are actually stronger than what you think. Believe that you can come out of anything provided you try, consistently. 

Say it and do it... Take Home #396

I wonder how much a difference these two sounds make, "I do not know" and "I will let you know". Prefer to say the later. And be aware that you will be valued for saying so. 

And actually letting know keeps the value up forever. 

How far!... Take Home #395

How big you dream is how big you aim. How better you approach is how far you reach. 

A lot better... Take Home #394

When in pain or loss, at times it feels like a lot around you has happened against you. But when you successfully cross that period and step into a better day,  you feel good about yourself for having crossed the hurdles strongly and successfully. The moments of deep sorrow from past appear very normal and less intensive when you are surrounded by success. 

Knowing all this is something important but realizing all this is a good experience to have under your kitty. Because, what you know is may or may not be what you act as. But what you realize makes you act a lot better.

In all support for M.S.Dhoni...!

Although I'm not a big fan of M.S. Dhoni, the Indian cricket team captain, this post is in all support for him. He is indeed captain cool. There is nothing wrong in being assertive at right time and he was so at the middle of the pitch during that recent infamous push! The bowler was at fault, in intention, and not the Indian captain. All of those, who are criticizing him to step down as captain, shall Get Well Soon and better start being a little more sportive! The runs he made today and during the world cup final under tremendous pressure are evident enough that he is something special at mind, never minding and just focusing! This is not as simple as commenting someone! Yes, he too has been at fault at many a times, but that's just being human, as everyone of us. It's just about how you look at it.  

 

I may not be entirely correct in saying the above, but that's what I have to say! It does not matter if India wins of loses today, does not matter if its a clean sweep, what Dhoni has done for the Indian cricket and the Indian sports is incredible. He has brought a new perspective to the way the game is played. Anyone can play and build records, but only few make actual difference to the 'sport' they play. Dhoni is one of such for Indian and world cricket. He has proven that being assertive is very important at win and loss. He has showed that being quick in decision making is important rather than lingering around and delaying the decision, right or wrong does not matter as time always deserves respect. Be it about leaving out the senior players, although I'm not impressed with this fully, be it about continuously giving chances to the ones he believed in, be it about managing the media and their annoying questions at times, Dhoni always had his own ways of doing things. Its not entirely correct that things have worked for him. Getting the things work for oneself is a skill in itself. Not everyone can understand it, and not anyone can just do it. I truly appreciate him for being so special always and for proving that to win as big as a world cup you need not eat up your nails. You need not bang your heads and tails. You just need to be as calm as possible and you just have to be thoughtful even if everything around you is going worst like hell. You just have to be yourself, in win and in loss.

Thank you MSD! Thanks for being a real time example of a lot many simple yet factual things of life.

My experience with 'Yoga'!

The International Day of Yoga - June 21st 

As the world is celebrating today the International Yoga Day, I wish each and everyone a very happy day of Yoga. Hope the celebrations will continue with the same or more intensity as with which the day is being celebrated across the nations today. 

Until an year before, I never thought I would do 'Yoga' ever in my life. Hailing from a rationalist family, the questioning has come naturally to me. As along as something is unanswered, I'm not for it. This was my attitude about Yoga too. What was it all about and how would it make a difference were a couple of specific questions I had. For which I obviously looked for the answers from outside. Of course, I thought a lot and looked for some probable answers from within, but in my experience Yoga never existed and there was nothing to get answered from within, for the understandable reasons. 

During the June last year, I had attended an Inner Engineering session organized by the Isha Foundation at Trivandrum while I was holidaying there. Only I know how much resistant I was about Yoga and that session. Somehow I turned it all around with a simple thought that "I will not let this time go wasted. If I'm here in the session already, I will give my hundred percent". There were twenty odd participants, all were from the companies placed in the techno park. The classes were held from 6 to 9 am. Trivandrum and June means rains. Incessant. Almost all the sessions were started right on time and ended just on time. I was not late to any single class. I truly enjoyed my early morning's walk, in a little drizzling, to the class. The way I was on time on everyday surprised me and there was one more thing that surprised me further. I did not think that I could do Yoga and sit patiently for about two hours every day in the morning without having breakfast. I also remember doing whopping blog posts  during those days. I was happy, very happy throughout. May be, I thought, largely because I was on vacation! 

I did not think that all I was taught during those seven days would work for me. For me, the last day was just another formal completion of a training session. But something unknown factor kept me practicing the 'Kriya' twice a day for the next forty days. I did in train, I did in the early morning and late in the night. I did it without amiss, for me that was the biggest surprise for those couple of months. After doing all that I was still not in a belief that something good was happening to me, something different was happening to me. Not then and not even after a few months. 

Now, it's been exactly one year since I started doing Yoga. I would not at all say that this experience is fabulous or this and that. But that experience is new. Its something different. As I look at it, my health has improved. My resistance power towards the cold and cough has increased undeniably. Now I can confidently sleep under ceiling fan running in high speed, I can drink cool drinks, I can eat ice cream. Actually, I'm confident about my health that it will not bother me much like it used to do once. There are some small other changes, in a positive sense, that I've come across. But mostly, what I still think is that its not actually the Yoga that I do but the feeling that I do Yoga keeps me going, keeps me believing that I will withstand the illness. This is strange, but this is what I feel, for now at least. May be, if I come across another dimension all myself, I might think about it differently. The thought that I do Yoga makes me physiologically and emotionally strong. But I must admit that there were few moments, my moments basically, while I was doing Yoga, I felt lost yet ecstatic. I do not know what's all that about yet. But doing Yoga, in the above terms, has acted positive on me. I'm drawn closer towards the thoughts of Sadguru, the founder of the Isha Foundation. I know that I'm not yet there, but may be I'm on the unknown journey. Result of which is presumably unknown but I'm keeping it open. Miracles do happen.  

Somehow I feel, spirituality is inherently in me. May be, its there in everyone. It has to be nurtured to get awaken. Do it yourself in your own style. Do not copy!!! Be thoughtful, unique and yourself. 

Dad, you're the first person!

You are the first person,

To tell me the bed time stories.

You are the first person,

To listen to my endless curiosity.

You are the first person,

To allow me to succeed on April 1st.

You are the first person,

To narrate the story to write.

You are the first person,

To teach me the chess game. 

You are the first person,

To teach me riding bicycle.

You are the first person,

To tell me that I can do it too as like many.

You are the first person,

To give me a proud look after results.

You are the first person,

To allow me to decide myself.

You are the first person,

To frame up the letter I write.

You are the first person,

To console me after a bad exam.

You are the first person,

To tell me to learn from different cultures. 

You are the first person,

To suggest me to learn giving a lecture.

You are the first person,

To remind me that everyone is different. 

You are the first person,

To guide me to read the failure stories. 

And Dad, you are the only person who care for me the way you do, who think about me the way you do, who is proud about me the way you do and so on. Thank you for everything.

That's the monsoon'2015!

This time the monsoon is on time in many of the parts of the country, especially in the southern potion. Whereas it has been a very casual one in Pune, Mumbai has once again been flooded with the whopping rain in the past few days. I heard few of the colleagues commenting that they might have to swim through Mumbai to reach the airport! Saw a few pictures taken in multiple area of Mumbai, including the railway stations resembling the boat jettys as can be seen in Kerala. It looked as if the people who were waiting on the platforms were waiting for the rescue boats! Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are as well the victims of the heavy rains so far. As its the beginning of the season, there is no considerable loss seen. However, the down areas are about to be vacated due to the flood coming from the upper regions of the rivers Krishna and Godavari.  

In Pune, it's not yet been satisfying fully. A couple of times it rained with storm but that's all. Otherwise, it's a regular one. I carry umbrella to office and barely used it! Everyday there are clouds, too black to think that bringing umbrella is one of the good deeds of the day done by me. But, at the end, there is no rain. Once a rainbow was seen, this too at the beginning of June. I tried to capture it in my mobile's camera but I miserably failed on many of my attempts, because of the dirty window of the MetroZip. At last, I could capture the below! 

Amidst the drizzling and the soothing airs, I could capture the third day moon. Moon looks beautiful whenever you click it, be it the first day or the full moon day! It looks just perfect and fantastic. It will be very difficult henceforth to click the moon for another couple of months at least. There will be clouds all over and you can only click the darkness yet awesomeness. 

As I write this, it's raining heavily. Or no, it's down-poring! Welcome rain!

A companion!

There may be an ice mountain around you. But when you have no one to join you for a cup of coffee, it gets so warmer for you, from within, that the ice mountain just remains as a monument in your thoughts. It can be beautiful for many, but not anymore for you. Provided you are not a loneliness lover. 

A companion is very important in life. It can be your life partner or whoever as you choose. Have someone who can be your side, may or may not be physically but for sure emotionally, during the tough times. And do not forget to be the one too! 

Wish and will... Take Home #393

A wish can start it but what can complete it is only the will. To succeed in life, have enough of these both. 

Beautiful soul

A beautiful face is a beauty too!

But not as long lasting as a beautiful soul. 

Love completes the heartbeat!

Love completes the heartbeat. 

From a nameless beating,

To a beating for someone.

Love completes the heartbeat!

Remember to have fun, at work!

Working is not bad. But only working can prove bad. Take time and have fun. It can be with your cubicle-mates or teammates or friends at work. Looking around and having good time with your mates is a lot important as that of you meeting the target dates. A crossed target date can be compensated, if you really wish to do so. But you do whatever you can, the lost health cannot be brought back. And when you are ill, its not the target date that comes for your rescue. Its the smell of the medicines that surrounds you, does not matter whether you like it or not. 

Its always better to be occupied with work when you are at your work place. But add some social bonding to it, because doing so can refresh you at any time you want. This might appear a bit being selfish, but be selfish about your health as rightly as that of you be selfish about your work. Its nothing wrong, I think. Remember to have a walk around and have fun with your mates in your and their free time. And if the free time is not available, then make free time. Making time might be difficult but making free time to have fun is not difficult. Try it out and it will work for you too as it has been working for many a people over all these years across the globe!

Work lets you earn, be it money or fame or name. But do not let it earn bad physical or mental health for you. It is work and it shall be worked in such a way that you work for yourself too at all point of times. Be selfish, if you have to be. And have fun. 

Rule is rule, rule for all including the pedestrians!

It was a week back, when I took off from work for half a day, that I came across this incident in one of a prominent road junctions in Pune. It's usually a busy four road junction and was nothing different even that day. 

I was walking from one of the four sides of the cross roads and  I saw the vehicles stopped ahead of me and behind the STOP line as the red signal was on. I could not cross the road immediately. I kept waiting for a few seconds. That's when I saw a white colored car being driven by a man in his late forties crossing the road in full speed by breaching the traffic signal. Two police men were present at the place and one of them came in front of the white car and signaled the driver to take it aside. Meanwhile, the driver of that car was busy in setting up his seat belt. Finally he stopped the car a side. I started crossing the road as there was a green signal for the people to walk across the zebra crossing. I turned over my shoulder and looked at the police man and the car. The police men was busy in filling the challan and the car owner was busy in hiding the high value currency notes in his vollet. 

That's exactly when I also happened to notice two women, in their late twenties probably, crossing the road even though there was no green signal showing up for them to cross the road. There were all two and four wheelers running around them across the road. These two women were noticeably careless on their way to the other side of the road. I crossed the road and waited under the over bridge to check if these ladies would also be stopped by the police men who had earlier stopped the car. But they did not bother to stop these two ladies and carried on looking at only the motorists. 

But then I thought, if the driver of the car was stopped and fined for driving against the traffic rules, why weren't the two ladies stopped by the police who were crossing the road against the same traffic rules! Even the people who walk across the four road junctions without following the rules shall be fined too. They deserve the punishment as equally as that of the motorists who do that, knowingly or unknowingly. The confusion that such people create is inexplainable as for that short moment, anything can happen actually in panic. Its not that only when you drive the bike or a car that you have to be aware of the traffic rules. Even when you walk you must know them. After all, you are using the public property which belongs to you and to the millions of other people. The pedestrians are equally responsible for the accidents especially when the incidents happen in the middle of the road. 

I'm not sure if fining the pedestrians is there in the traffic rule book or not. But I strongly believe that it must be included, if not there. And of there already, then better traffic police look at the walkers too and not just the motorists. 

Strike back at the odds... Take Home #392

There are innumerable posibilities in life. Don't worry too much about anything that does not happen the way you want it to happen. Strike back at all the odds and welcome a new dawn at every moment of your life.  

Get into action... Take Home #391

What you do is you. 

Not what you can!

Better, get into action. 

Sometimes I go crazy!!!

It's been a long time once again since a picture inspired me to write a post. This time, the following picture that I incidentally saw made me do this post.

I've seen many a cricket matches getting cancelled or applied with Duck worth-Luice method. Good that no person has ever invented the methodology to decide the winner of a test match which is abandoned or interrupted due to rain. Enough is enough of this method, if I've to sound like a perfect South African cricket fan. If such a method comes to test cricket, South Africa might have to take stringent call to have their domestic cricket matches' decision only based on the Duck-worth's method, so that their players get antiquated with the calculations of the win-loss statements. Well, i'm not intended to criticize rather trying to give some advises to the board. Now, moving on. 

I frankly did not understand the need behind organizing only one test match wherein all of the officials are well aware of the fact that it's rainy season in the subcontinent and the test match can easily be interrupted. There was more a fun playing it than a game, if I may say so. Both captains hold the trophy on the first day and both the captains hold the trophy on the last day of the match, making it no difference of what could happen in the in between five days. May be a friendly deal. And after that, team was given a treat by one of the officials, for what? May be as a symbol of the arrival of the new coach. Commentators box has been missing him since long and it's wait to continue probably for few more years!

The trio has been nominated to be the guiding members, officially. That's more than kidding. No one knows the responsibilities of the individuals and expecting them to perform as a team is truly and typically an Indian manager's expectation. Since Dravid opted for the coach role of the under 19 team, we are conveniently calling the combination as a trio. Looking forward to see what these three would do behind the pavilion. May be they will do all that they wanted the BCCI officials to do once when they were part of the Indian dressing room. 

Sometime you win,

Sometimes you lose,

Sometimes it rains, 

And sometimes I go crazy!

Hence this post, no offence, PLEASE!!!

Water problem @Pune

For all the popularity of the holiday destination in and around Pune especially in the rainy season, and also for the gigantic industrial properties around, it becomes tough to believe that Pune faces water problem. Personally, the water problem was never experienced by me so hard earlier. But in the last couple of years, this problem has increased so much that I wake up in the morning, especially in summer, to fill all the tubs and buckets with water. Because, after couple of hours there will be no water through taps until the late night or may be the next day morning. If I sleep late in the night, waking up early on the next morning becomes either a gone case or to fill the buckets with the last remaining water in the taps. Believe me, its very hectic. 

When I checked about this with my friends, few of them said the same but most of them said that they did not face such a huge problem. The main reason was that they all had bore in their apartment. Also, some of them said that they had the second connection for the corporation water pump. Well, things are being discussed even in our apartments, but its taking longer time than expected. Few of them do not want the corporation water to merge with the bore water. May be for the understandable reasons. And to keep them separate, the extra tanks to be built. This is probably a financial problem of some. Again, understandable. A solution to this shall come out soon. 

Generally, if the rains are sufficient enough in a year, the corporation water is re;eased twice a day. But since the rains were not sufficient enough to fill the reservoirs last year, this year had been deadliest in terms of the water scarcity. This time the rains are on time. It feels annoying to see the incessant rains outside and no water in side the home. I just hope, there will be a natural solution to this problem, i.e. by heavy rains. And that's the best solution compared to the one mentioned above. Rain water harvesting is actively being pursued in all the major constructions in and around Pune. This shall also work positively. However, the number of older apartments is also equally high in our locality that harvesting cannot be a great solution for all families. Hope this problem settles soon. 

Dependency... Take Home #390

Mistake is not of those who build up the dependency upon themselves. Rather, mistake is of those who allow the dependency to get built up on someone.

Consistency... Take Home #389

Circumstances are never consistent. And that's exactly why the people who are consistently with you over a significant period of time deserve all your respect. Recognize such people in your life and reciprocate, even though they do  not look for it. 

Responsibility... Take Home #388

Taking the responsibility is the first step towards becoming responsible. 

Time is never bad... Take Home #387

Time can be wrong but it is never bad to start doing a right thing, and for that matter any thing.

Superstitions never lead the human evolution. They can never do so! Be thoughtful before taking them for granted. 

One cannot satisfy everyone, actually!

Trying to satisfy everyone and hence geting the work done by everyone is one of the management styles. It cannot be concluded as wrong as its one of the styles afterall. But, I think, one fundamental fact strongly prevents this particular style from entering the list of the best management styles. And that's as following. 

Do whatever you can, you cannot actually satisfy everyone at the same time! 

All that you do defeats your own idea of doing so and that the work you think is getting done by everyone might not be as qualitative as it is supposed to be. Hence, what I understand is that one must differentiate people for their capabilities and efforts. Rewards always lift the energies to the next level, however small or big the difference is. Doing things right in that regard is very important rather than just completing them.

My courier, the status of which is "undelivered"!

I've been thinking about the following for the last three days. Thought of putting it here and let it go out and hence this post. 

I applied for a check book from my online bank account. I was given an acknowledgement that the check book was shipped through a courier service and will be delivered within the next two working days. I had waited for the next three to four days but did not get the delivery. And then I dialed the courier office to check about the shipment. I informed them that I did not get my delivery which was supposed to happen two bays before. They asked me for the courier tracker number for a few times and finally said that the courier boy did visit our house but since it was locked, he returned it back to their main office saying that 'house was locked'. When I called the courier main office, I was said that the check book will be delivered back to the bank and that I should go and collect it from the bank itself. After three days of I was said so, I visited the bank to collect my check book. The bank official informed me that the check book was not yet received. I then immediately dialed the courier office. As usual, couple of their numbers came switched off and finally I could reach on a number of their main branch. That's when I was informed that the courier was still not returned back to the bank! And it wasn't easy to digest that. 

I had put in all efforts on a Saturday morning to finish the breakfast and the other formalities, and you know how suffocating it is on a weekend's morning, drove for almost twenty five minutes in all the narrow roads by ensuring to put the horn and brake on for a few times, parked the vehicle with a lot of difficulty on yet another narrow road in front of the bank, and here I was finally being informed that the check book was not yet returned and that too after I myself called the courier services! I could not take all that so easily. 

Why the hell that the courier delivery boy on the first front did not call me when the house was seen locked? According to the courier office, they do not call the customers to deliver the shipment. They deliver only if the customer is available at the said address! So, the customer should leave everything aside and wait for the courier at home, by bunking the office or by avoiding going anywhere including the market? When two people stay in a house and when both of them are working, how come they are expected to stay back to say 'hi' to the courier fellow? I asked the same question to the courier official as well as the bank official. Both of them gave me a weird smile and said that they would not call any customer. 

After all, their job is to deliver the shipment and they should do everything to deliver it. And moreover, making a call to the customer is not very much difficult as gone are the days when it used to cost more than 1 rupee for even a call of second's duration. I suggested the courier official to think about calling the customers in case they are not available at the said address. But what they said surprised me. It was said that customers were also not so good to them and that they keep changing the time of parcel collection. But I somehow cannot agree to that because I keep getting couriers and all the other courier delivery boys call me many a times to deliver a courier. I also requested the courier office if they could send the courier at 6:15 pm to my house again so that I would collect. But what they said this time was awful! They said that they did not work after 6 pm. Which did not make sense to me as they will have to do it on occassional basis and not regularly. May be they are correct in accusing the cistomer, considering thier experiences with few customers, but there must be a failsafe w.r.t. the large customer base they might have. 

What I understood finally was that the problem actually was with this particular courier company and any other courier services who follow the same strategy as that of this. And I also think the bank should rethink about maintaining the partnership with them as they are the ultimate ones at whom the customer would look at, in this case say for the check book. 

Anyway, be it bank or courier, both are service oriented organizations and their survival depends largely upon their customers' satisfaction to achieve which they are responsible largely. Up to them all in all, either to serve or to just be there. 

Keeping calm and making noise... Take Home #386

To win the show as a manager, you must know when to keep calm and when to make necessary noise. Doing only either of the things at all the times does not work consistently. 

A season gone by without watching movies in theaters!

It feels almost ages that I watched a good movie in the theaters. I was occupied with some personal tasks for a couple of months in between, and the IPL later on halted the releases it seems. "Tanu weds manu returns"was talked a lot about but I could not make it to the theater. I'd love to watch Kangana once again on the screen after Queen. Mesmerizing smile she possesses that I fall for it every time. 'Queen'was a wonderful representation of emotions of a woman and she won hearts as well as a number of awards including the national best actress for the year 2015. 

There are couple of releases awaited in Telugu, my mother tongue, in June and July. One is 'Rudrama Devi", the historic biopic of the most remembered queen of the Kakatiya dynasty and the other one is 'Bahubali', the prestigious project that has been getting handled by an iconic director of the current times in Telugu, S.S. Rajamouli. Both are starring 'Anushka' in the female lead role and I'm sure it will be hair raising to watch her in her roles in these two movies. She is one of the finest actresses the Tollywood has presented to its audience. I wish the entire cast and crew of these two movies a very successful release and run of the movies. 

Looking forward for a good remaining season of this year for the movie-watching in theaters. Any by the way, my watching spree of  'Interstellar' is still not done. Its an amazing experience every time I watch it. I have kept understanding and realizing some or the other thing about the script. Christopher Nolan has done an exceptionally good job that I be dumbstruck about the taking on every watch! Wish to see many exceptional films from him and his other Hollywood director colleagues.