One Piece of Advice?

Today, 3rd of May 2010 I had an interview, and with my record of cracking only 1 % of all the dishes that are served to me, I was bound to get some free advice, on build up to it, and did so. One of it was a good one: "Go with a right set of mind."

The right set of mind! What the hell is this "Right set of mind"? And answer was given in a very straight forward way, in positive frame of mind! Duh!

Positive frame of mind! What's that? :? There again; a Question mark on my face. And realizing it, this person says: Don't think any negative/bad things, think of good things, do good things and be happy all the time, say good things and good things will happen to you.

Okay! Good, that's quite possible: Auto-suggestion, quite possible, many have practiced it. Let's give it a try; sure nothing will get in my way.

Interview is on Monday, they need 2 certificates from my current employers! What! It includes NOC: No Objection Certificate; No objection that I give personal interview at other places! Yes, any organization will not have a problem with that.

I practice Positive set of mind and my boss gives me certificate; without any stamps: useless! Another boss who can give me stamp and sign, says: "How can I? I have not yet instructed on this by my boss!" Duh! You are a director of your college, okay! if you have a boss, but he does not decide whether your subordinates can attend a Personal Interview or not. Well, this sentence did not change his stance!

Anyway I got my stamps from another boss, and got it done. Next I learn, my interview schedule is 8:30 Am, yes in morning.

So I start my day. Interview schedule: 8:30 AM, yes you read it right, 8:30 in morning. So I wake up early, freshen up and start moving! Good the sun is out, cool breeze is on, I feel fresh, and tyre is flat. Hurray!

Fix that, in time and get going reach the first signal, and the beggar besides me decides to stop begging of sympathy and start off with a series of Sanskrit schlocks which sound more like expletives, next to my ear. Somehow I get out of there and it's time for the car in front to fail, and for no reason driver has some words for me! What the hell!

Somehow, I make it too other side of city and that too just in nick of time, and next I wait outside for 30 minutes. So much for speeding! As I go in, they start scrutiny of my certificates and sweetly tell me, those papers (Formerly Character Certificates) are useless, on short notice get it notarized!

There I sling my bag and me on my bike and off I go searching for notary, in my positive frame of mind, and I find one and he out rightly refuses me! Poor me! Then from 1 to next and next, I have gone through 5 when I end up at court and finally get one to give me a certificate. And am all out of money, then I learn about wrong parking because of wrong day, so I have to walk for about 30 minutes to find an ATM, take money, hire an auto-rickshaw, pay the cop, pick my bike and head back to interview venue and I reach just in nick of time for the panel to have lunch!

I am thankful to my stars that they had very quick lunch and I am in the hot chair in no time, and out of it in 10 minutes! :| 10 minutes! In which we had small chit chat, something about derivatives, sub-prime lending, something about my parents and something about sweet nothings!

I spent 7:00 Am to 3:00 Pm that is 8 hours of my day, INR 1000 (including petrol) that is 5% of my salary! For those 10 minutes! If I get the job, it was all worth it! But if not: Positive frame of mind cost me dear!

This post was written after hard days of work, a 1 hour sleep and after checking pocket so as to give a special treat to me and finding not a single penny in it. So much for the positive frame of mind!