The Undercover smoker

For so many of us, who have had a moderately conservative upbringing, to be identified as a smoker is almost  a matter of confession, or coming out. Almost alike  following a conflicting religious belief or sexual orientation. And many smokers go to great lengths to hide this fact from their families & loved ones. 

But its a habit, and so people who smoke, smoke even if they have to hide it from the  rest of the world. And find unique ways to conceal this habit from their abode. 

Hiding your pack of cigarettes is covert operation which involves concealing, camouflage, a keen sense of smell and  lots of ventilation. My pack, is hidden neatly in a pen stand concealed under a cluster of symmetrically arranged pens, and locked away in the lowest drawer of my study table. And I am confident that this position is unassuming enough to avoid any undesirable attention and that getting caught is highly unlikely. Some of my friends however have more extreme ways of hiding their packs of cigarettes and more, with one digging a hole in his garden and another hiding it under the top cover of  the cistern. 

But really, it is that intangible element, which is lot more bothersome, than the placement of the packages. The odor is the worst enemy of the undercover smoker. It is because of this potent force that, each and every session has to be followed by a painstaking investigation followed by a meticulous cover up. Apart from that, the inventory for essentials, such as, mint chewingum & deodorant has to carefully maintained and you can't use a room freshener, because it just combines with the smoke and makes for a perfectly obvious cover-up. The only thing that can get rid of the smoke is ventilation. You can only allow some fresh air to pass thorough  your room, and hope for the best.

I am afraid, however, no matter how much effort you  behind a coverup, getting caught at last is quiet inevitable. A lone discarded cigarette bud will finally manage to loose your attention, and will end up somewhere, it is not supposed to be. Or, eventually, someone else is going to tell you that, every thing in your room, for example your books and clothes etc, smells of cigarettes. You may be too used to the smell, but the smell will stand out for everyone else that you are living with.

So, you'd rather tell everyone that you  smoke, because they know already. You'd rather come out and then..... QUIT!! 

Being Professional ...

"We can be friends otherwise, but when we are at work, I will be very professional with you" 

My boss said that to me, on my first day of employment, and I ignored it.( Big Mistake!!!).

When I started working, I thought I knew what being professional is.
But I Couldn't have been more wrong. I realized that my definition of professionalism was not only wrong, but totally alien. And i realized it a little too late (After Getting Fired).

I thought that being professional was being productive, efficient & disciplined. 
But, Honestly!! You can be Unproductive, inefficient, undisciplined & still be a good professional. 

"Boss is always right" is  a common corporate Phrase, which is obviously wrong. 
 Because, how can a person  as common, as ordinary, as timid, as petite, as miniscule,    as rudimentary as a Subordinate, decide that the boss is right? 

" We" The " Subordinates" are supposed to be mere followers. We are supposed to follow the word of the boss like a purist, without a a shadow of doubt in his ideas. And carry out his commands like slaves, which is, without a question. 

The phrase that truly describes todays corporate scenario is " The Boss, is the Bible". 
To simplify, If you think that you have an opinion about you boss, Whether good or bad, then you are wrong already. The secret, I believe , is to detach yourself from an opinion about your boss, and accept the fact that his ideas are a creation of divinity, & are beyond the realms of appreciation or criticism. 

To be a true professional, is to not know the definition of professionalism. Professionalism can have many meanings, But the truest definition of professionalism is your bosses definition of professionalism, whatever it may be. And if you figure out what exactly your boss wants you to do, then you are a true professional.

If you are able to comprehend what your boss wants, & abide by his ideas (Without Criticism) , then, i am sure, you have a very bright future in the Corporate world. 
As for me, I find it really difficult to praise a "Bad Idea" . And it almost suffocates me, to work on something that i don't believe in. 

Being a bad follower, I may not be able to pledge my allegiance to the Corporate. And i hope that i manage to survive,even as a non-conformist.  But, for the mean while, i am trying to perfect the art of " Looking busy in front of my laptop".