Reasons not to be a Travel Agent

Taken in best with a tub of popcorn..  !

1. While clients travel and unravel the mysteries of the universe, the travel agent (T.A) is forced to pop blood pressure pills to calm his nerves..
2. When a client holidays, T.A straight away loses the right to holiday.
3. The phone rings at 7.00 am on a sunday , "my flush won't work.. you are the agent.. do something "
4. A client takes a tour from you is equivalent to you are his slave until he gets back home.
5. When Gandhi said when someone slaps you once, offer them the other cheek with a humble smile.. he was talking about travel agents.
6. T.A's are those fools who take up the challenge of promising great service from rowdy drivers/suppliers and more often than not end up being slapped.
7. Natural Calamities are all the travel agents's fault.  I don't know who spread rumors that the travel agents have the control to the richter scale.
8. Client's enjoyment is Travel agents's suffering
9. The phone rings again at 7.13 am."what are you going to do about the malfunctioning flush?"
10. T.A's have to be weather experts, shopping experts, food & wine connoisseurs
11. Master the art of fake smiles.
12. 8 out of 10 clients are ********. And you have to make them feel like Sheikhs of Arabia.
13. The service expected is 1000 times more than the money paid. 
14. T.As have to arrange Prosecco in Rishikesh. *FML*
15. When Obama said, "YES WE CAN".. he was reiterating the motto of T.As

Coffee turns sour..

Business is all about connections. You meet people, all sorts of people, connect , bond and remain in touch for mutual benefit [In most cases just benefit].  If lucky, these meetings could become casual , acquaintances will become friends, friends shall become good friends. But this is rare to find in the corporate world, since everyone is just about money. If not to bring you down and take your place , then stamp over you and go ahead.

I meet many people. The Good , The Bad , The Ugly. At a recent coffee meeting, I met a person i once had the highest regards for.  When you meet people for the first time, you consciously look for that common playground. Once you have found that level playing field, then the conversations flow.
So we at this fancy place, order has been placed, pleasantries have been exchanged.  and then BHAM..
Nothing turns me off more than having to converse with a stingy or a show-off. And this one is a "SHOW -OFF".   My face turns purple, my eyes begin to pop, my hair begins to curl out of frustration. Why God why, why bundle my admiration in a highest regard bag and swing it to the Show-off wall ?
A person who mentions about his wealth 348 times in 2 hour conversation is [pardon me] the poorest of all. Unless , he bundles all that cash, diamonds and land papers to his grave made of platinum. No, i take that back , not even then.
Excerpts of our conversation  rather BOMBS thrown over at me :

" i love five star palace hotels "
[now i am a person who has slept on a concrete bed, stained bed sheet in Gokarna and paid Rs 100 for a night and consider that as my best trip so far]

Now how will this ever work ??  My face turns purple, my eyes begin to pop, my hair begins to curl out of frustration.

"My extended family are all jewellers.. so diamonds have been pouring in our homes since a very young age "
[now i am a person who picks up pretty looking stones from the beach and make them in to rings.. Gold makes me puke]

My face turns purple, my eyes begin to pop, my hair begins to curl out of frustration.

"Mahesh lunch home looks dingy.. I prefer SOMA for south Indian , You know SOMA right ? its in Grand HYATT"
[when a candy falls on the floor/ muck / dirt , i dust it and eat it]

My face turns purple, my eyes begin to pop, my hair begins to curl out of frustration. My face turns purple, my eyes begin to pop, my hair begins to curl out of frustration. My face turns PURPLE, my eyes begin to POP, my hair begins to CURL out of frustration.  Grrrr

A little later, my mind has blocked that voice registering into my brain. all i hear is this..

[blah = fart noises]

" Last nite... blah blah blah blah , AUDI.. blah blah blah , my SOLITAIRE fell... blah blah blah .. my HERMES BIRKIN bag blah blah blah  i stayed in TAJ LAKE PALACE .... blah blah blah.. but they didn't give me the PRESIDENTIAL SUITE.. blah blah blah.. i will sue them and sign the papers with my MONT BLANC pen  blah blah blah blah... my LOUBOUTINs oh i love them... blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah...  "  

SHUT THE FUCK UP !
 
Its a shame you don't live my life. All i wish is you get to live it one day and that day should be soon.

The milk in my cappuccino turned sour that minute this conversation started.. Sour from the shit you speak.. sour from the bubble you live in.. sour from your stinking guts.. This meeting is over..

I storm off that five star place, drive to a dingy stall on the corner of the road.. order for a cup of cutting chai.. and i am back in heaven.

EAT DIAMONDS.. and POOP PLATINUM... for all i care

Bijjness

This one word seems fancy... "he has a very big business empire" ..  &  "she is a powerful business woman" these are sentences that we often hear from people around us and with immediate effect we picture there person arriving in flashy cars, living in lavish pent houses, eating gold and poohing platinum.


But not once we think about their struggle, strained family lives, spoilt children and more importantly the efforts these high profile bizzness people take to maintain a steady income.


Employees are on salary, there isn't any risk and in many cases there isn't any gain either. Business is not ever ones cup of tea.  Its damn difficult to survive. Especially in these competitive markets and ever increasing expenses. This could only be termed as a nightmare of nightmares !
Every day i stumble upon a hurdles after hurdles in the office and my mind races to Tata, Birla, Ambani, Warren Buffet, Roman Ambramovich,  How have they come so far ?   
I am in the infant stage of my business growth and i have one too many jumps i need to make. It is only in these past few months i have taken up many challenges. And frankly, i suck at it all at the moment. One things is certain , that i am making my way through. Now there is no looking back.. The only way ahead is way forward..