Tuesday, June 30, 2009

The "Best Job" campaign is over, our OZ trip is over, and Im back in Bangalore doing what I was doing before I left. But things arent the same and they never will be. Life has changed for good with the "Best Job" experience. The amount of exposure I got out of that adventure, the amazing people I've met and the fantastic friends I've made make life seem so small.


All of you know that as a Runners-up to the Worlds Best Job campaign, I felt like a winner myself. Tourism Queensland took me to some exhilerating locations post the announcement. Yes it was a job selection process and they selected the perfect guy for the job! :) SO no hard feelings on not being announed the "Island Caretaker". There's more to come my way thanx to this experience and Im pretty sure about that! :)
You can catch Ben - the Island Caretaker's escapades here - He Starts his 6 month contract Tomorow. ALl the best Ben!~ :) Go get 'em! :)

I havent been able to update this blog as often as I would have liked to when we were in Australia. But I promise I will put up my travel experiences soon - here.

I've also joined Ninjutsu classes and have been so inspired by what I'm learning that I've started a new blog.

And you can also catch updates on my ironic life here.


For now this blog will cease to exist so hoping you'll follow my writing in my other blogs! :)



Love Always
Anjaan :)


Saturday, May 2, 2009

16 Finalists - One Best JOB!


Just met up with all the finalists! :)
And the Job Selection Process has Officially Begun. May the Best Man/Woman Win! :)


Psst -
Brisbane is a Beautiful City. Women are really exceptionally good looking! :) Cant wait to hit the beach on Hamilton Island! :)


Monday, April 27, 2009

3 days Left!

Theres only 3 Days left for us to head to OZ. Im pretty excited about our trip and especially the contest. Its been 2 months of intensive preparation and training and I'm all set to give it the best shot. Both our visa's are just coming in today and tomrrow and then last minute shopping and packing and we should be good to go! :)

The Final contest is in Hamilton Island from May 3rd to the May 7th. The final winner will be announced on the 7th. It will be all over International media. Let me know if you get to see me on TV anywhere or If you read an article post it here! :)

The winners stay back in hamilton Island and if not they are taking us to the north (to Cairns I think) till the 11th for "extended PR". Im free only after that for backpacking.

Our tentative itenary now is as follows

  • 30th April - Arive Brisbane
  • 30th to 2nd - Brisbane - Stanford Plaza Brisbane
  • 3rd to 7th - Hamilton and Whitsundays (contest) - Reef View Hotel
  • 7th-11th - Hamilton or Cairns
  • 11th Night - Halt at Brisbane - Stanford Plaza Brisbane
  • 12th to 15th -Gold Coast and Byron Bay
  • 15th to 20th - Melbourne
  • 20th -25th - Syndey
  • 25th to 30th - Bangkok
Its going to be an exciting One month filled with the surf, sand, sun , koalas and of course the congtest itself! :):) Keep yourselves updated on my adventures down under thru this blog and my twitter.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Anjaan's New Dicky

Spoiler - Dont get scandalised by the title of the post - "Dicky" is Strine for Dictionary - Read on to understand more. (its an Australian syncope, yes they love abbreviating)Its been a hectic one and a half months. I must admit I did expect to make it to the finals and my preparations for the Finals started almost 2 months ago when I was announced in the Top 50. After April 3rd (when the Top15 Finalists were announced) the intensity has just incresed multifold.

Flying seems to be part of my life! Within a week we're flying off to OZ. Time is just flying past me! The last 2 months have just flown by in a second... and have been extremely intensive "learning periods". I havent done this much factual reading since I was in the 10th grade. *grin*.
Its life changing experiences like this that reminds one that both Learning and teaching should be a persons top passions. I truly believe that to live life to the fullest we must always be growing as individuals as well as helping others to grow. I remember an 8th grade teacher of mine - years ago - posted this on the blackboard. It went something like
“We Learn… 10% of what we read , 20% of what we hear , 50% of what we see and hear , 70% of what we discuss, 80% of what we experience, and 95% of what we teach others.

I admit it - I might not be learning enough since im not teaching, but nevertheless ive been bombarded with information.We do live in the information age - and boy - have I got blasted with information. Besides the usual kilos of stuff in the mailbox a day, 507 TV channels to flip through, thousands of billboards along the roads and the 623 e-mail messages selling male enhancement pills, Ive been pretty busy with specific Job Related Learning

One can’t alter the flow of information out there, but one can do some simple things in your writing to make the information you present clear, simple, and easy to understand. So here Goes
- Information Input 1 - Great Barrier Reef
- Information Input 2 - Nutrition and Body Building
- Information Input 3 - Strine

Over the last 2 months I now know about things I never knew my whole life. Thanx to the internet I know about coral exoskeletons and the difference between a fringin reef , a ribbon reef, a bank reef , a table reef and a barrier reef. I know that polyps are approximately cylindrical and a part of the species of cnidarians.

Thanx to my gym instructor I know where my deltoids, pectoralis major, obliques, quadriceps, trapezius, adductors, and other muscles are. I know what nutrients are there in which food items and I know that that whey proteins have creatine which is a nitrogenous organic acid that helps to supply energy to muscles.
Thanx to lonely planet, other books and some friends I know that when and OZ says "G'day,mate..how are you, to-die? (pronounced "Good-die, mate..how are you, to die?) he actually means "Greetings my friend...how are you doing today?" and not someone rudely asking how you are going to pass away?I reckon that aussie mateys like to chinwag on the al capone in the avro while sipping on their middy's (I know that Australian friends like to chat on the telephone in the afternoons while sipping on their beer glasses).
So much information. So little time
Im looking at this blog as a teaching experience to recall whatever I have read over the last 2 months. My hope is that my relentless pursuit of information can be passed along in a positive way via this blog. Some of us get our memories fuelled by Black Coffee. Others like me have to resort to the simple age old adage of "having interest" in what I read. Im sure these little titbits will be of use sometime during the final interview in the beautiful islands of Queensland! :) (may 2nd to may 6th)

So hey I do have a new dicky (dictionary) and im waiting to show it off on May 1st night when one of the finalists - Hailey - is throwing a yabbie on the barbie (throwing a barbeque). One week left - and now I actually cant wait for it!

Psst :- Head to Beautiful Queensland for a Holiday. Tell them Anjaan is your Friend! :)

Monday, April 13, 2009

Whats your Bet?

We all know that this contest has spawned an internationl interest like no other! The "best job in the world" campaign has made to an international list for the top 50 public relations stunts in the world. The Tour de France, the Beatles 1969 rooftop gig and Madonna kissing Britney Spears at the 2003 MTV awards are further down the list.

The "fame" quotient of the contest has also stepped up a notch now that "The bookies" have got to it. The Bookies have pegged me at - $23.50!!!!!! Now I know how the horses at the Turf Club Feel! :)


All of us have "bet" sometime or the other in our lives. Wether it is that harmless game of poker at the casino, or throwing away thousands at the turf club, betting and gambling as a "Social Phenomenon" actually has helped bring people together. If there was a tension at a table, those feelings dissipated as soon as the cards were placed! If there was domestic anger, it dissapears as soon as the cricket match starts.

Have you ever entered a room at a party or some other type of social gathering in which a group of men stood to one side of the room sipping a cocktail and talking and laughing? The chances are great that they were discussing the outcome of an athletic event, or discussing the odds on the upcoming cricket or football. It really didn’t matter that these men had different views on politics, religion, ecology, and the solutions to solving the economic crisis. What did matter was that these men had a social bond, and it was sports betting/gambling. For them, gambling transcended any and all ideological differences that existed among them.


I would say the bookies reaction to the "Best Job in the world campaign" is like Sports betting. The difference between the sports betting, and the other games of chance is the illusion for the probability of gain. The people who bet believe that they have bigger chances to win because they themselves choose the sporting events (and the sportsmen) on whom they will place their bets and make the possible combinations within the framework of the rules that are generally accepted by all the betting places.

Lets accept it - gambling is the most popular recreational activity among adults throughout the world today, and it is increasing in its popularity each year. Gambling has become the social phenomenon of the 21st Century, and it shows no signs of slowing down.

So who you betting on? Bet on Anjaan

After note :- Dictionary meaning A bookmaker, or bookie, is an organization or a person that takes bets and pays winnings depending upon results and, depending on the nature of the bet, the odds.




Wednesday, April 8, 2009

The "CALL"

Here's my attempt to preserve my moment of aniticipation and joy - forever

The Setting
I was at an "unconference" -
Cerebrate 09 with a bunch of eclectic super acheivers in the Fort Hill Resort of Kumbalgarh, Rajasthan, India. The "coveted" phonecall from Tourism Queensland announcing the top 10 (and then they made it top15) finalists was due at 10pm to 11pm UTC(*GMT) April 2nd - which roughly translated to 3:30am-4:30am IST on 3rd April .

The Anticipation

My cell phone didnt have range in the hills, somehow I found internet access and managed to mail TQ the landline number of the hotel room. And then it was just this really really LOONG Wait. Time hardly seemed to fly!With the anticipation of getting the phone call in the wee hours of the morning - sleep itself was in impossibility. It is true that the chase sometimes is more exciting than the catch itself. The process always seems to conquer the result. The excitement of anticipation will never match the happiness of the news. Its something which has to be felt to understood. Have you ever felt like this??

The Faux Pas

The phone call didnt come at the planned time, and with dissapointment, disdain and restlessness, I trooped up and down the poolside until my body was giving in and so I finally decided to get some shut eye. The joke next day was that apparently I was sleep talking too (*says the CEO of Iridium - Sriram - My Roomate - the first to get the news) . Of course its a possibility. I was going through a rainbow of emotions including surprise, anxiety, dejection, stress, restlessness, confusion, amazement , shock, sadness and detatchment. Its no surprise that I wasnt mouthing my innermost, deepest feelings in my sleep! *sigh*

The Call

At around 6:30, The hotel front office calls me and tells me that I have a call from Australia. In my semi-groggy, semi-hypnotised state - I could hardly believe my ears when the voice on the other end said - "Hello Anjaan - this is Mr. Anthony Hayes from Tourism Queensland. I still remember the feeling of bouncing out of my bed and wiping my face quickly, clearing my throat and being mentally ready - or not - for what was to come.

The Prank

I guess he sensed my shock and disbelief and after hearing me profusely apologise for not being reachable on my cell phone - he said "This call is to say you didnt make it - we tried to call you but since you didnt pick up - we gave it to someone else" Usually I'm the one who throws fast ones at people - but this time it was him who got me. Hook Line and sinker! Phew! After 5Seconds of Dead Silence from my end I guess he realised that I was still shocked speechless and decided to give me the good news. I quiet dont remember how the rest of the conversation went, but I remember thanking him profusely and now am hoping that I was coherent in whatever i was saying! lol

The Next Step

Yup! Thats how I found out I was IN! Now Im part of top15 Finalists and now am headed to OZ on the 1st of May for the finals. This blog will give you constant updates on all that happens from here onwards. I hope you'll keep me company through this exciting journey! :)