tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-318445462024-03-14T09:21:41.927-07:00Everything Is Worth Trying OnceEverything in this world was created with some purpose, right. And anyhting and everything deserves a chance in life. So grab a chance when you get one and make the most of it... Live life king size with a queen size attitude....ha ha.... There is nothing to lose by trying everything once!AMFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02638490033176069904noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31844546.post-14228016631958080902008-11-26T08:19:00.001-08:002008-11-27T01:05:11.064-08:00Some changes are for the best...I’ve been toying with the idea of reviving my blog all over again. It needs a facelift of sorts. I started blogging around the time I quit my last job. Well, this time I’ve quit or rather been politely been told apna rasta napoo …. I have plenty of time on my hands and so little to do, so let me utilize this time to do some things I always liked to do and wanted to do.<br /><br />Today is one heck of a rainy day. It’s been raining all day today and all of last night--must be mayhem on the roads. After a long while, I felt like sleeping in and did just that. Woke up well past noon happy and contented, tucked in a nice little lunch, and here I am writing my next post.<br /><br />I’ve been married nearly two months and how time flies. We’ve moved into our new home and slowly ever so slowly things are falling into place. But all of it has been a little bit of anticipation, some fun, a few differences in opinion, mom and dad don’t think this is right, and some times we nod in unison and viola a decision is made. At the end of it all, we smile at each other with a tremendous sense of achievement.<br /><br />I love the fact that I have someone to share everything with everyday. There is a whole “other” to think of every time you think of doing something. I know I have someone who will support me and someone I can lean on when tired and fed up with day-to-day nonsense. Unlike peers, colleagues and friends, Anand is not quick to pass judgment over my actions. He helps me reason out things. We are complete opposites and we tell each other that ever so often! “And that my dear is what keeps us going” is Anand’s line.AMFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02638490033176069904noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31844546.post-23019592466236458262007-07-15T10:19:00.000-07:002007-07-15T10:22:29.020-07:00An Act of KindnessThe passing of a granduncle last week brought to mind an act of kindness that I will always remember and a flood of other memories.<br /><br />Several years ago when we were only visitors to Madras and not yet residents, we would spend two weeks of our summer vacation at my paternal grandparents house and then go to Kerala to spend a whole month with my mums side of the family. And, no visit to Madras was complete without a visit to Mathuachen and Mariammaammai’s house.<br /><br />One summer, like several of them before it, we landed up in Madras to be spoiled and pampered by my grandparents and forget about everything else. I remember we reached home early in the morning. It was the eve of my eighth birthday and the heat was beginning to get to all of us. My grandmother had picked flowers from the garden for me. She knew how I loved flowers and had wrapped them carefully and put them in the ref and told me I could take it the next day.<br /><br />Ammama was diabetic as far as my memory goes back. But she never gave up a sweetmeat or pastry if one were in front of her—she would much rather eat all the sugar and take an insulin shot than let the sugar pass. If anyone goaded her about the all that she was eating, she would give them the silent treatment!<br /><br />That summer, she had worked hard at readying the house for us. Never satisfied with what the maid had done, she would push the cupboard from its place to get to the dust below where it stood, drag the chairs from their regular resting place, or pull out the carpet and give it a vigorous shake. After all the exertion, she was dehydrated and very ill by evening. My uncle took her to the hospital to give her a couple of bottles of saline to get the zing back in her. All of us were expecting her to be back the next morning so we could celebrate my birthday and everything was planned.<br /><br />But things were not meant to be. Before sunrise, uncle called home to tell us that things were not looking right and Ammama was sinking. I remember dad taking us to the hospital saying we were going to visit Ammama and she was very ill. And before noon Ammama was gone. Everything after that was a blur. We bought her home and everyone was busy arranging everything for the funeral the next day.<br /><br />Later that evening, standing by the front door I watched people walk in and out. I saw Mathuachen walking toward me. He had been there helping with everything. He gave me a package and said “open it”. And I did. I saw bars of chocolate in it. And he said “Happy Birthday, Priya!” I was ecstatic. I was happy. I was thrilled that someone had remembered. I remember looking up surprised at his soft and smiling face. I have no idea who told him to this day. And I remember him for this simple act of kindness or call it pity. But he cared and that is all I care.<br /><br />A kind old man who enjoyed the simple things in life. You always had a joke to share or a story to tell. You are gone from our midst but you will always be in our prayers. Knowing you, I’m sure there are plenty of people saying the same thing today. We will miss you.AMFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02638490033176069904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31844546.post-19360632878056649632007-06-17T11:26:00.000-07:002007-06-17T11:53:44.906-07:00Post from the Present<div>Been ages since I blogged. Only posting that has been happening is to and from FTP sites at work! A lot has happened since I last blogged. Some of it I want to forget in a hurry and other thoughts will linger on and then be forgotten.<br /><br />I’m practically cutoff from the rest of civilization during the week—been bad about returning calls and text messages, sorry K, L, and P—but I’m going to change that. I’ve wanted to learn piano for ages, but just never had the time or patience. The only time I tried, I gave up after a month. What about learning to play drums, hemm? That will be cathartic, something to let off some steam at the end of the day—maybe what I need to do is a session of kick boxing or krav maga twice a week!!! F, I know your guitar experience was not so great, but what say?<br /><br />K, thanks for arranging everything so we could all meet up. That was fun. My turn next time. Some soul-searching session that was, and that was refreshing.<br /><br /><div><div><div>Me dreaming about a vacation I want to take later this year. Two weeks of solace and peace of mind. No client calls, no yes sir and yes ma’am, no schedules and status reports to maintain, and no emails. Will plan starting July 1st.<br /><br />Picture time again… Some all time favourites.<br /></div><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5oltR2giww3SZeGnoXEHCAJUc8_0ubHmJK9xFByVD-IZHPomxhxp8T8TYSRMuC5yhPhfq0J2I2QkYmeAQQPudMwvxKg-MPm5aTpZXuVA14bHDGO8rBItyNqBv_gB-_x5eJE6e/s1600-h/Face+copy.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5077103329556739538" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5oltR2giww3SZeGnoXEHCAJUc8_0ubHmJK9xFByVD-IZHPomxhxp8T8TYSRMuC5yhPhfq0J2I2QkYmeAQQPudMwvxKg-MPm5aTpZXuVA14bHDGO8rBItyNqBv_gB-_x5eJE6e/s320/Face+copy.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><div><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCW57aX-VWU6E5j6iwV7xTKkPb06dEIHckZckUuoTY7LYDru8GaXXn6F5hkm-jIPOlOerYGUhWKoK0cSu-ch4WPgVoEhVp8dI72AQZPd3EtcYOnvPtXTuFPGJvqerUe4EZzoSv/s1600-h/Picture+034.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5077106765530576386" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCW57aX-VWU6E5j6iwV7xTKkPb06dEIHckZckUuoTY7LYDru8GaXXn6F5hkm-jIPOlOerYGUhWKoK0cSu-ch4WPgVoEhVp8dI72AQZPd3EtcYOnvPtXTuFPGJvqerUe4EZzoSv/s320/Picture+034.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /></div><div><br /> </div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div><br /></div><br /><br /><div></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixPQ4GFws0dFIHi3HmgIQTsHekABLFDfC33T2Pu1nqhd83IwRvwklsO8cEmRMHcxQqTvEIUKkeRYCFqA1wEpOq2JIgNWghc-IGuxxMWzGluFxIAu6EEH4eM96p_4tvoRp8KN6M/s1600-h/Picture+007.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5077106108400580082" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixPQ4GFws0dFIHi3HmgIQTsHekABLFDfC33T2Pu1nqhd83IwRvwklsO8cEmRMHcxQqTvEIUKkeRYCFqA1wEpOq2JIgNWghc-IGuxxMWzGluFxIAu6EEH4eM96p_4tvoRp8KN6M/s320/Picture+007.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div><br /> </div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUl_oq1AHYKjfUh-Ip4OITMI0fsRyDoDUyxyZc9PPRCuyCKGVZhBgpJtpnP_HFSHy25vOt2D_z60QVZzvw8fw3dnKUL-H8g8Nbl7WzRXRGbB4B9t1lVXtE58OUZD38n8l9U7hl/s1600-h/Picture+027.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5077105043248690658" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUl_oq1AHYKjfUh-Ip4OITMI0fsRyDoDUyxyZc9PPRCuyCKGVZhBgpJtpnP_HFSHy25vOt2D_z60QVZzvw8fw3dnKUL-H8g8Nbl7WzRXRGbB4B9t1lVXtE58OUZD38n8l9U7hl/s320/Picture+027.jpg" border="0" /></a></div></div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><div><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5jtgBeCb1MBPRgcwl-Yc9sS_dqDiPIr-iLUiBTgMX2uzXD_4X7Xmj0_5pZihTOAtXsPECsJ6NxkDsLt9VABlaA0W6unb5thT4tNxnAN0VzV846XsEriT1O94ryaL-fpuYNhOW/s1600-h/Picture+019.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5077108011071092242" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5jtgBeCb1MBPRgcwl-Yc9sS_dqDiPIr-iLUiBTgMX2uzXD_4X7Xmj0_5pZihTOAtXsPECsJ6NxkDsLt9VABlaA0W6unb5thT4tNxnAN0VzV846XsEriT1O94ryaL-fpuYNhOW/s320/Picture+019.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /></div></div></div>AMFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02638490033176069904noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31844546.post-1171823984904947822007-02-18T10:34:00.000-08:002007-02-18T10:46:51.760-08:00Random ThoughtsAnd I will go where my heart leads me—or so I like to think. And live life on my terms… I like saying that. I’ve probably said these things too often and I’m not sure if I believe all of it. Too often I think it is spiraling out of control and I’m taking a nose dive into nowhere. After all, if you don’t dream it, you will never reach it. But the super confident and always-on-cloud-nine feeling can sometimes take a holiday. <br /><br />Two months into the year and nothing much other than work is happening. I promised myself some quality time with “me.” Made even bigger promises that I would take up photography more seriously—hmmm! But the very thought of that comes too late in the day on my only day off for me to do anything about it. And a part of me is just lazy and only I can be blamed for that.<br /><br />I remember the time I was walking down Fisherman’s Warf in SF just looking at half a dozen things that people were doing to make a living—spray painting, dancing, sketching and drawing, fire juggling, stand up comedians, musicians, hawkers (didn’t get to see the famed Bushman!). Maybe they all have other jobs and this was their time out. <br /><br />I was awe struck by this spray painter. He had on a pair of goggles and was dressed in baggy pants and a T-shirt. Around him were a few dozen paint canisters some rags, pieces of paper, and a boom box. It was about 7 in the evening and he was working by a small lamp. He waited for a crowd to build, and once a small crowd had gathered, the artist was a picture of concentration. With some techno music playing in the background, he began working. His hands were flying across a board that was his canvas with precise strokes or half strokes, a smudge here and an extra coat of paint there. Occasionally he paused to swap cans or tear a piece of paper and hold it at an angle to form some shape or shade the image. And voila in fifteen minutes or less he was done. He brought to life the Golden Gate Bridge by night. There was the bridge in all its splendor basking in the moonlight and a silvery reflection of the moon in the bay and city lights. And to think he did it all with cans of spray paint; this guy was simply amazing. I had never seen anybody painting <br /><br />That day and a few days later I remember thinking, why am I doing what I am doing when there are a zillion other ways to make a living. <br /><br />I don’t think I can paint or be a photographer and make a living. I like the trappings of a comfortable office and the feeling that I am actually doing something productive during the day and sometimes nights on end. It’s all about being in that comfortable zone with whatever you are doing. But some time in the future, don’t know when, I want to do a street act and see how successful I am at it.AMFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02638490033176069904noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31844546.post-1168709582439800072007-01-13T09:29:00.000-08:002007-01-13T09:33:02.463-08:00I Value My Independence More Today…Been two months since I last blogged… Sooooooo much has happened in the past couple of months. Been busy as a bee, that and snatches of laziness kept me away from my little cozy nook in cyber nowhere. Well, that’s another thing there was just so much happening I didn’t know where to begin. The New Year is here and I have made no resolutions… what’s the point when I never even make an effort to live up to it! Looking back at the year that was I couldn’t have asked for a better ending. <br /><br />After clocking a few thousand air miles across the length and breadth of America and the final home stretch, it is good to be home in time for the holidays, I’m glad I’m around things that are familiar to me. I had a rollicking time while I was away with its share of ups and downs—-but more ups than downs. Met some of the most interesting people ever—-some of them absolute characters I will remember for a looooooooong while to come. Got to see some interesting places and cities and did some absolutely wacky things. I miss Thursday evening Beer Club sessions! Miss the bars and how late they are open. <br /><br />I miss some of the independence I had, which I learned to cherish and appreciate even more after visiting some of my kith and kin at NJ. Ok that’s it! That’s what this post is going to be all about. I’m going to put it down anyway even at the cost of becoming a social pariah among my own people if they end up reading this post (F, initially I thought there was something wrong with me, but after I spoke to you, I knew it wasn’t just me. Hey, I’m a goner, but…!)<br /><br />I was happy to meet some of my aunts and uncles and cousins at NJ over Thanksgiving weekend. I was meeting some of them after 3 years or more and some others I don’t even remember how long ago I met them, and others I was meeting for the first time. It was good to be around them during the holidays and I got to eat an Indianized version of the traditional turkey dinner, yummm!!! Got some shopping and sightseeing done and hungout with my cousins. Visited a client in NY—-an experience in it self and enough to fill another post, if I have the time. <br /><br />After spending around 10 days with them, I was almost glad to be out of there. I am grateful that they had me over and took me around and everything, but by day 10 I needed my space. I’m not surprised that we get labeled as being clannish and clingy. In all my ten days there, I found that most of the time everyone tended to hang around other Indians—-actually Malayalees mind you not even Indians from other states. It’s almost as though a certain sort of xenophobia envelopes them and they so don’t care about mixing with the rest of the population and are happy milling around people from their own district in Kerala, forget the country. And to think these are families that have lived in America for 20 years if not more. What has living there taught them? Yes, preserve your culture and traditions, but they’ve shut themselves out so much that they probably be victims of culture shock when they visit India! <br /><br />Being Thanksgiving day and a traditional get together, I wore the only salwar kameez that I took with me. I like wearing salwar kameez it’s one of the more elegant outfits, but skipped the dupatta. And I was really tickled when an uncle of mine asked “Don’t you have a dupatta?” God help them, which century are they living in? Anyone worried about my modesty or lack there of, cause I didn’t wear a dupatta, can go fly kites for all I care! And that was just the beginning of a string of events that found me off keel for a few days. <br /><br />While at home, I’ve been out until 2 a.m. without having to give hourly updates of my whereabouts! Little did I know that going into the city was going to set so many phones ringing. I had a total of six missed calls and half as many voice messages asking where I was. As though that weren’t enough, this paranoid uncle of mine calls my boss god knows how many times and leaves a message asking me to call home. What in hell was he thinking??? Will always remember this as one of the most embarrassing moments of my life. I would like to believe he is worried about me and all of that, but there are limits even to paranoia!!! When I asked him later about why he called so many times he said he thought I lost my purse and phone and numbers. Felt like telling him this is only freaking NY, I speak the language and can get around or ask people, I’ve been in countries where I didn’t speak the language had no phone and had to walk half a mile asking for directions. They really don’t know when to let go, I guess. <br /><br />Wow this is turning out to be one of my longest posts ever! <br /><br />Yet another incident really left me thinking as to what had become of these people. My 20-something cousin and I were pulling out of a parking space when she looked out at the car next to us and cursed “Damned Asian! He shouldn’t be driving a Benz.” Looking out I saw the driver next to us, a guy with Mongoloid features. I was shocked and I asked “Did you just call him Asian?” And she just said “yeah, that’s what we call them.” What’s become of them, that was bloody racist, brash, and disgusting. Somewhere down the line she had forgotten her ethnicity. What did she think she was Caucasian? <br /><br />Been mulling over everything that happened and am finally able to put it down now. I know the kind of reaction I will get if I talked about it at home “You were a guest and so…blah …blah …blah.” But I guess I just put up with it while it lasted. That’s another thing we are famous for putting up with all kind of BS. We just let things be without caring or taking a stand. And for letting things be, we deserve what is dished out to us. And now I’m in an absolutely shitty mood…but glad I got that out of my system.AMFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02638490033176069904noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31844546.post-1162964978086957032006-11-07T21:16:00.000-08:002006-11-10T21:32:31.060-08:00For Fans of The Great Indian Laughter ChallengeHere is a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFkA4oYGGSI">great one</a>... <object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/CFkA4oYGGSI"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/CFkA4oYGGSI" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object><br />and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yz0pGitUy1E">another one</a>.<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Yz0pGitUy1E"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Yz0pGitUy1E" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>AMFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02638490033176069904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31844546.post-1162783918584334132006-11-05T19:28:00.000-08:002006-11-05T19:33:30.996-08:00It Just Wasn’t Meant To Be…I decided to head to the mall for a change… And boy did it teach me a lesson. <br /><br />Well, first I was deciding how I would make my commute… So the adventurous part of me screams "take the bus"—taxi was just too easy—so map and address in hand I headed toward the place where I have seen a couple of people wait for buses. I asked at several stores for a bus number that might take me there, but had no luck. I found myself walking one way and then the other when people directed me—this wasn’t getting me anywhere. Well I wasn’t giving up just like that. And I was very very determined to find this bus stop, any other day I would have given up my quest long ago. <br /><br />Heck, no one knows where bus stops are. I wouldn’t blame them entirely. If they had more conspicuous boards, people would know where buses stopped—then I figured there were signs it’s just that they were lost in a million other road signs along the sidewalk. But that didn’t help either, cause I didn’t have the bus number yet. So for the nth time I walk up to this guy and ask for directions and he gives me a bus route book, God bless him! From the book I figured, if I walked for about 2 kms, I would reach the bus stop for bus number 30/238, which would take me all the way to Barton Creek Mall. So I started walking stopping occasionally to take a picture or two and check the map, I think about how Austin doesn’t have a mass transport system and how stranded you feel if you don’t have transportation of your own. <br /><br />My feet were beginning to tire. I’ve been walking for one and a half hours now, but I push myself to walk the last block. I’m glad when I finally see the sign and the dark green wrought iron bench—the only sign that it’s a designated bus stop. I sat there for five minutes. Looked up the book, yes, I was in luck my bus was scheduled to arrive in five minutes. I see some newspaper on the bench and another sheet of paper on the bench, but take no note of it thinking it’s something someone probably forgot. Ten minutes have passed and my bus hasn’t shown up. While I wait and watch, this guy walks up to the bench and bends down to pick up the sheet of paper reads it, mumbles something and keeps walking. Now I was curious. I pick up this piece of paper and wham like a slap in the face in big print I read something to the effect of Bus number 30/328 not operating on that route from Nov 5th. I let out a curse, several actually, and look upward and ask WHY ME? <br /><br />And that was it. I took out my phone and called a taxi and went to the mall. While in the taxi, I was thinking of all that had happened in the past couple of hours. I was just not meant to ride the bus today. And no prizes for guessing how I got back from the mall, taxi, of course! But do I want to try it again….. hhhmmmm? I don’t know. <br /><br />Maybe I’ll have better luck on a Satruday!AMFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02638490033176069904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31844546.post-1162655279102141762006-11-04T07:44:00.000-08:002006-11-07T20:53:53.726-08:00Evolution of Dance and Other Funny Videos... LOL...I loved this <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ul9iOu-BFNo&mode=related&search=">Utube</a> broadcast... This guy is so good...<br /><br />Haven't seen <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gngadm49JqU&mode=user&search=">Robin Williams</a> on screen in a while. So this is what he is up to! <br /><br />Anyone missing Rowan Atkinson? I am! And <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJA9RPX9mRY&mode=related&search=">here</a> is a good one! And <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qn6al9La22U">another one</a>...<br /><br />Enjoy!AMFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02638490033176069904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31844546.post-1161918127037425722006-10-26T19:53:00.000-07:002006-10-26T20:15:11.713-07:00More Pictures...<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3924/3470/1600/My%20room%20011.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3924/3470/320/My%20room%20011.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />What is it that they say about pictures saying more than a thousand words... Some lazy guy made that up!!!<br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3924/3470/1600/My%20room%20020.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3924/3470/320/My%20room%20020.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3924/3470/1600/My%20room%20025.0.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3924/3470/320/My%20room%20025.0.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3924/3470/1600/My%20room%20013.0.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3924/3470/320/My%20room%20013.0.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3924/3470/1600/My%20room%20017.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3924/3470/320/My%20room%20017.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>AMFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02638490033176069904noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31844546.post-1161577807170327832006-10-22T21:27:00.000-07:002006-10-22T21:30:07.180-07:00Not Yet Ranting!!!I missed Diwali big time this year…. missed the sweetmeats, muruku, the pattas (actually I don’t miss the noise, but the lights and soundless stuff are pretty), dry fruit hampers, colours and everything… Dad said he did not buy sweets this year… That’s a lie! I know how much he loves sweets and is waiting for an excuse to buy sweets! He probably said it to make me feel like I’m not missing anything or he’s had a check up and the doc’s told him his sugar levels are touching the sky! But I’d like to think it is the former :-D! Heard about Diwali celebrations in some asharam some 45 minutes drive from where I’m staying. Too far to make it there.<br /><br />This week was one of those I-wish-the-week-would-end-NOW kind of weeks. I ran out of instant coffee – my favourite – that I brought all the way from home. Had a fire accident in the kitchen when I was trying to heat something in the oven and there was smoke in the whole apartment luckily the smoke alarm did not go off. Missed Diwali but I already mopped about it enough. Weatherwise too it’s started turning cold here, but I’m getting used to it. Tried some Pad Thai that came in a ready to heat box and that is the worst Pad Thai I have ever tasted, even called the company and told them it tasted like spaghetti NOT Pad Thai! <br /><br />The town is getting ready for Halloween. i see pumpkins of all kinds – quite literally, there is the real one i.e. the vegetable, ones made of cloth, nylon, rubber, plastic, glass, metal and every imaginable material. Next weekend should be interesting! <br /><br />I think I’ve caught the Kodak itch again… been clicking anything and everything. I find it very therapeutic to go for long walks or bike, as long as my legs will let me, and I know it’s something I don’t have time for at home. I’m enjoying that and some evenings out with friends and coworkers! Wish my friends were here too! <br /><br />Been reading blogs and finish reading couple of books I started few days ago. <a href="http://www.waiterrant.net/">Waiter rant</a> is turning out to be one of my favourite blogs. This guy is really good. He writes simple stuff, very matter of fact, slice of life and is very popular by the looks of it. <br /><br /><a href="http://baghdadgirl.blogspot.com/">This other blog</a> belongs to a girl from Baghdad. I smell a rat here… I don’t think it’s a 15-year-old girl’s blog at all. We Indians love conspiracy theories. Here is mine… I think it is one of those pro-war propaganda sites created by the US Army or some similar organization. Something is not right here... I’m going to research this some and find out what I can. <br /><br />Hey, I don’t believe this but I just hear fire crackers go off somewhere at a distance… Is that a sign? It’s strange but I feel much perkier again. <br /> <br />Six weeks down and six more to gooooooooooo!!! Yyyyyaaaaaaahhhhhh!!!AMFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02638490033176069904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31844546.post-1161317565670110802006-10-19T21:10:00.000-07:002006-10-19T22:13:51.783-07:00And there is an answer for every question ever asked somewhere there...Haven't exactly been in the mood to blog these past few weeks... but here are some pics from my weekend away from the city.<br /><br />Recently read these lines and have decided its going to be my motto... <br />Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream." -- Mark Twain. <br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3924/3470/1600/Copy%20of%20My%20room%20093.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3924/3470/320/Copy%20of%20My%20room%20093.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Sky mocking the tree?<br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3924/3470/1600/My%20room%20111.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3924/3470/320/My%20room%20111.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Nature's strokes<br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3924/3470/1600/My%20room%20097.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3924/3470/320/My%20room%20097.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Pretty and pink<br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3924/3470/1600/My%20room%20094.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3924/3470/320/My%20room%20094.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Enter...<br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3924/3470/1600/My%20room%20082.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3924/3470/320/My%20room%20082.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Cerdar forest<br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3924/3470/1600/My%20room%20080.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3924/3470/320/My%20room%20080.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />One chasing the otherAMFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02638490033176069904noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31844546.post-1159760200375236412006-10-01T20:26:00.000-07:002006-10-01T20:36:40.390-07:00Three weeks down and counting…I’ve had so much to do this past week…pheww…. I’m glad it’s over! Pretty busy with all the new procedures and systems I have to learn. Some of them I wish I never knew…like number stamping -- who number stamps anything these days???<br /><br />I’m surprised to see a very paper-and-pencil-based office when the rest of the world is moving to e this and e that. And you would think America being one of the most technologically advanced countries would have embraced and evolved a tech savvy solution faster than anyone else. Well they missed the bus on this one!<br /><br />Something we have never worried ourselves about is the number of hours we put in rather than as long as it takes for the job to get done. There is no concept of putting in extra hours to get a job done. Going by labour laws in America I guess it would just be too expensive to pay overtime, but hey what ever happened to getting the job done and then leaving! <br /><br />What have I been doing other than work and spend 17 to 18 hours in a in front of my computer? I went to this Indian restaurant and stuffed myself, it felt sooooo good to eat <em>alu gobi</em> and <em>nan</em>, my first taste of Indian food in three weeks…emmmmm.<br /><br />Oh yes, the high point of the week was this jazz performance I went to by an amateur band at a bar called the “Elephant Room.” The band was called Drop Trio and they call their music spaceship jazz… it was not earth shattering or anything spectacular but I enjoyed it – the percussionist was the best. All the members of the band hold fulltime jobs elsewhere, one a computer programmer and the other two I don’t remember, but they find time on week days and even weekends to perform.<br /><br />I’ve been told Thursday nights have become the new Friday nights in Austin. Anything and everything interesting supposedly happens on a Thursday night. Bye bye TGIF it’s now TGIT. Laid back and easy going is what I would call Austin. Most people are friendly and helpful and they do know to have a good time. Back home, sometimes I think we take things maybe too seriously. But things have been that way for most part of my life, I’m used to that. I like the pace of things at home. It is frenzied and everyone always seems on the go. It may be the very reason for burnouts happening all too often, but what the heck I like it all the same.<br /><br />And my latest acquisition is a bicycle – borrowed from a colleague at work. The very first time I tried to ride it I found myself drifting automatically to the left of the road…aaahhhh! Thank god it was a one-way street and a Saturday afternoon. I keep having these thoughts of being hit by some speeding vehicle. I don’t want to die or even be in hospital in a foreign country. So tomorrow I get myself a helmet just so I feel safe -- and I know it wont keep me on the right of the road! I’ve been driving in India of all the places and I don’t believe this sissy traffic is freaking me out.<br /><br />Tomorrow starts another, I hope, short week …AMFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02638490033176069904noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31844546.post-1159075001180873572006-09-23T22:09:00.000-07:002006-09-24T12:25:59.623-07:00Eastward BoundAnd I stumble into yet another week. That’s two weeks down and several more to go… But time is flying past … and I do have plenty to do work-wise. Well, this thought has been on my mind a lot and I’ve been thinking about it more and more recently (I know what some of you must be thinking… “Ann thinking…eeeeeehhh! Not a good sign.”). Let me just put it down anyway.<br /><br />I always wondered how people would react to Asians usurping “American jobs” so to speak. I always suspected the worst and experience taught me the rest. And over the past week I had a first hand taste of some of it too. I was waiting for someone to spit it out and sure enough they did. I wasn’t expecting a hugs-and-kisses reception at any rate, and I was warned by plenty of the growing resentment Americans have towards Asians and just about anyone who talked about <a href="http://blameindiawatch.blogspot.com/">offshoring jobs</a>.<br /><br />I’m not sure if it was done knowingly or unknowingly (my guess is that it was done purposely). Someone in the room struck up a conversation on how in a few years time there will be no copy editors or typesetters in America. And everyone at the table looked at me and one of them almost accusingly said “Yes, of course, Ann’s going to be doing this in India. And all of this will be done there.” I actually felt sorry for this person and tried to steer the conversation in another direction saying “In 5 years time, I may not have a job cause all the jobs are going to China, Philippines and other countries.” It must feel terrible to have the thought of not getting a regular pay cheque lurking in their minds every day.<br /><br />I was sitting at this meeting recently where this 55 plus woman was voicing her thoughts and she claims is in the office grapevine (I believe her). Most of the employees weren’t sure the company would be able to give them a pay cheque the same time next year. Some of them have been in typesetting 20 years or longer and probably know no other profession. Some of them are just too old to be trained, at this point in their lives, to do something else, unless it was some unskilled task. It must hurt their egos to see their jobs go to some upstarts in a developing country if not a third-world country<a href="http://www.blogsource.org/2006/04/philippines_edg.html"></a>. To feel threatened by someone half your age, from some other race, and a developing country, must be a little unnerving. Yes, at that age I’d probably think and feel the same way. And it’s probably the older generation that is taking it hard. The younger folk will be able to train themselves, relearn or maybe take their expertise to other parallel fields.<br /><br />Some openly show their displeasure. A lot of times all their efforts are in trying to save their jobs by touting the bargaining chip of quality, you cannot sell that idea for very long and I don’t think anyone is buying.<br /><br />In fact, not sure of the source, a recent statistic I read claimed that for every USD10 worth of work outsourced, USD7 goes back to America. And this makes me wonder who is smarter? When you tout free market to the <a href="http://www.blogsource.org/2006/04/philippines_edg.html">rest of the world</a>, this is the <a href="http://www.out-law.com/page-453">price one pays</a>.<br /><br />Logically speaking, why would anyone pay a rupee/dollar more than one should for a product or service­--quality and USP apart-- from an employers and even consumers point of view it does not make much sense to pay more when you can get it for less. This is not a new phenomenon and this decade is not going to see the last of it.<br /><br />An almost sadistic and juvenile part of me makes me treat this whole episode as the revenge of the developing world. Gone are the days when the West and superpower were synonymous. This is probably the only way the rest of the world can bring so called superpowers down. If the jobs don’t go East, they will go South, if you get my drift.AMFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02638490033176069904noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31844546.post-1157857262414845492006-09-09T19:58:00.000-07:002006-09-17T16:56:46.876-07:00I'm so tired of traveling...What a ride it has been so far. Not that I regret much of it, but well… there must be an easier way to travel half way round the world. If I was ever fed up of traveling, it is now, it is now, it is now. Honestly, it’s been painfully long.<br /><br />After fourteen hours on the plane, my poor little tummy couldn’t take it anymore. I have a headache the size of a mountain and the only thing I can see curing it is sleep.<br /><br />Any way it all started of with chaos and confusion at our very own airport in Chennai. It’s time someone whispered into the ears of Airport Authority of India that if someone really wanted to bring the place down, there are a million ways to do it. And all the security checking is BS. I brought a tube of lip balm all the way to Paris before someone got it! Security checking is such a pile of bull...<br /><br />Chennai to Paris wasn’t so bad… Delta is big time cheapskate airline! They don’t serve, as Delta likes to call it “adult beverages” on the India to Paris stretch of the journey. But they make sure they fill you up with nasty aerated drinks every hour like clock work. Delta should learn a thing or two from Singapore Airlines!<br /><br />The ride till Paris was fine…not much to whine about. But just to make things a little more interesting, I a left a book I borrowed from a certain somebody, on the plane. We deplaned and were on this bus taking us to the main terminal when I realized my hands were empty and so was the bag where this book was. Anyways, we got off the bus and I frantically ran around asking if someone could help me get this book back. Hemmmm… this gracefully aging French guy (actually handsome and spoke descent English! Both don’t necessarily go together most of the time!) got some of his staff to make a few calls, and so began the hunt for the book ….what else can I say, I breathed some activity into their ordinary, boring and mundane French lives!<br /><br />While waiting to hear the result of the little treasure hunt I set in motion, I saw the lady, who sat a couple of seats away from me on the plane, sauntering in with a book in hand. There just could not have been two copies of that book. It had to be mine….it absolutely had to be mine, so I walked up to her and asked her if she found it on the plane and she replied in a smattering of French and English that she did. Thanking her and the French guy looking for the book profusely I proceeded to the next queue. That felt like a ton (maybe two) of bricks being lifted of my head.<br /><br />Then again the same sequence of standing in queue, checking bags and persons, and after hearing a million bonjours, I got on the next flight. After it seemed like an endless passage into no where, my tummy barely holding in what ever little I ate, and headache that was threatening to grow into a monstrosity, I landed in Atlanta. After all the flack we Indians get for not standing in line, I was pleased to see some of the Americans (at least from their accents they sounded American) jumping lines and ducking past ropes and ribbons that snaked around long corridors. After clearing immigration which went like a breeze (why does everyone say the immigration officers kick a fuss about things?), which everyone warned me was not the easiest things to get past. I waited for the next flight, and the last leg of my journey.<br />My head was ready to explode into a million, if not a zillion, bits. And to make things worse I got a window seat that was next to the engine that whrrred forever. I was simply exhausted. All I remember is falling asleep and waking up a few minutes before landing.<br /><br />After the longest 22 hours of flying and shifting 3 different planes and don’t know how many different time zones, I had reached. Thankfully, I was met by my hostess who got me to my apartment. All I remember then on is popping a few pills and crashing for a few good hours. Having slept off most of the tiredness, I feel better again.AMFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02638490033176069904noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31844546.post-1156066611062218652006-08-20T02:08:00.000-07:002006-08-20T02:37:19.693-07:00Employee Turnover.......... (Cont...)And continuing in the same line where I left off ....<br /><br />Here is what the book titled The 7 Hidden Reasons Employees Leave: How To Recognize The Subtle Signs and Act Before It’s Too Late, by Leigh Branham, 2005, says.<br /><br />Poor management—uncaring and unprofessional managers; overworking staff; no respect, not listening, putting people in wrong jobs; speed over quality; poor manager selection processes.<br />Lack of career growth and advancement opportunities—no perceivable career paths; not posting job openings or filling from within; favoritism or unfair promotions.<br />Poor communications—problems communicating top-down and between departments; after mergers; between facilities.<br />Pay—paid under-market or less than contributions warrant; pay inequities; slow raises; favoritism for bonuses/raises; ineffective appraisals.<br />Lack of recognition—that says it all.<br />Poor senior leadership—not listening, asking, or investing in employees; unresponsiveness and isolation; mixed messages.<br />Lack of training—nonexistent or superficial training; nothing for new hires, managers, or to move up.<br />Excessive workload—doing more with less; sacrificing quality and customer service for numbers.<br />Lack of tools and resources—insufficient, malfunctioning, outdated, equipment/supplies; overwork without relief.<br />Lack of teamwork—poor coworker cooperation/commitment; lack of interdepartmental coordination.<br /><br />Makes perfect sense... all these lead to, what I will call for now, employer fatigue.<br /><br />to be Cont...AMFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02638490033176069904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31844546.post-1156064676790700962006-08-20T01:18:00.000-07:002006-08-20T02:04:36.810-07:00Don't Take Life So Seriously...Like someone told me recently… If you have two piles of work, one that’s screaming HARD and the other easy. Always do the easy pile first! Cause if you died, someone else will have to do the hard part! Apply the same logic to dessert at a buffet table ^___^. <br /> <br />Sometimes it helps just to have a good laugh… Find some time to laugh everyday… I just reread some of these one-liners and am in splits… Hope it has the same effect on you… read on. Who sent me these???? I think I got as an email from several different people… TY whoever sent these…<br /><br />Ø When I was born, I was so surprised I didn't talk for a year and a half.<br />Ø Join the army, see the world, meet interesting people, and kill them.<br />Ø Until I was 13, I thought my name was 'Shut Up.'<br />Ø I'm not afraid to die. I just don't want to be there when it happens.<br />Ø Always and never are two words you should always remember never to use.<br />Ø I've never been drunk, but often I've been over served.<br />Ø The road to success is always under construction.<br />Ø I say no to drugs -- they just don't listen!<br />Ø Marriage is one of the chief causes of divorce.<br />Ø Work is fine if it doesn't take up too much of your time.<br />Ø When everything's coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.<br />Ø Born free; Taxed to death.<br />Ø Everyone has a photographic memory; some people just don't have film.<br />Ø Life is unsure; always eat your dessert first.<br />Ø Smile -- it makes people wonder what you're up to.<br />Ø I love being a writer... what I can't stand is the paperwork.<br />Ø A printer consists of 3 main parts: the case, the jammed paper tray and the blinking red light.<br />Ø The hardest part of skating is the ice.<br />Ø The guy who invented the first wheel was an idiot; the guy who invented the other three, he was the genius.<br /> Ø The trouble with being punctual is that there's no one there to appreciate it.<br />Ø If our constitution allows us free speech, why are there phone bills?<br />Ø If you tell a man there are 300 billion stars in the universe, he'll believe you. But if you tell him a park bench has just been painted, he has to touch it to be sure.<br />Ø Beat the 5 O'clock rush: leave work at noon!<br />Ø If you can't convince them, confuse them.<br />Ø It's not the fall that kills you; it's the sudden stop at the end.<br />Ø I couldn't repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder.<br />Ø Hot glass looks same as cold glass. (Cunino's Law of Burnt Fingers)<br />Ø The cigarette does the smoking - you are just the sucker.AMFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02638490033176069904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31844546.post-1155831990711392732006-08-17T09:15:00.000-07:002006-08-17T09:26:30.720-07:00LOL.....So you are a TechieHey, to all the techies I know.... and especially Sundar if you happen to be reading ...... it's just a joke.....ok...... enjoy!!!<br /><br />One day, three consultants, one from Wipro, one from Infosys and one from TCS, went out for a walk.They were old buddies from Engg College, and they were together for a college reunion...For no apparent reason, they went into this zoo and passed a monkey. Being in the same business and from the same college, there was a little bit of a peer competition going on between them - they couldn't resist testing themselves against each other.- especially the Infosys guy. He said to the others: "Why don't we prove who is the best among ourselves?" Why not, said the other two.<br /><br />The Infoscion said "Let's have a test. Whoever makes this monkey laugh, works for the best firm".By mutual agreement, the Infoscion took the first turn.Being a pure logical strategist, the Infoscion tried to make the monkey laugh by telling jokes. The monkey stayed still. As a more practical consultant, the Wipro guy tried to make funny gestures... no good, the monkey stayed put...Now, comes the TCS guy... being the practical guy he was always trained to be, he whispered something into the monkey's ear, and it burst out laughing at him.The other two were astonished.How did this TCS guy manage to beat them? No way were they going to =accept defeat so easily.<br /><br />So the Wipro guy said "OK, let's take another test. Let's make this = monkey cry!!" So there they went again, applying the same methods as =before.The Infosys guy narrated sad stories, the Wipro guy made sad gestures, and they failed again...Then, the TCS guy whispered something into the monkey's ear and lo! It started crying, patting the TCS er's shoulder!The other two just could not believe their eyes!So the Infoscion said "OK, you've won twice. If you can win just this one, we will bow to you. Let's make this monkey run" And he barked at the monkey and ordered him to run. Of course, it stayed where it was.The Wipro guy, true to his type, pushed and prodded the monkey- still no goSo... here comes TCS guy, again, and whispers into the monkey's ear. The monkey just takes off! It runs and runs as fast as it can, as if it was scared to death!<br /><br />The other two surrendered. Said they: "OK, we give up. You're the best among us, and you work for the Best firm of the three. But please, please tell us your secret," they begged him."Well", said the TCS"The first time I made it laugh, I told I work for TCS.The next time, I told the monkey how much I get paid...so it started crying. And then I told that I was here for recruitment!!AMFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02638490033176069904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31844546.post-1155638312035247042006-08-15T03:25:00.000-07:002006-08-15T04:17:57.270-07:00Liger ....<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3924/3470/1600/Liger_1.0.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3924/3470/320/Liger_1.0.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color:#ffffcc;">If I am ever born again, I want to be a cat. Don't know why, but every time I click a pic of my cat... it goes missing or dies..... So here I am finally taking a picture of me puddy cat, Liger, after 3 years... I hope the jinx is broken and this guy makes it...will update in a couple of weeks. If this one dies no more pics of cats, at least not mine.... If there is one thing I am superstitious about, it is clicking pics of my cats. It's happened tooooooooooo often for me to believe it's not a coincidence. </span>AMFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02638490033176069904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31844546.post-1155321159909602692006-08-11T11:31:00.000-07:002006-08-11T11:32:39.910-07:00Oh my God, it almost happened again!Would we have remembered 8/10 as another day of carnage? Another attempted attack on the Western world. The Western world is facing the wrath of fundamentalists who will never give up. But this was imminent. I don’t have to be in MI or CIA or the FBI to see that this was coming. It was just matter of time and is just a matter of time before someone else tries it again, and that time who knows the out come may not be favourable.The general disdain that people seem to have developed over the past few years is not without reason.<br /><br />I would like to remain neutral, but the high handed, generally arrogant and callous attitude the governments of the US and UK and other, so called, allies have leaves me appalled. And what a government believes its people naturally will.I do not understand foreigners especially Westerners who belittle other cultures, languages or religions without understanding its significance. Critiquing is one thing but looking down upon others myths, values and beliefs is decadent. They are so vocal and loud about their dislike for cultures other than their own. And that is probably what pushes fundamentalists over the edge. I do not believe that innocent citizens of a country should bear the brunt of the fundamentalist’s anger. But this probably is the only way they can vent.AMFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02638490033176069904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31844546.post-1155320798487292382006-08-11T11:11:00.000-07:002006-08-11T11:26:38.496-07:00Pet peevesJust an after thought, I seem to be having several of them today... how can I not include my pet peeves in this blog .... and so slowly and surely I will include them.<br /><br />Rahul .... you asked for this one.....<br />people who lie<br />those who try reverse psychology on me.... it works sometimes (but dont push it man)<br />blaring phones and those irritating ring tones<br />that musical horn that comes on when a car reverses<br />I'm just started.... and I have so many... I must be growing old<br />answering the phone when driving<br />mushy text messages....<br />MKS when he goes on about me being fat and my ass!!! ha...ha...but he does that to all...soooooooooo<br />an ex-colleague..... wont name...;-))))))))))AMFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02638490033176069904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31844546.post-1155318999899865032006-08-11T10:35:00.000-07:002006-08-11T11:06:47.543-07:00Kerala<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3924/3470/1600/me.0.jpg"></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3924/3470/1600/on%20the%20rock.jpg"><img style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3924/3470/320/on%20the%20rock.jpg" border="0" /></a> The goofy bunch that doesn't know any better.....<br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3924/3470/1600/mohini%20attam.0.jpg"><img style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3924/3470/320/mohini%20attam.0.jpg" border="0" /></a> Mohiniatta dancer...she was simply wow!!!!<br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3924/3470/1600/me%20and%20kathakali.0.jpg"><img style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3924/3470/320/me%20and%20kathakali.0.jpg" border="0" /></a> Wish I had a few moves this Kathakali dancer had .........<br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3924/3470/1600/fish%20and%20me.2.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3924/3470/320/fish%20and%20me.2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3924/3470/1600/fish%20and%20me.1.jpg"></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3924/3470/1600/kalyani%20and%20me.jpg"></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3924/3470/1600/kalyani%20and%20me.jpg"></a><br />Fish you are going to be famous..... you made it to my blog... what's eating you these days.... I'm dedicating a whole section to the Kerala trip...and to all me other buddies.... here you go... hey waht's namma "phirang" aunty up to these days...adduku adeavathu nalla solli kodu...fish.<br /><br />Truly had a blast... everything ended on a brilliant note.AMFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02638490033176069904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31844546.post-1154779003861833462006-08-05T03:13:00.000-07:002006-08-05T04:56:43.880-07:00Employee turnoverI found Azim Premji's note to his managers (below) on employee turnover an interesting read. The manager maybe one reason for attrition, but I think the problem runs deeper. At least for me, I know it was not just the manager or the money.... I call it the "employer fatigue" syndrome ... Calling it a syndrome is probably a little extreme... cause a syndrome is defined as “a combination of signs and/or symptoms that forms a distinct clinical picture indicative of a particular disorder” (from Oxford Concise Medical Dictionary). But that said, I'll try to put a finger on what exactly I mean by employer fatigue syndrome. Maybe it already exists, I've never researched it so I honestly don't know. Remember the Gulf War Syndrome... <br /><br />Now to call it a syndrome, we need to list symptoms right, I will try do just that... At most exit interviews, employees end up using term/terms similar to "fed up of work," "work being a drag," "bored," "stagnation," and many other dramatic words.<br /><br />I'm still building my theory. I will continue this some other time ...<br /><br /><br />It’s from Mr. Azim Premji's desk on 22nd Meet Mr. Premji forwarded to his<br />colleagues……. It’s a Must Read For everyone.<br />WHY EMPLOYEES LEAVE ORGANIZATIONS?<br />Every company normally faces one common problem of high employee turnout<br />ratio. People are leaving the company for better pay, better profile or simply for<br />just one reason' pack gay '. This article might just throw some light on the<br />matter... After reading it' I realized how true the subject line of this mail is.<br />Early this year, Arun, an old friend who is a senior software designer, got an<br />offer from a prestigious international firm to work in its India operations<br />developing specialized software. He was thrilled by the offer. He had heard a lot<br />about the CEO of this company, charismatic man often quoted in the business<br />press for his visionary attitude. The salary was great. The company had all the<br />right systems in place employee-friendly human resources (HR) policies, a<br />spanking new office, and the very best technology, even a canteen that served<br />superb food. Twice Arun was sent abroad for training. "My learning curve is the<br />sharpest it's ever been," he said soon after he joined. "It's a real high working<br />with such cutting edge technology." Last week, less than eight months after he<br />joined.<br />Arun walked out of the job.<br /><br />He has no other offer in hand but he said he couldn't take it anymore. Nor,<br />apparently, could several other people in his department who have also quit<br />recently. The CEO is distressed about the high employee turnover. He's<br />distressed about the money he's spent in training them. He's distressed<br />because he can't figure out what happened.<br />Why did this talented employee leave despite a top salary? Arun quit for the<br />same reason that drives many good people away. The answer lies in one of the<br />largest studies undertaken by the Gallup Organization. The study surveyed over<br />a million employees and 80,000 managers and was published in a book called:<br />‘First Break All the Rules’<br />It came up with this surprising finding: If you're losing good people, look to<br />their immediate supervisor. More than any other single reason, he is the<br />reason people stay and thrive in an organization. And he's the reason why they<br />quit, taking their knowledge, experience and contacts with them.<br />Often, straight to the competition.<br />"People leave Bosses not companies" write the authors Marcus Buckingham<br />and Curt Coffman. "So much money has been thrown at the challenge of<br />keeping good people - in the form of better pay, better perks and better<br />training - when, in the end, turnover is mostly manager issue." If you have a<br />turnover problem, look first to your managers. Are they driving people away?<br />Beyond a point, an employee's primary need has less to do with money, and<br />more to do with how he's treated and how valued he feels. Much of this<br />depends directly on the immediate manager. And yet, bad bosses seem to<br />happen to good people everywhere. A Fortune magazine survey some years<br />ago found that nearly 75 per cent of employees have suffered at the hands of<br />difficult superiors. You can leave one job to find - you guessed it, another wolf<br />in a pin-stripe suit in the next one.<br /><br />Of all the workplace stressors, a bad boss is possibly the worst, directly<br />impacting the emotional health and productivity of employees. HR experts say<br />that of all the abuses, employees find public humiliation the most intolerable.<br />The first time, an employee may not leave, but a thought has been planted.<br />The second time, that thought gets strengthened. The third time, he starts<br />looking for another job. When people cannot retort openly in anger, they do so<br />by passive aggression.<br />By digging their heels in and slowing down. By doing only what they are told to<br />do and no more. By omitting to give the boss crucial information. Dev says: "If<br />you work for a jerk, you basically want to get him into trouble.<br />You don't have your heart and soul in the job." Different managers can stress<br />out employees in different ways - by being too controlling, too suspicious, too<br />pushy, too critical, but they forget that ‘workers are not fixed assets, they are<br />free agents’.<br /><br />When this goes on too long, an employee will quit - often over seemingly trivial<br />issue. It isn't the 100th blow that knocks a good man down. It's the 99 that<br />went before. And while it's true that people leave jobs for all kinds of reasons-<br />for better opportunities or for circumstantial reasons, many who leave would<br />have stayed - had it not been for one man constantly telling them, as Arun's<br />boss did: "You are dispensable. I can find dozens like you." While it seems like<br />there are plenty of other fish especially in today's waters, consider for a<br />moment the cost of losing a talented employee. There's the cost of finding a<br />replacement.<br />The cost of training the replacement. The cost of not having someone to do the<br />job in the meantime. The loss of clients and contacts the person had with the<br />industry. The loss of morale in co-workers. The loss of trade secrets this person<br />may now share with others. Plus, of course, the loss of the company's<br />reputation.<br />‘Every person who leaves a corporation then becomes its ambassador,<br />for better or for worse’.<br />We all know of large IT companies that people would love to join and large<br />television companies few want to go near. In both cases, former employees<br />have left to tell their tales. "Any company trying to compete must figure out a<br />way to engage the mind of every employee," Jack Welch of GE once said. Much<br />of a company's value lies "between the ears of its employees". If it's bleeding<br />talent, it's bleeding value.<br />Unfortunately, many senior executives busy traveling the world,<br />signing new deals and developing a vision for the company, have<br />little idea of what may be going on at home ????AMFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02638490033176069904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31844546.post-1154547055716077852006-08-02T12:19:00.000-07:002006-08-11T10:33:22.990-07:00NetiquetteA few words in an email can make or break relations...personal, professional and/or otherwise... It's strange to see people struggle with something as simple as writing a letter - striking a balance with the right mix of humor and seriousness.<br /><br />This link is a good start<br /><a href="http://email.about.com/od/netiquettetips/">http://email.about.com/od/netiquettetips/</a><br /><br />Here is a list of all that is covered in that page... the tiniest of things matter.AMFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02638490033176069904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31844546.post-1154174236512514332006-07-29T04:54:00.000-07:002006-08-12T23:49:17.713-07:00Waterfalls...wonder what Freud would say<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3924/3470/1600/waterfall%203.jpg"><img style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3924/3470/320/waterfall%203.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3924/3470/1600/waterfall%202.jpg"></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3924/3470/1600/waterfall%202.jpg"></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3924/3470/1600/waterfall%202.jpg"></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3924/3470/1600/waterfall%202.jpg"><img style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3924/3470/320/waterfall%202.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3924/3470/1600/waterfall.jpg"><img style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3924/3470/320/waterfall.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />I simply love these images of waterfalls.... MKS you have me to thank for these....I can just see him gritting his teeth for saying that the .......eeeemmm.... 1 billionth time ...... I'm wondering what Freud would say about people who like waterfalls... that they like nature......ha..ha!!!!!!!!...who takes him seriously any way!!!!AMFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02638490033176069904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31844546.post-1154173912875121162006-07-29T04:45:00.000-07:002006-09-01T10:04:25.600-07:00Time to take things seriously<span style="color:#ffffcc;">And, here I am again trying to set up my blog and keep it alive! And this time unlike other times I have promised to keep it going. This time round its just what the title suggests anything and everything that come to my mind I put down....starting with photography, music, movies, note to myself, work driving me nuts, mad at the world, my friends and so on.</span>AMFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02638490033176069904noreply@blogger.com0