'All else being equal'
The whole outside world is stand still and it is chaotic motion here in our lives.Things are moving so fast in here that within a matter of hours a company comes in conducts interviews, leaves the campus, we finish a case study, solve problems for next day's tutorial, have group discussions in class over case studies, sleep over the fin accounting lecture, gorge off paratha and juices way past midnight ( all these events do not necessarily take place in this order or they may also, I am not too sure ) . In the outside world things are still moving at snail's pace i guess, don't have too much time to look outside this jungle. All in all this jungle is fun !!!
The jungle is full of all sorts of sleep deprived creatures going through the whole rigmarole over and over :-) with newer and tougher deadlines and conditions.
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Friday, August 18, 2006
Hi from Mum-bhai
Wrote a mail to my ex-colleague
Go on sailor ... !!
"At 3 AM now, just felt like pouring out some words back towards my beloved NOIDA.I have been missing the cozy comfort of CSC.It was really easy to get up at 9 and reach office around 10 or 10:30 but here being able to climb the '96 steps to excellence' ( our acad section is on a hillock ) plus another equal number of steps in the acad building and the hostel at 8:55 or 9:00 AM and face the professors one after another fighting an untiring battle of 1.5 hours each with the drowsy students seems like an uphill task.It was easier to put your views on the Nortel Phone over to Steve than it is to shout it out loud in a case study discussion.All in all I am feeling the pangs of missing cool comfort but I really feel it was important for me to shake myself off that frigid comfort and get bare in front of the world and am enjoying it.I feel it is really important for every one to take risk and come out in open .... CSC is cozy very true but there are institutions and people outside who deserve you more :-). This is not a lateral recruitment drive for some other company or college but just felt that way ... .I feel greatly indebted to all of you for being very good and trusted friends.
I know the scene is so dynamic that by now half of the floor must have been filled with newer folks and the per capita beauty of CSC must have risen to greater heights ;-) .Enjoy karte raho and all the very best for all your party sharty ... sunaa hai Nainital ka trip ban raha hai .. great hai !!! All the besties !!!"
I actually feel that it was important to shake me and my ideas to the core that knowing and perfecting the art of one small area of business or rather such a small portion of life does not mean anything.It is important to move on and visit newer frontiers.Go on sailor ... !!
Sunday, August 06, 2006
life @ NITIE
Back here after a long time, first it was the black out of blogger by ISPs and then things were pretty hectic.
I am still not able to get the hang of things in true sense, life has been running at fifth gear since the day we arrived in Mumbai.The incessant rains and extreme greenery of the junglesque campus of NITIE has very much become a part of me.We were taught about the ins and outs of b skool life very early, the instructions were loud and clear no more sleep and rest.Things like group activities, case study presentations, committee selections etc took most of the time of our first month here.
I got to know the varied and very talented junta here, the people can sing and dance at the drop of a hat and create humour or satire through street plays or mime any time ( mostly creativity flows after 1 AM in the night ).Now people have started consuming Gigs and Gigs of movies, friend, Joey, the most unheard of classics of hollywood and what not ;-).
The morn comes ( without the sun ... still monsoons here ) and begins the race for beating the clock and reaching class in time ( we have to climb '96 steps to excellence' to reach the academic block plus another equal no of stairs in the hostel and acad bldng ) where all of the profs are ready with their surprises ( as if we are going to get awed with more than expected surprise tests or case studies ).Backbenchers try there level best to remain as unobtrusive and mute as possible so as not to disturb the class and in return enjoy the soporific environs of NITIE.I can assure you that no other B skool in India has got more beautiful view from within the class with high rises of Hiranandani silhoutted on the Vihar/Powai Lake.
and the race continues rather just started ....
I am still not able to get the hang of things in true sense, life has been running at fifth gear since the day we arrived in Mumbai.The incessant rains and extreme greenery of the junglesque campus of NITIE has very much become a part of me.We were taught about the ins and outs of b skool life very early, the instructions were loud and clear no more sleep and rest.Things like group activities, case study presentations, committee selections etc took most of the time of our first month here.
I got to know the varied and very talented junta here, the people can sing and dance at the drop of a hat and create humour or satire through street plays or mime any time ( mostly creativity flows after 1 AM in the night ).Now people have started consuming Gigs and Gigs of movies, friend, Joey, the most unheard of classics of hollywood and what not ;-).
The morn comes ( without the sun ... still monsoons here ) and begins the race for beating the clock and reaching class in time ( we have to climb '96 steps to excellence' to reach the academic block plus another equal no of stairs in the hostel and acad bldng ) where all of the profs are ready with their surprises ( as if we are going to get awed with more than expected surprise tests or case studies ).Backbenchers try there level best to remain as unobtrusive and mute as possible so as not to disturb the class and in return enjoy the soporific environs of NITIE.I can assure you that no other B skool in India has got more beautiful view from within the class with high rises of Hiranandani silhoutted on the Vihar/Powai Lake.
and the race continues rather just started ....
Thursday, April 13, 2006
Itz a jungle out there
this is the new delhi sky at dusk ... while we were coming back from our tiring trip from Sariska Tiger Reserve,Rajasthan.The place is close to 37 KM from Alwar which is infact 140 KM from Delhi.The reserve should be renamed as a peacock reserve as even the goverment servants in 'Tiger Den' shamelessly declare to the tourists that there is not even a single tiger left in the jungle ... all poached down by the famous Sansar Chand.Though the place is pretty retro, we enjoyed a few drinks at the bar which reminded me of the era when Naseeruddin Shah and Saeed Jafri sang "huzoor is qadar bhi na itraa ke chaliye .." 
Sunday, April 02, 2006
The Great Wall of India
This weekend I have been watching television in marathon sessions interspersed with the inevitable breaks for lunch and drinks.There has been an overwhelming coverage of Indian Cricket these days on Television.There were at least 2-3 interviews of Dravid accross different channels and he appeared to be extremely learned in terms of leadership or team work fundas, avoided the volleys of Greg-Ganguly contorversy and other such questions as if they were well read Bouncers from inexperienced pacers.Rajdeep Sardesai correctly pointed out that Dravid was sounding so knowlegeable that he should take up profession of taking leaderhip seminars or lectures once he is retired.
Cricket is everywhere, in discussions on News Channels where Sidhuisms continue unabated ( inspite of the fact that these days he is getting lots of airtime elsewhere also e.g on Laughter Challenge ), people are SMSing to make Raina, Dhoni, Powar upcoming heroes, the reporters are invading houses of these new age heroes asking the most cliched questions "Aap Kaisa mehsoos ker rahe hain ?" ( at least the smaller towns of UP are in news for some good reasons and not for operation Majnu etc ), Kumble is there on the Sunday Times of TOI, one private airliner promoting Delhi-Goa flight allowing common men to get shoulder to shoulder with the men in blue.
In all this hoopla at times one feels do we have any other sports in India. Alas ! very recently the commonwealth games were finished and we were able to perform decently i guess.Shamsher Jung was adjudged the most outstanding athelete of the games winning 7 medals , I would love to see how his family ( his wife too is winner of gold at the same games ) is celebrating his success, most of us don't even know to which city he belongs.There were so many other winners who have won laurels but they are not at all being put in limelight.What makes heroes ? I think these days it is the media which makes rules as to what hogs the limelight and who bites the dust of anonymity or is it the other way round ?
p.s. : the title of this post is credited to the CNN IBN interview of Dravid.
Cricket is everywhere, in discussions on News Channels where Sidhuisms continue unabated ( inspite of the fact that these days he is getting lots of airtime elsewhere also e.g on Laughter Challenge ), people are SMSing to make Raina, Dhoni, Powar upcoming heroes, the reporters are invading houses of these new age heroes asking the most cliched questions "Aap Kaisa mehsoos ker rahe hain ?" ( at least the smaller towns of UP are in news for some good reasons and not for operation Majnu etc ), Kumble is there on the Sunday Times of TOI, one private airliner promoting Delhi-Goa flight allowing common men to get shoulder to shoulder with the men in blue.
In all this hoopla at times one feels do we have any other sports in India. Alas ! very recently the commonwealth games were finished and we were able to perform decently i guess.Shamsher Jung was adjudged the most outstanding athelete of the games winning 7 medals , I would love to see how his family ( his wife too is winner of gold at the same games ) is celebrating his success, most of us don't even know to which city he belongs.There were so many other winners who have won laurels but they are not at all being put in limelight.What makes heroes ? I think these days it is the media which makes rules as to what hogs the limelight and who bites the dust of anonymity or is it the other way round ?
p.s. : the title of this post is credited to the CNN IBN interview of Dravid.
Saturday, April 01, 2006
Chasing away boredom on this weekend, lazy afternoon !!
A friend dictated his visit to Amsterdam / Europe as scary and full of revelations which made him like his motherland more and more .It is just the conversion factor ( $ to Rs ) which is driving people crazy.According to him the whole of europe seems full of perverts , ppl *ing everywhere in and arnd Eiffel tower, on subways and where not, it is so risky travelling alone or even in a small group, there have been horror stories of people getting robbed and all.Am sure this is not the full picture but at least some corners of the picture are dark. I guess it is just the alien effect, aliens in any place are equally precarious.They are so much out of context in the host country that things are bound to have a different shade.US folks coming to India find things eually chaotic, they feel that on roads here traffic is coming from all direction and in all forms ( from local made bullock carts to the Mercs ) on the same two lane road.
All this thing came to the mind my this week's marathon TV viewing session watching 'Chasing Liberty'( a la 'Dil hai ki manta nahi' girl leaving home in search of answers and falling in love etc etc ) , remember one more movie 'Euro Trip'( Tagline: No actual Europeans were harmed in the making of this film). I guess even the americans have a mysticism,romanticism about Europe, may be 'cause they trace their roots to Europe.
p.s. : all the above statements are purely a result of the concoction of my tidbits of knowledge.No harm intended to any nation/race/spcies/genus/kingdom.
All this thing came to the mind my this week's marathon TV viewing session watching 'Chasing Liberty'( a la 'Dil hai ki manta nahi' girl leaving home in search of answers and falling in love etc etc ) , remember one more movie 'Euro Trip'( Tagline: No actual Europeans were harmed in the making of this film). I guess even the americans have a mysticism,romanticism about Europe, may be 'cause they trace their roots to Europe.
p.s. : all the above statements are purely a result of the concoction of my tidbits of knowledge.No harm intended to any nation/race/spcies/genus/kingdom.
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Atulya !Bharat a la Incredible !ndia
I am not going to advertise the tourist hegemony of India or praise the oddest possible Yogic Calisthenics which is shown in the advert as if it is a daily morning act in front of Taj .I think you all can imagine what would be the most probable morning picture in Agra with the Taj in the backdrop, some kid shitting carelessly in the open very much unaware of Shah Jahan or Yoga.Here are some of the incidents that I came accross recently :
- I was waiting in line for getting a train reservation and as usual there were at least 150 persons in a relatively smaller room insufficient even to house 15 cows if they were placed as per PETA's guidelines, but alas there is no one fighting for treating human beings humanely.After a wait of close to 2 hours I was relieved that there was only one person in between me and the cancelled ticket money ( another long whining going on in my mind of why even after paying a 100 bucks or so extra for booking the ticket online I can't get it cancelled in a similar manner ).The ticket clerk asked the chap in front of me why he hadn't specified his flat / house number in the specified place, he said he lives in Jhuggi Jhopri colony so he doesn't have a house number but then the clerk remarked that he had mentioned a mobile number he grinned widely and displaying his Nokia 3315 said "haan mobile phone to hai naa !!".
- I went to a friend's place and while I was comparing his cook's elegance with that of my cook's brazen ways one thing came up which took me with great surprise.He told me that they were late in paying the cook his salary in time once or twice due to one reason or the other when the cook was a little irked and the third time he asked them "Sir ! why are you taking so much pains of withdrawing the money from ATM etc. Do one thing, here is my ICICI account number just transfer the money online I would check it myself".Now the trend in there home is that as they make other regular payments to Hutch or their credit card they are now paying their cook's salary online.
Sunday, March 26, 2006
Therez no spoon !!
Do not try and bend the spoon. That's impossible. Instead only try to realize the truth.
What truth?
There is no spoon.
There is no spoon?
Then you'll see that it is not the spoon that bends, it is only yourself.
I have left out the dream of studying at an IIM and will take up one of the colleges ( got two options in Mumbai ).Want to defer the battle to the real corporate world ... letz just jump the bandwagon and see what I can make out of life !!!
Was talking to one person about his GD/PI experiences .. he said you know almost all the people that came were more or less like us, they were ordinary people ..it was Dejavu same words which one of my frnd at IIM* ( he finished out his term this april and was all over the news channels for taking his own road by abstaining from the recruitment process ) told people in there are more or less like us !!! I know buddy they too are human beings only .
Is it something like there is an old story, everybody made the king believe he was wearing the best of dress when he was actually naked. May be the analogy is not entirely applicable but it certainly happens that this whole hysteria or hoopla makes people supreme confident, each and every human being ( say media,junta,peers etc etc ) contributes his cents. This whole brings out supreme human beings out of those pious citadels called IIMs.
There is definitely a supreme system (the Profs,the curriculum, the peers) which bring out an excellent human being out of IIMs.I salute thee ( from the outside of course !! ).
What truth?
There is no spoon.
There is no spoon?
Then you'll see that it is not the spoon that bends, it is only yourself.
I have left out the dream of studying at an IIM and will take up one of the colleges ( got two options in Mumbai ).Want to defer the battle to the real corporate world ... letz just jump the bandwagon and see what I can make out of life !!!
Was talking to one person about his GD/PI experiences .. he said you know almost all the people that came were more or less like us, they were ordinary people ..it was Dejavu same words which one of my frnd at IIM* ( he finished out his term this april and was all over the news channels for taking his own road by abstaining from the recruitment process ) told people in there are more or less like us !!! I know buddy they too are human beings only .
Is it something like there is an old story, everybody made the king believe he was wearing the best of dress when he was actually naked. May be the analogy is not entirely applicable but it certainly happens that this whole hysteria or hoopla makes people supreme confident, each and every human being ( say media,junta,peers etc etc ) contributes his cents. This whole brings out supreme human beings out of those pious citadels called IIMs.
There is definitely a supreme system (the Profs,the curriculum, the peers) which bring out an excellent human being out of IIMs.I salute thee ( from the outside of course !! ).
Friday, February 03, 2006
Tiranga day ( belated though ) !!
I distinctly remember those sonorous voices of Jasdev Singh and some others elegantly describing the gala displays of military might of India on Republic Day Parade in the commentary on doordarshan, when as kids we used to get up early in the morning and get ready by the time the national flag is unfurled and we heard "Jana Gana Man .." standing in attention.He would call the beautifully attired soldiers "Hamare Ran Bankure" and other such adjectives for technical innovations of Indian Military.
I had the honor of listening to him live on the Rajpath this Republic Day and watch the entire paraphernalia in person.What was very much evident at the parade was that it was the result of rigorous preparations and efforts of a great lot of people ( the performers, military personnel, the beauracrats and thousands of police staff engaged in security arrangements ).I would like to give all of them a 10 on 10 for excellent arrangements and a nice display of clockwork like arrangement.It is really nice to see something "sarkari" working flawlessly on time.The bangs of 21 gun-salute , the deafening roar of mirage, synchronised footsteps of groups after groups of soldiers will be memories worth remembering.There were two foreigners nicely dressed up in Indian dress with full accoutrements ( bindi,chudi,sari etc etc ) enjoying the republic day immensly and lots of other foreigners were watching in amazement while the whole paraphernalia passed accross the Rajpath.
Some people call it "a lump in your stomach" as yesterday Barkha Dutt described on NDTV her feelings on hearing the national anthem or watching the republic day parade but I view it as a crystal clear feeling of pride and honour.
And finally my day ended with "Rang de Basanti" - a must watch !!!
This post was meant for 26th Jan ...but it's ok if i post it now.I've watched a rerun of "Rang de .." today and it was as frothy and youthful as last time ( I know it is obvious .. the movies hasn't changed :-) )
I had the honor of listening to him live on the Rajpath this Republic Day and watch the entire paraphernalia in person.What was very much evident at the parade was that it was the result of rigorous preparations and efforts of a great lot of people ( the performers, military personnel, the beauracrats and thousands of police staff engaged in security arrangements ).I would like to give all of them a 10 on 10 for excellent arrangements and a nice display of clockwork like arrangement.It is really nice to see something "sarkari" working flawlessly on time.The bangs of 21 gun-salute , the deafening roar of mirage, synchronised footsteps of groups after groups of soldiers will be memories worth remembering.There were two foreigners nicely dressed up in Indian dress with full accoutrements ( bindi,chudi,sari etc etc ) enjoying the republic day immensly and lots of other foreigners were watching in amazement while the whole paraphernalia passed accross the Rajpath.
Some people call it "a lump in your stomach" as yesterday Barkha Dutt described on NDTV her feelings on hearing the national anthem or watching the republic day parade but I view it as a crystal clear feeling of pride and honour.
And finally my day ended with "Rang de Basanti" - a must watch !!!
This post was meant for 26th Jan ...but it's ok if i post it now.I've watched a rerun of "Rang de .." today and it was as frothy and youthful as last time ( I know it is obvious .. the movies hasn't changed :-) )
Saturday, January 14, 2006
Happy birthday to me !!!
Itz my birthday today !!
Had a mast party at a restaurant which serves all sorts of continental , now i can't recall names of any of the dishes - , salsa, jalpenos, boiled spinach in white sauce, Chef special soup inside a big bun with breads served along side ... one had to be extra cautious not to break the bun at an inappropriate angle to let the flood of soup gushing- only thing i can remember now is the few drinks and "happy b'day" calls from some very good friends.
The cliched "Therez life after CAT" mails on groups make me think a lot ... 0/6 IIM calls .. other results awaited .... and I am waiting too :-)
Had a mast party at a restaurant which serves all sorts of continental , now i can't recall names of any of the dishes - , salsa, jalpenos, boiled spinach in white sauce, Chef special soup inside a big bun with breads served along side ... one had to be extra cautious not to break the bun at an inappropriate angle to let the flood of soup gushing- only thing i can remember now is the few drinks and "happy b'day" calls from some very good friends.
The cliched "Therez life after CAT" mails on groups make me think a lot ... 0/6 IIM calls .. other results awaited .... and I am waiting too :-)
Thursday, December 01, 2005
Wherez the party yaar !!
Saadi dilli !!!
Internet cafe in Srinagar, GD/PI preparation , Sensex falls due to correction, have you had sufficient lemon along with your drinks "concern","where's the party Yaar" kind of marriage reception of a friend,keep going straight ..cross Toll Bridge, Dhaula Kuan, Moolchand, AIIMS, take left from the #$%%^ red light and you reach the venue half drunk to sieze a few more drinks of Bacardi "life is calling" Rum, and tiring dance to the tune of "mundiayan to bach ke rahin" ..trip back home comfy bed with a Night @ a Call center by Chetan Bhagat. Life is happening and am enjoying, you too do the same have a safe and sound sleep untill I finish the night at call center connexion !!!
Internet cafe in Srinagar, GD/PI preparation , Sensex falls due to correction, have you had sufficient lemon along with your drinks "concern","where's the party Yaar" kind of marriage reception of a friend,keep going straight ..cross Toll Bridge, Dhaula Kuan, Moolchand, AIIMS, take left from the #$%%^ red light and you reach the venue half drunk to sieze a few more drinks of Bacardi "life is calling" Rum, and tiring dance to the tune of "mundiayan to bach ke rahin" ..trip back home comfy bed with a Night @ a Call center by Chetan Bhagat. Life is happening and am enjoying, you too do the same have a safe and sound sleep untill I finish the night at call center connexion !!!
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
You are here !!
I am back !!
Had never dreamt that I would fall flat on ground so soon.The people made me realize "You are here" and the "I am back" fun was gone too early.
I am carrying two cabin baggages with difficulty wading my way through the tight aisles of the plane full of "apne log" from Frankfurt. I had picked up a copy of Times of India ( hereafter TOI) and on my way to the seat had made good plans of how I am going to enjoy my long awaited reading orgy with TOI.TOI has been such an integral part of my mornings in India.I had been given the aisle seat and the guy on the next seat is an indian of about my age, we exchange smiles, he helps me in fitting my bags into the overhead bin.While I was just adjusting my bags he grabs MY copy of TOI and asks where did i get that , told him it was there with the flight attendants.Showing no courtesy and without even a piece of thanks he starts reading MY newspaper and after full 20-30 minutes when his hunger is satisfied he pops the paper back to me which obviously is passed onto another gentleman sitting in the front seat without my bating an eyelid.
It was kind of a realization to me.Why we Indians are in general so discorteous.I was just expecting some respect for my personal space and for him to ask a simple "Can I borrow this " etc etc. We need to learn a lot in terms of public manners.We have been grabbing things, pushing people aside, shouting at them, spitting at anything or anybody at our own free will,Taking a U-turn in the middle of a crowded street just because we don't care about the other road users - All these amount to disrespect to your fellow human being and nothing else.
But yeah after a long long time eating yummy spicy Indian food was fun and am not satiated.Even after two weeks of being back in India the list of mouth-watering items is still pending.
Had never dreamt that I would fall flat on ground so soon.The people made me realize "You are here" and the "I am back" fun was gone too early.
I am carrying two cabin baggages with difficulty wading my way through the tight aisles of the plane full of "apne log" from Frankfurt. I had picked up a copy of Times of India ( hereafter TOI) and on my way to the seat had made good plans of how I am going to enjoy my long awaited reading orgy with TOI.TOI has been such an integral part of my mornings in India.I had been given the aisle seat and the guy on the next seat is an indian of about my age, we exchange smiles, he helps me in fitting my bags into the overhead bin.While I was just adjusting my bags he grabs MY copy of TOI and asks where did i get that , told him it was there with the flight attendants.Showing no courtesy and without even a piece of thanks he starts reading MY newspaper and after full 20-30 minutes when his hunger is satisfied he pops the paper back to me which obviously is passed onto another gentleman sitting in the front seat without my bating an eyelid.
It was kind of a realization to me.Why we Indians are in general so discorteous.I was just expecting some respect for my personal space and for him to ask a simple "Can I borrow this " etc etc. We need to learn a lot in terms of public manners.We have been grabbing things, pushing people aside, shouting at them, spitting at anything or anybody at our own free will,Taking a U-turn in the middle of a crowded street just because we don't care about the other road users - All these amount to disrespect to your fellow human being and nothing else.
But yeah after a long long time eating yummy spicy Indian food was fun and am not satiated.Even after two weeks of being back in India the list of mouth-watering items is still pending.
Friday, October 07, 2005
Have a safe journey
So the party is over and am heading back to India today.Not written anything for long 'cause there was nothing unusual or comic happening around here, I got so used to all the surroundings for the past few weeks .... but now when I'll reach back the contrast and differences will get magnified and I know for a few days at least it would be a little odd .
As is the case with all others I too am going back laden with lots of goodies ( mostly e-gadgetry ) got the latest tech gizmo iPOD nano and my very own lappy !!!
Today one lady from in here asked loud and clear in my farewell party if I was married .... aww after a little blush I said no and next she shoots the least expected question in public ... do you have a girl friend ? ..... I was thinking may be she next bumps with the usual question that you get from unknown chat mates from angrez places you meet on yahoo mesngr have you had --- ?? thank god she didn't !!!
bye gotta run run run for India !!!
As is the case with all others I too am going back laden with lots of goodies ( mostly e-gadgetry ) got the latest tech gizmo iPOD nano and my very own lappy !!!
Today one lady from in here asked loud and clear in my farewell party if I was married .... aww after a little blush I said no and next she shoots the least expected question in public ... do you have a girl friend ? ..... I was thinking may be she next bumps with the usual question that you get from unknown chat mates from angrez places you meet on yahoo mesngr have you had --- ?? thank god she didn't !!!
bye gotta run run run for India !!!
Saturday, September 17, 2005
1 2 KA 4 - weird
My aptt number in the hotel is 2104 , the extension at my cubicle is 1241 , the cubicle number is 2140, the extension of zip code of our US office address is 1214 .. weird !!! isn't it.
Friday, September 16, 2005
'know what i mean !!!
Another very frequently used slang in here.
Lots of water has flown down the Connecticut river since i last blogged.Been to NY thrice, saw US open match, visited Niagara Falls.Wanted to write detailed account of all the visits but couldn't.
Am conversing with firang folks pretty effortlessly now, no need to put in any conscious effort.
Travelling long distance by bus in here was great fun, makes you feel closer to people.Then only you realize that US is a big collage of humanity, one can see all shades and colors of people here.I seriously feel that the actual inhabitants must be feeling as foreign in here as anybody coming from outside given the fact that there are so many people of other nationalities in here.
A nice description of my trips follows soon.
Lots of water has flown down the Connecticut river since i last blogged.Been to NY thrice, saw US open match, visited Niagara Falls.Wanted to write detailed account of all the visits but couldn't.
Am conversing with firang folks pretty effortlessly now, no need to put in any conscious effort.
Travelling long distance by bus in here was great fun, makes you feel closer to people.Then only you realize that US is a big collage of humanity, one can see all shades and colors of people here.I seriously feel that the actual inhabitants must be feeling as foreign in here as anybody coming from outside given the fact that there are so many people of other nationalities in here.
A nice description of my trips follows soon.
Friday, September 02, 2005
I ain't telliin nobody nothin
Cause nothing is happening in life :-) !! got used to the air, the cubicle, the slangs, the status meetings and am immersed in lots of interesting work ( in office ).
Friday, August 12, 2005
Yes and No .....
One more of the slang expressions used frequently in here to mean "not sure" I think .
Life has smoothened a lot now .We have gotten used to the foreign faces and their styles. We now know for sure which breads to pick for our breakfast out of the given dozen varieties, got used to buckling up as soon I get in the car and various other such subtleties.
It is really difficult speaking on face in real time and making the people understand when they have such a different accent and jargon of their own. You might consider yourself a champion of english but the way they speak it in here is very different.It makes you realise that we definitely speak a lot faster than what is needed and we always tend to eat out words.The people in office usually pinpoint and ask for those particular words which you either pronounced wrongly or hurried through just may be 'cause you were not very sure of it's usage or whatever.e.g. one person said that i would be able draw the complete picture only after speaking to Mr X , my manager pointed you would do what to a picture just because he had said the words "draw a picture " a little too fast. The trick is to just speak crisp and clear and give proper pauses.There is no fuss about the accent it is about speaking clearly.
I am neck deep in work these days and it is fun to work with some added responsibility of co-ordinating with the folks back in India and passing on the status and % completion to managers and others in here.It is definitely amazing to see that those TEFRA and TAMRA are not mere imaginary frankensteins which were created to bug us , they are a bunch of real rules which actually get applied to real money and people.The death claim is not a mere transaction it means much more.
From India everything seemed so virtual as if we are playing a video game wherein our opponent sends a puzzle in the form of a new tax law or some new ruling which has to fit in somehow with the existing behemoth and we keep on playing our shots by asking queries to the client , they play back their best game by trying to complicate the puzzle more and more as the game progresses and finally in the end we are victorious when there is congratulation mail saying your puzzle is solved and is a part of the system.Stay awake and alert for the next round of the game.In here it seems a little less virtual and the game seems to yield at leat some physical output.
Life has smoothened a lot now .We have gotten used to the foreign faces and their styles. We now know for sure which breads to pick for our breakfast out of the given dozen varieties, got used to buckling up as soon I get in the car and various other such subtleties.
It is really difficult speaking on face in real time and making the people understand when they have such a different accent and jargon of their own. You might consider yourself a champion of english but the way they speak it in here is very different.It makes you realise that we definitely speak a lot faster than what is needed and we always tend to eat out words.The people in office usually pinpoint and ask for those particular words which you either pronounced wrongly or hurried through just may be 'cause you were not very sure of it's usage or whatever.e.g. one person said that i would be able draw the complete picture only after speaking to Mr X , my manager pointed you would do what to a picture just because he had said the words "draw a picture " a little too fast. The trick is to just speak crisp and clear and give proper pauses.There is no fuss about the accent it is about speaking clearly.
I am neck deep in work these days and it is fun to work with some added responsibility of co-ordinating with the folks back in India and passing on the status and % completion to managers and others in here.It is definitely amazing to see that those TEFRA and TAMRA are not mere imaginary frankensteins which were created to bug us , they are a bunch of real rules which actually get applied to real money and people.The death claim is not a mere transaction it means much more.
From India everything seemed so virtual as if we are playing a video game wherein our opponent sends a puzzle in the form of a new tax law or some new ruling which has to fit in somehow with the existing behemoth and we keep on playing our shots by asking queries to the client , they play back their best game by trying to complicate the puzzle more and more as the game progresses and finally in the end we are victorious when there is congratulation mail saying your puzzle is solved and is a part of the system.Stay awake and alert for the next round of the game.In here it seems a little less virtual and the game seems to yield at leat some physical output.
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
I appreciate it ....
This is one more of the hackneyed expressions that people in our office ( the Americans ) use .....
Here everything is so weird and foreign.Each and every expression of yours carries a different connotation than you could have imagined.I used the word white skin with a canadian girl and she pops back "Are you a racist".I can't imagine what hell would break loose if i ask for a "black" shoe polish or "white" linen.Black and white have an entirely different history and meaning in here.Talking of idiosyncracies , the Americans have named lots of commodities of daily use in their own way, Tomato Sauce is Ketchup and silencer is muffler, nothing else works.It has to be the american way only.
Life has been nauseatingly overwhelmed with different seasons of F.R.I.E.N.D.S. running on all the channels.Every channel has one episode daily at one time or the other and the weekends are FRIENDS day only.In these the characters are at different stages of their lives.Shandler and Monica had their first sexual encounter in one and in the other they are going for their interview to adopt a kid and in a third they are looking for a new appt. and all of them are nostaligically remembering all the naughty and funny days spent in the appt which monica and rachel shared intially.The advertisements ( even they are called something else in american english i don't recall though may be commercials ) are boring on American TV.They have to learn something from the indian TV.We have such a good collection of adverts produced these days that it is definitely more watching commercials than the actual programs.It seems Americans are big fans of comedy.There are many comic series running on various channels and each one is really interesting and worth the time it seems.Here they have freedom to advertise liquor and also it is mandatory on them to display and speak out the side-effects that a particular medication can cause.It is not the way that we have in India wherein they will make sure that within a span of 3 seconds they speak out a para of security risks and display in the smallest fonts the known side effects of a medication.
Yeah Americans are big shopaholics.I can not imagine how are they able to finish the amount of groceries that the people buy at one time.Customer is the real king in here.Somebody show the kiryana merchant in my city what consumerism means. He would make sure that you buy a rotten piece of bread and later on refuse to take it back citing the reason that the Company won't take it back.I can imagine what kind of mayhem it should be in here in the marketing arena.The marketing folks must be rubbing their a..... nice and strong in order to make a mark.
My lady manager recently had a slip of tongue when she said in one of our meetings about some issue that it is a real pain in the ....... ( she was quick to come up with a reprieve ) hand ....
Here everything is so weird and foreign.Each and every expression of yours carries a different connotation than you could have imagined.I used the word white skin with a canadian girl and she pops back "Are you a racist".I can't imagine what hell would break loose if i ask for a "black" shoe polish or "white" linen.Black and white have an entirely different history and meaning in here.Talking of idiosyncracies , the Americans have named lots of commodities of daily use in their own way, Tomato Sauce is Ketchup and silencer is muffler, nothing else works.It has to be the american way only.
Life has been nauseatingly overwhelmed with different seasons of F.R.I.E.N.D.S. running on all the channels.Every channel has one episode daily at one time or the other and the weekends are FRIENDS day only.In these the characters are at different stages of their lives.Shandler and Monica had their first sexual encounter in one and in the other they are going for their interview to adopt a kid and in a third they are looking for a new appt. and all of them are nostaligically remembering all the naughty and funny days spent in the appt which monica and rachel shared intially.The advertisements ( even they are called something else in american english i don't recall though may be commercials ) are boring on American TV.They have to learn something from the indian TV.We have such a good collection of adverts produced these days that it is definitely more watching commercials than the actual programs.It seems Americans are big fans of comedy.There are many comic series running on various channels and each one is really interesting and worth the time it seems.Here they have freedom to advertise liquor and also it is mandatory on them to display and speak out the side-effects that a particular medication can cause.It is not the way that we have in India wherein they will make sure that within a span of 3 seconds they speak out a para of security risks and display in the smallest fonts the known side effects of a medication.
Yeah Americans are big shopaholics.I can not imagine how are they able to finish the amount of groceries that the people buy at one time.Customer is the real king in here.Somebody show the kiryana merchant in my city what consumerism means. He would make sure that you buy a rotten piece of bread and later on refuse to take it back citing the reason that the Company won't take it back.I can imagine what kind of mayhem it should be in here in the marketing arena.The marketing folks must be rubbing their a..... nice and strong in order to make a mark.
My lady manager recently had a slip of tongue when she said in one of our meetings about some issue that it is a real pain in the ....... ( she was quick to come up with a reprieve ) hand ....
Sunday, August 07, 2005
Country Roads ...
Amitabh Bachchan is singing "Kabhi Kabhi mere dil mein khayal ataa hai ... magar yeh ho naa saka ..aur ae meri hamnfaz ab to yeh alam hai ke tu bhi nahi teri justuju bhi nahi .. " and the only familiar things around are the 4 indian souls sitting inside the Toyota Corolla rest everything is foreign , the country roads, the beautiful corn fields, the cruise bikers and the State Police cops wearing nice hats ( I had never thought that the cops we saw in hollywood movies actually existed but they do ) and lots and lots of american families . I was amazed to see that so many americans are married and have kids because the way the newspapers and websites presented the problems of americans living single lives and divorces i had thought America would be deviod of kids but yes there are kids and almost every family has on an average 4 kids .
The houses around here are have their designs the way we used to draw huts in landscapes in our childhood ,huts with tiled roofs and slanting on both sides. Except for the apartments the houses are mostly built on separate spacious lands contrast this with the way we have our houses built .. each house jostles for space with the other trying to pose it's own authority.That's the way we do in our public life pushing the other person aside because may be the way we have been brought up our psyche says that you need to push the person in front of you and you don't have to make way for the peson following you just keep holding your space. Here it seems there is so much individual space , you can feel free 'cause no one is going to push you down.The people are damn serious about following traffic rules and they will honk their horns as soon as you make a mistake while driving and the desis too drive with extreme caution and dedication to follow rules.I am not sure where our concious takes a dive when the same scenarios appear in our motherland. We would be honking horns shouting and turning to our destination with our free will and shamelessly flaunt a 100 rupee note if caught up in some kind of trouble.
When nature was calling I had to hold on for at least half an hour though we were driving in the countryside and it seemed most appropriate to me to give my contribution to the mother nature by watering some beautiful videshi grass but rules are rules and you are not allowed to litter on freeways in USA .For us Indians , the woods are the biggest aphrodisiacs ( for loo ) and we get the best satisfaction by relieving us on the roadside. Before leaving for a trip one makes sure that there is sufficient liquid inside one's bowels so that the roadside is not deviod of the highly nutritious supply vented out by the most sophisticated fertilizer plant made by mother nature.
I was once again amazed with the culture in which the people expect you to say hi how are you .. how are you doing .. how are you today ... to the strangest stranger you meet. It was once again confirmed that if you want a vegetarian diet served to you in an American Restaurant make sure that you say "NO BEEF NO MEAT VEGGIE" burger/pizza because a friend of ours ordered for some Cajun burger with lettuce leaves onions etc and when the dish arrived it turned out to be beef though the waitress was grateful in replacing it with a veggie pizza but the damage was almost done had we not taken proper precaution.Gotta go now and take my maiden voyage to try my hands at the coin guzzling US laundry machine !!!
The houses around here are have their designs the way we used to draw huts in landscapes in our childhood ,huts with tiled roofs and slanting on both sides. Except for the apartments the houses are mostly built on separate spacious lands contrast this with the way we have our houses built .. each house jostles for space with the other trying to pose it's own authority.That's the way we do in our public life pushing the other person aside because may be the way we have been brought up our psyche says that you need to push the person in front of you and you don't have to make way for the peson following you just keep holding your space. Here it seems there is so much individual space , you can feel free 'cause no one is going to push you down.The people are damn serious about following traffic rules and they will honk their horns as soon as you make a mistake while driving and the desis too drive with extreme caution and dedication to follow rules.I am not sure where our concious takes a dive when the same scenarios appear in our motherland. We would be honking horns shouting and turning to our destination with our free will and shamelessly flaunt a 100 rupee note if caught up in some kind of trouble.
When nature was calling I had to hold on for at least half an hour though we were driving in the countryside and it seemed most appropriate to me to give my contribution to the mother nature by watering some beautiful videshi grass but rules are rules and you are not allowed to litter on freeways in USA .For us Indians , the woods are the biggest aphrodisiacs ( for loo ) and we get the best satisfaction by relieving us on the roadside. Before leaving for a trip one makes sure that there is sufficient liquid inside one's bowels so that the roadside is not deviod of the highly nutritious supply vented out by the most sophisticated fertilizer plant made by mother nature.
I was once again amazed with the culture in which the people expect you to say hi how are you .. how are you doing .. how are you today ... to the strangest stranger you meet. It was once again confirmed that if you want a vegetarian diet served to you in an American Restaurant make sure that you say "NO BEEF NO MEAT VEGGIE" burger/pizza because a friend of ours ordered for some Cajun burger with lettuce leaves onions etc and when the dish arrived it turned out to be beef though the waitress was grateful in replacing it with a veggie pizza but the damage was almost done had we not taken proper precaution.Gotta go now and take my maiden voyage to try my hands at the coin guzzling US laundry machine !!!
Thursday, August 04, 2005
In a trance ...
Am in a trance not because i've had 2 full glasses of red wine but because of the US factor .... reached EH this weekend only and am enjoying every bit of it though itz only been 2-3 days .... cooking the desi food in our appt kitchen .... the dustfree scenery ... the firangis and their slangs .. getting used to it all ... as of now there has not been any trip out of EH and hence the discovery of US is still pending ..
It is so inexplicably different that it was difficult to imagine .. it is understandable now how and why the people are so flabbergasted at the thought and sight of USA .... there are so many subtle cultural differences apart from the big ones that one can't imagine .How the americans are so polite and decent ...... you have to hold the door open for somebody coming from the front or back 'cause they always do it ..... you have to say hi howayya as soon as your eyes meet with anybody be it a stranger or one of your colleagues .
I have seen more species of cars in these 4 days than human beings , here they come in all shapes and sizes and brands ...... you won't easily see 2 same cars going side by side on the road ... they drive to the right .... why should they ??? it is so diff adjusting to this fact though am not driving myself but i tend to get the feel we are going to bump into the other car on the turn 'cause we are turning to the other right ..... also they walk to their right and as soon as i see somebody in the office coming from the front i tend to move towards left to give them a way and they too do the same 'cause they think right side is theirs , then there are quick exchanges of excuse me .... am sorry etc etc ..... and what to talk of cleanliness .... their offices are sparklingly clean but nobody seems to be attending to them .. in our office in India we have at least 50 men working on maintaining the facility cleaning each and every leaf of the decorative plants at least 4 times a day.The restrooms in our office is always crowded with at least 5 people in it at one time though only 2 of them are there for the actual purpose ..rest all are either mopping the floor or cleaning the sink ... here you feel so much scarcity of humanity that you seldom bump upon fellow beings whereas in India there is a disgusting excess of it.
The americans must never have been told to save electricity or turn off their engines on the traffic lights on the other hand we have been fed with the advertisements from DD claiming that we have to give our future generations the perfect glittering earth .. the non-renewable sources of energy are so much scarce .... here there seems to be no dearth of energy or power you have to use it and spend it all off. I know this all is based on the very small picture that I have been able to draw with this small exposure of mine to the giant America but thatz the way it is ....
It is so inexplicably different that it was difficult to imagine .. it is understandable now how and why the people are so flabbergasted at the thought and sight of USA .... there are so many subtle cultural differences apart from the big ones that one can't imagine .How the americans are so polite and decent ...... you have to hold the door open for somebody coming from the front or back 'cause they always do it ..... you have to say hi howayya as soon as your eyes meet with anybody be it a stranger or one of your colleagues .
I have seen more species of cars in these 4 days than human beings , here they come in all shapes and sizes and brands ...... you won't easily see 2 same cars going side by side on the road ... they drive to the right .... why should they ??? it is so diff adjusting to this fact though am not driving myself but i tend to get the feel we are going to bump into the other car on the turn 'cause we are turning to the other right ..... also they walk to their right and as soon as i see somebody in the office coming from the front i tend to move towards left to give them a way and they too do the same 'cause they think right side is theirs , then there are quick exchanges of excuse me .... am sorry etc etc ..... and what to talk of cleanliness .... their offices are sparklingly clean but nobody seems to be attending to them .. in our office in India we have at least 50 men working on maintaining the facility cleaning each and every leaf of the decorative plants at least 4 times a day.The restrooms in our office is always crowded with at least 5 people in it at one time though only 2 of them are there for the actual purpose ..rest all are either mopping the floor or cleaning the sink ... here you feel so much scarcity of humanity that you seldom bump upon fellow beings whereas in India there is a disgusting excess of it.
The americans must never have been told to save electricity or turn off their engines on the traffic lights on the other hand we have been fed with the advertisements from DD claiming that we have to give our future generations the perfect glittering earth .. the non-renewable sources of energy are so much scarce .... here there seems to be no dearth of energy or power you have to use it and spend it all off. I know this all is based on the very small picture that I have been able to draw with this small exposure of mine to the giant America but thatz the way it is ....
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