A few random thoughts that I collected over the last few days - thought of penning (or keyboarding rather) them down here.
I dont feel like working!
All the talk about my brother and snow earlier brought me fond memories of my childhood when we used to save all our pocket money to buy Tintin books. Whats that got to do with snow? Remember Tintin's dog's name? My brother used to be Tintin in those days and I was his able assistant, Snowy. My brother wanted me in on the deal to buy the books so that he could use my share of the pocket money as well. And I was a little trickster myself. Although I enjoyed those books, I would sometimes tell my brother that I didnt understand what was in the book and so, I enjoyed the time when I got him to read it for me. I guess it was mainly because I dont think he would have approved if I had directly asked him to read it to me. Thats the way we always used to love one another in our family. Nothing that is too mushy. We dont openly say it, but we know it and do things for one another as long as it is just in our hearts and not too evident.
What do you do when the tap goes drip, drip, drip? You try to do something about it, as you have been taught that water, like many other things, is a precious commodity. As I lay down to sleep yesterday, with my hand on my forehead, I heard a significantly similar sound. This time, though, it was my wristwatch that was making this sound. A strange thought crossed my mind then. Time is also such an, if not the most, important commodity. And I feel that I am wasting it away. Agreed that I cannot stop the flow of time like I can with the water in the tap, but I feel I am not doing anything useful with it at present.
There are so many meetings scheduled here that I guess their favorite song should be "Tumse milne ko dil karta hai, re baba, tumse milne ko dil karta hai..."
Knowledge is the essence of life. Gyaan praapt karo aur gyaan baanto. Gyaan baantne se badhta hai.
I feel everyone is selfish. Everyone does things to make them happy. Some like to earn money, become famous, have carnal pleasures, etc. Some people like to make others happy, but they do so because doing so makes them happy as well. So, finally, I dont feel so bad since I always knew that I am quite selfish. At least, I dont try to exploit others. I dont have ill feelings towards anyone, unless of course they knowingly try to harm me. Even then, I dont try to harm them myself. I just dont wish for their good health as much then. But generally, I just hope that everyone does well in whatever they want.
I am not really hungry for money, but I do look forward to salary day for some reason. Ok, I got my onsite salary for this month. But, I need to wait another 2 days before I get my offshore salary. The reason for it is that although this is the month of February, since this is a leap year, there is this one extra day - 29th Feb. Come to think of it, this would be the last Feb 29th for me in my twenties. Gawd! The countdown has already begun!! And come 2009... oh, 2009!! Get it? 1979... 2009... I will be 30 then!! Past my youth, and into the primes. My brother would be 35 then, and in another 5 years, he would be 40. Gosh, thats old! How can he become 40 years old so soon? It was just yesterday when we had our childhood squabbles. Come to look at it, I guess the age 20 to 40 is the best in a man's life, at least I think so. Under 20, you are just not sure what to do. I know I am still not sure about that even at this age, but when under 20, you feel that way all the time. I just wasnt feeling strong enough when being a teenager. Life was just a big mess of problems then. I guess all teenagers feel that way, even that your family is conspiring against you. Why are you parents being so nice to you sometimes? Are they aliens? Are they feeding you to eat you up sometime later? Gosh, the awful thoughts! They are the best folks in this world now. 20s is the best. I feel at the top of my health. Agreed, I dont run around a lot like I used to when I was a kid, but I know I can run all the 10 miles from home to office (or better still, from office to home) if I needed to. Going back to the thought of age 40, it looks like life is done then, at least from a position of being proud of your health. So, now, I guess its time to say thank you God for giving me this health... agreed with a few minor problems, like one of my teeth hurts some times. But, I see lots of people who dont have a limb, are deaf/blind/lame. That would be so awful. As they say, you value your eyes only when you lose them. So, let me say I am so thankful to be so healthy. But, again, 40!! I hope I find the purpose of my life at least before that.
About money, I just realized last month that I became a millionaire. Yes, thats right, but in Indian rupees. Of course, not all of that is liquid right away, since a part of it is invested. But, I am not counting my assets (stuff that i bought) or the profits that come out of my investments. Wow, I am so rich! Why do I want to have more money? I havent yet thought about being concerned about getting money. Let me just do my job. Thats all that matters now. I used to think money will come on its own (like it has) and that later, I can concentrate on doing things in my job that will get me more money, that is if I ever feel the need to. Thankfully, I now feel I wont ever feel that need. Hope that feeling continues. After all, how much money is enough money? I know a friend of mine who feels that her monthly allowance is enough. And that is less than the (positive) square root of my offshore monthly salary! So, all that matters is how you differentiate the needs and the wants. If you can live within your means, you are rich!
What could be wrong if all people are transparent with their thoughts? Would that be bad? I say this because I know many people just smile at you and then have ill feelings about you in their mind. It all comes out sometime, and when it does, you feel so bad. Feelings of what did I do to deserve such a feeling from this person? I just wish that all people can just be frank and straightforward to express their feelings about others. I dont like all the faces people put up. Maybe, thats why they say the world is a stage. But then, if the world is a stage, where is the audience sitting? Good joke, but that wasnt original, I am afraid. But hey, I am being frank here. Modesty is not my strength, but at least I dont take up credit for things I dont do. By the way, the modesty part is an original. Yep, I sure like that. I am so proud of myself. Heheh. "Modesty is not my strength."
Who says one cant learn a few things from cricket interviews? First, the funny one. When asked about how it was to play with all the youngsters around him, Sachin said age was never a factor. It just matters how well you play. Because when he was sixteen, nobody was bowling slow to him just because he was young. LOL. Good one. Now, the more serious one. Wasim akram said that when he used to play as a youngster, all he used to think about was how to become the number one bowler in the world. That set me thinking. Is there something like the number one developer or technical architect in the world? Hmm, perhaps not. Then, what should I do? Should I change my career?
Thats it for now. Later.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Sunshine!
I see sunlight!
And it happened, one fine day. After days of waiting, I finally get to know that I have to make my shift from the windy city to the icebox of the country. That's right, I am now in Minneapolis. The temperature around here used to be -40 last week. But, its getting better ever since I came down here. Ok, time to back track. I am going too fast.
Before I continue on the exploits here, let me deviate to another leaf in my not so leafy personal life of interactions with members of the opposite gender. It was another quiet day. One of my room mates had just returned from office, while I had again spent all day at home, wondering about my days ahead. I was listening to some music, and was strolling thru the living room and back into my room. Another stroll to the living room, and I distinctly heard something that resembled a knock on the door. I went to check at the door and looked through the peep hole of the front door. And, there was a young lady of a stranger, waiting for the door to be opened. My initial thoughts were "What the...?!" Obviously, I had to open the door. She introduced herself and said that she was our new neighbour, stays alone in her apartment and had just come up to make some friends. Ah, the stuff that dreams are made of, something that you see only in the movies. The proverbial girl next door. Anyway, she was looking to make some friends, and as I knew I would be moving out in some days, I told her about a lady in the next building, who she can spend some time with. In the last 2 days that I spent in Chicago, I introduced them to each other. Another good deed done, and forgotten. Neki kar, dariya mein daal.
Now, about the new assignment. I came to know about it while I was at Navin's place for his birthday celebrations. After a few Sachin and Amitabh impersonations to entertain the little crowd that had gathered at his place, I got a call from the big boss. He told me that something turned up in Minneapolis because of which I had to go there quickly, as soon as possible. Well, thats how it always happens. When it does, it is just so sudden. But, I knew that meant I could take my own sweet time of 2 days.
I thought about taking a rental car to make the six hour trip. But, it was snowing so badly, that it changed my mind pretty soon. Otherwise, I was arguing with my brother about taking some risks for an adventurous trip. So, finally, I arranged for the travel, and asked the manager there to do something about my accomodation as well. I just had one more comparitively sunny day left. So, in the evening, when my room mate came back, I asked him a favor - to drive me to a few of my good friends in Chicago, and bade them a quick farewell.
The packing didnt end till about just an hour before I was to leave for the airport. And yes, the drive to the Chicago airport was interesting as well. The driver was a Gujju and as I got out of the cab, he helped me from getting squished by a city cab driver, who just managed to run one of the wheels over a part of my leg. Oww, it hurts! But, as mom says, instead of giving out a curse of "Why does this happen to me?", I smiled and thought "Thanks bhagwan, shaayad koi badi museebat tal gayi." Guess some big mishap has been reduced to this.
First day in office is always difficult. Being in a new place, you have so much to remember - new locations, roads, directions, faces, designations, new terminologies and some events. I guess it would be fine to say for everyone that one gets accustomed to these as time goes by. But, learning all these quickly is what makes a difference for you to be comfortable in the initial few days.
Day 1 at the new place was full of meetings. I remember at least five of them. And in the first meeting itself, I was able to contribue to the meeting more than I had expected myself. I also got a GPS (Good Point, Sudheesh) for one of my suggestions.
Day 1 was fortunately a Friday, something which happens rarely. I learnt that from Monday thru Friday, the office wear is quite professional - a blazer/coat/suit or a tie is required. Well, I didnt particularly like to wear a tie, the abhorrance perhaps been due to the fact that I had to wear one on a few days in mInfy. On the other hand, this was the only chance where I was able to use my coat - I had just used it 2 or 3 times in the last 2 years. So, day 2 was exciting on that front. I also travelled to office by bus on this day as the others had left by carpool early. The bad part was that when I put in the 5 dollar bill, I didnt get my change back for the ticket. "I am sorry. Didnt you know?" was all the driver could say. Talk about daylight robbery. This is one of the instance when you have to think of the pitfalls of the over-automization in the US.
Today was day 3 at the new office. This morning, 2 of the world's strongest forces were working against one another. my sub-consciousness and my consciousness. the former wanted more sleep and the latter wanted me to get up. After an hour's struggle, it was over.
I was in a bit of a hurry today - didnt shave and forget to get a blazer or a tie. In fact, I didnt even have breakfast. Blame it all on the extra few minutes of sleep. I hope I can get to sleep early tonight. I will as soon as I finish this blog.
First thing to do in office is to check mails. But why? Perhaps expecting some good news. Well, that hardly ever happens. Still, one can keep the hope alive. There was a meeting at 9. Didnt even read the doc once. I have to check the cricket score though, before going to the meeting. India won a last over thriller, but Sachin didnt score. Good that I didnt spend my time last night on it then.
Before going to the meeting, I got a tie from Amjith. He is beginning to prove to be quite helpful. A couple of hour long meetings are done now. Most of what was discussed either seemed too obscure or too trivial. Slowly, things will make more sense, I guess.
By the end of the day, I see that all day was mostly spent in meetings again. People in this office seem to have a lot of meetings for seemingly trivial reasons. Designing a single table required an hour long meeting. Maybe there is more to it than meets the eye. Getting to these meetings isnt that easy either. This building has 37 floors. And, I am seated on the 21st floor. From where I am, to get to the top floor, I cant simply take the elevator. There are 3 elevators in this building. The first one goes only upto the 12th floor. The second one doesnt stop to the floors upto 12. It just has stops from 13 thru around 26, I guess. And similarly for the third elevator. So, to get to the top floor from where I am, I first have to get all the way down and then switch elevators. Sheesh! Well, actually, least there are 3 sets of elevators of around 6 to 8 each. Still, sheesh!! Isnt there a better one?
And since I still havent got my access card made yet, once I get down at any floor, I have to either wait for someone to open up the door or have to call someone to open the door for me. I mostly do the former, of course. And I cant take the stairs! Gosh, I did that once. Then, realized that I was trapped as to get back to the hallway from the stairs, I needed the access card as well. Well, it makes the first few days just that much rougher.
Some meetings are kept at other buildings. And its so cold outside, that we have skyways here, which are closed paths, connecting 2 buildings. The skyways are at a height of the second floor. So, when we cross over to the next building, we do so over the road underneath. We can also enjoy the view when doing so. Pretty good, I say.
Hmm, that was quite a lot of blogging. Better head to catch some sleep now. And here's a sign off I learnt from NFSMW. Later.
And it happened, one fine day. After days of waiting, I finally get to know that I have to make my shift from the windy city to the icebox of the country. That's right, I am now in Minneapolis. The temperature around here used to be -40 last week. But, its getting better ever since I came down here. Ok, time to back track. I am going too fast.
Before I continue on the exploits here, let me deviate to another leaf in my not so leafy personal life of interactions with members of the opposite gender. It was another quiet day. One of my room mates had just returned from office, while I had again spent all day at home, wondering about my days ahead. I was listening to some music, and was strolling thru the living room and back into my room. Another stroll to the living room, and I distinctly heard something that resembled a knock on the door. I went to check at the door and looked through the peep hole of the front door. And, there was a young lady of a stranger, waiting for the door to be opened. My initial thoughts were "What the...?!" Obviously, I had to open the door. She introduced herself and said that she was our new neighbour, stays alone in her apartment and had just come up to make some friends. Ah, the stuff that dreams are made of, something that you see only in the movies. The proverbial girl next door. Anyway, she was looking to make some friends, and as I knew I would be moving out in some days, I told her about a lady in the next building, who she can spend some time with. In the last 2 days that I spent in Chicago, I introduced them to each other. Another good deed done, and forgotten. Neki kar, dariya mein daal.
Now, about the new assignment. I came to know about it while I was at Navin's place for his birthday celebrations. After a few Sachin and Amitabh impersonations to entertain the little crowd that had gathered at his place, I got a call from the big boss. He told me that something turned up in Minneapolis because of which I had to go there quickly, as soon as possible. Well, thats how it always happens. When it does, it is just so sudden. But, I knew that meant I could take my own sweet time of 2 days.
I thought about taking a rental car to make the six hour trip. But, it was snowing so badly, that it changed my mind pretty soon. Otherwise, I was arguing with my brother about taking some risks for an adventurous trip. So, finally, I arranged for the travel, and asked the manager there to do something about my accomodation as well. I just had one more comparitively sunny day left. So, in the evening, when my room mate came back, I asked him a favor - to drive me to a few of my good friends in Chicago, and bade them a quick farewell.
The packing didnt end till about just an hour before I was to leave for the airport. And yes, the drive to the Chicago airport was interesting as well. The driver was a Gujju and as I got out of the cab, he helped me from getting squished by a city cab driver, who just managed to run one of the wheels over a part of my leg. Oww, it hurts! But, as mom says, instead of giving out a curse of "Why does this happen to me?", I smiled and thought "Thanks bhagwan, shaayad koi badi museebat tal gayi." Guess some big mishap has been reduced to this.
First day in office is always difficult. Being in a new place, you have so much to remember - new locations, roads, directions, faces, designations, new terminologies and some events. I guess it would be fine to say for everyone that one gets accustomed to these as time goes by. But, learning all these quickly is what makes a difference for you to be comfortable in the initial few days.
Day 1 at the new place was full of meetings. I remember at least five of them. And in the first meeting itself, I was able to contribue to the meeting more than I had expected myself. I also got a GPS (Good Point, Sudheesh) for one of my suggestions.
Day 1 was fortunately a Friday, something which happens rarely. I learnt that from Monday thru Friday, the office wear is quite professional - a blazer/coat/suit or a tie is required. Well, I didnt particularly like to wear a tie, the abhorrance perhaps been due to the fact that I had to wear one on a few days in mInfy. On the other hand, this was the only chance where I was able to use my coat - I had just used it 2 or 3 times in the last 2 years. So, day 2 was exciting on that front. I also travelled to office by bus on this day as the others had left by carpool early. The bad part was that when I put in the 5 dollar bill, I didnt get my change back for the ticket. "I am sorry. Didnt you know?" was all the driver could say. Talk about daylight robbery. This is one of the instance when you have to think of the pitfalls of the over-automization in the US.
Today was day 3 at the new office. This morning, 2 of the world's strongest forces were working against one another. my sub-consciousness and my consciousness. the former wanted more sleep and the latter wanted me to get up. After an hour's struggle, it was over.
I was in a bit of a hurry today - didnt shave and forget to get a blazer or a tie. In fact, I didnt even have breakfast. Blame it all on the extra few minutes of sleep. I hope I can get to sleep early tonight. I will as soon as I finish this blog.
First thing to do in office is to check mails. But why? Perhaps expecting some good news. Well, that hardly ever happens. Still, one can keep the hope alive. There was a meeting at 9. Didnt even read the doc once. I have to check the cricket score though, before going to the meeting. India won a last over thriller, but Sachin didnt score. Good that I didnt spend my time last night on it then.
Before going to the meeting, I got a tie from Amjith. He is beginning to prove to be quite helpful. A couple of hour long meetings are done now. Most of what was discussed either seemed too obscure or too trivial. Slowly, things will make more sense, I guess.
By the end of the day, I see that all day was mostly spent in meetings again. People in this office seem to have a lot of meetings for seemingly trivial reasons. Designing a single table required an hour long meeting. Maybe there is more to it than meets the eye. Getting to these meetings isnt that easy either. This building has 37 floors. And, I am seated on the 21st floor. From where I am, to get to the top floor, I cant simply take the elevator. There are 3 elevators in this building. The first one goes only upto the 12th floor. The second one doesnt stop to the floors upto 12. It just has stops from 13 thru around 26, I guess. And similarly for the third elevator. So, to get to the top floor from where I am, I first have to get all the way down and then switch elevators. Sheesh! Well, actually, least there are 3 sets of elevators of around 6 to 8 each. Still, sheesh!! Isnt there a better one?
And since I still havent got my access card made yet, once I get down at any floor, I have to either wait for someone to open up the door or have to call someone to open the door for me. I mostly do the former, of course. And I cant take the stairs! Gosh, I did that once. Then, realized that I was trapped as to get back to the hallway from the stairs, I needed the access card as well. Well, it makes the first few days just that much rougher.
Some meetings are kept at other buildings. And its so cold outside, that we have skyways here, which are closed paths, connecting 2 buildings. The skyways are at a height of the second floor. So, when we cross over to the next building, we do so over the road underneath. We can also enjoy the view when doing so. Pretty good, I say.
Hmm, that was quite a lot of blogging. Better head to catch some sleep now. And here's a sign off I learnt from NFSMW. Later.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Still dark
"Ek hawa ka jhonka aaya, toota daali se phool.
Na pawan ki, na chaman ki, kiski hai yeh bhool?
...
Mera jeevan kora kaagaz, kora hi reh gaya."
If you could understand the above lines, you might have guessed that I am not in a particularly good mood right now. So, this might not be the perfect time to write a post on this blog. But then, isnt this the reason why I created this blog - to capture my ups and downs in life, which, over a longer time, one tends to forget?
So, whats the reason for being down? Lots of time, its nothing in particular, strangely. But, I guess this time its because my employer has let me down, by grading my performance in the past year as below average while I considered it above average. Well, this is not the first time this has happened to me. But, thats the concern. Am I losing the touch? The feeling that I am good in what I do in my job - is that just a personal feeling? Doesnt my employer realize what this does to my self-confidence? And to think that some (including me) used to think of myself as arrogant at times, considering myself to be the best thing since, well, sliced bread, as the saying goes.
Also, the future, even the short term, is pretty undecided right now. The horizon (which I mentioned in the last posting) never materialized. So, its still all dark at this moment. I dont even want to call my mom right now as she would sense the 'down' feeling in my voice. I dont want to disappoint her.
All I can do is to wait and look forward. These are the times when I am reminded of my own quote - "Bad things happen to good people." But, I would not like to lose hope. I will look forward eagerly, for sure.
As for this moment, I guess I dont have anything better to do, and so will go to sleep relatively early, which is defined as before midnight.
Na pawan ki, na chaman ki, kiski hai yeh bhool?
...
Mera jeevan kora kaagaz, kora hi reh gaya."
If you could understand the above lines, you might have guessed that I am not in a particularly good mood right now. So, this might not be the perfect time to write a post on this blog. But then, isnt this the reason why I created this blog - to capture my ups and downs in life, which, over a longer time, one tends to forget?
So, whats the reason for being down? Lots of time, its nothing in particular, strangely. But, I guess this time its because my employer has let me down, by grading my performance in the past year as below average while I considered it above average. Well, this is not the first time this has happened to me. But, thats the concern. Am I losing the touch? The feeling that I am good in what I do in my job - is that just a personal feeling? Doesnt my employer realize what this does to my self-confidence? And to think that some (including me) used to think of myself as arrogant at times, considering myself to be the best thing since, well, sliced bread, as the saying goes.
Also, the future, even the short term, is pretty undecided right now. The horizon (which I mentioned in the last posting) never materialized. So, its still all dark at this moment. I dont even want to call my mom right now as she would sense the 'down' feeling in my voice. I dont want to disappoint her.
All I can do is to wait and look forward. These are the times when I am reminded of my own quote - "Bad things happen to good people." But, I would not like to lose hope. I will look forward eagerly, for sure.
As for this moment, I guess I dont have anything better to do, and so will go to sleep relatively early, which is defined as before midnight.
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Whats that on the horizon?
I knew (a hunch, perhaps) that all it would take for me to be out of the current situation is to let it be known to the www (wild whacky world) and to post a blog about it. In fact, I was halfway through my previous post when I saw the first signs of it surface to light.
Letting it known to the world gives me back all the "oh, you are in heaven" responses. In fact, I got that so much that I possibly started feeling guilty about me getting a paid vacation while others struggled it out with their lives. And perhaps, I started wishing, without myself knowing about it, to get back to the work (whatta) life.
I got a few phone calls within the last hour - the only common thing being that everyone else is as confused about my assignment as I am. But, one thing is almost certain. By the end of this weekend, I will come to know about my next assignment and then the happy days are gone, for now. Sob!
But hey, I am happy for whats going to happen next. Prepare for the worst and hope for the best.
Letting it known to the world gives me back all the "oh, you are in heaven" responses. In fact, I got that so much that I possibly started feeling guilty about me getting a paid vacation while others struggled it out with their lives. And perhaps, I started wishing, without myself knowing about it, to get back to the work (whatta) life.
I got a few phone calls within the last hour - the only common thing being that everyone else is as confused about my assignment as I am. But, one thing is almost certain. By the end of this weekend, I will come to know about my next assignment and then the happy days are gone, for now. Sob!
But hey, I am happy for whats going to happen next. Prepare for the worst and hope for the best.
Lots of nothing to do
It might seem to you (the reader, which usually turns out to be me, based on current statistics) that I have been putting down trivial accomplishments in my blog. Ah, you are mistaken. Perhaps they seem trivial to the uninitiated. Perhaps they are trivial to the initiated as well. But, you know what I think about trivial things?
As Rajesh Khanna says in the movie Bawarchi (a Hrishida classic)
"Yeh jo chhote chhote baatein hai na, aisa lagta hai ki iska koi matlab nahi. Lekin, dekha jaaye to kitna maayne rakhti hain. ... Yehi chhoti chhoti baatein hain jo zindagi mein asal maayna rakhti hain. Kisi badi khushi ke intezaar mein hum yeh chhote chhote khushiyo ke mauke kho dete hain. Arey, badi khushi ke mauke dus bees hote hain, lekin yeh jo hazaaro laakho chhote chhote khushiyo ke pal hain, usey aap ganva dete hain."
For readers who don't understand Hindi, let me try to translate. "If we look at it, it seems these trivial things in life don't matter at all. But, in actuality, these matter the most. In search of big moments of joy, we lose out on these numerous small moments of joy. Such big moments of joy in life can be 10 or 20, but we end up losing out on the thousands and millions of small moments of joy."
Well, all this triviality isn't the norm for me, really. And so, we come to my current situation. Situation - I like that word. "Mr.President, we have a situation here." :-) So, situation it is then. But, what is this situation exactly? If not interested, skip the next blank line. Others, read on.
Ok, let me go into a quick flashback mode. Or is that a quickflash mode? Never mind. Let me just quickly flash my ...uhm... past days to you by saying I was working double hours for nothing extra in return (and I am not talking money, I rarely do) for 10 long and straight months. More about that has already been written about in a previous posting. Look for the section titled Nov 3rd. Ok, so, once I got out of that project, abruptly, in early November, I got some time off to get back to my senses. This basically included catching up with all the work I really wanted to do in office. Make no mistake, some of them are quite an advantage to the company.
Also, after doing all that work, I wanted to get some time off to do what I had missed out on - nothing. Yes, I had lots of nothing to do. But, even in November, I had the internal certifications to clear. Then, I went on a vacation - hey, that's not nothing, especially all the planning and traveling. And then, I got into a project for some days where I had to learn up something new - Ajax. No matter what I learn in the .Net world, they always find something for me to learn up and then use that in my work.
Ok, so after all that, I had to travel to Chicago in late December for my next assignment. It was the first time that I was positioned as a Technical Architect in a project. So, I was elated, looking forward to the new role and a bit apprehensive at the same moment. It was a project for just a few months, just 3 or 4 is what I was told. One of the most interesting topics during an onsite assignment is the travel. In my previous 2 trips, I had traveled by Singapore Airlines and British Airways. I classified them as the best and the worst trips that I had ever had. And since I had to travel from India to US via Europe again, I wanted something else other than British Airways. I got Continental Airlines this time, and I paid the extra 3 thousand odd from my pocket to the travel department for the difference in costs, just to avoid the British cabin crew.
In Mumbai airport, another first happened - they wanted to see if I had proper documentation, including a work permit. Well, they never asked me that before, and even if they did, I thought they would have waited for me to make the trip half-way around the globe. Once that and other formalities were done, I got a couple of hours after the security clearance and I utilized my time in downloading my thoughts onto pen and paper. Why do I mention this? Perhaps those thoughts might be digitized to this blog-spot later.
The flight from Mumbai to Newark was quite uneventful, albeit the longest flight that I had ever been on. As I got onto my connecting flight, my eyes slid to a monument that seemed vaguely familiar. Why, its the freedom lady - the statue of Liberty! That's when I realized how close the Newark airport was to New York. Till then, I thought they were that close only in pronunciation.
As the plane was about to land in Chicago, I couldn't help but recollect the thoughts that came to my mind when I had seen that picture before - a white sheet of snow spread all across the place. It had taken me sometime to realize the first time I saw it, that all that was snow.
I walked out of the airport, and one thing was certain, hell couldn't be colder. Hmm, perhaps hell is supposed to be very hot. But, I am sure they would have zones like this as well.
I failed miserably in urging myself to strike a conversation with the cab driver. I wasn't used to it, and so let that urge go down the drain, again. Perhaps, sometime later, I would talk to strangers better.
I knew the way thanks to the maps now available on the internet, and in fact, I was guiding the driver to make the turns. I knew the address said 985 Atlantic Ave and on Atlantic Avenue, we saw a building saying 985. Well, it wasn't really saying it, but there was a sign that emphasized a self-pronouncement. Anyway, we had seen the back part of the building and so, had to find a way to the front of the building, especially because I had 2 bags, each being 20+ kgs in weight, in addition to my shoulder bag. So, the cab driver dropped me off in the front of that building, I paid him the fare, the customary tip and off he went.
Well, the reception was cold, other than the fact that I didn't have a welcoming committee. But, little did I realize that in the attempt to find the front part of the building, I had come to another road, which was parallel to Atlantic Avenue. The realization comes later. So, I entered the building, into the little room, protecting me from the weather outside, but not allowing me to get into any of the apartments. I buzz on the intercom and it opens. I trudge along one of the heavy bags with me upstairs. Since I had to get to apartment E, and I just saw A and B downstairs, I knew it was 2 stories up. Hah, I was good at such simple logic. But, to my surprise, I saw a face having a racial origin that I couldn't quite comprehend and he definitely wasn't a person from my country. To make matters worse, he gave me a quizzing look, just the kind of look that people give to those who are lost. And lost I was. I didn't have a phone, didn't have a key to the apartment or whereabouts about the apartment I was looking for. In eagerness, I asked the guy if the apartment he occupied was apartment E. Sure it was. And is this 985? Yes. Atlantic Avenue? No, this is Pacific Avenue. Gawd! Do you know where Atlantic Avenue is? No. Do you have a phone? No, I just came in here recently. There ended the quick chat. But, the thoughts were still flowing. Jerk! Why did you open the door then?
So, I brought the heavy bag downstairs again to meet its companion. Well, now what? I felt like Columbus, and in America. :-) I really am in a fix. I dont think I will find a taxi anywhere close by either. Ok, I will just have to find the apartment myself. I knew that Pacific was parallel to Atlantic. I had seen it in the map. But, I couldnt lumber across the snow-filled roads (thankfully, the roads had been cleared that day) with all these bags. So, I left the heavy bags in that little room, with a note on it, explaining my predicament and to call my friend if I didnt return in an hour. I went around the place, looking for this apartment. Thankfully, I found another 985 within a few minutes. I repeated the procedure - called up apartment E on the intercom, they opened the door for me. I went upstairs, same logic to locate apartment E and then knocked on the door. Who is it? Sudheesh. After a moment of hesitance, the door opened. Thankfully, this guy seemed Indian. Chandan? Yes. Hi, I am Sudheesh. My impeccable logic was at it again. This guy wore something that told me he stays here. Also, I knew the other 3 guys staying there. 2 of them were sleeping then. Hey, its nearly noon! And the 4th guy was away on vacation. I went on to explain in short about the fact that my bags are in the apartment across the road, and that I will now proceed to get it. I will meet you downstairs in 5 minutes, he said. Perhaps he didnt understand that I was implicitly trying to seek help to lug one of my heavy bags. But, I didnt want to make it explicit. I try not to ask for help as much as I can. It builds character. :-)
Thankfully, my bags were resting where I had left them, along with my note, which I pocketed and havent mentioned to anyone yet. Pulling those heavy bags across the snow-filled road has to be defined as manual labor and it wasnt mentioned anywhere in the employee handbook. But, I got all the bags across to the originally intended apartment.
The silver lining during these gray moments was the first walk in the snow. Later, I experienced my first snow fall, the snow flakes falling gently onto me, but it was getting to be really cold. Thats when I realized that snow, like rain back home, is perhaps best experienced from the inside of the residence window. In the next few days, flakes were the norm - corn in the morning, self-served with hot milk and snow during the rest of the day.
Next day I accompanied one of my room-mates to office. I got a visitor's pass, thanks to him. The contractor badge wasnt ready yet, and as I was to find out later, wouldnt be ready for another 10 days. The first day in the new office was a breeze. The manager, to whom I was supposed to report to, wasnt in, on that day. And it didnt occur to me to call him or send him an email. Thankfully, his boss came around later in the day, and I had a witness to prove that I had come to office that day. It wasnt a question I normally come across, but 2 days later I did, and I was glad about the witness then.
On the next day, my manager introduced me to some client, and he looked up my name in a spreadsheet. As he didnt have my name on that list, it meant nobody seemed to have a clue as to what they had called me in for. I found out later I was supposed to work with some other manager in the client team and as he was out on vacation, I didnt get to find that out until after the first week.
Even after a week, the task for which I had travelled across continents was still not approved, they said. In the next few days, I got some work to do, but work that I used to do during my first year of employment in the company. Anyway, I used this work to fill my time in office. And once that was done in about 4 days time, there was no more work for me there. And then, the bombshell. The client had a rethink on the budget and so, decided to "let go" of many of us. My manager spent the next few days trying to find another assignment for me, or so he told me. Meanwhile, I was on bench. Yes, I get to do all the nothing I want to do now.
So, here I am, being paid in full and no work to do. It has been fun so far. But, I can already sense the feeling of boredom coming along. And, also I get this strange feeling of something on the horizon. I hope its sunrise. Time to wake up to another chapter in life!
As Rajesh Khanna says in the movie Bawarchi (a Hrishida classic)
"Yeh jo chhote chhote baatein hai na, aisa lagta hai ki iska koi matlab nahi. Lekin, dekha jaaye to kitna maayne rakhti hain. ... Yehi chhoti chhoti baatein hain jo zindagi mein asal maayna rakhti hain. Kisi badi khushi ke intezaar mein hum yeh chhote chhote khushiyo ke mauke kho dete hain. Arey, badi khushi ke mauke dus bees hote hain, lekin yeh jo hazaaro laakho chhote chhote khushiyo ke pal hain, usey aap ganva dete hain."
For readers who don't understand Hindi, let me try to translate. "If we look at it, it seems these trivial things in life don't matter at all. But, in actuality, these matter the most. In search of big moments of joy, we lose out on these numerous small moments of joy. Such big moments of joy in life can be 10 or 20, but we end up losing out on the thousands and millions of small moments of joy."
Well, all this triviality isn't the norm for me, really. And so, we come to my current situation. Situation - I like that word. "Mr.President, we have a situation here." :-) So, situation it is then. But, what is this situation exactly? If not interested, skip the next blank line. Others, read on.
Ok, let me go into a quick flashback mode. Or is that a quickflash mode? Never mind. Let me just quickly flash my ...uhm... past days to you by saying I was working double hours for nothing extra in return (and I am not talking money, I rarely do) for 10 long and straight months. More about that has already been written about in a previous posting. Look for the section titled Nov 3rd. Ok, so, once I got out of that project, abruptly, in early November, I got some time off to get back to my senses. This basically included catching up with all the work I really wanted to do in office. Make no mistake, some of them are quite an advantage to the company.
Also, after doing all that work, I wanted to get some time off to do what I had missed out on - nothing. Yes, I had lots of nothing to do. But, even in November, I had the internal certifications to clear. Then, I went on a vacation - hey, that's not nothing, especially all the planning and traveling. And then, I got into a project for some days where I had to learn up something new - Ajax. No matter what I learn in the .Net world, they always find something for me to learn up and then use that in my work.
Ok, so after all that, I had to travel to Chicago in late December for my next assignment. It was the first time that I was positioned as a Technical Architect in a project. So, I was elated, looking forward to the new role and a bit apprehensive at the same moment. It was a project for just a few months, just 3 or 4 is what I was told. One of the most interesting topics during an onsite assignment is the travel. In my previous 2 trips, I had traveled by Singapore Airlines and British Airways. I classified them as the best and the worst trips that I had ever had. And since I had to travel from India to US via Europe again, I wanted something else other than British Airways. I got Continental Airlines this time, and I paid the extra 3 thousand odd from my pocket to the travel department for the difference in costs, just to avoid the British cabin crew.
In Mumbai airport, another first happened - they wanted to see if I had proper documentation, including a work permit. Well, they never asked me that before, and even if they did, I thought they would have waited for me to make the trip half-way around the globe. Once that and other formalities were done, I got a couple of hours after the security clearance and I utilized my time in downloading my thoughts onto pen and paper. Why do I mention this? Perhaps those thoughts might be digitized to this blog-spot later.
The flight from Mumbai to Newark was quite uneventful, albeit the longest flight that I had ever been on. As I got onto my connecting flight, my eyes slid to a monument that seemed vaguely familiar. Why, its the freedom lady - the statue of Liberty! That's when I realized how close the Newark airport was to New York. Till then, I thought they were that close only in pronunciation.
As the plane was about to land in Chicago, I couldn't help but recollect the thoughts that came to my mind when I had seen that picture before - a white sheet of snow spread all across the place. It had taken me sometime to realize the first time I saw it, that all that was snow.
I walked out of the airport, and one thing was certain, hell couldn't be colder. Hmm, perhaps hell is supposed to be very hot. But, I am sure they would have zones like this as well.
I failed miserably in urging myself to strike a conversation with the cab driver. I wasn't used to it, and so let that urge go down the drain, again. Perhaps, sometime later, I would talk to strangers better.
I knew the way thanks to the maps now available on the internet, and in fact, I was guiding the driver to make the turns. I knew the address said 985 Atlantic Ave and on Atlantic Avenue, we saw a building saying 985. Well, it wasn't really saying it, but there was a sign that emphasized a self-pronouncement. Anyway, we had seen the back part of the building and so, had to find a way to the front of the building, especially because I had 2 bags, each being 20+ kgs in weight, in addition to my shoulder bag. So, the cab driver dropped me off in the front of that building, I paid him the fare, the customary tip and off he went.
Well, the reception was cold, other than the fact that I didn't have a welcoming committee. But, little did I realize that in the attempt to find the front part of the building, I had come to another road, which was parallel to Atlantic Avenue. The realization comes later. So, I entered the building, into the little room, protecting me from the weather outside, but not allowing me to get into any of the apartments. I buzz on the intercom and it opens. I trudge along one of the heavy bags with me upstairs. Since I had to get to apartment E, and I just saw A and B downstairs, I knew it was 2 stories up. Hah, I was good at such simple logic. But, to my surprise, I saw a face having a racial origin that I couldn't quite comprehend and he definitely wasn't a person from my country. To make matters worse, he gave me a quizzing look, just the kind of look that people give to those who are lost. And lost I was. I didn't have a phone, didn't have a key to the apartment or whereabouts about the apartment I was looking for. In eagerness, I asked the guy if the apartment he occupied was apartment E. Sure it was. And is this 985? Yes. Atlantic Avenue? No, this is Pacific Avenue. Gawd! Do you know where Atlantic Avenue is? No. Do you have a phone? No, I just came in here recently. There ended the quick chat. But, the thoughts were still flowing. Jerk! Why did you open the door then?
So, I brought the heavy bag downstairs again to meet its companion. Well, now what? I felt like Columbus, and in America. :-) I really am in a fix. I dont think I will find a taxi anywhere close by either. Ok, I will just have to find the apartment myself. I knew that Pacific was parallel to Atlantic. I had seen it in the map. But, I couldnt lumber across the snow-filled roads (thankfully, the roads had been cleared that day) with all these bags. So, I left the heavy bags in that little room, with a note on it, explaining my predicament and to call my friend if I didnt return in an hour. I went around the place, looking for this apartment. Thankfully, I found another 985 within a few minutes. I repeated the procedure - called up apartment E on the intercom, they opened the door for me. I went upstairs, same logic to locate apartment E and then knocked on the door. Who is it? Sudheesh. After a moment of hesitance, the door opened. Thankfully, this guy seemed Indian. Chandan? Yes. Hi, I am Sudheesh. My impeccable logic was at it again. This guy wore something that told me he stays here. Also, I knew the other 3 guys staying there. 2 of them were sleeping then. Hey, its nearly noon! And the 4th guy was away on vacation. I went on to explain in short about the fact that my bags are in the apartment across the road, and that I will now proceed to get it. I will meet you downstairs in 5 minutes, he said. Perhaps he didnt understand that I was implicitly trying to seek help to lug one of my heavy bags. But, I didnt want to make it explicit. I try not to ask for help as much as I can. It builds character. :-)
Thankfully, my bags were resting where I had left them, along with my note, which I pocketed and havent mentioned to anyone yet. Pulling those heavy bags across the snow-filled road has to be defined as manual labor and it wasnt mentioned anywhere in the employee handbook. But, I got all the bags across to the originally intended apartment.
The silver lining during these gray moments was the first walk in the snow. Later, I experienced my first snow fall, the snow flakes falling gently onto me, but it was getting to be really cold. Thats when I realized that snow, like rain back home, is perhaps best experienced from the inside of the residence window. In the next few days, flakes were the norm - corn in the morning, self-served with hot milk and snow during the rest of the day.
Next day I accompanied one of my room-mates to office. I got a visitor's pass, thanks to him. The contractor badge wasnt ready yet, and as I was to find out later, wouldnt be ready for another 10 days. The first day in the new office was a breeze. The manager, to whom I was supposed to report to, wasnt in, on that day. And it didnt occur to me to call him or send him an email. Thankfully, his boss came around later in the day, and I had a witness to prove that I had come to office that day. It wasnt a question I normally come across, but 2 days later I did, and I was glad about the witness then.
On the next day, my manager introduced me to some client, and he looked up my name in a spreadsheet. As he didnt have my name on that list, it meant nobody seemed to have a clue as to what they had called me in for. I found out later I was supposed to work with some other manager in the client team and as he was out on vacation, I didnt get to find that out until after the first week.
Even after a week, the task for which I had travelled across continents was still not approved, they said. In the next few days, I got some work to do, but work that I used to do during my first year of employment in the company. Anyway, I used this work to fill my time in office. And once that was done in about 4 days time, there was no more work for me there. And then, the bombshell. The client had a rethink on the budget and so, decided to "let go" of many of us. My manager spent the next few days trying to find another assignment for me, or so he told me. Meanwhile, I was on bench. Yes, I get to do all the nothing I want to do now.
So, here I am, being paid in full and no work to do. It has been fun so far. But, I can already sense the feeling of boredom coming along. And, also I get this strange feeling of something on the horizon. I hope its sunrise. Time to wake up to another chapter in life!
Good Start
What is it about the first day of the year, the month or even a week? On the same lines, what is it about your birthday that stirs up this feeling of "ok, starting this day, I am going to..."? Resolutions! Why do we conjure up some imaginary time-stone to start off on a new decision?
Well, believe it or not, I am a mere mortal and I fall into this trap as well. So, before I see the time tick past the end of January '08, I tell myself that I would do certain things better in the coming month. And within minutes, I already have a list of things that I would like to do on the first day of the new month.
And now, at the end of the first day of this new month, I look back at all that I have accomplished.
1. Watch an AB movie - Sholay, for the umpteenth time - check.
2. Watch cricket - India lost badly to Australia, and worse, Sachin didnt play this game - check.
3. Change sim in phone - check.
4. Call home - check.
5. Inform family and friends about new phone number - check.
6. Visit the laundromat. - check
7. Make dinner - ah, methi rotis, and after such a long time. I am my favorite cook when I decide to do that. Narcissist? Sometimes, I guess. But, it tastes good, the rotis, perhaps more so because of all the energy spent to prepare it. Ahh, fulfilling! -check.
8. Write a blog - in progress. Err, where do I put the check on that? :-)
Overall, a good start. But, I still have plenty of to-do things on my list. Hmm. Later.
Well, believe it or not, I am a mere mortal and I fall into this trap as well. So, before I see the time tick past the end of January '08, I tell myself that I would do certain things better in the coming month. And within minutes, I already have a list of things that I would like to do on the first day of the new month.
And now, at the end of the first day of this new month, I look back at all that I have accomplished.
1. Watch an AB movie - Sholay, for the umpteenth time - check.
2. Watch cricket - India lost badly to Australia, and worse, Sachin didnt play this game - check.
3. Change sim in phone - check.
4. Call home - check.
5. Inform family and friends about new phone number - check.
6. Visit the laundromat. - check
7. Make dinner - ah, methi rotis, and after such a long time. I am my favorite cook when I decide to do that. Narcissist? Sometimes, I guess. But, it tastes good, the rotis, perhaps more so because of all the energy spent to prepare it. Ahh, fulfilling! -check.
8. Write a blog - in progress. Err, where do I put the check on that? :-)
Overall, a good start. But, I still have plenty of to-do things on my list. Hmm. Later.
Friday, February 1, 2008
Back here
I started to compose the previous post in Jan '08, but for some reason, couldn't finish it. Today, on 1st Feb '08, I return to my blog-spot, to finish the previous post and start off with this one.
I realize that all the previous posts that I thought were trivial, are pretty intriguing, at least to me, when I read them now. I was afraid all these posts might seem like 'Dear Diary' writings, but who cares? Not me, anyway.
More coming up very soon. Stay tuned. :-)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)