Bending the curve ....

Hooked on torment

2010-05-26T07:25:00.002-06:00

Original article found here

I read the original article published on Cricinfo yesterday. The only word to describe it is BRILLIANT!

"...All fans - the ones like me who need sport to give a sort of shape to life - are masochists. What else can you be when you switch on the TV at three o'clock in the morning knowing that your team is going to get a pasting - again?"

My love for cricket started with the Relaince World Cup in 1987 and strengthened over time. But 1991-92 was the time when I got 'Hooked' on the torment to use the author's words. That was the time when I flirted with playing more than just 'galli' cricket. Classes were given a ditch, white became the uniform and Azad maidan in Mumbai became a second home. About 1995 is when I realized that I wasn't good enough to make it big - but I continued to be hooked.

"The pact between a fan and his team is sacrosanct. It cannot be broken. It is not like the colas or the cars or the credit cards or the car tyres the players endorse. Don't like it? Flush it down the toilet. Sell it off. Exchange it for something better. Buy a new one."

I had never before imagined a better way of putting in words as to why we keep on following the same teams for life - India and Mumbai for me. Another argument is that why follow domestic cricket when there is so much big bang available on TV. For me, having been to the Mumbai grounds and having personally seen players of the current generation in the Mumbai team and the history keeps me attached. I distinctly remember Mumbai loosing the Ranji final in 1991-92 to Haryana and Vengsarkar's heroics during that game. I also remember the 1994-95 "Tendulkar" season. The most recent 2009-10 season when Mumbai held on to beat a strong Karnataka side by 6 runs.

"....Every fan realises this: feeling miserable is part of the deal. But riding the misery and sticking with it is the deal. You can't support another team (Namibia?), or suddenly be passionate about another sport (ice hockey?). It's this or nothing. And nothing is so much worse."

And yes thats true!

Best places we have been to 2 ...

2009-01-30T15:24:00.002-07:00

Best places we have been to ...

2009-01-30T14:48:00.003-07:00

Lonely Planet

2008-04-04T11:35:00.003-07:00

I have been in this work for a while now - so much so that I am readily accepted as an old timer. I have seen many come and go and it never bothered me so much as it did today. The guy who I originally started to work for quit, after years of service for the company.
I never thought attrition would bother me. I have seen people quit after a week, months, years. However today was different for me. I felt like I have lost a great supporter, mentor from my professional life. Working will be different, approaches will be different, hell....lunches will be different this point on.

Who needs a coach?

2007-09-27T14:41:00.000-06:00

Whats common between the Indian cricket triumphs in West Indies in 1971, England 1986, England 2007? All of them came without a full time coach!

The T20 win is the second major Indian victory after the Test series in England. Which brings us to the question if we really need a coach. The short answer is YES. The long answer is that we do not need a big name. More precisely we do not need a name that come with a big ego tag. The cricket managers for the England and SA tours were decent cricketers with First Class experience. They were flexible guys, ready to work with the team, ready to go that extra mile without making a fuss. Chandu Borde and Lalchand Rajput were the average cricketers. Yet managed to contribute their bit for the successful campaigns. So rather than going for the Chappelles and the Kings of the coaching world, we need to go with a 'workable' guy who is a better man manager than a teacher.

World Champs!

2007-09-25T14:23:00.001-06:00

Never thought I would see India become world chapms in some team sport in my lifetime. The cricket team came close on two occassions in world cups, they did win a Champions Trophy in 2002 - but agaun that was a shared prize with SriLanka.

Finally the team played the dream game for two weeks to become the world champs - what if it was Twenty20! T20 is what One day cricket was thought of in the 70s - Taking away the skills from the game, too much action, luck plays a role, ya da ya da ya da.... the same was said of the 50 over format in the 70s. The Australian team says that test cricket is the "real" cricket and that they will never warm up to this T20 version. So much for being gracious losers!
The Indian success has again shown that ratings, analysis and expert opinions mean zippo for big tournaments like this. On the other hand the success does not mean that Indian cricket is back to what it used to be during the 2002-04 seasons. Only time will tell if they can stand the test of the Australian tour.

Again not to leave our football and hockey teams who have pitched in with high profile trophies in the last few days. Winning major tournaments in so many sports is a new experience for India. So much so that this has been attributed to the 'Chuk De - India' magic and to the omnipresent SRK. Thank God KANK was a flop!!

Around the states

2007-06-16T14:20:00.000-06:00

May 2007 started what would seem like a endless endavour on the road. More than 5000 miles on the road in 30 days, drive through 15 different states, new places to see, some places revisited, some interesting, some plainly overrated.
The tour started from Chicago. And this is my third time in as many years in Chicago. The city gets interesting everytime. There is always something new, something exciting to do in Chicago. Unlike Houston! Lake front was a different experience than last time.
Niagara Falls was cold and frozen. Still the lights and sights were spectacular. New York is Mumbai minus the sweat. I was a bit worried about adjusting to the trains and schedules but intuitions and habits learned in the past in Mumbai got back to me just in the nick of time. D.C as ever was spectacular. Impressive government buildings. Unfortunately we could not get into the tour of the Capitol. Florida was hot, humid and fun. Five parks in six days!

All the driving does make me not wanting to see the road for a while. But have I any choice where I can say: Rickshaw and be done with it?

Cup-less

2007-04-13T13:30:00.000-06:00

The world cup for India was over even before it started. Or atleast it felt like that. Many be we were looking too far into the Super 8 stage that we forgot about the qualifying round. But I would still say that Bangadesh were something else on that day and that day only. I would not be surprised a bit if India would trash them 2-0 and 3-0 in the series that starts in May.

Dismantelling the loss (euphemism for blame game, scrape goats being named, 'inflamatory' questions) is now over. Many good things are in the pipeline for Team India. Some of them necessary and some of them self inflicted by the players. Anouncements like professional selectors, professional team management and no zonal system are all good news. Where the Board sucessfully duped everyone was that there is no improvement announced in its own functioning. So there will still be ad-hoc series announced, ad-hoc marketing deals signed. The player-borad conflict will still be there.

One of the announcements was of restricting players to doing 3 endorsements at a time. I look upon this a depriving an individual of potential earning opportunities. Many believe that players spend more time doing endorsement commitments than playing cricket. Well believe it or not but the players have less than 7 days of shoots every year. The shoots are arranged according to the players schedule between series. The board has not only put a cap on the number of endorsements but also put a clause of no shoots 15 days before a series, which is btw interesting. When do you remember Team India having more than 15 days between series? Never. Because the board has signed them up for more cricket. So any former player who comes out saying that current players are more interested in endorsements...and compares how they were patriotic during his playing days is basically bitter about having had less opportunities during his time. These are the same players who had to be given a laundry incentive for diving while fielding.

Allegations against Gangully about his playing for himself were also made. Well....should I remind that the current incumbent manager/coach was almost hooted out of cricket for his snail paced scoring, a cartain player decided to walk the team off when he was not given proper treatment onfield, the greatest allrounder India has produced was also alleged to have hung in till be got to a world record. I would say Gangully played per the situation and played well. Plugged one end...to be precise!

You have to accept victory and defeat as a part of the game. A true cricket fan is a fan of the game and follows his team. He likes and appreciates good cricket.

The GE-tization

2007-03-02T08:00:00.000-07:00

I was a bit anxious this week. My work place was getting ge-tized. Meaning we were going to be the latest addition to the brand portfolio of General Electric. Number 2 on the stock markets and the only company to be on the top 30 list since the inception of the stocks. It is said that if you had a $100 share of GE from 1892, its worth $5,000,000 now!

The entire process is really really well managed. The company is so used to acquisitions that it is a 'been there done that' for them. Their process of integrating companies must be one of the best practices in the market. One great thing about this development is that I get to be part of one of the largest employers in the world. I had thought that working at Telco would be as big as it gets in terms of employee strength of the TATA group. Almost everything you every use.... odds are that at some point in manufacture, design, finance or infrastructure GE has been involved. It all started with Edison. So as soon as you walk into a room and switch on the light..its us. The other good thing about this integration is that GE are just begining their journey in our business. So they will have lot more respect for what we do.

Fun Pics

2007-02-06T08:02:00.000-07:00

Fun with Pics

2007-02-05T12:15:00.000-07:00

Champions Trophy

2006-10-14T14:57:00.000-06:00

With the BCCI making a deal with willow tv to stream matches live in the champions trophy, I can now watch live cricket after ages. Little bit pricy but never the less better than nothing. The matches till date have been not upto the mark from a viewers point of view but there is hope in the coming weeks.
The ICC seems to be mad at the Indian board over marketing issues. ICC is like the unemployed son that has to look upto Big Daddy for pocket money but is not ready to play by his rules. Last week a technicality ruled out BCCI from bidding for rights to ICC global events. The Wisden Almanack editor made this comment at the BCCI - This is an organisation that only set up its own website in the last year or so. Not so long ago, frustrated observers would complain that it was incapable of answering a letter. Now it is saying, 'We'll deal with worldwide television for you'. Wisden would like to know that websites are not the be all and end all of everything. Contrast the '99 World Cup with any other in the subcontinent. We had full house for neutral games. And all this was made possible by the marketing strategy and people in the subcontinent. So why is there a question over our potential to market global events.

ICC was also not pleased by the BCCI inviting Azar for a felicitation function at the CCI. Get over it! He has paid enoughfor his alleged involvement in the match fixing scandle. Isn't Mark Waugh and Warne and Gibbs still playing after accepting to take bribes to underperform or share information (which is as good as giving the game plan before hand). Everyone has to have a chance to rebuilt. And the BCCI is right in giving fair treatment to Azhar. After all he is the most sucessful Indian captain after Ganguly. Not even greats like Kapil, Gavaskar and Bedi have matched his record as captain.

Rantlings!

2006-10-06T20:10:00.000-06:00

Lots of different things happening in the last few days. The one bigger than others was about getting a upward shift at office. A bit uncomfortable at the begining. Same as with all new things. But never the less this was one change I wished to happen. I had somehow started feeling stagnated in the previous position. I guess it had reached the 'use by' date. The last few days were fun. I also got to be the stand-in boss for sometime (days actually!).
Other happenings include finding a new place to stay, market hunting for a car, basic furniture and getting ready for the BIG day!

Whats wrong with faulty machines!

2006-09-04T18:30:00.000-06:00

Amilessly surfing the net I came across this article on an Air India flight to LA being cancelled. I never thought that Air India knew anything about customer service and this further confirmed it.
However the highlight to me in this article was not the poor customer service. As a defence of flight cancellation due to faulty equipment the GM Public Relations says this - The aircrafts are 12 years old and problems are natural. Is there a problem with this statement or I am the only one. I had heard stories of poor in-flight service and how the check in luggage followed you with a three day lag. Howver I always thought AI to be an 'India' product and needed to be supported.
This statement howver has helped me make up my mind never to fly Air India ever. Thank You PR officer!!

Bitter Better Years

2006-08-04T12:00:00.000-06:00

August 4, 2003. I began the 8 most difficult months of my life by underestimating the effort. I had quit a well set lifestyle and embarked on a life-changing journey without being sure of what I wanted and expected out of it. I left for College Station, Texas on this day three years ago.
I knew little about College Station and that this small town would bring me out of my comfort zone. The eight months that followed were the test of my patience, a time when I had to prioritize many things, a time when I learned lessons the hard way. So much can be attributed to this small town that even today when I go back and walk down certain streets, certain corridors, the memories send a cold shiver down my spine. I feel nauseous about those places.

Apart from those eight odd months it has been the most rewarding change I have ever had. Learned so many things, experienced different cultures and how they viewed my own, travelled various beautiful places, made friends.

Anxious tuesday

2006-07-12T12:36:00.000-06:00

Terror tuesday or 11/7 bombings in Mumbai were the third occassion I experienced immeasurable fear. It was 10 am when one of my friends called up and asked if I knew about the Mumbai blasts. From that point onwards till I could speak to both my parents at 10.45am I died a thousand times. The level of anxiety increased as I read about the incident. At first I just heard about a blast in Mumbai. Then heard about a blast in the local train. Then heard about serial blasts. And then the most damning news that Borivli was one of the stations where the incidents happened. The fact that the blast happened at 6.30pm, a time when my parents usually commute made matters worst. From that point till the time I heard my mother speak and confirm that both of them were safe, with my father reitterating the same in background, I had a wave of anxiety inside me, eating me.
I was too young in 1993 when the blasts took place. But never the less we were a bunch of kids with working parents then, who continued to play cricket just to distract ourselves from the bitter reality and continued playing in pitch dark till everyones family got back. It was like poking a needle into a numb hand. We were playing, but we were not playing.
The earliest such incident that made me anxious was a train collision at Byculla, Mumbai somewhere around 1986. Little did I know about the incident, but knew that it happened in the evening and my mother travels at that time.

The common most feeling on all three occassions is fear and anxiety. The biggest difference is information flow. The difference can be sumarized in how we used to communicate; Then- such and such thing has happened here and we are safe was the call from your dear ones. Now because of the electronic media I already know that this has happened and so many are missing, but still have to wait to confirm family safety. Typically contributes to building anxiety and stress.

Reverse Apatheid

2006-06-05T16:44:00.000-06:00

South Africa was very greatful to Nelson Mandella for his struggle against the racist policies in the country in the 60s. The entire world boycotted South Africa for 20 years for its racial policies. Imagine loosing 20 years. Sportsmen couldn't be in Olympics for that time, not participation in business sumits, no governmental contracts, no nothing. The impact on social, economic developement is beyond imagination.
But now from what I read there is reverse apartheid in South Africa. Cricket team has to have certain mix of colored and white players. So when one wonders what happened to South Africans after 2000... there lies the answer. There are similar examples in other fields. The have a Kolpak agreement to which SA professionals can go and work unrestricted in some of the European countries. This arrangement coupled with the reverse apertheid saw several of the promising professionals (cricketers for sure) abandon SA. Just for kicks.. Kevin Peterson who now represents England in cricket was born and brought up in SA went to England and got naturalized for better oppurtunity!

Surely India can take leads from whats happning to South Africa! We don't need to be kicked off the train this time....

Think something new!

2006-06-01T16:27:00.000-06:00

When Dravid-Chappel formed their partnership the mantra was new blood, new ideas, new methods, new strategies, new everything. After the disaster in the one-day series it was kind of disappointing to see Dravid come up with old and stale reasons for the defeat. I was expecting the duo to have new excuses for defeats as well!

Read that California was planning of increasing taxes on cigarette sales. So much that a pack of Marlboro Lights that costs $4 in Texas would cost $7 in California. The rationale behind the tax increase on tobacco products all over the world has been that it help making people quit smoking. Now I agree that somking kills, but for me alcohole is an equal, if not bigger killer than cigarette. Just look around for drunk driving related accidents and other crime that happens under the influence of alcohole. Then why do they not increase the taxes on alcohole products as frequently and as high as tobacco. Isn't it in a way supporting social abuse due to alcohole or may be just that the alcohole lobby is stronger!

Also read Wasim Jaffer's interview on cricinfo. It says that he does his namaz everyday. Did we need to know this? That too in an interview about his cricket. Did anybody ever mention about how many times Tendulkar prays or whether he goes to the Siddhi Vinayak temple. Why this obsession with unnecessary details when it comes to minorities? I know only one thing about Jaffer, which many do not know. He once scored 405 runs and remained not out in an inter-school Harries Shield match.

American XYZ

2006-05-16T13:55:00.000-06:00

I did not watch the American Idol last year. But this time I decided to follow the competition and watch the show. We had a amazing show last Tuesday and the results were declared on Wednesday on Fox26. Usually the results run from 8-9pm followed by the news. So it happened this time that as soon as the results are declared and the show ended they started the news. And the first bit on the news was American Idol results. An entire feature on just the results.

Tells me two things. One that the show is very popular. But it also say about the quality of news on these channels. None of the local channels here give national news, leave international happenings. FOX might be a national channel, but they have local divisions who do their own news. So the Houston channel of Fox will do news from Houston and around. While it helps to know whats happening around, it has almost ZERO information value. The news may be from what happened in the Mayor's office, to crimes and sometimes as pathetic as neighbourhood incidents. Same story with the newspapers. 85% local news. I think this greatly clouds the general awareness of the public here.

Upcoming tours

2006-05-01T16:56:00.000-06:00

Meeting long time friends is always exciting. So I have three such oppurtunities coming up. There is Rityas graduation. Then there is the Formula 1 meet. And then hopefully there will be the White house tour. I couldn't care less for anything else that comes up!

Sex and the City

2006-04-30T12:32:00.000-06:00

Some time ago I was hooked on to watching "Sex and the City" on FOX. Very interseting theme. It depicts the life of metropolitian girls looking for a life partner and how they go through the phase a dating (and mating). I can watch beautiful girls on TV and to an extent try to see the westerner way of life (And be thankful that I cannot be a part of that lifestyle!!).
Anyways...talks about finding a suitable lifepartner is history for me. But it is still a challenge for some of my able friends. I was bored to death of hearing the same topic over and over again. But lately I have started to look at it in a very different way. Its the same Sex and the City; only the 'morons' version. I laugh out when I hear them say that the kind of girl they are looking for should be something more than just being beautiful. I laugh because no one can define what things they look for when they say 'more than just beautiful'. None of them can lay down three simple things that they would be on a look out for in a girl. I am more used to the 'metric' thinking.
Off late there has been a fascination for doctor girls. Some say it looks good on the invitation card and also means that there is an annual potential of 150K. The biggest showman (after Subhash Ghai off course) feels that he should not go against the wishes of his parents. Its all for them after all. I think someone should nominate him for a humanitarian award this year for his sacrifices. And then there are others who are pestered by long distance calls at midnight by the girls' brothers in law (who are helpless beacuse they do not want to spent their nights on the couch). So overall its been very entertaining from the day I saw this differently.

The Buck has its revenge

2006-04-12T15:20:00.000-06:00

Recently Sallu man had the Rajasthan HC hand him a 5 years RI for illegal porching of endangered species. A Black Buck.
Something that I found interseting to think about is that this same guy had run over a pedestrain while under the influence of alchole and got through without punishment. Makes me think as to what is the value of human life, the one who is supposedly at the top of the food chain? Is human life negtiable? Or is it more a case of not being able to cover up matters with the black buck cummunity. To me Sallu man should have heard this verdict while in jail.

And then there were reports that the guys mom is not doing too good with her health. Walk it off woman! You should have been concerned with his behavior long back. No reason to loose sleep now. Probably he is more sober and safe where he is than if he were outside.

Outcast

2006-04-07T15:21:00.000-06:00

I have been closely reading about the bill out great politicians have been flaunting for a while now, the one which introduces reservations in IIMs, IITs and central schools. From what was published, the new bill would stipulate a 50% reservations in these premium institutes. Wow! just what a country on the threshold of breakthrough developement needed.

Let me analyse this in short. I am assuming that not everyone getting admitted on the 50% quote would be undersrving. Say 25% of the lot are undesrving. Then ther are reservations in job oppurtunities. So this candidate from the 25% of the 50% gets a job in the 50% of the available jobs. So the probability of this happenig is apx 6.25%. So out of every 100 candidates 7 candidates will be a the helm and will be badly out of league. The real irony of the situation is when one of these 7 candidates sits next to a 99 percentile guy. Why would this good guy not feel wasted. Not only has he paid more to get this education, but he fought with his back against the wall to get to where he is. Talk about brain drain....after this I would feel it is justified. Not only that I feel it would be justified to seek other avenues for education and jobs and giving your taxes. It is not only about giving back, it is also about- whats in it for me.

The other side of the argument is that some sections of society would never develope if not given an oppurtunity. True. But I think our great leaders misinterpreted the word oppurtunity. Oppurtunity is not reserving seats, but creating fair means and good training to develope the ability, skill and confidence to make it to the top. In a country where 1000 students battle it over for 1 seat in the IIMs, the reservations are bound to throw this ratio into the skies. What I hate about my country is that decisions are based on public sentiments and not on facts and figures. So much for democracy!

Cable TV generation

2006-03-20T15:52:00.000-07:00

I called home the other day and it was not for the firt time that I heard....aare in that show on this channel this happened to so and so character this week. To me this was non consequential. But then I thought that this was life coming full circles.
I remember the time was early January 1992. I was in the eight grade. And world cup cricket fever was gripping me like never before. The prospects of cricket under lights and in color clothes was very attractive. It was the first ever world cup that would be played in color clothing. Star Sports was going to broadcast the entire tournament. I was begging my parents to get the cable connection. After lots of pleading and promises of not neglecting studies, they finally agreed on getting the connection just for the world cup tourney. And ever since that day cable TV has been as much part of our family.
As I witness the journey of cable TV from Rs 60 p.m to Rs 250 p.m, from 5 channels to 60 channels, from not-so-good broadcast to digital broadcasting, the most improtant thing was never talked about. It made a smooth translation from my generation to the elder generation. And from being the crazy thing in the late 80's and early 90's to being a household necessity in the new century.

My Black Belt

2006-03-08T18:04:00.000-07:00

No no, this is not the karate belt. I am still in the wierd geek world. And this one is a level of expertize in process improvement skills.
I have been persuring this level for the past one year. I learned things and used statistics that I always thought I had left with the undertakers to bury when I graduated. For the last two months I had slogged fourteen hours a day to prepare for the final hurddle.

That also signals the end of the sabbatical from badminton. Lots of things to catch up on!!

Neck B-R-E-A-K-E-R

2006-02-23T11:17:00.000-07:00

Over the past few days I have come to realise the pain that someone who has problems with his neck goes through. I only had a neck sprain. But that kept me out of day to day business for a couple of days. And it was hard concentrating during those two days.
The moment I realised that I had sprained my necck I had experienced the most jarring of all pains. The feeling could be equalled to hitting the weak spot on the elbow. Only this pain was continuous, unlike the elbow pain. For the next two days I felt like a hog. I had to turn my entire body to see in different directions. The act of walking with the painful neck was like trying to balance vessels on a dicey stick. Even small things like brushing teeth and taking a bath became a challenge because they caused vibrations in the neck muscles.
The only good thing was that Monday was a holiday in office. So I could rest and recover. Like every good process engineer I went back to the reaccess the situation in order to make improvements. I believe the air pillow that I use was the root of evil and had a big part to play in putting me through this pain. So I am going to get rid of it asap!

One of my last visits to College Station

2006-02-20T14:27:00.000-07:00

I think I have had my last visits to College Station yesterday. I just say it is one of my last visits because I believe in never ever say never.
But one by one all of us who came together on a difficult journey have completed our time in College Station. I must say one thing about College Station. You hate it while you live there, you just want to get out of that small town, just be free. But as soon as you cross the fence you feel like visiting every now and then. I think everyone remembers College Station primarily because of the hardships they go through in that town. It is probably the first experience for most of us to be working part time and studying at the same time. And that is not easy.

I think it the best town to live in for a short while. Get your lessons. And get out of it!!

Airtime skyline

2006-02-02T19:12:00.000-07:00

Cell phone airtime is one magical thing. You always have minutes when you don't use them and never have minutes when you need them. I have been through this predicament for the past two months.
My airtime skyline is giving a tough run to the Manhattan skyline.

Just like saving money cannot make you rich, cutting back on airtime cannot keep me satisfied. Especially when I want to talk. So I have come up with ways of getting more airtime for the same cost rather than saving it. And its working very fine uptill now!

Rang De Basanti

2006-01-30T06:40:00.000-07:00

The movie is good. I bet it will be the first superhit of the year. I just would have liked it more if they had stuck to the one struggle in the movie and not made it into a system catharsis.
I happened to see a movie 'John Q' on DVD. John Q was never released to the theatres but was a made for DVD. So clearly it is a low budget, designed for specific audience type movie. It is about an ordinary family and their son who has some kind of heart disease and needs a donor heart. The father (D.Washington) manages the money for the surgery and the organ with great difficulty. And then its a matter of getting on top of the hospital's priority list. The hospital obviously is manipulative of this list. It is a list of who can donate more to the hospital rather than who needs the donor organ most. So to get his son on the top of the list the father takes the hospital hostage. The good thing about this movie, which btw is a true story, is that it stuck to a single point agenda- the struggle of the character. It did point out the flaws in the system but never digressed from the main plot. This is what RDB lacked.
I would say it is worth watching the movie once. Just about ok to watch it on video for a second viewing. Definitely not worth watching in theatre for the second time. But who am I to suggest. There are nerds among a billion people who would just do that! (and BTW make it a superhit).

Just not worth my money!

2006-01-24T15:07:00.000-07:00

I was very much excited about the prospects of yet another thrilling series between the arch rivals. But the feather beds prepared for the first two tests have dampened my enthusiasm to a great deal. I was even thinking of buying the online streaming of the matches but was glad that I practiced restrain. Phew!
Now it is going to be that 'one' session where either Viru runs bersurk or Shoaib steams our batting lineup. Either of the situation is not a great one. We don't want a great series to be decided in a session. We want to see battles and counterattacks. Like we had in 2004 and 2001 with the Austrailians. I have no interest in watching academic records being written all over the place. Just not worth my money!

Paraskevidekatriaphobia

2006-01-14T11:38:00.000-07:00

It is the fear of Friday the 13th. I am not superstitious enough to be fretting about it. In fact I had a very good friday. At work and in personal life. I had unscheduled good news at $work$. And my parents liked the cauliflower vegatable. The Teddy bear was also liked. So was the bunch of roses. So the Friday went off reaallly well!

Registration sticker

2006-01-12T10:01:00.000-07:00

Well well. I have been lucky for the past one month for not having been ticketed. Not that I was speeding big time. But I was driving around in an unregistered car.
Usually they mail you the renewal notice every time before the registration sticker expires. I did not get mine. So I went over to the office and told them what had happened. I had not receieved the notice since I moved from my old address and the novel people who still occupy the place did not bother to forward the mail. They thought trashcans serve the same purpose!

Anyway the point I was getting at was that the process of getting a new sticker was painless. No forms to be filled up. No massaging the ranks. No nothing. They just need proof that the vehicle is in your name, the VIN and insurance card. And they don't even need a copy. They just need to see them. And thats it. Your vehicle becomes registered in 2 minutes. Its the same with filling up tax forms. 1 hour sit down and you are done. Ditto with every process and every dam forms you fill up. I also learned at work that anything that goes above one 1-sided page needs further refining. Wow! I pretty well remember the hassles back home for any form we fill up. Be it the drivers license or the passport or admissions or taxes. I think many people delay tasks because the forms are too tidious and require thousands of supporting documents. Some of the documents asked are kind of void. For example they ask for a birth certificate for admissions to the junior college when the DOB is printed on the SSC marks certificate. Imagine what we could achieve if we make the system easier. I think that all form should be made such that a high school graduate should be able to understand and fill it up with minimal effort. Thats when we take the pain out of the process!!

New Years

2006-01-07T15:03:00.000-07:00

I have been on the move for the past two weekends. Dallas it was this time. One of my friends was heading back to 'desh'. For good. And the good thing about his move was that he made the decision while he had everything here. Which goes on to say that he really wanted to go.

I always felt that I would go home one day. I felt it when I stood before the visa officer and still feel the same. Some say that you got to go where you have oppurtunities. True. To the last word. But I guess oppurtunities or not the very feeling of being at home is sufficient for me. I came to the US when the software bubble had busted and the job market was really really slow. I cared to study Industrial Engineering when getting a job was as good as meeting God for an IE. So why should I be afraid if there are limited oppurtunities at home. I will find the best in them and move forward.

Rough draft plan says I will start packing in about 5 years. Could be earlier.
Recently saw "Munich" the movie by Spielberg. When Avner speaks to a PLO activist about their fight against Israel, he says that it is all for having a home which they can call their own. I already have a home. All I need is to be there and enjoy.

Trip to the Silicon valley

2005-12-28T12:47:00.000-07:00

A shorter trip this time. To California. Not a single minute went without the thrill of witnessing the beautiful sights along the Highway 1 or the ultimate shows at Universal or the sand n snow combination at Plam Springs.

Even before we landed our foot in California we were warned about the Highway 1 route from San Francisco to LA. And after driving through the valleys and peaks I do realise that they were not just false claims. We did encounter the fog, but it wasn't as bad as it could get. The view was truly breathtaking. The Pacific on the right (a mere 30ft to our right and 100ft below) and mountains on the left. Some of the scenery was so beautiful that you think it to be unreal. There is the omnipresent mist in the air, fog over the road, sunshine kissing land through the fog, beautiful houses on the mountain slopes, it doesn't get better than this.

The Universal Studios in LA is worth every penny of the ticket they charge. The sets of Mummy was exceptional. In fact we enjoyed Universal so much that Disneyland was a big let down. Overcrowded place, one hour lines and cheesy displays and rides. The fireworks show was also just average. I think the one I saw at Seaworld, San Antonio TX was memorable than this.

The next day we went to Plam Springs and the place was just awesome. Desert on the plains, it has snow clad mountains as we scaled the altitude in the ropeway tram. Temperatures were in the lower 40s at the top and it was a sunny day!
The ride back to SF was an iffy affair. About 500 miles to drive I could have barely made it for the filght. To add to the misery there was the vacation traffic. But we have mastered the mapping skills and took alternative routes to avoid bumping into the traffic. Driving at 85-90 mph I finally reached SF on time for a red eye flight.

Others are still enjoying at Lake Tahoe or SF. I have to make another trip to see SF!

Fulfilling Trip

2005-12-19T15:44:00.000-07:00

Well all good things come to an end, even if you don't want them to. And so has my vacation. That time flew faster than the speed of thought is evidence of a great holiday. And the shortness ensured that I lived every moment of it.

This time was special for me. I was to see everyone after two and a half years! Which made me the center of attention all the while. Right from the special broadband connection at home, to the special luncheons and dinners, to the boiled water, to the special food, to the special cell phone line, everything was made out just for me. Parents had taken off form work for the entire period.
The trip was also made special by being able to watch the favorite TV shows that were only heard of and downloaded here. I was also able to witness the God of cricket make history. And above all I found the one who I look forward to live with for life.

While everyday on the trip was great, special were the Sundays and the Mondays. I was with my partner every Sunday and Monday, be it in Mumbai or Pune. It was hard and difficult to come out of the dream period. But I guess that because it was limited and short, it was special. Now begins the period where it would be all anticipation and eagerness towards the big day!

The omnipresent salesman

2005-12-02T09:59:00.000-07:00

This place is really catching up with the west when it comes to malls and movie halls. I went around a few malls and if I shot pictures it would be difficult to tell where I was. But there is still one thing that marks the difference between the west and east malls. In the west you are left to decide on your own and do your shopping. Here they have salesmen in every aisle. The salesman will answer your silliest questions, show you the various types and sell you the product unlike the west. So even if the mals have sprung like anything the "sale" hasen't become westernized. I guess this is semi-modernization of this place and I love it this way. You get all the benefits of a mall and also get the help we are used to while shopping. You can make this place modern but it will not loose its traditional ways!!

The Turkey has landed

2005-11-27T04:17:00.000-07:00

Welcome change to life.
They showed four movies as part of inflight entertainment during the lonely ten thousand miles. All seen before!And thats when I realised how many movies I had been watching for the past six months. Control has to be excercised...
Everything in this land has become good or better from what it was two years ago. I liked it all. However the traffic has become worst than ever. May be its because I have only seen regulated and disciplined traffic for the last two years.

Just a phone all away

2005-11-22T07:02:00.000-07:00

Decipher the number......
1) Beethoven wrote these many symphonies. Myth says a cat has these many lives.
2) Every bowlers dream (cricket)
3) A ___ of Spectacles, scissors.
4) The only number whose number of letters is equal to its value.
5) V (Roman)
6) Hex- or Sex- they mean the same.
7) Every bowlers dream (cricket)
8) V (Roman)
9) Radio name for a plane carrying the American President.
10) Every bowlers dream (cricket)

Shazham.....

2005-11-21T21:23:00.000-07:00

Someone needs to write a thesis on "Variable characteristics of time". The importance of a minute depends on which side of the bathroom door you stand. Well I am about to stand on the right side and I want my time to freeze!! Shazham.....

Time Travel

2005-11-18T15:03:00.000-07:00

How good it would have been had time travel been possible. I would love to travel into the future and see whats in store for me. And if I don't like it, travel back, make changes accordingly.
I don't know about the later but I am certainly due for some time travel. From 12 hours behind to 12 hours ahead!! May be beat the rotation speed of the earth and jump a day while doing so. Wonderful.....I better read The Hitchhiker's Guide To the Galaxy.

Going Retro!!

2005-11-16T10:14:00.000-07:00

When I graduated from COEP it was "COEP". It had always been that for years. So much know is this brand name that if I say I graduated from Government College of Engineering, Pune, no one would know where I am coming from. But a simple COEP would do the trick.

So when they decided to go autonomous, which is good, it meant we could be COEP no more. Pune Institute of technology is what they came up with. But it was always (is and will) COEP for everyone. There were rumors of another "studious" college in Pune getting the name. But really speaking they could have never capatilized on this. Even if they had gotten this name, people would still relate us with COEP and not them. This way it would have been a loss to them (in a way an identity crises).

Anyways, the great news is that we are getting back what was ours. Our brand name COEP. It happens on 16th of Nov. Read about it here.

PIET is officially dead....long live COEP!!!!

Boat Club

Me in the Heat Engines lab

Whats inside Telco?

2005-11-14T12:29:00.000-07:00

Recently Ritz forwarded me this article to read. It is about the Tata Group and their methodologies and ideologies and how they are in the market while being truely "very different" from other companies. I have worked in organisations equally big if not bigger than the Tatas, but Tatas stand out among the crowd.

"Tata is unique even inside India, where its rigid ethical standards are so well known that corrupt officials typically don't even bother asking Tata employees for bribes..." says the article. True to every single word. I remember Pune RTO failing me in the drive test while lesser drivers got through easily. Typically eight out of ten who go through Telco Motor Driving school flunk the test in the first attempt. Unproved aneocdotals have it that there are "other" reasons behind this. And then there is that famous incident when Telco wanted to buy the piece of land for its car plant in Chikli and refused to "massage" the system. And there is the deal with Honda Motors in 1985 that did not happened for "interesting" reasons.

Tata's are a professional group with a distinct set of old-school values. I remember when the first batch of team-members were made permanent at the car plant. Telco addressed the confirmation letters to their parents. Each letter was custom written. Imagine someone in rural India getting a letter signed by the highest authority in Telco praising his ward, hightlighting his achievements and telling how valuable his ward has been to Telco. Some of the parents were not literate and others read them the letter. Can there be anything more fulfilling than this? I read the replies from some of the parents and it was simply amazing.

Telco has worked best with their back to the wall. In late '85 there was the 407 trucks that saved them, then there was the SUMO and then the revival of Indica. I happened to ask one executive about Telco and how he felt about those survivals. He told me that is couldn't have been just strategies, improvement or plain luck. It must be something bigger than that. And that "that" are the people who work there, the people who feel that there is some part of them in Telco, the people who make Telco. I am fortunate to have had the chance to be a part of their legacy.

Telco's plant in Pune, India (Satellite pic from Google Earth). Telco junta can clearly recognise the B,C,D,E,H,J blocks and the Car plant

Great thought

2005-11-13T11:58:00.000-07:00

“You are not here merely to make a living. You are here to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, and with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world. You impoverish yourself if you forget this errand. “
- Woodrow Wilson (1856 - 1924)

Gas Buddy

2005-11-11T16:14:00.000-07:00

Gas prices have been reclining back to what it used to be six months ago. It has been a combined effect of inquiries by the government into price gouging, a mild winter and supply of crude.

Over the last few months when the gas price went from somewhere around $2 a gallon to $3 a gallon, someone found a good way of getting the best deal. Not a surprise as this is a country where everything that has a price has a deal. You have to only find what is it and who can give the best deal. Here is what you do to find the cheapeast Gas pump in your area.... go to www.gasbuddy.com and type in the zip code and...boom comes a list of the gas prices in the area stationwise. So if you are not brand specific and go by the best deal, this is where you need to go to optimize your purchase.

I guess long drives are "IN" again!!

In a little while

2005-11-09T14:40:00.000-07:00

Some things are lost some left behind
Some things are better left for someone else to find
Maybe in time I can finally see
I just wonder......
- In a little while

I wonder what makes people change so quickly. I always remember the analogy of the fourth seat passenger in the Mumbai local train. He is constantly trying to push the others on the bench inwards and get more space to sit. No sooner does he get promoted to the third seat he starts pushing outwards. Five seconds to change approach! Newton could not fathom (just by seeing the apple fall) that forces could change directions so quickly or he would have written a governing statement. So it irritates the hell out of me when people are nice and warm one day and snub and cold the next. Sometimes they interject to say hello and somedays your 'hi' is aliens language to them.

Another Summer Day....

2005-11-08T18:19:00.000-07:00

Another summer day
Has come and gone away
In Paris and Rome
But I wanna go home
Mmmmmmmm

Maybe surrounded by
A million people I
Still feel all alone
I just wanna go home

- Home, Micheal Buble

My time is coming!

Jarhead

2005-11-06T18:53:00.000-07:00

Off late I have developed a malacious habbit of sleeping through movies at the theatres. Probably because of the dearth of good themes. But that was not the case yesterday when I saw Jarhead. Would have been wonderful to watch it sans the gibberish from the sides. Most of us were expecting a war movie with the usual red blue white story. But this was not to be. This is the story of a Marine and his company who went to the Gulf war and never got a chance to fire a bullet during their six months stay.

What jarred me was the thought of knowing all and not having a chance to make use of it. Imagine a marine completing the tough training, conquering the mental barriers and finally getting a chance to go to the defend his country only to find that in the end to did not use any of the skills that he was trainned in. One of my colleagues who has been to the Gulf war had given me a similar account of his stay in the gulf. His war was 14 minutes of high alert against an ambush attack which turned out to be false.

Voice mail is helpful

2005-11-03T15:18:00.000-07:00

About a year ago I got this phone call that I was eagerly awaiting, expecting for a long time. The call telling me 'You are hired' (Trump style).
However I did not take the call at the first go, but let it go on voice mail. My palms were sweating when I IDed the number and I just did not have the guts to talk (or listen) in real time. Finally when I listerned to the voice mail I was on the top of the world. I felt like I had found my oasis in the desert. All the fear I had, all the frustration in me, all of my worries summed up in that one golden drop of water that flowed down my lychrymal glands. Suddenly all my questions seemed to be answered. That I had a mid term exam in a couple of day, that I had tons of homework, that I had a class which assured doing bad on in-class tests did not matter anymore. That walking for more than two miles a day, that budget restricted outside eating, that one haircut a semester, that no plan to visit home, those night outs in the library, all started to seem worth it.

I haven't felt this strongly for anything at any point uptil now. Start to what has been an amazing year of learning and living on the edge.

2005-11-02T10:13:00.000-07:00

He who has the gold, makes the rules!

D-day

2005-11-01T11:23:00.000-07:00

Diwali brings happiness to everyone. As I think of Diwali today I cannot but say that to me over the past couple of years it meant a long phone call to near and dear ones. And off course those colorful animated e-greetings.

I am well short of memory to remember what I did on Diwali day last year or year before that. But this year will be different. I am determined to make it different than those colorless, unmemorable days of the past. So we are going to get together and do a small puja and go out to eat.

Zindagi ka Saath Nibhata Chala Gaya

School to work or is it the other way around

2005-10-30T12:15:00.000-07:00

At the moment I am reading books that I never thought I would touch again in life. I believed that college education had got me to where I am and from this point forward I had newer battles to fight. I know people telling me on my first job that working is an entirely different ball game and what I learned in school would not help me much. To which I would argue that what they teach at school needs to be understood in a broder sense and would not have a point-to-point application.

But things were almost the opposite in my second job. First of all I have used my entire repertoire in statistics and have learned greater skills. It did not stop with that. I have used my previous experience and industrial engineering more than anytime before. I have also learned and used some programming skills.

The biggest difference I find in my two jobs is that at the first place they trained you and then you were left to figure out where you could apply that knowledge. So it was more of the individuals ingenuity to make the best of his skillsets. At the second place they first identify the application, identify the skills for that application and figure out what training would be required. Then the individual is picked and trained. So he has a short term target to atleast do one project and then comes the ingenuity part. I think this is the best way to go about it.

Happy Diwali Kid

2005-10-29T13:09:00.000-06:00

This dates back to August of 1999 when we were all trying to be in the 'Cream of the cream' class (a.k.a Mech S/W pattern course) in COEP. About 25-30 amongst all the applicants would get this chance. So you can imagine the competition. Leave no stone unturned- was the golden rule.

Some guys took this rule literally. While some were busy preparing for the interviews, some were 'oiling' the system. Emergence of old "lambche" relations and friendships with big shots became an everyday story. So one of us, and may I say the politician among us, had this interview in the company of 'Calibre'. Now there is no doubt in my mind that he did great at the interview. But just to be on the safer side he waited for everyone to leave the hall and thanked the interviewer whole heartedly, showering the best of prasies for the company and the people. He may have elaborated on his desire to work for this 'best company in the world'. I think by this time the interviewer would have been ready to offer the internship on the spot. But our guy was not done yet. He went ahead wishing the interviewer a happy Diwali and a happy Dassera.

'The One' is Back!!

2005-10-28T06:35:00.000-06:00

The demi-God for all the followers of The Game is back. And back in a big way. Wasn't surprising at all, the way he hit everyone to all the corners of the field.

Here are the highs of that smooth innings!

He is one of the many people who make me proud of being from Mumbai. More than that the fact that I share a part of my name with him makes me an even bigger fan. I am sure that no writer, no leader of recent times, no politician, no no-one can bring joy to millions of people in a matter of minutes. No one than him can make companies plan in advance so as to take care of the absenteeism on a 'match' day. No one can forget the innings he played against Pakistan in the World Cup. And no one can forget the six he hit off Aktar. Harsha Bhogle said after that shot that it was one Big answer to the dominance Pakistan have had even since poor Chetan Sharma got hit for a last ball six.

What I am a fan of is not only his game, but the way he carries and conducts himself on and off the field. He values and acknowledges his roots, still visits his old society and plays with the kids there, still practices at MIG, Bandra, still is the determined boy of 16years who got hit in his first test and refused to retire.

"Here is Tendulkar, then there is daylight and then the rest"

That Game

2005-10-27T12:42:00.000-06:00

This week saw something that I thought I would never see. A rejuvinated performance from the Indian cricket team. It was such a welcome change. Some will argue that this is a one off performance and we still have a season to go. Some have stopped following the game. But really speaking cricket is like faith, both for the players and followers. You can be excited by an isolated spectacle, but to be absorbed for a day you have to identify with and feel for the game!
Here is an application of real rigorous statistics to the game.

It is one of the best and coolest jobs to have!!

Goals in life?

2005-10-25T08:57:00.000-06:00

"What are your goals in life?" asked one of the junta interviewing me a year ago. I thought, there you go. There are always standard set of questions that you prepare for and this one is very commom. I think I will lose respect for anyone who asks this question in an interview where they are suppose to grill on operations and manufacturing and statistics. But I put on a simle on my face and answered my "muggofied" goals. I don't even remember what I said then.

Heres is what I really wanted to tell her but didn't:
I don't play a lot of soccer. The only time I played soccer was some ten years ago. And being a bit intellectually challenged I obviously don't have a good recollection of the game. I did not hit any goals during that match as I ended up being a goalkeeper. I have hit only 4 goals in my entire life, of which I don't remember any details. So why don't you be a little bit more imaginative and ask me about the games I play.

Anyways, here they come, the five goals of my life-
1. To have a goal.
2. To have the dribbling skills to hit that goal.
3. To enjoy hitting that goal.
4. That goal should be as good or better than the 'Hand of God' goal.
5. That goal should make me part of the 'Hall of Fame' of goal hitters.

Passport Story

2005-10-23T11:34:00.000-06:00

My parents get a phone call at 11:00pm from the police station. No it wasn't about my misdemeanors, it was about my mothers passport- which she had submitted for a renewal. As per the new procedures they do a check on the authenticity of the persons' address. But 11:00pm is just too much. But lets just set that aside because it is just the tip of the iceberg. "Udya amcha manus tumchya ghari yeun jaael". Barah. "Aani tumhi parvah yeun documents deun ja". Thik aahe saheb.

"Udya" never dawned in the police station. So FF to "parvah" my mother lands at the police station and she is asked to come after two days. Thik aahe saheb. As if thats the only work we have got in life. So she again goes to the policestation with the docs a couple of days later. She is made to wait for one hour which is when her patience runs out. I would say what was to follow for them was their self inflicted thing. Mother had already sensed that they were looking for "Karcha Pani".
I would take a moment here to state that she hates the idea of having to give "Chiri Mira" to make files move. She has never given nor allowed me to make such offers. Which is why I can proudly state that all my documents (passport, DL, Domicile cert, etc) are all clean! Can't say the same for my father (he is more practical minded!)

So she walks straight to the station incharges' office and starts her fact based, data driven verbatim with times and dates. Finally shows him her ID (shes a central govt. gazetted officer). And not for the first that I have known, the file get completed and start moving faster than Carl Lewis would have run for his 100m Olympic gold medal.

There would be thousands who would have comprimized and complied to the implied action. Some might argue that the fact the she is a govt. officer got her the deal. Let me tell you this, my uncle is also a govt. officer and he ended up giving the "hafta" at the same police station for the same purpose. So it requires more than being an officer to stand up for values. Well done mom! I hope I can replicate that during my time.

Don't Chase

2005-10-22T10:41:00.000-06:00

Don't chase anything. If you try chasing something, harder it becomes to get it. My friend once told me this: Everything is like a butterfly, the more you try to catch it, the more it eludes you. Instead if you stay put and remain calm it will, by itself, come and rest on your shoulders.

Such a great thought. And he told me this when he and I were sixteen and something and I was too much worried about the SCC results.

I have tried to implement it ever since. But there is also a "constant worry-ier" in me. This constant worry-ier does not allow me to rest peacefully, but makes me think of how, who, when for everything. Sometimes its good, but many a times its just not necessary. I am yet to learn to seperate the necessary occassions from the unnecessary ones.
I still remember I wanted to do engineering (traditional push!) after school, but just to be on the safer side I also applied for a 'easier to get' professional course. I haven't seen my folks dissapointed with me as much as they were that day. Here I was, preped to go to the best college in my state (debateable) and that day momentorily I deviated from the path. I don't know if that was out of insecurity of not being there or lack of confidence or that constant worry-ier in me. I bet it was the worry-ier.

Back to school

2005-10-20T09:17:00.000-06:00

Spending more than half of the day reading books and deriving equations for the next half seemed to be a boring idea after graduating from grad school. But the more we dislike things the more they happen. As if just to test your patience. So going back to studying advanced probability and statistic has been my activity for the past few days. To top it all I have to write an exam on these topics. And worst of all my job requires me to sucessfully complete this exam, and complete it before I catch the flight that would abridge ten thousand miles and eight hundred days of seperation.

But the paradise on the other side of the horizon is worth this crap!!

Online Help no more

2005-10-19T10:52:00.000-06:00

I have a big list of online friends. But Niket is not exactly only "online". He is the one who I have been with for the best part of four years. His D-day had come today. He was going back to India and was hopeful of never returning to that wretched place called the middle east. That also signaled a temperory haitus on my online help in programming.
As I go down the memory lane I remember the miniature conveyor design we made for our Applied Mechanics project. It wasn't perfect but never the less good enough to earn us extra credits. I also remember the standing in the college corrider between classes. Also the four hour of painful workshops. In fact it was a bigger PITA for him because he had to endure another two hours of the Virar fast local after that.

I never thought I would meet up with oldtimers when I was moved to Pune. But here again he and others proved me wrong. Right before the flight that put ten thousand miles and eight hunderd days between me and everyone, he and other friends turned up at the airport. That moment to me is worth a thousand lives. I am very optimistic about meeting up everyone again and by God I will. I am just waiting for that day.

The Book that changed my world

2005-10-18T12:04:00.000-06:00

It was the end of Spring 2004. I had nothing to do, on that day or for the next three months into the summer. So I decided to read some unfinished 'want to read' books. I am usually not a big fan of reading. I do the 'necessary' reading and I am not so good with the 'optional' reading. But that day I picked up a book called "The Machine that Changed the World". It is not a technical book, but its not a novel either. It is something semi technical put forth in a narrative form. Anyways, I started reading this book and found it interesting.

Couple of days later I went to this interview for a summer internship. My interviewer actually did not turn up for the interview. As bad as it could get, I thought. So the poor HR guy took a guess that I was interested in manufacturing and called someone to see if he could do the interview. And that is how I met my guiding sunshine, who would pull me through the rut that I was in. Interestingly he was reading the same book and the conversation hung on the subject for a long time. And after a hour and a half I was sure I had made it.

Nothing is totally waste. Even the smallest thing learned will be useful and sometimes change the world.

Maroon Out

2005-10-16T11:08:00.000-06:00

One more visit to College Station. This time for the Football Game. Texas A&M was playing Okhaloma State. To top it all it was a "Maroon Out" game. Maroon what? Texas A&M is the nationally acknowledged college when it comes to traditions. Maroon out is one such tradition at A&M where the fans, all of them come to the game in their maroon colored outfits. Maroon is our official color. Legend has it that A&M does not loose the Maroon Out games. And history is witness to A&M nailing the number one teams in a Maroon out game. And yesterday was no exception. A&M won 62-27.

Texas A&M is home to some of the best and richest traditions in the country. Aggies all around the US are know for the Aggie Network. Here is a great article on the best college traditions in the US.

Above: "Maroon Out" and "The 12th Man" traditions
Below: A&M pounding Okhaloma State

I finally got a chance to be at a A&M game. I wanted to go to a game on so many occassions when I was in school. But it had to happen this way with me driving hundred miles with thousands of Aggies to see their team play. I would say that when I was in College Station, I wasn't actually there. My world revolved among three '-ments': Apartment, Department and Assignment!

thor tiche upkar

2005-10-08T23:23:00.000-06:00

My roommate told me today that yesterday I talked something while sleeping. I did not doubt him because he wasn’t the first (or the last) to witness this. I inquired if he remembered what I said. Upon which he asked me if I was feeling homesick, because I said the word ‘aai’ many times.
I have called three different people by the word ‘aai’; my mother, grandmother and aai. Having working parents meant someone had to take care of me while they were gone. That is how I got the immense love of aai. Aai and her family lived next door to us. She had four kids and I was the fifth kid in their family. I was her favorite. I listened to the “Ek hota raja…..” stories from her. Even after we moved from the place I used to go and stay with them during vacations. Her love and affection meant so much to me.
Then when I was eleven aai lost her eldest son in a wicked fate of events. She cried for days while I sat besides her. She finally accepted the cruel reality and felt may be that’s why God gave me to her. Six years past this, on a Sunday evening she wanted to see me. She just wanted to see me. She wasn’t doing too good with her health. I did not realize the gravity of the situation and decided that I would visit her the following day. I never got that chance. Aai passed away that night with an unfulfilled wish. It is ten years past that day today and I long to listen to the “ye gh ye gh gaai...” from her as I try to sleep. I would like to believe that there is an afterlife where I can apologize to her for failing my duty.

Talking of T-shirts

2005-10-05T16:17:00.000-06:00

……Those were the best days of my life!! were the lines (from Bryan Adams’ summer of 69) for our final sweat shirt while in COEP. There is an amazing story that goes behind this. The sweat shirt was ‘in planning’ for almost a year. It did not go into production on various occasions, sometimes cost prohibitive, sometimes we did not agree on the catch line, sometimes on the color and sometimes on just the timing. Everything changed on the last day in college. Now the “Cream of the Cream” in COEP gets a chance to get paid enjoyment (read learn) in various industries for a year while the “Cream” does an in-house (read ‘gharghuti’) project. Down side of this was that we were still in college (technically) when others went home after the final exams. And this time we decided to make our stay special. So when our batch had to part ways, money did not matter, timing was great, the catch line was perfect. We made the Sweat Shirt after some of us had already left for greater destinations. I bet this is the only shirt from COEP that has been ship-delivered to the US.
Another T-shirt story from my batch was of the “We can Screw Anything that comes our way!!” shirt. This is arguably one of the most popular shirts ever in COEP. Credits to Ritz and PC. I bet there were other popular designs portraying of the COEP warmth (read maaz), but these two stand out in my mind.

So is COEP only about making shirts and bunking classes? No, COEP is much more than that. It is about learning to learn, it is about finding your way, but more than anything it is about getting the confidence of “I can do it”.

Why am I talking T-shirts today? That’s because I am making one for my department today and cannot help getting nostalgic. So many memories from the best days of my life………

Nine moments

2005-10-02T14:37:00.000-06:00

Nine Moments that have influenced my life:
1) When the doctor were able to find a vein on me to put me on saline. This becomes crucial when your blood pressure is agonizingly low, you are loosing bodily fluids by the minute and you are two months old. Still pains around the spot on the toe, as if just to remind me of this.

2) Being asked to quit sports for academics. The most heart crushing moment that I have ever felt for. I became a bigger skeptic after that. Did not talk to my folks for a while. But not getting something I wanted really turned out to be great ( I must say)

3) When I cracked the board exam (or just missed cracking). It was the first academic success of any kind for me. After that I believed that I could do it if I wanted to.

4) May 1999. I had resigned to the idea of not doing a bachelors degree a few months ago and was looking for a job while completing the diploma in engineering. Getting the boot from L&T interview and the last six months at Mahindra convinced me that I would be a nobody if I did not continue college education. I am glad I took this decision.

5) Moving to Pune for studies. Not only did that give me a chance to live the COEP legend, I also got the hard lessons in a competitive environment. I learned survival in Pune. I made friends for life in Pune. Looking back I think I graduated to a more fulfilling level. COEP gave ‘me’ to me.

6) Working at Telco. I got my part of honesty at Telco. I can proudly say that every front suspension in the Indica and the Indigo are assembled till day, by the process that Abhi and I designed. There is my part in the big ocean called Telco. I also fulfilled my love for driving cars at high speeds on their test tracks. I learned (or should I say “leaned”) the things that would go on to give me my present job.

7) Coming to the US. Big decision for me, even bigger for my family. I always thought I was a strong individual and would never feel the pain of separation. The evening before I left India was the most uncomfortable time I have experienced. I could not bear the uncomfortable silence in the house. I will never be afraid of being alone, I will always be afraid of the loneliness.

8) December 2003. Pulverized to dust by the grueling A&M system, I was thinking if I had made the right decision only a few months ago. There were times when I felt homesick and hopeless beyond comparison. I made the biggest decision of my life here- I asked myself if good things are really worth waiting for. If so, how long? I was determined not to chase something that I did not want. I refused to work with my advisor on things I did not like and it worked out great. I felt I was reborn that December.

9) May 2004 - Meeting my mentor. I think I met my equal. I owe my success to him as much as I do to my abilities. I would have never been where I am today had it not been for him. I hope I live up to my expectations, not just professionally but in the bigger scheme of things in life.

When dada went over the hill.........

2005-10-01T00:09:00.000-06:00

It’s kind of odd to be celebrating birthdays two weeks after the actual day. But such were the repercussions of Rita. After a eventful evacuation, time with friends and short visit to the Emergency Room I was back, kicking and screaming in Houston. A weekend birthday party did great to break the monotonous routine that has become off late. So why am I saying that dada went over the hill. Precisely because I am the next one in line and I don’t want to regret not pulling someone’s leg when I had the chance.
It will be a much awaited 'going over the hill' for me. There would be no birthday bumps, no cream on my face and no throwing me in the swimming pool (that’s what birthdays meant at A&M). I have my escape planned!!

Oil Rigs that did not survive

2005-09-27T21:17:00.000-06:00

Alive to tell the tale

2005-09-25T19:10:00.000-06:00

Nothing as big as it sounds. Didn't even get to see a single drop of rain during the hurricane. College Station and A&M are a great community to be a part of. Words would always be short to appreciate the perfect hosts played by Ritesh and Mandar. We were ready to brave the hurricne hoping the situation would not come and thats what happened. The hurricane literally danced in the gulf cost for a few hours giving us the jitters and finally unleashed its fury in SW Lousiana. Houston escaped to the extent that all operations including the oil rigs in the gulf will be fully operational by the end of next week. And that also means that I have more work this week.

But this experience did have its story to tell. Never seen like before traffic, panic at the super stores, price-gouging at gas pumps. Ya thats what you call when you have gas that should be sold at $2.50 a gallon and you sell it for $3.1. I know for sure that when it is $3 at the pump, it should be $95 a barrel in the international market. But these price-gougers sold gas for $3 when it was $68 for the barrel.

I had read an email stating the "difference between New Orleans and Mumbai" a few days ago. Well here are some of the difference that we need to learn from:
- 3 million people evacuated in 48hrs (they evacuated 14K from AP)
- No death in TX due to the hurricane.
- 5 days advanced notice of the hurricane.
- Shelters in place when the evacuation occured.
- TX seemed to have a disaster management plan after the learnings from New Orleans.

Evacuating Houston, Our Sentiments on the board, Panic at the stores, Gas hungry vehicles

Its Mandatory now

2005-09-21T06:13:00.000-06:00

F**k. I have used the four letter magic word too many times now. But I no longer worry about that. Jerks who laughed yesterday when I mentioned College Station have woken up to realise that its officially been made the hurricane shelter today. Jerks. Jerks. Jerks.
In a few hours I will be gone, hoping to start back early next week. The county sherriff has ordered a mandatory evacuation starting 6pm today. What that means is that if you are not ready to get your arse out of this place by then, they would have to arrest you and enforce evacuation. One thing is for sure its going to be slow death (not in the literal sense).

Its going to start going to hell this friday. I don't want to get stuck. She is going to be a killer they say.

Calm before the storm

2005-09-20T20:16:00.000-06:00

With the weekend approaching everyone is nervous. They said “Rita”- a category 3 hurricane is heading for Houston. The costal county of Galveston (60miles south of Houston) has started voluntary evacuation. A day more into the week and more precise knowledge of the hurricane path and there may be a mandatory evacuation. Doesn’t feel right. Everything that you have built over years, over generations has to be left as is and the place evacuated.
Flood insurance is very common in the Gulf coast. But everyone hopes that the situation to claim insurance doesn’t arise in the first place. Right now we have hot weather and high pressure in Houston, which is good (anti hurricane conditions). I am just hoping that I don’t have to spend the weekend driving north. What I hope is being able to capture some pictures of the hurricane (which is highly unlikely). The storm chasers group isn’t going to chase this one.
Hurricanes, unlike the Tsunamis and earthquakes are a slow death. You actually follow their path while it’s approaching. That it will hit is a given, you hope its not you, not your house, not your city. Good thing is that the met department gives a 72 hrs advance notice to the residents of the prone areas. And those warnings are damm accurate. Couple of noticeable headlines: “Turn around, don’t drown” for those who refuse to evacuate and “Atlantic Storms may go Greek” because they are close to exhausting the names on the current list and would start using Alpha, Beta after that.

We stay at the black dot in the picture, less than 10 miles from the zone

Lessons learned

2005-09-19T16:00:00.000-06:00

It has been almost a year since I moved away from writing cheques to getting direct bank deposits. The learning curve has been rather steep during this time. Some of the things I learned in school, some from past experience, some from my mentor (he is not my boss btw) and some from “honest” mistakes. But one thing for sure I learned them fast and have “prevailed” till date. Here are some of the lessons that I have learned:-
1) SURVIVE in the group of BIG people. Don’t even think of showing your leadership skills here. Look for the attrition to happen and then lead the team that will actually work your project.
2) When you have conflicting assignments/meetings/projects and the boss says- DO WHAT YOU NEED TO DO, DO WHATS RIGHT FOR THE BUSINESS. Meaning, do what he has in mind and nothing else because that IS the right thing for the business.
3) Most important. Don’t let anyone other than your boss to be your boss. Listen to all, do all projects but the ones that are ‘right for the business’ come first.
4) Remember- Open mind does not always mean an open mouth. So shut up where you don’t absolutely have to say something.
5) Email your boss with the latest Dilbert on Appraisals just before he does one for you. He would try not to be Dilbert’s boss and you will benefit. (subject to boss being receptive to frwd emails)
6) Don’t ask for work. Believe in, as someone put it as- The one who gave you this job will give you the work. I actually got buried in work, not following this when I started out working.
7) Work hard, play harder (not the vice versa).
8) Ask if you have to. Do ever assume and dont stop short of asking. (this is true everywhere)
Pit Stop and the Champions Wall

Perfect Ten!!

2005-09-16T12:21:00.000-06:00

What started as a tough week in the office has finally come to an end on a great note. The big boss confirmed that I am still in the top five percent of the bell curve, second time in running. That is as good as it gets for now. Workplace is certainly a diverse place for me to learn different things. My coworker is from Trinidad and its fun to be talking cricket with him. More than that, he is a Phd. I learn a lot from him.

Its Ganpati Visarjan this weekend. I am a believer and am happy we celebrated Ganpati at our place. Also confirmed that I could actually remember all the artis from years ago. It was a great fun week, taking arti turns (or shud I say responsibility), abstaining from the ‘prohibited’ food, using sober language (most of the times). More than everything it was great to get together with everyone and just talk for hours.

Houston or Mumbai, the Faith remains

Mi Chuklo

2005-09-13T21:21:00.000-06:00

Aaj Sarkhi aai chi athvan yet rahili. Vichar karta karta vatle- kiti vela aapan aai shi neat bol lo nahi, kiti vela chid chid keli. Never ever will I say it again-
Jevan avadle nahi.
Tumhi jevun ghya, mi nantar baseen.
Mala thanda jevan chalel.
Lavkar uthnar nahi.
aaj kahich kaam karnar nahi.
TV var match suru aahe, tujhe serial aaj rahu de.
Shevti pahate phone kela, aai shi bolalo. Kaal jya gostinchi kimat navti tyanche mahatva aaj kalte ahe. Mi chuklo.

The Urn has turned

2005-09-12T17:07:00.000-06:00

Followed England on the internet onto a fine Ashes victory. The Urn has turned…. ran the headlines everywhere as England regained the Ashes after a thousand years. Witnessed the jubilant faces of my English colleagues. Realized that there was almost a generation of Englishmen who had not seen their team win the Ashes.
I have seen a team used to getting knocked off in the opening rounds of school cricket make it through to the semi finals beating bigges like Shardashram (btw thats Tendulkar’s school). Some matches went as close as one run victories but they won them all. And then when the year of glory was over the best player of the season got asked to sit out and concentrate on studies. He never played any cricket again and will always wonder of what could have been.

From what was to what could have been

Rain Rain Go Away

2005-09-11T07:44:00.000-06:00

Usually when it rains heavily it means no school no nothing. A full paid hoilday in my city. Pan aaj paus nako sa zala aahe. Aaj amchya gharchya Ganpati che visarjan. Uttar puja houn sagle paus thambnyachi vaat pahat aahet. Mhanun aaj paus nakosa zala aahe. Aai mhanali ki paus or no paus saat vajta amhi visarjanasathi nighnar. Sagle natevaik aslya mule jasta kalji vatat nahi pan tari paus thambla tar khup chan hoil. Also realiased that this is the thrid time I have been at the wrong place during Ganpati. But not being at the wrong place was never an option. I will make it... someday....

Another man who will be desperate for the rain to stop is Ricky Ponting. After all if it rains at the Oval for the next two days he will have the dubious distinction of loosing the Ashes Ern that has been with Australia for sixteen years. So pray hard Mr. Ponting for the rains to abide.

Some interseting readings on the game which they say has lost its charm!

Kimi did it again today in Belgium. Alonso finished second and is almost assured of the championship. JB (of the button up fame) got to the podium. I am waiting for the next season where Schumchi will avenge his 05 defeat. Hopefully I get to go to Indianapolis sans the frustration of 2005.

Indianapolis F1 GP 2005 when I witnessed the stalemate and Matthew hayden wonders what wrong has he done!!

Music Musings

2005-09-09T13:43:00.000-06:00

Music they say is a great healer. No doubt about that. Music they say also reflects your personality. May be right to some extent, may be wrong sometimes. I listen to the music that I can connect to, lyrics that I feel have been written for me, rythm that makes your feet tap.
Three favorite Artists:
Bryan Adams (anytime anyday everywhere)
Santana
Eagles
Honarable Mentions: Maroon5, Kelly Clarkson, Shania Twain

Ganeshayan n maha

2005-09-06T21:00:00.000-06:00

Ganesh chaturthi always brings good memories to me. Memories which make me so nostalgic these days as to want to go back in a jiffy. I am so previlaged in the sense that my maternal and paternal families have Ganpati festival. So the festival time was (and is) always fun until the last three years when I sit ten thousand miles from where I should be.
Since last year we started having the festival at ND's place here and thats the best thing Holly Hall 1410 have. Good news is that it wasn't a one off thing and we are going to get together for the arti tomorrow.

Shrimant Dagdusheth Ganpati in Pune

Lovebugs not loved

2005-09-05T11:51:00.000-06:00

The travel to College Station comes with the package of driving along the TX-6 state highway which is a treat to your eyes in early spring. Hoever its hell to drive in the fall during the lovebug season. Maiting season for lovebugs!

And hell for travellers. Imagine something like this glued to the windscreen and all over the car. All i can say that it gives me enough reasons to wash my car.

One of the movies I saw lately: A lot like love. A very uncomplicated, heartfelt movie. Some of the background tracks are very well placed in the movie. Its also one of those movies that you dont like instantly, but kind of keep ruminating in the mind and you actually start feeling good about the story.

Whats the difference

2005-09-04T00:13:00.000-06:00

Someone just said: "The only thing I like of America is the 1:43 ratio and that gap is closing as well". Very true on both counts. There are great aspects of life here, a sense that human life is valued more than anything. But what I saw from the recent happenings during this disastor is that there is no difference between America and the so called "third" world nations when it comes to real urgent situation. There is the same lack of application from the officials, relief reaching late, people left neglected and the list goes on. Atleast I did not hear of looting neighbourhoods and supermarkets in Latur, Bhuj or Orissa. Pity that in such a situation they cannot even ask for help because that goes against their claim of being a first world nation.
Same latitude

Fast trains don't maketh a nation, people do.

Not so long ago...

2005-09-02T22:07:00.000-06:00

Not so long ago the Fall semester began. Someone mentioned that its tough to drag yourself to school after a three month lay off. Huh? Realised that I could never afford a lay off. Summer vacation was never an option for me and many others. Always had to provision for the winter to come!!

This is where I went the first time I took a break: Heaven is just overrated, Sears towers in Chicago

Why does everyone blog?

2005-09-01T21:05:00.000-06:00

Why does everyone blog? Some have great ideas to pen. Some have an interesting life to share. I have neither. I do it for the heck of it..........or as i say just for kicks!!!
With gas prices rising sky high going around just for kicks has come down and car pooling is IN. Right now its around the $3 mark. I would only hope that this is temperory.

Apathy

2005-08-31T12:14:00.000-06:00

Saddened by the fury unleashed by the hurricane 'Katrina' I kept on hearing word-of-mouth accounts from my co-workers all through the day. Nobody was in a mood to work today. With our facility in Lousiana evacuated and about 10 of our rigs temperorily shut down the general atmosphere here is a little beyond 'gloomy'. But glad that people continue to work their jobs with the greatest bit of honesty which to me is the USP of this country. On a micro level everybody seems to be so detached with others that you will just hate the lifestyle there. Yet it seems that the common passions, common motives, common principles, common sentiments, common worries run this country unlike any other. And that to me is the sign of a great nation. And thats the roadmap I want for my country.

Unbelievably I had walked the streets of New Orleans only six months ago

Anxious to the zenith........

2005-08-30T14:24:00.000-06:00

I am so excited and anxious these days that I can hardly sit in a place or hold thoughts in my mind for long. I cannot wait till I get to be free. I can now associate myself better with Chuck Noland having Mr Wilson as his buddy (Hanks in Cast Away).

Fear of the different kind...

2005-07-18T16:00:00.000-06:00

Recently I went on a trekking trip to the Big Bend National Park. Its a beautiful place to the West of Texas. Now when I say west of texas I mean we were still in Texas. In texas you could drive West for 14hrs and still be in texas, unlike the other places in the US where you can drive for six hrs and cross 6 different state borders!
Well we started this 6 mile trek very enthusiastically and everyone wanted to dash off before the others. This was until we can across this sign..........

Now I had heard that common fears bring people together. I was witness to that now....we started walking closely and were chatting throughout the trek after that!! Everyone trying to convince the other that why the lion 'will' or 'wil not' cross roads with us. Some of us actually wanted an encounter with the beast. (Un) fortunately we were not the chosen ones. The trek was fun though. This was what awaited us at the end......

Truth

2005-04-27T07:36:00.000-06:00

Someone mentioned.........."Everything that is important can be measured. Anything that gets measured gets improved". They started measuring performance in office and things started to improve. They measured customer satisfaction and services improved. They have been measuring quality for ages. And may be thats why they have progress reports in school.
Had a crazy week at the dentists' office. A rather painful root canal this time. Now I have had dental treatments in India, the more painful ones. But they never "numbed" me for that. Here they don't work without local anastasia. I also found out that you can actually "negotiate" your payment for the treatment with your insurance company. True they have standard rates for a particular treatment, but its worthwhile to give them a call if that is going to ease off $100 bucks off your share of the pie. Always remebmer America is a country of "deals" and "negotiations". Never buy anything without a deal and never accept without negotiating. But let me also tell you that it requires a really persuasive guy to do this and I failed miserably!

Messenger Pals

2005-04-11T12:36:00.000-06:00

I think e-mail and messengers have been the greatest inventions of the internet gurus. Messengers are my best tools these days to catch up and keep in touch with good-old-pals. I had a good conversation with Niket this morning. I cannot imagine us speaking (or exchanging messages) had it not been for the messenger.
He told me about the carzy things he had seen around in Saudi Arabia and I matched him with the American Way.

I certainly hope to catch up with some other friends who I email quiet often, but miss the real time fun of a conversation!!

Swadesh

2005-03-06T16:49:00.000-07:00

Just the other day I saw the movie 'Swadesh'. Quiet amazing movie. Atleast that is what I felt. My friends had warned me about enduring three hours of slowest cinema I would have ever seen. But to me it was three hours of cinema, no exagagerations that left me thinking for another three hours. Such was the impact. I ponder upon Mohans situation in the movie and cannot but help picturing myself or anyone of my friends in the situation. All I can say is that it is a good movie with a message and delivers its impact!!

Crazy Things heard off lately

2005-03-02T13:11:00.000-07:00

"It takes nine months for a woman to give birth to a baby. You cannot throw in nine women and get a baby in one month...."

So very true. This was someone quoting on the project completion dates in office. Isnt it like all projects have a deadline...........that is too early. While it doesnt take the deadline setter any thought to set a challenging deadline, its so very true that certain things take time to shape up. And this is a good way to put forth the prospective in a lighter mood.

Visiting College Station

2005-02-22T07:47:00.000-07:00

Had a very refreshing week end. Had been to College Station. Feels good to go back to A&M as a former student. Feels good when previous employers still recognise you with your first name. Back to work today!! Have a "deadline" week coming up.

2005-02-20T11:42:00.000-07:00