I was asked to take "J2EE Training" for about 30 odd fresher who recently joined our team. Since I like teaching people - I happily complied.
As can be expected, my manager at work pulled a fast one on me, and since I am "The Moron Who Doesn't Know To Say NO Sternly" - it's resulted in me having to work everyday till around 2 am - including both days of the weekend!
(Now - I have to do my regular 9 am - 6 pm project work and then come home and start working on preparing the slides needed as also learn up on all the topics - so that I can delve out an effective training!)
But, all the cribbing apart - It was a fun experience. Watching all the participants glow with joy on learning new concepts. And, from the feedback forms they filled out, I came to know that "The Participants Felt" that my communication skills were very good, my training was effective, and above all - the course content exceeded their expectations from the training!
I must confess - "Mugamboe Kussh Hua"
To cater to the training program, I had to prepare quite a few PPT slide - as a matter of fact a whopping 403 slides.
(Ofcourse, I must confess, I did leverage a lot of these slides from already existing presentations that were available online)
And now - I am going to share this with the participants of the program. But, there was one small problem. I had written personal notes on many of the slides. I didn't want to pass on the slides with these scibbled notes to them as it. with every probability, wouldn't make sense to them. This is when I stumbled upon this article on the web. It gives you step-by-step instructions on what needs to be done to delete all your Slide notes programmatically.
How to remove all your Power Point notes
Open your presentation
Click "Tools", "Macro", "Macros" and type in removeNotes.
Click "Create".
Paste the following into the window that appears, just before the text "End Sub"
Dim objSlide As Slide
Dim objShape As Shape
For Each objSlide In ActivePresentation.Slides
For Each objShape In objSlide.NotesPage.Shapes
If objShape.TextFrame.HasText Then
objShape.TextFrame.TextRange = ""
End If
Next
Next
Close the script window.
Click "Tools", "Macro", "Macros" and double click removeNotes.
Your notes should be deleted!
Anyone who wants to use this to achieve the same purpose as me is free to do so. Please note, I will not be held liable if anything goes (terribly?) wrong.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Need Help And Tips from My Casanova Pals
Now, this one specifically goes out to those friends of mine who are (or atleast claim) hard core casanova's and can sweep any woman off her feet (read as get her into bed!). All female readers of mine could also feel free to comment on this matter - as I'm sure your inputs would be equally priceless. Anyways ... With no further ado - let me dive into the matter.
Basically, there is this hot chick at the gym I go to. She's really hot (no questions about that!) and has a helloffa lotta attitude about it as well. Since, she's the only "eligible" girl (read as - she's the only one that looks < 30 and has a body that worth talking to!) - all the people at the gym (boys, men, uncles, grandpas, floor staff, instructors - you get the drift don't you!) oogle at her (some discreetly - some not so discreetly).
I won't say I dont oogle at her - I do too.
Now the problem is - I wanna know what would be the best approach to hit on her and get her phone number?
;)
Personally, I think, I really need to start honing up on these skills right away - else my whole "Trip To Foreign Lands" will be a pure waste of time!
This is where all you "experienced" and "talented" friends of mine come in.
* Give me good advice - and if it works - I'll make it worth your while.
* Give me junk advise - and if it flops and I loose face (or end up with a slipper on my face) - I'll break your jaw!
So come on folks ... Share your experiences and advise and tips and knowledge. Let's make this world a better place!!!
Basically, there is this hot chick at the gym I go to. She's really hot (no questions about that!) and has a helloffa lotta attitude about it as well. Since, she's the only "eligible" girl (read as - she's the only one that looks < 30 and has a body that worth talking to!) - all the people at the gym (boys, men, uncles, grandpas, floor staff, instructors - you get the drift don't you!) oogle at her (some discreetly - some not so discreetly).
I won't say I dont oogle at her - I do too.
Now the problem is - I wanna know what would be the best approach to hit on her and get her phone number?
;)
Personally, I think, I really need to start honing up on these skills right away - else my whole "Trip To Foreign Lands" will be a pure waste of time!
This is where all you "experienced" and "talented" friends of mine come in.
* Give me good advice - and if it works - I'll make it worth your while.
* Give me junk advise - and if it flops and I loose face (or end up with a slipper on my face) - I'll break your jaw!
So come on folks ... Share your experiences and advise and tips and knowledge. Let's make this world a better place!!!
Saturday, December 13, 2008
The Thermodynamics of Hell
The following is supposedly an actual question given on a University of Washington chemistry mid-term. The answer by one student was so profound that the professor shared it with colleagues, via the Internet, which is, of course, why we now have the pleasure of enjoying it as well.
Bonus Question: Is Hell exothermic (gives off heat) or endothermic (absorbs heat)?
Most of the students wrote proofs of their beliefs using Boyle's Law (gas cools when it expands and heats when it is compressed) or some variant. One student, however, wrote the following:
First, we need to know how the mass of Hell is changing in time. So we need to know the rate at which souls are moving into Hell and the rate at which they are leaving. I think that we can safely assume that once a soul gets to Hell, it will not leave. Therefore, no souls are leaving. As for how many souls are entering Hell, let's look at the different Religions that exist in the world today. Most of these religions state that if you are not a member of their religion, you will go to Hell. Since there is more than one of these religions and since people do not belong to more than one religion, we can project that all souls go to Hell. With birth and death rates as they are, we can expect the number of souls in Hell to increase exponentially. Now, we look at the rate of change of the volume in Hell because Boyle's Law states that in order for the temperature and pressure in Hell to stay the same, the volume of Hell has to expand proportionately as souls are added. This gives two possibilities:
1. If Hell is expanding at a slower rate than the rate at which souls enter Hell, then the temperature and pressure in Hell will increase until all Hell breaks loose.
2. If Hell is expanding at a rate faster than the increase of souls in Hell, then the temperature and pressure will drop until Hell freezes over.
So which is it? If we accept the postulate given to me by Teresa during my Freshman year that, "it will be a cold day in Hell before I sleep with you", and take into account the fact that I slept with her last night, then number 2 must be true, and thus I am sure that Hell is exothermic and has already frozen over. The corollary of this theory is that since Hell has frozen over, it follows that it is not accepting any more souls and is therefore, extinct...leaving only Heaven thereby proving the existence of a divine being which explains why, last night, Teresa kept shouting Oh my God.
Bonus Question: Is Hell exothermic (gives off heat) or endothermic (absorbs heat)?
Most of the students wrote proofs of their beliefs using Boyle's Law (gas cools when it expands and heats when it is compressed) or some variant. One student, however, wrote the following:
First, we need to know how the mass of Hell is changing in time. So we need to know the rate at which souls are moving into Hell and the rate at which they are leaving. I think that we can safely assume that once a soul gets to Hell, it will not leave. Therefore, no souls are leaving. As for how many souls are entering Hell, let's look at the different Religions that exist in the world today. Most of these religions state that if you are not a member of their religion, you will go to Hell. Since there is more than one of these religions and since people do not belong to more than one religion, we can project that all souls go to Hell. With birth and death rates as they are, we can expect the number of souls in Hell to increase exponentially. Now, we look at the rate of change of the volume in Hell because Boyle's Law states that in order for the temperature and pressure in Hell to stay the same, the volume of Hell has to expand proportionately as souls are added. This gives two possibilities:
1. If Hell is expanding at a slower rate than the rate at which souls enter Hell, then the temperature and pressure in Hell will increase until all Hell breaks loose.
2. If Hell is expanding at a rate faster than the increase of souls in Hell, then the temperature and pressure will drop until Hell freezes over.
So which is it? If we accept the postulate given to me by Teresa during my Freshman year that, "it will be a cold day in Hell before I sleep with you", and take into account the fact that I slept with her last night, then number 2 must be true, and thus I am sure that Hell is exothermic and has already frozen over. The corollary of this theory is that since Hell has frozen over, it follows that it is not accepting any more souls and is therefore, extinct...leaving only Heaven thereby proving the existence of a divine being which explains why, last night, Teresa kept shouting Oh my God.
Missing My Mentors
Throughout my career, I've been extremely lucky to have great mentors ...
During my Wipro days
I had Sujatha (aka Suj) to give me timely inputs, thoughts and suggestions. She was someone who I could approach with my concerns and not only would she help me find a resolution to it - she also assisted me molding my thought process to arrive at those results on my own.
Another important person during my stay there is Farzana (aka Farzi). Although her presence and role in my life wasn't as extensive as Sujatha's - she too had a turnkey role in it.
During my Oracle days
I had Sameer - who, in my honest opinion, was my best mentor so far. It is from him I learnt a lot of things about how to make a mark in the corporate world. I observed and learnt all the things - right from "What To Say And Do" all the way to "Whom To Influence" - from him. In short - from whatever I've learnt from him - I hope to someday make it big as a manager.
And I can never thank Pradhan (aka pvaramba) enough for all the technical mentoring he has provided. It is from him I learnt the art of how to approach and solve any technical problem - even if you have no clue on what it is. In my honest opinion, he is the most humble techno savvy person I have met. Although this guy really knows his shit - I'd say - his primary strength is not his technical superiority, but rather, his willingness to help people around him scale up to his level of knowledge.
(Seriously - never once have I seen him ridicule anyone about their lack of knowledge in anything, and he's always ready to spend as much time as needed to get things into your head!)
But, today, I was wondering - "Why haven't I been able to learn anything in the last couple of months". And that's when it struck me ... Since the day I joined TCS, I've not had a good mentor!!!
I kid you not!!! In the last 6 months that I've been here - I haven't even met one fellow from whom I can or for that matter want to learn anything from.
(And on top of that, at least what I've observed so far is, no one seems to be open to taking someone under their wing and molding and shaping them into something better and brighter!)
I can't hope to learn anything from my peers and colleagues here as they're all freshers and have nothing much to offer me per se, and, the management here is so bad - that the only time they will even talk to you is when something goes terribly wrong in the project (and the only thing they do during this talk session is shout their head off!!!). During all other times - they're a very closely knit group and they don't want to let anyone else inside!
(You think I haven't tried to wriggle myself in!!!)
Well ... What else can I say other than - "God Help Me!"
During my Wipro days
I had Sujatha (aka Suj) to give me timely inputs, thoughts and suggestions. She was someone who I could approach with my concerns and not only would she help me find a resolution to it - she also assisted me molding my thought process to arrive at those results on my own.
Another important person during my stay there is Farzana (aka Farzi). Although her presence and role in my life wasn't as extensive as Sujatha's - she too had a turnkey role in it.
During my Oracle days
I had Sameer - who, in my honest opinion, was my best mentor so far. It is from him I learnt a lot of things about how to make a mark in the corporate world. I observed and learnt all the things - right from "What To Say And Do" all the way to "Whom To Influence" - from him. In short - from whatever I've learnt from him - I hope to someday make it big as a manager.
And I can never thank Pradhan (aka pvaramba) enough for all the technical mentoring he has provided. It is from him I learnt the art of how to approach and solve any technical problem - even if you have no clue on what it is. In my honest opinion, he is the most humble techno savvy person I have met. Although this guy really knows his shit - I'd say - his primary strength is not his technical superiority, but rather, his willingness to help people around him scale up to his level of knowledge.
(Seriously - never once have I seen him ridicule anyone about their lack of knowledge in anything, and he's always ready to spend as much time as needed to get things into your head!)
But, today, I was wondering - "Why haven't I been able to learn anything in the last couple of months". And that's when it struck me ... Since the day I joined TCS, I've not had a good mentor!!!
I kid you not!!! In the last 6 months that I've been here - I haven't even met one fellow from whom I can or for that matter want to learn anything from.
(And on top of that, at least what I've observed so far is, no one seems to be open to taking someone under their wing and molding and shaping them into something better and brighter!)
I can't hope to learn anything from my peers and colleagues here as they're all freshers and have nothing much to offer me per se, and, the management here is so bad - that the only time they will even talk to you is when something goes terribly wrong in the project (and the only thing they do during this talk session is shout their head off!!!). During all other times - they're a very closely knit group and they don't want to let anyone else inside!
(You think I haven't tried to wriggle myself in!!!)
Well ... What else can I say other than - "God Help Me!"
Friday, December 12, 2008
The Reasons For Going To The US
Okay ... Ever since I wrote my previous blog entry, I've been getting phone calls, GTalk pings, sms'es, etc from many people asking me for the "true" reason why I want to go to the USA.
Before I move on to talking about it, let me tell you what a few members of my friends and family it could be:
* My Dad thinks I want to go to the US to make and save more money.
* My Mom thinks I want to go to the US for a better career growth.
* Pallavi (aka Pallu) thinks that I want to go to the US just to get laid.
Well, I must confess, they are not completely wrong. It's a bit of everything listed above and something more too!
You see, I'm very bored with my life these days. It's like I don't have a flame or passion inside me anymore. I've been feeling so very lethargic, and sulky, that it's as if I've shrunk myself into some sort of a cocoon.
And trust me - This isn't the real me!
Heck - I really need to shock myself out of this state I am in now. And for that - the US is the perfect place.
(As a matter of fact - any new place - where no one knows me and I don't know anyone - is the perfect place! US just happened. If it hadn't - It'd have been the UK!)
I've been told that in the US - no one gives a shit who you are and what you do. You can just be yourself and there will always be someone or the other who accepts you that way.
It's a place where you can "discover" the true you!
This is waaaaaaaaaaay in contrast to culture here in Cochin (and India in general) where everything is done (read as forced upon you!) in the name of family/traditions/values/etc.
So - as per me - USA sounds like my kindda town!
Anyways - whether I am correct or not - only time will tell. But till then, I am going to live in the hopes that I am correct and everything is going to work in my favor.
:)
And Pallu - FYI - I don't have to go all the way to US to get laid. Bangalore and Chennai were very [ahem] "opportunity laden" as well darling!!!
I'll leave the rest to your imaginations ....
;)
Before I move on to talking about it, let me tell you what a few members of my friends and family it could be:
* My Dad thinks I want to go to the US to make and save more money.
* My Mom thinks I want to go to the US for a better career growth.
* Pallavi (aka Pallu) thinks that I want to go to the US just to get laid.
Well, I must confess, they are not completely wrong. It's a bit of everything listed above and something more too!
You see, I'm very bored with my life these days. It's like I don't have a flame or passion inside me anymore. I've been feeling so very lethargic, and sulky, that it's as if I've shrunk myself into some sort of a cocoon.
And trust me - This isn't the real me!
Heck - I really need to shock myself out of this state I am in now. And for that - the US is the perfect place.
(As a matter of fact - any new place - where no one knows me and I don't know anyone - is the perfect place! US just happened. If it hadn't - It'd have been the UK!)
I've been told that in the US - no one gives a shit who you are and what you do. You can just be yourself and there will always be someone or the other who accepts you that way.
It's a place where you can "discover" the true you!
This is waaaaaaaaaaay in contrast to culture here in Cochin (and India in general) where everything is done (read as forced upon you!) in the name of family/traditions/values/etc.
So - as per me - USA sounds like my kindda town!
Anyways - whether I am correct or not - only time will tell. But till then, I am going to live in the hopes that I am correct and everything is going to work in my favor.
:)
And Pallu - FYI - I don't have to go all the way to US to get laid. Bangalore and Chennai were very [ahem] "opportunity laden" as well darling!!!
I'll leave the rest to your imaginations ....
;)
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Favorite Dilaogue # 1
"I run my unit how I run my unit. You want to investigate me, roll the dice and take your chances. I eat breakfast 300 yards from 4000 Cubans who are trained to kill me, so don't think for one second that you can come down here, flash your badge, and make me nervous."
- Col. Jessep (A Few Good Men)
- Col. Jessep (A Few Good Men)
Sunday, December 7, 2008
ABCD - American Born Confused Desi
Bored??? Wanna drool over some babes???
I've got just the right thing for you !!!
For those who can't see the album above - click on the link - http://picasaweb.google.com/sharath.wipro/BabesUnlimited#
I've got just the right thing for you !!!
 |
| Babes Unlimited |
For those who can't see the album above - click on the link - http://picasaweb.google.com/sharath.wipro/BabesUnlimited#
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Why I Want To Go To The USA
I was talking to my good friend Ravi about my H1B Visa and why I would like to go the USA. And as usual, a lot of myths and falsities came crashing. That is one thing that is really cool about talking to Ravi. He strips your arguments apart - bit by bit, blow by blow, and then makes you eat your own words.
:)
Thanks to this attitude and approach of his - we (Me, Pradhaan, Samir, Rajesh, Anbarasu, Abhiram, and Ravi) had a lot of fun and lengthy luncheon sessions when we all used to work together at Oracle.
Anyways ... Before I hit of on a tangential angle and start getting nostalgic - let me come back to the main track. After that discussion with Ravi, I was left wondering, why do I really want to go to the USA. The approach I'm gonna take here is that I will list out all the points as and when they come to my mind, and then try to take a dig at them on my own. If I am not able to undermine the justification - then it will stay on the list. Else - It gets kicked out from the list.
That way - the FINAL list will have every single "real" and "justified" reason why I wanna go to the USA.
I'll post the URL's to the next blog where I'll be listing these "points" and the critic reviews on the same. For now, I'm just too tired (thanks to a very bumpy Volvo bus ride from Chennai to Cochin). So - I wanna catch up on some sleep!
Ciao!!!
:)
Thanks to this attitude and approach of his - we (Me, Pradhaan, Samir, Rajesh, Anbarasu, Abhiram, and Ravi) had a lot of fun and lengthy luncheon sessions when we all used to work together at Oracle.
Anyways ... Before I hit of on a tangential angle and start getting nostalgic - let me come back to the main track. After that discussion with Ravi, I was left wondering, why do I really want to go to the USA. The approach I'm gonna take here is that I will list out all the points as and when they come to my mind, and then try to take a dig at them on my own. If I am not able to undermine the justification - then it will stay on the list. Else - It gets kicked out from the list.
That way - the FINAL list will have every single "real" and "justified" reason why I wanna go to the USA.
I'll post the URL's to the next blog where I'll be listing these "points" and the critic reviews on the same. For now, I'm just too tired (thanks to a very bumpy Volvo bus ride from Chennai to Cochin). So - I wanna catch up on some sleep!
Ciao!!!
My Big Secret
Okay ... So many of my friends have been asking me why I moved from Oracle to TCS. Some of them have even been "kind" enough to tell me that I was either
1. Stupid
2. Mad
3. Idiotic
4. Silly
5. Foolish
etc ... etc ... etc ...
(The list goes on and on and on ... and also becomes more and more [ahem] expletive laden ...)
to have done so!
I agree ... Especially with the reasons I gave them (wanting to move closer to home, missing my family, the career opportunities TCS had to offer, and some more Bullshit like that) for "why" I moved - Even I would've said just that.
On the contrary, the truth is far from that. And till two days back, I had no option but to kept it under really really tight wraps!
But, today, I'm going to spill the beans ...
Around 9 months back I had interviewed for a company by the name Collabera. They had offered to sponsor my H1B visa, and I had very graciously "agreed" to that. After a loooooooong and tiring wait - on Thursday, 4-Dec-2008, was D-Day - "My H1B Visa Interview" Day.
The experience of going for an H1B interview is unique and priceless - and I'm gonna write a separate blog about it. So, those of you lovely folks who aspire for it too can check out that other blog, the one that I plan to write soon, for more insights and tips on the H1B process.
So, now that the Cat's officially out of the bag - I declare before you - I Am An Official H1B Visa Holder!
(-=claps and whistles=-)
:)
And before you start asking the obvious question "When Am I Flying Out Of The Country" - let me answer it for you - "I Don't Know!!!"
With the global recession and US economy crashing, etc - Collabera has not given me a clear cut commitment on the travel dates/clients/projects yet. But, tentatively, they've asked me to be ready to fly out sometime between End of Feb to Mid of March.
So - for all practical purposes - that leaves me with a little over 3 months to meet up with all my friends, relatives and loved ones and say "Bye Bye!". Also, I wanna try and take as many fond memories as I can. Especially with the "No Returning To India For At least 18 Months" contract that I'll be signing with Collabera - I don't think I have a choice.
Anyways ... To all my lovely Friends out there reading this - I'm really sorry I didn't inform you folks about this earlier. I just didn't want to be on the receiving end of all that "sympathy" had I not been able to get the VISA!
To all you lovely readers - who don't really qualify as friends (yet) - Please do wish me luck. In these troubled times in the US - I hope I don't end up in more bullshit that I am already in!
For now - All I can think of is - "Yaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhoooooooooooooooooooooo!!!"
1. Stupid
2. Mad
3. Idiotic
4. Silly
5. Foolish
etc ... etc ... etc ...
(The list goes on and on and on ... and also becomes more and more [ahem] expletive laden ...)
to have done so!
I agree ... Especially with the reasons I gave them (wanting to move closer to home, missing my family, the career opportunities TCS had to offer, and some more Bullshit like that) for "why" I moved - Even I would've said just that.
On the contrary, the truth is far from that. And till two days back, I had no option but to kept it under really really tight wraps!
But, today, I'm going to spill the beans ...
Around 9 months back I had interviewed for a company by the name Collabera. They had offered to sponsor my H1B visa, and I had very graciously "agreed" to that. After a loooooooong and tiring wait - on Thursday, 4-Dec-2008, was D-Day - "My H1B Visa Interview" Day.
The experience of going for an H1B interview is unique and priceless - and I'm gonna write a separate blog about it. So, those of you lovely folks who aspire for it too can check out that other blog, the one that I plan to write soon, for more insights and tips on the H1B process.
So, now that the Cat's officially out of the bag - I declare before you - I Am An Official H1B Visa Holder!
(-=claps and whistles=-)
:)
And before you start asking the obvious question "When Am I Flying Out Of The Country" - let me answer it for you - "I Don't Know!!!"
With the global recession and US economy crashing, etc - Collabera has not given me a clear cut commitment on the travel dates/clients/projects yet. But, tentatively, they've asked me to be ready to fly out sometime between End of Feb to Mid of March.
So - for all practical purposes - that leaves me with a little over 3 months to meet up with all my friends, relatives and loved ones and say "Bye Bye!". Also, I wanna try and take as many fond memories as I can. Especially with the "No Returning To India For At least 18 Months" contract that I'll be signing with Collabera - I don't think I have a choice.
Anyways ... To all my lovely Friends out there reading this - I'm really sorry I didn't inform you folks about this earlier. I just didn't want to be on the receiving end of all that "sympathy" had I not been able to get the VISA!
To all you lovely readers - who don't really qualify as friends (yet) - Please do wish me luck. In these troubled times in the US - I hope I don't end up in more bullshit that I am already in!
For now - All I can think of is - "Yaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhoooooooooooooooooooooo!!!"
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