The Xmas Party

I accompanied one of my friend here for her office Xmas party on Saturday (19-Dec-09), and boy did I have a good time. Right from free food and drinks to making new friends to flirting with a lot of women that were there (all married and with kids though!) and even winning money off a gambling game they were playing!
(Ordinarily, I never gamble. But tonight - my friend paid for my entry into the game - "So I figured why not? Let's play!")

On the whole, I needed that party. It's been like at least 2 months since I went out for anything like that, and I realized I've missed that life.
So, one of my New year resolutions for 2010 is to go out and party more often!

And no, when I say party - I don't mean go out and get sloshed/drunk/wasted. I mean go out, meet new people, have a fun conversation, flirt a little (Ok! make that a lot!) drink responsibly, and at the end of the day - come back home smiling wider and feeling happier than when you left!

Travel Travel Travel

It's been about 6 months since I migrated to the USA, and here is a list of the places I've been to:

.1. Altamont, NY (approx 25 miles away)
.2. Saratoga, NY (approx 30 miles away)
.3. Edison, NJ (approx 175 miles away)
.4. Syracuse, NY (approx 180 miles away)
.5. Indian Lake, NY (approx 100 miles away)
.6. New York City, NY (approx 200 miles away)
.7. New Brunswick, NJ (approx 190 miles away)


Trip 1 - I tagged along with my then room-mate.
Trip 2 - I tagged along with the sweetest couple I've ever met in my life Sapna and Mrigen.
(God bless you two critters!)
Trip 3 - I tagged along with my ex-boss at work for an office party. I met my organizations Senior VP and Chairman. I only have one word to describe those two gentlemen - "WOW!"
Trip 4 - I went over to meet my college buddy who's pursuing his MS. It was an nice trip. It was my first actual looooooooooong distance road-trip. A few realizations I had post that trip :: US has lovely roads, A 99 model Toyota Corolla gets extremely unstable at 105 mph, The US country is extremely beautiful and clean.
Trip 5 - I went along with my college junior for Rafting. It's a trip I wont forget in a hurry as my muffler bracket rusted and broke off on me stark in the middle of nowhere, and me and my buddy had to run around from person-to-person and store-to-store begging for metal wire and metal clothes hangers to tie the goddamn thing up so that we could get our arses out of there!
(Thanks a zillion to the old couple who lent us the metal wire we needed, and also a big thanks to Brian - my current roomie - for helping us out by telling us exactly what we need to do!)
Trip 6 - This was one of the most amazing trips I've ever taken in my life. It was totally unplanned (yes - I know someone out there is pointing their fingers at me and saying "yeah bitch! you have the lousiest planning skills ever!") but even then, it turned out great! Met some funtastic guys, ate some really tasty indian food, got a taste of how frigging busy and crazy NYC is (I'm never going to work there ... not for a million dollars ... wait - for a million dollars - I just might consider. But for anything less than that - my answer is a big emphatic no!) I really look forward to doing one more trip down to NYC one of these days!
Trip 7 - I went down to help a very good friend of mine hunt for their house, and basically settle down. Why - well - lets just say my friend is super lousy on the skills needed to do something like that, and without me they'd be lost! And oh yeah - I also met up with one of my buddies from school who I haven't seen in 10 years. And yes - two words for how she looks now - "Smoking Hot!"


So, yes, if you wanna look at it that way, you might say that I've been travelling quite a bit off late. But, in my defense, let's just call it the 'Tourist Effect' that every Indian dude who lands in the USA experiences - especially in his first couple of months of his stay in the states.

But, yes, this probably isn't the end of my traveling frenzy. There are a couple of other places that, off the top of my head, that I want to check out as well. I'll list the top 5 here:

.1. Las Vegas, NV
.2. Atlantic City, NJ
.3. Niagra Falls, Canada
.4. Dallas, TX
.5. Chicago, IL
.6. Saint Louis, MO

My Justification:
    Spots 1, 2 and 3 - Popular Tourist Attractions
    Spots 4, 5 and 6 - I have friends there that I wanna go visit

Well ... We'll see how things go on my traveling front. In case I go anywhere here, or anywhere else for that matter, I'll make sure you folks find out for sure!

Men Are From Mars And Women Are From Venus

This is a forward I received a couple of weeks back. I found it very demonstrative of how men are different from women. So, here it is. Enjoy Maddi !!!

---

Dear Pete,

I hope you can help me. The other day, I set off for work leaving my husband in the house watching TV.
My car started stalling and then it broke down about a mile down the road and I had to walk back to get my husband's help. When I got home, I couldn't believe my eyes. He was in our bedroom with the neighbour's daughter!

I am 32, my husband is 34, and the neighbour's daughter is 19. We have been married for ten years. When I confronted him, he broke down and admitted that they had been having an affair for the past six months.
He won't go to counselling and I'm afraid I am a wreck and need advice urgently. Can you please help?


Sincerely,

Sheila



Dear Sheila:

A car stalling after being driven a short distance can be caused by a variety of faults with the engine.
Start by checking that there is no debris in the fuel line. If it is clear, check the vacuum pipes and hoses on the intake manifold and also check all grounding wires. If none of these approaches solves the problem, it could be that the fuel pump itself is faulty, causing low delivery pressure to the injectors.


I hope this helps,

Pete.

---

The American Taxation System - There's No Fighting It

Back in India, even if you are in a 12 lak per annum pay package - you can still manage to pay something under 40,000 INR as tax.
Here in the USA - there is no way your getting off that easy. The taxation system is so damn unfair.
The last 2 pay cycles - I've been taxed at 35% flat. I mean - I look at my payslip and the only thing I want to do is cry !

Right at the top you see some number under the head Nett Income
(trust me when I say - its not even "market" standards. But, in this economy - I'm lucky to have a job even!)
Immediately below that under the head federal taxes - they take out a sizeable chunk.
Immediately below that - the head State tax takes out a smaller but still a sizeable chunk.
Immediately below that - Social Security takes out an equally large bite.
Immediately below that - Medical Care takes another sizeable chunk.
Immediately below that - City Tax takes a small but noticeable bite of the meal.


End of the day - I end up with nearly half of my salary taken away under the name of some tax or the other.
I think I'm going to go drink my depression away ... What else can I do !!!

Booooooooooo hooooooooooo ... I want my Mommmmmmmmmmmmmmyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy !!!

Medical Expenses In The USA Is More Expensive Than A Divorce

I thought medical insurance in the USA was crazily overpriced. Well guess what - medicines are even more overpriced!

The last couple of days, I've been having these flu like symptoms and thanks to that - I had to hit this popular pharmacy store - CVS Pharmacy. This is what I found:
A bottle of Vicks Vaporub which would cost 55 INR (Approx 1.15 USD) costs 7.49 USD here.
A bottle of Cough Syrup which costs 60 INR (Approx 1.2 USD) costs 5.65 USD here.
An nebulization pill costs 10 INR (approx 10 cents) costs 3.75 USD here.

At the end of the day - I am around 18 USD poorer and I am no where near to feeling better.
From the looks of it - I am going to be paying many more such 18 USD visits to the CVS store in the upcoming weeks.

Difference Between The USA and India

It's been about 6 month since I left India. And the funny part is - I only realized it when my mom mentioned it when I called her up for something the other day.
Time does fly doesn't it - Especially when you're trying to adjust to a completely new city and culture 8000 miles far away from the place you called home for the last 25 years.

But, justice be done - I wouldn't say things are a lot different out here. Neither would I say - I've had to change my habits a lot to adapt to the new place!

But, yes - there are many a differences in the culture, the people, their habbits, etc. For example:

.1. People here are very self indulgent and fiercly independent. Initially, it might come off as them being selfish and spoilt, but in reality it isn't so. It's just the way everyone is in this part of the globe.
.2. Toilet paper !!! This is one thing that is a major culture shock to me. The initial couple of weeks - I ended up rubbing my arse so damn hard that every single time I ended up bleeding down there. Heck - It was so bad - I began to feel like a woman having periods. Now - thanks to many hours of Googling for the "right technique" and some "expert inputs" from my friend Ashish Soni - things are much better.
.3. Dressing !!! Let's just say - the babes here dress to kill. At least that's what any Indian guy would say! As for the guys - they're just poorly dressed and have really bad grooming and hygiene standards ... Period!!!
.4. People are a lot more friendly and honest and open to helping each other as compared to those back in India. To the extent that people you just met are ready to show you around town, take you along with their friends and families to parties, etc - and that too without expecting anything in return!
.5. Having a car is a mandatory thing in this part of the globe. Without a car - you have no life. Without a car - you're handicapped. Without a car - you're never getting a date. But, the good part is, car's are pretty cheap. Especially in this economy where people are loosing jobs and motor companies are going bankrupt by the hour. If buying a new car is going to be a strain on your wallet - the used car market is also equally attractive. With cars ranging from Ford Escorts all the way to Lexus, Mercedes and Porsche's available at mouth watering deals.
.6. Marriages don't last that long. But - whenever they end - the guy, inevitably, goes broke! And the girl - well - she just takes everything the guy owned!
.7. You don't need to be married to have kids. But, if you have kids - then you better get ready to pay child support. And trust me when I saw - it's not very cheap!
.8. Casual flings and no-strings-attached affairs are as common here as women gossiping in India. No one notices and even if they do they don't give a damn either!


I must also confess that there are "some" changes that "had" to be made to accommodate the new locale. For example:

.1. I used to sleep all the way till 10 am in the morning back in India. Here - we work from 8 am to 5 pm. And thanks to that - I am left with no other option but to wake up at 6 so that I can get to work on time.
.2. For the last 1 year odd - I never had to cook breakfast (and for that matter - neither did I cook lunch or dinner that much) was always at some hotel/restaurant en route to work. Now - I ended up making breakfast, lunch and dinner - simply because of the fact that it is too frigging expensive and exotic to order out everyday.
The only affordable (read as cheap) cuisine here is Chinese - and that can get boring after a couple of weeks!
.3. I have to rely on people for transportation. And this, trust me when I say this, is really really really distressing. Especially because, for the last 4.5 years that I've been working - I always had a transportation of my own - the love of my life - my bike. (Or should I call it my eX-Bike?)
.4. The last 5 years of my career, I've either been working in the offshore divisions of service companies or working in a product company. This afforded me the luxury of having a much more "relaxed" work environment. When I say relaxed - I don't mean I had any less work. But, I had a lot more flexibility when it came to what I could do at work - like - say taking extended coffee breaks, flexible work hours, chit chatting with friends during office hours, playing pranks on colleagues, etc. Having to work at onsite - is a completely different ball game in itself. Since you are sitting in front of the client - all these things are pretty much ruled out!


Anyways ... On the whole, it's a pretty okay move. At least - so far so good !!!
Only time will tell whether my opinion is going to change for the better or for the worse ...

Till then - I'm going to go with the flow and keep my fingers crossed while I am at it!
:)

I'm Back After An Extremely Long Hiatus

I know I've been gone for a while now. Although this might seem as a set of excuses, I had a couple of reason for my self imposed hiatus.

.1. A blog article I wrote many months ago had sparked a feud between me and some of my buddies. And although, I thought this was a minor issue, unfortunately, it doesnt seem to be the case. The people on the other end seem to have taken it very personally, to the extent that they don't talk to me and have sort of distanced themselves from me.
.2. I've been extremely busy trying to acclimatize myself to the new country and my new environment and new job profile.
.3. I've had some stuff (good, bad and ugly) happening on my personal life front which has been keeping me busy during my evenings, and thanks to that - blogging had to take a back seat.

Well ... All that said, I'm back in action now. And this time, I hope I'll be around for good!

So, all you friends and foes out there - Watch out ... Cause Daddy's Back In The Game !!!

Divorce Blues

Recently, I learnt how stinging a divorce can be. Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not the one getting divorced. One of my good friends is. Poor girl ... From whatever she's told me - she was in a very bad, loveless and traumatic marriage. Her husband abused her, emotionally blackmailed her, beat her up. Her In-Laws were even more sinister - doing whatever the hubby did and more. She even recounts one occasion where her mother-in-law tried to kill her using the "exploding stove" technique that is so common in India. Somehow, I think she was exaggerating on that bit. Heck, she might have exaggerated on many other counts as well.
But, the moral of the story is - she was traumatized to the core. So, much that she started living separately from her hubby and in-laws. She's being doing that for the last 4.5 years odd now.

Ofcourse, there were attempts by her hubby to try and re-concile things. But, somehow, things never worked out. If you ask me - I'd put the blame on her for that. Because, whenever I asked her about the "time when they were together again" she had very hateful things to say. Stuff like - I used to take out all my frustration on him for all the bad times he had given me. We didn't have sex at all. I only agreed to give it a shot for our son (Oh ... forgot to mention that she has a son from that fellow!). I took my revenge on him and mistreated him just as badly as he did me a couple of years ago.

What I am trying to get at here is - I get it that she's pissed at him and all. But, if he's waving the white flag and asking for forgiveness and wants to make amends for whatever he's done to her - the last thing she should be doing is taking revenge and pissing him off even more. I mean - I try to put myself in the shoes of the guy - and I'm feeling all depressed and angry and hate filled already.

Anyways ... The guy didn't or should I say couldn't take any more of her shit - and things went back to tangents Once Again!
This was followed by, the only logical thing to do given this background, him trying to file for divorce.

Now, obviously, its a divorce for crying out loud. It's going to be messy. After all - if he says "Yeah ... I am the wrong party ... It's not her fault at all!" then he's looking at saying bye-bye to half his assets and paying a healthy amount of money as alimony for the rest of his miserable life (Did I mention that this couple didn't have any sort of a pre-nuptial agreement either!)

Now, the process in India for divorce is pretty long drawn and hilarious/torturous - depending on which side of the table you're looking at it from.

Torturous - for the couple who's undergoing it - because it's going to take that much longer to "legally" not have to see each other and not have anything to do with each other ever again.

Hilarious - for the friend(s) who's supporting their friend who's going through with the divorce proceedings - because you'd find it amusing, as well as interesting, the things your friend has to say about her soon-to-be-ex. Trust me on this!


Anyways ... My friend had a lot of things to say about "what he said" about her in court. I've listed a few of them below:

• She has had multiple abortions - none of which was his
• She drinks and smokes a lot
• She's slept with many other men when she was married
  

Well ... It's not like she didn't say anything nasty about him in court. I've listed a few of them below:

• His family is a set of thugs and goons who wouldn't hesitate to kill her.
• They swindled off all the dowry her parents had given her and were harrassing her for more money.
• They had mandated a large amount of dowry (Dowry is illegal in India. You could be put in jail for 10 years if prosecuted for it!)
  

With all these things that happened. I figured she'd hate the guy enough to "move on" to another relationship.
(If something like that ever popped up i.e)

But, I was mistaken. The girl is so damn scarred emotionally that every time me, or any of her other friends, or her parents and close relatives for that matter, suggest the idea - she snaps at us. And trust me when I say - she doesn't say very pretty stuff when she snaps!


Well ... There is nothing much I can do out here but help her ride the wave. Be supportive, understanding, and as far as possible "be there" for her when she needs help.

Hopefully - she'll get over this trough in her life. Hopefully, she'll fall in love with someone once again ... Real Soon!


Good Luck Sweetie!!!
God Bless Ya ...

The "Just About To Break Up" Phase

Her are some fun facts/things I've heard my friends say when they were on the verge of a break-up:
(These are the guys perspectives/sides of the story only. Any of you girls who feel like sharing your side of the story - don't hesitate to indulge yourself in the comments section)


What is hell is there to talk everyday? I can't bear it when she calls me up everyday at 11.30 pm and after 5 mins of BS that involves me telling her and she telling me "About Our Day" - she says " So ... What else ? "
Heck ... If she doesn't have anything else to say - keep the phone down already. I wanna catch up on some sleep!!!

This is in stark contrast to those 5 hour long phone calls - that end only because your battery or talk time (pre-paid anyone!) ran out - during the initial courtship period of the relationship.
(Read as before you got to bang her!)


Jesus Fucking Christ ... She's got hair #!@@#$@#$ down there !!!

Seriously girl ... Even Tera "Jabba The Hut" Patrick is not cool !!!


All she wants to do is hold hands. I want to do more than that ... A LOT FUCKING MORE !!!

Yet another one you have to award to the guys ... No questions about that !!!


Why the fuck does she want to complicate it with talks of marriage???

I mean seriously ... WHY do you have to complicate things ???


She wont give me head ... She's lousy in bed, and she simply doesn't want to/wont learn!

Well ... No contesting this one either!
After all - it is for a very good reason Winston Churchill once said "Any woman who thinks the way to a man's heart is through his stomach is aiming a bit too high!"
;)


I met this other girl at the mall/club last night ... She so much fun to hang out with ... Besides - She's cute, she's intelligent ... And I think she digs me too!

When this happens - It's a no brainer ... He's gone for good !


She's not around as often as I'd like her to be.

Well ... Some guys need caring and attention a lot. Some guys don't. This is something you'll hear someone in the former category say.


My brother/best friends don't like her.

We value what our brothers/best friends have to say. It's an unwritten rule in our big black rule book that they've got our backs covered. And if they don't like - it's because they know somethings wrong with you and I accept that!


She's a slut! She bangs anything that moves!

Ideally, this is the kindda of girl you never dump. Atleast not for this reason anyways!
Instead, you should learn to "utilize" her, and her extract the maximum from her ummmmmmmm "skills", till you get fed up of it and then and only then should you dump her. And when you do - just make sure it hurts (her) reaaaaaaaaaal bad!
;)


She's getting too close for comfort!

This is an absolute no brainer. If you turn up the pressure - we will turn off the heat.
It's as simple as that!


My parents want me to get married to someone of their choice!

This one is particularly interesting. It turns out the "someone of their (parents!) choice" is - more qualified + more beautiful + has bigger tits + has a super rich dad + the future in-laws have made a mouth-watering offer of letting him take over their family business + superb dowry in the offing. Hence, the girl he was dating got dumped.
It's a cheesy excuse ... Maybe even downright despicable, but heck, it's not an Utopian world we live in these days. A guys got to look out for himself. And if he doesn't do it himself - no one will.
So, you poor darling who was on the receiving end of the raw deal - All I have to say is - "Life is not fair ... Deal with it!"


She's too controlling ... She's always telling me what to do ... She simply doesn't let me be ME!

Now this one is a fact. There is even an old proverb that supports it - "Men marry a girl expecting her not to change. Women marry men because they want to change them!"
I mean seriously ... We know what's good for ourselves. We got along very well for the last 27 years. Now, we don't need someone to tell us that the odd beer we have every week is "bad" for our health. Neither do we want someone to advise us on "how important it is to keep the toilet seat down" nor do we want someone to advise on "how important it is to have a dirt free home"
I mean seriously ... Even Adolf Hitler might not have been so frigging controlling!

Pros and Cons

Wipro
Pros	Cons
I made some truly great friends	Salary was miserably low
Learnt my first most important lesson about the corporate world - People Will Cheat You ... So don't trust anyone!	Project did not meet any of my career aspirations
Had plenty of free time, which I could've utilized positively (But,sadly, I didn't)	Worked under a program manager who lied bare-face and played politics 24X7
Got an opportunity to directly interact with the clients	The company management was not transparent in matters related to promotions or compensation
Infrastructure facilities (ac, cabs, pantry, washrooms, cafeteria, etc) was good	No brand value
	Never felt any loyalty to manager/team/project/client
	Was very frustrated about my career prospects in the project
	Benefits and Perks were myths
	The company was not very people friendly
	Existance of a "Must-Swipe-In-And-Swipe-Out-Everyday-At-Office" policy

Oracle
Pros	Cons
I made a few true friends - in every sense of the word	Work was monotonous. Especially after being in the same project for close to 2 years
Learnt a lot of things about a lot of things - technical, interpersonal, managerial, leadership - to name a few	In the long run, the position did not meet my career goals of moving into a Sales and Marketing position.
Had great mentors who always added value to your life and work	Pay revisions did not happen on time - leading to tensions and frustrations and rising tempers
Worked under a great leader and a perfect manager - Joshua Mahendran	Official team outings (Company Paid Ones i.e.) were far and few in between
The work culture was "picture perfect"	The 'HR Team' is a spent force
Has a strong sense of loyalty to my manager, team and company
Felt a strong sense of achievement in each and every task I performed
The team was very superior - both technically and personally - and were always ready to help one another at any time
The work culture fostered development of a "friendship" and "brotherhood" feeling amongst members of the team, which lead to better bonding amongst members in the team and thereby a better throughput in terms of productivity
Very employee friendly and employee centric organization
The perks and benefits provided to employees were very lucrative
The compensation offered - at the time of joining the company - was the best in the industry
Flexi-Timings
No Dress Code
Work From Home Option
Plenty of Holidays available
No "Must-Swipe-In-Everyday-At-Office" rule
Can maintain a healthy work-life balance
People are very professional in all aspects of work
Things always happen on time as per committed deadlines

TCS
Pros	Cons
Job Security	Lousy place to be if you're serious about career growth and monetary prospects
Lax worklife	Pathetic work culture
I was working off my hometown. That was a big plus	Moronic, bordering Illiterate, co-workers
No "Must-Swipe-In-Everyday-At-Office" rule	Waaaaaaaaaaaay too much Red-Tape in all departments
If you're benched - no need to come to office till you're alloted into a project	Too bureaucratic for my tastes
	Claims never get processed on time
	Travel requests never get approved till 10 minutes before your train/flight leaves town
	Lousy Infrastructure facilities
	A/C are switched off post 6.00 pm. If you need to work beyond that - try not to die off suffocation, as your company provided insurance policy doesn’t cover that
	No cab facilities. Period!
	Toilets don't have soaps, toilet paper, or for that matter water
	Managers are plain mean
	Project Leads are worse!
	Lousy Pay Package
	People lie and backstab a lot. Get used to it!
	Getting a release from a project is tougher than getting a hard-on sitting naked on a hot tin roof!
	Project and Efforts Planning is totally lousy if not stupid
	You need to call people Sir and Madam, if you need to get something done. This is something totally alien in this industry

UST Global
Pros	Cons
The compensation offered is lucrative	Certain senior members in the project snub and insults you in front of others to push their point.
Potential upside of being able to travel onsite after completion of 1 year in the team	Certain senior members in the project are extremely stubborn, not open to negotitions or inputs from other team members, and duncical in all people management related aspects in a project
Job profile involves designing and maintaining OAF based applications - which is something I enjoy	Concept of classroom trainings is not promoted
Potential upside of being able to move into a sales and marketing capability after the completion of the current assignment	Things never happen on time
Learning a completely new product - which is a pretty interesting and resume-value-adding experience	People are not very professional
Presence of some very senior, experienced and knowledgeable colleagues in the project who ensure the rest of the team are bought up to speed on the matters pertaining to work	Promises are seldom kept
The work force, in general, is very youthful and friendly.	Company policies are often twisted and interpreted so that you always end up on the wrong end of a raw deal
The cost of living in Trivandrum is very cheap as compared to all the other cities I've worked in - vis-a-vis - Chennai, Bangalore, Cochin	Work timings are lousy (11 am to 11 pm)
	No concept of flexi-timings (atleast in my project)
	Infrastructure (cabs, ac, pantry, cafeteria, washrooms) sucks big time
	Concept of having to attend meetings - even if you have nothing to do with them. Nett result, wastage of man-hours
	Attrition rate is very high (In the last 2 month alone 5 people left - in a team of 25 i.e.)

Laundry Day - Hard Work

After 8 long months, today, I had to start doing my laundry again.
The last time I did this was during my Bangalore stay.After that, since I came back to Cochin and started living with my parents, I never had to do it again. Till Today!!!

Anyways ... Here are some pics of it ... The output of my hard labour i.e.!

Why My Former Company Churns Out The World's Best Employees And Managers

After working for about 2 years at Oracle, I moved to a new organization 8 months back.
The last 8 months, I must say, has taught me a loooooooooot of things. To be absolutely honest, it has been an extremely informative as well as humbling experience. And during this period - one of the more important learnings I've gained is how and why the employees from My Employer (hereafter referred to as My*E*) end up as the worlds best managers and consultants.



1. Exceptional Planning Skills

In a company where the toilets don't have toilet paper and most often than not - the taps don't have water in them either - planning is a daily part of your life. Taking into consideration the holistic perspective that taking a shit in the office is not an option, employees come prepared to fart for all they are worth, but not visit the toilets.

We recently has one of our US clients visit us. Unfortunately, for him, as usual there was no toilet paper in the washrooms. I was taking a leak in the bathroom then, and hence, I got to see his frantic rummaging for some paper. The poor fellow had no way out but to "control" his emotions till he got back to his hotel in evening. From the next day onwards, I think, he started bringing his own roll of paper!



2. Operation Excellence

Generally, any company that expects its employees to sit beyond their regular work hours makes it up to them. This is in the form of dinner allowances, snack allowances, free cab drop to homes, having a support system available to help you in case of any emergency, etc. In short - at the very least - they provide you a conducive environment to work!

Well, not My*E* ... To give you some background - We work off a leased out L&T owned building. As per the agreement signed by My*E* and L&T, it seems that My*E* would have to pay extra money if they want the air conditioning systems to be run beyond the regular office times (9 am to 6.30 pm).
Now My*E* is very smart and doesn't want to bear this cost. So, they pass it on to the project teams. Now, the project teams don't want to accept this as it would affect their profitability big time.

So ... What do you think they do???

Very simple. They tell the team members "Officially" that they should not stay beyong 6.30 pm and work. But, "unofficially" your PM tells you to sit till 2 am in the morning and complete the project!


3. Cost Cutting

This one is as simple as it gets:
1. Low Pay
2. No Benefits

Period !!!


4. Appraisal System


The managers at My*E* respect each other. On that note, I think it's prudent to add that their mode of gauging (or should I say sizing up!) each other is by "who reprimanded, in the most loud, obscene and weirdest fashion, his subordinate in front of how many other employees!".
The unwritten thumb rule is - The higher the headcount and decibal value - the more respected, honored, established and sought after manager he is!

This is one company culture that sets My*E* apart from all the other employers I've heard of!




So, to sum it up - if you're arrogant-to-the-core, don't-know-shit-about-your-work, are-a-loud-arse-faced-moron - drop me a call - I'll put you in touch with My*E*'s HR folks - As they say in fairy tales - "And they lived happily ever after!"




Status Update : Thanks to not fitting the above bill - I decided to leave My*E* and pursue employment elsewhere. I will soon be posting a field report on whether/not these new guys are any different. Keep watching this space for more action packed adventure stories of 'Shikari Sharathu'

A Special Message

Well ... There you have it ... This is EXACTLY WHAT I want to tell "someone" right now !!!

Hand Writing Analysis

I got a Handwriting Analysis done, and this is what the software spewed out:

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You plan ahead, and are interested in beauty, design, outward appearance, and symmetry.
You are a social person who likes to talk and meet others.
You are negative, fearful, resistant, doubtful, and/or selfish.
You are not very reserved, impatient, self-confident and fond of action.
You are self-confident and like to bring attention to yourself.

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If you want to take the test for yourself - Click Here.

Stock Market Terms Redifined

The following blog is a complete recreation of the one at this link.
I fell off my chair laughing, and so, I decided that I was gonna make it a part of my blog as well.


CEO : Chief Embezzlement Officer.

CFO : Corporate Fraud Officer.

BULL MARKET : A random market movement causing an investor to mistake himself for a financial genius.

BEAR MARKET : A 6 to 18 month period when the kids get no allowance, the wife gets no jewelry.

VALUE INVESTING : The art of buying low and selling lower.

BROKER : What my broker has made me.

STANDARD & POOR : Your life in a nutshell.

STOCK ANALYST : Idiot who just downgraded your stock.

STOCK SPLIT : When your ex-wife and her lawyer split your assets equally between themselves.

FINANCIAL PLANNER : A guy whose phone has been disconnected.

MARKET CORRECTION : The day after you buy stocks.

CASH FLOW : The movement your money makes as it disappears down the toilet.

YAHOO : What you yell after selling it to some poor sucker for $240 per share.

WINDOWS : What you jump out of when you're the sucker who bought Yahoo @ $240 per share.

INSTITUTIONAL INVESTOR : Past year investor who's now locked up in a nuthouse.

PROFIT : An archaic word no longer in use.

Talk About Misunderstandings!!!

Great Indian HR

Another Fun Game

I Am : An Assertive, And Fun Person!

I Think : About All The Different Permutations Of Combinations Any Situation Can Morph Into!

I Know : That I Will Succeed In Life. Even If It Takes Some Time!

I Want : Perfect The Art Of Pickup And Brand Myself As "Mpua"

I Have : A Very Kinky Mind!

I Wish : I Could Go Back To My College Days!

I Hate : Loosing!

I Miss : Being Carefree!

I Fear : Rejection!

I Hear : The Fan In My Room - Which Btw Is Making A Lot Of Noise!

I Smell : Nice ... Very Nice!

I Crave : To Meet Interesting People!

I Search : For Success And Power!

I Wonder : If I Will Ever Be

I Regret : Leaving Oracle

I Love : Myself!

I Ache : After Spending 3 Straight Hours At The Gym!

I Was Not : Fitness Conscious 6 Months Back!

I Am Not : Boring!

I Cry : Very Rarely!

I Believe : I Can!

I Dance : Like A Frog!

I Sing : Like A Crow!

I Read : Anything That Adds Value Or Knowledge To Me!

I Don't Always : Do I What I Say!

I Fight : For What I Believe Is Right And Due To Me!

I Write : Really Good Blogs

I Win : Most Of The Time!

I Lose : Only To The People I Care!

I Never : Cheat Friends!

I Always : Smile!

I Confuse : People Just For Kicks!

I Listen : To My Friends!

I Can Usually Be Found : In Front Of My Computer!

I Am Scared : That I'll Die A Very Old Man!

I Need : To Beef Up And Work Towards My Life Goals!

I Am Happy : When I'm With Friends!

I Imagine : I'll Be Financially Retired In Another 5 Years!

The Single's Dating Scenario

"THAT" Time Of The Month

I really don't know whom to feel sorry for:

.1. The girl who is PMS'ing
OR
.2. The poor guy(s) who's on the receiving end


All I can say, from my experience thus far, is that life gets REAAAAAAAAALLY REAAAAAAAALLY TOUGH AND MURKY those few days every month!!!

The George Bush'es

A Fact Of Life

Scary Stuff - But It's True !!!

The Importance Of Sex Education Amongst Kids

This one picture says it all

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