Ah! am finally gainfully employed. Or atleast promised fruitful employment in july '05. I'm happy sleepy and almost all the seven dwarves all at once
g'nite folks and thanks for all the tagboard action.
Wednesday, June 30, 2004
Tuesday, June 29, 2004
Good Job Hunting
It's placement season at colleges and i'm searching for a job.
Skipped a couple so far because i'm waiting for a co that doesn't have a bond.
I've been jargonizing resumes for friends and listing out their strengths and weaknesses all week.
Sample : I hope to gain broad based technical expertise in the field of software engineering and to achieve a postion of leadership in a short while.
After this i hope to internetwork people resources and single handedly achieve a paradigm shift of core competencies in the value chain. as an encore i will pull a rabbit out of a hat
check out vinod's resume writing rules.
Suze's addendum :
* Anything that happened while you were in the building, you can take partial credit for :)
* Anything that you got an OD form for, you can take partial credit for.
* Anything that you can take partial credit for, you can take full credit for.
Placement officers will now see 328 resumes of 328 people all of whom ran the Leo, Rotaract clubs, speakers' fora, organized inter college symposiums etc.
On a side note : is the IT industry witnessing the boom part 2? Cos are hiring hundreds of people. Wipro in one shot, 103. TCS 50. CTS (@ ssnce) 105!
On a sidereal note : i still don't have a job. rather depressing eh!
Hopefully will by tomorrow
Wish me luck :)
Skipped a couple so far because i'm waiting for a co that doesn't have a bond.
I've been jargonizing resumes for friends and listing out their strengths and weaknesses all week.
Sample : I hope to gain broad based technical expertise in the field of software engineering and to achieve a postion of leadership in a short while.
After this i hope to internetwork people resources and single handedly achieve a paradigm shift of core competencies in the value chain. as an encore i will pull a rabbit out of a hat
check out vinod's resume writing rules.
Suze's addendum :
* Anything that happened while you were in the building, you can take partial credit for :)
* Anything that you got an OD form for, you can take partial credit for.
* Anything that you can take partial credit for, you can take full credit for.
Placement officers will now see 328 resumes of 328 people all of whom ran the Leo, Rotaract clubs, speakers' fora, organized inter college symposiums etc.
On a side note : is the IT industry witnessing the boom part 2? Cos are hiring hundreds of people. Wipro in one shot, 103. TCS 50. CTS (@ ssnce) 105!
On a sidereal note : i still don't have a job. rather depressing eh!
Hopefully will by tomorrow
Wish me luck :)
Friday, June 18, 2004
Laissez Faire vs RAC
The new Congress government is proposing to *reserve* 52% of all private sector jobs for women, backward classes, poor etc etc. (let's just call em the reservees for now)
Do you feel a strange unease creeping up on you. Are you envisaging waiting in a long queue after your final semester exams for that coveted reservee certificate??
I think this policy is both stupid and dangerous. A molotov cocktail of bad administration combined with some pretty schizoid thinking. The elections are over people. You don't need to grab votes now. Not with these sort of dumb measures.
A few reasons why i think reservation in the job market is a pretty stupid idea.
§ Companies and individuals entering into an employment contract are in fact, in a relationship. An economic one. Now forcing an unnatural relationship affects both parties. It leads to friction, mistrust and unease. nobody enjoys working where they are not wanted. All parties should be allowed to form relationships (social, economic, or in the case of prostituition a mix of both) in whatever way is acceptable to both.
§ There is a severe lack of talented workforce amongst the reservees. Not enough women, poor are offered the opportunity to educate themselves. Forcing corporates to hire them will result in a less talented workforce. The USP of the Indian company in teh world market, is it's talented workforce. This sort of neanderthal, short sighted solution will set us back 40 years.
§ India is *finally* coming into it's own in the global scenario. A goverment that looks like it is considering such a proposal will scare everyone. From FII to Outsourcing clients.
§ If companies decide of their own accord to hire only men, or upper castes etc, then they are choosing to hire a more expensive labor. If there are enough trained reservees, then they will lose their competitive advantage unless they begin hiring from this pool too.
Which brings me to, more feasible solutions :
§ First, we have to get rid of reservation based on caste, creed, beliefs etc. The people entitled to reservations are simply those who are economically worse off. So reservations have to be made only on the basis of economic standards. And sex.
§ The problem is that this pool of people are not as well educated as the rest of the workforce. In most companies (most.. videocon is still on my hate list) hiring is done on merit. With few, if any, consideration for regionality or caste. (We'll come to the sex debate later)
§ The solution therefore lies in education not reservation.
o Scholarships to twenty deserving students in each corporation school
o Lobbying corporates to donate textbooks and computers to these schools
o Repeat the above for all colleges and vocational training institutes
o Updating syllabi in state run schools and vocational training institutes so that students are equipped to work.
§ These measures would do more than reservation can.
§ This obviously assumes that if a trained pool of people are available, companies would lap them up. This is generally true for all reservees except women. The problem here, is more of a social nature.
§ Companies are scared that women, would leave to get married, not be able to handle the stress of the workplace etc etc. This is slowly changing. The pioneers are of course the banking and it sectors where a large number of employees are female. What's more, they are offered unique solutions in childcare wit in house creches, flexi time etc.
§ In other sectors (especially manufacturing) though, medieval attitudes still persist. But here too, reservation is most definitely not the answer. Instead, it should be made mandatory for companies to reveal the gender breakup of their workforce. Social constraints and outcries will push them to hire women, far better than reservations would. In the time of the informed consumer, it is we who have to boycott companies that discriminate based on sex. And, if that fails, we can always take legal recourse. Like the US.
§ But a mandatory reservation policy is frightening and arcane. Imagine someone saying 52% of our fighter pilots and nuclear scientists have to be uneducated or unqualified. (if you think that the above statement is politically incorrect, then please consider the fact that ALL educated and qualified nuclear scientist ARE gainfully employed)
Do you feel a strange unease creeping up on you. Are you envisaging waiting in a long queue after your final semester exams for that coveted reservee certificate??
I think this policy is both stupid and dangerous. A molotov cocktail of bad administration combined with some pretty schizoid thinking. The elections are over people. You don't need to grab votes now. Not with these sort of dumb measures.
A few reasons why i think reservation in the job market is a pretty stupid idea.
§ Companies and individuals entering into an employment contract are in fact, in a relationship. An economic one. Now forcing an unnatural relationship affects both parties. It leads to friction, mistrust and unease. nobody enjoys working where they are not wanted. All parties should be allowed to form relationships (social, economic, or in the case of prostituition a mix of both) in whatever way is acceptable to both.
§ There is a severe lack of talented workforce amongst the reservees. Not enough women, poor are offered the opportunity to educate themselves. Forcing corporates to hire them will result in a less talented workforce. The USP of the Indian company in teh world market, is it's talented workforce. This sort of neanderthal, short sighted solution will set us back 40 years.
§ India is *finally* coming into it's own in the global scenario. A goverment that looks like it is considering such a proposal will scare everyone. From FII to Outsourcing clients.
§ If companies decide of their own accord to hire only men, or upper castes etc, then they are choosing to hire a more expensive labor. If there are enough trained reservees, then they will lose their competitive advantage unless they begin hiring from this pool too.
Which brings me to, more feasible solutions :
§ First, we have to get rid of reservation based on caste, creed, beliefs etc. The people entitled to reservations are simply those who are economically worse off. So reservations have to be made only on the basis of economic standards. And sex.
§ The problem is that this pool of people are not as well educated as the rest of the workforce. In most companies (most.. videocon is still on my hate list) hiring is done on merit. With few, if any, consideration for regionality or caste. (We'll come to the sex debate later)
§ The solution therefore lies in education not reservation.
o Scholarships to twenty deserving students in each corporation school
o Lobbying corporates to donate textbooks and computers to these schools
o Repeat the above for all colleges and vocational training institutes
o Updating syllabi in state run schools and vocational training institutes so that students are equipped to work.
§ These measures would do more than reservation can.
§ This obviously assumes that if a trained pool of people are available, companies would lap them up. This is generally true for all reservees except women. The problem here, is more of a social nature.
§ Companies are scared that women, would leave to get married, not be able to handle the stress of the workplace etc etc. This is slowly changing. The pioneers are of course the banking and it sectors where a large number of employees are female. What's more, they are offered unique solutions in childcare wit in house creches, flexi time etc.
§ In other sectors (especially manufacturing) though, medieval attitudes still persist. But here too, reservation is most definitely not the answer. Instead, it should be made mandatory for companies to reveal the gender breakup of their workforce. Social constraints and outcries will push them to hire women, far better than reservations would. In the time of the informed consumer, it is we who have to boycott companies that discriminate based on sex. And, if that fails, we can always take legal recourse. Like the US.
§ But a mandatory reservation policy is frightening and arcane. Imagine someone saying 52% of our fighter pilots and nuclear scientists have to be uneducated or unqualified. (if you think that the above statement is politically incorrect, then please consider the fact that ALL educated and qualified nuclear scientist ARE gainfully employed)
Monday, June 14, 2004
Death by evam
this is a play put up by local theatre group evam. it is based on woody allen's play of the same name. and it promises to explore the various facets of death. it delivers not quite that much.
it's a look at death alright, but not with enough intensity to give it meaning. i feel like sitting in a show and tell, but i'm only being told, not shown. some superlative performances by sunil as kleinman and karthik as "man", "doctor" jimmy and gina the hooker. but apart from that, the supporting cast comes across as a little contrived. more practice maybe?
i think it's mostly because, it's a very serious play. but the audience were looking for a laugh. they were looking bewildered and wondering when to laugh. and then confused when it all seemed unlaughably serious.
it's witty and thoughtful. it's worth watching just for sunil's awesome performance. and the occasional funny line or spectacular insight. but i'd have preferred a less clichéd ending (it's what we don't do that matters? c'mon... how oprah winfrey). i guess that was new when woody originally wrote it. but with the years in between.. it's become a trite hackneyed urban proverb. on the whole, a pretty decent play. worth a watch. but not "wunnerfull"
it's a look at death alright, but not with enough intensity to give it meaning. i feel like sitting in a show and tell, but i'm only being told, not shown. some superlative performances by sunil as kleinman and karthik as "man", "doctor" jimmy and gina the hooker. but apart from that, the supporting cast comes across as a little contrived. more practice maybe?
i think it's mostly because, it's a very serious play. but the audience were looking for a laugh. they were looking bewildered and wondering when to laugh. and then confused when it all seemed unlaughably serious.
it's witty and thoughtful. it's worth watching just for sunil's awesome performance. and the occasional funny line or spectacular insight. but i'd have preferred a less clichéd ending (it's what we don't do that matters? c'mon... how oprah winfrey). i guess that was new when woody originally wrote it. but with the years in between.. it's become a trite hackneyed urban proverb. on the whole, a pretty decent play. worth a watch. but not "wunnerfull"
Wednesday, June 09, 2004
2k+ and the unbearable boredom of being
hm. add another 1000 since may 25th. but i haven't written in ages.
i haven't actually done anything recently. apart from sitting at home, mind numbingly bored. haven't glanced at a paper. don't know what's happening in the world. am worried about the future.
not in a "carpe diem" sieze stuff by it's horns kinda way.
(sidebar..)
though why someone would want to seize anything by the horn, puzzles me. i mean, we're talking about something that evolution has dictated would grow horns right. and then you go about waving red flags at colorblind animals and seizing them by pointed horns. it seems rather pointless to me.
(sidebar ends)
i guess this is the same sort of people who seize the day, put their nose to the grindstone and laugh their pants off while talking through their hat. contortionists that is.
but i'm in a very unseizing mood today. i could rouse myself to probably reheat lunch, but that is, i think, it. (to many commas? sue me..)
time is stretching in fron of me like a vast undecided ocean. time can wait. it's not like tide or anything, that refuses to wait for man. some very unwise soul once said that tide and taxes wait for no man. we could all die and time could spin by and the doit will still be issuing lists of "six signs you have money." etc.
i think i'll take nap.
i might come back and finish this post and lead it to what promises to be a very illogical conclusion. but i read the heisenberg principle yesterday. since i can't simultaneously predict the motion and position of molecules to any reasonable level of accuracy, if i walk too fast, my liver might just change positions or disappear altogether. if it existed in the first place. i've never actually opened myself up and seen it. according to schrodinger it might not exist.
but all that is in the very un-near future. in the short run, i see myself taking a nap. and in the long run, as the man said, we're all dead.
so pay the piper and pass the chips. wisdom doesn't always come with age.
sometimes age comes alone.
i haven't actually done anything recently. apart from sitting at home, mind numbingly bored. haven't glanced at a paper. don't know what's happening in the world. am worried about the future.
not in a "carpe diem" sieze stuff by it's horns kinda way.
(sidebar..)
though why someone would want to seize anything by the horn, puzzles me. i mean, we're talking about something that evolution has dictated would grow horns right. and then you go about waving red flags at colorblind animals and seizing them by pointed horns. it seems rather pointless to me.
(sidebar ends)
i guess this is the same sort of people who seize the day, put their nose to the grindstone and laugh their pants off while talking through their hat. contortionists that is.
but i'm in a very unseizing mood today. i could rouse myself to probably reheat lunch, but that is, i think, it. (to many commas? sue me..)
time is stretching in fron of me like a vast undecided ocean. time can wait. it's not like tide or anything, that refuses to wait for man. some very unwise soul once said that tide and taxes wait for no man. we could all die and time could spin by and the doit will still be issuing lists of "six signs you have money." etc.
i think i'll take nap.
i might come back and finish this post and lead it to what promises to be a very illogical conclusion. but i read the heisenberg principle yesterday. since i can't simultaneously predict the motion and position of molecules to any reasonable level of accuracy, if i walk too fast, my liver might just change positions or disappear altogether. if it existed in the first place. i've never actually opened myself up and seen it. according to schrodinger it might not exist.
but all that is in the very un-near future. in the short run, i see myself taking a nap. and in the long run, as the man said, we're all dead.
so pay the piper and pass the chips. wisdom doesn't always come with age.
sometimes age comes alone.
Friday, June 04, 2004
The wheels on the bus go round and round
OPEC has now agreed to increase production by 2m barrels a day. This is somewhat good news to a volatile energy market where prices have been threatening to shoot through the roof.
For those who don't know, or couldn't care less... A primer (drawn from various online sources)
What is the price of petrol?
About $41 a barrel. The highest in 21 years.
Who cares?
Anyone who drives a car?? Oil prices in India have been artificially kept high by pouring the money into the Oil Suprlus Pool. Recent hikes in crude prices and our goverments policy of selling oil to the public at three times it's input price should puch petrol prices up another notch. This hasn't happened yet, probably since politicians didn't want to upset the gaz guzzling electorate before elections. The new govt will eventually have to allow petrol prices to stabilise at three times world levels. Look to paying close to Rs.40 a litre.
Why?
Demand Supply and terrorism
~ Huge growth in US and China have fuelled a large increase in demand
~ US refineries have been caught napping. They are unprepared to supply the amounts required
~ The Middle East accounts for a large percentage of the world's oil. Literally one in five barrels sold worldwide is from Saudi Arabia. The regional instability and rising fear of terrorism in Saudi Arabia has led to escalation in price.
What's being done
OPEC has ratified an increase of 2m barrels a day. But this is already in production, so it is merely formally ratifying the amount in circulation. Until prodn capacity in the US catches up, and the middle east stabilises.. prices could continue to rise.
The Al Saud family might be willing to accomadate the US. But the question is, for how long? They themselves are becoming increasingly unpopular. Terrorist attacks will in all likelihood increase once the AlQaeeda and co realise that they could bring America to its knees by attacking Ras Tanura or Abqaiq in the Arabian desert.
For those who don't know, or couldn't care less... A primer (drawn from various online sources)
What is the price of petrol?
About $41 a barrel. The highest in 21 years.
Who cares?
Anyone who drives a car?? Oil prices in India have been artificially kept high by pouring the money into the Oil Suprlus Pool. Recent hikes in crude prices and our goverments policy of selling oil to the public at three times it's input price should puch petrol prices up another notch. This hasn't happened yet, probably since politicians didn't want to upset the gaz guzzling electorate before elections. The new govt will eventually have to allow petrol prices to stabilise at three times world levels. Look to paying close to Rs.40 a litre.
Why?
Demand Supply and terrorism
~ Huge growth in US and China have fuelled a large increase in demand
~ US refineries have been caught napping. They are unprepared to supply the amounts required
~ The Middle East accounts for a large percentage of the world's oil. Literally one in five barrels sold worldwide is from Saudi Arabia. The regional instability and rising fear of terrorism in Saudi Arabia has led to escalation in price.
What's being done
OPEC has ratified an increase of 2m barrels a day. But this is already in production, so it is merely formally ratifying the amount in circulation. Until prodn capacity in the US catches up, and the middle east stabilises.. prices could continue to rise.
The Al Saud family might be willing to accomadate the US. But the question is, for how long? They themselves are becoming increasingly unpopular. Terrorist attacks will in all likelihood increase once the AlQaeeda and co realise that they could bring America to its knees by attacking Ras Tanura or Abqaiq in the Arabian desert.
Wednesday, June 02, 2004
Simmering Arabian Cauldron
The recent terrorist attacks in Saudi Arabia have proven me right. I think it was six months ago that i said Saudi was a cauldron of terrorist activity rapidly reaching boiling point. Mostly because -
~ Since the 70's, the Al Saud family and others have been funding terrorist activites. Now the tables are turning.
~ The average Saudi (male, the females do not count) is poor. He also sees the aristocrats get rich on oil money.
~ Officially Osama Bin Laden is condemned. But in coffeeshops and saloons, he is secretly admired for standing up to the americans
~ Americans who have exploited the oil rich country and enriched a few in the land while the people are stuck in poverty.
~ These terrorists want the expats out. They want the saudi nation back in saudi hands. They are in their own way protesting the outsourcing of local labour to expats. And it will only get worse
The enemies are both the foreigners and the ruling family.
The Al Saud clan are in a position similar to the Shah of Iran earlier. Like most rulers, they are out of touch with their people's opinions. They are largely seen as American puppets. And revolution is in the air.
Foreigners, esp Americans are hated. Once again America, in its brash "take no prisoners" way has failed miserably to understand local culture. It presumes it has got itself an ally by just paying off the ruling family. But the average Saudi is not impressed. From the crassness of the apologies for Abu Gharib, to the nonchalance with which they invaded middle eastern soil.. America, after 9/11 is making far more enemies than it needs..
~ Since the 70's, the Al Saud family and others have been funding terrorist activites. Now the tables are turning.
~ The average Saudi (male, the females do not count) is poor. He also sees the aristocrats get rich on oil money.
~ Officially Osama Bin Laden is condemned. But in coffeeshops and saloons, he is secretly admired for standing up to the americans
~ Americans who have exploited the oil rich country and enriched a few in the land while the people are stuck in poverty.
~ These terrorists want the expats out. They want the saudi nation back in saudi hands. They are in their own way protesting the outsourcing of local labour to expats. And it will only get worse
The enemies are both the foreigners and the ruling family.
The Al Saud clan are in a position similar to the Shah of Iran earlier. Like most rulers, they are out of touch with their people's opinions. They are largely seen as American puppets. And revolution is in the air.
Foreigners, esp Americans are hated. Once again America, in its brash "take no prisoners" way has failed miserably to understand local culture. It presumes it has got itself an ally by just paying off the ruling family. But the average Saudi is not impressed. From the crassness of the apologies for Abu Gharib, to the nonchalance with which they invaded middle eastern soil.. America, after 9/11 is making far more enemies than it needs..
When Karan met Riya
aka we CAN live without HumTum
This is a typical Hindi movie. The only problem is that it claims otherwise. The masters of spin have portrayed this flick as a modern trendy flick, loosely modelled on "when harry met sally". It's NOT
The problem with all these titillating, modern flicks is that, they're rooted in this medieval hindi concept of "family values" which precludes premarital kissing and independent strong women roles and basically precludes life in the noughts. ('00's)
So it starts off in the land of bubblegum but then rapidly deteriorates to show that even underneath these "modern" folks lurks the heart of a true hindustani. Which brings me to the central idea which is "modern is BAD". You might stray into *modern* in amsterdam or newyork but your dil has to be hindustani.
They're basically taken the premise of When harry met sally, wrung out any resemblance to India today, replaced the fake orgasm with even more long drawn out moaning in the form of "parivar sab kuch hai" dialogues.
In the name of *hep*ness you have saif in what is probably the worst haircut since the last yeti sighting. And the only character with a scintilla of spunk (Isha Koppikar in a cameo) is promptly disowned as a drunk!
The movie made me want to kill myself in five minutes. Actually, strike that. The movie made me want to kill the person who forced us to see it.. in THE most painful way possible. It was as nikhil said worse than Yaadein. Worse than Dulhan Hum Le Jaayenge. Worse than any movie i've seen in recent times, mostly because it built up expectations and then lived up to none of them.
The problem with all these titillating, modern flicks is that, they're rooted in this medieval hindi concept of "family values" which precludes premarital kissing and independent strong women roles and basically precludes life in the noughts. ('00's)
So it starts off in the land of bubblegum but then rapidly deteriorates to show that even underneath these "modern" folks lurks the heart of a true hindustani. Which brings me to the central idea which is "modern is BAD". You might stray into *modern* in amsterdam or newyork but your dil has to be hindustani.
They're basically taken the premise of When harry met sally, wrung out any resemblance to India today, replaced the fake orgasm with even more long drawn out moaning in the form of "parivar sab kuch hai" dialogues.
In the name of *hep*ness you have saif in what is probably the worst haircut since the last yeti sighting. And the only character with a scintilla of spunk (Isha Koppikar in a cameo) is promptly disowned as a drunk!
The movie made me want to kill myself in five minutes. Actually, strike that. The movie made me want to kill the person who forced us to see it.. in THE most painful way possible. It was as nikhil said worse than Yaadein. Worse than Dulhan Hum Le Jaayenge. Worse than any movie i've seen in recent times, mostly because it built up expectations and then lived up to none of them.
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