Fishy Business
Last night I received a call on my mobile. It was wrong number but the person at the other end was not ready to accept it was so. He insisted on informing me that he has reached Goa with a boatload of fish from Ratnagiri and was asking me where he should offload the stuff.
Since the person was adamant on not accepting that he had dialled a wrong I decided to pull his leg. I asked him is there anything else apart from fish in the boat ( a la old Hindi movies) He replied in the negative and probably understood that I was pulling his leg and disconnected promptly
Tuesday, November 11, 2003
Monday, September 22, 2003
Giving 100 %
Last week at work I was feeling quite irritated. Some of my colleagues did notice and even asked me why I was behaving so. While driving back and over weekend I thought about the reasons. It may have been because
a) I was feeling helpless in the project which I was working on. I being alone on that project , nothing seemed to work and on top of that I was being asked everyday when I would be able to complete the work
b) I was feeling guilty that I was not able to spend time with my family properly.
Later on Sunday I read this article and thought over. May be, I was not giving 100 % to what I was doing.Getting distracted because I had too many things to do in too little time. I thought I should concentrate on one thing at a time giving 100 % to it.
Practised it since morning and have been feeling better
Last week at work I was feeling quite irritated. Some of my colleagues did notice and even asked me why I was behaving so. While driving back and over weekend I thought about the reasons. It may have been because
a) I was feeling helpless in the project which I was working on. I being alone on that project , nothing seemed to work and on top of that I was being asked everyday when I would be able to complete the work
b) I was feeling guilty that I was not able to spend time with my family properly.
Later on Sunday I read this article and thought over. May be, I was not giving 100 % to what I was doing.Getting distracted because I had too many things to do in too little time. I thought I should concentrate on one thing at a time giving 100 % to it.
Practised it since morning and have been feeling better
Wednesday, September 17, 2003
Wednesday, September 10, 2003
Expectations .............
I dont understand the atttitude of Americans. They give so much importance to weekends , leisure etc, but expect us to come and work on weekends. This week I have received number of mails enquiring whether I would come and work on weekend because they want to release a product. Its a different story that the release has been delayed but who is responsible for it.
On top of that yesterday in telecon they asked that since one of the fellow is coming late to office in US would anyone of us be around in the office when he comes in which would have been around 2130 IST.
In my three years of assoication with this client , I have noticed that many people working in client's office have been going on vacation during critical release times Then how do they expect us to work on weekends.
I dont understand the atttitude of Americans. They give so much importance to weekends , leisure etc, but expect us to come and work on weekends. This week I have received number of mails enquiring whether I would come and work on weekend because they want to release a product. Its a different story that the release has been delayed but who is responsible for it.
On top of that yesterday in telecon they asked that since one of the fellow is coming late to office in US would anyone of us be around in the office when he comes in which would have been around 2130 IST.
In my three years of assoication with this client , I have noticed that many people working in client's office have been going on vacation during critical release times Then how do they expect us to work on weekends.
Walk with Elephant
This weekend I was driving down one of the roads in Pune and overtook an elephant which was being ridden by two sadhus. Since I wanted to show the elephant to my one year old son, I parked the car on the road and waited for Elephant to approach us. The animal passed us at a touching distance. Since my son enjoyed it , i decided to walk with the elephant for a short distance.
Though having seen elephants in circus, television etc, never have seen it so closely. One thing which I noticed that everyone on the road was just looking at that magnificent animal. Down the road , there was a traffic signal and when the elephnat reached there it was red, but the sadhus on the elephant never cared to stop and continued moving. A traffic constable who was observing this just laughed and touched the elephant.
Probably he might have thought how will I stop him or what should I fine him and that too during the 10 days of Ganpati festival
This weekend I was driving down one of the roads in Pune and overtook an elephant which was being ridden by two sadhus. Since I wanted to show the elephant to my one year old son, I parked the car on the road and waited for Elephant to approach us. The animal passed us at a touching distance. Since my son enjoyed it , i decided to walk with the elephant for a short distance.
Though having seen elephants in circus, television etc, never have seen it so closely. One thing which I noticed that everyone on the road was just looking at that magnificent animal. Down the road , there was a traffic signal and when the elephnat reached there it was red, but the sadhus on the elephant never cared to stop and continued moving. A traffic constable who was observing this just laughed and touched the elephant.
Probably he might have thought how will I stop him or what should I fine him and that too during the 10 days of Ganpati festival
Friday, August 29, 2003
Work Life Balance
Recently, one of my friend,who is a office colleague suffered from headache , dizziness at work. This was happening to him second time in last couple of months.
Those who know the person cant imagine that this can happen to him because he is a fitness freak, excerises regularly. One more thing which he does regularly is stay late at work.
Since , this was happening to him second time he consulted a doctor who diagnosed him for Hyperglycemia - which is low sugar in blood.My friend recounted his discussion with the doctor .Here it goes
In India social changes have occured too fast and compared to that our bodies have not responded in the same manner. We in IT sector work at hectic pace for 5 days which includes sitting late at work ,no regular exercise, no hobbies, no entertainment and then suddenly on weekends we try to give importance to all these things thinking that by getting involved in these activities we will get refreshed.One thing which we dont realise is we are moving from one imbalance( 5 day work) to another imbalance( 2 day leisure). This unknowingly creates a havoc on our bodies. It will take years for bodies to get accustomed to this because they are not built for such kind of cycles.
If one looks at earlier times people never had these problems because this kind of imbalance never existed in their lives, they used to work , play everyday.
According to the doc , these symptoms are quite common to people in software industry.
No wonder one reads reports in the media that prevalence of high BP , heart attacks, diabetes is increasing in the age group of 25 -35
Its high time we realise these problems and take steps to correct these
Recently, one of my friend,who is a office colleague suffered from headache , dizziness at work. This was happening to him second time in last couple of months.
Those who know the person cant imagine that this can happen to him because he is a fitness freak, excerises regularly. One more thing which he does regularly is stay late at work.
Since , this was happening to him second time he consulted a doctor who diagnosed him for Hyperglycemia - which is low sugar in blood.My friend recounted his discussion with the doctor .Here it goes
In India social changes have occured too fast and compared to that our bodies have not responded in the same manner. We in IT sector work at hectic pace for 5 days which includes sitting late at work ,no regular exercise, no hobbies, no entertainment and then suddenly on weekends we try to give importance to all these things thinking that by getting involved in these activities we will get refreshed.One thing which we dont realise is we are moving from one imbalance( 5 day work) to another imbalance( 2 day leisure). This unknowingly creates a havoc on our bodies. It will take years for bodies to get accustomed to this because they are not built for such kind of cycles.
If one looks at earlier times people never had these problems because this kind of imbalance never existed in their lives, they used to work , play everyday.
According to the doc , these symptoms are quite common to people in software industry.
No wonder one reads reports in the media that prevalence of high BP , heart attacks, diabetes is increasing in the age group of 25 -35
Its high time we realise these problems and take steps to correct these
Wednesday, August 27, 2003
Walking !!
When a child starts walking , he insists that you leave his hand because he wants to walk alone, but the parental instincts prevent you from leaving his hands and you have to walk with him at his pace.
Similarly , in our work related activities we may have to work(walk) with a new comer and it would be prudent on our part that we walk with him at his pace , not ours the way we do with children
When a child starts walking , he insists that you leave his hand because he wants to walk alone, but the parental instincts prevent you from leaving his hands and you have to walk with him at his pace.
Similarly , in our work related activities we may have to work(walk) with a new comer and it would be prudent on our part that we walk with him at his pace , not ours the way we do with children
Tuesday, August 12, 2003
Cell Phones - are they a nuisance in office
I dont know whether I should be writing this or not as I also own a cell. In most of the offices , one might be hearing a mobile phone ringing at some time or other. It not only detracts others , but it also reduces the productivity of employee.Why cant people keep it on vibrator mode, and to add fuel to the fire, people keep on chatting on the phone for hours without taking into consideration how inconvenient it is to fellow workers or how their prodcutivity is going down.Later the same people will crib that they dont find the work challenging, How can you when half of your working time you are talking on your cell.
I am not against having cell phones , but people should also impose a self discpline
I dont know whether I should be writing this or not as I also own a cell. In most of the offices , one might be hearing a mobile phone ringing at some time or other. It not only detracts others , but it also reduces the productivity of employee.Why cant people keep it on vibrator mode, and to add fuel to the fire, people keep on chatting on the phone for hours without taking into consideration how inconvenient it is to fellow workers or how their prodcutivity is going down.Later the same people will crib that they dont find the work challenging, How can you when half of your working time you are talking on your cell.
I am not against having cell phones , but people should also impose a self discpline
Friday, August 08, 2003
Interviews
Since last two weeks I have been conducting interviews in my company. Some thoughts on the same
In an interview , how do you judge whether the candidate is really good. If you say, how he answers the questions, but is that all.
Even the questions asked depend on interviewers frame of mind and answers given surely would depend on the same.
I have also observed that some people write a lot in their resume and when questioned on the same feign ignorance.
Also can a person be judged on the basis of his handwriting. I would yes, the handwriting conveys a lot .
I love to conduct interviews because it helps you to study/read the other person. You can make a judgement by observing a person , but talking to him for some time helps you to improve your skills in observing people.
Interviewing is skill , the more you practise , the more you learn
Since last two weeks I have been conducting interviews in my company. Some thoughts on the same
In an interview , how do you judge whether the candidate is really good. If you say, how he answers the questions, but is that all.
Even the questions asked depend on interviewers frame of mind and answers given surely would depend on the same.
I have also observed that some people write a lot in their resume and when questioned on the same feign ignorance.
Also can a person be judged on the basis of his handwriting. I would yes, the handwriting conveys a lot .
I love to conduct interviews because it helps you to study/read the other person. You can make a judgement by observing a person , but talking to him for some time helps you to improve your skills in observing people.
Interviewing is skill , the more you practise , the more you learn
Monday, August 04, 2003
For everything else there is MasterCard
Couple of years back MasterCard ran a TV commerical which showed a child playing with a cardboard box. Parents think that they should bring toys for children. But children being children will not play with those toys , but prefer playing with the boxes in which those toys are packed.
Couple of years back MasterCard ran a TV commerical which showed a child playing with a cardboard box. Parents think that they should bring toys for children. But children being children will not play with those toys , but prefer playing with the boxes in which those toys are packed.
Looking Back
Yesterday , I completed 5 years in the company where I work. As I look back at these 5 years , I have seen the company change and grow. Needless to say many people left , many joined.Personally , I learnt a lot of things through interaction with other people. Frankly speaking, in first 2 1/2 years I learnt a lot , because the organisation was small , there were no boundaries between different project groups. You could just walk across to person working on a different project and find out what he was doing. Our current setup prevents such a kind of interaction From business point of view , such a setup may be needed , but from learning perspective it forces you to keep your vision narrow.
In these 5 years the company has moved from inside the city to outskirts. We got bigger buildings , but smaller cubicles.Earlier , I have seen couple of my friends coming to office on weekends early in the morning (6:00 a.m) , work for couple of hours and go away. Now all those things are history.
On personal front also in these 5 years saw some tough times.Now looking back those problems though quite grave in those times feel trivial now.Afterall wounds get healed with time.I feel that such tough times only make us stronger and help us prepare for more difficult challenges in the future.
As they say one should not think too much of the past but look at the future because afterall past is no longer with us and future is yet to come.
Yesterday , I completed 5 years in the company where I work. As I look back at these 5 years , I have seen the company change and grow. Needless to say many people left , many joined.Personally , I learnt a lot of things through interaction with other people. Frankly speaking, in first 2 1/2 years I learnt a lot , because the organisation was small , there were no boundaries between different project groups. You could just walk across to person working on a different project and find out what he was doing. Our current setup prevents such a kind of interaction From business point of view , such a setup may be needed , but from learning perspective it forces you to keep your vision narrow.
In these 5 years the company has moved from inside the city to outskirts. We got bigger buildings , but smaller cubicles.Earlier , I have seen couple of my friends coming to office on weekends early in the morning (6:00 a.m) , work for couple of hours and go away. Now all those things are history.
On personal front also in these 5 years saw some tough times.Now looking back those problems though quite grave in those times feel trivial now.Afterall wounds get healed with time.I feel that such tough times only make us stronger and help us prepare for more difficult challenges in the future.
As they say one should not think too much of the past but look at the future because afterall past is no longer with us and future is yet to come.
Thursday, July 31, 2003
Passwords !!!
With internet becoming a part of our life , one needs to have passwords to access different sites
What happens when you miss one password or confuse one with other. On top of that if the site is configured in such a way that if you attempt for 3 more times with wrong password it gets locked
One surely has to find a way out
Manish
With internet becoming a part of our life , one needs to have passwords to access different sites
What happens when you miss one password or confuse one with other. On top of that if the site is configured in such a way that if you attempt for 3 more times with wrong password it gets locked
One surely has to find a way out
Manish
Tuesday, July 29, 2003
Wednesday, July 23, 2003
Philosophy of Doctors
I cant understand the philosophy of doctors. Why do some doctors insist on giving antibiotics while others abhor the very idea of prescribing those. May be , because they are also human beings .After all different people have different school of thoughts and each one feels that his way of thinking is correct.
I cant understand the philosophy of doctors. Why do some doctors insist on giving antibiotics while others abhor the very idea of prescribing those. May be , because they are also human beings .After all different people have different school of thoughts and each one feels that his way of thinking is correct.
Monday, July 21, 2003
How Close is Software Development to Real Life situations
Recently, while on vacation at my parent's place , I came across a situation which left me wondering how close software dev. is to real life situations.
It goes like this. The place where my parents stay is a newly developed area and we dont have a tar road in front of our house.Infact bang opposite our gate there was a small depression and in rainy season , water used to get accumlated there. My father decided to get that pothole filled up and he got hold of a labourer asked him to put some gravel for an amount of 500 bucks.
After some time we noticed that around 7-8 labourers are working and trying to patch up the area , infact they were trying to patch up the entire stretch in front of our house.
When questioned , one fellow( not the one we had asked to do the work) came forward and said that we should talk to him as the labourers worked for him. Inspite of our telling him , the workmen continued the work. When we threatened that we are not going to pay ,they stopped.
When it came to payment they started demanding 2000/- stating that they had got the gravel etc. Hearing the commotion , our neighbour also jumped in saying that the gravel has been picked from his plot and we should not pay the labourers anything for the material as they had not paid him. Finally everything was setlled for 1000/- bucks.
When I analyed the situation, I noticed striking similarities with s/w development.
We needed a solution for our problem( the pot hole). The labourer we contracted ( software developer). He not being sure of the scope got his colleagues to chip in.
The fellow who insisted that these people work for him ( The Manager) and they were charging us for their work as well as material which was in fact a freeware
(the gravel picked from neighbour's plot ) and we finally ended up paying more than what we had budgeted(customer) and those guys got less than what they had planned.
Recently, while on vacation at my parent's place , I came across a situation which left me wondering how close software dev. is to real life situations.
It goes like this. The place where my parents stay is a newly developed area and we dont have a tar road in front of our house.Infact bang opposite our gate there was a small depression and in rainy season , water used to get accumlated there. My father decided to get that pothole filled up and he got hold of a labourer asked him to put some gravel for an amount of 500 bucks.
After some time we noticed that around 7-8 labourers are working and trying to patch up the area , infact they were trying to patch up the entire stretch in front of our house.
When questioned , one fellow( not the one we had asked to do the work) came forward and said that we should talk to him as the labourers worked for him. Inspite of our telling him , the workmen continued the work. When we threatened that we are not going to pay ,they stopped.
When it came to payment they started demanding 2000/- stating that they had got the gravel etc. Hearing the commotion , our neighbour also jumped in saying that the gravel has been picked from his plot and we should not pay the labourers anything for the material as they had not paid him. Finally everything was setlled for 1000/- bucks.
When I analyed the situation, I noticed striking similarities with s/w development.
We needed a solution for our problem( the pot hole). The labourer we contracted ( software developer). He not being sure of the scope got his colleagues to chip in.
The fellow who insisted that these people work for him ( The Manager) and they were charging us for their work as well as material which was in fact a freeware
(the gravel picked from neighbour's plot ) and we finally ended up paying more than what we had budgeted(customer) and those guys got less than what they had planned.
Friday, July 11, 2003
ATMs
Today withdrew some money from ATM . I needed the cash in 500/- notes but the machine spewed 100 bucks ones making my wallet quite thick which is the last thing which I wanted. Why cant the ATMs ask for denomination of currency we need.
On second thoughts, it would surely complicate things.
How about a cashless money transaction process even for small things like a rickshaw ride. May be I am becoming too utopic.Still a long way to go
Manish
Today withdrew some money from ATM . I needed the cash in 500/- notes but the machine spewed 100 bucks ones making my wallet quite thick which is the last thing which I wanted. Why cant the ATMs ask for denomination of currency we need.
On second thoughts, it would surely complicate things.
How about a cashless money transaction process even for small things like a rickshaw ride. May be I am becoming too utopic.Still a long way to go
Manish
Monday, May 12, 2003
Road Rage and Politicians
What do local politicians think of themselves. Yesterday , I was approaching my house on bike. A section of the road is very narrow and there were number of cars coming from opposite side.Suddenly I saw one white Zen was trying to overtake a number of cars. The driver of the car seemed a politician ( while clothes , dark glasses - one can easily make out such people in Pune though it is not a political city like Delhi) . His intention was to push me off the road. I stopped my bike and made it standstill. The fellow had no other option but to wait for cars to pass and go in proper lane. When he came to my side ,he tried to get into an argument with me by saying "phut". As I dont care a damn about politicians didnt pay any heed to him. Frankly speaking , what great did he achieve
Manish
What do local politicians think of themselves. Yesterday , I was approaching my house on bike. A section of the road is very narrow and there were number of cars coming from opposite side.Suddenly I saw one white Zen was trying to overtake a number of cars. The driver of the car seemed a politician ( while clothes , dark glasses - one can easily make out such people in Pune though it is not a political city like Delhi) . His intention was to push me off the road. I stopped my bike and made it standstill. The fellow had no other option but to wait for cars to pass and go in proper lane. When he came to my side ,he tried to get into an argument with me by saying "phut". As I dont care a damn about politicians didnt pay any heed to him. Frankly speaking , what great did he achieve
Manish
Friday, April 25, 2003
Monday, April 14, 2003
Thursday, April 10, 2003
Tuesday, April 08, 2003
Monday, April 07, 2003
Saturday, April 05, 2003
Updating after a long time.
Saw a good article on rediff as to why Indians are being persecuted abroad
Saw a good article on rediff as to why Indians are being persecuted abroad
Thursday, March 27, 2003
Monday, March 24, 2003
Saddam pledges victory. Bush says he is satisfiedwith the progess in the war. Does anyone really know whats going on.
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