Bangalored ?

An interesting email from a friend..which I checked by googling before posting it here:

Did u know ?
"Bangalored" is a verb which recently got added in the dictionary. A person is said to be bangalored if he lost his job because the work got outsourced to bangalore or any other city in India.
"He got bangalored last week" is an example of its usage.
U can also type this word "bangalored" in Google search n see.
Lot of people in US got bangalored that it became an issue during the US presidential election. That’s exactly when this word was coined.
One such similar verb is "shanghaied" which means kidnapped.
Great that Bangalore has a verb in its name only that it has a negative meaning.

Fallen Trees !

State Capitol with Stromy Clouds

State Capitol with looming stormy clouds !

Damaged Tree...!

Flag

US Flag braving the storm!

Katrina Kissed us..finally!!!

Finally, the much the wait was over. Katrina
kissed us with full vigor and intensity as expected and the consequences can be seen on the various news sites and channels. However, it moved a little eastwards before touching the coast and we were saved by the disaster. New Orleans and other areas are full of water with their arial views resembling Venice. The only difference being that here houses are also flooded alongwith streets (a sense of irony, incase I was not able to make up)The storm track can be seen in the image here.

We were at the outer side in west of the storm, where it is weak. Seeing its strength when it is weak, I am glad that I didnt witnessed its real strength. In late aftrenoon, when rains stopped and the winds came down to 40-50 mph, we went out on a drive to see the depth of impact. There were lots of fallen trees, electric poles, broken tiles from houses and leaves all around. Most of the apartment complex and neighborhoods were deprived of electricity because of transformer failures etc.
And you cant expect servicemen from Entergy to come at this time.Without any TV, computer, internet, microwave, cooking stove etc people like me were forced to move out once the weather calmed down a bit. I liked the spirit in people at this time. Everyone was helping each other and people started cleaning even though it was so windy outside. Overall, I would say it was not a pleasent experience to see a 'hurricane' pass by within a few miles away !

Lull before the storm

So, now are waiting for tropical storm to hit the coast in the form of a major hurricane..named as Katrina. The mere fact that this storm is named after a sexy n sleek model cum actress of Indo-British origin doesnt make it as seductive and welcome. In any case, I wont like this dangerous Katrina to come and sit in my lap with hands around my waist (even though she is wet ;-) ). But had it been the other Katrina, I would have no second thoughts.


Jokes apart, this hurricane is going to be one of the worst in US with 4th worst in terms of low pressure. It wil strike the coast with winds as speedy as 160 mph and spanning a wide area of 200 miles almost. Its rated as 5 on some 'arbit' kind of scale used for rating hurricanes (like Ritcher for earthquakes), which is very high. So now we are waiting with our stock of drinking water, food and fingers crossed for thunderstorms, downpours and extreme winds. Lets see how much it stays on its projected path and estimated decimation.

Here are some pictures of the satellite images of this hurricane from weather.com. Check it out and enjoy with a feeling of thrill and sensation..!!!

Today..its just an eerie silence outside...the lull before the storm..!!!

Dragon vs. Elephant

Since last few years, lot of speculations have been made between the two growing economies of world, India and China, mostly symbolised as Elephant and Dragon respectively. Surveys and studies by eminet economists, thinkers and consultants all over the world have been featured on this topic. Check out his special issue of Business Week:

China and India
What you need to know now

This is an interesting read with articles featuring on different aspects of the two countries. It discusses the pros & cons of each country in terms of culture, economics, growth and prospects. Some interesting slide-shows are also there. So Check it Out !!!

Another Saying

The only fall where you feel elevated and on the top of the world is "falling in love".

-Wise Men

Now this is in contradiction to the previous saying....conflicting ..isnt it?
Now I wonder which set of wise men is actually wise..?? Any comments !!!

Saying

Its better to fall face down on a cemented floor than to fall for a girl. You are hurt more in later.

-Wise Men

Great Question

Soo...for quiet sometime, I have been in this situation when I am being asked this question: What are doing then ?

Lemme write how this question comes into the scene. I am busy doing "job search"..."job search" in US, where you dont know anyone to get those "contacts" & "referrals", where you dont have "work permit" till you find some employer to sponsor your "H-1", where you have to survive somehow...!

Job search itself is a fulltime job. When I say fulltime, it means the standard 40 hrs (or more) a week of work, witout getting being paid for it. So, when I stay awake whole night, busy doing something (read job search), and getup late in aftrenoon next day, I am being asked the deadly question: "What were you doing? what do you have to do ?". Well, k'mon..just bcos, I am finished with my Masters, doesnt mean that I aint gawt nethin else to do !!!

I am not frustrated or down. Its just one of those phase of life which will be over soon..and I am pretty kawnfident about it. But when this question from people who r aware of the problems/hurdles..it really pisses me off.

For Inspiration

Some good success stories for thou inspiration:

ICICI Bank: Closing in on world's 200 biggest banks

Infosys & Narayan Murthy's dream for the future

Lifelessness

No life in sight...!!!

This scene was captured during a train journey from Delhi to Bombay during my India trip last year. No sign of any living being, that too in a country which has more than a billion people on its land....strange ..isnt it? Just barren land with hills & some wild vegetation..how dull n dreary ...!!!

Exploring the Sky

Exploring the vast open sky, up above the world so high....

I took this picture one afternoon from the roof of my friend's house in India. A bunch of ballons in a clear blue sky daring to explore the vast, open space leaving the civilization far below them. Oblivious of their fate, these ballons will keep on their quest till .....??? Thats the spirit...the spirit to venture into the unknown and struggle till the end...At least, in the end, you are happy, that you struggled... :) !!!

Mangal Pandey: The Rising

Yesterday, I saw the movie Mangal Pandey: The Rising with a promising Bollywood actor in the lead role. There was a great hype about the movie. But I hadn't any great expectations from it. Afterall they were not going to create a history. They were just showing a small but significant event from Indian history. Sadly, I was really very disappointed with it. They tried to glorify the sacrifice of a sepoy Mangal Pandey by adding long senseless song-dance sequences and introducing fictional characters, item-song, mujra and girls with ultra-low cleavages.

There was nothng spectacular about the Aamir Khan's acting or A.R.Rehman's music. It seems that Bollywood still has a long way to go. They might make the largest number of movies but its the quality which matters..eventually..!!!

Question : Why did Mangal Pandey shot himself at the right side of his chest and not left...when he wanted to be a martyr ? Maybe, so that he could be saved by the Brits, hospitalized, operated, court-martialed and then hanged in public to spark the "War of Independence"..!!!

Dos & Donts for Desis@USA

Well,here is a very sensible ans useful article from The Hindu. Its about the DOs and DONTs for Desis flocking to US..known as FOBs. There are really some issues which one has to take care of, especially in US like personal cleanliness, colloquial language etc. Read this article and tell others about it.

Beyond the Blue

thanx to buddy Rahul Jindal (ZombieWorld Sinusoid) for this link.

Unemployed Master

The title itself is self-explanatory....the viewpoint of a person who is Unemployed after a Master's. This is the situation I am in right now. Its very dark all around and there is only one ray of light I can see. The usual instinct would be to follow that ray and move to the bright side of the world. But I will not do that. Because that ray of light will take me to the restroom. The reason its dark around me is because roommate is sleeping and he wont let me switch on the lights. However, restroom lights are left turned on at night. Well, for the uninitiated ones, it was a joke.

Without digressing much, lets come back to the point. While composing this post, I came across another similar post (by Meghna) and liked it. Its about someone in similar situation :

Thoughts.....my take on certain issues: Snapshot of the unemployed and still looking

As per this post, right now I am going through the stage of "self-doubt". This comes after applying to almost all the relevant positions, tailoring resumes to suit the "job description", modifying projects etc. I have observed how the tone of my coverletter has changed from "polite" to "aggressive", how my resume has been gradually polished to give a real "pro look", how it shrunk in size from 2 page to 1 page to contain the keywords and crux.

I am analyzing why my resume has not been able to generate enough interest among employers as I expected. The main reason I feel is my location. For core engineering jobs pertaining to manufacturing & production, its better if you ar located close to the industrial region/belt. Well..then I am 'far from the madding crowd' in deep south. Another obvious reason is "Visa sponsorship & security clearence" and "Lack of experience".

Well lets see, what happens next. For one thing, I am sure, that my quest for a job would be better than Ana Kournikova's quest for singles title. I will get at least one.

Two Years in US

August 11, 2003 was the date when I stepped on US soil with the sole dream to pursue a career I want to. Surprisingly, its not software and I am not a typical "techie". Well, exactly two years after this date i.e. on August 11, 2005, I volunteered to work for the International Student's Orientation in my University. This is the very first event attended by any international student in any US school where he/she fills all the forms and gets the information about the school. While sitting there and watching the crowd, I could literally feel how time flies by. Two years ago, I was among one of those desi students with a puzzled look behind the glasses filling forms and asking questions about everything. I was so curious (maybe I dint knew the meaning of "curiosity killed the cat"....well it seems that it dint worked in my case as I am alive and still curious).

I remember the first time I went to McDonalds in the Union during lunch hour of the Orientation program. I was as confused as other desis standing in the queue. Then came those barrage of questions at the counter: "jus da saaandvich or meal","wha kain of drink u wan", "fa heeere or to go". I somehow managed these questions and then I asked for "sauce"....bang ...came the another question: "wha kain of sauce u wan" ??? I replied "tomato" ..the woman said..."ohh you mean ketchup". That was my first lesson here...the difference between sauce and ketchup.

Now, two years from that day, I have been to almost all the eating joints & cafes. I know all their menus. I know what I have to eat (after tryng most of the options), what dressing to choose, if I want fries or hash browns, and yes ...coke with "little ice". I have learnt so many things...isnt it ???

So here I am, after two years, standing at the same place, same Union, same Ball Room, same orientation with same forms and tirades, amidst one difference: I am not filling the forms...I am helping others to fill them, with one more degree in my arsenal.

Four Pillars

Gone are the days when I was seen in my Department with my Advisor...
Now ......I am in my Apartment with Budweiser...!!!!

So, it can be concluded that four pillars of graduate school life are:
Department, Apartment, Advisor & Budweiser.

For more information about the last & most stable pillar, please click here

Da Vinci Code

Last sunday, I read this book by Dan Brown. Once started, I was literally glued to it till I finished it in one go. Its really a good read, very good suspense n thriller....ideal for a hollywood venture.

Some attributes worth mentioning are:
1. It tells you about western religious beliefs.
2. It has very meticulously made puzzles & anagrams.
3. It portrays Da Vinci paintings from a new perspective, in such a way that makes you think in the direction, author wants you to.
4. It talks about the idea that why dont we consider feminine to be sacred.
5. It mentions about the pagan beliefs & symbols,symbology and ways to interpret them.
6. It mentions about the Golden Ratio of 1.61, which has enthused me a lot since last one year.
7. Author is able to communicate what he wants without losing the grip over the story anywhere.

If you have read it, post your comments please.

Master's Defense

Alrite..lemme start typing some recent happenings in my life. These have really made an impact on me and my thought process. One of the greatest happening was my Master's Defense last month. This is something we (M.S. aspirants) start waiting for, soon after we start our M.S. After a while we feel like lets defend and finish it. But its not that easy. Over the span of two years, we take courses and labs and do research work wit our advisor. Then finally when we get the green signal from advisor, we plan our defense.

I did pretty much same. Finally the D-day came. I was there in a big conference room with my committee members and some audience, invited by me. (Later I thought, why I invited them :) ). Rapidfire round of questions started right form the third slide, first being the title slide and second, the outline. Just like an ill-equipped tired soldier on a war front facing a well-equipped turbo charged enemy, I tried my level best. I was in a situation worse than that soldier. At least he can dodge the bullets...but I had totake them right on face. For the fraction of a second, the image of Neo (of Matrix fame) dodging bullets flashed in my mind.

Well, everything was seemingly fine, till I mistakenly pressed the Power button instead of laser pointer button in the remote-cum-laser pointer of the LCD projector. Till date, the mere reason for these two buttons to be so close is out of my sphere of understanding. Anyway, I switched the power again and one professor (too determined to ask questions) said, in the meantime, the machine heats up, why dont you tell us this n this n this n this......slowly slowly it got too deep into the basics , till the expression of a ceasefire was clearly engraved on my face. The saga goes awn n awn n awn.....

Finally, the trio passed me and Thou got the degree....eventually....

God said peace and there was peace..!!!!!

Picture Perfect

Well..I cant live without pictures....photography is my passion. But for some unknown reason, I decided that I will not post my pictures on this blog. Its a blog..not some photo-sharing website. Though I will post the pictures which really make me feel something different...like the ones of nature, cityscapes, landscapes etc. I will also mention my pre-picture and post-picture thoughts.

just jumped

well..
i just jumped into this world of blogging..i ve heard a lot abt blogs but never tried to venture through this vast ocen in WWW.
Anyway..lets see how it goes on. I hafta figure out..first how it works..lemme chk out the options..then take a nap and then with a fresh mind..i will start Blogging...yippie...