F: Can't buy a house even after 10 years of working.
C: Although there are a number of small reasons, the biggest and most important reason is that I did not negotiate my salary either at Nokia or at NetApp. At present, I could easily have saved $50K more.
A: Scrambling for a small house.
F: No GC after 10 8 years in the US.
C: Did not push for GC early at Nokia. At NetApp I have done better and atleast have my EAD.
A: Can't switch careers, only jobs.
F: Do not feel "important".
C: Did not plan my career smartly. Doing what most others are doing.
A: Low self-respect because for me self-respect comes from position.
Current plan:
May: Decision on MBA & promotion.
If not promoted, start planning for job change.
Sign up for course at Stanford.
[Wasted change in 2007 to take a few courses]
Nov: Start looking for startups to join. Time for some risk taking.
Get solid experience from the iWARP project.
Join someplace where lateral growth is possible.
Jan: Switch job. Things to look for: salary, position, growth, industry.
Might get delayed if the economy is really bad.
Make sure that GC is not affected. Need to make contacts.
Feb: Apply again for MBA.
Other things:
1. Keep looking for a house.
2. Keep building my network.
3. Increase industry awareness.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Looking Back
The past 2 weeks have been very eventful. My manager left the company and since then I get the feeling that the group is slowly disintegrating. I expect that John will announce on Monday that he is leaving. The news that Tom, from PTC, is leaving really shook me to the core. These are some of the things that are making me nervous.
However, I think that I can turn this situation into an opportunity. I have been turning out some good work lately. The CIFS changes, that I managed almost on my own, the TOE driver changes and finally the lock optimization changes.
Amongst all this, and the fact that we are getting ready to welcome a new arrival, we have Siddharth to take care of, and that I really want to reduce weight this year, I am not able to pay proper attention to things.
At work, I need to focus on the following things:
1. iWARP work.
2. RC work.
3. TOE performance work.
Other than this, there would be the obvious bug, review and meeting workload.
At home, I have to focus on:
1. Moni - help her out as much as I can.
2. Ootu - spend time with him, play and help with his studies.
For myself, I want to focus just on reducing weight.
On March 14th I will find out if I am going to Berkeley for MBA. If that does not happen, then I really need to start pushing my career. I am getting a lot of inquiries from companies, but I want to wait till May to see if I get promoted. Meanwhile I have to deliver on the 3 projects that I have noted above so that I can move on as a senior engineer. However, if I do get into the MBA program, and do not get promoted this May, then I will stay here so that I can focus on my studies.
There are some tough times ahead. I need to keep my head clear and focused.
However, I think that I can turn this situation into an opportunity. I have been turning out some good work lately. The CIFS changes, that I managed almost on my own, the TOE driver changes and finally the lock optimization changes.
Amongst all this, and the fact that we are getting ready to welcome a new arrival, we have Siddharth to take care of, and that I really want to reduce weight this year, I am not able to pay proper attention to things.
At work, I need to focus on the following things:
1. iWARP work.
2. RC work.
3. TOE performance work.
Other than this, there would be the obvious bug, review and meeting workload.
At home, I have to focus on:
1. Moni - help her out as much as I can.
2. Ootu - spend time with him, play and help with his studies.
For myself, I want to focus just on reducing weight.
On March 14th I will find out if I am going to Berkeley for MBA. If that does not happen, then I really need to start pushing my career. I am getting a lot of inquiries from companies, but I want to wait till May to see if I get promoted. Meanwhile I have to deliver on the 3 projects that I have noted above so that I can move on as a senior engineer. However, if I do get into the MBA program, and do not get promoted this May, then I will stay here so that I can focus on my studies.
There are some tough times ahead. I need to keep my head clear and focused.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Update: Week 3
Weight: 191
BMI: 29.0
Number of gym sessions: 3 + 3 Tennis sessions
Number of miles run: 8
This was a good week. I am starting to get some good momentum. Next week I want to see myself at 190lbs. The key is the food. I have to control my diet. The tennis is definitely helping, and I have to continue to play at least 2 times a week. Next week I shall try to run 12miles. My goal is to be able to run 5 miles in 2 months time. For this I am working with the PodRunner Intervals program. Yesterday I ran for 3mi and it was not very tiring, although I ran very late, around 9:15pm. When I update this report next week, I hope to report my weight as 190lbs and a BMI below 29. I feel good.
BMI: 29.0
Number of gym sessions: 3 + 3 Tennis sessions
Number of miles run: 8
This was a good week. I am starting to get some good momentum. Next week I want to see myself at 190lbs. The key is the food. I have to control my diet. The tennis is definitely helping, and I have to continue to play at least 2 times a week. Next week I shall try to run 12miles. My goal is to be able to run 5 miles in 2 months time. For this I am working with the PodRunner Intervals program. Yesterday I ran for 3mi and it was not very tiring, although I ran very late, around 9:15pm. When I update this report next week, I hope to report my weight as 190lbs and a BMI below 29. I feel good.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Update: Week 2
Weight: 192
BMI: 29.2
Number of gym sessions: 1
Number of miles run: 2
This week was really bad. I spent almost all my time searching for a home. It is a really good time to buy a house: the interest rates are so low and sellers are lowering prices, something that would have been hard to imagine a year back in the Bay Area.
However I think that we might not be ready to buy a house just yet. There are a number of reasons why. On Saturday we found out that we are expecting another child. It would be very stressful for Moni to commute from the new house to her college. Our current apartment is very conveniently located. Since it is close to work, I can always drive down and pick up Siddharth in case she is running late. The rent is not too high and we have plenty of space, although lately I have had the feeling that the walls are closing in.
Anyhow, now that I have sort of suspended the search for a house, I will get back to the gym and my weight loss campaign. The treadmill has arrived and I shall start using it this week. Also, I will visit the office gym this week.
My target weight for 02/11/2008 is 190lbs.
BMI: 29.2
Number of gym sessions: 1
Number of miles run: 2
This week was really bad. I spent almost all my time searching for a home. It is a really good time to buy a house: the interest rates are so low and sellers are lowering prices, something that would have been hard to imagine a year back in the Bay Area.
However I think that we might not be ready to buy a house just yet. There are a number of reasons why. On Saturday we found out that we are expecting another child. It would be very stressful for Moni to commute from the new house to her college. Our current apartment is very conveniently located. Since it is close to work, I can always drive down and pick up Siddharth in case she is running late. The rent is not too high and we have plenty of space, although lately I have had the feeling that the walls are closing in.
Anyhow, now that I have sort of suspended the search for a house, I will get back to the gym and my weight loss campaign. The treadmill has arrived and I shall start using it this week. Also, I will visit the office gym this week.
My target weight for 02/11/2008 is 190lbs.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Book of the month: January - The Stranger
I finished reading The Stranger by Albert Camus yesterday. Since I had already read a lot of reviews about this book on Amazon, I decided to read both the introduction and the translator's note for this. And I am sure that reading these made a difference in my understanding of this book.
The story is very simple. Yet when you start thinking about it, it is very complex and upsetting. A young man named Meursault. Here is the main story, picked up from Wikipedia:
"At the start of the novel, Meursault attends his mother's funeral, where he does not express any usual emotions that such an event often induces. He is asked to see the body of his mother but refuses to do so. The novel goes on to document the next few days of his life through the first person point-of-view. He then befriends one of his neighbors, Raymond Sintès, whom Meursault aids in dismissing his Arab girlfriend because Raymond suspects her of infidelity. Later, Raymond and Meursault encounter her brothers on a beach. Raymond gets cut in a resulting knife fight. After retreating, Meursault returns to the beach and shoots one of them in response to the glare of the sun. Consequently, "The Arab" is killed. Meursault then fires four more times into the dead body.
At the trial, the prosecuting attorneys seem more interested in the inability or unwillingness of Meursault to cry at his mother's funeral than the murder of The Arab, because they don't believe him capable of remorse. The argument follows that if Meursault is incapable of remorse, he should be considered a dangerous misanthrope who should be executed in order to set an example for others who consider murder."
As I read this book I became more and more troubled by Meursault's personality. He seems to belong to a world where satisfying immediate physical needs is all that matters. He is emotionally detached from everything else and is able to "reason" and explain his detachment. Throughout this book Camus uses the phrase: "It doesn't really matter."
What disturbed me most about this book was the fact that I could see shades of myself in Meursault's character. Often I am doing things, knowing well that I am doing the wrong thing, but I do not stop myself. It is like "It doesn't really matter." Often I have done things just to risk the backlash, which brings some excitement to my life. This thought is disturbing in itself. But I think its not as bad as it seems. For someone with a simple life as mine, an occasional risk seems to indicate a very mundane and lifeless existence. However I am sure that people who live a more active life in fact take more of such risks because they are hooked on to it.
Anyway, I saw in Meursault shades of many people I know. But his emotional emptiness disturbed me. From the beginning he seemed to be an accident about to happen. And the worst does happen. For Meursault, dying now or twenty years from now is the same thing. Not for me. I feel that it makes sense to be prudent.
This was a very good to have read. I am picking up Jack Kerouak's On the Road next.
The story is very simple. Yet when you start thinking about it, it is very complex and upsetting. A young man named Meursault. Here is the main story, picked up from Wikipedia:
"At the start of the novel, Meursault attends his mother's funeral, where he does not express any usual emotions that such an event often induces. He is asked to see the body of his mother but refuses to do so. The novel goes on to document the next few days of his life through the first person point-of-view. He then befriends one of his neighbors, Raymond Sintès, whom Meursault aids in dismissing his Arab girlfriend because Raymond suspects her of infidelity. Later, Raymond and Meursault encounter her brothers on a beach. Raymond gets cut in a resulting knife fight. After retreating, Meursault returns to the beach and shoots one of them in response to the glare of the sun. Consequently, "The Arab" is killed. Meursault then fires four more times into the dead body.
At the trial, the prosecuting attorneys seem more interested in the inability or unwillingness of Meursault to cry at his mother's funeral than the murder of The Arab, because they don't believe him capable of remorse. The argument follows that if Meursault is incapable of remorse, he should be considered a dangerous misanthrope who should be executed in order to set an example for others who consider murder."
As I read this book I became more and more troubled by Meursault's personality. He seems to belong to a world where satisfying immediate physical needs is all that matters. He is emotionally detached from everything else and is able to "reason" and explain his detachment. Throughout this book Camus uses the phrase: "It doesn't really matter."
What disturbed me most about this book was the fact that I could see shades of myself in Meursault's character. Often I am doing things, knowing well that I am doing the wrong thing, but I do not stop myself. It is like "It doesn't really matter." Often I have done things just to risk the backlash, which brings some excitement to my life. This thought is disturbing in itself. But I think its not as bad as it seems. For someone with a simple life as mine, an occasional risk seems to indicate a very mundane and lifeless existence. However I am sure that people who live a more active life in fact take more of such risks because they are hooked on to it.
Anyway, I saw in Meursault shades of many people I know. But his emotional emptiness disturbed me. From the beginning he seemed to be an accident about to happen. And the worst does happen. For Meursault, dying now or twenty years from now is the same thing. Not for me. I feel that it makes sense to be prudent.
This was a very good to have read. I am picking up Jack Kerouak's On the Road next.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Update: Week 1
Weight: 192lbs
BMI: 29.2
Number of gym sessions: 4
Number of miles run: 8
I haven't received the treadmill yet. However I am doing a lot of things to make this happen.
1. Very carefully watching my calorie intake.
2. Weight training in the gym.
3. Healthy food options like brown rice, yogurt and fruits.
4. No food after 8pm in the night.
BMI: 29.2
Number of gym sessions: 4
Number of miles run: 8
I haven't received the treadmill yet. However I am doing a lot of things to make this happen.
1. Very carefully watching my calorie intake.
2. Weight training in the gym.
3. Healthy food options like brown rice, yogurt and fruits.
4. No food after 8pm in the night.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
My quest
Today I ordered the Sole F85 treadmill. I had to take this step. With my life and routine, it is very hard for me to find the time to go to the gym for a run. The effort required to manage the gym bag is an extra hindrance. Now I will have this machine in my house. And I promise myself that I will not let it go waste.
Right now with my height of 5'8" and a weight of 195lb my BMI is 29.64, which is bordering on obesity. My goal by the end of the year is to get my weight to 175lb. This will give me a BMI of 26.6. I will still be in the overweight category but much better than what I am now.
Next year I will run a full marathon. By the time I run the marathon I will be 165lb, which is a BMI of 25.08, a tad above the 18.5 - 24.9 range recommended for my height.
I will start with a routine of 30 minute runs and try to do 2 - 2.5 miles for the first month. I will run everyday. Once I register a weight of less than 190lb at home I will move to 3 mile runs. Also I will go to the gym 2-3 times a week for weight training.
I cannot fail. I will not fail.
Right now with my height of 5'8" and a weight of 195lb my BMI is 29.64, which is bordering on obesity. My goal by the end of the year is to get my weight to 175lb. This will give me a BMI of 26.6. I will still be in the overweight category but much better than what I am now.
Next year I will run a full marathon. By the time I run the marathon I will be 165lb, which is a BMI of 25.08, a tad above the 18.5 - 24.9 range recommended for my height.
I will start with a routine of 30 minute runs and try to do 2 - 2.5 miles for the first month. I will run everyday. Once I register a weight of less than 190lb at home I will move to 3 mile runs. Also I will go to the gym 2-3 times a week for weight training.
I cannot fail. I will not fail.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Keeping spirits high
What a difference a few years can make.
A few short years back I was so different that it feels that I have been reborn. Is it too early for a mid-life crisis? Well, its not really a crisis. But I have morphed into a new entity and I have to rediscover my new self. Who am I? What am I about? Where am I headed?
I spent 2007 wandering about aimlessly. Will 2008 be any different? I guess its up to me to bring about the change. The first challenge is obviously to find a set goals that I believe in. But a bigger challenge is to keep myself motivated in the face of changing priorities, stress at work and lethargy in general.
This weekend I saw the movie Peaceful Warrior. Did Socrates find Dan or did Dan find Socrates. I think it was the latter. How lucky are those who find a teacher to guide them through the maze of life. I remember the time that Prof. Khastgir was my guide. I learned so much from him. But he is no more and I am half a world away from where I was then. So I have to be my own guide and keep myself focused on my goals.
If the goal is a worthy one and the effort sincere then the experience is bound to be happy and fulfilling. Its not the destination, its the journey.
A few short years back I was so different that it feels that I have been reborn. Is it too early for a mid-life crisis? Well, its not really a crisis. But I have morphed into a new entity and I have to rediscover my new self. Who am I? What am I about? Where am I headed?
I spent 2007 wandering about aimlessly. Will 2008 be any different? I guess its up to me to bring about the change. The first challenge is obviously to find a set goals that I believe in. But a bigger challenge is to keep myself motivated in the face of changing priorities, stress at work and lethargy in general.
This weekend I saw the movie Peaceful Warrior. Did Socrates find Dan or did Dan find Socrates. I think it was the latter. How lucky are those who find a teacher to guide them through the maze of life. I remember the time that Prof. Khastgir was my guide. I learned so much from him. But he is no more and I am half a world away from where I was then. So I have to be my own guide and keep myself focused on my goals.
If the goal is a worthy one and the effort sincere then the experience is bound to be happy and fulfilling. Its not the destination, its the journey.
Friday, December 28, 2007
2008
A new year is around the corner and I am all dreamy eyed. A new year is like a promise, a clean slate. For as long as I can remember, I have always carried this optimism and hope with me. Personally, 2007 has been a great year. I think God with all my heart for that. I made good, solid progress on all fronts. My brother got married in January and the trip home was really nice. Although we had to travel a lot, I have very fond memories from this trip.
In June I was able to take advantage of the respite offered by the USCIS and file for the final state of my GC. It would go a long way in giving me the freedom I need to grow professionally. It is strange how my perspective has changed in this regard. I am not sure how or when this happened, but I had come to seek and love a life that was scripted and had no surprises. So I lived the past few years of my life in a monotony that needed to be broken. 2007 was a start. I hope that 2008 will bring in more change.
Finally in November I applied for the MBA program. At the time when I decided I did not realize how life changing that decision would be. I started off by concentrating on the GMAT and it was only after started working on the personal essays that I realized how little thought I had given to my career, and my life in general.
The monotony in my professional experience became clear to me when I started working on my essays. I don't think of this as a drawback though. I was in phase where I needed the stability. Now that I have untangled all the webs I can move ahead.
A few dreams from 2007 remain unfulfilled.
1. I was not able to read as much I would liked.
2. I could not achieve the fitness goals I had set for myself.
3. My network of friends is still limited.
I will work on these in the new year. I wish all my near & dear ones joy, peace and fulfillment in 2008.
In June I was able to take advantage of the respite offered by the USCIS and file for the final state of my GC. It would go a long way in giving me the freedom I need to grow professionally. It is strange how my perspective has changed in this regard. I am not sure how or when this happened, but I had come to seek and love a life that was scripted and had no surprises. So I lived the past few years of my life in a monotony that needed to be broken. 2007 was a start. I hope that 2008 will bring in more change.
Finally in November I applied for the MBA program. At the time when I decided I did not realize how life changing that decision would be. I started off by concentrating on the GMAT and it was only after started working on the personal essays that I realized how little thought I had given to my career, and my life in general.
The monotony in my professional experience became clear to me when I started working on my essays. I don't think of this as a drawback though. I was in phase where I needed the stability. Now that I have untangled all the webs I can move ahead.
A few dreams from 2007 remain unfulfilled.
1. I was not able to read as much I would liked.
2. I could not achieve the fitness goals I had set for myself.
3. My network of friends is still limited.
I will work on these in the new year. I wish all my near & dear ones joy, peace and fulfillment in 2008.
Monday, November 19, 2007
Run for your life
After many years I am running again. Before this current streak I had tried a number of times to get back on the treadmill but somehow it never stuck. This time it looks like I might be able to sustain it. This month I have run more than 30 miles and the amazing thing is that I am able to do 3mi runs. I know that because of my weight I should not run at more than 5 miles/hour (my father-in-law told me that). However I am able to compensate for that by running for 40mins.
Here is the plan for Dec:
- Run 4 days a week.
- 3 runs of 40 mins
- 1 run of 45 mins
- > 45 miles distance
I read somewhere that in order to lose 1 lb you need to burn 3500 calories. Depending on which machine I run on, my 3 mi run burns 350 - 500 calories (yes, it's that different, and why I prefer to run on the Nordic Track machine). So in order to lose a pound I need 7 - 10 runs. I can hope to lose maybe 2 pounds per month. But that should be good enough. My immediate plan is to see myself below the 180 lb pound mark.
Here is the plan for Dec:
- Run 4 days a week.
- 3 runs of 40 mins
- 1 run of 45 mins
- > 45 miles distance
I read somewhere that in order to lose 1 lb you need to burn 3500 calories. Depending on which machine I run on, my 3 mi run burns 350 - 500 calories (yes, it's that different, and why I prefer to run on the Nordic Track machine). So in order to lose a pound I need 7 - 10 runs. I can hope to lose maybe 2 pounds per month. But that should be good enough. My immediate plan is to see myself below the 180 lb pound mark.
Friday, November 9, 2007
A new plan...
A new plan is taking shape in my brain. It goes like this: as much as I love my company, I am unlikely to see any career progression here. I have do the 'Z' move. The idea behind this move is to move laterally into a role that is close to your target position. After being in this position for some time, say a year or so, move to another company, negotiating a higher position. The reason why this move makes sense is that a lateral move allows you to step back, sort of dis-engage, from your work and gain experience in another area. The experience is important because your target is really a position at another company, a position at a higher level than what you have. Your current employer is unlikely to promote you within a year. However hard work and solid experience will allow you to get identified by other companies.
My plan is to execute 3 'Z' moves in the next 6 years. So far, my employment has been very steady and so at the end of this plan, I would have worked for 5 companies in 16 years which is not bad at all. Unfortunately this strategy requires me to focus on my target position rather than the one I currently have, but I think I can manage to make it a fair balance.
In order to complete this mission I need an EAD. My plan is to file this next week, i.e. 11/12/2007.
My plan is to execute 3 'Z' moves in the next 6 years. So far, my employment has been very steady and so at the end of this plan, I would have worked for 5 companies in 16 years which is not bad at all. Unfortunately this strategy requires me to focus on my target position rather than the one I currently have, but I think I can manage to make it a fair balance.
In order to complete this mission I need an EAD. My plan is to file this next week, i.e. 11/12/2007.
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Beautiful minds
A friend of mine who is doing his MBA from The Rotman School of Business came down from Toronto last weekend. We have a bunch of us batchmates from IT BHU here in NorCal and we decided to get together for dinner. Six of us turned up. Another friend who is in the GSB Chicago MBA program was there.
At the dinner the conversation between the two MBA students was both brilliant and intriguing.
It was brilliant because they were talking about their experiences from the MBA programs. Give or take a few minor details their experiences were mostly the same. They were both very excited and very aware of things. Their conversation was replete with MBA jargon. It was really a pleasure to watch them. We all agree that life had become monotonous. Yet here were these two guys who seemed recharged.
But the conversation was also intriguing. Although these guys were excited and energized, they weren't really sure what they wanted to do with their new found knowledge. They seemed like little kids, excited with every new toy they got. Every semester there was a new subject, a new experience, a new toy.
There was also some conversation about why one should do an MBA. There were two us, including me, who are applying this year. There was a guy who had recently bought a house and so cannot afford an MBA and another who is finding it hard to come up with a reason for why he needs an MBA.
I am going through the motions of an application process. One thing I realized talking to the MBA guys is that MBA is not really the launch, rather its a launching pad. The real work starts after the MBA finishes. However MBAs have an intense coursework and one needs to compromise on a number of things. People talk about sleepless nights etc. but I think what gets hit the hardest is the family. Its all the more difficult if you have a kid and more so if your spouse is working or studying. Whether full time or part time, MBA will keep you away from your family. Like I said, that's just the beginning. If you really want to crank it up, the action starts after the MBA. But most families have an expectation that its a matter of 2 or 3 years before their beloved will be back with them.
The point I am trying to make is that to me makes sense to think of life and career long term. Its like running a marathon. If you run hard at the start you will tire yourself out and perhaps lose. This is one reason why I am not considering a full time MBA, nor any program that requires me to fly out on Fridays and miss spending that evening with my family. While in the MBA program I don't want to drift too far away from my family.
I saw that my friends are facing this problem. Family always comes first. If I went to the best MBA program and missed spending time with my son, whom I love beyond words, it would be worth nothing to me. That's who I am.
At the dinner the conversation between the two MBA students was both brilliant and intriguing.
It was brilliant because they were talking about their experiences from the MBA programs. Give or take a few minor details their experiences were mostly the same. They were both very excited and very aware of things. Their conversation was replete with MBA jargon. It was really a pleasure to watch them. We all agree that life had become monotonous. Yet here were these two guys who seemed recharged.
But the conversation was also intriguing. Although these guys were excited and energized, they weren't really sure what they wanted to do with their new found knowledge. They seemed like little kids, excited with every new toy they got. Every semester there was a new subject, a new experience, a new toy.
There was also some conversation about why one should do an MBA. There were two us, including me, who are applying this year. There was a guy who had recently bought a house and so cannot afford an MBA and another who is finding it hard to come up with a reason for why he needs an MBA.
I am going through the motions of an application process. One thing I realized talking to the MBA guys is that MBA is not really the launch, rather its a launching pad. The real work starts after the MBA finishes. However MBAs have an intense coursework and one needs to compromise on a number of things. People talk about sleepless nights etc. but I think what gets hit the hardest is the family. Its all the more difficult if you have a kid and more so if your spouse is working or studying. Whether full time or part time, MBA will keep you away from your family. Like I said, that's just the beginning. If you really want to crank it up, the action starts after the MBA. But most families have an expectation that its a matter of 2 or 3 years before their beloved will be back with them.
The point I am trying to make is that to me makes sense to think of life and career long term. Its like running a marathon. If you run hard at the start you will tire yourself out and perhaps lose. This is one reason why I am not considering a full time MBA, nor any program that requires me to fly out on Fridays and miss spending that evening with my family. While in the MBA program I don't want to drift too far away from my family.
I saw that my friends are facing this problem. Family always comes first. If I went to the best MBA program and missed spending time with my son, whom I love beyond words, it would be worth nothing to me. That's who I am.
Hats off to a star
Yesterday I came across the music of Saawariya. This is the new movie by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. I had read on many forums that the music was good, so I wanted to give it a listen. It is a habit of mine to try and identify the singer while listening to a song for the first time. I am able to recognize a lot of voices. Perhaps a small gift I have :-) Anyway, the first song I heard was "Jab Se Tere Naina" sung by Shaan. Hands down this is my favorite song in this compilation.
Then I moved on to the title track, "Saawariya". I could not recognize the voice, though it sounded very familiar. I looked up the album, and it said Shail Hada. I could not believe my eyes. My friend, my brother Shailendra Singh Hada had made it big. I am so so happy for him, I just can't find the right collection of words to describe how I feel. We grew up together in Kota. We went to the same school, St. Paul's, Kota. I often went to his house to hear him sing. We spent a lot of time together.
I went on to engineering college and he moved to Mumbai to find his place in Bollywood-land. When I started working in Mumbai I met him again. He was living with his brother. Seeing him survive in a "chawl", struggling to find work, made my heart ache. I could not see him that way. I have always known that he has a magic voice. I still have the album he compiled specially for me. But I tried to get him to join college and take studies seriously. In an industry where work comes with connections, I worried for him.
After I came to the US I lost touch with him. As God is my witness, I tried looking him up on the internet a number of times. He had told me that he was going to change his name to Kumar Shail. Anyhow, I am ecstatic that he has found success. All those glowing comments he has received for his rendition are all well deserved. And no doubt that he will now find more work, and more success.
I guess a lot of people will now surface that will claim to be his friends. I would really like to get in touch with him, if only once, to tell him how unbelievably happy I am. Regardless of whether I get that chance or not hats off to a star.
Then I moved on to the title track, "Saawariya". I could not recognize the voice, though it sounded very familiar. I looked up the album, and it said Shail Hada. I could not believe my eyes. My friend, my brother Shailendra Singh Hada had made it big. I am so so happy for him, I just can't find the right collection of words to describe how I feel. We grew up together in Kota. We went to the same school, St. Paul's, Kota. I often went to his house to hear him sing. We spent a lot of time together.
I went on to engineering college and he moved to Mumbai to find his place in Bollywood-land. When I started working in Mumbai I met him again. He was living with his brother. Seeing him survive in a "chawl", struggling to find work, made my heart ache. I could not see him that way. I have always known that he has a magic voice. I still have the album he compiled specially for me. But I tried to get him to join college and take studies seriously. In an industry where work comes with connections, I worried for him.
After I came to the US I lost touch with him. As God is my witness, I tried looking him up on the internet a number of times. He had told me that he was going to change his name to Kumar Shail. Anyhow, I am ecstatic that he has found success. All those glowing comments he has received for his rendition are all well deserved. And no doubt that he will now find more work, and more success.
I guess a lot of people will now surface that will claim to be his friends. I would really like to get in touch with him, if only once, to tell him how unbelievably happy I am. Regardless of whether I get that chance or not hats off to a star.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Why we need friends
Why do we need friends? Why indeed. So much has changed in me that it might be surprising to a few that I am even asking this question. See, I used to live for friends. If God were to ever need a person to represent His creation, "the social animal", I would be as good a choice as any.
But so much has changed in the last 5 years. After marriage, and after my son was born I just can't seem to find the time for anything. I see people after months, the same people I met almost daily. No, I'm not saying that my family such that they like to keep me at home all the time. Not at all. However there is just so much stuff going on that either I just don't have the time or I am all spent.
Amongst all this I have lost almost all my friends. To be true, all of them are in this state too. I think of this song by The Who:
But so much has changed in the last 5 years. After marriage, and after my son was born I just can't seem to find the time for anything. I see people after months, the same people I met almost daily. No, I'm not saying that my family such that they like to keep me at home all the time. Not at all. However there is just so much stuff going on that either I just don't have the time or I am all spent.
Amongst all this I have lost almost all my friends. To be true, all of them are in this state too. I think of this song by The Who:
No time left for you
On my way to better things
No time left for you
I found myself some wings
No time left for you
Distant roads are calling me
No time left for you
On my way to better things
No time left for you
I found myself some wings
No time left for you
Distant roads are calling me
No time left for you
This post is a banner that I'm putting up to remind me that I still need my friends. Sometimes our mind is a blender in puree mode. Everything inside is just like a formless paste. And there is just one release: talking. Yes, one could talk to oneself, or to the ether that the internet is. But why not ring up a friend, pick up a cup coffee and let it all flush itself out. Just remember to be there when your friend needs to do the same.
Monday, September 10, 2007
MBA or not
For some time I have been thinking of where my career should be headed next. I have a B.Tech. in electronics engineering and since 1997 I have been working in the software industry. But I find writing code incredibly boring these days. In fact I don't get much zing from design either. The only thing that does interest me is debugging. But I feel I'm stifling myself in my office. I'm at my best when I am talking to people, out on the turf. I talk to people, get to know them and am able to talk freely in front of a crowd.
A friend recently suggest that I think about a career in sales. Around the same time, actually a bit before, I decided to get an MBA. My argument for an MBA really is that I feel that I am a natural leader, but lack management skills. The MBA will give me the skills and exposure I need to take on business management challenges. I got a lot of clarity in this regard from Prof. John Kotter's book, A Force For Change. I believed that leadership is nothing but management taken to the next level. But that is not the case. Leadership is primarily concerned with getting people to believe. The idea could be a plan, a vision or anything else. Whatever it is, the leader, with his experience and credibility is able to convince the audience of the correctness and feasibility of the vision. A manager on the other hand makes sure that the plans are executed correctly and on time. This involves financial and business analysis. This is the skill set that I want from the MBA.
I started preparing for the GMAT from mid June. I wrote the exam in the first week of August. I got a score of 770 with a score of 45 in verbal, which I am very pleased with. As an applicant in the male/indian/sw engineer applicant pool, I really need all the differentiation I can muster. This score will surely help. Right now I am working on the essays.
A friend recently suggest that I think about a career in sales. Around the same time, actually a bit before, I decided to get an MBA. My argument for an MBA really is that I feel that I am a natural leader, but lack management skills. The MBA will give me the skills and exposure I need to take on business management challenges. I got a lot of clarity in this regard from Prof. John Kotter's book, A Force For Change. I believed that leadership is nothing but management taken to the next level. But that is not the case. Leadership is primarily concerned with getting people to believe. The idea could be a plan, a vision or anything else. Whatever it is, the leader, with his experience and credibility is able to convince the audience of the correctness and feasibility of the vision. A manager on the other hand makes sure that the plans are executed correctly and on time. This involves financial and business analysis. This is the skill set that I want from the MBA.
I started preparing for the GMAT from mid June. I wrote the exam in the first week of August. I got a score of 770 with a score of 45 in verbal, which I am very pleased with. As an applicant in the male/indian/sw engineer applicant pool, I really need all the differentiation I can muster. This score will surely help. Right now I am working on the essays.
Thursday, September 6, 2007
A tale of 2 books..
Last night I finished "The curious incident of the dog in the night time", penned by Mark Haddon. It is very nicely written book, a simple story narrated with such ease that it flows smoothly. Over the years I have come to appreciate simplicity. A long time ago I read a number of books by Gabrial Garcia Marquez, and though I read them all from cover to cover, sometimes all I had were words. I could not picture the images painted by those words. And I thought that perhaps I wasn't ready yet for such sophisticated reading. Perhaps that is still true.
This book wasn't like that at all. I could picture Christopher, alone in his world, wanting to be left alone with his math books and simple reasoning. All around him are grown ups, supposedly mature, yet unable to find content and happiness. It is, to me, a tale of this irony. The more sophisticated we get, the more unhappy and alone we are. So I yearn to be simple.
Along with this book, I was also reading "The echo maker" by Richard Powers and this book, like the books by Garcia Marquez, got unbearable towards the end. I do understand the theme of this book, cognitive disorders, is complex per se. But the writing is just exhausting, sullen and sometimes, just plain boring. Fortunately for me a lot of people on Amazon.com seem to agree with me.
If you chance upon this posting, please do suggest some good books. So far all I have is Amazon's listmania!!
This book wasn't like that at all. I could picture Christopher, alone in his world, wanting to be left alone with his math books and simple reasoning. All around him are grown ups, supposedly mature, yet unable to find content and happiness. It is, to me, a tale of this irony. The more sophisticated we get, the more unhappy and alone we are. So I yearn to be simple.
Along with this book, I was also reading "The echo maker" by Richard Powers and this book, like the books by Garcia Marquez, got unbearable towards the end. I do understand the theme of this book, cognitive disorders, is complex per se. But the writing is just exhausting, sullen and sometimes, just plain boring. Fortunately for me a lot of people on Amazon.com seem to agree with me.
If you chance upon this posting, please do suggest some good books. So far all I have is Amazon's listmania!!
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Data Warehousing
I am reading this article.
Being in the storage industry, I am trying to understand how companies store and use data. Data warehouses are huge silos of data and are used for Business Intelligence (BI).
The technical definition is something like this:
"A database designed to support decision making in an organization. Data from the production databases are copied to the data warehouse so that queries can be performed without disturbing the performance or the stability of the production systems. Data warehouses can become enormous with hundreds of gigabytes of transactions. As a result, subsets, known as "data marts," are often created for just one department or product line. The data warehouse is structured to support a variety of analyses, including elaborate queries on large amounts of data that can require extensive searching. When databases are set up for queries on daily transactions, they are often called "operational data stores" rather than data warehouses."
This suggests that these databases are point in time snapshots of the production database. This would allow BI software to track changes in things like inventory size. At some point data in the depot becomes old and irrelevant and is perhaps deleted.
Being in the storage industry, I am trying to understand how companies store and use data. Data warehouses are huge silos of data and are used for Business Intelligence (BI).
The technical definition is something like this:
"A database designed to support decision making in an organization. Data from the production databases are copied to the data warehouse so that queries can be performed without disturbing the performance or the stability of the production systems. Data warehouses can become enormous with hundreds of gigabytes of transactions. As a result, subsets, known as "data marts," are often created for just one department or product line. The data warehouse is structured to support a variety of analyses, including elaborate queries on large amounts of data that can require extensive searching. When databases are set up for queries on daily transactions, they are often called "operational data stores" rather than data warehouses."
This suggests that these databases are point in time snapshots of the production database. This would allow BI software to track changes in things like inventory size. At some point data in the depot becomes old and irrelevant and is perhaps deleted.
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