Changes

I guess this be the reply to all the well-wisher’s wishful thinking. Over the past few months I have fielded this question in many varieties. In fact the list is quite big – here goes some of them

1> Who is the (un)lucky lady?
2> Has the date for D-Day been fixed?
3> Heard you are getting married in December?
And so on and so forth. And quite of few of them require answers so be it, but let’s start with a few clarifications.

Firstly, I had gone home for a fortnight just to be with friends and family coz it had been a year away from home. Period! No other (hidden)agenda. And imagine as much as you might, I can’t get hitched in 2 weeks! I mean guys, I understand the concept of speed-dating but hell no, it’s just not me. Well as for December I myself don't know where I will be in Dec 08 :)

Secondly, there are few things I want to do for myself, and I don’t need any external catalyst to aid the process. I kicked the nicotine habit was because I did not want to end up as a skull-headed ashtray, not because a pretty lady in pink wished so. And well, it’s been over 4 months since my last drag

Thirdly, am hitting the gym to get back to the shape coz I presented a sore sight to my eyes every morning in front of the mirror. Come to think of it, I was a decent soccer player in my college days and in good shape even when I left college (well that was only 4 years back), it suddenly occurred to me that all the frappes, pizzaz, ice-creams and junk that I have put on, has to go. So as with everything, I have given myself a time line - 6 months in my case- to be back fitter, leaner and healthier. So far the results have been encouraging.

Fourthly, alcohol might strengthen the heart, but does little else. So the binge drinking (and the huge calorie intake in its aftermath) has to go. Well if you know me for sometime, you would know that drinking became a habit for a specific reason and there is no need to continue it.

Finally, if I can survive without nicotine and alcohol and work with much more efficiency and vigor do I need the caffeine kick? Well I do as of now. A tall “pike roast” from Star bucks in the mornings is what I swear by; but this has to go by the end of the year.

Its been a long, a long time coming
But I know a change gonna come, oh yes it will……….

Ca(s)tapault

Hate-Crimes: The dictionary definition of this term states Hate crimes (also known as bias motivated crimes) occur when a perpetrator targets a victim because of his or her membership in a certain social group, usually defined by race, religion, sexual orientation, disability, ethnicity, nationality, age, gender, gender identity, or political affiliation.
In certain cases this even led to mass genocide. And violence can only beget violence, hence the act does not end there. The far reaching consequences are therfore immense.

Post 9/11 the world is a changed place. And the colour of the skin in certain places is enough to arouse suspiscion. Sad but True, racial profiling also comes in its aftermath.And in certain cases trvellers subject to immense mental torture have been Indians both because of their skin color as well as wearing turbans.
It happens that innocent people are made to suffer beacuse of a crime commited by others. The person who faces the problem is in no way related to the crime or the criminal neither is he to be blamed coz of his ethnicity - its his destiny on whoch he has no control.

In the same way should I say a student appearing for an entrance exam today is not born to a particular caste by his own choice - Its is destiny. So why should he be deprived of his valid seat. Isnt he being subject to the same racial profiling that we complain of in the global arena. Isnt he losing out because of somebody's opressive behaviour to whom he is not distantly related. What's his fault he might ask? Do we have an answer - NO WE DON'T. Isnt it perpetuating a hate-crime by introdusing a quota raj. Leaving the politics of Vote banks aside, let us consider the ramifications of the immediate decision.
For One, Merit ceases to be criteria for admission, and that is simply not accpetable.
Secondly, IIT and IIM are probably the only 2 globally recognised and reknowned educational institutions we have, whose alumni have over the years taken the brand IIT/IIM from strength to strength. Diluting the quality of students can thereby be catastrophic.
Finally, 2 wrongs can never make a right. And that is the key point.

DON'T PERPETUATE THIS HATE CRIME. IT MIGHT HAVE CATASTROPHIC AFTERMATH

Still Loving You!

Hey don't get misled by the title. This is no sad song of lost love. Its a wholly different thingie. Springtime is here. Yippee! The temperatures hovering around 75 degrees – well Winter seems to have finally called it a day – Or am I jumping too soon. Whatever, it was time to roll down the windows and slide away the moon-roof and pump up the gas (Como le encanta la gasolina – Daddy Yankee). So what the heck – I did that with the car scorching the road at over 80 miles an hour and Scorpions belting “Still Loving you” from the music system, it took me a while to realize I was cruising in I–91N whereas I had to take I-91S… Guess what weather does to people!


What youve been through
You should give me a chance
This cant be the end
Im still loving you
Im still loving you, I need your love
Im still loving you...........
From Still Loving You by Scorpions

The Big Day! The Moment of Truth

It's a big day, a very big one at that. A day I have been looking forward to for a long time. It would not be an understatement to say that I have been dreaming of it for some time now. Statistics does not do justice to something of this scale - it just belittles it. Yes!Yes!Yes! After 3 and a half years of long and hard work finally the app we were building saw the light of the day. A big occasion, something worthy of waking me up from my excessive fit of lethargy into writing the post.

Well I did not sleep much last night! Anxiety, Excitement, Exhilaration; in all it was a gamut of feelings, went to bed at midnight but sleep would not come even at half past one. Jumped out of bed at half past four, all geared and set to leave at half past five - I just could not believe my eagerness to reach Windsor. Hell, its the day I have been looking forward to for the past few years.

The drive to Windsor went like a breeze, an hour’s wait (fingers-crossed) later it was time for the ceremonial "report-card" evaluation. All areas giving a go-ahead, the formality of a few approvals of the powers that be and it was good to GO. The clock stated 9:50 AM- freeze it. The kiddo in me wanted to shout out at the top of the voice in pure and unadulterated fervor but well there are times when the head rules the heart, and instantly the soccer field was replaced with the sanctity of the "Call-Center"...

Post that we went out for a tour of the call-center. See the actual agents use the system. We sneaked in behind them and peeked at their screens to watch their actions. Moment of truth - A move out order being cancelled, a move out created - adding a forwarding address as well, a guy creating meter-exchange order out of yesterday's call log, the biggest one came when a customer requested a transfer of service from one location to another - it made my day, something that will stay with me for some time to come. Watching it actually in action was ...... I just don’t know how to describe it. The hint of moisture in the eyes was definitely there. Overheard one of the agents stating "Its so smooth and easy to use" - coming from the horse's mouth, it could not be a better accolade. We were there till the floor supervisor requested us to leave - we were actually spooking the agents by peering over their shoulders.

The help desk was abuzz with activity - kept them pretty busy through the day. Yes, there were a few "cuts" and "niggles" here and there, but the Application was alive and kicking and I could not ask for more.....