I am now a statistic!!!!!

For the past few months we have been assaulted with employment reports in the print and television media. For the past few months, I have been thinking, "Man, it must be terrible to lose a job in the current situation", "I'm glad I still have my job", "Hopefully this job lasts for another year atleast"

Now, I'm a statistic. You can add me to the list of employed men and women. The Board of Directors of my ex-company decided to save some money and to stop the project I was working on. So, here I am now blogging in the afternoon, thinking about what I'm going to do. The circumstances in which I was informed of this piece of news was extremely unfortunate to say the least. I had only begun my vacation in India, my first in 3 years, when I was conveyed the unfortunate information via email by my ceo.

I made peace with myself during my vacation. Plus I surrounded myself with people whom I loved. My parents, my sister, my friends and Dodo. I was vaguely confident that I could come back and find another job. Maybe it was being in a comfort zone with family and friends. Now, sitting in my room away from family and friends, there is a whole new range of emotions going through me. Despair, pity and hopelessness.

I know for a fact that I did nothing to deserve to be in such an unfortunate situation. I worked hard every single day, I pushed myself harder every week and it felt like I was really doing something important. I really loved what I was doing and woke up every morning looking forward to what I was going to do at work. The work I was doing seemed to give a meaning to what I was doing with my life. Prematurely and abruptly its over now. Will I work as hard and enthusiastically again at a new job? I don't know.

What I know is this. I may have lost my job but it is by no way a reflection of the work that I did. I am proud of my contributions and there are not many who can say that they did justice to their job every single day. It is the only positive thought I can carry forward to my next job.

Where I am going to go and what Im going to do, I have no idea. But I know that I have to start all over again. Feels just like after grad school; no money, no life and a long time before I found a job. Not something I'm looking forward to!

Was it a good vacation? You decide. I can only give you a rehearsed line "I had some good times although I might have enjoyed it even more if I hadn't lost my job"

Tendulkar calls for respect towards senior players

I'm referring to this

http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/india/content/current/story/375956.html

As a child growing up, I have greatly admired Tendulkar and as I have grown the admiration has evolved into respect. Respect for his achievements, his humility and his cricketing talent. But I have to disagree with him on this one.

Why must seniority and past achievements be a factor in determining in the use by date of a sportsman? A CEO of a badly performing company doesn't get to keep his job regardless of his past record. If your management policies are not working, the board of directors are wont to give you the pink slip.

Besides, cricket is a team sport. An individual in a team sport does not get to decide when he or she retires. If you cant pull your weight then somebody else is dragging it. A pack of dogs pulling sled has to work together, each expected to perform its designated function. If one of them is injured or simply not good enough, the entire pack struggles.

I can understand Sachin requesting for more respect from the media and the selectors in handling the issue of retirement. But I cannot accept that senior players must decide for themselves when to retire. Besides, as a fan I would rather see Sachin, Dravid, Kumble and Ganguly go out with the cliched bang than having to watch them scratch around for 20-30 or bowling 30 overs without a wicket and have the selectors drop them unceremoniously.

Ask Healy or Taylor what it means to be pushed. Compared to that Ganguly is getting a grand sendoff with pension, wall clock and farewell party.

A thing I wrote for work.......very inside-y joke

Velox Slump Administration

Finding and Curing the Slump

Slumpmin^® - The revolutionary cure for S.A.P (Slump After Passivation)

If you are experiencing symptoms such as unexplained yield loss, failure to meet HTRB and THB criteria, you may be suffering from S.A.P. Slumpmin^® is the first and only prescription developed specifically for S.A.P. Slumpmin^® improves moisture barrier under high stress conditions and automatically increases the yield by changing the epi material.

Studies have shown that Slumpmin^® can reduce the slump, upto 90% in QF and Eng clinical trials. It can reduce yield loss, increase greater chance of HTRB and in some cases shown to withstand THB testing. Please consult your Process Engineer and ask if this is suitable for you.

Warning: Slumpmin^® may not work in all DOE or Validation Trials. Please do not take Slumpmin^® if you are going to be operating under deadlines as it could result in increased heart rate and headaches. If you are suffering from unreliable Schottky Metal or are currently taking medications from Thin Films this may not be suitable for you. Slumpmin^® should not be taken by patients who have recently suffered great yield loss in a DOE or a Validation Trial. Side effects may include bubbles, cracks, measles, temporary resolution of yield loss and euphoria. Avoid operating the PECVD or the Polyimide for 12 hours if you have recently taken a dose of Slumpmin^®.

And the memory remains..........

Bhargav: I still remember the first time we got drunk together in E4! And you started rocking to Metallica and finally threw up :)

Karthik: Our dance!!!!! (people in the know will understand what I'm talking about) :D

Krishna: Remember the time when I was searching for jobs and you said if I'm interested you could get me into group at OSU!! That was unbelievable, after all we went through :P

Pappu: heeeeeeeeheeeeeeee. Midnight. Silence. Laughter. Scrubs. 'nuff said!!!!!

Thanks guys, you made life in Delaware a whole lot better than it was. These are the memories I shall keep in mind about all of you. Cheers!

There's another gunslinger in town and his name is Novak Djokovic

I stick my neck out for Novak Djokovic and what does he do, he loses, nay chokes! I will still stick my neck out for him next year and the following year. Just to set things right, I admire(d) Federer and im awe of his skills. But this year, he was ordinary, middling and average; hah! surprised you! Not the adjectives you would associate with R-Fed (the reference to K-Fed, is intended!!!!!)

Roger Federer:

1. Federer, at best was average the past couple of rounds. Against two good 'service-returners', Nikolai Davydenko and Novak Djokovic, Federer lost his serve umpteen times. He got away with that against Davydenko - an average server at best. Djokovic, choked. 5 set points in the first set. Are you fricking kidding me?

2. Andy Roddick, played the best match of his life. He bled his guts out on the court. I salute you Roddick, not many people can claim that when the moment arises. But you backcourt game just plays into Federer's hands. For Pete's sake Roddick, attack the frickin net. Pete Sampras was the best serve and volleyer. Period. If somebody could claim that now, he would be beating Federer. Sampras vs. Federer, exhibition games in Asia in November!!!

Novak Djokovic:

1. Kid, you are 20, the last time I checked Federer crawled into the quarters of the US Open when he was 20. You choked, nothing to be ashamed of, you are young. As Federer acknowledged, straight sets was too harsh, you didnt deserve it. Shake it off.

2. Your attitude rocks and Im not just talking about your impressions and the cheery demeanor you bring to tennis. Heres a comparison. Semifinals at the US Open: Davydenko says "Oh, Federer is no.1, the best player in the world, tough to beat him, I look to gave him a tough match" Cue Djokovic "The ATP mens tour is not just about Federer and Nadal. True, they are 1 and 2, but you have to give credit to the rest of the people playing." That my dear friends, shows, his attitude. You can give respect but you cant be in awe of your opponent and you dont need me to say that you already half-lost the game. Besides, Djokovic, put his money where his mouth was, in the second week.

3. Theres a wonderful story I would like to share. What makes/made Michael Jordan the best basketball player ever. Every summer, whether he won the championship or not, MJ went out and worked on one aspect of game; defense, three point shooting, free throw shooting, turn around jumpers. He worked his butt off. Heres the best part. Djokovic realizes, he needs to up the ante on his net game. So what does he do, he goes out and hires Mark Woodforde. For those unaware, Woodforde was one half of the best mens doubles team. The Bryan brothers suck ass compared to the woodies. Im looking forward to the improved version of Djokovic next year. Watch out ye R-Fed lovers.

Rafael Nadal:

1. Nadal, has the best defense on tour. Period. Whats with those non-stop tournaments youve been playing. Are you out of your mind?

2. After watching you struggle through the first round, Im surprised you made it all the way to the quarters. R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

Oh boy, its time to restring those tennis rackets, its been more than a month since I hit some balls!!!!

Third time's a charm

I'm going to make another push, my third, towards posting more often. I truly dont know how long this will last. The last time it didn't last longer than two posts, which is kinda pathetic. So I try not to have high hopes this time around.

Of Prejudices and Random Ramblings

I have had this thing on my mind for a few weeks and I got reminded about it when I read Prashanth's post. What is it about other people that bothers me, if any?

Fact is, I am rarely bothered by the people I meet or when I get to know them. Maybe it is an inherent thing, I like to be friends with everybody I meet. Most of the times I'm not bothered if a person is arrogant, rude, dumb, hypocritical, racist or sexist. Maybe that person doesn't behave that way when they are with me or interacting with me. Maybe it doesn't bother me. Maybe its because I often think about how it feels to be in the other person's shoe. Fat people, black people, hispanics, asians, gays; I think about how it must feel for them. I empathize easily, not that they need my empathy but I think about it often.

Here's an example. A friend of mine and me were discussing about this fat lady who was his supervisor. He had mentioned before and we have talked about her many times. She had always been rude and condescending to him. Not entirely empathizing credentials but one day we were talking about her and without thinking I just spoke out loud saying "imagine how it must be for a middle aged, fat, black woman who would require two seats on an airplane and how she cant find anybody to treat her like a nice lady and all that stuff" When you have so much frustration within yourself, like the way she does, you gotta take it out somewhere, right? True, being rude and condescending is wholly unacceptable but I just stepped in her shoes for a moment. I guess this makes me more tolerant and not easily bothered.

That brings me to the gays, who are often maligned and treated with as much respect as social outcasts. I think the world is still polarized on same sex marriages and people of the same sex living together. This was clearly evident in a recent happening. An ex-NBA player decided to raise awareness by publicly stating his sexual preferences and bringing to the fore that there are the well built professional sports players who are gay and it is not restricted to skinny guys with male model looks. When asked about this, his coach and most of his former teammates stated that they had no problem with it as long as he gave 100% on the court during game time. But there was one guy who publicly stated that he didn't like it and he wouldn't have liked to be in the same room as him. The verdict is still out though.

I guess I remain in the first group of people on both the issues. As long as you bring your best performance in your work or you remain decent and proper with me, I don't care if you choose to be rude, gay or racist. It just doesn't bother me. But once it becomes personal its a whole difference issue altogether. Then I would go like "you and me buddy, have something to talk about!!!"

Going with my natural tendency to quote scenes or speeches in a movie, the whole prejudice thing reminds me of a scene in the movie called 25th Hour. Edward Norton's (my favorite by the way) character, a drug dealer get caught, convicted and is to be jailed in 24hrs. In one scene he looks at a mirror goes on a long monologue about how his troubles are because of everybody else. He trashes everybody in NYC, the sikhs, pakistanis, koreans, italians, jews, gays, blacks, puerto ricans, dominicans, the cops, priests, rich hags, his father, his best friends and even his girl friend. But in the end he realizes and finishes his monologues saying that "You had it all, and you threw it away, you dumb fuck!"

Prejudiced or not, either way it doesn't mean theres anything unnatural about you or the other guy. But if you can get through life without prejudices, I think its a good thing.

Starting all over again

Lots of things have happened so far. Some I would like to reminscence, while some have just be forgettable. Hopefully I shoud carry on with blog longer than I did in the first installment :D Lets see where this takes me!!!