I Love This Post

This is simply amazing. This makes me feel so nostalgic.
Click here to read.

I went to UK in January of 2004 for doing MS that was then, things were easy and tough.
I found MSN maps and went through them multiple times to make myself familiar to the area.

UK and I will forever share a relationship of love and hate.

That time I was driven by my ambitions and lived for other insignificant things.
Now, I am driven by the people in my life and the love they have for me.

Working for small company Vs big company (IT)

As a fresher there is always a conflict about joining a big brand or a start up/medium scale company. Everyone have their own biased views on the same, depending upon their past experiences.

Common arguments for smaller companies are:

1. One gets to learn more as there are less procedures and everyone should know how to work on everything as per the need.
2. The work is more challenging.
3. Visibility to the top management.

Arguments for joining a big brand:

1. Big bucks sooner or later.
2. Easy life as one is on the bench all the time.
3. Learns more on how not to work by putting in more procedures.
4. One gets to learn how to get work done in proper manner.
5. One develops skills in one area, hence becoming master in one technology rather than being jack of all trades.

Well, the pros and cons are numerous for both the cases.

In my personal opinion it is very difficult to join big brands once you have worked for smaller brands. Especially if one started working from a small company.

A fresher in the beginning needs support from the ecosystem of a big brand company. One needs to be groomed, polished and trained for the corporate world. In the beginning one may feel stifled working for a big company as he/she may end up on the bench for 6months to 1 year. Benefit of being on bench is that one gets proper time to adjust to the big bad world before being entering the rat race.

Small companies have their own advantages as they make you rough and tough to the core. But they lack exposure to procedures and feels stifled in more professional work environments. Also, there is a difference in doing things right with 100% success ratio Vs ad hoc fix for the same work every time.

Choosing which kind of company to work for is a big decision as it is difficult to shift between the two ends of the spectrum. Especially if one develops their comfort zone.

Before choosing which offer to accept its advisable to sit down and write on a piece of paper, what Big company has to offer and what a small company has to offer. Then write down his/her expectations from their ideal workplace. This should then be tallied with the lists of what big and small companies have to offer.

Also, one should network as much as possible and find out about respective working environments.

I hope this would be of help to many people struggling with their first job offers!

2 Days 7 Hours

Two days and seven hours to start my journey and then couple of hours more on the flight and I will be eating Aloo Tikkis. Level of desperation is really high and my taste buds are crying out loud for an aloo tikki. I know how each single day has passed without my dear Aloo Tikkis.

2 days 7 hours to go

Hip Hip Hurrah

SLUUUURRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP

Can you hear the slurppp in Delhi?

Landing in New Delhi...

Now that I have landed in Delhi many times, I thought of sharing my experience and it is only 14 days before I land at IGI airport so the memories are coming back.

My nose tells me that I have arrived in Delhi. I can smell and know that the flight is about to land in Delhi. It is a good smell, a familiar smell of dust and smoke. This smell fills the air cabin as the plane flys over Delhi, few minutes before landing.

It is so wonderful to feel choked, I feel so nostalgic. For me who is allergic to dust and smoke, I know I have arrived in Delhi when I sneeze. It takes a while for my immune system to adjust to Delhi air.

As soon as one gets down at IGI airport there is a strong smell of Phenyl and the white tiles and mosaic floors reminds one that they have gone back in time. Man I love the 80s, I feel I am a kid again.

By this time having experienced so many 'fragrances' my nose gives up and I barely can breathe.

Then comes the immigration queues, the wooden tables, and paan eating babus waiting to stamp your PASSPORT and ask weird questions. Just as one thinks it is all over and now I will meet my loved ones. One has to collect the luggage, with people literally resting their heads on your shoulder to look at the conveyor belt.

By now I want to really get out, cry, scream, run; but wait there is more.
While getting out of the airport I have to tell so many people that I have arrangements to go back home. People of Saddi Dilli are so courteous to the guests. I am talking about millions and zillions of taxi drivers waiting outside.

Well, whatever it is. It is my home and I love being in Delhi. The dust, the smoke, the traffic, the swearing while driving, the food, the mess - I love it all.

Dilli is Dilli
And, I love Dilli

Wow!!!

I am sitting in Office working.

I get some free time, so I check the counter for number of days remaining in UK.

And then WOW!!!

I can smell DAAL MAKHANI and NAAN. Yes it is true!!!

I do not know how? But, it is true...

Yummmmmmm... I love DAAL MAKHANI...

I AM COMING BACK TO INDIA IN 16 DAYS

Restaurant: Fav 5

I have been tagged to write about - 'My 5 Favorite Restaurants'
http://logicalreligion.blogspot.com/2007/05/restaurantsfav-5.html

List of my 5 favorite restaurants are:

1) 13th Floor, MG Road Bangalore. - For its Daal Makhani and amazing view of Bangalore from the 13th Floor balcony.
2) 3 Quarter Chinese, Bangalore - For its ambience
3) Queens, Church Street, Bangalore - For its daal Makhani
4) Elixir, Sector - 29, Faridabad - For its Daal Makhani
5) Hunger Cure, Sector - 29, Faridabad - For its Indian sauce used in Pizza

I rate restaurants on the basis of the quality of Daal Makhani.
:-)

Introduction

The person you all wanted to know about, now has her own blog:

Piu's Blog

She is a Punjabi Kudi from National Capital Region.
But she is a lazy bum, so let us see when she actually starts blogging on it.

Wedding - III

Only 5 months remaining for the big day, half of the year has already passed by.
:-D

The wedding as any other wedding has seen its share of ups and downs in past 6 months.
Nothing much is happening on the preparations front.
I will try to maintain a daily journal for the very last month, if I get time.

I do not understand why Punjabi weddings have to be so GRAND?
Why can't a wedding be a smaller event between family and very close friends at a resort or somewhere
:-)

One has to be very thick skinned while going through a Punjabi wedding, because of so many people just blurting out whatever they feel like.

I RETURN TO INDIA IN 24 DAYS

Small update for long time away

Well it has been long long time since, I updated my blog.

Things are finally picking up pace at work and my UK stay is coming to an end (30 days remaining). Looking forward to facing the Indian summers - which I have not faced in last 3 years.

Every time I say goodbye to UK and return. I have to return to UK.
Let us see what happens this time.

Random Thought

Sometimes hope is the only hope for one to carry on...

-Thinking Thinker

Virtual life

Today some incident made me think about my current life. For the past 4-5 years I am an important part of life for some people and more recently I got added to the life of many more people. But, the fact is that I rarely get to meet them.

For all of them I exist, as a person and they occasionally get to hear about me from different people. But, I am never ever in front of them. It has been ages since I have met them.

Even for my immediate family, I exist only on phone, Internet; in pics, web cam etc.

What next?
Will I always be away from my loved ones?

Bristol Revisited

This post was long overdue. The picture here shows Bristol city centre. Yes, I did visit Bristol again, after about a year.

I left Bristol in December, 2005 never to return. But, I always had this feeling that I will return soon and I returned. I returned as a completely changed person.

Well this trip was done over the Easter weekend, and I met all my old friends and revisited all the places I used to hang around. Even, got to visit my University.

Well, there is not much to say about the trip, except that I felt like home in Bristol. Also, I got to meet my old friends and all old memories were refreshed. It was a good trip, marking the start of some horrible weeks ahead.

Interesting

This is something my friend sent to me this morning.

When u really want something,
Sometimes u have to swim a little ....Deeper....
You can't give up just because things don't come easy....
You have to overcome the obstacles and face your fears....
But in the end, it's all worth while!!!!
Life is full of ups and downs,
But if u believe in urself...
U will always come through with flying colors.....
Value Friendship, Love and Faith...
Never underestimate urself.

Wedding - II

The things are shaping up now. With loads of misunderstanding, miscommunications, formalities, etc. It is fun to be part of all but it is very straining. Venues and date are decided and I am too far to be part of it. As always, I am part of it through proxy.

Well, let us see during the last phase of the wedding, how it unfurls itself.
The clock is ticking.

Tanha Dil Tanha Safar : Lyrics

Aankhon mein sapne liye
Ghar se hum chal to diye
Jaane yeh raahein ab le jaayengi kahan
Mitti ki khushboo aaye
Palkon pe aansu laaye
Palkon pe reh jaayega yaadon ke jahan
Manzil nayi hai anjaana hai kaarvaan
Chalna akele hai yahan
(Tanha dil, tanha safar
Dhoonde tujhe phir kyoon nazar) - 2
Tanha dil
Dilkash nazaarein dekhe
Jhilmil sitaarein dekhe
Aankhon mein phir bhi tera chehra hai jawaan
Kitni barsaatein aayi, kitni saugaatein laayi
Kaanon mein phir bhi goonje teri hi sada
Maane kiye the apna hoga aashiyaan
Vaadon ka jaane hoga kya
(Tanha dil, tanha safar
Dhoonde tujhe phir kyoon nazar) - 2
Tanha dil
Tanha dil
Aankhon mein sapne liye
Ghar se hum chal to diye
Jaane yeh raahein ab le jaayengi kahan
Mitti ki khushboo aaye
Palkon pe aansu laaye
Palkon pe reh jaayega yaadon ke jahan
Manzil nayi hai anjaana hai kaarvaan
Chalna akele hai yahan
(Tanha dil, tanha safar
Dhoonde tujhe phir kyoon nazar) - 2
Tanha dil, tanha dil, tanha dil
Tanha dil, tanha dil

Where is ThinkingThinker?

Well, thinking thinker is back to UK. Hence, there is reduction in number of posts on the blog. I will post more as more will happen, as at the moment except for work nothing is happening.

After a year’s gap it feels like I never left UK, it is all the same

Friends - II

The comment:

Thinker, Good, though provoking post. I am not sure which of the affected parties you feel yourself as representing, if at all. But I am afraid, I must disgree with quite a few things here.

-- Friends are somebody you can be cool with.
o Friends are people with whom you can be what you want to be - at any given time - cool, moody, playful, argumentative, sad, happy. You do not have the right to hurt your friends, or be abusive to them. If you can be yourself without doing so, it should be alright.

-- There are no expectations, no hard feelings etc.
o There should definitely be no hard feelings, specially about petty matters like not returning a call or mail. But you can, and should have, expectations. If you do not have any expectations, you cannot really care about a person. Of course, you should not have unrealistic expectations, which are totally selfish.

-- What happens when a friend always dumps all the negativities on you
o Your friend is probably suffering from some problem - which are hogging all his or her concious mind. You can try to help your friend. But if this becomes a constant habit, you should not also feel obliged to take it all. Whenever obligation comes into picture, genuine concern goes away. One should be true to his or her friends, but the ultimate responsibility of a person is to be true to self.

-- Isn’t friends supposed to be cool – who have moderate or no expectations? Understand that there may be better things happening in your life, keeping you occupied?
o As I said, I think that friends should have expectations from each other. A total lack of it, to me, represents the end of affection between friends, a loss of the camerediere they once shared. At times there may be things in your life that will keep you completely occupied for some time. Friends should of course understand that, and should not feel dejected. But on the other hand, if you have some happy event in your life, you should make your friends feel a part of your happiness.

I think I should stop here, though there still are a lot of things to say on this topic.

PS: Did I do too much of preaching ?


The Reply:

No this is not too much of preaching.See in friendship there has to be some sort of attachement. But, excess of it spoils the show. Excess of anything is bad.

Well the point is, that friends should not feel dejected. What matters is, that you are there for your friend and your friend is there for you when needed; this includes happy times and sad times both.

Big Fat Indian Wedding

Who said weddings are simple affair?
Its no simple task especially if it is a Punjabi wedding :-), we all know what all goes around and comes back in a Punjabi wedding.

Well, being at the centre stage of a wedding that starts this month and will continue till November, 07. I am already getting the jitters and the shocks and everything else that comes along and frankly it is no easy task – with so many people involved, with their egos, mood swings, influence etc.

Will keep you all posted with any further developments.
:-)

Friends

Some random thinking related to friends.

Friends are somebody you can be cool with.
There are no expectations, no hard feelings etc.

But, what happens when a friend always dumps all the negativities on you?
What happens when friend forgets to react to good things happening to you and is only occupied with his/her problems?
What happens when friend only reacts to his/her problems and is too moody?

Do you keep them as friends because they are good at heart OR do you slowly depart because they drain too much of energy? How far do you go to keep a good friend?

Isn’t friends supposed to be cool – who have moderate or no expectations?
Understand that there may be better things happening in your life, keeping you occupied?
Is not required to be assured everyday that you are there for him/her; sooner or later they will come back to you.

Isn’t a friend supposed to be the happiest soul on earth – if something good happens in one’s life? Rather being not in mood to react to good news.

I believe between friends there should be no formalities like - you called I called, you did not meet, you did not email, you are too busy etc. Touchwood I have good friends, with whom I cannot be in touch with for many years and still they will be there for me. I am not saying that I am person who does not remain in touch for years – but the frequency may go up or down depending upon the circumstances. Which I hope friends should understand.

That’s it, enough thinking for today.

Air Travel in India

Air travel in India was a good experience till last year when I travelled Jet and Sahara. With new year's start I travelled with Paramount, Sahara, SpiceJet, GoAir and IndiGo.

Well my review regarding domestic Air Travel especially with -
SpiceJet
GoAir and
IndiGo
is a nightmare.

My advice to people travelling especially with IndiGo is to go 1hour late as all their flights are always 1hrs late. We always talk about Deccan being late and not being on time. But these other no frill airlines have crossed the limit.

First the boarding call is delayed by 15-30mins and then you board the plane.
After boarding the plane, one keeps sitting inside for 30-40mins for god knows what passengers.

So overall - Indian no frill airlines I give a thumbs down.
I only travel through them because I have no other option.

Travelling through no frill airlines is a painful experience, especially if you are one of those very few punctual flyers. Who reach airport on time and check in on time.

Moral of the story: If these airlines cannot get a person from Point A to Point B on time these airlines are useless. They don't solve the purpose of travelling.

What does being bored does to a normal human being...

Firstly, boredom makes a person blog so that one may spread the infectious boredom to others.

Boredom makes one:

1. Yawn
2. Eat
3. Drink Coffee
4. Stretch
5. Slouch
6. Surf Internet
7. Talk on phone
8. Fall in Love
9. Get married
10. Sleep
11. Prepare a list of all useless things that can be done, to prevent boredom.
12. Roam around
13. Smoke
14. Make an endless list of endless tasks

Yawwwnnn...!!!

Long time...

It has been long since I Posted on the blog.

First 15 days of this year had been awfully busy. Things are settling down now and it seems that whatever happened in last 15 days will now slowly sink in. As thinking thinker is numb at the moment. About, the new year resolutions - well almost 90% of them are already done ;-)

Well I cannot think of anything more to write about.
Ciao for now!!! Will post more later...

2007

Well, 2007 is going on a high which means it will soon start to head downwards; like a roller coaster ride. It goes up and it comes down. Well my Cochin and Chennai trip was good and yielded interesting results - which I will soon be sharing with all. Results which have changed my life from this point onwards.

Today is my last day at present employer and soon I will be moving on to a new company, new people, new profile. Hoping that, so many new things happening in the start of the year marks a good start.

In past 2-3 years 'change' has been a constant factor and that too happeing as if it is on a 5th gear. Meeting new people, seeing new cultures, discovering myself, changing houses (Every 3 munths), Job Profiles, Jobs, Finding love, Travelling. Well, I am enjoying it this ways for now, and would like it to continue for some more time. Lets see what future holds for me.

What is it... in the air?

What is it in the air... that I am so excited...

What is going on that I am so restless...

I am not such a good poet, but I think you get the flow of things...

[Note for people who think in double meanings, this is not what you are thinking - got it. So make no comments of such nature.]