My Thought Process! |
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Friday, February 28, 2003
Ultimate Success Formula
#1 Know your Outcome in any situation. #2 Take Massive Action. #3 Pay Attention to the Results You are Getting. #4 If the Strategy is not working, change the Strategy and follow through. Thursday, February 20, 2003
Today I felt good waking up in the morning after long long period, AR is working his magic on me. Still need to pump up more and organize more. Today looked into Cert. preparation material and it looks cool, but needs a lot of reorganization. Need to send out a news letter to every body about the classes. The project also got kick started in the office and it will be a lot of work. I need to actually organize the work more properly and need to fill the time properly and consume time in an effective way. I am usually feeling a lot of restless gaps through out the day and I need to find out how to fill this gaps properly and work effectively so that I get more time for doing productive things and advance my career.
Tuesday, February 18, 2003
An amazing flash mind reader, how is this possible at all. Click Here Can you believe this. What the heck is going on? What is the mathematical rule behing this?
Get The Edge - Day 1 - Hour Of Power
Started to listen to Audio Tapes by Anthony Robbins, Get The Edge series. Its the time for me to set out new goals. I am feeling a lot of stagnation in my life these days. Looks like after getting the perm. job, i am like stranded with no Goals and drained out of enthusiasm. Time to do the first tape exercise. I need to list both positive and negative emotions I have been facing on an almost constant basis. Positive Emotions: Gosh, looks like I need some kind of therapy, I need to get on track and get more juiced about life. Its just one minute to change the direction of whole life, Yes one minute is enough. Need to grap all those minutes as they go by in life. Ram, what you gonna do about all these self destructive behavious, what are you going to do to minimize the negative emotions and maximize the positive emotions? Thursday, February 13, 2003
First Speech at JavaMug
Today I went to javamug and Jim made announcement regarding upcoming java certification class and invited me to give a brief on that. I went on to stage and gave brief about the upcoming the training session, it was just for abut 2 mins, but it was exciting. Giving speech before so many geeks is a little bit nervous, but I could get over it. I was not looking at them particularly and gave the brief. Later looks like it was effective and lots of people came for feed back. I think this is going to be a really exciting quarter. I need to prepare a lot for the upcoming classes and make brief notes about all the nitti gritty things. I wish this will start a new wonder in my life. Wednesday, February 12, 2003
Looking for next Challenge
For me life with out challenge is really hard to live. Now, that i got a perm. job and regular paycheck, life has become so boring, don't know what to do next. Don't know where I am going. Not sure about new promotions. Just joined the company and how can I expect promotions, may be its possible, where there is a will there is a way. But what is my next challenge. Becoming a full fledged architect / a full fledged manager with all the decision making powers either one of these asap. I mean really fast before this year turns. I am actually comtemplating of going back to India and finding a job. I have to make up my mind on this. Right now working on GMAT score. Took my first test today and the score is about 70 percentile. It needs to be raised by atleast another 100 marks to get some good credible scores. Then there are Programmer Certification Seminars coming up, where I have to demonstrate the my communication ability and gain exposure of delivering lectures in US to US audience. But still I am sufferrign with a credible, challenging and defined goal to be met in the next few months. Its really frustrating to live with out a challenge. Ram figure out your next challenge. Friday, February 07, 2003
Are NRI's worth the honour of Dual Citizenship?
What a contrast? While Govt. lures NRIs through dual citizenship, millions want to quit Indians are everywhere, just as Chinese are everywhere.This is not surprising, considering that there are billions of them and some are apt to stray out of their own countries, just to have a look at what the world is like. Even then, there are not as many as one would expect. There are only 20 million Indians living outside India, which is just two per cent. Ninety-eight per cent of Indians still live in the country of their birth, just like the Chinese. Then why do we make such a fuss over this tiny fraction, many of whom have never been to India and have only a vague idea of what India is? The government spent over Rs 15 crore on last week's jamboree in Delhi, which was attended by less than two thousand overseas Indians. It must be either because they were not interested in India or could not afford to come. The government messed up the jamboree, as governments always do. Most overseas Indians went back dissatified with the jatra and said so loudly. They were subjected to an avalanche of boring speeches from politicians, something they could have done without. Did the politicians invite them just to grab the headlines? There was nothing, for instance, in what the prime minister told them. So why did they come and why were they invited? As usual the sting is in the tail. And this tail will keep wagging long after the jatra is over. The overseas Indians have been offered dual citizenship, which turns out to be not quite what it sounds like. It is not dual citizenship but dual nationality. They will get the Indian equivalent of a green card and will probably have to shell out a good many dollars for it. And what do they get out of this green card? The right to buy property and reside in India, which I wonder whether they are really keen on. I am not at all impressed by this NRI hype, because to me most of them are not Indians at all. They or their ancestors left India a long time ago, plainly because they were not satisfied with their life here and wanted to improve their prospects.There is nothing wrong with this; after all, we are always changing our jobs to improve our prospects. So what's wrong if we change our countries? But are they really Indians? Is V S Naipaul an Indian, and in what way? His ancestors left or abandoned India probably a century ago as indentured labourers, and have not been back since. Naipaul did not marry an Indian. He settled down in England and married an English woman. His second wife, who made such a fuss about Gujarat and asked sharp questions about it, is actually a Pakistani. What a Pakistani woman was doing at a gathering of Indians I do not know. But how does all this make Naipaul an Indian, even an overseas Indian? He carries a British passport and no doubt sings `God save the Queen' at public meetings. If he applies for dual citizenship and gets a PIO card, he will be both a Britisher and an Indian. Can a man be both at the same time? What about his loyalties? If there is a war between Britain and India, which country will he side with? Of course, there is not going to be a war between Britain and India, but it's a question of principle. I do not think some of these people are Indian at all and should never have been invited to the jamboree. Many of them don't speak any of the Indian languages. Naipaul made his reputation making fun of Indians.He said at one point that he disliked India and Indians, no doubt because he considered himself a pucca Englishman. He had said that ours was a wounded civilization and the country would amount to nothing. Now he comes back with his Pakistani wife and has become as NRI. Should we consider him an NRI? Then there is the argument that NRIs are filthy rich and we should use them to get some cash out of them for our own development. NRIs have, of course, done well but so have Indians who have never stepped outside India. We are always being told about Swraj Paul who has now become Lord Swraj Paul. But what is so special about him? There are hundreds of Swraj Pauls in India in terms of business size. But is there a single Dhirubhai Ambani among the NRIs? Dhirubhai built up his business single-handedly in India and never stepped out of India. And his business is worth all the NRI businesses put together. It is true that NRIs make more money than the Indians they left behind. This is because they work in an environment in which everybody makes more money than his or her counterpart in India. Take a policeman. An Indian policeman probably makes no more than 5,000 rupees a month and probably lives in a slum. This is equivalent to just one hundred US dollars. In the US, policemen make 30 to 40,000 dollars a year and they live in proper houses, drive a car and take their families on vacations in Italy and France. We are a poor country; they belong to a rich country and the difference shows in their respective incomes. In my view,the Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas was totally uncalled for. Most of the people whom we invited were not Indians at all.Some of them, like V S Naipaul, have no links with India, even emotional links. In what way is Amartya Sen an Indian? He has spent most of his professional life outside India. What is his Indian connection? The only thing Indian about him is that he was born in India. But so were millions of others, so what? To be an Indian, either a genuine Indian or an NRI, there must be some connection between him and India. You should be working among Indian communities abroad and do something for them. You should visit India regularly and do some work in India. For instance, the green card that the US government gives foreigners is for them to attend to their work in the US. If you have no work in the US and do not visit America regularly, your card is withdrawn and handed over to someone else. You have no inherent right to a green card. It is given for some purpose. That should be the case with an Indian card too. The surprising thing is that while we are honouring NRIs and PIOs, there are millions of Indians who want to quit India and be just that NRIs. I would say that, given the opportunity, every other Indian would like to be an NRI if he can. Hundreds of thousands of families are trying to emigrate to western countries, where they think they will have a better living than they have in India now. Ninety per cent of Indian students in the US and UK never come back. They try and get a job in those countries and remain there by hook or crook. Seventy per cent of all IIT graduates leave for the US and never come back. This is also the case with thousands of Indian tourists who somehow manage to get a job and do the vanishing trick. Some of these people will one day become writers and economists and software programmers in California or New York or Manchester. They will one day return to India to claim their PIO card,and will no doubt be dined and wined by the Advanis and Vajpayees, who will lecture them on what a wonderful country India is, and how grateful we are to these Johnnies for thinking of obliging us by asking for PIO card. Can hypocrisy be more blatant? There is not a single Indian official or politician who does not have a son or daughter in the US or UK. They have all packed off their sons and daughters to the US while drawing up programmes for the tenth five-year plan in Yojana Bhavan, and are just waiting to follow their families as soon as they reach retirement age and jump the queue. Every morning, thousands of Indians line up outside embassies Chanakyapuri in Delhi to get their visas. At one time, they consisted of farmers from Ludhiana and Jullunder. Now they consist of young men and women from middle class families who are fed up with this country and are in a tearing hurry to find a job in New York or New Jersey. Among them are editors of business magazines, correspondents national newspapers and kathakali dancers from Trivandrum. Why are they leaving India? To better their prospects, they say. They come from good families, have good jobs, many have houses of their own which they are trying to sell and get out. In what way are they different from the grandfathers of Naipaul & Co? The Naipauls left India because they had nothing of their own. They had no land, no home, no nothing. They had only their bodies. Most of them never came back. Their grandsons have made good and are now among the elites of those countries. But this is nothing very special. If you live a country for a hundred years and go school and college you are bound make it good some day. India is too big and too poor a country to provide decent livelihood to all its sons and daughters. This has happened in other countries too, like, for instance, Ireland. For years, rather decades, Ireland could survive only by exporting its children. They emigrated to America where after years of hard work, they became policemen 50% of New York policemen are Irish building workers, taxi drivers, and some, like John Kennedy, became presidents. I am quite sure this will also be the case with Indians. One of these days, an Indian will become a US senator and maybe even a state governor. If there can be an Irish president, why not an Indian state governor? But this is nothing to boast about. The Irish don't boast about Kennedy, nor about George W Bush, who is also of Irish descent. They don't hold Pravasi Diwas and give them dual citizenships. Of what use is a dual citizenship from India when millions of Indians are actually trying to leave India and find a place elsewhere? It just doesn't make sense. There is nothing special about NRIs. They are as good or as bad as their brethren in India. If they have produced a Swraj Paul, we have produced a Dhirubhai, who is ten or hundred times richer. If they have produced a Naipaul, who, to my mind, is not an Indian at all, we produced a Tagore hundred years ago, when the Naipaul family was trying to emigrate to Trinidad as labourers. Why should we hold a jamboree honour them, as if their going away was itself an honourable act? In fact, they should honour us, for it is India that has produced them. Without Mother India, there could be no Naipauls or Sens or Rampals. We should honour Mother India, Bharatmata, not her NRI children who abandoned her at the first opportunity, and left her shores for good. Thursday, February 06, 2003
Date to Dream In my website, i got a section for Dreams. All these days I have been thinking what to put there and always puzzled about that section, but I wanted to put something there. Today I got a real good idea about that section. I am going to put all my desires, lets say if money is not a constraint and I have no feat what all I would like to do, what all I would like to possess, what all I would like to accomplish, how I would like to spend my life etc. stuff. See its always very useful to write the things down and keep the options open if there are no ideas, some day you will get a great idea which you are going to like like hell. its all about Daring to Dream.
Long Hour Working Days
Its a way of working life in US. The people across India keep thinking that its so cool in US, you just work and earn lots of money and enjoy the life. But the fact here is completely different for most of the people except for some small percentage of people who become filthy rich. The whole idea of american dream is to become one of those filthy rich people and enjoy ever after. For that basically some strategies should be laid down and followed. If you keep working for paycheck to paycheck all the while you are just nobody and you will spend life paying bills all through your life. The thought process should be evolved to think big, make a big picture and do things which are larger than life. For that basically a thought process should be developed which can visualize and materialize the larger then life, which actually caters to quite a whole number of lives and make all those lives better. First of all, I need to have some organized pattern life filled with enthuiastic periods and energizing and exciting work, relax, exercise sessions. I have been living a very low energy level life for the past few months. I think actually I am not trying / did not try to find out the reason for that. Well the topic of long working hours is getting diverted into lots of other areas of US life. The porblem is not with long working hours. Its actually why I don't work for myself these long hours, I do it if I have to do it in office, if its for myself, i get involved in lots of useless stuff and may be wasting time, and these days wasting time a lot doing nothing or some stupid stuff. The bottom line of this venting is to make my life more productive and do the things which I enjoy to do most. But for doing the stuff, u need to have $$, lots of $$$$$. So, need to invent/discover ideas and work on them and get them materialized soon make lots and lots of $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$. Gotcha! Tuesday, February 04, 2003
Arranged Marriage
Powerful indian tradition, been there for so many, may be thousands of, years. Now I am becoming another prey to this holy tradition. I guess this is what I have to take in my life for being a geek. Every body i.e parents, friends, office coleagues etc.., barber, grocery stores men, the list goes on, is interested in me getting married asap, except me. Today a friend called and asks me to finalize on a the girl he asked me to see, its so crazy, i told him that the girl he selected for me is very very beautiful, but does not fit my priorities, still he does not understand. Gosh, how do I stop this? This weekend I will have to write in detail about my experiences in this game. I still don't understand how I am going to get married to a somebody just by talking one time, god help me or save me! Monday, February 03, 2003
GMAT Prep
You will find what you want in your way. This is true. This weekend I have been thinking of taking GMAT test in the next one to two months and talked about that with Swaroop. He also wanted to take the test and showed some enthu and asked for my cooperation. Then I went to Kalyan, as his wife gone to India and he got lots of time to kill, he has been thinking about giving GMAT next month and he mentioned to me. I said I am also planning to take, what a coincidence. Its all about making the decision. Once you make the decision eerything will fall in place. See the miracle, a college mate want to do combined study along with me and in US, thats what happens once we start walking on the path we need. Ramdhan boy, u go boy, time to break the barriers and get the edge.
Condolences to Kalpana Chawla
Today evening went to Indian Associacian of North Texas to pay condolenses to Kalpana Chawla. There lots of eminent personnel gave condolence speeches. Lighter diya and placed before the Today's hero, Kalpana. It was a great honour for me to be able to do that. Sunday, February 02, 2003
'She said she'd say hello to us from space'
Today is a Sad Day. Early in the morning Shuttle Columbia disintigrated while entering the Earths atmosphere. It took Kalpana Chawla, the dreamer from along with it. She will be great inspiration to all the Dreamers arround the world especially from India. Her story inspires to dream big and really believe in the dreams and they will come true one day. With her inspiration my Dream of becoming an entreprenuer as big as Narayana Murthy, Ramalinga Raju, Barti Telecom Mittal etc. is becoming comsolidated. Here is a news Item about her. 'She said she'd say hello to us from space'Suleman Din in New York | February 02, 2003 03:11 IST Those who knew Kalpana Chawla and those who never met her mourned her death equally. "I'll always remember her with fondness, as an example that anyone with motivation can overcome barriers and achieve their dreams," said Dr Sudhir Chawla (no relation), a professor of marketing at Angelo State University in San Angelo, Texas, who befriended Kalpana at the University of Texas, Arlington. 'The entire University of Colorado community mourns the loss of Kalpana Chawla, who perished this morning in the crash of the Columbia Space Shuttle over Texas,' read a statement released by the school. "A sad moment indeed for India and the United States, the two countries that made Kalpana Chawla possible," said T P Sreenivasan, who at the time of her first space sojourn was the deputy chief of mission to the United States. "It's just a tragedy," said Dharmini Parmal, a homemaker in Houston, Texas, who watched the tragedy unfold later on television. "Our condolences are to the families, my heartfelt wishes are to their children." Kalpana Chawla, 41, was among the seven on board the Columbia, which disintegrated during re-entry over Texas on Saturday morning. Born in Karnal, Haryana, she received an undergraduate degree in aeronautical engineering from Punjab University in 1982. After moving to the United States, she earned a master's degree and a doctorate in the same field. She also became a US citizen. In 1994, NASA selected her for a rigorous one-year training programme to serve as a mission specialist on board shuttle missions. Dr Chawla, 51, said Kalpana was always jovial, even when people poked fun at her dreams of becoming an astronaut. "We would always joke, 'Come on, you know NASA doesn't take foreigners', and she would just say, 'Where there is a will, there is a way, and I will make it," Dr Chawla said. "Kalpana said she would say hello to us from space," he continued. Dr Chawla said he had not contacted Kalpana's family or friends yet. "I'm not sure I'd be able to say anything to them right now, honestly," he said. Parmal said her phone starting ringing from friends and family, telling her to switch on the television and learn what was happening. "I told my husband it reminded me of the Challenger explosion," she said, referring to the doomed shuttle flight that blew up moments after lift-off 17 years ago. "When that happened, I couldn't even believe it. When I heard about it on the radio, I thought it was a prank. Under any circumstances, I didn't think this would happen again." Parmal said she didn't even know an Indian woman was on board the Columbia. "My thoughts immediately went to the children of the astronauts," she said. "I remember in 1986, how the cameras focused on the faces of that teacher's [Christa McAuliffe] children, how confused they were. I feel for all those children right now." Parmal said she was north of the area where the debris of the shuttle had fallen, and too far away to have heard an explosion, as some did. Sreenivasan said he watched the television with increasing horror. "My first thought was the hope that Kalpana Chawla was not on board that flight. [But] within minutes I stood still with a prayer on my lips for the only Indian American astronaut." He said he was invited by NASA to Florida to see Kalpana's first flight into space in 1997, and spoke to her then by phone. "I wished her the best on behalf of the people and the Government of India and said how proud we were that she was selected to undertake this flight. She recalled her younger days in India and said she was glad that India sent me to Florida to witness the launch even though she was no more an Indian citizen. "India was as proud of her as of many overseas Indians who soared high and brought glory to the nation." Also on board were commander Rick Husband, 45, co-pilot William McCool, 41, and mission specialists David Brown, 46, Laurel Clark, 41, and Michael Anderson, 43. The Israeli astronaut was payload specialist Ilan Ramon, 48, his country's first citizen to make the journey into space. Colorado University, where Kalpana completed her doctorate, issued a solemn statement remembering her, hoping that others would not abandon their dreams of going into space. 'Since this is the University of Colorado's second astronaut to perish on a mission -- Ellison Onizuka died in the Challenger explosion in January 1986 -- we are even further saddened. 'However, the University of Colorado remains enormously proud of our tradition of graduating astronauts to serve our country in the United States Space Program.' Dr Chawla said Kalpana would have felt the same way. "People should not look at this as a tragedy," he said. "They should not forget about their dreams of going into space. They should see what she did as a motivation." "She was a young, determined individual," Dr Chawla continued. "I'm sure she was happy, because she succeeded in doing what she wanted." Saturday, February 01, 2003
Project Impact
This is a Non-Profit organization striving to empower South Asian community with political power in USA. (http://www.project-impact.org/). They started a new chapter in Dallas and got info about this meeting through NetIP listserv. The discussion was very good, especially trying to form an agenda about the activities. Hopefully I would be able to see 'Bend It Like Backham' free of cost in the next social event through the free coupons :-) Well it was a goup motivated second generation South Asian Americans trying to make their identity in the Society. I had a chance to make some good points about Mentoring, about the first generation and second generation gap and about the duty of the Second generation ppl. to fill the gap as much as they can. It was a good evening, had chance to meet with some good ppl. and get contacts. No chicks though :-(, I always keep going to wrong places in the wrong times,huh! Need to mail Sampath and find out whether we can have an informal meet and discuss whether we can work together to come up with a Venture, indeed a good contact. Thats for it today. |
