Mr Praveen Kumar, why do you have this knack of getting injured at the worst possible times? First the world cup and now the Australian tour? 

Wait.....we won the world cup!!! PK, if we win the series in Australia, we will find (or establish) the mantra for our success. Now you are sweating, haan!!!!

Sales vs Research/Consulting

In research and consulting, the sales people should take a back seat after bringing a lead/project. After that, they should allow the project execution team to take over and set client expectations and manage delivery. 

I could be wrong with my assessment. There could be companies where the continued involvement of the sales team in project updates, presentations could be proving to be positive. 

However, I am yet to work with a sales person who does not start acting more like a client representative than my team. You give a suggestion in your favor, the sales guy will start talking on the client's behalf!!! They very well know which side their bread is buttered on. That is why I am not a big fan of this approach.


No offence sales guys....I love you for bringing the business and earning the commissions!!! I do not screw your happiness, you do not screw mine, fair isnt it?

Big Developments Today

Back from office. Big developments today. Got my first salary in Malaysia!!!! And they did not deduct any tax!!! Moreover, the company did not deduct anything for the salary advance that I have taken!!! So the pay cheque was much much much bigger than I was expecting. Seems they will start deducting the tax only from January but then I will have to pay the tax for November and December. And the company would start deducting for the salary advance from December. So jitna mazaa karna hai, abhi kar leta hun....baad mein to khaane peene ke vaande hone waale hain!!!

The other big development is that the dependents visa for my daughter and wife is looking to be approved in a day or two. My daughter will get a 3 year visa as I have a 3 year visa. My wife will get 2 year visa only....I am so thankful to the immigration department :P 

Some colleagues in the office showed me how can I cross the firewall and access gmail and facebook. It is good to have people in the team with tech background. However, blogger is still blocked :(

Dear Blog,

You know that they have blocked you in office. In the past 3 weeks, you have been the friend with whom I have been communicating the most. Whenever I used to feel stressed, I used to find some time to talk to you. But now, I will not be able to do that. It is not that I talk to you a lot during office hours but it was nice to have that option open. Now it is no more open. Evenings are for my family. We will catch up over the weekend. Do not worry, I will find time for you.

Animesh

It feels nice

Got up half an hour back and found myself in total darkness. That is unusual as when I go to bed in the night, I usually leave a light on. Surprised, I got up to get ready for the office.....only to realize that it was around 8:15 pm!!! It does not happen to me often as I seldom take a nap during the day. 

Feeling so nice as I can enjoy the 'left over' weekend.

It rains EVERYDAY. Yesterday I could not go out for shopping as it rained from 2 PM till 11 PM...non-stop. Today, I woke up to clear skies.....rushed to the supermarket. As soon as I returned, it started to rain again. And not light rain (tupur-tapur). It is raining pretty heavily. Everyday affair though. Guess I should buy an umbrella.

Paneer Butter Masala

Back from my weekly grocery shopping.....bought a lot of bachelor stuff. Maggi, Bread, Jam, Corn Flakes, Milk, Chips, Ready-to-Eat meals etc. 

I bought ready-to-eat Andhra rice and paneer butter masala. At the counter, the billing clerk (a Pakistani boy) asked me if I find the taste of the paneer butter masala same as what we get in India. I wanted to be polite and I said that it is close. With a smile, he said that he does not like it...."In India, the paneer butter masala is brilliant". 

:) I know :)

Revolution 2020 by Chetan Bhagat

A few days back, I read the book Revolution 2020 by Chetan Bhagat. I must admit that I am not much of a book reader. Seldom do I find books gripping enough to make me finish it. I like short stories better as they require less commitment. I would rather watch a movie than read a book as I do not have the required patience. However, Chetan Bhagat's books are different.

I have read all his books and pretty quickly too. I have finished all his books in less than 2 days....that is unbelievable as per my standards!!! The difference between other books and Chetan's books is the instant connect. You can almost identify with the characters. If you do not see yourself in the characters, you would know someone who is pretty similar. Moreover, the stories are set up in India and you can relate to the places, issues, successes, failures, dreams...everything.

Coming back to the book....I loved it. I do not know if everyone would like it or not. It is very different from his earlier books. Not many people had liked "The 3 Mistakes of My Life" (I do not have official figures but  a lot of people have told me that they did not enjoy the book as much as they enjoyed other books of Chetan Bhagat), which was again a very different book. I loved "The 3 Mistakes.....". Out of all Chetan Bhagat's books, Revolution 2020 can be compared more with "The 3 Mistakes...". 

I loved Revolution 2020. It is an extremely gripping tale. I do not want to give away the plot but I felt a rock on my chest while reading it. Among the main characters, no one is totally right or wrong...that is the way we all are, isn't it? Though what happens in such cases is that you are bound to end up feeling sorry for someone. I must say that I was a little partial towards the main character. I want to say a lot of things about the character but I do not want to spoil the reading experience for anyone. I do not know how is the book doing commercially but it can be made into an extremely interesting movie. 

I strongly recommend the book to everyone. Now, I am waiting for the movie.

(request for Chetan Bhagat: Can you please increase the pace of writing books?)

Employment Visa to Malaysia: Some Doubts Cleared

The last one month that I spent in India was full of anxiety. I had to get my visa endorsed from the US High Commission and get a single entry visa to Malaysia. I was confused about the entire process as everyone had a different approach and suggestion in mind. Let me clarify a few doubts here;

• Attesting the Certificates: Once you get an offer letter from a company in Malaysia, you will be required to submit the copy of your certificates along with other documents. The certificates include education certificates, marriage certificate (for dependents visa for spouse) and birth certificate (for dependents visa for children). They ask you to get the copies attested from the High Commission of Malaysia or the Malaysian embassy before sending it to the employer in Malaysia to submit the application for employment pass. You do not need to get the certificates attested by the embassy/High Commission. Just get them notorized from a notary and they will accept it.
• Calling Visa: The calling visa will be sent to you by your employer. Now, there is a difference in calling visas from Malaysia and it depends upon how your employer is set-up in Malaysia. For any general employer, the letter has to come in a sealed envelope and it cannot be opened by the employer, candidate or any agent. It has to be opened by the embassy officials only. However, some companies have a different status in Malaysia. Their calling visas are issued by MSC and they are sent electronically by the employer. It seems, not many companies fall under such category and thus there is a little lack of knowledge about MSC in India
• Getting Single Entry Visa in India: One has the option to go to Malaysian embassies in Delhi, Mumbai or Chennai however, it needs to be pointed out in the beginning as it would be mentioned in the calling visa. There are loads of agents that can get the visa processed but most of them do not have much idea about the employment visas, especially when the calling visa has come from MSC. The agents keep asking about the sealed envelope, which the candidate will not have in case of a calling visa issued by MSC. The best way of getting the visa is through VFS. They have centers in major cities (Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad....not sure about Bangalore) in India. It is the fastest and most economical way of getting the single entry visa processed. Even the officials of the embassy/High Commission ask you to get the application routed through VFS. And I must add that I found VFS extremely professional. They know all the requirements. Unlike the regular agents, VFS representatives knew about MSC
• Once Single Entry Visa is issued, a candidate has to travel to Malaysia and then the employer submits the application for the employment pass or long term multiple entry visa. Please note that the calling visa that will be sent to you will mention the duration of the visa. In my case, it is 3 years. Yet, you will be issued only a single entry visa in India and the long term visa will be issued only in Malaysia.
• Tax structure in Malaysia: Though this point is not relevant to visas, I would like to clarify it as there is lot of confusion about this. Expats have to pay flat 28-30% tax but if the employer has the special status (if the calling visa has been issued by MSC), then the tax would be much lower. I am yet to get my first salary but I have been told that the tax should be in the range of 12-15%. Much better, isn't it?

I hope this clarifies some of the doubts. In case you have any questions, please feel free to reach me on animesh.ajaykumar@gmail.com or on +60176675620

Height of Velapanthi!!!

Sleepless in KL!!!

Trip to Little India

In Kuala Lumpur, there is a place called Little India. Actually, the name of the place is 'Brickfields' but since a lot of Indians stay in the area, it is now known as Little India (LI). I was told by several people that one should go to LI to get original Indian stuff. I am yet to set up the kitchen at my place but yesterday, I went to LI to get a feel of the place and get familiarized before my family joins me here. 

It was not a long drive from Mont Kiara, the place where I stay. I could make out that we have approaching LI as I could hear the latest Tamil-english sensation, 'Why this kolavari di' from a distance. After reaching the place, I roamed around a little and looked at the kind of shops they have in LI. 

Honestly, I could not find much of a price difference between Little India and Mont Kiara (an upmarket place). Hence, it will make sense only if someone is going to LI once or twice a month and getting all the supplies. The good part about the place is that a lot of Indian stuff is available. From parachute coconut oil to Margo soap!!! I had Imarti over there. Actually I wanted to have Jalebi but could not find it so I settled with Imarti. I liked the place as majority of the people over there were Indians. It looked like any 'extremely and unbelievably' clean street in India (does such a place exist??!!!). Overall it was a good experience as it gave me a better idea about the choices available in Kuala Lumpur and it was great to be among so many Indians.

My favorite couple

You should know that I know

A conversation that took place some time back....

He: Sir, suna team bandh ho rahi hai?

Me: Confirmed to nahi hai but lag raha hai aisa....parent company kaafi teams band kar rahi hai across the globe

He: Sir kab tak pata chalega?

Me: Mujhe pata chalega to main to tujhe bataunga hi na

He: Sir, suna aapko koi offer mil gaya hai?

Me: Nahi yaar, agar aisa hota to tujhe bolta main

He: Sir, sab to yahi bol rahe hain...mil gaya hai to bata do

Me: Arre nahi mila hai bhai....lekin ek-do jagah baat chal rahi hai

He: Hmmm...Sir mera to nahi ho raha hai kucch....bahut try kar raha hun....

Me: Pareshan mat ho....ho jaayega...

He: Sir, kahin kucch lead hai kya? Jahaan baat kar rahe ho wahaan mere liye bhi baat kar lo na...

Me: It wont look good but I will try when I can.....trust me

He: Sir, dekh lo....kucch kara do.....

Me: Pakka....poori koshish karunga...CV bhej apna....main try karta hun

He: Thank you Sir

He thought that he disconnected the phone and started talking on another line.......Here is how that conversation went. (Of course, I do not know who was he speaking to (though I have a fair idea) and what was the other person saying)

He: Yeh to bol raha hai ki iska nahi hua hai!!!..........

He: Arre, isko kya problem hai.....24-25 ka package yahaan tha.....thode din baith bhi jaayega to kya hoga....

He: Haan, yahaan aise paise utha raha tha and iske upar waali 35-40 utha rahi thi....Inko kya problem hai....

He: ....baahar koi poochega nahi inko.....

He: Haan chal, main aa raha hun waapas Hyderabad. Aa kar baat karte hain....kucch pata chale to bataana. Chal rakhta hun abhi.

This conversation shocked me....I was wondering why did he speak about me in that manner? 

I have always been friendly with him, have helped him whenever possible....in office and outside.  Why do some people talk to you with respect only when they are in front of you? I never asked him to call me "Sir" and I did not deserve to be talked about in this manner either. People always complained about his attitude and rightly so....but I chose to ignore a lot of things and defended him on several occasions. He is young and immature and I chose to let him be. After all, till work or work culture is not getting affected, everything is okay. 

This incident disturbed me a lot after all I have always shared a good rapport with most of the people who have worked with me. I discussed this incident with a lot of people who are close to me. Everyone told me that I should ask him the reason....and not help him in any manner. 

However, for some reason, I did not take that path. Even after this incident, I helped him in many ways. I recommended him to colleges, I referred him in companies and mostly said good things about his attitude and exaggerated his skills/abilities. In fact I referred him in the company that I now work with!!!....I could have easily not done all that. I could have easily screwed his happiness. But I thought he is young and probably everyone talks about his/her Manager like that. I chose to ignore the incident but I will be lying if I say that it does not affect me any more. 

The guy of course does not know that I know. He continues to talk to me with respect but at the same time he asks for help in a manner as if I owe him something. I really do not owe your anything buddy. As I see it, YOU owe me a lot as even after this incident, I have gone out of my way to help you. During my last few days in India, when I really wanted to spend as much time as possible with my family, I spent a lot (read: A LOT) of time writing recommendations for you. And, I will still help you in any way that I can but I want you to know that I know.  

The curious case of second keeper

The India squad for the upcoming tour of Australia was selected yesterday. The team composition is more or less on the 'expected' lines. I was personally disappointed with the omission of the leggie, Rahul Sharma. With whatever I have seen of him in IPL matches, he seems to be a promising spinner for all formats of the game. However, he did not do too well in his last few domestic cricket outings and did not get included in the playing XI for the test matches against WI. On the other hand, Ashwin and Ojha grabbed the opportunity with both hands and bowled really well. That is the main reason why Rahul Sharma got dropped. In any case, too many spinners cannot be included for a tour like Australia. 

The inclusion of Ajinkya Rahane in the Test squad is a positive move as he looks an extremely talented batsman, who should somewhat fill the gap once the big guns leave the scene. I would love to see some more young batsmen to be given a chance and tested. AT Rayaudu looks like a good batsman for the longer format of the game and should be given a chance soon. Manish Pandey looks good but had a quiet domestic season last year. Moreover, I think some of the top bosses (who are friends with Vijay Mallya) are not too happy with Pandey. If that is the case, I hope the issue is resolved soon as we may lose a gifted cricketer otherwise. Cheteshwar Pujara is still recovering from the ACL damages in both knees. I read an article on him a month back that suggested that his injuries could be career-threatening. I am not sure if this is correct or not but I really hope and pray that he recovers soon and gets backs to business. However, the batting composition of the squad does not have too many surprises. It is a good line-up. Kohli and Sharma deserve more opportunities and they have been rightly retained.

I am not too excited about Aaron. I think he lacks variety and experience. Moreover, Australian batsmen would have faced such "pure play fast bowlers" regularly in their domestic cricket. Compared to him, Umesh Yadav looks much more promising. I would love if Aaron proves me wrong though. But I also think that he may not get a chance in Australia, especially if Khan dost (Zaheer Khan) proves his fitness. I do not think India will include five bowlers (that is why we seriously miss an all-rounder. I really wish Irrfan Pathan was fit and in-form. Someone should tell him where he can find his swing!!!) and I think the bowling line-up will have 3 seamers and 1 spinner. If that is the case and if Zaheer is fit, it would be Zaks, Sharma and Praveen Kumar who will get included. If the team gets a little adventurous, Umesh Yadav may get a game or two. The chances of Aaron getting a game are remote unless he bowls really really and REALLY well in a build-up game.

The only member of the squad that I am surprised about is Wriddhiman Saha!!! I think Parthiv Patel did reasonably well in England (in ODIs) to get included in the test squad. I personally believe that Patel can be a better Test batsman than ODIs or T-20s. He has a good and steady stance, plays straight, has good timing and has good temperament. I do believe that his batting has been somewhat corrupted by IPL, yet he is a good batsman. And why Saha? I sometimes believe that selectors pick the reserve keeper in a squad only to give equal 'earning' opportunities to keepers. Lets face it, there is no chance of a keeper getting selected in the playing XI of a test match unless Dhoni gets injured or he finally realizes that he is not a great test batsman. (okay, I let my personal feelings flow a little bit over there)!!! So, the second keeper is merely a passenger. I believe that the selectors do not pick the second keeper purely on the basis of performance. Of course they will not suddenly pick the wicket keeper of Nagaland!!! They pick 1-2 good keepers (of course, except Dhoni) and keep rotating them on tours. "So Parthiv, you travelled to England...did sightseeing...had good food....did shopping....earned enough to settle your bills, loans in India....Now, we will give a chance to Saha...let him also have a little fun....let him also earn a little. In any case, he wont get a chance to play so do not worry, he can not cement his place in the team. Even if he gets a chance and does well, we will still pick you for the next tour.....But ya, we have not given a chance to Dinesh Karthik in a while. If he scores in  double digits in ANY domestic match, even if it is against Arunachal Pradesh Team A, we will have to consider him. But then, next series...and you will be back!!! Fair, isnt it?" 

I guess its too late but I should buy a pair of keeping gloves. 

Various Moods of Ms. Ananya Ajay

My father's last day in the olive green...08-Nov-2011

Kolavari Di Fever Caught Me Too

Hand la glass, 

Glass la Scotch,

Eyes-u full-aa tear-u,

Empty life-u,

Girl-u come-u,

Life reverse gear-u!!!

All the more reasons to miss India!!!

The weekend has not started on a great note. The A-Con is not working in one of the room and the heater is not working in the second bathroom. The electricians came right on time, said Hi, talked to me for a while and then told me that they wont be able to fix them today. They will have to come back next Friday. Brilliant!!! 

And now the gas connection is not working. It seems the owner did not pay the bill on time and now it has been disconnected. Nothing can be done before Tuesday!!! 

All the more reasons to miss India!!!

Who said there is nothing for the bowlers in this pitch...Look at Ashwin....He scored a century!!!

Long Weekend

The long weekend is fast approaching. I had planned to go on a city tour tomorrow but that will have to wait. Here is the exciting list of activities that I am planning to do;

1. Get the air-conditioner repaired tomorrow. The guy is not willing to come early morning not even late evening. So basically, he wants to screw my Saturday
2. Afterwards, I will go and purchase broom, floor cleaner, detergent etc etc. It is a list that has been given to me by my maid
3. On Sunday, I have to get the house cleaned, fills some applications. The issue is that the maid will come at 12:30. Again, neither here nor there.
4. Monday is free till now but since the other offices are open on that day and I am working on a global engagement, I may end up working on Monday.

So basically a screwed up weekend in which I will be doing pretty much the same things that I do everyday after office hours. I will try and change this and include something interesting. At least I would go to Little India. I am also planning to hit the gym from this weekend.

The party is over....Ravi Rampaul stepped on the cake!!! :(

He is feeling at sea

He was feeling a little clueless. New in the system, he was trying to work his way around the issues and understand the processes. However, he was feeling little at sea as noone seemed to be helping him out. People assigned him a task and became hands-off. He did not ask for spoon-feeding but initial hand-holding is something that is not an unjustified expectation. People question him about the decisions that they made before he entered the scene. People say that they will help with certain things but they do not. You can ask a few questions but everything is questionable. He has never hesitated from asking questions but over here he has to ask questions about everything and the answers may reflect the lack of common sense on the part of the people around him. He is feeling at sea especially with no one to discuss his woes......

Important day tomorrow....someone is on the verge of a milestone....hushhhhhhh!!! Don't jinx it fellas!!! Special prayers tomorrow morning!!!

'Crash' and 'The Green Mile'

Two movies that have been in my collection since last 5-6 years at least....'Crash' and 'The Green Mile'. I cannot believe that I took so long to watch them. Both of them are simply outstanding. The concept of Crash is interesting and has inspired a Hindi movie "YMI: Yeh Mera India". YMI is a little known movie which did not do  well commercially but I would strongly recommend the movie (if you do not mind the see the true picture of life, with a little bit of abuses and obscenities). Coming back to the topic, Crash is a great movie and a must watch.

The other movie, "The Green Mile" is simply awesome. It has some great performances. It was nominated for academy awards in multiple categories but if my memory is not failing me, it did not one any. It is not the typical Oscar nominated movies (which are a little difficult to understand and takes some watching!!!). It is a pretty interesting movie that will keep you interested till the very end. The ending was dragged a little but it was fine. Tom Hanks is brilliant as usual but Michael Clark Duncan is the real winner.

I strongly recommend both the movies. 

Why have I suddenly started blogging so much? These days, whenever I get any free time, I start blogging!!! It was not like this till a few days back. I used to spend time on Facebook (which I still do), watch movies, takes pictures etc. But now....blogging is on top of the list.

I guess its mainly because I do not have many people to talk to. Cannot spend all the time on phone and am still pretty new to this place to have friends to hang-out with. So, probably I am talking with this blog to overcome the loneliness and boredom. 

Weekend is round the corner. Had planned for a city tour but that cannot happen now. For some reason they do not include a single passenger!!! So I guess, there would be a lot of blog posts over this weekend....unless I find something to keep myself occupied. 

What did I just have?!!?!!!!

Ok, I had 'something' for lunch...I do not know what it was!!!! I do not remember the name of the dish but I will tell you what were the visible ingredients. It had chicken (not too great), plain rice, fried egg (can never understand this combo), prawns.....peanuts............it had some green things that tasted like almonds....and it had some 'dry fried thing' that tasted not so bad but it was smelly. It looked like small pieces of dried fish!!! Not sure about that though (I hope it was fish!!!). Overall, taste was not so bad....the smell was yucks....and like always, the meal was REALLY heavy!!!

I am waiting for Ananya, WiFe and WiFi!!!

Strong Coffee Please!!!

It is 9:30 am...I am sitting in the office and I am feeling very sleepy. Went to bed after 2am last night. There were combination of factors that were keeping me awake;

1. I was not feeling too well. The changing weather over here has not been very kind to me
2. Work. I was working till late and it takes me sometime to switch off afterwards
3. Heard some unusual sounds in the house. Checked many times but could not figure out. Made me really worried
4. Played a movie to divert my attention. Got hooked a little and kept watching it till late. (watched "The Green Mile". Awesome movie so far. Will finish it this weekend)
5. Was missing my daughter. Sometimes when I am sleeping, I get this feeling that she is lying besides me. In my sleep I try to pat/hug her and after not finding her there, I get really depressed :(

Lost Talent

I recently read a blog, which was a tribute by a man to his grandfather. The grandfather was a leg-spinner, who was extremely talented and popular in his hometown but never got enough opportunities to make it big. It reminded me of a friend, an extremely talented spinner, who could never make it big.

The name of the friend is Ariel Topno. Ok, it is indeed an unusual name. The guy is from Jharkhand. His name is not the only unusual thing about him. He played cricket and with a polio affected leg!!! Yet, Ariel was damn good!!!

I am not much of a batsman but once I faced around 20 deliveries from Ariel and could not even connect a single one. It may be argued that its just a reflection of my quality as a batsman but the fact was that Ariel had an unusual and difficult to pick bowling action. Because of his polio affected leg, his run-up and delivery stride were very different. To top it all, he had the ability to bowl leg-spinners, googly, off-spinners and wrong ones with almost the same action!!! Trust me, I am not kidding or exaggerating.

I must say that I was surprised when I came to know that Ariel was selected to play for our school team. We were in Kendriya Vidyalaya Dipatoli in Ranchi. Before that, I had never seen him bowl. To be honest, I felt that he would be a 'liability' in the field as the captain would have to 'hide' him somewhere. I did not watch the first match... a match in which Ariel bowled us to a convincing victory against a decent side. This made me curious.

I went to watch the next match. The match was against Central Academy, which had an extremely strong cricket team. Central Academy had won the Inter-School League in Ranchi a few times and they were also runner-ups on few occasions. Their batting line-up had a batsman, Deepak Lal, who had never been bowled in a cricket match. He was an extremely talented and popular batsman. In the match, Ariel took three wickets. He foxed Deepak with a googly and bowled him. After that, he took 2 more crucial wickets. We lost the match but I realized how good Ariel was. My cousin was in Central Academy and he later told me that the batsmen were all praise for Ariel.

We were knocked out of the Inter-School League in the next game, which was played against the mighty DAV Jawahar Vidya Mandir (commonly known as DAV Shyamali team. DAV Shyamali has two criteria for admission. Excellence in academics and excellence in sports. I must add, their team had some 'over-aged' players. In fact there was a batsman who looked more like a coach!!! They beat us convincingly.

Kendriya Vidyalayas offer chances to students to play at the regional/zonal and national levels. Ariel was selected by our school to go and play at the regional level. He went for selections to Patna. In Patna, he was dropped without getting a chance to bowl in the nets/trials. The selectors just look at his crippled leg and told him that he cannot play. Ariel challenged the selectors to put their best batsman against him. He said that he will bowl one over and if the batsman gets out even once, they should give him a fair chance to get selected. They agreed and put the captain of the district team to play one over from Ariel. The guy was bowled thrice!!! Yet, Ariel was not given a chance and he came back to Ranchi.

In the next season, Ariel played another match against DAV Shyamali. We batted first and were 45-8 in 6 overs (the league matches were of 15 overs; 3 overs per bowler). Ariel batted decently and we managed 114 runs in the 15 overs. It was decent but not at all competitive against a strong side like DAV Shyamli. Yet, we managed to give them a strong fight. Ariel took 4 wickets in his 3 overs and gave away only few runs. One of the victims was Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the present captain of the Indian Cricket team!!! We lost the game but Ariel left a strong impression. Yet, nothing changed for him.

Over the next 2 years, I saw Ariel playing in several matches. He was a great bowler, a decent batsman and a sharp close-in fielder, The biggest issue was indeed running.

Ariel comes from a lower-middle class family. His family could not support his cricket. He could not afford to join a cricket club. He was never a good student and soon became ineligible to play for the school. His cricket reached a dead-end.

Now, he does not play cricket at all. He has a small music band. However, his infectious smile and zeal has not disappeared.

If at all the elders in his family were a little more careful and if at all the selectors at the regional level were little more accommodating.....

Request

Dear Calendar,

Can you please skip December this year? Plz Plz Plz....I want January 2012 to come asap. That is when I can meet my daughter.

Regards,

Animesh (Read: a father who is really really missing his daughter) 

Food for thought

Everyday, the lunch and dinner times bring up the question....what to eat? The complex, in which my office is located, boasts of several restaurants offering different cuisines. There is McDonalds, Subway and a pizza place. There is an Indian restaurant, a Japanese restaurant, a bakery, a BBQ place....all kinds of food. Yet the dilemma remains.



First of all, I am finding the food over here too heavy for my liking. Every meal makes me feel sleepy!!! I do not know what they put in the food out here. It does not look extremely rich or oily like the typical Indian food....yet the food over here packs a punch....a Knock-Out punch!!!


Secondly, the taste is slightly different. A lamb biryani tastes different from any lamb biryani that you will find in India. A 'thosai' (dosa) is again very different. I guess, it is the inclusion of local spices etc that is doing the trick. Not that the food tastes bad...I am yet to develop the liking for this taste.


And lastly, it is the Indian mentality of checking the costs. Till now I have been multiplying everything by 15 or 16 to check how much would this meal/drink cost in India!!! :P

I guess I will have to learn some cooking.

It could have been handled better

Companies have a right to make the decisions that are in their best interest. If my company makes a 'business' decision that goes against me, I will of course feel bad but I will accept it. After all, if I have to make a career decision for myself, I would not be considering the business interest of my employer much. Of course, I will do whatever I can do to not to hamper the business of my employer but I will not subordinate my interest, Everyone does that and so it should not be any different for the companies/employers.

My previous employer chose to close down some of its businesses. Understandable. Priorities change. However, there is a certain way one must go about to ensure a smooth transformation. You want to remove certain people but you also want to retain some people. The communication must be clear. Companies should let the people, who are in 'danger', know that things could take a wrong turn. Give them proper notice. After all, you would not like to jeopardize someone's career. If you are giving decent notice to the employees to look for options outside, no one will have a right to complain. Moreover, the policies should be same for everyone unless clearly stated earlier. If someone has a 3 months notice period, let them serve the notice period. Do not give 1 month notice to someone along with 2 months additional salary and 3 months notice to someone else. This is biasness.

More importantly, clearly communicate the people, which you would like to retain, that they are 'wanted' and there is still a place for them in the organization. Often companies fail do so. This results in causing panic. Everyone starts thinking that his/her job is in danger. People start floating their resume and leave at the first opportunity. They could have and the company could have done better had they stayed with the company. But no one will take that risk. My previous employer is a good example of that. A lot of teams were asked to leave. There was this particular team that was not given any communication. Most people outside the team felt that the team members are safe as it would have made a lot of sense for the company to retain the team. But the team members were shitting their pants. They floated their resumes and most of them suddenly left. With the current scenario, no one was interested to join the team/company and now there was no other option but to close the team!!!

It also boils down to the experience and background of the top management. In the KPO industry, you would find a lot of people with less than 10 years of experience and without proper education sitting in the top chairs. Sometimes there is a total mismatch in the education and the job profile. A hotel management graduate would be heading the HR function. A Chartered Accountant would be in-charge of a technical domain like healthcare. You are asking for trouble. I know cases wherein the HR announced to a set of employees that it would be their last day in office at their workstations!!!! You have to understand that these are sensitive issues and should be announced/discussed behind closed doors. The HR Head in this case had total irrelevant education background, had limited experience (5-6 years) and was earning a fat pay package. She did not know how to deal such situations and she did not care. It caused a panicky situation on the floor and EVERYONE started to update their resumes. It was good for the people who were eventually in danger but it was extremely bad for others as well as the company. Things could have been handled in a much better way. If only companies understand it and start investing in the right people for leadership roles.

Big Development

Big biiiiiiiiiig development today. I got my employment pass endorsed. My passport has returned to me with a 3-year employment pass in Malaysia!!! I can make multiple entries in Malaysia till 16 Oct 2014!!! It has opened a door...... Much relieved now.

Conversion Woes

My Indianness keeps kicking in. I ask the shopkeeper the price. He says "XX Ringgit". I start thinking, "16 multiplied by XX Ringgit would be........."!!! I keep converting the figures into Indian Rupee!!! I need to stop that and pretty quickly. But ya, the positive side is that soon I will learn to multiple every possible number with 15 or 16!!!

Ok, is this an ambush or do you guys work like this only???!!!?? 

Zzzzz

Everyday, it is the same story. I have lunch in one of the several restaurants in my office complex and then I start feeling sleepy!!! No matter what kind of dish I have, it happens. What are they putting in the food out here?

Wishes

I wish I was there to help you out.....and....

I wish you were here to help me out. 

Yes...No...May Be....Can't Say

Me.One: I do not think that I can stay here for long

Me.Two: C'mon you can do it, you should think positively

Me.One: May be. I may adjust over here after a while. But whats the point of staying so far away from everyone?

Me.Two: You are just being emotional and missing everyone. Think about long term...the bigger picture

Me.One: But my priorities are different

Me.Two: You have to think and care about these things as well. After all, you would not like to be left behind

Me.One: Of course, I would not like to be left behind. No one wants to be left behind. But I do not want to be the one who was not there with his family when they needed him either

Me.Two: There is no emergency, isnt it? You are just thinking negatively

Me.One: Probably right but I need my loved ones around me. Without them, I feel helpless

Me.Two: They will be with but you will have to wait

Me.One: Its not that I only want my wife and daughter over here. I want my parents over here as well

Me.Two: It can be difficult to manage things....expenses, travel, healthcare...things are costly out here

Me.One: That is the point....then is it worth it?

Me.Two: It could be worth it after a while. You can go back. You can bring them here and manage better....

Me.One: Too many uncertainties....this is what is making my life difficult

Me.Two: There would be uncertainties everywhere....but is it the uncertainties or are you just missing them too much

Me.One: I do not know

Me.Two: You need to have that clarity

Shut up you two.....I need to think out here. 

Why is that a house always looks okay and ready-to-move-in till you move-in? Now I can see flaws. Are these flaws really there and so bad? Or am I seeing them coz I do not want to stay away from 'home'. I guess things should brighten up once my wife, daughter and my parents come here.

Unpacking

Unpacking itself is a painful task.....but unpacking in a place where you really really R-E-A-L-L-Y do not want to stay is painful, frustrating and depressing. :(

Jee Shaab Jee!!!

Nepalis are fast becoming my best friends as they are the among the few with whom I can communicate in Hindi in this foreign land. There are lots of people of Indian origin but most of them are 1st, 2nd or 3rd Generation Malaysians. They do not talk in Hindi and they do not like to talk in Hindi or be called Indians. That is okay as some of them have never ever even been to India. However, Nepalis have been making me feel somewhat at home. They talk in Hindi and most of them are really nice.

I love weekdays compared to weekends!!!

Staying alone was never an issue for me. Not that I have stayed alone for any prolonged duration but I used to quite enjoy staying alone. I guess times have changed now.

I have been alone in the past 2 weeks. I go to the office and come back. In the past 2 weeks, I was staying in a guest house and there was no one to talk to. I used to spend some time chatting with my family but the time difference did not allow us to talk for longer duration. I was hoping that shifting into a house will change things as it will keep me occupied. I was clearly wrong.

A house is incomplete without the homemaker. I can do whatever I want to do in order to settle down in this house, I can try and arrange things in the best possible way that I can....yet this house will be nothing more than a guest house without Roshni.  

Shift in the new house
Check
Buy Grocery
Check
Apply for cable and broadband connection
Check (it will take 2-3 weeks)
Take USB modem and stay connected
C-H-E-C-K!!!!! Yippie!!!

Adjusting in a new place

Adjusting into a new place is never easy, especially when one has spent a long time in one location. It gets all the more difficult when the new place is in another country!!!

I miss India. Like most of us, I have also often cribbed about the state of affairs in India and how people are forced to lead a life without decent infrastructure. Well, this new place has all the infrastructure but it still comes short on something......it is not India!!!

There are several things and people that I miss; some of the more prominent ones are (not in any order);

1. Autorickshaws: The same three legged creatures that used to make driving hell back in India are being missed over here. Its not that the place does not have cabs.....but for short distances, I am not pretty comfortable taking cabs.
2. Laundry Boy: I dont remember when was the last time that I ironed my shirt in India. Over here, I do not have any choice . I am definitely going to hire a maid to end my misery but till then.....
3. Ease of finding people/ things: In India, when you need a cobbler/barber/plumber/electrician....they are all available at the next corner. Over here, you need to call them, book an appointment etc etc.
4. Parents and Wife: Of course I miss them a lot. Things would have been very simple and easy with them around.
5. Ananya: I miss my daughter the most!!! I miss hugging her and watching her smile/sleep/stare at nothing/play etc. Her absence is making my life miserable. I wish that she comes here soon.

'Aicing' on the Cake!!!

Nepali Security Guard: आप इंडिया में कहाँ से हैं? (which part of India are you फ्रॉम?)

Me: मैं रांची से हूँ, यह झारखण्ड में है (I am from Ranchi, which is in Jharkhand)

Nepali Security Guard: ???? (Clueless)

Me: हम लोग वैसे तो बिहार से हैं, लेकिन अब झारखण्ड में रहते हैं ( I am from Bihar but now we are settled in Jharkhand)

Nepali Security Guard: ओ बिहार!!! बिहार मुझे पता है. यहाँ एक और है बिहार से....बिहार के लोग वैसे तो बहुत काले होते हैं....जैसे आप काला है.....लेकिन वोह गोरा है (Oh Bihar...I know Bihar. There is a guy from Bihar over here. People from Bihar are usually very dark...like you.....but he is fair)

Me: Smile!!! (Grrrrrrr!!!! %^$%^&&%&^$%&##^&%)

This was my conversation with the security guard of my guest house in Kuala Lumpur. His name is 'Aicing'. पता तो हमेशा से था, बुरा कल ही लगा!!!