Caught among percentages

The work-related 'Things-to-Do' list is getting so big that gathering enough motivation to even look at it has become an item on the list!!!

It has a project which others have worked on without much success. I would like to believe that they tried everything that was made sense and still did not get any (please note, it is 'any' and not 'enough') success. So, the project was assigned to me with the expectation that I would give 100% time (please note, 100% time) to the project.

Then I have another project that requires 100% time. Another project that requires less than 10% time unless there is a crisis. Then a research report that requires 2 more days of effort. Another project that requires some tweaking in the final deliverable and a final presentation in Hong Kong. And lastly, Business Development that should be given around 50% time!!! Not to forget the ever-increasing list of administrative activities, which consume a lot of time and more importantly, kill momentum.

However, I am not worried about the work. That I can do.....if I get sufficient time. This equation of 100% + 100% + 10% + 16 hours + 50% + x% is making me confused!!!

Guess I should raise a help desk to add more hours in my days anx more days in my weeks!!!!

Subsidy over Infrastructure Development

Delhi government has cancelled few infrastructure projects and have diverted fundings from few projects to fund the subsidy in electricity. Wow!!

This sort of naxalist thinking and strategies will make Delhi as developed as most places in the red corridor.

Anyways, Delhi deserves it as they voted for AAP. Never liked the Delhiwallahs in any case.

Gong Xi Fa Cai

Happiness!!!!

Gong Xi Fa Cai 2014

Already in her Daddy's shoes

Need for Flexibility

Simon Doull made a valid point when he said that he was surprised by Indian team's reluctance to change things in the ongoing one day series with New Zealand. India lost the first two encounters and tied the third one, thanks to some unexpected heroics with the bat from Aswin and Jadeja. Then in the fourth match, India changed too many things suddenly. They decided to bat first, which they had not done throughout the series. They decided to bring in two players, including a debutante. And the best batsman in the line-up, who bats one down, opened the innings. Doull pointed that too many sudden changes seldom work. Of course he had the advantage of the hindsight but he does have a point. India lost the fourth match and the series.

Indian captain was furious. He played two good innings in the last two matches. Whenever he plays well and India loses, he usually is furious. Else, he puts a 'vague' blame on the batsmen. This time, he was furious with his pace bowlers. He even wentvon to say that the pace bowlers should learn to use their brains and that the spinners are more or less decided for the World Cup in 2015 but he is not sure which fast bowlers will make it.

I disagree on multiple levels. However, I would like to make it clear that I complete agree that the pacers did not bowl in the right areas and sprayed it all over the place. They were short and wide more often than not. Shami did take decent number of wickets but he was expensive as well. So am not trying to defend the performance of the pacers in this series.

My issue is the singling out of the pace bowlers. Of course, their performance was below par. However, the spinners did not fare any better. If a satisfactory performance from a spinner is taking 1 or at max 2 wickets and giving away 6 to 7 runs in an over, then I would be surprised if India would be able to retain its title in the World Cup next year. Indian captain has made it clear that he does not like 4 pacer strategy as it impacts the over-rate. Valid point. However, that empashises the need for quality spinners. Aswin and Jadeja may be the chosen ones but their performance was not great or even satisfactory either.

I believe Dhoni is more impressed with the batting abilities of both his spinners. That is again okay. Every captain is entitled to have his own strategy and gameplan. Dhoni clearly prefers to have more ammunition in his batting line-up. However, by being satisfied with below par bowling performance by his spinners, he puts unfair pressure on the pace bowlers.

The two spinners have done well in India. They restrict the opposition and take wickets. But so do Bhuvaneswar Kumar and Shami. Unfortunately, the World Cup would not be played in India or the subcontinent. India needs bowlers, who can take wickets in Australia and New Zealand - pacers as well spinners. 

Dhoni clearly prefers to have Aswin and Jadeja in his team - irrespective of the conditions. But if he wants to continue with this strategy, he needs another decent bowling option. Someone like an Irrfan Pathan (if he is fit, which he rarely is) would be handy. Or it could be any other medium pace bowler who is also good with the bat. If Irrfan is fit, it would be better to have him in the side. And I would go with Yuvraj over Raina any day. I believe Yuvraj would anyways be included but in place of Rahane, who is yet to pick full steam. I will not be too disappointed if that happens but there is a need for Raina to justify his existence.....and quickly.

Moreover, there is a need to try few other spinners. Mishra should definitely be tried. Am biased towards leggies :)

Overall, it is okay if India lost to New Zealand. They deserved to lose. However, it would be better if Indian team considers it as a learning experience and a preparatory camp and starts to unlearn and then learn a few things. Strangely, fielding is the only department where India did well. In every other department, there is work required to do. So it is unfair to single out the young and inexperienced pacers.

Stan won Aus Open, Rafa won hearts

Stanislas Wawrinka played great tennis in the last two weeks to win the Australian Open title. He is in great form; he also won the Chennai Open at the beginning of the year but that tournament is far less competitive than a grand slam like Australian Open. In the finals, he dominated and defeated Rafael Nadal. Rafa's game was affected by a back strain that he suffered in the second set but before that as well, Stan was dominating the court.

There are no two ways about the fact that Stan deserved to win. He played better and aggressive tennis. Rafa played short initially and was extremely slow later on, due to his injury. Stan produced some amazing forehand as well as backhand winners through out the match. 

However, the match left a bad taste in the mouth. Rafa took a medical break of 5 minutes that the players are entitled to but clearly, Stan as well as the crowd did not like it for some reason. Stan had an animated argument with the chair umpire and the officials. Later, the crowd booed Rafa when he returned to the court after the 5 minute break!!! That clearly had an affect on Rafa. He was already crumbling physically but the crowd behavior seemed to have affected him mentally as well. He was almost in tears after his return and physical pain did not seem like the only reason.

That crowd behavior was uncalled for. Indeed they had paid good money for the tickets and they wanted a full game but Rafa had more to lose than anyone else. Honestly, it did not seem like he would be able to continue and complete the match but he did. He did not play for the crowd, he did not play to complete the match and give a decent and deserving victory to Stan but he played as he had come over there to fight and to win. 

He pulled up his game in the third set and won it. That was completely unexpected. Probably the painkillers had started to take affect. He clearly was not at the top of his game but he was fighting. And that was so heartening to see. He played and fought like a champion. 

Eventually, Stan went past Rafa in the fourth set to win his first grand slam but that does not matter. There would be other days and more battles. What matters is that Rafa had the will to fight till the end. Most of his die-hard fans gave up after the second set and did not expect him to complete the match. But Rafa proved them (including me) wrong and demonstrated what fighters and champions are made of.

AAP ka Dawood!!!

Another AAP leader made a controversial statement today. Anjali Damania said that even Dawood Ibrahim is welcome to join AAP!!!

This is precisely the kind of people and ideology that is making a large number of people to stay away from or hate AAP. What is the message that they are trying to give to people? They made a big tamasha after the Somnath Bharti led raid and wanted few cops to be suspended. So, they are against cops who do not obey their orders but are ready to welcome Dawood in their party!!

AAP leaders keep saying that Congress is corrupt and BJP is communal. They do not say that Modi is corrupt. Their issue with Modi is that he is communal as he was the CM at the time of Gujarat riots (though the courts have given a clean chit to Modi). Lets, for the sake of argument, suppose that Modi is communal and he is against Muslims and Islam. In that case, AAP is right in opposing Modi. However, it is baffling that they are okay with Dawood who was the person behind the Mumbai bomb blasts and riots. So, a person is communal if he/she is against Muslims but if someone kills Hindus, he is still welcome in their party.

Every political party identifies and focuses on its target segment. That is common across all parties. AAP has also attracted several popular celebrities and leaders. They do not focus on religion-based politics, which is indeed a step in the right direction. However, they have found/created another target segment that includes pseudo-intellectuals, naxalites and anti-nationals. These are the people who want plebiscite in Kashmir, blame Indian Army, oppose hanging of Ajmal Kasab, are okay with Dawood Ibrahim joining their party and encourage naxals to join their party. These are the type of people that Arvind Kejriwal should worry about more.

Going by recent examples, AAP may either say that Anjali was misquoted or that it is her personal opinion and not the official party stance. In such a case AAP supporters would come out beating their chests that how BJP supporters and 'paid media' tried to falsely blame an AAP leader or would say that "See!! Our party is so democratic that it allows its leaders to speak their mind". Have we not heard this way too many times in the last couple of months?!?!

AAP supporters keep telling others that it is a party whose heart is in the right place. Let us believe (again just for the sake of argument) that it is true. Even then it is high time that the party gets it act together and starts acting responsibly.

I never expected I would ever say this but one should give credit where it is due. So... WELL PLAYED JADEJA!!!!

Papa-Aanu

Earlier threats to disrupt the R-Day parade used to come from LeT and Co. Now, Delhi government is threatening to do that!!! What progress!!! Take that terrorists!!!

Inconvenience Fee - II

Dear Sir/Madam,

At the outset we apologize for the delay in answering your mail and the inconvenience caused.

With regards to your email, as the flights were cancelled by us, full refund is applicable including the Convenience  Fee we apologize for not processing the refund along with your e-tickets.

Please allow us to mention we have processed a  full refund of Convenience  Fee INR 315.00 back on the credit card.

This process usually takes ten days. We request you to kindly check with your issuing bank.

Please accept our sincere apologies for the inconvenience caused to you.

Thank you,

Jet Airways

--------------------------------------

So they admitted their mistake and are refunding the money. Feeling proud of myself that I did not let it go :)

Confused....

Really confused about something......should I or shouldn't I? Will be a huge gamble.....and will cause a lot of trouble and awkwardness if it does not pay off. But still.....seems like....worth a shot!!! Confused.....

Trip to Singapore

Point to Ponder

If it is okay to give a discount and take a hit for a new client, why cannot the request for 'something extra' be accommodated for an existing but 'not-so-regular' client? In fact a discount makes it difficult to recover the investment or increase the margin in/through subsequent projects. On the other hand, giving something extra to an existing client strengthens the relationship and increases the chance of repeat business.

Yaadein.....

Masterpiece

Movie Marathon

Watched 5 movies today!!!! Must be a record for me. I do have such movie marathons sometimes but I do not think I have ever watched 5 movies in a day.

I started with 'The Wolf of Wall Street'. It is a highly acclaimed and popular movie by Martin Scorsese. Had high expectations from the movie due to the director and the lead actor i.e., Leonardo Dicaprio. I must say that I did not quite like the movie as much as I expected. The movie is about a stock broker who has this unsatisfying hunger of getting rich. He is also a robinhood of sorts for his employees. He does drugs and women like people breathe. It has a predictable storyline and the performances are not anything special. It has fetched Leonardo a Golden Globe (I am told), so clearly mine is not a popular opinion.

Then I watched the 'Grudge Match'. It is a movie about two champion boxers who used to be arch rivals. They get old but they still do not see eye-to-eye. Hence a 'grudge match' is arranged. Again, a very predictable storyline. I watched the movie as it stars Robert De Niro and Sylvestor Stallone. I like the later and truly admire the former. Moreover, both of them have played extremely popular roles as boxers in the past. I expected the movie to be funny, which it is. But it is not hahaha kind of funny. Moreover, it is not gripping. Not the best work of either actors and not the best movie that I watched today.

Then I watched 'The Secret Life of Walter Mitty'. It is a movie about a 'Negative Assets Manager' in Life magazine. The guy is shy, introvert, always drags himself in awkward/embarrassing situations and is a DAY DREAMER. The part is played by Ben Stiller, who is also the director of the movie. Ben Stiller has played similar roles in the past. There is something about Mary, Meet the Parents, Meet the Fockers, Duplex....you name them. But this movie is different. It is not a comedy. Or lets say that the movie wont tickle  you but it will bring a smile on your face. Sean Penn plays a cameo in the movie. Overall, the movie is interesting and not predictable but still does not have a strong story. My wife did not like the movie. But.....I did. I could relate to the shy, introverted day-dreamer!!!

Then I watched a long due movie that I wanted to watch in theaters and in 3D. GRAVITY!! Extremely gripping story. Nice cast (Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, who has a small but extremely good role). I really liked the first half but the second half started to drag a little. Getting sucked into space from one space station.....then reaching another space station.....and then another one.....and then landing on earth was too much to digest. They could have added a crocodile or a lake monster in the lake Sandra Bullock finally lands in but thankfully did not do that!!!! Overall, good engaging movie that could have been better.

And then I watched 'The Purge'. The movie was recommended by a colleague, whose last recommendation ('The Iceman') was not bad at all. The movie stars Ethan Hawke (not the greatest ingredient for a so-called good dish). The movie is about a scenario in United States of 2022, where the government legalizes any crime (including murder) in a 12-hour window, once a year!!!! What was I thinking!!! Do not want to waste more time on this movie so lets just say.....STUPID STUPID MOVIE!!!

Political Banter

Comment

Sir, a lesser mortals like me look forward to your posts. 

Unfortunately they are becoming more towards promoting propaganda and less factual. 

AAP is not a congress tool. It never was. And you know that. 

If it was, then it makes no sense for kejriwal to so humiliatingly defeat Sheila Dixit. If it was it makes no sense to expose vadra land deals. If it was it makes no sense to reduce water and electricity bills. If it was it makes no sense to still keep abusing BJP and congress in same breath. 

There is no subsidy being given either on water or electricity. 

In case of water, his logic is - water us basic. You can argue on amount, but you can't argue that it is as mandatory as air. So how can govt charge on something as basic as that ? It is a question of state responsibility. 

On electricity. Ask any of your Delhi friend about bills. They were unreasonably high. There is no reason for the companies to shy from audit. And checking of meters. Let that happen and see the fun. 

On Kashmir : Bhushan has always been a voice of dissent. For gods sake don't beat him up if you don't like what he is saying. 

I can go on....... 

The major problem with BJP has been it has been shouting from rooftop about Hindu nationalism, Mandir, pride in Kashmir, Pappu bashing, and now latest Hindu pride. Which many are simply not interested in. 

And here comes a rookie and stumps the bigwig on something as basic as water, electricity, street light, door to door smart campaigning. 

They are not agents of USA or Pakistan. They are Indians. And they have support of Indians. Like me. 

Will AAP vote result in hung assembly ? If you are worried. If anyone is worried, then vote for AAP. Or give a non Mandir, non Hindu pride, non "they are agents/ anti national", cogent reason why I should vote for BJP and I would. 

This is w

here you will see that BJP is hollow and AAP fills the void.

Response

Sir, I am sharing what are MY political beliefs and point-of-views of experts that I respect and follow. I believe I have every right to do that. I am not questioning the beliefs of anyone else and if the supporters of other parties find my views/posts/forwards promotion of propaganda then be it.

Honestly, I do not think that AAP is part of Congress but I do believe that there is a pact. Congress is certainly using AAP. Congress realizes that now it is not going to have the kind of results that it enjoyed in the last general elections and unless the votes get divided, BJP will have a strong hand. They are using AAP for that. So, for Congress, AAP is god sent.

Vadra's land deals were not 'exposed' by Kejriwal and Bhushan. Everyone knew about them in any case. I myself had read about all the details and more in a leading publication (cannot recall which one) at least an year before Kejriwal's press conference.

Kejriwal had once shown a 300+ pager document, which (as per him) contained strong evidences against Sheila Dikshit. What happened to that document now? Why is he not taking any action against Congress/Diksit? Before the elections he kept saying that Congress is corrupt and BJP is communal (I do agree that he did also say that BJP is also corrupt). Now he wants BJP to produce evidences against Dikshit and then he would order an inquiry!!! Awesome

It is up to you if do not want to believe that water and electricity related decisions made by AAP are not forms of subsidies. Several prominent economists see them as subsidies. And I read an interview of Daniel Yergin yesterday and he said and I quote,"subsidy does two things: it stimulates demand and reduces the drive to be more efficient. And there'd be cost, cost to companies, cost to economy. In general, over the years we have come to believe that where prices are market-based, those are the markets that work more efficiently in the long run. Markets are smarter (than governments). There are ways to take care of the poor without having very broad subsidy. Subsidy is a very expensive form of social policy". My question is even bigger. Are the measures helping the poor? They do not have metered connections. So the benefits are actually going to people who can afford water and electricity. Yes, do audit the companies. But do not give freebies. Indian economy cannot afford that. There is no outflow without an inflow. If the government runs out of money, inflation would rise, taxes would increase.....most would not be able to afford that. If the government has money, by all means give free or 'subsidized' water and electricity. And why stop there. House is a basic need (no rent, no property tax). Food is a basic need as well. In today's times, roads, communication, internet etc are pretty basic requirements as well. Lets not charge anything or enough on these as well (without impacting the economy) and I will certainly vote for AAP.

Though I have a strong urge, I did not beat up Prashant Bhushan. I swear.

Yes, they are Indians and are supported by Indians. But so are naxalites and naughty people of Indian Mujahideen. I am just questioning the logic. If someone believes that Naxalites and IM do not have the backing of friendly neighbors, I wish them a happy stay in their wonderland. 

As far as I am concerned, I am more anti-Congress than pro-anyone. I do not want Congress to come back in power and I see BJP as a good substitute. AAP is likely to (may be unintentionally) keep a door open for Congress. I like the development model of Narendra Modi and I am a firm believer in his governance model. I do think that he has a vision. People may call him communal but no one says that he is corrupt. I think he would be a strong leader. 

I do not care about mandir.

Gujarat has improved a lot in 10 years. Electricity (a basic need) is not an issue over there - they in fact have a surplus. The infrastructure has improved significantly. Several infrastructure projects have come over there. They have managed to attract investments from several Indian and international companies. Modi and some of the other BJP leaders that I support are considered to be honest by most. Those are reasons enough for me. 

If you have reasons that do not include giving away freebies, giving away Kashmir and initiatives that are not there already in most BJP ruled states, please do let me know. I would consider switching my loyalties as well. And would love to see Kejriwal as Prime Minister, Bhushan as Home Minister and Lord Kumar Vishwas as Minister of BC

And lastly, FB allows you to hide the posts of certain people. Please hide my posts if they offend you in any manner :)

Hmmmph!!!

Inconvenience Fee

Hi Jet Airways,

I do have a question. I see that the amount that Jet Airways is refunding is not the total amount that I paid. It does not include the convenience fee of INR 315. I do realize that the ticket mentioned that it is a non-refundable amount. However, I did not cancel the tickets on my own. The flight was cancelled by Jet Airways. Why should I lose the money after it already caused severe inconvenience to me. 

My flight was from Ranchi to Kolkata and from Kolkata I had to take a flight back to Kuala Lumpur. I was forced to take a last minute, inconvenient train journey to be able to reach Kolkata on time. If anything, Jet Airways should pay me an 'inconvenience fee'.

Though the amount in question is a small amount, I question the logic and intent. If Jet Aiways cancels such a flight with 100 passengers, it will make INR 315 * 100 = INR 31,500 on a flight it never flew!!!

I look forward to a response and explanation from your end.

Regards,

Animesh

I really do not understand why should airlines not refund the convenience fee when the cancel a flight!!! Though convenience charges are usually small, across all the passengers it can be a significant amount. That is good money for an airline for not doing anything!!! I am not sure if I will get the money or not. It is a small amount and it does not really matter. But if it is the usual practice, it is a big scam!!!

Mind your own business

Jab kisi se koi gila rakhna,

Saamne apne aaina rakhna

Easier said than done. Its not that am able to do it. I get too excited and worked up when am angry and then say things which I would never have said otherwise. However, when there is no heated argument, I try not to say things as I know that I am no god. I havd sinned as well.

But there are others who seem to truly believe that they are always right. And in this frame of mind they go on passing comments on others and preaching things to others!!! I truly despise such people.

And then there are others who do not say things directly. They hide behind rhetoric or poetic words. Such people are cowards 'as well'.

They try to keep a backdoor open so that they can go back and say that they were 'misunderstood'. Have seen enough of such crap to understand their true colors.

Do not forget that I and several others truly understand how dramatic you. People understand the hollowness of your emotions, smiles and tears. You have suffered in life and I do not get any kind of sadistic pleasure out of that. But you have asked for it. And you have made others around you suffer even more. Most of them do not realize it due to a brainwashing that has happened from an early stage. But others do understand it.

'Some of them do laugh at your tears'. Getting my drift? Well...as I said....I do not laugh at your tears. I have become emotionless as far as you are concerned. I do not get moved by your emotions. And I do not cry on your shoulders when am sad depressed. So please do not comment ('if you did') on my sorrows. You do not have any business doing that.

And if you have anything to say to me or ANYONE else, please be direct.

Daal mein kaala ya kaale mein daal!!!

Midnight Creativity

Santa Claus does exist!!!

Free stuff....waivers.....subsidies!!! Did not realise that Indian economy is doing so well!!! Long Live Kejriwal!!! Santa Claus does exist!!! Delhi junta....stop paying your utility bills, taxes, challans etc....they may be waived off in any case.

Ma, Aayu and Maow

48th Death Anniversary of Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri. A selfless and honest character. Wish he had served the nation a little longer.

Hum

Tarboooooz!!!!!

A Project Manager in Vigg Voss: Project Costing Task

• Vigg Voss asks a Project Manager to prepare a proposal
• Project Manager prepares the proposal keeping in mind the client requirements
• Vigg Voss suggests that more deliverables should be included to make the project bigger
• Project Manager points that other deliverables are not the core requirements and if we suggest them, the client would…..want them…. in the same budget
• Vigg Voss smiles and says “Yaaaaa”
• Vigg Voss then takes the Project Manager through his own experiences and how he became the Vigg Voss
• The additional deliverables are included
• Project Manager calculates the effort required
• The required hours are entered against the required resources in the project costing tool i.e., Project Form A
• The tool gives the project cost and also indicates the profitability
• Vigg Vosses gets excited about the prospect of making that money
• However, at the same time Vigg Voss is not sure whether the client has that kind of budget
• Project Manager points that with the existing scope, the costing cannot be reduced without impacting the profitability
• Vigg Voss points that the project costing tool is flawed……but needs to be followed
• Vigg Voss suggests that the number of hours should be reduced to be able to reach a figure that Vigg Voss believes the client would be ready to pay
• Project Manager points that with the current scope, the hours cannot be reduced
• Vigg Voss smiles and says “Yaaaaa”
• Vigg Voss suggests that the hours should be reduced in costing tool but in the productivity tool, the resources would get the required number of hours
• Project Management finds this….’wrong’….but Vigg Voss is THE BOSS
• The reduced costing is prepared and submitted to the client
• Client says it is ‘slightly’ out of budget
• Vigg Voss decides to reduce the costing…without reducing the scope
• Project Manager points that the client may think that we had a high margin earlier and that is why we have been able to accommodate the reduction. This will impact future business as well and thus, we should defend our costing…at least slightly
• Vigg Voss smiles and says “Yaaaaa” and reduces the costing. Still no reduction in the scope
• The reduction means even lesser hours for each resources in the project costing tool….but as per Vigg Voss, the tool itself is flawed
• Client commissions the project
• Project Manager assigns ‘required hours’ to each team member in the productivity tool and sends it for approval to Vigg Voss
• Vigg Voss approves the hours….though they are more than double than what has been shown in the costing tool….and when the policy is that the hours should match in both systems
• Project Manager gets the required hours and thinks that Vigg Voss is fair
• After few days, Vigg Voss has another project for the Project Manager
• Project Manager points that he is completely tied up with the existing project and he has full time billing
• Vigg Voss points that the hours in the costing tool are much lower so Project Manager MUST find a way to deliver the same scope in much lesser hours!!!
• Project Manager is confused
• Project Manager asks that how come the effort to be put in should be proportional to what is being charged to the client and the scope has no correlation to the costing?
• Vigg Voss smiles and says “Yaaaaaa”
• Vigg Voss comes up with a solution….he suggests that “since the client is paying us less….we should tell the client that we will drop a few deliverables”
• Project Manager points that it is not fair to do that after the project has been commissioned
• Vigg Voss smiles and says “Yaaaaaa”
• Vigg Voss comes up with another solution….he suggests that “since the client is paying us less….we should spend less time…..but at the same time ensure that all the promised deliverables are taken care of……but spend less time on the project…..but that does not mean we should compromise the quality”
• Project Manager asks that how can the exact same work with the same quality be done in …for example…both 300 and 150 hours? Lesser hours would translate into lesser work or lesser quality
• Vigg Voss says “Yaaaaaa”
• Vigg Voss tells the Project Manager that the Project Manager is the best judge and he should take care of it. If it requires more hours, it requires more hours
• Project Manager is not convinced and is sure that it will impact his prospects in the company…err…the show
• As expected, later the Project Manager is given a feedback that he should “learn to multi-task” and “should add more value” and “should not over-deliver”
• Project Manager points that he could not multi-task as the existing project involved (and required) his full time involvement
• Project Manager points that he did not over-deliver…he just delivered what was promised to the client
• Project Manager reasons that he has been adding more value as happy and satisfied clients are more likely to come back with more projects and his clients have indeed been coming back
• Project Manager points that in consulting, one has to nurture existing relationships instead of going for a new relationship every time
• Vigg Voss says “Yaaaaaa”
• Project Manager feels he would soon be eliminated

1(Note: Management Consulting version of the popular reality show, Bigg Boss)

Hello Animesh Kumar,

Thank you for registering at Bharatiya Janata Party - The Party with a Difference.

Think.....

'People' said form a government, even with support of Congress....so we did!!!

'People' asked why did you agree to move into a big house....so I refused!!!

Will not contest Lok Sabha elections.....But will do that if 'People' wish so!!!

Hmmmm....then why did 'People' pick a leader or Chief Minister. Interactive Voice Response (IVR) and/or Survey Monkey would have been better and more economical options!!! 

"But this is real democracy". Oh is it!!! Were you asked whether they should take support of Congress? Did they ask you before delaying any action/investigation against Sheila Dikshit? Democracy means rule of majority. Do they have the backing of more than half the people of Delhi? If you still think this is democratic style of governance to #AAPchutiyehain

Nautanki Saala

Kejriwal said he was okay to move to two 5-bedroom houses. He later backed out saying that his party and supporters were against it. Now, he has said that he will not contest the Lok Sabha elections. Now again, his party is opposed to the idea and believes that he should contest the Lok Sabha elections. No one knows what the final decision would be but there are two points worth noting;

1. If Kejriwal takes a stand that he firmly believes in and then later backs away, how does this reflect upon him as the leader of a 'revolutionary movement' and a potential future PM? How is he very different from Manmohan Singh then. Manmohan never used to make the decision and relied on his party to make the decisions for him. Kejriwal makes the decisions and then changes them and follows what his party shows. Not the perfect example of the strong character that his supporters believe he possesses
2. What if all this is a gimmick just to show that the party believes in democracy and all the decisions and made democratically? If that is the case then the decisions made in the first place were never meant to be followed!!! If that is case, Kejriwal is pretty quick on his learning curve as far as politics is concerned. But then, was he not supposed to be different from 'politicians'?

Moreover, I find their talks of democratic way of governance very amusing. Democracy means a 'form of government where people chose the leaders through voting'. It also means 'rule of the majority'. Now majority also can be defined in various ways. In terms of elections, majority means 'more than half of the votes/seats'. AAP did not have that. Neither did BJP or any other party. Majority also means being greater in number. That way BJP had the majority. So, AAP's government is not the example of democracy at all.

Why I wish few murders should be legally allowed

Kashmir could see a Delhi style referendum if the Aam Aadmi Party were to form the next government at the centre. In an interview to Aaj Tak's Seedhi Baat programme, senior AAP leader Prashant Bhushan called for a referendum in the valley to decide whether or not the Army should be deployed to deal with internal threats in Kashmir - Source India Today

Awesome.....and lets also put a red carpet on Indo-Pak border in Kashmir. Lets ask the people over there...including those who tear away Indian flags on R-Day. Lets give Kashmir to Pakistan and rest of the country to naxalites!!!

Thanks to such #@☆¤$!/&₩, my high blood pressure problem will never go away!!!!

Matlab....Kucch bhi!!!!

"Who knows AAP can also win 400 seats in the Lok Sabha elections" says Prashant Bhushan.

What is this guy smoking these days?!?! Indeed AAP made a strong debut but still were short of getting a majority in Delhi itself. Yet he thinks they may win 400 seats!!

His party is against it else he may have requested a red beacon for his unicorn.

Happiness in Small Package

हमारे पास तो जडेजा, इशांत और रोहित शर्मा थे,

तो साऊथ अफ्रीका ने हमारा फाड़ दिया,

तुम्हारे पास तो कुक, एंडरसन और ब्रॉड थे,

तुमने क्या उखाड़ लिया!!!

Happy New Year Amma......

Reading this....

Wish Viru was in form...these days he carries a commode instead of his cricket kit. He shits in every match!!!

The biggest positive from India's tour to South Africa is undoubtedly Ajinkya Rahane. Well played lad!! Pujara, Kohli and Rahane are real test batsmen, in and outside the subcontinent. Vijay has the temperament as well. Others seem more suited to play on flat tracks. Jadeja is more suited to play on PlayStation.

The case against Devyani is not getting withdrawn and they are going ahead with prosecution. Its a pity that US doesnt play cricket; BCCI could have settled the matter by now.

Indian team's condition can be described in four words.....Law-Day-Luck-Gay!!!

Conversation between 2 Tendulkar Fans

Part of my conversation with my father a few days back;

Papa: News channels are saying that South Africa's 'Jacques' has announced his retirement from test cricket. Which Jacques this this?

Me: Jacques Kallis, who else?!!?

Papa: 

Me: Why?

Papa: That means Tendulkar's record of most test centuries and runs are safe for a while!!! (I could almost 'hear' his big grin on the other end)

Me: Yup. Now, he will play only one more test. Do you want him to score a century so that he leaves on a high?

Papa: Ya......now it does not matter.....

Papa: Actually NO!! What if he changes his mind afterwards!!!

Publicity Stunts!!

Arvind Kejriwal became the Chief Minister of Delhi. He took the oath today. Apparently, he travelled in Delhi Metro to reach the venue. Now that is new!! It goes with the image of his party. Today, I came across several people who were 'feeling proud' about this approach of the new CM. In my case, I am amused but not impressed. I find such stunts as marketing gimmicks than anything else.

Yes, if Kejriwal uses public transport on a daily basis then l will indeed be impressed. After all, it is easy to do something uncommon once. Politicians visit the homes of poor, lift naked, malnourished kids in their arms so regularly but only in front of cameras & media. Then how come this gimmick is any different?

Kejriwal's supporters are not ready to take & accept this argument. As per them, Kejriwal is setting an example & a trend. Any one calling this a 'publicity stunt' is being unfair.

The very same people called Rahul Gandhi's visit to a villager's home & having a meal there a publicity stunt. How come there are different parameters and rules for different people?

Now, some may argue that the difference between Rahul Gandhi's & Kejriwal's actions is that Rahul Gandhi did it during an election campaign and thus the intent is questionable. Valid Point. But Lok Sabha elections are 6 months away. Why should we not believe that Kejriwal is doing it to create publicity for himself & his party ahead of the General Elections?

Doing something like this for one day is neither going to change the traffic situation in NCR any better nor is it going to start a trend among the politicians.

Anyways, improvement in traffic situation is not one of the promises made by Arvind Kejriwal and his party. Keen to see how he would effectively provide 700 liters of free water to each household in Delhi, reduce to electricity tariff & bring in a Lokpal.

If he is unable to keep his promises and in the given time frame, will he encourage the people of Delhi to stop paying electricity and water bills? l doubt that. l guess now we will get to hear a lot of 'practical reasons'. Nothing wrong with that but they should have weighed in their promises before.

Lets wait and see how things progress in next few days/weeks/months - AAP aur hum.

Saturday Outing @ Mid Valley & Nando's

A letter to someone who I hope never reads it

Dear Teacher,

I came across your picture somewhere and I must say, I was relieved. Things did not end on the right note. Things could have been better or at least could have been handled better. But I could not do that and that haunts me.

There was no fault of yours. Absolutely none. In fact you were so good that I got scared that I may hurt you if it goes on. You may be holding a grudge against me and I cannot blame you for that. I deserve it. But I hope you understand that I did not have any bad intentions. We did not even meet during the period.

I remember how we first talked in that phase. I called you and I do not know why. There was no reason for that call. I was going through a bad phase and I just wanted to talk to someone. I used to call random people in my contact list because I needed to stop myself from drifting away. We talked and somehow instantly connected. That was not the first time we were talking but that was indeed the first time that we truly connected. I always liked you and I still do. But now more, in a respectful and caring way. 

Whenever I think about that phase, multiple emotions come into my mind. I find the whole phase strange as two people started talking after so many years and connected so well. I was talking and listening and you were doing the same. Some may say that whats unique about that. But do we really talk and listen to people around us. I do not think so, unless we like the person and find some kind of connect in the situation, thought process, mental state etc. I talked to you and shared my woes. I listened to your problems and truly cared about you. You did the same. I believe that we truly needed each other at that time and we did help each other. But that scared me as well.

I do not open up to people very often but if I connect with someone, I share my thoughts and emotions quite easily... and sometimes I do that without giving proper thought to it. I liked you, I liked talking to you but I had never thought of the future. But you started doing that. Not blaming you for that at all. After all, that was the obvious thing to do. I would not say that I was shocked by the topic when it first came up but it made me think. 

I was just not sure at that time. I was liking the phase but I was not sure about the next steps. It was more of a 'May Be' than a clear-cut 'Yes' or 'No'. I was thinking about it and believe me, I was preparing myself. After all, I was liking our bond and knew that things would not be 'too bad'. However, I wanted to be 100% sure before jumping to some kind of futuristic move. 

You did not know about my dilemma as that was probably the only thing that I was not sharing with you. I was confident that I would be able to get past the dilemma and things would be fine again. And, you were not pressurizing me in any manner. It is not that there was an urgency to make a move. Things were going on as usual but I wanted to make up my mind sooner than later as I did not want to hurt you at a later stage. It may sound difficult to believe but it is true.

Then , something happened during that period. Something important to your family. And the development was going to ease a lot of pressure on you. I was happy for you and your family. However, I noticed that you started 'investing' more in that development than you should have. I pointed that out and I was taken aback by the answer. You mentioned that you do not want anything for yourself as you have me on your side. I was not ready for that. I was too confused in that stage to commit to that. I became nervous. It is not that I was running away from a relationship, it is just that I was not sure about the future of the relationship at that moment. Taking the relationship further would have involved similar kind of issues that I had gone through along with my family, not too long ago. I was not prepared for that but was indeed preparing myself for that.

However, now I was required to make a decision quickly as you were about to make huge decisions. It would have been disastrous if I backed the decisions and later backed-out of the relationship. I did not want to put you in that situation. After all, it was not a fling. I truly liked you and cared about you. I had to make a decision quickly and I did. But I did not execute it in as sensitive manner as the situation and our bond demanded. I did not have the courage to explain it to you through a mature conversation. I did try but I was not as honest about the reasons as I should have and was putting the blame elsewhere. You, of course, were still being supportive and that was making it even more difficult. Finally, I decided that I should cut off the ties as otherwise both of us would suffer. 

I mentioned earlier that whenever I think about that phase, multiple emotions come into my mind. Often, it brings a smile on my face as it was something truly special. The phase included pure 'selfless' romance. We did need each other but we cared about each other more than we cared about ourselves and our needs. However, more than the positive emotions, it brings negative emotions. Of course, for myself. I feel like a coward. I feel ashamed. I feel disgusted with myself. I did not behave like a good person and that haunts me. It is truly one of the biggest regrets of my life. What hurts and haunts me most is the thought that I probably did the same to you what another person did to me. Though there is a big difference. I was not being selfish while making the decision and I know that. Yet, I did not explain things to you in a decent manner and probably made you hope and wait for my call. I am truly sorry for that. 

At the same time, I would be honest and say that it is not that I miss you. I am in a committed relationship now and I am very happy in that relationship. I have moved on and so have you. However, as I mentioned earlier, I do think about those days and that phase. They haunt me and constantly remind me of the mistakes I made. I think about the phase and pray for your well-being. 

And then I saw your picture. You looked happy and good. And that made me feel extremely happy and relieved. It is not that I was expecting you to be in a depressed and distraught state even after so many years. Nothing like that; I do know that I am not that important. But I do know that such things leave a scar and a bad taste. I have gone through it myself and I can understand. I hope I am different & wrong and you no longer think about that phase at all. All these years, I have always hoped to get the news that you are happy in your life and now, I finally know that and I am so happy for you.

I wish I could say sorry to you in person. But I do not 'seek' that opportunity. You have moved on and you are happy. I do not want the bad taste to come back in your life even for a moment. I do wish we could be friends though. 

I would always pray for your happiness. God bless you!!!