R-Rated

I remember the time in 2004 when I had started my search to land the perfect job in America. I was already working as an intern at Theken, hoping this would be it. 9 long months and 3 departments later, I had that H1B visa with me. A full time employee. Great!!! Not so much. The job scene at that time was crappy at the least with many of my friends and colleagues unlucky enough not to secure even an internship. One unwillingly pursued a PhD, one jumped the boat and turned to software and IT and one just left the US and went back to India. I guess the stars were shining on me that day in May when I got a call from a friend at Theken asking me if I was open to getting an internship. Yes please!! 4 plus years later, I am kind of settled in my role. The ride though has been bumpy. 2008 has not been kind to the job hopefuls. Economy has been in a slump since March and prices (of virtually everything) have sky-rocketed. An uncertain time looms even for those with permanent jobs making it t...

This song gives me the goosebumps and makes me feel proud and patriotic. http://youtube.com/watch?v=BJ399KOoNRA You should feel the same!!

This past weekend there was a major scuffle between 2 Sikh factions in Mulund. One group was allegedly and deservedly pissed off at Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh's bodyguard for killing one of the protesters. The protesters were protesting for the arrest of the sect's chief for dressing up like Guru Gobind Singh at an earlier event. The killing of the protester spilled on to the streets and violence broke out. Once again stuck in the middle was the common man. Shops were vandalized, railway tracks blocked, trains affected and innocent men and women were threatened by sword-brandishing rioters. To add to this mayhem, a Shiv Sena leader has warned that there will be more violence if the Sikh group does not stop this violence. What!!!!!!!! Instead of lessening the pain, Shiv Sena is trying to inflict more. They are angry that innocent Maharashtrian men and women are being targeted and threatened. Shiv Sena is worried about the closure of shops and rail-roko stuff....

Sometimes I just want to pack up my stuff here and go back to India. Sooner or later I will be making my transition to India for good. I just don't know when thats going to happen. Life here has been great, but still yeh dil maange more. India is shining (in some parts) and I feel the need to be part of that gold rush. I know it is not going to be easy combining my years of experience and lifestyle in America to blend with India's non-stop work-o-holic attitudes. I am one step closer to the dream because of my job with Wipro. I have enjoyed my stay here more than any other jobs that I have had before because of the friends that I have made here and they help in making the day go by faster. One of my closest friends back home has been urging me to move back to India for quite a few years now. I have been constantly telling him I am waiting for my H1B tenure to get over in 2011. But the reality is, I am always in 2 minds, with the question being should I get my Green Card and wai...

When you surf the various television channels, when you look up thousands of advertisements, when you see any of the American sports championships - what is the one thing that has stood out from the rest of the glitz and glamor? The fact that anything "American" is the "World's Best". The 2 words that I am trying to equate here are America = World. Simple, when a San Antonio Spurs or a Los Angeles Lakers basketball team wins the NATIONAL basketball association's championship trophy, analysts and the media are pouring out their affection calling them World Champions. America did not even win the basketball gold medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Argentina did. Or for that matter, when a New England Patriots or an Indianapolis Colts football team wins the NATIONAL football league's Superbowl, analysts and the media are praising these teams calling them what else....World Champions. No one plays American football outside the US and hence "arguably...

Last week saw the end of the long battle of the Democratic primaries. Barack Obama vs. Hillary Clinton finally came to an end. History was made as Senator Obama became the first African-American candidate for the US Presidency. I followed the race closely and at times during the debates and speeches, the candidates had utter disregard for the opponent. I guess thats what you call politics. By May, Obama was targetting Republican candidate John McCain for his policies and ties to George W. Bush. Last tuesday, when the decision was made about Obama winning, McCain gave a speech in Louisiana where there were 600 (disinterested) people inside the auditorium and about 600 outside. McCain's speech was outright boring. He looked at the teleprompter for almost every line that he spoke and once he finished his "punch-sentences", the audience were forced to applaud and laugh at his sarcasm pointed towards Obama. On the other hand, Obama energized 17,000 people inside and 15,000 out...

Damn, its getting increasingly frustrating at work. May 8th was the last day I did anything significant to talk about. My current project is extremely slow and I am dreading the day when we all get the boot from here with no new projects in sight. It was all quite hunky dory last April when I had joined Wipro for this project. Hectic training schedules, new and exciting challenges at work, more people interaction, non-stop action in terms of protocols, component testing and reports. April to October was the golden period in terms of real and satisfying work experience gained. November 2007 was the start of Leads work for me and it has been slow ever since. Very recently have I started thinking about looking for another job, which if I get one, would be my fifth in four years. A dubious distinction to have in a short career span. Stability is one thing that I haven't had in any of my previous jobs. Complaints about pay, increasingly boring work combined with a weak growth outlook w...