Things I learnt

How things change over the years! I finished my undergrad a few years back, and my opinions and perspectives have changed drastically over the years. Here, I have noted down some of the things that were not obvious to me when I was doing my undergrad, but I have learnt them along the way.

Hard work.
When I was younger and more naive than I am now, I used to think success is a direct result of one's abilities. During my undergrad years, in my mind, hard work had a stigma attached to it. It was "uncool" to work hard, so to speak. Things changed when I went to grad school, I think. Working hard towards something you are passionate about, is one of the best feelings one can experience! It gives one a sense of fulfillment. A friend had this as his email signature - "Attitude, not aptitude, determines altitude". I have seen examples of this adage first-hand. Plain abilities, without sweat, wont get you anywhere. There are many examples of super-talented people who did not live up to their potential, and there are many who were not greatly gifted, but by dint of their sheer determination and focus, made it big.

Persistence.
Persistence is a highly under-rated quality. Dogged determination to achieve a goal, in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles, is a priceless asset. I used to give up quickly, and turn to others for help. Now I try to exhaust all my options before pestering somebody else.

Re-use.
A phrase that is extensively used is "let's not re-invent the wheel". There is nothing wrong with re-using something that somebody else has already developed, even though it may not be the best solution possible. Pragmatism rules.

Mediocrity in corporate life.
When in school, we learn many new and interesting things every day. Once we begin working in the corporate world, after the initial ramp-up period, things start to get monotonous. One way around it is to try to learn new things every once in a while, learn what other teams work on, try to take up something new. Don't let drudgery set in. Complacence is the nemesis of growth.

Time management.
Needless to say, you need time-management skills to be able to lead a healthy and balanced life, along-with having a successful career. The earlier you realize the importance of this, the better you will be able to juggle all of your responsibilities.

Humility.
Always look for opportunities to learn from people who are better than you at certain things. At all points in your life, you will meet people who are so efficient at some things that it makes your jaw drop. Try to learn from them. Never under-estimate anyone. As Prof. Pausch said in the Last lecture - "Give people the chance to prove themselves." By the way, if you haven't watched the last lecture about achieving your childhood dreams, its a must watch- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo

Being a mensch.
This is probably the most important of all. As long as you have the willingness to acknowledge your weaknesses and take steps to make yourself better, professionally & personally, you will succeed.

Survival tips for a guy in a relationship

The golden nuggets - attention, compliments, attention, pampering, some more attention, gifts! What follows is a few simple tricks to help you brave the fierce weathers!

Girls dig a handsome, loving,caring,muscular,intelligent,sensitive, suave,humorous,....sorry I have to stop here, the actual list goes on for about 2 pages more! Well of course, the person has to be "sensitive", but not a sissy. Macho, but no narcissus! (Did they ever make these kind of men?) It is difficult, if not impossible to be all of the above. One tip is to pretend you are listening to her rant....err..I mean problems. Use interjections in between her sentences for effect " Oh my God, what are you saying!....Jeez, how could she do that!" -while you are actually focusing on the game on TV. And hey, don't forget to shower the lady with gifts, and compliments at regular intervals. Failure to do so can result in serious no-talk , only pout periods .

The guy should also be wise enough to feign off the trick questions. "Do I look fat in this dress? Have I started looking old? Am I the prettier than her?" Throw honesty out the window folks, she doesn't want you to be honest ! She wants to feel good about herself, and wants to hear it from your mouth-that is the whole point. Ages have gone past, man has evolved, but evolution failed to pound this fact into man's head ! If you want to be strictly honest, use all the diplomacy you can- "I think you look ravishing in the red dress, why don't you wear that?" - you might be able to get away with this, but please don't hold the author responsible for any untoward consequences. Try at your own sweet risk!

Also, learn to lose in arguments , pretty much always. Even if you know you are right, you have to concede defeat. Part of the game! Don't even think about praising another girl in front of her, its like being the matador in a bull-fight!

These are just a few tricks that I have outlined. These are by no means enough, you have to toil and sweat it out. But in the end, it's all worth the trouble! Once you master the art of survival, its a joy ride. Hope you guys stick it out to the end. :)

In this economy...

"In this economy" - I have heard that phrase being used hundreds of times over the last few months - on radio shows, news broadcasts, advertisements - everywhere ! We all know, the economy is not exactly in the pinkest of health, and we have all been affected by it(albeit in different proportions), but we don't need that shoved in our faces every time we turn to the media, do we?

So I turn on the TV on a lazy Monday ( oh ya..this Monday was lazy..Labor day,we don't know your significance, but we love you) to catch some US open action . Federer being average in the first set against a hopeful Robredo, with the score tied at 5-5! And then the commercials kick in, slapping and jolting us to reality by reminding us of the economy! Convincing us of the best deals for kitchen knives to cars to indoor spas , that we could lay our hands on "in this economy". How hypocritical is that! You are telling me the economy sucks, and in the next sentence you coax and cajole me to buy your product which will reduce my expenses(what about the money I would spend buying it?), and purportedly make me lead a better life! Why are we reminded of this, when all we want is to enjoy watching a game of tennis, or a brainless reality show or songs on the radio, or any load of crap while keeping the discussion of the economy restricted to the news channel ?

But I guess it don't work that way! They want to feed on our fears of the bad shape the economy is in, and make us empty our pockets for the splendid product they offer.Its almost like they are doing us a favor! Come to think of it, by dint of the vicious circle the US economy is in, spending by consumers will actually boost it. It thrives on people's urge to buy things that may be totally unnecessary, but hey they're on sale !(or so we think). Its almost like people have been programmed to believe they have to spend and live it up, regardless of how much they earn and save. All the supermarkets and franchise outlets are always in "sale mode". From "Back to school" to "Labor day" to "Halloween" to "Thanksgiving" to "Christmas" - the list carries on throughout the year! What a joke! "So what are you buying this Thanksgiving?" . "Where are you spending this long weekend?You should totally go to Vegas and splurge!" . When questions(or cliches?) like this figure in everyday talks, its pure peer pressure ( tongue-twisting alliteration) that makes people re-think their saving strategies, if they have any! I am pretty ignorant about these matters, however the whole concept of the economy leaning so heavily on credit does not make sense to me!

I have a feeling, the media and marketing agencies have become so obsessed with playing the economy card that they will continue to use it even after the economy improves, until it becomes laughable! Until then, exercise patience my friends! And hold back the urge to abuse when you hear those words again!


After-thought: Although I have been cribbing about the media reminding me of the bad state of the economy, through this blog I am guilty of the same! :P You came here to read a blog-post, and those 3 dreaded words were thrown at you yet another time! Sorry ! :)

Religion, as I see it

It has become fashionable to condemn religion nowadays, atleast in the US. I do not know how to classify myself, a spiritual person or a religious one - I do believe in a Supreme governing power, that oversees all of creation, and manifests itself in forms we may not be able to imagine. I believe in "Karma" too - one shall reap only the fruits that one has sowed. All this I believe in, and adhere to some rites that have been doctrinated by my religion. However, I do not believe that one religion can be the one sanctified by the Supreme . The basic tenets of all religions are the same, peace, humanity and love. This has been distorted over the years by people with vested interests, people who want their religion to be adopted by more people than others. Due to these people, religion today has become a double-edged sword, it can be used to propagate peace or violence both.

The question is, how can people be educated to imbibe only the good from these teachings, and sieve out the vindictive parts? It is widely believed that religious terrorism is at its peak. The truth is, killings and other violence has been purported by religious fanatics for centuries now, and it CANNOT be tagged to just one religion - every religion has had vandals guilty of it. Is there any way people can be made to realise, for now and for eternity, that no supreme governing power can encourage or even condone violence of any form to promote itself ? Can education itself help ? Not always, as many terrorists are known to have held college degrees. Are the fanatics so good at brain-washing mobs, or is it the lure of money for their impoverished family that does the trick? Perhaps a bit of both.
Religion itself has been blotted because of these kind of propagandists. Can we revive all our religions, pure and unblemished by hatred, and restore(or build, if it never existed) humanity's unconditional faith in them? Atleast not in the near future, as the damage is deep, and the perpetrators of violence are growing in numbers. Is there an alternative to religion, something that will encompass all of humanity, will be built upon the values of harmony and respect for others? What can it be , a brotherhood, a union ? And what is the guarantee that this will not have factions and won't go the same route as religion has?

Too many questions, no answers. Before I conclude, I do wish to emphasize that religion in itself does not perpetrate violence. It is in fact a very powerful tool to promote peace and harmony amongst all. If only the religious heads would appreciate that...

After-thought: I wanted to kick-off my blog with a non-serious topic, but just went with the flow of thoughts !