Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Monday, December 17, 2007
Continuing education ...
By the slimmest of chances, a colleague and I happened to meet a friend of his at the IISc Canteen today, ( I work inside the IISc campus) who was planning to apply for a short course on "Unix Internals" at the Computer Science department,IISc. On looking at the prospectus, my colleague and I -who are in the process of applying to B schools - were pleasantly surprised. Surprised that after having been in the campus for all these days , we had nt found out about this opportunity to learn right under our noses... and pleasantly so because this was a piece of serendipitous luck! Building a resume is hard enough working in software where there is hardly any recognition for hard work ... thats when chances like these are important to show prospective employers or colleges that you are willing to go to some trouble to learn new things.
And so we are now on the way to enroll for one or more of these courses ... from among "Intellectual properties " , "Software management" , "Unix internals" and several other technical and managerial courses. Further updates on successful registration!
And so we are now on the way to enroll for one or more of these courses ... from among "Intellectual properties " , "Software management" , "Unix internals" and several other technical and managerial courses. Further updates on successful registration!
Friday, December 14, 2007
Stranger than fiction... better than I imagined
An increasingly hopeless case of not being able to write in this blog has prompted me to take to the keyboard for reasons other than chatting and "working". I am sufficiently inspired at this moment to talk about this movie I just watched ...its called " Stranger than fiction". I would put it in the same league as movies such as "The final cut" and "The Truman Show". The reason being all of them deal with a variant of the "third person omniscient" kind of narrative . The final cut is about how life would be if every living moment was recorded in its entirety in the form of video and audio. "The Truman Show" is relatively more popular ... its about how a tv series uses a baby's life as the subject and makes him a guinea pig of sorts.
Now whats so special about "Stranger than fiction" (STF)? Its unpredictability is one thing for sure. This is one movie which has been lying in my hard drive for ages and not watched. Today when I was searching for a movie to watch, something about the title made me pick it... probably because all the other movies kind of promised what they had to offer. Why is this movie unpredictable? In the first half an hour or so , it seems like some kind of a weird comedy movie , this thought being reinforced by the fact that the lead actor Will Ferrell has acted in some comedies earlier. Once I got through the introduction which was vaguely similar to the introduction of the main protoganist in "American Psycho", it got interesting in that as the main character Harold goes about wondering whether his life is a comedy or a tragedy, I too was wondering what the hell could this movie really be about?
Simply put this is a feel good movie in the end... because it could have easily been be a real dampener if it ended differently. You know how some movies insist on killing the hero or the nicest person in the movie.... eg. 7G Rainbow Colony, Paruthiveeran and innumerable others. Its a conspiracy I tell you, to make money out of making people cry or feel sad. I do agree some particularly powerful performances in tragedies make them unforgettable, but some in some corner of your heart you know that you want that character to live, love and be loved. Just like for yourself , you hope the best for the character you love ... not for him to be hit by a bus, or for her to be gangraped and murdered gruesomely. You must have been able to infer from this little digression that the end must in fact be a happy one, it is and it kind of managed to get a sigh of relief from me because frankly I am tired of the KLPD/Kelas I am having in life and would rather not see more in a movie!
The key points I enjoyed in this film are :
1) The idea that a book's character is actually living life as his story is being written ... presented in a reasonably convincing manner, with an excellent performance by the lead actor. The attention to detail makes it believable.
2) It made me reflect on the many missed opportunities I have had to make friends , do important things because I could not step out of the "comfort zone". It also made me realise that life is again only what you make of it... no matter how much you gain with material comforts, money and what not, if you are not really happy, its all one big waste.
3) Interesting information about how a writer works, how to deal with writer's block and the fact that people take years together to write a book! The fact that I dont in more than one or two stretches really makes me realise the effort needed to actually write a book!
4) Another love story embedded in that main storyline... which really strikes a chord with the sincerity and simplicity of approach. And also that neither of them are particularly "good looking" , but are nevertheless attractive.
5) The mechanical life led by Auditors in the movie really resembles to a large extent that led by software professionals in India. Yeah , you might say I have a lot of fun , I check mail, I chat ... I do that and this...but there is one thing which you cannot remove from all of these activities, the PC. Yes, you are married to your computer , its a window and all you do is stare at it for the better part of the day. No wonder I dont know that many girls !
6) And the last but not the least ... it reminded me of a poem I had written in college. It was about how I was a character in a book who was confused and wandering in search for the answer to the question of life. Watching this movie just made me feel like it was something of an answer to that question and amazed me that I could have had a similar thought as the guy who wrote this story.
Worth the time and thought provoking!
Now whats so special about "Stranger than fiction" (STF)? Its unpredictability is one thing for sure. This is one movie which has been lying in my hard drive for ages and not watched. Today when I was searching for a movie to watch, something about the title made me pick it... probably because all the other movies kind of promised what they had to offer. Why is this movie unpredictable? In the first half an hour or so , it seems like some kind of a weird comedy movie , this thought being reinforced by the fact that the lead actor Will Ferrell has acted in some comedies earlier. Once I got through the introduction which was vaguely similar to the introduction of the main protoganist in "American Psycho", it got interesting in that as the main character Harold goes about wondering whether his life is a comedy or a tragedy, I too was wondering what the hell could this movie really be about?
Simply put this is a feel good movie in the end... because it could have easily been be a real dampener if it ended differently. You know how some movies insist on killing the hero or the nicest person in the movie.... eg. 7G Rainbow Colony, Paruthiveeran and innumerable others. Its a conspiracy I tell you, to make money out of making people cry or feel sad. I do agree some particularly powerful performances in tragedies make them unforgettable, but some in some corner of your heart you know that you want that character to live, love and be loved. Just like for yourself , you hope the best for the character you love ... not for him to be hit by a bus, or for her to be gangraped and murdered gruesomely. You must have been able to infer from this little digression that the end must in fact be a happy one, it is and it kind of managed to get a sigh of relief from me because frankly I am tired of the KLPD/Kelas I am having in life and would rather not see more in a movie!
The key points I enjoyed in this film are :
1) The idea that a book's character is actually living life as his story is being written ... presented in a reasonably convincing manner, with an excellent performance by the lead actor. The attention to detail makes it believable.
2) It made me reflect on the many missed opportunities I have had to make friends , do important things because I could not step out of the "comfort zone". It also made me realise that life is again only what you make of it... no matter how much you gain with material comforts, money and what not, if you are not really happy, its all one big waste.
3) Interesting information about how a writer works, how to deal with writer's block and the fact that people take years together to write a book! The fact that I dont in more than one or two stretches really makes me realise the effort needed to actually write a book!
4) Another love story embedded in that main storyline... which really strikes a chord with the sincerity and simplicity of approach. And also that neither of them are particularly "good looking" , but are nevertheless attractive.
5) The mechanical life led by Auditors in the movie really resembles to a large extent that led by software professionals in India. Yeah , you might say I have a lot of fun , I check mail, I chat ... I do that and this...but there is one thing which you cannot remove from all of these activities, the PC. Yes, you are married to your computer , its a window and all you do is stare at it for the better part of the day. No wonder I dont know that many girls !
6) And the last but not the least ... it reminded me of a poem I had written in college. It was about how I was a character in a book who was confused and wandering in search for the answer to the question of life. Watching this movie just made me feel like it was something of an answer to that question and amazed me that I could have had a similar thought as the guy who wrote this story.
Worth the time and thought provoking!
Sunday, November 11, 2007
"National News"
A friend told me today that there is something called the "fourth estate" - it refers the media apparently - which led me to enquire what the preceding ones were. From there he ventured into the history of the French revolution where there where "classes" of people involved in conflict... at which point I added that he might be referring to the "bourgeiose" , the working class and the nobility of which I was vaguely sure of. We finally concluded by stopping by an ATM to withdraw money and calling it a truce ... which usually happens when you try to confuse the person you are arguing with with jargon and end up so muddled that you take a break and change the subject. The inconspicuous subject of the conversation was the media.
The first thing that comes to mind (mine atleast ) when you say media are the umpteen news channels on air. NDTV , Headlines today , CNN ibn , TIMES now and several others ... left out for brevity. Why did these channels come into existence ? My take is that Doordarshan was complacent after years of monopoly that anything with better presentation and not necessarily more relevant news would have succeeded. Thats exactly what happened when cable TV ( and now the new breed DTH ) took over and aggressive private news channels started capitalising on the intelligent viewer with a lot of deficit of televised news.
Of the english channels , clearly , NDTV 24x7 took the lead and I would say really gave the impression that the viewer was missing something by not watching it for even a minute. For a time I followed it with the new found vigour of stumbling across a treasure of knowledge which was all encompassing. With time however I realised that sometimes the comperes were framing the questions to get an answer to just apparently confirm some suspicion which the viewer is privy to. Group discussions became so full of theatrics and filibustering , it reminded me of an earlier GD experience at a well known MBA college in Delhi.
One of the fundamental flaws in this regularised way of presentation of "news" and "current affairs" is that they are making it some kind of a packaged item, like potato chips and also delivering it at regular intervals like the milk packet in the morning . Whats wrong with that you ask? Well, when there is news, relevant to the nation , business, state etc. theres no problem , but what do you do when nothing ground breaking is happening ? You "manufacture" news .... Shahrukh Khan's six pack is shoved into your nose , Aishwarya Rai's mis(s)adventures and Amitabh's family story captures prime time and a guy like me who happens to be waiting to hear the latest on the crisis in Sri Lanka or in Iraq just wonders where good old DD has gone.
The reason I think channels like NDTV , CNN ibn and the others mentioned go to so much trouble, is to gain viewers. The average viewer whos back home after a long day's work just wants some eye candly , so give them the cutest girls who can also flirt with the camera ( and also without too much of an accent ) who will read out the news as if they are blowing kisses on him. And so the news channels' bigwigs decide to go all out and capitalize on this phenomenon, get the best looking and best speaking news readers , give the best possible mix of world news, business , Bachan family drama , Shahrukh trivia and what not to cater to the different "tastes" and capture maximum screen time.
So whats the problem here ? Shahrukh happy , Bachan happy ... the typical Indian viewer happy.... right? Wrong, there is someone sitting here whos not happy with this "national" news. I am not a Bollywood fan , I dont adore SRK, I dont think AB is god and I happen to think there are many other things which deserve to be given more attention to at the national level. Apparently what I think and many others like me thinks does nt matter much because the majority of the viewers are in Mumbai and Delhi , therefore the content designed to hook in the average middle class Mumbaiite is now aired to the Bangalorean who thinks Bangalore still retains some of its aboriginal crowd ( read original inhabitants) ... which is a whole new topic of discussion altogether. I guess word of this kind of mistaken content delivery did reach the news channels and they now make it a point to show you the extremely cool hang out places in Bangalore... you know , where the people who think Shahrukh is cool hang out or the extremely flooded places in Banglaore are shown to make it seem like Bangalore is actually sinking in rain water and otherwise in traffic ( which it probably is anyway ) . They also show along with this , short clips of Chennai ( even here you ll find the news leading to a Bollywood movie which is being remade from a tamil one ... like Ghajini or that Rajnikanth said AB is emperor) . Hyderabad is also given some screen time , I guess over there its not as difficult to find bollywood connections. At the end of it , I never cease to wonder , do these news channels really believe they can get people to watch the "local news" of Mumbai and Delhi and the daily activities of Bollywood stars as something worth keeping track of.
In conclusion , I have found a way around this problem , just watch the entertainment channels on tv and then read the news on the internet ! If things happen to change on these channels , please inform me , I would like to really watch some "national news" for a change.
The first thing that comes to mind (mine atleast ) when you say media are the umpteen news channels on air. NDTV , Headlines today , CNN ibn , TIMES now and several others ... left out for brevity. Why did these channels come into existence ? My take is that Doordarshan was complacent after years of monopoly that anything with better presentation and not necessarily more relevant news would have succeeded. Thats exactly what happened when cable TV ( and now the new breed DTH ) took over and aggressive private news channels started capitalising on the intelligent viewer with a lot of deficit of televised news.
Of the english channels , clearly , NDTV 24x7 took the lead and I would say really gave the impression that the viewer was missing something by not watching it for even a minute. For a time I followed it with the new found vigour of stumbling across a treasure of knowledge which was all encompassing. With time however I realised that sometimes the comperes were framing the questions to get an answer to just apparently confirm some suspicion which the viewer is privy to. Group discussions became so full of theatrics and filibustering , it reminded me of an earlier GD experience at a well known MBA college in Delhi.
One of the fundamental flaws in this regularised way of presentation of "news" and "current affairs" is that they are making it some kind of a packaged item, like potato chips and also delivering it at regular intervals like the milk packet in the morning . Whats wrong with that you ask? Well, when there is news, relevant to the nation , business, state etc. theres no problem , but what do you do when nothing ground breaking is happening ? You "manufacture" news .... Shahrukh Khan's six pack is shoved into your nose , Aishwarya Rai's mis(s)adventures and Amitabh's family story captures prime time and a guy like me who happens to be waiting to hear the latest on the crisis in Sri Lanka or in Iraq just wonders where good old DD has gone.
The reason I think channels like NDTV , CNN ibn and the others mentioned go to so much trouble, is to gain viewers. The average viewer whos back home after a long day's work just wants some eye candly , so give them the cutest girls who can also flirt with the camera ( and also without too much of an accent ) who will read out the news as if they are blowing kisses on him. And so the news channels' bigwigs decide to go all out and capitalize on this phenomenon, get the best looking and best speaking news readers , give the best possible mix of world news, business , Bachan family drama , Shahrukh trivia and what not to cater to the different "tastes" and capture maximum screen time.
So whats the problem here ? Shahrukh happy , Bachan happy ... the typical Indian viewer happy.... right? Wrong, there is someone sitting here whos not happy with this "national" news. I am not a Bollywood fan , I dont adore SRK, I dont think AB is god and I happen to think there are many other things which deserve to be given more attention to at the national level. Apparently what I think and many others like me thinks does nt matter much because the majority of the viewers are in Mumbai and Delhi , therefore the content designed to hook in the average middle class Mumbaiite is now aired to the Bangalorean who thinks Bangalore still retains some of its aboriginal crowd ( read original inhabitants) ... which is a whole new topic of discussion altogether. I guess word of this kind of mistaken content delivery did reach the news channels and they now make it a point to show you the extremely cool hang out places in Bangalore... you know , where the people who think Shahrukh is cool hang out or the extremely flooded places in Banglaore are shown to make it seem like Bangalore is actually sinking in rain water and otherwise in traffic ( which it probably is anyway ) . They also show along with this , short clips of Chennai ( even here you ll find the news leading to a Bollywood movie which is being remade from a tamil one ... like Ghajini or that Rajnikanth said AB is emperor) . Hyderabad is also given some screen time , I guess over there its not as difficult to find bollywood connections. At the end of it , I never cease to wonder , do these news channels really believe they can get people to watch the "local news" of Mumbai and Delhi and the daily activities of Bollywood stars as something worth keeping track of.
In conclusion , I have found a way around this problem , just watch the entertainment channels on tv and then read the news on the internet ! If things happen to change on these channels , please inform me , I would like to really watch some "national news" for a change.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Petition against india's language policy!
I was going thru orkut and came across this link in the "besantnagar beach "community. Its about India trying to make Hindi the representive language for India at the UN. Do you think this is absurd considering that less than 50% people in India speak Hindi? When it makes more sense to use English as a common official language, why this preference given to Hindi? If you feel strongly about this, add your signature here :
http://www.petitiononline.com/19652007/petition.html
http://www.petitiononline.com/19652007/petition.html
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
2 months and a test
Less than a year ago I left my then job in Chennai and came to Bangalore , citing the reason as doing GMAT some time soon. Today I finished the test and I think its worth recording some of the "interesting" things I went through in the interim period.
The test itself is really straightforward in that it tests your high school math skill , reading comprehension , some kind of logical reasoning with "Critical Reasoning" and Sentence correction. Having prepared for CAT last year quite seriously ,the Quants part (which has problem solving and data sufficiency) did nt need much preparation and just required some care before deciding the right answer... ie, to avoid careless mistakes. Verbal was what took some time and dedication.
My 2 months preparation was roughly split up like this:
From OG11 , I just tried solving a few questions in quants, and verbal in no particular order , but did some daily just to keep the momentum and not feel guilty about it :D. This took maybe 1-2 hours everyday . After I finished OG11, I stopped doing exercises in CR ,RC and quants... only the mock tests , ie Powerprep, gmat prep and some 800 score tests . I started going through Manhattan Sentence correction, which was really good to learn a systematic approach to sentence correction and along with OG10 sentence correction exercises... you see manhattan gives u the questions you need to solve from OG10 to understand a certain topic ,so it really starts making sense.
One day before the test , I finished all the exercises in SC and watched "Fantastic four: the rise of the silver surfer" , Jessica Alba who looked cute except for the pseudo blonde wig ( yuck) , why do people ever try to look like Caucasians? Anyway , I slept well and went on time for the test thanks to my dad and his activa . <> Test got over , I got a decent score ... 760 and I returned home in rain again thanks to my dad . And then i decided to blog about it just for the heck of it.
The test itself is really straightforward in that it tests your high school math skill , reading comprehension , some kind of logical reasoning with "Critical Reasoning" and Sentence correction. Having prepared for CAT last year quite seriously ,the Quants part (which has problem solving and data sufficiency) did nt need much preparation and just required some care before deciding the right answer... ie, to avoid careless mistakes. Verbal was what took some time and dedication.
My 2 months preparation was roughly split up like this:
From OG11 , I just tried solving a few questions in quants, and verbal in no particular order , but did some daily just to keep the momentum and not feel guilty about it :D. This took maybe 1-2 hours everyday . After I finished OG11, I stopped doing exercises in CR ,RC and quants... only the mock tests , ie Powerprep, gmat prep and some 800 score tests . I started going through Manhattan Sentence correction, which was really good to learn a systematic approach to sentence correction and along with OG10 sentence correction exercises... you see manhattan gives u the questions you need to solve from OG10 to understand a certain topic ,so it really starts making sense.
One day before the test , I finished all the exercises in SC and watched "Fantastic four: the rise of the silver surfer" , Jessica Alba who looked cute except for the pseudo blonde wig ( yuck) , why do people ever try to look like Caucasians? Anyway , I slept well and went on time for the test thanks to my dad and his activa . <> Test got over , I got a decent score ... 760 and I returned home in rain again thanks to my dad . And then i decided to blog about it just for the heck of it.
Friday, August 17, 2007
random rhyme
Meeting people on the go
I often think they are slow
To realise that I know
Their thought flow
By the time they blink
I can sleep forty winks
And come back to jinx
The silly ppl in pink
They then start to wonder why
This unknown guy
Not looking sly but shy
Is smiling / frowning try
I am laughing within
How can I tell the heathen
The truth of the situation
That coz of they , all is stinkin
I slowly relent
Sensing the lack of an intent
To learn and invent
Messiah I know I am meant
I take a step closer
To touch the pretty poser
Shes a child , o sir
In mind , not body;stirred
Ah, the pink hon
I cry for she's not the only one
Whos lost in this insane cone
Of an earth , flesh and bone
Forgive her , for she slapped
A saint , a saviour perhaps
Pure thought , in a mind's gaps
Lost on you , pink clothed chaps
And so I cry and laugh again
Why do i try in vain
To make people see truth in the sane
What do I stand to gain?
My tears fall, I m so sad
How can they call me "mad"?
I wonder what I ll tell my dad
When I meet him , maybe "oh gad"!
..................................................................
please don't pull at your hair after reading this , this is something which I wrote to see how weird things can get when I write just for rhyme and grime :D
I often think they are slow
To realise that I know
Their thought flow
By the time they blink
I can sleep forty winks
And come back to jinx
The silly ppl in pink
They then start to wonder why
This unknown guy
Not looking sly but shy
Is smiling / frowning try
I am laughing within
How can I tell the heathen
The truth of the situation
That coz of they , all is stinkin
I slowly relent
Sensing the lack of an intent
To learn and invent
Messiah I know I am meant
I take a step closer
To touch the pretty poser
Shes a child , o sir
In mind , not body;stirred
Ah, the pink hon
I cry for she's not the only one
Whos lost in this insane cone
Of an earth , flesh and bone
Forgive her , for she slapped
A saint , a saviour perhaps
Pure thought , in a mind's gaps
Lost on you , pink clothed chaps
And so I cry and laugh again
Why do i try in vain
To make people see truth in the sane
What do I stand to gain?
My tears fall, I m so sad
How can they call me "mad"?
I wonder what I ll tell my dad
When I meet him , maybe "oh gad"!
..................................................................
please don't pull at your hair after reading this , this is something which I wrote to see how weird things can get when I write just for rhyme and grime :D
Argument analysis -2
" The desire of corporations to maximise profits creates conflict of
interest with the welfare of the nation at large "
---------------------
The argument presented concludes rather abruptly what the consequences of
the desire of corporations to maximise profits might be. This is unwarranted
as there are many cases which can prove the contrary,ie, corporations which
go after maximum profits add to the general welfare of the nation at large.
Consider "Reliance " in India, which is one of the largest retailers in the
country. It is known for its seemingly absurd business ventures which plunge
market rates abysmally low, but eventually make up for the low rates with
maximum volume. Customers are drawn to the low rates and this forces
competitors to bring down rates and provide better service in order to
compete effectively with Reliance. Though Reliance is definitely after
maximizing profits , its ventures are such that they make the competing
business environment more customer friendly ,thus helping the nation in the
long run.
Another case in point is that of "Tata " Corporation in India. Known for
its adventurous streak in business , its business ventures have always been
helpful to the nation at large. Its recent acquisition of a steel
manufacturer in Europe will no doubt make sure its clout in the global steel
market increases , but it also makes the Indian presence stronger as a
result. In short, however profit oriented Tata might be , its success
creates a better brand image of the nation .
There are cases where the reverse is also true. Pharmaceutical corporations
around the world are known for their high prices and tight fistedness with
patents of life saving drugs. Their desire to maximize profits by not
sharing life saving information with the general public does harm the
nation's well being .
Considering that there are instances of selfish motives of corporations
helping the nation or otherwise , and also because we dont have conclusive
evidence about the relative numbers of such corporations , we cannot agree
completely with the argument .
interest with the welfare of the nation at large "
---------------------
The argument presented concludes rather abruptly what the consequences of
the desire of corporations to maximise profits might be. This is unwarranted
as there are many cases which can prove the contrary,ie, corporations which
go after maximum profits add to the general welfare of the nation at large.
Consider "Reliance " in India, which is one of the largest retailers in the
country. It is known for its seemingly absurd business ventures which plunge
market rates abysmally low, but eventually make up for the low rates with
maximum volume. Customers are drawn to the low rates and this forces
competitors to bring down rates and provide better service in order to
compete effectively with Reliance. Though Reliance is definitely after
maximizing profits , its ventures are such that they make the competing
business environment more customer friendly ,thus helping the nation in the
long run.
Another case in point is that of "Tata " Corporation in India. Known for
its adventurous streak in business , its business ventures have always been
helpful to the nation at large. Its recent acquisition of a steel
manufacturer in Europe will no doubt make sure its clout in the global steel
market increases , but it also makes the Indian presence stronger as a
result. In short, however profit oriented Tata might be , its success
creates a better brand image of the nation .
There are cases where the reverse is also true. Pharmaceutical corporations
around the world are known for their high prices and tight fistedness with
patents of life saving drugs. Their desire to maximize profits by not
sharing life saving information with the general public does harm the
nation's well being .
Considering that there are instances of selfish motives of corporations
helping the nation or otherwise , and also because we dont have conclusive
evidence about the relative numbers of such corporations , we cannot agree
completely with the argument .
Thursday, August 16, 2007
analysis of an issue(gmat practice)
"The presence of a competitor is always beneficial to a company. Competition forces a company to change itself in ways that improve its practices."
Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your views with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.
-------------
The presented argument should be considered with a pinch of salt.
The reasoning on which it is possibly based is that "competition" is a positive influence. Competition by itself can be of differing natures. Fair and healthy competition can promote improvement in the practices and functioning of a company. If the company and its competitor follow the law and don't indulge in unfair practices , then there is only scope for improvement in order to compete. For example consider the restaurants on Mosque road in Bangalore. All of theses restaurants cater to similar tastes . They sell the same kind of food , but they do not indulge in any unfair practices such as trying to influence a customer not to go to any of the other restaurants. They try to improve on the food quality and the service as well in order to keep their customers and get new ones. In this case , the "company" responds in a positive way ;competition is a positive influence and forces the company to improve its practices. The arguments holds true in this case.
On the other hand, if the "competition" is unfair, the company on the receiving end,in order to fight back or just survive , might have to indulge in practices similar to those of the competitors. This will definitely not force a company to "improve" itself . For example , auto rickshaw drivers in Bangalore are now increasingly becoming shrewd at cheating customers as a result of unfair competition. When an honest auto rickshaw driver sees that he is losing out on customers and money because his dishonest counterparts use unfair means to cheat customers like rigging up the fare meter or taking a long winded route to the destination , he might be forced to learn and adopt these techniques in order to survive and prosper . In this case , it can be seen that the argument does not hold true and thus we can say that the argument is not complete and does not cover all possible cases.
The examples cited above are real life examples and I think that they would hold true if you even replace the restaurants and auto drivers with companies . What they try to prove is that its not necessary that a company's policies improve with the presence of a competitor, they can also deteriorate or go bad. The argument is thus not a sound one and should be considered conditionally , ie, with a pinch of salt.
Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your views with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.
-------------
The presented argument should be considered with a pinch of salt.
The reasoning on which it is possibly based is that "competition" is a positive influence. Competition by itself can be of differing natures. Fair and healthy competition can promote improvement in the practices and functioning of a company. If the company and its competitor follow the law and don't indulge in unfair practices , then there is only scope for improvement in order to compete. For example consider the restaurants on Mosque road in Bangalore. All of theses restaurants cater to similar tastes . They sell the same kind of food , but they do not indulge in any unfair practices such as trying to influence a customer not to go to any of the other restaurants. They try to improve on the food quality and the service as well in order to keep their customers and get new ones. In this case , the "company" responds in a positive way ;competition is a positive influence and forces the company to improve its practices. The arguments holds true in this case.
On the other hand, if the "competition" is unfair, the company on the receiving end,in order to fight back or just survive , might have to indulge in practices similar to those of the competitors. This will definitely not force a company to "improve" itself . For example , auto rickshaw drivers in Bangalore are now increasingly becoming shrewd at cheating customers as a result of unfair competition. When an honest auto rickshaw driver sees that he is losing out on customers and money because his dishonest counterparts use unfair means to cheat customers like rigging up the fare meter or taking a long winded route to the destination , he might be forced to learn and adopt these techniques in order to survive and prosper . In this case , it can be seen that the argument does not hold true and thus we can say that the argument is not complete and does not cover all possible cases.
The examples cited above are real life examples and I think that they would hold true if you even replace the restaurants and auto drivers with companies . What they try to prove is that its not necessary that a company's policies improve with the presence of a competitor, they can also deteriorate or go bad. The argument is thus not a sound one and should be considered conditionally , ie, with a pinch of salt.
analysis of an argument(gmat practice)
The following appeared as part of an article in a magazine on lifestyles.
"Two years ago, City L was listed 14th in an annual survey that ranks cities according to the quality of life that can be enjoyed by those living in them. This information will enable people who are moving to the state in which City L is located to confidently identify one place, at least, where schools are good, housing is affordable, people are friendly, the environment is safe, and the arts flourish."
Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument. In your discussion be sure to analyze the line of reasoning and the use of evidence in the argument. For example, you may need to consider what questionable assumptions underlie the thinking and what alternative explanations or counterexamples might weaken the conclusion. You can also discuss what sort of evidence would strengthen or refute the argument, what changes in the argument would make it more logically sound, and what, if anything, would help you better evaluate its conclusion.
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The argument presented is not reasonable as it tries to extrapolate the provided information to get a convenient conclusion. An assumption which is clearly evident is that information about one city in a state ( which would consist of several/many cities ) is sufficient to predict how the rest of the state would be.
The validity of the information obtained from the survey itself not established as it largely depends on the people who have taken part in the survey. We do not have information about how many people were surveyed , from what social standing they are and what their inclinations are.
Assuming that the survey is reliable , then a family which wants to locate a suitable place to live in city L might be able to get some useful information from the survey . However , to conclude that the family will surely benefit from the survey and definitely find a place where it might be satisfied with the schools,housing , people etc. is wishful thinking . There is not enough evidence to conclude so.
One more reason why this argument does not hold much water is that the factors which are considered to identify a place , viz. schools,housing,people,environment and the arts are all subjective. Schools which might be affordable to a rich family may not be so for a relatively poor family. Housing follows the same logic. Whether the people are friendly is again dependant of the perception of the families . They might find someone friendly whereas the neighbours may not . A safe environment can depend on many factors. What is safe for one family may not be safe for another.
If we had further information about the state in which city L is present, then the argument may be more reasonable using known data to come to a conclusion. Supposing we knew that the cities in the state were more or less similar with respect to the factors mentioned ,then the argument could be considered more reasonable.
"Two years ago, City L was listed 14th in an annual survey that ranks cities according to the quality of life that can be enjoyed by those living in them. This information will enable people who are moving to the state in which City L is located to confidently identify one place, at least, where schools are good, housing is affordable, people are friendly, the environment is safe, and the arts flourish."
Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument. In your discussion be sure to analyze the line of reasoning and the use of evidence in the argument. For example, you may need to consider what questionable assumptions underlie the thinking and what alternative explanations or counterexamples might weaken the conclusion. You can also discuss what sort of evidence would strengthen or refute the argument, what changes in the argument would make it more logically sound, and what, if anything, would help you better evaluate its conclusion.
----------
The argument presented is not reasonable as it tries to extrapolate the provided information to get a convenient conclusion. An assumption which is clearly evident is that information about one city in a state ( which would consist of several/many cities ) is sufficient to predict how the rest of the state would be.
The validity of the information obtained from the survey itself not established as it largely depends on the people who have taken part in the survey. We do not have information about how many people were surveyed , from what social standing they are and what their inclinations are.
Assuming that the survey is reliable , then a family which wants to locate a suitable place to live in city L might be able to get some useful information from the survey . However , to conclude that the family will surely benefit from the survey and definitely find a place where it might be satisfied with the schools,housing , people etc. is wishful thinking . There is not enough evidence to conclude so.
One more reason why this argument does not hold much water is that the factors which are considered to identify a place , viz. schools,housing,people,environment and the arts are all subjective. Schools which might be affordable to a rich family may not be so for a relatively poor family. Housing follows the same logic. Whether the people are friendly is again dependant of the perception of the families . They might find someone friendly whereas the neighbours may not . A safe environment can depend on many factors. What is safe for one family may not be safe for another.
If we had further information about the state in which city L is present, then the argument may be more reasonable using known data to come to a conclusion. Supposing we knew that the cities in the state were more or less similar with respect to the factors mentioned ,then the argument could be considered more reasonable.
Friday, June 22, 2007
Mum(bai)'s the wor(l)d
Bangalore airport
Driven by dreams of glory somewhat and more by the thrill of getting out of the mundane 9-6 ( in my case 12 - 9 ) existence and meeting quakers hot babes , matter and i packed for the trip to mumbai! In case you are thinking matter and i were packing together spatially and in the same time zone ,you are mistaken , matter as usual was in his own MST ( matter standard time ) while was in good old (boring ) IST where you have to be at the airport well in advance and sit waiting in hope of seeing a real hot beauty ...hope is all I ve got now :( . Anyway , with usual alacrity after a few harried phone calls , matter suddenly turned up behind me as if he had been there all the time and we safely boarded the flight! That was a relief I tell you . About the inevitable question as to how many chicks there were on flight , I can recall only one really hot tam ( i think so) girl in sari and a few ok ok ones.
On board and away
Our onward journey was on Indigo and man the most disappointing flight I ever had in terms of .....the air hostesses ! I remember telling matter that 90% of the air hostesses are pretty ordinary looking but are definitely one thing... paper white! I cant understand whats the point of having air hostesses who wont even look into the eyes of the people getting on board while (if at all ) welcoming them on board. We were lucky to get at least that service considering that as soon as our trip was over , there was a nation wide strike by the ground staff of some or all of the airlines! Anyway it was nt worth the effort worrying about them when theres so much to do in our own lives . During the course of the flight I discovered a very intimate detail about matter! Can you guess wat ? yes you are right , he does have a very soft inside... before you get the wrong idea, let me clarify. Actually (verbatim matter) , his body pressure is much lesser than that outside therefore the pain in the ear,and when he inserts his ears to stop the pain , his fingers get sucked in ! Well with such proof , I had to admit to his theory which is true btw hehe.
Before this occured , matter very expectantly enquired about the availability of cotton to stuff his ears with . On the polite refusal , his exasperation was very noticeable and lasted through most of the rest of the journey as DK and Gandhi would testify . I forgot to mention that matter shot the take off of the flight .... you are right ... from within the plane!!!
Arrival at chatrapathi sivaji international airport and journey to Deek's abode
After a relatively short flight during which I was enlightened on several topics by matter , most of which I dont remember :) , not that it was not interesting , but because of STML. After say good riddance to the pasty air hostesses , we got in touch with Deeks . After trying to remember a set of confusing directions which we were supposed to relate to an auto driver , and failing miserably ( inspite of a detailed sms from dk which we later learnt was copied from a map hehe ) , Deek's idea of speaking to the auto guy solved the problem and we were safely off . The directions I remember are something with key words , Chembur...Vashi... three of four highway names..and Indianoil colony . In that sultry - salubrious (is that an oxy moron? ) weather , we were relieved to be in motion albeit within extremely cheap transport ! Man , you could say we were very pleasantly surprised to see the auto meter just registering some chillare as he sped along the paved cement roads ( the road looks like a pavement in mumbai ) and really wide highways. We reached Deek's abode in some time , less than half an hour . As Gandhi and Deeks came ambling towards us from a distance I really wish we had shot that pic ! I was just taking out Rs.10 to give the auto guy, as the meter read 10.5 .... who for a strange reason was laughing at us! Deeks came to our rescue at this juncture along with the ever youthful Gandhi . It seems that the meter has to read with a scaling factor of 10 for autos and for cabs its some kind of whacky non linear scale which would put our pn diode graph to shame.
Deek's abode and lunch
In a supposedly tamil area , the apartment building was called GRIT ,and was part of a bunch of buildings near a small colony called Indian oil colony. Enquiring about the availability of hot babes in the colony we entered the place where Deeks spends most of his sleeping and blogging hours ( just guessing). It was a really spacious place where 2-3 people could live easily and we were really glad to relax under the fans as we acquainted ourselves with what we were upto and I updated them about matter's latest quotes. It was really pleasant surprise to also have Gandhi in Mumbai at the same time and added a hairier factor (especially the feet! ) to our stay . After a really heavy lunch of egg fried rice and veg manchurian and freshening up , we set off to see mumbai!
The suburban trains
Our plan was to take autos to this place called Vidya Vihar which was the closest station which would connect us to the artery of the city , the mumbai rail. Mater with a really professional looking thick ,black camera and Deeks with his handy Silver cam with a thinner extensible cylinder made for obvious analogies to their prowesses in other places ... which was was unabashedly confirmed by matter! On board the train we were told of the different lines which ran parallel and in the north south direction . A really huge number of people use this network everyday... for exact figures , ask Deeks and when you see how alive that whole system is you cant help but wonder how it all works. Even after the bomb blasts and all that shit , people fearlessly just getting on with life ;looking at them , our apprehensions were gone .
CST (Chatrapathi sivaji terminus) , marine drive and ragada patties
We arrived at a major stop called CST , which I guess is equivalent to Majestic in train terms . Outside this station is the place you see in most films based on mumbai with some old huge buildings. It was really great to be in the places you get to see always on tv , what with all the news channels being so partial to mumbai ! Anyway after a short walk through stalls which mainly hawked pirated cds and dvds of all kinds... a guy ever saw my unsure eyes and was pulling on my shirt asking if i wanted "sexy" stuff! After being had by the ESWC guys for not even sponsoring the travel , we thought it not worth buying stuff we were not sure would even work and so we went on to the next location... the beach. Driving past "Marine drive" , makes you realise that the name is exactly what it is ... a long drive along the beach. It looks like the sea has made a wide curved inway into the land and on one of the arms of the curve you can see really huge buildings showcasing the city's vibrant business life. That place is really awesome , something totally unique to Mumbai and we stood relishing the scene in the fading day.
After a while , guess who came to meet us ? It was good old Rajesh Bhat ! The first thing you can notice about him is that hes not changed one bit..except for his get-up which was now purely formal with a characteristic laptop bag across his chest and shoulders. After learning about his life at Reliance Life Sciences and also anecdotes of Mukesh Ambani and generally a lot of time pass we headed to have the best chat we have ever had in our short lives! Unbelievably tasty stuff which didnt seem that unclean either , we had an ample helping of "Ragada patties " and other normal chat stuff , which left an indelible memory of street food in mumbai which was only going to be further enhanced!
Leopolds
After a long walk along marine drive , we decided to hit the next destination... Leopold's . For people who love to pour beer ..(into their mouths ) and at the same time have a great conversation , this is heaven! It also incidentally serves as one of the hangouts for the main character in this book called "Shantaram" . I guess we should be able to see it in a movie before long starring Johnny Depp and AmitabhBachan as an underworld Don . The hype did nothing to diminish the experience and ambience . The place was ..not huge , but the number of people it accomodated was big, mainly because of optimization achieved over a long time ( as long as a hundred + years ... if what the photo says is true). With closely placed tables meant for four mostly , we five adjusted into one and settled down amidst a crowd which a significant foreign presence. The reason we learnt was because of one undeniably its ambience and second because they have a discount of 10-15% on the bill ! It added more eye candy for us , with local maal and foreign maal at the same place and with the effect of beer kicking in, it seemed all the more lovely. The beer came in a really beautiful chemistry lab apparatus kind of thing. A really tall tube of maybe 10 cm diameter and a tap at the bottom constituted a pitcher . Filling it up and settling down for some great storytelling by some of the best at it... Matter and DK,Raju and Gandhi adding their own experiences , I was really getting a sleepy kick out of it. I think I now know enough about matter's experiences to write a book about... considering how much "matter" is there in them :D . An eternity and a couple of pitchers later , we decided to make a move to....
Bade Miyan
It sounds like a part of some really bad Amitabh Bachan film, but its nothing like that . Its an awesome street food place for the gods ( or is it the lucky dogs who get the left overs?) and mortals from Bangalore . No pictures were taken at this location unfortunately . Anyway it was a road side place as good as it can get. With scores of cars parked on the street and on parallel and nearby streets , most of the customers stand and eat as the seating was ready to be filled many times over by families mainly. Imagine, whole families all dressed up nicely and outside at something like 23 :00 + hours ! There were even some really good looking girls who were least bothered about the time or being among all those men at that time of the day. This is one of the really amazing things about mumbai which struck me as being in sharp contrast to the places I have lived in before ... namely Bangalore and Chennai ( which bolt up by 23 30 max , beyond which you are on your own risk) . We ordered some chicken kababs which ran out as we spoke and then settled for some other kind of kabab while Deeks relised his veg sheek kababs . Never mind that it was a wholly upright meal as in we were standing all the time, it was a really delicious experience and a revelation of what night life can be. And this is only an eating place ! Imagine what fun it would be to be at an all night booze dance party, will I ever get to do that ? Maybe someday. After stuffing ourselves with meat and veg kababs , we headed to the final spot of the day....
Gateway of India and back home.
After the sweaty travel during the day , we still remained sticky , with the weather remaining distinctly humid even as the time neared midnight. This place is not very impressive , I mean as the name would imply, I would imagine a gigantic gateway in to the second most populous nation in the world. Barring such expectations, it was a nice monument, whose historical significance I am not aware of .. maybe somebody will throw some light on that . What was really cool about the place was the light from distant buildings playing on the water surface near the monument. Some more anecdotes later , on the steps which led into the water and some cool photos , we were asked to bugger off by the police at the stroke of midnight. Opposite this monument , is another ... a Taj Hotel which literally has compound facing the Gateway of India , it is all building right onto the road! It looks like a huge palace and well probably unaffordable anyway . finally it was time to head back home and thus concluded the first night in mumbai with reflections of light off the water and thoughts off the mind.
Driven by dreams of glory somewhat and more by the thrill of getting out of the mundane 9-6 ( in my case 12 - 9 ) existence and meeting quakers hot babes , matter and i packed for the trip to mumbai! In case you are thinking matter and i were packing together spatially and in the same time zone ,you are mistaken , matter as usual was in his own MST ( matter standard time ) while was in good old (boring ) IST where you have to be at the airport well in advance and sit waiting in hope of seeing a real hot beauty ...hope is all I ve got now :( . Anyway , with usual alacrity after a few harried phone calls , matter suddenly turned up behind me as if he had been there all the time and we safely boarded the flight! That was a relief I tell you . About the inevitable question as to how many chicks there were on flight , I can recall only one really hot tam ( i think so) girl in sari and a few ok ok ones.
On board and away
Our onward journey was on Indigo and man the most disappointing flight I ever had in terms of .....the air hostesses ! I remember telling matter that 90% of the air hostesses are pretty ordinary looking but are definitely one thing... paper white! I cant understand whats the point of having air hostesses who wont even look into the eyes of the people getting on board while (if at all ) welcoming them on board. We were lucky to get at least that service considering that as soon as our trip was over , there was a nation wide strike by the ground staff of some or all of the airlines! Anyway it was nt worth the effort worrying about them when theres so much to do in our own lives . During the course of the flight I discovered a very intimate detail about matter! Can you guess wat ? yes you are right , he does have a very soft inside... before you get the wrong idea, let me clarify. Actually (verbatim matter) , his body pressure is much lesser than that outside therefore the pain in the ear,and when he inserts his ears to stop the pain , his fingers get sucked in ! Well with such proof , I had to admit to his theory which is true btw hehe.
Before this occured , matter very expectantly enquired about the availability of cotton to stuff his ears with . On the polite refusal , his exasperation was very noticeable and lasted through most of the rest of the journey as DK and Gandhi would testify . I forgot to mention that matter shot the take off of the flight .... you are right ... from within the plane!!!
Arrival at chatrapathi sivaji international airport and journey to Deek's abode
After a relatively short flight during which I was enlightened on several topics by matter , most of which I dont remember :) , not that it was not interesting , but because of STML. After say good riddance to the pasty air hostesses , we got in touch with Deeks . After trying to remember a set of confusing directions which we were supposed to relate to an auto driver , and failing miserably ( inspite of a detailed sms from dk which we later learnt was copied from a map hehe ) , Deek's idea of speaking to the auto guy solved the problem and we were safely off . The directions I remember are something with key words , Chembur...Vashi... three of four highway names..and Indianoil colony . In that sultry - salubrious (is that an oxy moron? ) weather , we were relieved to be in motion albeit within extremely cheap transport ! Man , you could say we were very pleasantly surprised to see the auto meter just registering some chillare as he sped along the paved cement roads ( the road looks like a pavement in mumbai ) and really wide highways. We reached Deek's abode in some time , less than half an hour . As Gandhi and Deeks came ambling towards us from a distance I really wish we had shot that pic ! I was just taking out Rs.10 to give the auto guy, as the meter read 10.5 .... who for a strange reason was laughing at us! Deeks came to our rescue at this juncture along with the ever youthful Gandhi . It seems that the meter has to read with a scaling factor of 10 for autos and for cabs its some kind of whacky non linear scale which would put our pn diode graph to shame.
Deek's abode and lunch
In a supposedly tamil area , the apartment building was called GRIT
The suburban trains
Our plan was to take autos to this place called Vidya Vihar which was the closest station which would connect us to the artery of the city , the mumbai rail. Mater with a really professional looking thick ,black camera and Deeks with his handy Silver cam with a thinner extensible cylinder made for obvious analogies to their prowesses in other places ... which was was unabashedly confirmed by matter! On board the train we were told of the different lines which ran parallel and in the north south direction . A really huge number of people use this network everyday... for exact figures , ask Deeks and when you see how alive that whole system is you cant help but wonder how it all works. Even after the bomb blasts and all that shit , people fearlessly just getting on with life ;looking at them , our apprehensions were gone .
CST (Chatrapathi sivaji terminus) , marine drive and ragada patties
We arrived at a major stop called CST , which I guess is equivalent to Majestic in train terms . Outside this station is the place you see in most films based on mumbai with some old huge buildings. It was really great to be in the places you get to see always on tv , what with all the news channels being so partial to mumbai ! Anyway after a short walk through stalls which mainly hawked pirated cds and dvds of all kinds... a guy ever saw my unsure eyes and was pulling on my shirt asking if i wanted "sexy" stuff! After being had by the ESWC guys for not even sponsoring the travel , we thought it not worth buying stuff we were not sure would even work and so we went on to the next location... the beach. Driving past "Marine drive" , makes you realise that the name is exactly what it is ... a long drive along the beach. It looks like the sea has made a wide curved inway into the land and on one of the arms of the curve you can see really huge buildings showcasing the city's vibrant business life. That place is really awesome , something totally unique to Mumbai and we stood relishing the scene in the fading day.
After a while , guess who came to meet us ? It was good old Rajesh Bhat ! The first thing you can notice about him is that hes not changed one bit..except for his get-up which was now purely formal with a characteristic laptop bag across his chest and shoulders. After learning about his life at Reliance Life Sciences and also anecdotes of Mukesh Ambani and generally a lot of time pass we headed to have the best chat we have ever had in our short lives! Unbelievably tasty stuff which didnt seem that unclean either , we had an ample helping of "Ragada patties " and other normal chat stuff , which left an indelible memory of street food in mumbai which was only going to be further enhanced!
Leopolds
After a long walk along marine drive , we decided to hit the next destination... Leopold's . For people who love to pour beer ..(into their mouths ) and at the same time have a great conversation , this is heaven! It also incidentally serves as one of the hangouts for the main character in this book called "Shantaram" . I guess we should be able to see it in a movie before long starring Johnny Depp and AmitabhBachan as an underworld Don . The hype did nothing to diminish the experience and ambience . The place was ..not huge , but the number of people it accomodated was big, mainly because of optimization achieved over a long time ( as long as a hundred + years ... if what the photo says is true). With closely placed tables meant for four mostly , we five adjusted into one and settled down amidst a crowd which a significant foreign presence. The reason we learnt was because of one undeniably its ambience and second because they have a discount of 10-15% on the bill ! It added more eye candy for us , with local maal and foreign maal at the same place and with the effect of beer kicking in, it seemed all the more lovely. The beer came in a really beautiful chemistry lab apparatus kind of thing. A really tall tube of maybe 10 cm diameter and a tap at the bottom constituted a pitcher . Filling it up and settling down for some great storytelling by some of the best at it... Matter and DK,Raju and Gandhi adding their own experiences , I was really getting a sleepy kick out of it. I think I now know enough about matter's experiences to write a book about... considering how much "matter" is there in them :D . An eternity and a couple of pitchers later , we decided to make a move to....
Bade Miyan
It sounds like a part of some really bad Amitabh Bachan film, but its nothing like that . Its an awesome street food place for the gods ( or is it the lucky dogs who get the left overs?) and mortals from Bangalore . No pictures were taken at this location unfortunately . Anyway it was a road side place as good as it can get. With scores of cars parked on the street and on parallel and nearby streets , most of the customers stand and eat as the seating was ready to be filled many times over by families mainly. Imagine, whole families all dressed up nicely and outside at something like 23 :00 + hours ! There were even some really good looking girls who were least bothered about the time or being among all those men at that time of the day. This is one of the really amazing things about mumbai which struck me as being in sharp contrast to the places I have lived in before ... namely Bangalore and Chennai ( which bolt up by 23 30 max , beyond which you are on your own risk) . We ordered some chicken kababs which ran out as we spoke and then settled for some other kind of kabab while Deeks relised his veg sheek kababs . Never mind that it was a wholly upright meal as in we were standing all the time, it was a really delicious experience and a revelation of what night life can be. And this is only an eating place ! Imagine what fun it would be to be at an all night booze dance party, will I ever get to do that ? Maybe someday. After stuffing ourselves with meat and veg kababs , we headed to the final spot of the day....
Gateway of India and back home.
After the sweaty travel during the day , we still remained sticky , with the weather remaining distinctly humid even as the time neared midnight. This place is not very impressive , I mean as the name would imply, I would imagine a gigantic gateway in to the second most populous nation in the world. Barring such expectations, it was a nice monument, whose historical significance I am not aware of .. maybe somebody will throw some light on that . What was really cool about the place was the light from distant buildings playing on the water surface near the monument. Some more anecdotes later , on the steps which led into the water and some cool photos , we were asked to bugger off by the police at the stroke of midnight. Opposite this monument , is another ... a Taj Hotel which literally has compound facing the Gateway of India , it is all building right onto the road! It looks like a huge palace and well probably unaffordable anyway . finally it was time to head back home and thus concluded the first night in mumbai with reflections of light off the water and thoughts off the mind.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Shitty food?
After many an incident involving raw flesh or unwanted creatures dead or dying in my food at various restaurants in different cities , I want to let the world know the names of these sons of bitches so that at least some of you would refrain from letting them continue.
Marry Brown , Chennai : I have visited 2 outlets of MarryBrown during my 3 year stay in Chennai . I used to like the taste of the fried chicken there until my stomach started complaining about it . This was not such a big deal since bad food is quite common . But on another occasion I was just about to leave for Bangalore from Chennai Central , when I bought a burger from the Marry Brown outlet there ( the one right next to Saravana Bhavan) . This was a "special" burger which was supposed to have a fried piece of chicken instead of a patty. The guy packed it and promptly took the payment. I took my seat in the train when there was 15 minutes to departure . I opened the packet and took a bite... to find that it was rubbery. The flesh was uncooked . Seething with anger I returned to the counter and shouted at the guy there . The main guy in charge was a kiddish looking north indian chap , he just stood there staring as if his brains where at home , the other guy who handles customers was saying "sorry sir , please " repeatedly. I asked them how they would feel to be served raw meat for money and took my bag and left.
Ponnusamy Chettinad Hotel , M.G.Road , Besantnagar : It was a Sunday afternoon . My roommate Vijesh and I went to this "famous" restaurant to have the most important meal of the weekend , "brunch" . We went in and sat down at a table among the all the other confusingly placed tables. We waited for an eternity before I had to shout to get some service. We ordered some Fried chicken which according to my roomie was a specialty . When it did arrive , I found it was quite stale and was really pissed about it. After making a lot of fuss and threatening legal action , we got a replacement piece from some other curry . Deciding never to visit this Ponnu "myre" samy place ever again , we left with a warning to the guys there.
Kwality Riviera : This is one of the shittiest incidents I ve had at a restaurant. First the guy serves some stinking Chicken tandoori and then he argues with us that it is fresh , the freaking bastard. Anyway , after threatening him that no one from Verizon would ever come there again , his and his friends' attitude changed to that of pleading . I sometimes think what would happen to all the people who worked in such places if they get shut down for such things , but now I think I ll do my best to screw anyone else who wants to play dirty.
Hotel Grand: This is the biggest misnomer of the century. For the stalest food ( apparently because they need to conserve power by turning off the refridgerator at night ) , read stinking chicken lollypop , you can rely on this place. Its got filthy curtains and table cloths and a particular waiter who would put LOTR's Gollum to shame with his shifting faces . I was accompanied by an especially good natured guy (KKP) who was reasoning ever so pleasantly with that SOB... as if he would turn over a new leaf . After we left that place with disgust , I came to find out from him that if we took a sample of the food with us to Rajaji Bhavan in Besantnagar, we could actually file a case against them. I really regret not doing that that day.
Nandhini Palace : This is the latest addition to the really long list of such incidents. 12/6/2007 , 3:00 pm , I ordered a limited meals at Nandhini Palace on new BEL road . This was on the ground floor restaurant . Already feeling weak because of bad seats at work and travel fatigue , I was happy to get the food on my table finally. A small bowl of rice and sambhar and rasam and curd which had the color of urine ( yeah , it really did ) , at least the top layer . Halfway through the meal some kid came and served "dhaal" and some vegetable side dish . When I was almost done, I saw a dead cockroach hidden among the slices of the vegetable . My first reaction this time was , man why me? I really didnt have the mood to fight with these people . I called the waiter and showed the dead insect. He said something about informing his manager and scooted off. I just could nt eat anymore and went to wash my hands. Seeing the alarm on the faces of the waiters I knew it was quite serious , but it was their lucky day I was already bugged enough with other things like the way ESWC 2007 was held in Mumbai the previous weekend .
On this day , I have decided to take revenge on erring restaurants one way or the other ... better not mess with the paying customer , coz one day you ll be brought to the streets if you do .
Marry Brown , Chennai : I have visited 2 outlets of MarryBrown during my 3 year stay in Chennai . I used to like the taste of the fried chicken there until my stomach started complaining about it . This was not such a big deal since bad food is quite common . But on another occasion I was just about to leave for Bangalore from Chennai Central , when I bought a burger from the Marry Brown outlet there ( the one right next to Saravana Bhavan) . This was a "special" burger which was supposed to have a fried piece of chicken instead of a patty. The guy packed it and promptly took the payment. I took my seat in the train when there was 15 minutes to departure . I opened the packet and took a bite... to find that it was rubbery. The flesh was uncooked . Seething with anger I returned to the counter and shouted at the guy there . The main guy in charge was a kiddish looking north indian chap , he just stood there staring as if his brains where at home , the other guy who handles customers was saying "sorry sir , please " repeatedly. I asked them how they would feel to be served raw meat for money and took my bag and left.
Ponnusamy Chettinad Hotel , M.G.Road , Besantnagar : It was a Sunday afternoon . My roommate Vijesh and I went to this "famous" restaurant to have the most important meal of the weekend , "brunch" . We went in and sat down at a table among the all the other confusingly placed tables. We waited for an eternity before I had to shout to get some service. We ordered some Fried chicken which according to my roomie was a specialty . When it did arrive , I found it was quite stale and was really pissed about it. After making a lot of fuss and threatening legal action , we got a replacement piece from some other curry . Deciding never to visit this Ponnu "myre" samy place ever again , we left with a warning to the guys there.
Kwality Riviera : This is one of the shittiest incidents I ve had at a restaurant. First the guy serves some stinking Chicken tandoori and then he argues with us that it is fresh , the freaking bastard. Anyway , after threatening him that no one from Verizon would ever come there again , his and his friends' attitude changed to that of pleading . I sometimes think what would happen to all the people who worked in such places if they get shut down for such things , but now I think I ll do my best to screw anyone else who wants to play dirty.
Hotel Grand: This is the biggest misnomer of the century. For the stalest food ( apparently because they need to conserve power by turning off the refridgerator at night ) , read stinking chicken lollypop , you can rely on this place. Its got filthy curtains and table cloths and a particular waiter who would put LOTR's Gollum to shame with his shifting faces . I was accompanied by an especially good natured guy (KKP) who was reasoning ever so pleasantly with that SOB... as if he would turn over a new leaf . After we left that place with disgust , I came to find out from him that if we took a sample of the food with us to Rajaji Bhavan in Besantnagar, we could actually file a case against them. I really regret not doing that that day.
Nandhini Palace : This is the latest addition to the really long list of such incidents. 12/6/2007 , 3:00 pm , I ordered a limited meals at Nandhini Palace on new BEL road . This was on the ground floor restaurant . Already feeling weak because of bad seats at work and travel fatigue , I was happy to get the food on my table finally. A small bowl of rice and sambhar and rasam and curd which had the color of urine ( yeah , it really did ) , at least the top layer . Halfway through the meal some kid came and served "dhaal" and some vegetable side dish . When I was almost done, I saw a dead cockroach hidden among the slices of the vegetable . My first reaction this time was , man why me? I really didnt have the mood to fight with these people . I called the waiter and showed the dead insect. He said something about informing his manager and scooted off. I just could nt eat anymore and went to wash my hands. Seeing the alarm on the faces of the waiters I knew it was quite serious , but it was their lucky day I was already bugged enough with other things like the way ESWC 2007 was held in Mumbai the previous weekend .
On this day , I have decided to take revenge on erring restaurants one way or the other ... better not mess with the paying customer , coz one day you ll be brought to the streets if you do .
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Ode to a soddie...
13/5/2007
A pain in the wrist and a fat ass is
All you ve got , my softie sis
Oh you want to have an easy life?
A fat salary and a sexy hot wife?
So you gonna work real hard...
So hard ur backside goes soft
Your eyes a popping mister , oft
When passes by a female chick
Oh What a lousy life you lead my softie sis,
Aint worth a doggie's piss
You dreaming a lot my man,
When u sposed be working on...
Through the nite , you aint got no life
No life , no wife, no f**king strife
The white man's rich, his dollars' real money
Your ruppee aint worth ur sweet time honey.
So slog ur fat ass...all day all nite
The white massa's paying u alrite
You speak his tongue and u wipe his ass
Maybe u go his house ,oh so fast!
You dream a lot my man ,
Someday u ll marry ... a woman?
u look in the mirror anytime , hey softie sis?
ur ass so big, did i just hear it hiss?
U aint going to do no kissing ...
Ur teeth have food which went missing
What a sorry state ur in my buddy
Life sure sucks as a softie coolie
Oh softies s(t)ud ... u gonna die a virgin
Coz none cares of ur end or origin...
U a drop in the ocean , u salty prick
U gonna die without use of ur stick
Wat lifes gotta offer u ll never know dude
Coz u gonna look , but u never do
The net u live in ... u browse
Your veil itll be , sitting forever in the house
U coming home in a huff
Ur packets' full of money stuff
Now u r boss , u softie coolie..
U lucky dog , u .. see me drooly
O Wait, ur heart's a beating slow
My man , u must a been cheating
Death , ur heart's a leaking ..
A softie's life's so short , is it fate?
U dying my brother, my softie mate...
Wat a life , wat strife , of no action ,
better dead still ..you are than a life of no motion.
No one gonna mourn u my dead son
U were no one , no helping hand
U thot u were living a life so grand..
No family ,no frens u cared
Look who has better fared...
I earned much less... I loved much more
I knew money's worth , I never sought a crore
I am the real worker , u lost ur way
I live life , while you exist in a hell for which u forever ...pay
( today's incidentally my bro's birthday . some of the intense feeling of being a softie with no life has been influenced by him and more so by observing this ever growing imbecile species)
P.S : this poem aint a joke! its satire at the "prosperous" software engineer , a growing breed , who lives a "model" life with a lot of money and pretty much no skill at anything save stare at a blank screen...
A pain in the wrist and a fat ass is
All you ve got , my softie sis
Oh you want to have an easy life?
A fat salary and a sexy hot wife?
So you gonna work real hard...
So hard ur backside goes soft
Your eyes a popping mister , oft
When passes by a female chick
Oh What a lousy life you lead my softie sis,
Aint worth a doggie's piss
You dreaming a lot my man,
When u sposed be working on...
Through the nite , you aint got no life
No life , no wife, no f**king strife
The white man's rich, his dollars' real money
Your ruppee aint worth ur sweet time honey.
So slog ur fat ass...all day all nite
The white massa's paying u alrite
You speak his tongue and u wipe his ass
Maybe u go his house ,oh so fast!
You dream a lot my man ,
Someday u ll marry ... a woman?
u look in the mirror anytime , hey softie sis?
ur ass so big, did i just hear it hiss?
U aint going to do no kissing ...
Ur teeth have food which went missing
What a sorry state ur in my buddy
Life sure sucks as a softie coolie
Oh softies s(t)ud ... u gonna die a virgin
Coz none cares of ur end or origin...
U a drop in the ocean , u salty prick
U gonna die without use of ur stick
Wat lifes gotta offer u ll never know dude
Coz u gonna look , but u never do
The net u live in ... u browse
Your veil itll be , sitting forever in the house
U coming home in a huff
Ur packets' full of money stuff
Now u r boss , u softie coolie..
U lucky dog , u .. see me drooly
O Wait, ur heart's a beating slow
My man , u must a been cheating
Death , ur heart's a leaking ..
A softie's life's so short , is it fate?
U dying my brother, my softie mate...
Wat a life , wat strife , of no action ,
better dead still ..you are than a life of no motion.
No one gonna mourn u my dead son
U were no one , no helping hand
U thot u were living a life so grand..
No family ,no frens u cared
Look who has better fared...
I earned much less... I loved much more
I knew money's worth , I never sought a crore
I am the real worker , u lost ur way
I live life , while you exist in a hell for which u forever ...pay
( today's incidentally my bro's birthday . some of the intense feeling of being a softie with no life has been influenced by him and more so by observing this ever growing imbecile species)
P.S : this poem aint a joke! its satire at the "prosperous" software engineer , a growing breed , who lives a "model" life with a lot of money and pretty much no skill at anything save stare at a blank screen...
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Moving on ...
What is it that makes moving on to the next step so difficult? It was all so easy in school . You finish one grade and move on to the next . Getting through is not very difficult for most and the process is synchronized so that no one is left behind. Until you pass out of school you are taken care of . Only then that meritocracy kicks in . You go where your abilities ,proclivity , ambition and various other factors take you . Taking decisions becomes important for an individual at each of these junctures . Moving from school after completing 10th to another institution... choosing a discipline for pre university , UG course selection ... they are all important for most people in the retrospective. By the time you realize that the strings which your parents (siblings) were holding should have been in your hands all along , you are stuck in a high paying job with absolutely no or little correlation to what you are interested in. Which brings up the point, what are you really interested in? I can think of a handful of things which I love to do and still cannot single out one which would be an option to pursue full time. I can't play quake full time , I would then probably become a Dependant on my brother or even worse on my retired parents . Anything would be better than depend , and so once most of us enter a job , we stay stuck for 1 year, 2 years and slowly it just slips our minds how once upon a time , there was a dream , a dream to achieve something . The will to go through the extra hour to learn that skill , nurture that special talent which would one day make all eyes revere you and how smug you could be.
Somewhere in the middle of this phase are stuck many people not unlike me. I for one have had several passions in my short life of 24 years. I used to love to sketch with the pencil , pen , sketch pen , in the sand , in dirt , on dirty cars and even in the air! The feeling of elation when I can draw a balanced, proportionate figure of a guy , or even better a woman still never fails to show up. The only difference is that the frequency of this event has gone down drastically. You call it the dying of the human spirit , the drying up of creative juices , procrastination , aging , in fact you can attribute it to umpteen reasons . The fact remains that I am becoming an addict to mediocrity . I find me telling myself every time I am challenged by a particular task , why not delay it a little longer . It can wait for some more time and then I can be done with it forever. The attitude towards anything which does not interest me is so allergic to say the least and disinterested at the max on the outside . Two years of working in software can do to me what 14 years of school and PU could not do . I seriously think that what I am running on now is the momentum of a time when I attained a peak , some time in 10th standard when I could listen to my biology teacher Mrs. Simon at a stretch for 45 minutes and then sit down and write down all that she had said. I had the confidence that I had it in me to do well at any task related to studies .
The difference between then and now when there is so much more freedom to choose what I can do , is with choices . I chose to follow a path , a well trodden path . A path which would guarantee me an easy life so that I would not have to go through the trudge my father went through . I know that its a good option , something which thousands of people go through every year... probably suppressing the desire to become a poet or a cricket player or an artist. It is after all basic education now . So what if you were great in school. That does nt count all that much. You then have to excel at 12th , college and at the end of it all , you know that at the bottom of your heart , all you really want to do is just sketch faces on the class notebook. I have been living in this state of perpetual inner desires reaching out for satisfaction from different sources . Don't even get me started about other unsatisfied desires !
The time to make some important choices has come again and this time I have taken probably one of my first major decisions which could be quite life altering and all that . Its the decision to leave my first job , which is almost like the continuation of my life from college . The thing that made it difficult to do it all these days was I had trouble getting myself to focus on preparation for interviews . The will to do it was not there and after some introspection and learning from past attempts , I latched on to the simple formula for minimum required success (LOL)... do the right things , not necessarily the tough things , get all the material for preparation ready and just read (and probably program) sincerely . And so with a job in hand and an imminent move from my first place of work... I stand in the midst of a photograph , where I am moving from one stage to another . I do not know where this decision will take me . I do not know if life as I know it will be better or worse . Will it bring back old memories as I go back to my hometown , or will it finally be the course which will eventually lead me to that woman who I long to hold in my arms and smother with kisses , will it make me a better son to my parents , to whom I my duty as a son still remains largely unfulfilled , will I at the end of it all make my self happy ...
I wish I could learn to move on ... in life .
Somewhere in the middle of this phase are stuck many people not unlike me. I for one have had several passions in my short life of 24 years. I used to love to sketch with the pencil , pen , sketch pen , in the sand , in dirt , on dirty cars and even in the air! The feeling of elation when I can draw a balanced, proportionate figure of a guy , or even better a woman still never fails to show up. The only difference is that the frequency of this event has gone down drastically. You call it the dying of the human spirit , the drying up of creative juices , procrastination , aging , in fact you can attribute it to umpteen reasons . The fact remains that I am becoming an addict to mediocrity . I find me telling myself every time I am challenged by a particular task , why not delay it a little longer . It can wait for some more time and then I can be done with it forever. The attitude towards anything which does not interest me is so allergic to say the least and disinterested at the max on the outside . Two years of working in software can do to me what 14 years of school and PU could not do . I seriously think that what I am running on now is the momentum of a time when I attained a peak , some time in 10th standard when I could listen to my biology teacher Mrs. Simon at a stretch for 45 minutes and then sit down and write down all that she had said. I had the confidence that I had it in me to do well at any task related to studies .
The difference between then and now when there is so much more freedom to choose what I can do , is with choices . I chose to follow a path , a well trodden path . A path which would guarantee me an easy life so that I would not have to go through the trudge my father went through . I know that its a good option , something which thousands of people go through every year... probably suppressing the desire to become a poet or a cricket player or an artist. It is after all basic education now . So what if you were great in school. That does nt count all that much. You then have to excel at 12th , college and at the end of it all , you know that at the bottom of your heart , all you really want to do is just sketch faces on the class notebook. I have been living in this state of perpetual inner desires reaching out for satisfaction from different sources . Don't even get me started about other unsatisfied desires !
The time to make some important choices has come again and this time I have taken probably one of my first major decisions which could be quite life altering and all that . Its the decision to leave my first job , which is almost like the continuation of my life from college . The thing that made it difficult to do it all these days was I had trouble getting myself to focus on preparation for interviews . The will to do it was not there and after some introspection and learning from past attempts , I latched on to the simple formula for minimum required success (LOL)... do the right things , not necessarily the tough things , get all the material for preparation ready and just read (and probably program) sincerely . And so with a job in hand and an imminent move from my first place of work... I stand in the midst of a photograph , where I am moving from one stage to another . I do not know where this decision will take me . I do not know if life as I know it will be better or worse . Will it bring back old memories as I go back to my hometown , or will it finally be the course which will eventually lead me to that woman who I long to hold in my arms and smother with kisses , will it make me a better son to my parents , to whom I my duty as a son still remains largely unfulfilled , will I at the end of it all make my self happy ...
I wish I could learn to move on ... in life .
Monday, February 12, 2007
Liberty , a dream
Liberty , a dream 13/2/2007
Unwilling , I rise
From the dreams ..of a different life
Heavy eye lids pull me back
The pillow wants to smother me
Make me sleep forever...
A jarring noise grows
Breaks the reverie so real
Another twenty four hours
Of nothing beckon, the mind is numb..
I can almost see myself from without
Putting on a disguise to fool ..whom?
With haste and a hurried pace
I rush to run the fake race...
The wheels of the bike turn,
My mind rewinds , a happy family
Four on a scooter , downhill on neutral
What joy , dad was my hero , mom was an angel
And that moment was pure heaven..
At work I sit , with a flat screen
I wonder about the world ,
Is nt there so much still to be seen...
Than the awkard silence and fumbling
Of the very same third floor
A moment of pride , came to my mind
I had excelled without doubt
The tenth standard it was
My heart swelled at the thought
How much I could have grown...
A poet? A writer ? A pilot ? an artist?
Buy what have I become now..?
A slave to comfort? Life's pampered pet?
If life is conscious thought ..and deed
And if thought is stuck in a loop
No action of novelty is done ..
Am I falling ..into a well of no return
But wait ... a flickering flame
Still burns somewhere
Which makes me look at myself,
As if a ghost from without
At the sorry state I am in
A thread I find in a hand still strong
It leads ... from the past into the future
A kite soars above , tugging ... like a failing heart
It wills me to forget a sorry past ,
Pulling me towards the light..
It lifts me , I fly
Flapping my wings ... I cry
I am free, to seek my destiny
With violent jerks I awaken
To see ..for the last time
A friend's face , he cries..
"Don't die, my friend.. you are too young!"
A smirk , and a wistful look remain ...
No breath , no warmth , no man , no unwilling life..
- Railmani
Unwilling , I rise
From the dreams ..of a different life
Heavy eye lids pull me back
The pillow wants to smother me
Make me sleep forever...
A jarring noise grows
Breaks the reverie so real
Another twenty four hours
Of nothing beckon, the mind is numb..
I can almost see myself from without
Putting on a disguise to fool ..whom?
With haste and a hurried pace
I rush to run the fake race...
The wheels of the bike turn,
My mind rewinds , a happy family
Four on a scooter , downhill on neutral
What joy , dad was my hero , mom was an angel
And that moment was pure heaven..
At work I sit , with a flat screen
I wonder about the world ,
Is nt there so much still to be seen...
Than the awkard silence and fumbling
Of the very same third floor
A moment of pride , came to my mind
I had excelled without doubt
The tenth standard it was
My heart swelled at the thought
How much I could have grown...
A poet? A writer ? A pilot ? an artist?
Buy what have I become now..?
A slave to comfort? Life's pampered pet?
If life is conscious thought ..and deed
And if thought is stuck in a loop
No action of novelty is done ..
Am I falling ..into a well of no return
But wait ... a flickering flame
Still burns somewhere
Which makes me look at myself,
As if a ghost from without
At the sorry state I am in
A thread I find in a hand still strong
It leads ... from the past into the future
A kite soars above , tugging ... like a failing heart
It wills me to forget a sorry past ,
Pulling me towards the light..
It lifts me , I fly
Flapping my wings ... I cry
I am free, to seek my destiny
With violent jerks I awaken
To see ..for the last time
A friend's face , he cries..
"Don't die, my friend.. you are too young!"
A smirk , and a wistful look remain ...
No breath , no warmth , no man , no unwilling life..
- Railmani
Thursday, February 01, 2007
Evil is not human and human is not divine...
2/2/2 007
Its only human they say,
To err , and then learn from it
Is perfection about this ?
Does Correction lead to nirvana..
Will it make me divine?
Or will the prevention of sin...
I fall many a time , but rise
Through effort , luck or vice
Sometimes I see the light
Or trip again on the very same rock.
Is it the devil in me , which then guides my thought?
A free thought it is
When I let my mind go free
Abandons all rules ,looking for harmony
Battling against viral thoughts
Planted by endless debauchery
Sometimes it breaks free
A momentary silence , A moment like a void
I stand still and the world moves ...so slow
Before it all comes crashing in
Through a crowd I walk
Losing myself in the flood of faces and bodies
Sometimes the limbs my eyes desire ,
At others the faces beckon
A stolen moment , meeting eyes
Always makes me wonder what lies
Behind the fellow conspirator's mask...
An innocent whim, or a virile spark
It passes and I kick myself
For depravity , taking control
The middle path I choose to tread
A chosen road in between
Always lies , leading miles ahead
No horrible vice I know , nor great virtue
Am the man who lives with all ,but finally nothing in his head
Half a mind , is it a mind at all?
A thought , decision made makes no sense
How is it possible to ever reach , attain zen?
The roads beckon , but I tread the middle path
For evil is not human and human is not divine...
Its only human they say,
To err , and then learn from it
Is perfection about this ?
Does Correction lead to nirvana..
Will it make me divine?
Or will the prevention of sin...
I fall many a time , but rise
Through effort , luck or vice
Sometimes I see the light
Or trip again on the very same rock.
Is it the devil in me , which then guides my thought?
A free thought it is
When I let my mind go free
Abandons all rules ,looking for harmony
Battling against viral thoughts
Planted by endless debauchery
Sometimes it breaks free
A momentary silence , A moment like a void
I stand still and the world moves ...so slow
Before it all comes crashing in
Through a crowd I walk
Losing myself in the flood of faces and bodies
Sometimes the limbs my eyes desire ,
At others the faces beckon
A stolen moment , meeting eyes
Always makes me wonder what lies
Behind the fellow conspirator's mask...
An innocent whim, or a virile spark
It passes and I kick myself
For depravity , taking control
The middle path I choose to tread
A chosen road in between
Always lies , leading miles ahead
No horrible vice I know , nor great virtue
Am the man who lives with all ,but finally nothing in his head
Half a mind , is it a mind at all?
A thought , decision made makes no sense
How is it possible to ever reach , attain zen?
The roads beckon , but I tread the middle path
For evil is not human and human is not divine...
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