WEATHER

It’s a quiet Friday afternoon of what feels like a never ending week. I have been searching for things to do to wile away the remaining afternoon hours and nothing really seems appealing. It occurs to me that it has been quite a while since I have actually written anything for my blog so I figured I may as well do that today. There is only one problem, if you will; I really don’t know what to write about. My thoughts are very scattered at the moment and I find that I have lost practice with picking a particular topic and focusing on it to be able to write something about it……..SIGH!!! I am sure I will relearn this skill once I start writing again and I do mean to do this quite frequently from now on.
The one thing that is most prevalent on my mind this week has been the weather. Yes, it’s a cliché topic and often times the safest subject to stick to during conversations but we will touch upon that in another post. The reason it has been on my mind is because this week has been a trailer for diff types of weather available. Today, as I reflect back on the week, one could say that this week has been Mother Nature’s idea of giving us a sample of all she can offer in terms of weather. We have had sunshine, gloomy rainy weather, cloudy days, windy days, and today we have had a combination of all of the above. This morning started out with rain which turned into snow which turned into freezing rain and eventually into sunshine. I had the pleasure of experiencing 3 of the 4 previously mentioned scenarios during my morning commute. I am at a point where I am ready to make my selection from the choices presented above; if only, Mother Nature would listen………

Instant Messaging at work

Instant Messaging and visiting social networking sites (i.e. Facebook, Orkut, etc) are a big discussion points at work places. Most work places block these sites to prevent employees from wasting their work productivity. I will focus on instant messaging in this post as this is something that until 1.5 weeks ago was commingled with me working. I would log onto gmail and gchat at the same time that I would log into my work email. This was part of my daily routine. I considered it my window to stay sane and feel connected with friends and family while at work. Then I got the earth shattering news that I can no longer access gchat while at work. I was simply devastated by this. I understand why this needs to be done from a security perspective but I still don’t like it.

Furthermore, I have noticed that my productivity has not been altered with this. I still waste time at work as before but only this time it’s by web surfing and emailing. Heck, I even found myself resorting to using an ancient mode of communication: TELEPHONE. I know, I’m appalled also but desperate means call for desperate measures.

Speaking of emailing, let me just say that it requires more time and effort to email 5 people then it would to chat with 5 people. I would even go as far as saying that chatting allows you to be more productive while at work b/c you can instantaneously vent to others thereby getting rid of the negative energy forces within you and thus being more positive towards work.

I have concluded that instead of blocking these sites, companies really should focus on educating their workforce to not abuse these sites. But wait a minute; this is an impossible task thanks to the idiots who make up majority of corporate America……..sigh!!!

Work Environment and Satisfaction Dynamic

Have you ever wondered what kind of role work environment plays in the dynamic of work satisfaction? Well, wonder no longer as I will tell you that this is a critical factor in the dynamic equation. Let me start by providing some background. Recently, my department at work had to relocate to a temporary location since we got booted out of our work area and our new lodgings if you will were not ready yet. So, where did we end up you might ask? We got stuck on a floor that is under the process of being remodeled. To protect us from construction noise and debris, a wall has been build to separate our work area from the rest of the floor. A perfect analogy is that they have built the Berlin Wall and now we are waiting for the demolition to begin.

I don’t know about anyone else but I for one certainly am not a happy camper at work. Not only do we have this abominable location to work in, the lack of privacy is despicable. We don’t even have full cubes for God’s sake and therefore everyone is in each other’s face. Suffice to say, I HATE this situation. Not to mention the little fact that now my computer monitor is situated directly in my manager’s sight which interferes with my web surfing, emailing, gtalking, facebooking, blogging, etc therefore directly affecting my productivity and happiness at work.

Time

I can't believe its been over 2 months since I last blogged. Time has certainly flown by. It certainly has been crazy and way too much has happened during this time frame. Most of it is a part of life but has been an experience to say the least. I really don't have much to say at this point except that I need to stop slacking off and get in touch with the so called 'artistic' side of myself and express my thoughts/feelings in writing.

Movie Review - Vantage Point

Last night, I went to watch Vantage Point with my friends. I must admit that prior to couple days ago, I hadn’t even heard of this movie. The only reason we went to see this movie was because this was the only movie that was remotely interesting and playing at a time that suited our schedules. Some may not consider this a good reason to watch a movie but it works as any other.
This movie focuses on the assassination of a president and the story is depicted from 6 different perspectives. More and more information is revealed in each vantage point with it culminating in the last. The movie has good actions and some good thrill but has too many loose ends and farfetched action scenes. While it is revealed that the attempt at assassination is by a terrorist group, the reason for this is conveniently left unexplained. Another thing that is hard to swallow is that the terrorists who without mercy killed thousands of people earlier in an explosion suddenly don’t want to run over a little girl………..GIVE ME A BREAK!!
Another thing that is quite farfetched is the action sequence in this movie. The car chase in the climax of the movie certainly defies all known laws of Physics. The only cool thing about it was that it reminded me of the video game: Need for Speed with all the chasing and smashing into buildings and other vehicles.
All in all it was good times as we had the theatre to ourselves and thus could freely make comments throughout the movie without worry about disturbing others.

No Lack of Stupidity in this World

I have often said that there is no shortage of stupid people in this world but very rarely does one meet someone who touts their own stupidity to the world. I have the pleasure of working with one such person. This person recently made an investment in a property against the better judgment of her family and friends. Since this property has been purchased, there have been nothing but problems. Granted some of these problems couldn’t have been avoided but one should do some preliminary research on their own prior to making any investment. For example if one were to buy a car, one would get it from a reputed dealer so it can only be reasoned that one would do the same for any builder who is selling homes. Did my co-worker do this? No, no why would she do that? Isn’t it enough that the builder hit on her even though he is married? As ridiculous as it sounds, it is true that she bought this property because she had the ‘hots’ for her builder. This has got to be the most asinine reason ever but this is the only logical explanation for this purchase.

Now, if the above wasn’t enough, we all get to hear about her plethora of problems on a daily basis. Initially I sympathized but the more I hear about them, the more I am convinced it’s all her fault. She didn’t research her builder, she didn’t get an inspection done for her property and on top of it all she didn’t trust the advice of family and friends when they told her not to invest in this place. Now what is she doing? She is calling everyone under the sun and telling them of the conundrum she has placed herself in. Furthermore, she is now treating this as her personal quest to teach the builder a lesson. Give me a BREAK!!! We all know none of this would’ve happened had she not been stupid and now she is only in this to rake in as much money as she can.

I cannot tolerate much of this nonsense any more. I am at a point where I want to sit her down and tell her that this is all her damn fault for being stupid and I have no interest in hearing this crap everyday. If she wants to discuss her problems on the phone with people, then she should have the common courtesy to leave the work area so the peace is not disrupted for the rest of us!!!!!!!!! But alas no, I am trying my best to rein in my impatience and not give her a piece of my mind to maintain the tranquility of the work place.

Jodhaa Akbar

Jodhaa Akbar stars Hrititk Roshan as Akbar and Aishwariya Rai as his wife Jodha. The story focuses on how Jodha and Akbar married for a political alliance but were fortunate enough to find LOVE within their union. While the whole getting married for a political alliance seems rather far-fetched these days, many people can associate with entering a marriage and learning to trust that person. One of the key points that they focus on in this movie is that a relationship needs the foundation of TRUST to become stronger. One person should trust the other person and there should be open communication between them to prevent misunderstandings. This key point should be taken home by all the viewers of this movie.

I had mixed feelings about watching this movie in the theatre. From the promos that I had seen, the set design looked very elaborate, the costumes and jewelry: breath taking, the scale of the production: grand and the actors who starred in this historic drama: beautiful. As for the story, I knew it was a historical subject matter and a ‘love-story’…now this was a hit or miss in my opinion. Not to mention the little fact that the movie was almost 4 hours long and watching it in a regular theatre meant no intermission breaks!!! Anyhow, I bit the bullet so to speak and went to see the movie in the theatre. It was a smart move on my part as I consider it time well spent.

WEDDINGS

Weddings are a time of celebration for the joining of 2 individuals. Regardless of what some people may say, this is not a union of 2 individuals but rather of 2 families as when you marry another you also get their family with them. It’s a packaged deal where one cannot pick and choose. It is also important to have family and friends present at the wedding so one can have their blessings and emotional support while entering this union. While all weddings are fun, Indian weddings are fun due to the customs/rituals associated with them. The pragmatist may call these rituals old fashioned but they are a part of our culture and I truly believe they somehow strengthen the bonds.

I personally just love weddings because they are the perfect time to dress up, party and generally have a good time. I just attended a wedding recently and it was the best time ever. Not only was I excited for the bride and groom to begin their lives together, I was also very happy to meet all the relatives who came to the wedding. This made the celebration even more enjoyable.

In my opinion, the wedding reception has got to be the best part of the wedding though as it provides an excuse for everyone to let loose. For the parties involved in the wedding, this is a time to sit back and enjoy as all their hard work for planning the wedding has paid off. For the attendees, it’s the time to eat, drink, mingle with others, and dance. The best part for me is the dancing. There is so much fun to be had on the dance floor. Not only does one get to dance with their family and friends but one also has the opportunity to observe the ‘uninhibited dancers’ if you will. Now, these people are the best to watch as they completely shed their inhibitions (thanks to alcohol) and completely set themselves loose on the dance floor. Sometimes I think the bride and groom should send special thank-you cards to these individuals for entertaining their guests.

Feb 14th – A ‘Hallmark’ holiday or a day that causes us to reflect????

I simply cannot believe that I am about to write another post on romance, love, etc. but this topic just cannot be avoided at this time of the year as one is just surrounded by signs of it. As there is an upcoming wedding in my family, it just seems that this topic is discussed a lot and is therefore on my mind.
What I am wondering/debating these days is why do we give such significance to a day that is a ‘hallmark’ holiday created by them to sell their cards? What makes this day more special than any other day? Why do people buy flowers, presents, etc for their loved ones on this day and not on any other day? Furthermore, who is to say that you need to give presents to someone or go on a romantic date on this day to show that you love someone?
Another part of me believes that this day just give people an excuse to show their appreciation and love for someone. Often times, we get so engrossed in our daily lives that we don’t take time to spend with our loved ones or to tell them how much they mean to us. I know some people may argue as to how giving someone flowers proves how much you love them? I say one should remember that the old adage ‘Actions speak louder than words’ also has some merit. If this day can make everyone take the time out to reflect on the important things in our life (the people we love and care about), then I say what’s the harm in it?

Foolishness and Love – Is there a correlation?

I was at the Salt Lake City airport the other day and while waiting to board my plane I noticed that I was sitting directly behind a young Indian couple who seemed to be in their 20s. While this normally may have been insignificant event, it wasn’t in this case due to what happened. From all appearances they seemed like a couple in love. Within 5 minutes of sitting there, I had already concluded that the girl loved to talk and the guy was extremely quiet as I don‘t believe I heard him mention more than 2 words the entire time we were sitting there. Initially she was talking normal to him in Hindi and English and then she decided he must hear the song she had written for him. Here I was sitting there minding my own business while eating my parfait, when this girl started to sing to him. I had to control myself with great difficulty as I was afraid I was going to start laughing out loud. I mean come on, you happen to be at the airport. Granted that she was singing in Hindi and probably thought that no one could understand her or maybe she just didn’t care, the fact still remains that there were other people there who could understand her. Just imagine if I had started laughing out loud after hearing her song, how she would have felt then.

This incident made me wonder if people who are in ‘love’ are really oblivious to the world around them and simply just do not care what people think. I mean it didn’t seem to matter to the girl one whit that the guy to whom she was serenading to didn’t even react to the song. I concluded the guy’s behavior to as being embarrassed of her actions; my guess would be that he was just dumbfounded and thinking what the hell is wrong with her…LOL. I for one just had to get up and walk away so I won’t be rude and start laughing right there.

When I described this incident to someone this morning, they thought it was rather romantic of the girl to sing to the guy. Now, don’t get me wrong as I’m as romantic as the next person….some people would argue this claim but that is neither here nor there at the moment…..I thought she was being plain silly to behave like this in public. So this difference of opinion is making me question if all people who are in love behave like fools? I mean is there really a correlation between behaving foolishly and being in love? Is acting in a rather foolish manner a requirement for people in love? All in all, I want someone to tell me what the hell is wrong with the people in this world???? Oh well, screw it all I say because the girl did make this trip rather interesting and provided entertainment for me what otherwise would have been a rather tedious wait.