Where is our PM?

Everyone seems to be writing about the Mumbai attacks and even though I may be repetitive I would still like to talk about this.

As I checked my emails today morning, I recieved an email from my college condoling the loss of 2 students from the 2007 batch. I felt very sad for them. Then I moved on to read the various blogs my friends have written here and discovered about this to-be-married couple on Nisha's blog. Turns out this is the same guy from my college. I visit their wedding website (they were to get married on 6th Dec) and I can't describe my feelings. My heart goes out to this girl who has suddenly lost everything she had planned for. So many dreams, so much to look forward to and then suddenly everything has changed.

Every person who lost their lives in the Mumbai attack has a heart breaking story. Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan's mom cried inconsolably when his body arrived in Bangalore. The NSG Commandos, Maharashtra Police, Hotel staff and Army - all have earned the respect and love of the people. We thank them for all they have done to secure and help their people.

But in such trying times, one expects the leaders to come forward and offer something to console their people. What did our PM do? He came on TV, read the speech from the teleprompter, no emotions and no authority in his voice whatsoever. Everytime we are told to calmly bear the situation. Why are we never told "Don't worry we will go after them. Wherever they hide we will find them and destroy them. They have killed our innocent people, they have attacked our people in our country and they will not go unpunished for this"

First they bombed the trains, then they attacked the parliament and now they come and kill the top Police officials and many more innocent people - and all that the PM can say is be calm? Is this some kind of a joke? We are paying taxes to the country for getting a proper infrastructure and a decent security. Are we getting back any of it??

All public places in India have a security system in place. Hotels, airports, malls, cinemas - we are serached everywhere. And the citizens are very willing to cooperate. All these places have armed security personnel standing outside. Still no one could stop these terrorists from entering the hotels/railway station/restaurant? The amount of ammunition they were able to take inside the hotel is not funny. The ammunition lasted with them for the entire 40 hours. I read in a Gulf News article yesterday that when a policeman entered Taj immediately after the terrorists entering it, he was already crying that he had only one bullet left in his rifle! We know such things are happening time and again, so why are they not properly trained and properly equipped? Sending them out to battle, without proper training and equipment is like ridiculing their precious lives!

If a citizen fails to pay proper taxes, the govt imposes various penalties etc on them. What are the penalties for a govt not taking care of its citizens???

To India and Back

I am finally back from my trip and still feeling quite lazy. There are so many things I want to write about but am getting confused where to start! So in this post I will tell you all about our experiences and observations back home.

We landed at the Delhi airport at dawn. As soon as we reached the arrival area we were overwhelmed by the number of people reuniting with their families. While waiting for our pickup Hubby and I were amused looking at the people around us. A typical scene at the airport - families uniting, children meeting their uncles and aunts after a long time. The most amusing quote was "beta tauji ko pehchana?" We heard this one from atleast 3 different families...so well loads of nephews/nieces were meeting their uncles on this day!

The first day H and I took the car and went for some work. And boy it seems we have to follow everything but the traffic rules here. Even though we have lived mostly in India and driven there a lot, it takes a day to come back to our ruthless selves :). There are some simple rules one must follow -

• cross a signal no matter what the signal light indicates - that's just a colour!
• if you see a pedestrian crossing the road - NEVER stop! remember you have to win the race here
• if you need to turn right, stay on the left most lane and then cut at the last moment
• you are free to overtake a vehicle from any side - afterall we live in a free state!
• keep driving forward till your bonnet touched the vehicle in front - coz if you don't someone will surely come in front of you (remember? it's a race...)
• The side mirrors are supposed to remain CLOSED. Yes if you try opening them, someone will just brush against it and break it. So it is safe till the time it is closed
• Blow the horn at every opportunity you get
• All drivers must compliment their driving skills with some verbal abuse without which it is just no fun!
• Remember - it is a race - and you have to win!

Nevertheless we were back to our normal selves the next day - driving as if we never left.

The weather was very good and I hated coming back at this time. I love the wintry cold hazy mornings with fog (which sometimes meant no school in the good ol days :) ), the festive atmosphere, winter clothes, red cold nose, drinking loads of ginger and tulsi tea. In short everything that Renu is enjoying in Lucknow right now...

Well other than the weather, going back to India means loads of treats for us. It's as if we don't get any food here in Dubai. Everyday was reserved for one speciality which we had to eat since we were in Delh/Lucknow. So from Moolchand ke paranthey to Haldiram ki chaat in Delhi and Basket chaat and yummy Chilly Paneer of Royal Cafe in Lucknow, we ate it all. To top it all we carried Tundey ke Kebabs for all family and friends in Delhi and Gourmet Ice's Chocolate Truffle for the folks in Lucknow. That's our way of showing we care ;)

What do you do when you go back home? Other than meeting family friends and relatives, what is it that you must do when you visit your home town/country?

Your Opinion

Elders are always considered right in our Indian culture. Can an elder of the family ill-treat their children? By ill-treat I do not mean physical abuse here. We always here stories where about children ill-treating their parents and elders, but does the reverse happen as well?

Are You Right For The Job?

It's been a long time since I blogged. I guess I am going through a writer's block...but the problem is I am not a writer...do I still qualify? To top this, I have been busy interviewing people for a new company I am starting. So I thought just to break the ice, let me tell you about a couple of things that bothered me.

I am totally in for a casual friendly atmosphere at work and I conduct interviews in a similar manner - over a cup of coffee.Having said that, is it right for the candidates to be over friendly?

Like there was this one guy who came

1.5 hours late (after me checking with him 3 times), wearing casual clothes (shirt out). He kept laughing and showing a very casual attitude. Thankfully his work was good and so was the CV. But then again, was it a good idea to come late for an interview? (Note: the guy needs a job immediately as he is getting married in 2 weeks time and currently does not have a job). And was it a good idea to not inform me of the same?

Then there was this other guy who reconfirmed his attendance for the interview but never turned up! H says that's how people are over here - too casual and not bothered. But well this bothers me.

Once my fil told me that when he conducted interviews he would make sure he asked the guy to write something (to check he was carrying a pen) and to tell him the time (to ensure he was wearing a watch). According to him anyone who is serious about their work, would always carry a pen and wear a watch. I cannot agree with him more.

Other small things that matter in an interview or for that matter any meeting, are the courtesy to call an hour before the meeting to reconfirm, call and inform if you are running late (even if it is by 10 mins) and ask relevant questions. Relevant questions reminds me, there was another guy who got so friendly that when I told him we are hiring a team, he started telling me about his friends back home whom I should consider as well! I mean I appreciate the help and wouldn't mind checking them out, but hello isn't this a wrong time to promote your friend when you yourself haven't secured a job?

Sometimes I feel I should get more strict and ask the usual questions like "where do you see yourself in 5 years time", "what is your strength/weakness" - but then I believe these are predictable questions which we are taught to answer right from college! I remember in MBA we we wrote our CVs, went for mock interviews and got plenty of phrases which you can use to your advantage. Like "My weakness is that I am detail oriented" or "My weakness is that I cannot leave something unfinished. No matter how late it gets, I like to finish my work. So my colleagues get angry with me since they also have to stay back" (this was one answer I got from a candidate).

Another candidate had already ordered a drink for herself even before I reached the venue. Even though she had already paid for it, she was still meeting me for an interview. Is there any difference between a meeting and an interview? Is an interview more formal than a business meeting? Am I confusing the candidates by calling them to a cafe instead of my office for an interview? What is your opinion?

Picture Source

Taggit!

Yes! I have been tagged by Reflections and Mampi! This one is about telling everyone about 5 things that I am addicted to.

When I first recived the tag, I thought this would be quite easy for me - at least the first three addictions came very easily...then I had to think more. I am now ready with all 5 so here I go:

1. I am addicted to Tea (yes tea and tea alone and not coffee...I hate coffee!). Green tea, Oolong tea, Jasmine Tea, English breakfast, Assam tea, Darjeeling tea, Lemon tea, black tea, tea without sugar - you name any tea and I will be happy to give you company to drink it. But all said and done nothing beats an Indian masala chai - esp with ginger.


2. I am an internet freak. Even though I was brought up in the 80s and 90s I now wonder how I survived without the net in those days! From my work to entertainment to research, I depend on the net for everything! Blogging is fast becoming an addiction too :)


3. Another thing I am addicted to is clicking pictures with my camera. I do not use my phone camera ever! But use my SLR at the drop of a hat! Most of our holidays snaps have H in it while I am busy clickng the pictures. Sometimes I tell him people will think you went there alone, coz he hates to click and so I am almost never in the picture :(!


4. Nintendo DS Light - yes I am addicted to my Ninetendo mainly because of Mario Bros. I grew up playing that game and now playing the new version has kept me hooked on to it once again. I love playing the mini games, and sudoku and mind games on my DS Light. I hate sharing it with any kid lest they spoil it!


5. Singing! I cannot sit quiet while listening to a song. If I know it then I HAVE to sing it along. And well most of the times I know the lyrics. H says I waste my time and brain space to store useless stuff! But well it comes naturally to me. I remember the lyrics of most songs and as I said I have to sing along if I know it. Whether it's a good or bad thing, is for the listener to decide :)

The rest of the instructions of this tag - The persons who have been tagged have to link the blogger who tagged them and also extend the tag to five or more bloggers and link them too.

So now I tag - MySpace, Renu and Nisha. I will also leave it open for anyone else who would like to take up this tag. Kindly send me a message so I can link you here as well.

I Believe I Can Fly

I used to think that I could not go on

And life was nothing but an awful song

But now I know the meaning of true love

I'm leaning on the everlasting arms

If I can see it, then I can do it

If I just believe it, there's nothing to it

I believe I can fly

I believe I can touch the sky

I think about it every night and day
Spread my wings and fly away

I believe I can soar

I see me running through that open door

I believe I can fly

I believe I can fly

I believe I can fly

See I was on the verge of breaking down

Sometimes silence can seem so loud

There are miracles in life I must achieve

But first I know it starts inside of me, oh

If I can see it, then I can do it

If I just believe it, there's nothing to it

I believe I can fly...

Hey, cuz I believe in me, oh

If I can see it, then I can be it

If I just believe it, there's nothing to it

I believe I can fly...

Hey, if I just spread my wings

I can fly

I can fly

I can fly, hey

If I just spread my wings

I can fly

By R Kelly. To listen to the song click here

We visited Kathmandu this summer and were mesmerised with the scenery there. Like all tourists, we visited the temples and I saw something I had never seen before. At the foothills of the temple, there was a guy with hundreds of birds in a few cages (see pic above). You could hear them chirping from far away. Cute looking birds of all sizes and colours.

I wondered who would buy birds in a tourist spot! Out of curiosity I went up to him and he started selling me the birds.

"Nahi bhaiya hum yaha nahi rehtey to hum ye chidiya nahi le saktey"

"Madam ye chidiya paltu banane ke liye nahi hai. Aap jitni khareedengey mein utni chidiyaon ko azad kar dunga"

At first I loved the idea but then I thought - is this ransom money he is charging me to release the birds? After all he only would've caught them in the first place right? Moreover what's the guarantee it's not his own pet birds who will fly back to him after some time?

"Madam bahut sabab ka kaam hai. Bahut punya milega aapko"

"To tum sab ko aisi hii kyon nahi chod dete. Sara punya tumhey mil jayega"

"Hum gareeb aadmi hain, rozi ke liye kuch to karna padta hai"

"Acchaa ye bahar reh payengi? Aakhir itney time se pinjre mein rahi hain to bahar kaise reh paengi, apney liye khana kaise dhund payengi"

"Aap chinta mat karo, yahan itney ped hain, ye araam se bahar reh sakengy"

"Ye tumhari paltu to nahi, ki jab hum jaye tum inhey vapas apne pinjre mein daal do?"

"Nahi madam, isse to bahut paap lagega. Kasam hai. Aisa kaam main kabhi nahi karunga"

By now I was too tempted and no amount of reasoning would work for me. I was itching to see the birds fly out in the open. I looked at H and he looked convinced too. So we told him to release 2 birds. BTW each bird was priced differently! The "joda"(pair) was more expensive, bulk of 6 was cheaper and so on.

We relased the couple and they instantly flew out and went on sat on a branch of a tree. They looked so happy and free. I looked at my hubby again and he nodded.

"Bhaiya char aur ko chod do"

4 more were released and they seemed to be loving their independance.

By now H was charged up and he said "Do aur chodo"

We were getting addicted to this and needed to stop before we went overboard. The guy insisted we relase more, but we were not sure. By now a few passersby were stopping to see the spectacle as well.

Another man started the same conversation with him...and we noticed the birds were sitting in nearby trees only. Somehow they seemed to be his pets. As if accustomed to this act, they were his friend and accomplice.

We quitely walked out. Hoping and praying that the birds were not put back in that cage...but then we will never know...

Classified Nuisance

Classified is a cheap and easy way to get two intersted parties together. Many websites provide a platform to place adverts of services offered for free. But what happens if this website is not designed properly?

There is a site called www.dubaiclassified.com where one can easily set up an account and place ads. Now you will ask - so what's the problem? Well the problem is that anyone - yes anyone, can set up and account on your behalf - with your email id, and start posting adverts - in your name. And well you start recieving all the enquiries on your phone!

What we thought was a prank by someone has become a permanent nuisance for us 6 months later. I clearly rememebr it started on our anniversary in Feb this year and till date we (read my H) recieves numerous calls for sharing bed space, car pool, house rent, car sale, and many other possibilities. He gets calls in the middle of the night asking for such services which are being changed by the impostor everyday.

To solve this issue, we have written to the website people numerous number of times but have recieved no response whatsoever from them. The site displays people's email ids freely, so any tom dick and harry can come and lift your email id and start sending you junk mails daily. So that's another set of junk we recieve daily. We are now seriously contemplating on approaching a newspaper and get this nuisance sorted out.

How can the site not have a way of verifying the user's email when signing up? To make matters worse, when you use their passwrod reminder feature(which means they send you the password on your email) also doesn't work. So what does one do?

Do you have any suggestions for me? We are sick and tired of answering people that we are not offering any rooms for sharing, no car pools, no bed space, no fridge and furniture on sale@!!@!