Weekend Getaway- Lake Tahoe & Reno

Last weekend, we made a road trip to Lake Tahoe and Reno. On a sunny Saturday morning, we loaded our car with a bag full of food- idlis, tomato chutney, capsicum rice, potato curry, curd rice and snacks. Carnatic music CDs from India, ipod and the camera went in next and we started our 4 hour trip to Lake Tahoe. Since my parents were accompanying us and i wanted to horne my freeway driving skills, special K let me sit behind the steering wheel and took charge of the audio controls.

After a brief stop for a breakfast of idlis and hot coffee at Starbucks, we made it to Lake Tahoe at noon. This is my first trip to the lake and i was awed by the size of the lake, it seemed to stretch forever, as long as the eyes could see and was a shining blue. We played in the water for a while, ate lunch and drove to the local beaches.

Later around 3 pm, we drove to our hotel in Reno, checked in our bags and walked around the downtown area where the casinos are located. The streets outside had a cheap and poor appearance, though once one enters a casino, its all very different. Cigarette smoke, perfurmes, food odours etc. inside the casino make you aware that there are no windows inside. We played ths slot machine and won and lost some money, $20 investment for all 4 of us.

My mom was taboo to playing with any more hard earned $$$ and so we ended up going back to our lousy hotel room to eat rotis and sabji that we had brought from home. On Sunday morning, we drove back to the newly opened Southern Spice restaurant on El Camino Real in Mountain View for a father's day brunch and got home afterwards.

Recommendation- Visit Lake Tahoe during the summer for a nice day trip and probably spend a night there. Reno isn't worth a visit.

More about casinos on my next blog after my coming weekend trip to Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon.

Adjusting Time

A Consultant is a person who borrows your watch, tells you what time it is, pockets the watch, and sends you a bill for it.

Recently, a conversation at work on how each of us had our time set differently on our watches prompted me to blog on this.

In today's world of high-end luxury accessories, a wristwatch worn by almost everybody has become a vital sign of identity and fashion. Be it an old watch passed on through generations in the family or a luxury watch, every watch is totally unique. A watch is viewed not only as a basic essentiality but also considered to be a symbol of status or a personality identifier.

These days wearing a watch is not so much about telling the time anymore, since you have the time all around you, in the form of ipods, flashy mobile phones, in the car, on your computer and at work. Its all about expressing your self, depicting that you have arrived.

So, what is it in our watches that make us tick?

For those of us who have our watches adjusted to run faster- I am one of those folks who always has my watch, alarm clock, home clock adjusted 10-15 minutes ahead of the regular time. I guess this allows me the extra time to stop my alarm and sleep for a few more minutes and yet not be late for work. It also helps me feel that the day is moving faster, lunch time comes quickly and the time to go home is also there fast. All in all, it affords me to be lazy without costing a great deal. There is a widespread misconception that people who have their watches run faster are extremely active and fast paced, while the truth is the opposite.

For those of us who have our watches adjusted to run slower- I guess these are the folks who think that punctuality isn't their cup of tea. You perhaps feel that the entire notion of "time" is an evil plot to put shackles on a free spirit. So, what if i go a couple of minutes late for a team meeting, i could show them my watch and tell them that this is the time i have on my watch and so here i am, even if it means protecting myself. I guess these would be the folks who would like their day to drag by longer, so that they can have all the extra time possible.

Finally, for those folks who have their watches run on the regular, correct time- Well, you are the rigid ones who value your time as well as others time and lead an efficient life managing your tasks within a given time frame.

Would be interested to hear your thoughts on this kind of time keeping.......

Thoughts on First Year Anniversary on the Job

"If" by Rudyard Kipling

"If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too,
If you can wait and not be tired of waiting....
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And-which is more- you'll be a Man my Son."

06/06/06- It is not my wedding anniversary, but this date marks my first year of work in a full-time position. After grad school and internships, volunteer work etc., its indeed a nice feeling that i have completed a year in my current role. I was greeted by a bunch of flowers and a token of appreciation gift left on my desk by my boss when i opened the door to my office this morning.

Just thought that i could share and express some of my experiences in the past year.

For most part, i can say that my first year on the job has been a breeze. Being in HR and handling a team of 50 employees requires some skill and a lot of it can be attributed to the friendly and mentor kind of support that i have from my supervisor. Also, i have a majority of folks in my group who are nice and don't cause unnecessary problems, except for a few of them without whom my job would have been less challenging and interesting. Negotiation and conflict resolution skills cannot be acquired without those "troublemakers".

Also, there is an emotional piece that is tied up with working in a non-technical field. The pay scale for support staff in most organizations doesn't compare to what its technical folks earn. Just picture this scenario: You are offered a HR or Finance Analyst entry-mid level position with an organization. And let's assume that they offer you an annual base salary of $60,000. You are probably satisfied that you have you are off to a good start in your first position. And then your friend or roomate gets a job at the same company as an engineer and gets an offer for an annual salary of $70,000. What is your reaction? You are upset and start thinking negative thoughts. "He/She can't speak good English, has a terrible accent, can't write gramatically correct sentences, etc." Pause for a minute and tell yourself that an engineer doesn't need those skills that a HR or Finance person needs. But, times are changing and HR is being viewed more than just a corner for idle chit chat, it is looked upon as a strategic business partner to add value to the company.

I can hear my supervisor's words run through my mind as i type this- She keeps reminding me that life/career is a marathon and a good start can and will make a difference. Her exact words to me- "You must remember that you probably have to work for another 35 years. So, even if that is a sobering thought, why do you let what someone earns in 2006 bother you so? After all, when you hang up your shoes, it could be 2040. So, don't let the first few years of employment fox you, instead keep work hard and play hard."

Finally, my mom who used to be a working woman and I often have this arguement. She keeps telling me that as a woman one needs to decide whether they want a job or a career. "Having a job is to earn money and gain economic independence. Taking it up as a career is to pursue personal and professional goals." Ultimately, it all boils down to having a good work-life balance which we all need.

Going Away for the Long Weekend

We are off to LA and San Diego for the long weekend starting tomorrow.

For the first time, i am going to be travelling by a Chinese Tour Bus and not drive, so will come back and blog about the experience.

Happy Memorial Day Weekend and Travel Safe!!!

The Da Vinci Code- Movie versus Book

It was a rainy weekend for the Bay Area folks. Managed to convince and drag special K to watch The Da Vinci Code movie on Sunday, inspite of the critics giving it a C+ on yahoo movies. Like most folks, i was hooked onto Dan Brown's book a while ago and then went on to read other Dan Brown novels. Anyways, wanted to blog about my experience both in reading and in watching the movie.

Let me start with the movie.....Inspite of the not so good reviews that it received, it is at the top of the box office weekend releases making a $77 million just within the US. The most fascinating aspect of the movie even before its release, that has been tagged with the high-profile book is its overwhelming public interest and controversy. In fact, i believe that the extra security, press coverage, protests world over etc. all added the boost and expectancy to the movie. A huge chunk of the movie's success has to be attributed to the success of Dan Brown's work of fiction that has generated both the curiosity as well as the displeasure of Christianity followers world over.

What I liked about the book:
When i first started reading the book, my first one by Dan Brown, i was amazed by the fastness with which i turned pages to keep reading. The contents covering a wide range of topics such as the history of Christianity, the Holy Grail, Priory of Sion, the works and paintings of Da Vinci, sightseeings of the Louvre in Paris etc. woven perfectly into an interesting tale of fiction.

What i liked about the movie:
This is one of those movies that every individual who watches it is going to have their own opinion of. Basically, there would be two categories of audiences- those who have read the book and watch the movie, like myself and those who haven't read the book but watch the movie. Tom Hanks fits the role of Harvard symbiologist Robert Langdon only to a point and could have performed better. Audrey Tautou as Sophie Neveu has been picked for her French accent, but could still have emoted better in several scenes. The albino killer monk really matched Dan Brown's description and Teabing'c character were well transformed on the screen.

It has been a while since i read the book and when i watched the movie, the book kept coming to me. With the numerours twists, plots, codes to decipher, flashbacks etc. in the book along with the other Christian concepts, i always had to keep up with what i was reading and the movie made it complete and clearly more understandable for me.

Finally, from a neutral perspective as a non-Christian, i keep thinking about the controversial elements that this movie has kindled and upsetted people and drew my own conclusions. On a personal level, except for the core fact that Jesus, the son of God had an offspring with Mary Magdalene, i thought that the dialogues spoken by Tom Hanks portrayed Jesus as a mortal with diving powers or a divine soul born in a mortal universe. Of course, its extremely hard to believe and accept that Christ has left behind his bloodline, it does shatter/ question the belief system of the church that Christ was single, lived and died as a savior to protect his followers on earth. The portions of witchcraft and the periods where women were burnt alive, existance of the Priory of Sion and certain other factions of the book/movie have distressed and angered the Roman Catholic Church and its followers. But, amidst all the protests and negativity expressed by the religious groups world wide, it looks like the movie hasn't suffered a loss at the box office.

Would be interested in reading some of your thoughts on the movie, especially from those who watched it without reading the book.

Summer Release Movies to Watch

After a gap of not seeing any good movies being released, i am looking forward to some of the upcoming summer releases. In Tamil Nadu, after the election fever has subsided, and with the onset of the summer heat at its peak and schools moving towards their vacation time, Tollywood is gearing up for some good releases.

So, here goes my list....

Movie: The Da Vinci Code
Starring: Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou, Ian Mckellen, Jean Reno and others
Directed by: Ron Howard
Expected Release Date: May 19th, 2006 worldwide

Good Reasons to watch: The book written by Dan Brown was a runaway success, inspite of the controversies.

Bet you didn't know: India puts "Hold" on The Da Vinci Code. Although, the national censor board has cleared the film, the government has temporarily held up the release of the movie after receiving complaints from Catholic groups. India is a democracy and is home to 18 million Roman Catholics amongst its Hindu and Muslim population. All this is owing to the fact that the book and movie's premise is that Jesus married his favorite disciple Mary Magdalene with whom he bore children.

Tamil Movies:

Movie: Pudhupettai
Starring: Dhanush, Sneha, Sonia Agarwal
Directed by: Selvaraghavan
Expected Release Date: May 19th, 2006

The Hype about this one: It is the come-back movie for the Dhanush-Selvaraghavan pair of brothers and portrays the tough character of a gangster played by Dhanush. After Dhanush's acting failed to make box-office hit in Balu Mahendra's Adhu Oru Kana Kaalam, this movie is said to make a difference to his career graph. Sneha's role of a sex worker/ prostitute is said to have been portrayed well.

Bet you didn't know: Dhanush is soon to become father!

Movie: GodFather
Starring: Ajith, Ajith, Asin
Directed by: KS Ravikumar
Expected Release Date: Early June 2 or 9

The Story: 3 Ajiths, one of them being a eunuch, form the cruz of the movie. Rumors have spread that the other character Ajith has shades of the Marlon Brando's role from the original English version. The trailer seems to have every bit of KSR's colorful and rich style.

Bet you didn't know: Ajith and KSR have personally invested money on the movie owing to its financial crisis from the producer's end.

Movie: Jillendru Oru Kadhal
Starring: Surya, Jothika, Bhoomika
Directed by: New comer Krishna (asst. director under Gowtham)
Expected Release Date: June 30th

Good Reasons to watch: The magic and chemistry between Jo and Surya who are soon to become a wedded pair.

Bet you didn't know: Asin walked out of the project as she felt that the second heroine role wouldn't fetch her fame and Bhoomika gladly accepted the spot.

Movie: Vettayadu Villayadu
Starring: Kamal, Jothika, Kamalini Mukherjee
Directed by: Gautham Menon
Expected Release Date: First week of June,probably June 2

Movie with tons of obstacles: After going through several barriers, starting with the suicide of Kaja Moideen, this movie has been in and out of courts and atlast seems to have been completed and ready to be released. A story of a 40 year old cop who works with NYPD, this would surely be a treat for Kamal fans.

Bollywood
Movie: Fanaa
Starring: Aamir Khan, Kajol, Rishi Kapoor
Directed by: Kunal Kohli, Yash Raj Banner
Expected Release Date: May 26th

Reasons to watch: It is the comeback movie for Kajol after child birth and she pairs with Aamir who happens to be a terrorist in Kashmir. Rishi Kapoor as Kajol's father and Tabu in an important role add weightage to the movie.

I am sure that each of you may have your own list of other tamil movies to add, but these are the top ones to watch out for!

Mother's Day Weekend

Happy Mother's Day to All Mom's!!!

Mothers are special to everybody and no matter how ever older you grow, you would still remain young in your mom's eyes. I have often tried to comprehend the difference in relationship between a mom and her son versus a mom and a daughter. Both son and daughter share a precious unique bond with their mothers that has evolved over time and continues to exist.

The concept of celebrating "Mother's Day" is western and is also spreading quickly to places like India etc. Its yet another occasion to have a sale in every store, have mother's day brunches, cards, gift baskets etc. I am not sure about mom's in this country, but many Indian mother's are extremely sacrificial and ask very less of their children. When i talk about buying a gift for my mom, who happens to be here with me this year on Mother's day, she says- Oh, i don't want anything. Just remain happy with your husband and live healthy. She reads the numerous sale advertisements that come on our daily paper and says, Why don't i get you something for Mother's Day, instead of you buying me a gift.

Well, most Indian mom's lead a very simple life. The memories and images that i carry of my mother are her waking up daily to make my morning cup of bournvita, making and packing lunch for me be it to school college or work, running around to attend to my dad's needs and get herself upto the office(she was a working mother). In the afternoons, when i was back from school, she would call to check on me if i had my food, started my homework etc. and in the evenings she would come back and make dinner and tuck me in. She has always taken extreme care of giving me a healthy diet, my vitamins and also in making sure i work out and lose weight. Her passion for cleaning my apartment in the US, organizing my kitchen, making podis and also reading up on career trends for my profession will always be cherishable.

I am sure every one of you would have a lot of memories of your mothers, make sure that you let her know that you value the things she does for you, even if she is in a faraway land, praying for you and learning to come online and type/chat with you.


Happy Mother's Day!!!

Chennai- A Cultural Blend of Life for All

"A picture is worth a thousand words"

I am a firm believer of visuals and love to make my blogs appear as colorful and attractive as possible. It never ceases to amaze me about the cultural changes happening in Chennai, no matter, how many times i hear about it from family and friends or read about it on papers.

Although, we keep hearing that Chennai has now become a cultural potpourri for youngsters and the BPO boom has changed the pace of lives and activities in the city,
there is a lot more to Chennai than just that. Its been 2 years since i last visited and i try to keep up with the hot new happenings, and have my own impressions about this city where i spent 21 years of my school and college growing up.

To me, Chennai has always been a cultural medley of the traditional/conservative and the modern folks. The uniqueness about this city is that it caters to all kinds of people in a variety of ways. For instance, the traditional south indian carnatic music concerts/kutcheris, dance and temples have always been there. Although, this is predominently visited by the middle and old age community people, there are a lot of youngsters who expose their talents every year- proof of it can be seen at the December music season in sabhas.There has always been the Nalli and Kumaran silks saree shopping,crowds of Ranganathan Street, Pondy Bazar and Naidu Hall shoppers to add to this. Fragrant jasmine flowers, hot chips and Marina/Besant Nagar beach outings with a group of friends in two-wheelers have all been present.

On the newly evolving lifestyle, trendy coffee shops, shopping malls, expensive eat-outs with varied cuisine choices, disco and pub hopping, partying into the wee hours of the night, tight cotton short top kurtas, jeans etc. are adding fervor to the youngsters lives in this metro city. I guess in some ways, many of these youngs adults who have comfortable paying jobs are now working hard and partying more. Its these folks that make the headlines and gossip columns stating that Chennai has lost its conservative touch and has become a loose environment for bold youngsters.

So, is all this just bad news for the city's image? My answer is both Yes and No. I am glad that the work culture has improved and people are giving importance to academics, its not just engineering alone anymore, but other fields such as marketing, sales, arts,etc. seem to be evolving and jobs are being created for many. Its good to break barriers and norms to blend in with a group of co-workers in order to be more outgoing and have a better overall personality. The middle class folks definitely need that kind of exposure and not just being book worms and getting top scores in exams. In some ways, the social mixing is good, as it doesn't make you be a loner. The parent and elders need to take into account this kind of transformation and encourage it positively, for example, if your son or daughter wants to work in a pizza hut to earn a few bucks to become independent, its a good thing. Its not wise to say, just stay home and study, we will give you the money. But, at the same time, the young adult must recognize this and not misuse the freedom given to him/her and lose out on academics by just hanging out in pizza places, coffee joints etc.

In conclusion, i feel that Chennai is strongly evolving to become a blend of the old and new inspite of the modern additions. It is the same crowd that attends the Sanjay Subbramanyam, Nityashree kutcheris that also hang out at Shankar Mahadevan and Zubin Mehta's concerts. It is this crowd that distinguishes the BGM in an Illayaraja tune and compares it to the rock n roll rhythms.

Let us go with the flow and always keep in mind that Chennai will still remain a place that has the ancient Kapaleshwar temple, Santhome church, Thousand lights mosque and also is making room for Quickie's Coffee Pub, Zara Spanish Bar and the LifeStyle Shopping Malls.

Happy Weekend!!!

Happy Birthday Taureans

I believe in sun signs and am an avid reader of Linda Goodman's books and several other authors who discuss zodiac signs and their traits.

Today, being a special day for me, i wanted to wish my fellow Taureans all over a Very Happy Birthday. Although, the taurean symbol "bull" denotes the stubborn streak in Taurus folks, folks born under this sun sign have also a warm heart and a reliable nature.

Famous International Taureans who share this date with me are:

Dr. Benjamin Spock- Child Specialist
David Beckham
Roscoe Lee Browne- Actor

Famous Indian Taureans are-

Actor Ajith- May 1
Satyajith Ray- May 2

A Trip to the US

Tomorrow, my parents are arriving from India. They will be making their first stop/stay at Bay Area, the silicon valley or the "land of desis" for the next couple of months and then continue their trip to the east coast for a couple of months from where they will head back to India.

Like most folks out there, i am excited, about my parents first visit to the US. Of course, the excitement comes along with a tinge of nervousness of how their stay with us is going to be. Over the past few weeks, my parents have been passing me information on how well they have stocked up for their trip. Even before i begin to tell them on how and what to prepare during their journey, they speak up with confidence on the various advices given by their friends and relatives who have visited their sons/daughters in the US. Even more surprising is the fact, that they know the activities, temples, places etc here in the Bay Area and it never ceases to amaze me about how the information from a US-returned parent spreads.

I guess i am fortunate to be living in Bay Area, with its variety of shops, desi stores, bus/public transportation facilities and choice of fine restaurants that should occupy them during our absences. Anyways, i am counting the hours between today and tomorrow afternoon to see them after 2 years.

Welcome Amma and Appa.....

A Fresh Look into the Dowry System in India

For those of you who aren't familiar with the dowry system in India or for thos eof you think that dowry giving and taking practices are no more happening in India, here are some updates.

Dowry is a form of wedding gift, usually money, material items such as jewels, applicances, car, homes, etc. (the list of dowry items are endless) given by the bride's parents either before, during or after the wedding depending on their tradition and religious custom. Now before you make that grimace of distate, thinking that dowry doesn't happen in the cities, its only shown in movies and happens sparesely in remote, illiterate villages of India, you have to accept the fact that dowry is still prevelant, mostly done behind the screens, even in well to do comunities as a symbol of exhibiting their status, family honor etc.

The underlying purpose of dowry in those days was a means of security for a married woman who was niether educated nor independent. It was an emergency fund/savings account set by the girl's parents in case of any marital problems or abandonment of a woman by her husband.

Well,in today's era of India's growing modernism and changing trends, amidst websites like bharatmatrimony.com, hindu classifieds etc. a new website for the anti-dowry folks www.idontwantdowry.com has been set up by one Mr.Satya who wants to do his part to eradicate dowry as well as create a service oriented business.

This website has lists and photos of brides and grooms, like any other matrimonial website, but with a difference in that where these individuals are not for sale and are all for standing up against receiving or giving dowry for their marriages.

The website was recently inaugrated by Mrs.Nalini Chidambaram and Satya, the owner says that he offers free registration for accessing the site, but charges a nominal fee to view membee profiles.

It looks like the response to such a website has been phenomenal with more than 350 profiles getting posted within the first 3 days of its launch.

Kudos to the unique ideas of folks like Satya.....

India's Questionable Employability Status

A recent survey in a popular daily has been published about India's looming employability crisis in the coming years, amongst several other magazines that keep portraying a glorified job market in Bangalore, Pune and Chennai. The article primarily focussed on the kind of jobs that engineering graduates from Chennai are offered.

The reality is that based on a survey report by "Mapping of Man Power Skills for Tamil Nadu-2015", 43% of BE grads are unable to find suitable paid positions even after 2-3 years of completing their degrees.

The study showed clearly that the state's manpower requirements are not on par with the employability crisis that the engineering talet pool is facing. The reasons for such a finding is attributed to several factors, the top one being that there is a lack of an integrated system to manage the quality of education from high school to the post graduate level in the state.

So, what happens to this kind of an engineering graduate class pool-

20% of them found jobs outside the state, esp in Bangalore for Computer Science and Electronics.

7% of the diploma holders, AMIE and BE grad in Mechanical, Chemical etc. settled for jobs after 1 year or more of job hunting for low paying jobs in and around Tamil Nadu.

The remaining engineering folks found jobs with BPO and financial services, call centers changing their fields entirely.

Reasons-
1. Lack of one system to manage talent versus opportunity in the job market
2. Varying standards across educational institutions and lack of syllabus updates with respect to the industry needs and job market
3. Absolute poor communication between industry and academic folks except during campus interviews
4. Improper practical exposure in colleges to face real challenges in an industry.


Would be interested to hear your thoughts.............

Happy Tamil New Year

Iniya Tamil Puthandu Vazthukal.......

For those who don't know, April 14th signifies Tamil New Year's Day- an occasion for Tamilians all over the world to greet one another and celebrate the arrival of the month of Chithirai.

Highlights of celebrating a tamil new year day

• View auspicious things like gold jewellery, betel leaves, money, mirror etc. first thing in the morning
• A temple visit where the panchangam (tamil almanac) is read.
• Draw colorful rangoli kolam designs outside homes
• Prepare Maanga Pachadi ( a dish made of raw mangoes, jaggery and neem leaves), which is sweet, sour and bitter at the same time signifying all the different aspects of our life.
• End the day watching one of this year's new releases: Ajith's Tirupathi, Parthiban's Pachai Kuthirai, Bharat's AIBI and Jeevan's Thirutu Payale.

April 14th also happens to be "Vishu", the Malayalee New Year as well as Naba Barsha, the Bengali New Year.

Ironically, April 14th is Good Friday here in the US and April 16th is Easter Sunday, so i am here at work, planning an easter egg hunt surprise for my employees for tomorrow.

Red-Auspicious color for Tamilians

Green- Easter color....................................

Everybody celebrate and enjoy the festival weekend..........................