My Journey

I have made all the calculations; fate will do the rest -(Napoleon)

Saturday, October 29, 2005

Serial bomb blasts - New Delhi

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Just how quickly things change, only this morning I was so feeling good, things were fine. Now I hear the news about the serial bomb blast in New Delhi an hour back, that too in the most crowded places. Normally those places are crowded all the time but Nov 1st being the day of Diwali, India’s biggest festival it was totally packed.

I am never sure of things and that’s the reason I keep website of Indian newspapers always updating me. My dad lives in New Delhi and first thing I called my mom to ask about him. He is ok and fine, mom had talked to him by the time I called her. I have several other relatives and friends living in New Delhi and I hope they are all fine. I have been trying to get in touch with them. I have been several times to the places where the bomb blast took place and I know how busy they are, always filled with shoppers.

There could be no better way to condemn and despise this ghastly act of terrorism other than to root it out. We had enough of this selective treatment of terrorism, it is high time we own up the responsibility and India should take strict action in this regard. Diplomacy is not the way out and time has come to take the decisive action. India is fully capable to nip in bud the places which breed terrorism.

My heart goes out to families those who lost their loved ones and may God give them strength.

Nice weather

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It is nice weather outside, sun is out and temperature is around 6 C. Welcome changes from the snow storm we had two days back. Just now I came back from my weekly trip to library and I must say I enjoyed the walk to the library and back. Cold wind was blowing but it was not chilling, rather cold in a refreshing way. The only problem was the snow on the sidewalks which were melting and hence very slippery. It made walking a bit difficult but it was offset by the excellent weather. The local library is situated in the most beautiful part of the town, alongside the lake with the ‘Hame’ castle in the background. It is not near to the downtown so it is always calm and peaceful. During summer you could take a book and read it sitting on the garden benches by the side of lake. But I must tell that the ducks are very naughty there, they will all crowd around you and start their ‘quack-quack’. This reminds me of the question that Holden Caulfield had in the book “ The Catcher in the Rye “, where do the ducks go when the lake freezes? I don’t have the answer but if some of you know it then please tell me as well.

Tomorrow we are getting off the ‘daylight saving’ and we would come back to GMT +2.00. What surprises me is that how for the past two weeks I was psychologically getting prepared for it. I was getting late to my office by approx one hour, I was getting up in the morning late by one hour. Usually I eat my lunch at 1pm (I know it is afternoon coffee time for dear Finns) but these days I was getting hungry only by 2 pm. I just wanted the time to go back by one hour and it will happen tomorrow. Wish I could prepare myself like that for other times as well *sighs*

Wednesday, October 26, 2005

Snow storm

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Last night when I was going to sleep I looked outside the window, the grass was green , streets were black but wet and trees were as usual, some with few leaves left, others with none. This morning when I got up from bed and went to kitchen to fetch water for my parched throat, habitually I looked at the thermometer fixed outside the kitchen window. Wtf, it was covered with snow !!! I looked around and found everything to be covered with layers of snow. The green grass cover was all white, the streets were white having tread marks of car tyres, roofs were covered with snow and so were the parked cars. I didn’t realize that it was such a heavy snowfall happened in the night. Infact the snow fall was still there, rather it was snow storm. I took one picture in the morning and you can compare it with the picture of the same spot outside my kitchen window on Sunday (first snow fall day)



The snow storm continued for the whole day and it is still continuing.I walked to office in snow and came back to apartment at the end of day in snow. I don’t have problem with snow fall, they are innocuous, but snow storm is different. It feels yukky when the snow is entering your ears or hitting your eyes.

In the evening I took pictures from my bed room window, you can see them below. The falling snows are caught glistening in the flash of the camera.







Education

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I have been developing randomly on this topic and wanted to put them down so that I get a coherent picture out of it.

Let’s first think about basic or elementary education. The purpose of basic education is to make us literate, make us communicate, express our ideas by reading and writing. The purpose also lies to make us aware of our surrounding, our history and some basic mathematics. In short the purpose is to make you fit for facing the world and finding your way out. This being said, I wish to develop on higher education, the education you need for excelling in this world

What is the motive of education? Is education something we get in the form of lectures in schools or colleges coupled with slides on OHP or projectors? Why should we get educated? How do we measure success of education or most important how do we know that we are educated or not?

Education is not earning degrees after degrees, it is not passing out with excellent grades, and it is not studying in some 'self proclaimed' best school. Education is not getting out as a product from the assembly lines; neither is it measured by the high paying jobs which one gets after coming out of those assembly lines.

These days I quite frequently see, hear or encounter those products from fashionable assembly lines who will be wearing the name of their school on their sleeve. They are quite good and efficient in what they do, for they are taught only that. Their education has given them ready made solutions, they know what to do when the conditions are A and B. But you will see their real worth when the condition is not A, not B or both, their whole education crumbles down. Education is not about giving ready made solutions, education is to develop the power to think independently, come out with ideas, ability to judge those ideas, form value and act in pursuit of those values. I don’t think that one needs to be in an air conditioned, acoustically maintained, state of the art classrooms to get this. One can get educated working in a countryside agriculture farm.

Ever wondered why the universities are not certified as 'ISO 9001' or assessed for ‘Six Sigma’? It is because they are not supposed to manufacture same kind of product with strict quality control management having variations less than 3.4 in one million. Their purpose is to produce individual with independent thinking capability, to come out with different approaches, to judge which one of them is correct and then to have the conviction to stand by them. I find it fit to mention here the Structural Design class we had (I am a Civil Engineer, if I never mentioned that), in that class the professor judged the effectiveness of his lecture delivery if every student was able to come out with different design(beams, channels, etc…) for the same problem. There the requirement was to think - which will not produce same result for every student.

On the other hand you will find training institutes certified as 'ISO 9001' and such, because their purpose is to produce individuals with a certain and limited set of skills specific to a requirement. This is exactly the reason they are called as training institutes and not learning institutes. Well some times this situation transcends from places of training to that of learning. Micorsoft has already been established, it has now to be operated so there is a huge need of people who can do procedural jobs, Pepsi Co has already got market share so there is need for people who can analyse the balance sheets. They need pen-pushers so they go, offer high salary and hire from those fashionable schools. This is the perfect example where the concept of training institutes transcends to learning places.You will not have people from these schools being used for turn around of Harley Davidson.

Just as Bullish phase in a stock market will discount any warning, these schools are not worried. They are manufacturing products which are eagerly sought for doing procedural jobs, a win-win situation for the school and the students.

Education is something which inculcates ability to work in uncharted domain, ability to steer out of situations, ability to develop conviction, ability to develop strength of character and lastly to adhere to all of these.

Tuesday, October 25, 2005

My day

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I had thought of writing about one very interesting thing but this headache for the third evening in row does not let me write it. The rate at which I am consuming pills will make me replenish them weekly along with grocery shopping. Thanks God they don’t ask prescription for headache pills, but right now I have full stock of them which I brought from India this September. It has become a habit pop a pill go to sleep , get up at 2 am pop one of their hypnotic cousin and sleep back.

It was a perfect ‘lousy’ day for me, I talked to mom in morning, wasn’t expecting any thing good to hear, neither was any. Apparently it is Diwali (festival) time in India, people are preparing for it, and all of them are doing the annual cleaning and painting of their house. Mom was telling me about the painting work in first level of our home as well but I had least interest in hearing about it so just diverted the conversation. It is now 5 years since I last celebrated Diwali with my folks. This time I went home after 18 months may be they will have a new coat of paint over this one by the time I go there next.

I wasn’t feeling like working today, wanted to go for walk in the ‘cemetery-turned-park’ in front of the window of my office. The dandruff layer of snow on grass and ice on road made me pass the idea. I worked anyway and completed something which I was procrastinating for a week. It is a ppt, but I am not happy with the result, will try to refine it tomorrow.

After coming home from work I thought may be I will cook a nice dinner for me. As my luck would have it I almost burnt the stew, which I was preparing with great interest. It was still eatable so went ahead with it. One of the nice things about winter is that if you want to eat the stew instantly, then open the window panes and place the pan on the sill of the window. 1 minute, it will be optimally cold, but need to take care; 2 minutes and you have stew ice-cream. This is for now, will do that experiment again in February with temperature around minus 27 C and find out the time required for stew ice-cream.

So this was my whole day and I should now stop wallowing in self pity.

Sunday, October 23, 2005

First Snowfall

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So we had the first snowfall of the winter, it is earlier than last year when it came sometime around mid November. It was little bit on the heavier side but all of it melted as soon as it hit the surface. It was good to see them back after 5 months. First snowfall has it own charm, more so for some one who is from tropical belt. The met department had forecasted this snowfall a week back but first time I found their prediction so accurate. I have taken few pictures, hope you can spot the falling snow in them, blog reduces the size so things are usually not clear.





I celebrated the snowfall by going out for dinner; the streets were deserted at about 8 pm, the silence occasionally broken by some clattering couple. The restaurant was all empty except for me but I didn’t fell anything amiss. I remember how last year when I was new to Finland and those empty restaurants used to look so eerie but now I have got used to the concept. I occupied one small table facing the street in the cozy corner, while I was waiting a couple came but they were for take-away.

The temperature had increased to 1 C and it felt good walking back to apartment from restaurant

Saturday, October 22, 2005

Changes

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Change is the only constant thing in this world; things are changing even as I write. There is nothing much we can do other than accepting changes. Dr Spencer Johnson in his famous book wrote the secret of success as accepting changes and adapting to them. But is it that easy to accept changes?

Humans have a great ability to adapt themselves, acclimatize with newer versions of things but still they find it difficult to accept changes. Aren’t these two theories so contradictory? But it is this very quality that makes us live our life past the changes.

The way to make transition easier is to never get attached to any thing; these attachments are what it makes difficult to accept changes, but it is always easier said than done.

It might be easier for others but I have always found myself difficult to accept any kind of changes in my life be it small or some major changes. As I said earlier most of the time I didn’t have any other option so I had to accept changes. I get disturbed by changes in the webpage of newspaper which I read, change in the settings of my online radio station and more obviously the changing realities of my life. I somehow try to cling to them and try to go through my memories even if they hurt me. I get attached to things too easily and most of the time I don’t keep options that in turn increases the attachment. I don’t get an idea of my attachment until I have to let things go or try to revisit things in light of changed circumstances.

This time when I went to my parent’s place in my home town, the town where I spent twenty years of my life and the town where I grew up was haunting me. I have so many memories associated with each and every thing in that town and I was finding it too difficult to accept the changes. I just wanted to run away from there, run from the reality that things have changed, run from the realities that things will never be the same before. I didn’t stay there for more than three days and I don’t think I would ever be able to spend a week there now. Sometimes I wish if I could go back in time and tweak few things here and there so that I am able to live peacefully today.


God, grant me serenity

to accept the things I cannot change,

courage to change the things I can

and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time,

enjoying one moment at a time,

accepting hardships as a pathway to peace

taking, as Jesus did, this sinful world as it is,

not as I would have it,

trusting that You will make all things right

if I surrender to Your will.

So that I may be reasonably happy in this life

and supremely happy with You forever

in the next.

Amen
-- Reinhold Niebuhr

Wednesday, October 19, 2005

Be Healthy

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Australian Nobel prize-winning scientist Peter Doherty has written a book “The Beginner's Guide to Winning the Nobel Prize”. Doherty won the 1996 Nobel Prize for physiology and medicine, along with Swiss colleague Rolf Zinkernagel, for discovering the nature of cellular immune defence. In this book he describes the need to stop smoking and to remain healthy for the wannabe scientist, because it may take 50 years for a discovery to be recognized by the Nobel Committee. There are other interesting suggestions in it as well.

This 50 years thing got me thinking, is it the proper to take this much time to recognize some invention or discovery? I have two thoughts both for and against.

1. There is a significant amount of money given with the prize to help the winners to carry their work further. If the award is given a little earlier when the winners have more of productive age left it would be more useful than giving at such late stage of life.

2. The committee taking time to recognize the discovery means that winners have to keep on working for decades. It ensures that only those who are devoted and passionate to their work are being recognized.

I don’t know which or any of the above reasoning is correct. I am going to be in Stockholm this 10th of December may be I can catch a glimpse of our Nobel Prize winners. *winks*


Passing thought

Let’s say a function has two solutions, one is 'best' solution and other is 'right' solution then which is preferable?

I think 'right' is the one which should be accepted, because though both 'right' and 'best' are relative terms,
'right' is relative to function hence certainity but,
'best' is relative to the solution something outside of domain of function so not much of certainity.

Tuesday, October 18, 2005

Just Me

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I have not written anything for a week now. Not that I am busy, but I am either blank or overwhelmed with ideas. I have been trying to write a post everyday but half way through it would seem that I don’t have much to write, too much to write or I need to do further research on the subject matter. Some times things which come across my mind do not seem suitable for blog, either they are too trivial and or too personal to write.

I am myself not sure of my thoughts, just for example when I read Orwell or Hemingway I agree with Socialism and when I recall Adam Smith’s “ Wealth of Nation” or Ayn Rand I agree with Capitalism. My heart goes for Socialism while brain approves Capitalism. I have decided to do further research on this topic, assess myself properly and then may be I will have clarity about me. The only thing I am sure of this point is that I am for equal opportunity for all. I still have half of “For Whom the Bell Tolls” to finish, in between I have completed two books of Grisham. Grisham’s book are such that it can’t be left midway and once I start it I can’t do anything else till I complete it, whereas Hemingway’s book requires thinking and may be some history check as well.

In between I saw Spielberg’s “Schindler’s List” and the resulting shock rendered me unable to think anything for one full day. I won’t say much about the movie as I am sure everyone has seen that movie.

Though I have been not updating my blog but for the last two days I can see large increase in hits of my page, I would like to say “Hi” to the person and would appreciate to hear something. You know who you are and hope to hear from you.

Tuesday, October 11, 2005

Quarterly Results

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So it is the time for quarterly statements from the listed companies. Frankly speaking I don’t think most of the companies would be interested in doing this exercise every quarter but they have to go by the rules or else stand the threat of getting de- listed.

When some major company (having more weight on the index) announces the date for their result then we can witness media frenzy. There are polls for forecasting the result; many fund managers make a tentative strategy, most of the times small retail investor join the market ‘hoopla’. When they announce the result it is usually a bunch of statistics and more so percentages. How easy it is to analyze within fifteen minutes the whole result and come out with prophetic statement like “this company is going to become IBM Global”, I don’t agree to it, for me percentages mean nothing. Percentages are there just to confuse us and many a times they are chosen just to create hype. Today two Indian companies announced their result, the headlines were company ABC records rise of 36% in profit and company XYZ records rise of 10%, so what does it mean? I read the figures in the detailed report and saw that ABC had given the figure Year on Year and XYZ on Quarter to Quarter basis. Even if they both were on same basis comparison is difficult, you have to see the base for understanding the absolute increase in profit or revenue or EPS or dividend.

I am sure everyone will later decipher the results but we should save our comments till we have finally understood the result and then decide our course of action. Last financial year there was an unique situation, a company announced the result and immediately the stocks dipped to a new low, later it was found that results were actually lot better, only thing the company had not presented in ‘market-friendly’ manner.

It was for this precise reason that Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) came out with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) so that investors find it easy to understand but again we have US GAAP, UK GAAP and also Indian GAAP. I don’t see anything wrong in any of these but please take time in coming out with sweeping statements.

Sunday, October 09, 2005

Call Centers in Finland

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This post is about my call center experience in Finland. The reasons I call it call center and not customer care experience cause this is related to the first part when you dial the numbers and then reach the executive. It has always been a harrowing experience for me to dial those numbers; the amount of time they make you wait before you reach the executive is pathetic. It is some times two minutes; 5 minutes and last week when I called one airline it was seven minutes! I am sorry if they thought that they were music stations and not customer care centers. It is not difficult to guess that I cancelled my call all those times, in fact not once I have been successful to conduct a business over these numbers in Finland.

Back in India I have used call centers extensively for many purposes and never been dissatisfied. It is highly unlikely that there you would hear something as “your waiting time is – minutes “, almost all the time you will get immediately connected to some executive. I don’t think anyone there would wait for seven minutes for speaking to an executive unless one is buying a ‘fighter Jet’. Thankfully the phone charges are less in Finland as compared to India (Purchasing Parity level) or else it would have been worse. May be one or two minute is acceptable but not five and seven minutes, otherwise it will take less time to reach the office of airline or your ISP and do your work manually, or just imagine you want to place an order on your stock and by the time you reach the executive the market is closed.

Well I have not discussed this topic with any Finn so don’t know their views , I may be complaining cause I have got better experience before here. If my waiting time in India was of order of ten minutes I would have been writing this post in entirely different tone.

The other services in Finland are world class but the firms here may do well to improve upon this.

Saturday, October 08, 2005

Earthquake

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It was not one of the pleasant mornings, I got up around quarter past seven and as usual checked the news headlines from India, there was a news about a strong Earthquake which had just hit whole of North India. It was just a news flash and no more details, the quake had hit only half an hour back.

I called up my parents, they were safe they told me that they had already called sister and her family was also fine. Later the news started pouring in, the quake had hit Pakistan and Afghanistan as well, and massive damages were reported from Pakistan. In India more than hundred people are killed till now. It is good that there are no seas in North India or else there would have been chances of Tsunami like last year, it was only ten months back when Southern India was devastated by Tsunami.

I notice that natural calamities have kind of increased in last one year, Tsunami, Flood, Earthquake and Hurricanes. There were other tragedies as well, terrorist attack on subway, on tourist resorts and plane accidents. As we are nearing to the end of this year I don’t this was one of good year for our Planet.

Tuesday, October 04, 2005

A year in Finland (Suomi)


I was sitting by the window on the 12th row, feeling sleepy and terribly tired, the plane had started its descent, and PA system was spurting the monotone. I could see green cover and water bodies, captain had switched on the camera and TV was streaming live pictures of what was just beneath the plane. After a while the runway was in sight, the plane touched it with a thud and then started taxing. The day was 4th October, 2004 and I had just landed in Finland.

I wasn’t aware of the date but when I was talking to my sister in evening she mentioned it for some reason and then it dawned on me that I have completed a year in Finland. It is after a long time that I had been in one city , lived in the same house and worked in the same office for a year and don’t know when it will be next time.

Past one year was full of surprises for me, from having sunless days in November to white nights in May, walked on the streets in minus 30C in winter and felt hot in 22C in summer. I have slipped on snow covered streets, walked on frozen lakes, felt an ice cream to be warm, and been in parties where people drank for twelve hours. I have eaten strawberry pancake in country market, salted Salmon by side of lake and in McDonald in a 14th century old town.

It was quite and eventful year and I shall not forget this year in my whole life. Lot of things happened which were not pleasant but guess this is life! I have grown wise by one year and learnt lot of things. I know that you should not get attached to anything in this world nor dislike anything, you may never know when you have to let go something you like and when you will have to live with something you don’t like. We should be prepared to accept whatever comes by, nothing is unexpected or evitable in this world, trust, honesty, gratitude, integrity are all synonym of 'surreal'. One should never feel negative for there are worst things to happen in life (allow me a bit of my black humor please ...)


Let me end with this beautiful quote

"When one find's oneself in a hole of one's own making, it is a good time to examine the quality of the workmanship" --John Renmerde