The other side of Outsourcing

I have always been a great fan of Thomas Friedman the writer. He has authored many articles that have won him worldwide acclaim.



Here is another fantastic documentary that aired on Discovery channel. I would personally like to extend my thanks to the person that posted this episode on Youtube.

In this documentary Thomas Friedman goes beyond the usual 5 minute spiel about outsourcing and how it has affected the US, and makes an in-depth investigation about how it has changed India: economically and culturally.

It was quite heartening and yet disheartening to see the economic and cultural impact globalization is having on India.

My heart warmed when I saw the optimism that bubbled from our youth. It seems that despite the evils and sandtraps set by our society and government, we still find a way to circumvent and succeed.

On the other hand, it was very sobering to look at the people that were being left behind by our uni-dimensional growth in select industries, which will leave millions behind.

Do watch The Other Side of Outsourcing

On the other hand, here is a funny movie made about outsourcing. I saw the trailer for this short film on another site, and followed it to its source.

Here is Call Center the movie (you will need to download the latest version of Flash player to view it)

It is hilarious!


Image courtesy of http://www.callcentermovie.com

Lost Temples of India

Here is a wonderful documentary I found browsing through the wonder that is Google Videos. The Lost Temples of India is a must see documentary about the less celebrated yet equally wondrous architecture that graces India's south.



Tiruvanamalai, India

As I was watching this documentary, I was astounded by the technical prowess of our ancestors to build what can only be classified to be a work of beauty in the form of an edifice! And what beautiful edifices they are!

Later as the documentary came to an end, I was inexplicably sad, to see the state of our country in its present state. I really hope that the next time I go to India I will be able to give these wonders the respect they deserve.

Do let others know about this documentary.

The Lost Temples of India

How not to study for your .NET certification

Sometimes, when I sit in front of the computer forcing my brain to absorb the abstract concept of how to make two lumps of plastic communicate with each other, I long for that cycle shop that my dad promised me if I didn't study properly in my 3rd standard.

I suppose you have to repent for making foolish choices. If only Rowling had decided to forgo a fruitless career as a teacher and had written Harry Potter around 15 yrs earlier, I would have known that it is the choices we make that define us. Alas! It was not to be! Now the dreams of owning a cycle shop shall be passed on my kin in a take-it-or-leave-it spot decision. And if they are anything like me, they will have their entire life to repent the decision they take in the 3rd standard as well.

So the first step in successfully completing your certification is to not ponder about the foolish choices you have made in the 3rd standard.

I am currently in the process of kickstarting my .NET certification. I assiduously set the alarm for 3 am in the morning. The poor alarm does its duty faithfully and with rude health drags me from my lumber. I wake up in a state of shock which provides me that wonderful cushion of 5 minutes when the world is a wonderous blur of nothingness. A shell-shocked moment when I cannot hear, or, see anything that I do not wish to (including the alarm - all hardwired into my psyche).

Unfortunately life catches up to me and injects me with the dissapointment of having to stare at a third hand (I hope) set of Ikea bookshelves, with my blankie wrapped tightly around me. I break out of my blankie cocoon and stagger to my computer table. Turn on the monitor, and make a couple of exagerated yawns. I then realize that I am yet to shut the alarm, so I stagger over to my faithful phone and either:

* Blink until the screen becomes visible, congratulate myself for having woken up so early, set the alarm to 6:30 and go back to sleep, or,
* If by some miracle I do manage to stay awake, I find some excuse (my attention span to the fore!) to conveniently forget what I woke up for, browse the net, wonder why I was wasting valuble sleeping time, re-set the alarm and go back to sleep.

So as you can see the second step towards a successful completion of your certification would be to find some mode of stimuli that will get you up and keep you awake.



Making it past the second step involves a lot of dedication and at least a couple of glasses of water (preferably perched on top of your bed soaking it so that you cannot fall asleep again).

What next you ask?

I wouldn't know. I have never made it past the alarm sandtrap. :(

I will be sure to let you know when I make it past that stage. Do stay tuned for updates!

The trials of owning a short Attention Span

It started out as a thought, germinated into an idea, blossomed into a full blown plan, sprouted roots into a concept and ended up in a state of vegetativeness. I suppose I would have had a better end to that statement. Indeed as I read it again it does sound very cute. Unfortunately my attention span does not allow me to embellish it with the finish that it deserves.

I started this blog in a fit of passion. A passion to share with the world my deepest thoughts, my nuances, my loves, my hates, my despairs, my glories. All the by-products of a mind bursting with the need for speed... umm.. I mean the need to shower the world with my knowledge.

Unfortunately I forgot that I had the attention span of a 3 year old. My mental state very often ends up in a state of complete and utter boredom. I suppose I should blame my genetics for it, yet, I don't see too many others that look like an extra-rice eater and yet, have the attention span of a water heater (sorry attention span did not allow me to come with anything clever).

I have perused the web hoping to churn out a topic to discuss on my oh so neglected blog. Alas! It was not to be! My attention span would not allow it.

So where was I? Oh yeah ... span of the attention. Very short.

Sarkar - A Counter-Review

I watched the Hindi movie Sarkar a while back. However many people I know hated it. Why? Because they compared it to one of the best movies ever made ... The Godfather. Here is a review I wrote to counter the bad reviews it received from a couple of others.



Mario Puzo created waves when he wrote The Godfather. Francis Ford Coppola used this masterpiece and created another; albeit on celluloid rather than in text. Although this movie is rated as one of the best ever made, people say does not do justice to its textual brethren. Can one truly replicate a masterpiece and be safe from being judged through the jaded glasses that one wears when reviewing the replication? No.

Sarkar was RGV's attempt to pay tribute to a masterpiece that set such dizzying standards that can never truly be reached. So about the movie Sarkar. When I was about to watch it, I expected little of the movie. After all rip-offs can never be good. It starts off with an introduction which could have literally been torn out of its inspiration, although with a Hindi voiceover and a place that is improbably an Indian town. A grieving father pours out details of his travesty to the "Sarkar" aka Abhishek Nagre.

The events that unfold are not dissimilar to the Godfather. However there is something about this film that grabs your attention and keeps it as you watch it. As time passes you wait for the movie to fall apart, but this one that surprisingly does not. It flows through at a good pace moving from scene to scene at a decent speed that pulls the story along with it. It is assumed that the audience has enough knowledge about the underworld and its workings to move along without explaining it all.

Of course being a Hindi movie there is the occasional over actor and overkill without which it would be too bland a fare for the Indian audience. As the movie shifts into the second half you still wait for it to fall apart as others have, but again it seamlessly shifts into the workings of Abhishek Bachchan (playing Al Pacino's role) as the son who is thrown among the lions while the scheming, plotting baddies down Abhishek Nagre.

The transformation of Abhishek into the new Sarkar is very well orchestrated. Eventually all's well that ends well and there is a new "Sarkar" in town, but even the end has a hint of class to it.

Is this movie a masterpiece? No. Can it even be considered to be a great movie? No way. Is it a good movie? Definitely. Compared to what is considered to be a hit movie nowadays, it stands head and shoulders above the rest. A truly watchable movie with some catchy background music edited into all the right places to highlight many scenes.

Kay Kay Menon who acts as the estranged eldest son does a wonderful job and steals the show in my book. It is definitely worth a watch and quite comparable to some of the other good movies that have come out of Bollywood.

Hi all and welcome to my Blog!

I think this is the fourth or fifth blog that I have registered for, but the first that I have actually bothered to publish anything in.

So what prompted me to actually pen (ahem ... type) a few words on here? Ah! The list is endless.

Nonetheless what do I hope to offer my readers (that is if I have any) ?

Well I am hoping to :

1. Write articles that will boggle your mind with the inanity imbibed within.
2. I hope to write my GMAT sometime this year, and need practice with analytical writing. So please do write down your thoughts on what you thought about my articles. I hope to publish one every day. Ambitious? Maybe; but I was told never to aim low (well unless you're in a street fight).
3. Pen my most mundane happenings that seems to be of such great interest to my friends and family. I figured publishing a daily blog would save me the effort of having to bcc everyone the same letter :D. Plus, I hate communicating with people on the phone. It's not that I'm introverted, just hate talking without having a face to face(s) conversation.
4. Link my site to wondrous and extremely useful links that will be of invaluable utility to all (Who am I kidding?) Still I hope you do like my blog and check in often. Thanks in advance to those of you who do leave a comment, or do check out my blog.

Cheers.