There was once a time...

There was once a time

When problem-solving meant telling your mom

When your parents had all the answers

And all your fears they could make fine

There was once a time

When the small joys of a candy bar

Would make you forget your tears

And make you forgive all who have hurt

There was once a time

When home works were the toughest things around

When getting a few more marks

Was God’s answer to all your prayers

There was once a time

When you wanted to fly a plane

To be an fighter pilot

And soar into the sky.

That time is, however past

Taking away all but some beautiful memories

The world has grown bigger, our hopes smaller

A salute to you – the child in us.

New age careers (Part 1 ) - Facebook "like"r / "comment"or

These posts will be a series of discussion on emerging careers and how to prepare for them. Constructive criticism is welcomed.
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1. Facebook liker/commenter
This field is expected to see rapid growth in the coming years.
Job Description:
-Like facebook comments
-Add witty lines, which bring in more comments
-Increase the cool quotient of your client
-Find out cool youtube videos
-A hot babe/hunk profile pic depending on the target client

The basic model only involves like/WOW/LOL and ROFL. However clients can go for an upgrade by paying a yearly fee. This will involve cool comments and cool youtube video links. There ius also a premium version which allows poems and quotations from eminent historical figures, as well scoring lower than the clients in cool games.Generally people start as a "like"r and builds up a practice and client base. Over time, he or she can move into comments.

Seeing the potential, Facebook has decided to offer certification program for liker , advanced liker and commentors. It involves MCQ wherein the examinee has to choose the most coolest option. Given the steep difference between demand and supply, many unofficial certification have also sprung up which cater to the local tastes and niche markets. For example, India's youth icon/leader and management guru Arindhaam Chaudhrii has urged people to think beyond facebook and register in the 2 years program in IIPM for BSCCM (Bachelor in social commenting and cool management). However we should note the fact that if a person is facebook certified, than facebook wont deactivate your account for any of the link posted/forwarded by that person.

There is a big market. Though the market in US is expanding, experts believe that the future lies in Asia. they are waiting for the censorship to be reduced in China and India. Experts believe that there will be significant outsourcing from Asia to US due to the easy availiability of human resources who can write good English and have easy access to internet. Also the brand "Friend in US" is associated with higher qulality and brand image. Unless India and China get their act, it may result in significant outflow of revenue and may severe impact the service sector.

A tale of two loves...

He knew this had to happen...life is not fair...choices and turns that we take in our past come to haunt us when we least expect...

2005

X was new and she was the hottest thing in the town.Everyone wanted to know her. The family she came from was very reputed and well to do. He requested his friends to introduce her to him. Yes she was particular about that - some friend had to introduce you to her! Initially he did not know what to do but gradually he got familiar. he thought she was the most wonderful thing ever to happen to him. He fell in love with her within the first week of courtship!

2006

He gradually got used to her. It was routine now. He still adored her but he realized that she was not perfect. Several times when he wanted her she was in accessible. But most of his friends also liked her. So he was happy. He accepted that there was no one better than her for him.

2007

She was losing her initial charm. She now looked old. Sometimes she behaved weirdly. She was drawing all wrong sort of people. The language she was using was gradually getting unrefined and coarse. At times, she annoyed him. But he still loved her.

2008

The relationship was growing difficult. She introduced him to lot of people who he did not know and like. Often he felt that his privacy and independence were affected! He wanted a break...but he was in love with her...He did not know what to do.

He had to come to new place. It was all new. There he met Y.

He had heard of Y as the new hot girl in the block. Everyone was swooning over her! He was sure she was not as good as X. However, many of their mutual friends praised Y over X. Somehow X was behaving oddly - she was so detached and old fashioned now.

He initially felt guilty but he was frustrated with X! Y looked so pretty and easy going....like a breath of fresh air! It was so simple to interact with her. Initially he felt she was very intrusive. But he gradually warmed up and started to enjoy life, again...

He convinced himself that he loved X...he wanted to see how life would be with Y.

2009

X was a shadow of her former self. She remembered her glory days, drinking alone in her gloomy darkness. Her loved one deserted her for Y. Y was pretty, but "So can be I" thought X.

X got a makeover. She wanted to look pretty and get back all the attentions. But she tried to copy Y, rather than focus on her own beauty. She lost. She was laughed at. People made fun of her.

It saddened him. He loved X and he could not bear to see this. But he was much more comfortable with Y now. Sooner or later, Y had to take X's place.

2010

X kept on falling, Y kept on becoming more beautiful. He could not live a moment without Y now. Somehow in the background X loomed around, sulking. But he guessed she also accepted her lot.

July 22 2010: Y replaced X, officially. 482 for Y vs 481 for X. It was the end of a age for him... whether he "like"d it or not, he did not "comment".

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X was Orkut and Y was Facebook, in case you have not got it :) .... I guess its an everlasting love story which will involve new characters like twitter, LinkedIn etc with passage of time...

Contradictions...

It is a crime to love outside marriage,

but a virtue to stay in a marriage with no love

It is all right to stop people loving in the open,

but entertainment to watch a public fight

It is a sin to think of same sex love,

but a heroic act to kill for ones nation and tribe.

It is unacceptable for government to increase taxes,

but disturbing to skip a meal and think of some starving child

It is wrong for reservations to exist in education,

but valid to deny a job to a person whose background is not right

It is acceptable for boys to have all the fun,

but frowned upon girls who dont dress up their part

It is fun if a foreigner has difficulty with your tongue,

but a disaster if he tries to earn for his life.

It is a problem if a person smokes and drink,

but society understands if he does not allow his wife to earn

It is tiresome to toil and work for change

But it is OK for someone to write and sigh.

Does it take your breath away...And you feel yourself suffocating

"Do you know what's worth fighting for?
When it's not worth dying for?
Does it take your breath away
And you feel yourself suffocating?

Does the pain weigh out the pride?
And you look for a place to hide?
Did someone break your heart inside?
You're in ruins"

-21 Guns (Greenday)

Its been a habit of late to start writing with a song.But I did not put this song just to continue the trend. I intend to write about it, to dissect it and appreciate it.

I have been born and brought up in a place where its is a luxury to have a week without a bomb explosion, a shootout of someone from a family, which fortunately I don't know, getting killed or maimed. It has been happening for the last 10-20 years. It does not matter who is responsible or who needs to take "revenge"...It just makes me wonder about this song.

I have been away from my state for around 10 years. Thousands of dim eyed idealist have died in the process. Some due to bullets but most due to cynicism. Idealism is scorned, dreams not expected to come true. But you know what is more scary than the death of a dream? It is the death of the collective dream of a society. When society become lethargic and looks for a way to push its worries under and looks for a way to escape.

It was started as the noble fight, but somehow it became a fight. When was this nobility lost or the chivalry lost, no one knows or no one cares. Those who set about to change the world only managed to change themselves. Does it take your breath away, and makes you suffocate?

Everyone suffered and suffers. The ones who set out to change and ones who wanted status quo. Life was never the same. The sense of injustice and deprivation gives birth to idealism as well as a fatalistic view of life. The problem are due to "others" and not due to your incompetence and lethargy. When entire society goes into a dreamless sleep, we should not be surprised at why our dreams did not come true.

How about the idealist who were and are seduced? They fall for it but beyond a time they cannot come out. Its a vicious cycle. They can come out only by damming themselves but to damn themselves is to destroy the very idealism which made them love themselves. How can you love anything else when you hate yourselves? How much can you love yourself when every moment you are trying to ensure you survive?Does the pain out weigh the pride, and you look for a place to hide.

I guess its easy to write and talk about all this by sitting 1000s of mile away in a AC room and typing out a blog in ones free time and listening to Greenday on Youtube. But I guess I will try to keep my idealist in me and not become a cynic at my impotency to change anything.

Life will go on. An entire generation will be scorned at, laughed at or even detested by future generation for failing to improve the society. People will get tired and hungry and desperate. Dreams, now destroyed, will come again, maybe in different form.

But will our generation be able to believe in ourselves that we can change this world?

Job search and arranged marriage...

"love, feeling, emotions......"

So goes the song from Enigma...Donno why but listening to this song while applying for job (don't ask me which company! I was in auto-form-fill mode) set me off thinking...The similarity between arranged marriage and job hunt!

After all its a marriage "market" is'nt it? And we are on the look out for full time life long employment...not that I am anti or pro arranged (well does it matter???? If you don't get one on your own you go for arranged....so the entire choice is a function of circumstances! ???? Did I hear some one call me a loser!!!! Excuse me, I am a pragmatic man of Science who believes in maximizing his opportunity)

Well lets come back...From an early age we are groomed up...Do this, don't do this blah blah blah! Similarly, from first sem, get a good grade etc etc etc...Dont hang out with "rotten" guys/ gals as it may impact your "name"...Similarly, dont hang out with fun ppl as it will impact your grades!

After all years of hard work ( 16-20 year i guess? any one having better idea?), one is ready for the marriage market...so now on the hunt for a prospective groom/bride....If you are from a reputed family, you have less worries...people will come to your house asking for your hand...in the meantime, you are always told that affairs is bad as it will impact (again) your reputation! So, you are considered the best marriage material if you don't have any "prior" experience or idea how the opposite sex actually behaves!!!!

Now contrast it with studies (i will stick to engineering as i have direct exposure)...After 3-4 years of slog you look out for job...If you are from good college you have campus placements...Meanwhile, dont work "part time" as it may impact your grades! Then you go ahead and get a job...what are your options ? "Tech" or "Software" (seriously, the person who coined these 2 words and thus permanently divided the dream of an aspiring Indian engineer deserves to be stoned to death...)...so we go to work out for companies about which we have little idea but lots of expectations!

Then comes the marketing part...In marriages the marketing "Or girl cooks really well" (which means her mom cooks well) or "The guy does not smoke" (seriously, what makes girls think that a guy will answer NO if a stunner is in front of him and that is like the final question of KBC...)... And you always answer the answer people want to hear...we change our profile depending on the relationship we are looking at...Ditto for job search! "I know C and C++" (meaning i managed to somehow pass the course) or that "I was the captain of the class sports team" (Is there a class sports team? Really!)... Come on, if you have a job sitting in front of you, why do you need to tell the truth...technically speaking (as has been said by the wise), not telling the truth is not same as lying...

Finally, the greatest similarity...When a lesser qualified person gets the gal/guy or in our case, the job!!! "She had a affair in college", "He had less grades than me", "He earned less than me"!!!... I just cant help appreciate the beauty of the intricate working of our societal structure!!!

After doing this mental exercise, i felt happy.... inspite of the worst situation, there is hope in this wide open world...I have been a good person (REALLY!!! Why dont you believe me for once!)... I have not besmirched my name anywhere (no cases of felony, drug use blah blah blah)... Also the place from where i come has a reputation....All will be well!

Wait..I did not mean about marriage!!! GRRR...i am talking about getting a job!

A single foot of lenght ...

The story of A

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The smell of sweat and blood were all around. A was crouching in his hole...any false move , he would die and all the war will become meaningless for him. He waited , and waited...

This was not how it was supposed to be... The enemy was supposed to be caught unawares...also they were supposed to be lesser in number and most importantly, not equipped with machine guns ! A was cursing why he landed up in this mess!

His friend and comrade B was dead, a single bullet through his head...dead instantly. He was lying, 1 feet away, on his left...

B's story

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One year back...B was graduating from the military school... maybe it was the proudest moment of his life... he felt as if all the war heroes whose pictures adonrned the dorm walls were smilling upon him...his journey was about to begin.

He was called into this conflict 2 months ago. The enemy had occupied a large track of his country. Something had to be done.

A&B 's story

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The colonel decided that the only way out was to send a scout team and get the exact positions of the enemy. It was a risky gamble and he chose the best officers under him - A & B.

A's story

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So he lay, among sweat and blood....but he kept quiet. The enemy did not move in. They were convinced that the intruder was dead.

hours past...and finally it was dark...he crept out of his hole...he took the pictures...he came back and gave a final good bye to B, who was on his right when the bullet hit him...then he left him...

The attack was a success...the enemy position were accurately marked and were destroyed.

A became a war hero. Medals were bestowed upon him....gradually with passage of years, he forgot that he was so close to the bullet that hit B in place of him...after some years, his picture was on the dorm walls, along with other war heroes.

B's story

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Minutes before the bullet hit him...A was on his left...but somehow A did not look comfortable...B figured out that there was no way he could allow A to be uncovered as it will jeopardize the whole mission. So he dragged him to his right and he took the position on A left... It was 1 foot to the left of his earlier place...but he remembered the pictures of all the war heroes and the silent promise he made to them...Sometime later, a sniper who had seen A helmet partially, got a second glance of another helmet. B never had a chance after that.... he was one foot too far in the wrong direction...

Our story

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We read about the awesome military operations and tactical victory in the great war... We read an entire page on the heroic of A... Only place B gets mentioned is as a nameless soldier....when they say "A's entire team was wiped out but he did it alone".

Sometimes... a single foot is a big distance.