Change

Finally I did it. I joined a new company after having served almost 10 years in the previous one.

I do miss my colleagues since the workplace had turned out to be like a second home to me.

But working too long in a company which has no appraisal systems gives you no returns. You end up being taken for granted. They keep you going with promises but with no intentions of doing so. They think that if she has worked so long in this company why should she think of moving out now? And yes, one feels very comfortable and the thought of moving on keeps you awake at night. You have hundreds of doubts and questions.

When one has worked too long in one position, the job becomes a routine and everything is just too easy for you. This means that one who sees you feel that you are not doing much. But this ease of job comes with experience. I also found out that one should come up with more problems so that your Boss can solve them. It makes them think that you are working! Well this goes for Gulf. We had one colleague who thinks he is indispensable to the organization and kept reminding the same through emails and conversations. He is the only one who regularly got increments and promotions. Every morning one gets to read minimum 5 emails, send with time and date stamp including holidays and ungodly hours. He will describe various problems with work and colleagues while pretending to solve them. But for some firms these characters are essential.

I started looking out a while ago, mainly since I wanted to know if my CV was still acceptable! I got to attend a couple of interviews and got to know my options. Finally, by the grace of God, I found one which was good for me. There is no mess like the previous one ( I had started enjoying the mess and even got addicted to them!).

I guess for everyone, even if they enjoy their current jobs, it is good to look out and if possible attend a few interviews. Keeps you updated with the current market demands and you never feel insecure.

Will it ever be worth it?

A few years down, there will be discussions and debates...

Was it worth it?

....More than 3,850 US troops have died during the Iraq war...
....More than 1.... civilians (Iraqis) have died.....
.... More than 1..... are displaced.........
......More than..1..... women have been widowed....
........More than ....1..... children have been orphaned...

nd for what?

... in return for democracy???
... in return for Saddam???
.... in return for Oil???

Evey day more women are selling themselves to feed their family.. they are begging and foraging on the streets for daily bread..

r these exaggerated news or the truth?

or will we one day say that it never happened like some say about the Holocaust.. since it would be more convenient...
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Decay and death


David Smith reflects on the filthy state of a once-wealthy Baghdad neighbourhood and attends the memorial service for a fallen US soldier

Sister Abhaya

One of my readers prompted me to write this today..

After all the drum beating, this case is dying again. Woe to all those criminals who are behind this. It is a pity that there is only a Joemon Puthepurakal to uphold justice in our country. After Nawab Rajendran, we have one more to follow his footsteps. I think we need more like this if our courts and police are dead.

The return

I have always believed that when there are more people wanting to get into a country than get out, then the country is making progress. I also believed that the time when those in Gulf find a reason to return to their home country then there is proof of progress.. and I see that it is already happening..

Will India's Construction Boom Lure Laborers Back Home?
by Sanjeev Choudhary, The Economic Times, India Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News
Tuesday, November 06, 2007 India's growth story has thrown up immense job opportunities for expat and NRI managers, pilots and other high-salaried professionals, so far. Now it's the turn of cheap and skilled labor from outside India to participate in the growth story. Companies have already started hiring or plan to hire such labor by the thousands.

The Energy Challenge...

Fuel Without the Fossil

Kevin Moloney for The New York Times

Mitch Mandich is among the entrepreneurs using chemical methods to try to make fuel from material like pine chips.

Published: November 9, 2007

DENVER — Mitch Mandich proudly showed off his baby, a 150-foot contraption of tanks, valves, hoppers, augers and fans. It hissed. It gurgled. An incongruous smell wafted through the air, the scent of turpentine.

It stings..

Death stings…. It has been a week full of mourning. First it was Hubby’s uncle who succumbed to cancer. It was only a month back that I saw him full of health and vigour and thought maybe he had defeated his enemy.

Then one of our Egyptian colleague died in a car accident in Egypt. The last time I saw him was when he was completing his leave formalities and now his picture is up on our notice board. Having seen him around for more than 10 years, his face still looms large.

And the latest was the death of a 9th standard boy in our children’s school. A picnic that turned into tragedy. It is always sad to hear the death of a youngster. You think of the life that was snuffed out so early and then you grieve for the parents who can never be consoled. After all these years of upbringing, suddenly your beloved child is no more! Oh it hurts!

But then death is not the end of everything. Back in Kerala, we have these hearse (small ones) used for funeral processions. I have seen a lot of them during my child hood vacations spent in my hometown Mavelikara. My Father’s house used to be on the main road side and higher than the level of the road. This means we had a good view of the dead and the mourning relatives. But what caught my eye was this ominous phrase written on the carriage “Today me, tomorrow you”! What a simple explanation for those who are left behind. Yet we continue to ignore this truth. Death of another is just a reminder of our mortality. It reminds us that we have no control on the next seconds and it urges us to stops fighting and hating each other. It nudges us to love, be kind, faithful and forgiving to each other. It tells us to go slow, to smell the roses, to hug your loved ones and to thank them for being there for us. It tells us to stop hoarding your wealth for the future but to enjoy the present. It tell us not to worry and hurry.. since we don’t know if we are present in those moments that we plan for.

If only we were aware of this simple truth, there would be no wars and yes… there would be peace on earth.

The Hole

Stephen Cohen, of the Brookings Institution thinktank, and the author of a new book, The Idea of Pakistan,said: "The American and British governments have dug such a big hole for themselves, they have no choice but to support Musharraf in whatever he does."

Read..

Stephen has hit the Bulls Eye with his statement! Keep lauding and loading Pakistan...since this does not have a break! You just wait for the crash...

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Couldnt help posting this....

"The president is a strong defender of freedom and the people of Pakistan," Bush said that day, side by side with Musharraf.

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U.S. aid supports Pakistan military

Most U.S. aid to Pakistan goes toward military support; the U.S. counts on Pakistan to help capture al-Qaida operations and provide intelligence. "We're obviously not going to do anything that will undermine the war on terror," said Gordon Johndroe, a spokesman for Bush.

and all in favour of Osama...isnt he one smart aleck?

Down Memory Lanes

Last night while getting ready to sleep, saw Jayabharathi and Nazir on the screen (Soorya TV).. I realized that I knew the movie and that I was present while this song was being shot. Suddenly there was a rush of memories of the good old days. It was the old movie “Ariyapadatha Rahsyam” – by Thambi Kannanthanam. Artists: Nazir, Jayan, Jayabaruthi, Prameela, Jose Prakash, Janardhanan etc. It was produced by a family friend, hence we got a close look at the film world. The film was released in 1981 and I was still in school. I still remember most of the scenes and even the down to earth Nazir on the sets. He was the favorite of the Actresses and they spared no time to seek his attention. And then there was the ever lasting Jayan. His fight with an elephant looks very silly now and the kids were forcing me to switch channels. Somehow I wanted to sit there and take a walk along the memory lanes. Some shots were from the Estate where we grew up. This friend of ours took one more movie “ Thavalam” and then he was broke! The movies back then had plots so thick with twists and turns that towards the end it is fun to see how they wind up the story. As for Jayabharati, she was looking sexy and beautiful as ever. The perfect screen mate for the evergreen lover Nazir! It was sometime after this that Jayan met his untimely death. But the mimicry artists have copied his style with no exaggeration!

Hiroshima - Right or Wrong?

Hiroshima bomb pilot dies aged 92

Gen Tibbets (centre) always said he had no regrets

The commander of the B-29 plane that dropped the first atomic bomb, on Hiroshima in Japan, has died.
Paul Warfield Tibbets Jr died at his home in Columbus, Ohio, aged 92.

The five-ton "Little Boy" bomb was dropped on the morning of 6 August 1945, killing about 140,000 Japanese, with many more dying later.

On the 60th anniversary of the bombing, the three surviving crew members of the Enola Gay - named after Tibbet's mother - said they had "no regrets".

____________________________

I am not sure if in all his 92 years he dint have a single day of regret. Of course he was only dispensing orders. And what about the person who made this decision? Did he ever regret? I guess one has to be a Japanese to answer this.

In short every country will have their own justifications if and when a N-Bomb is dropped again. But if we dont have any regrets over the first one then the next one is inevitable.

Phil Collins & Sean Kingston

After a long time I listened to Phil Collins on VH1... I suddenly remembered that he was one of my favourite singers but I had forgotten him in the hustle and bustle of life.

His songs had meaning and his concern looked genuine.

Philip David Charles Collins (born January 30, 1951 in Chiswick, London) is an English singer, songwriter, drummer, and actor. He is best known as the lead singer and drummer of progressive rock group Genesis and as a Grammy and Academy Award-winning solo artist. He is also an actor, having starred in numerous films.


Another Day In Paradise

She calls out to the man on the street
";Sir, can you help me?
It's cold and I've nowhere to sleep,
Is there somewhere you can tell me?";

He walks on, doesn't look back
He pretends he can't hear her
Starts to whistle as he crosses the street
Seems embarrassed to be there

Oh think twice, it's just another day for
You and me in paradise
Oh think twice, it's just another day for you,
You and me in paradise

She calls out to the man on the street
He can see she's been crying
She's got blisters on the soles of her feet
Can't walk but she's trying

Oh think twice...

Oh lord, is there nothing more anybody can do
Oh lord, there must be something you can say

You can tell from the lines on her face
You can see that she's been there
Probably been moved on from every place
'Cos she didn't fit in there

Oh think twice...

and talking about current singers, me and kids run to the small screen whenever

Sean Kingston

sings "Beautiful Girl".. dont know why.. it is a beautiful song. The rythm is great.. and the tune also...

When he stops we make our son sing it...


Kisean Anderson was born in Miami, Florida,[1] but he was predominantly raised in Kingston, Jamaica after moving there at the age of six.[1] Today he uses the moniker "Sean Kingston" to represent Kingston, the capital of Jamaica.

Chorus:
You're way too beautiful girl
That's why it'll never work
You'll have me suicidal, suicidal
When you say it's over
Damn all these beautiful girls
They only wanna do your dirt
They'll have you suicidal, suicidal
When they say it's over

Verse 1:
See it started at the park
Used to chill at the dark
Oh when you took my heart
That's when we fell apart
Coz we both thought
That love lasts forever (lasts forever)
They say we're too young
To get ourselves sprung
Oh we didn't care
We made it very clear
And they also said
That we couldn't last together (last together)

Refrain:
See it's very define, girl
One of a kind
But you mush up my mind
You walk to get declined
Oh Lord...
My baby is driving me crazy

Chorus:
You're way too beautiful girl
That's why it'll never work
You'll have me suicidal, suicidal
When you say it's over
Damn all these beautiful girls
They only wanna do your dirt
They'll have you suicidal, suicidal
When they say it's over

Verse 2:
It was back in '99
[ Beautiful Girls lyrics found on http://www.completealbumlyrics.com ]
Watchin' movies all the time
Oh when I went away
For doin' my first crime
And I never thought
That we was gonna see each other (see each other)
And then I came out
Mami moved me down South
Oh I'm with my girl
Who I thought was my world
It came out to be
That she wasn't the girl for me (girl for me)

Refrain:
See it's very define, girl
One of a kind
But you mush up my mind
You walk to get declined
Oh Lord...
My baby is driving me crazy

Chorus:
You're way too beautiful girl
That's why it'll never work
You'll have me suicidal, suicidal
When you say it's over
Damn all these beautiful girls
They only wanna do your dirt
They'll have you suicidal, suicidal
When they say it's over

Verse 3:
Now we're fussin'
And now we're fightin'
Please tell me why
I'm feelin' slightin'
And I don't know
How to make it better (make it better)
You're datin' other guys
You're tellin' me lies
Oh I can't believe
What I'm seein' with my eyes
I'm losin' my mind
And I don't think it's clever (think it's clever)

You're way too beautiful girl
That's why it'll never work
You'll have me suicidal, suicidal, suicidal...