Perspective and Peace of Mind Go Together!

March 6, 2009

Ashok Online Rants 8 Comments

I was at my daughter’s school yesterday to pick her up in the evening. There were these two women walking behind me. They were picking up their own kids, and they also had a toddler with them in a stroller. As I got out the gate, I held it open for these two women to come out, as a courtesy. If someone does the same favor for me, I would politely thank them, but these women didn’t. Instead, they brushed past me, pushing their stroller in a rush. I was mighty pissed off, for I thought it was very rude behavior on their part.

I then got into my car and started for home. There I saw these two women and their kids, hurriedly walking towards the bus stop close by, and the bus was just about to leave. Then it occurred to me why they were in such a rush at school. They didn’t want to miss the bus and so didn’t have time for pleasantries when I held the gate open for them.

Let me add a little more context here. It was a rainy evening, and these women didn’t have umbrellas with them for some reason. And the bus stop didn’t have a roof to keep them from getting wet. If they missed that bus, they would have to wait for the next one in rain, along with the kids.

That brings me to the lesson I have often heard over the years. Before you get upset with someone for their actions, maybe, just maybe, you should think about it from their perspective. You might be able to find at least some semi-convincing reason why they behaved the way they did. Probably not in all cases, but a few for sure. So what’s in it for you? Less blood pressure and a little more peace of mind – something we all could use!

Forgotten Election Promise?

March 5, 2009

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United States Congress is busy finalizing a huge spending bill, totaling nearly 410 billion dollars, to fund the federal government budget through rest of the fiscal year. It supposedly includes thousands of pet projects of law makers, costing more than 5 billion dollars. President Obama is expected to sign it into law.

In all fairness, not all of those pet projects might be called wasteful spending, but I am certain a lot of it is. As much an admirer of Obama that I am, I find it disappointing that he is willing to sign the bill. That, despite his election promises that he would no longer allow these pet projects, and that he would go line by line in the budget to eliminate them. The official response from his White House team is that this spending bill is an “unfinished business” from previous administration, and that he has no intention of vetoing it.

I don’t know if he is being “politically accommodative” by selectively picking his fights with law makers. May be he is, because he needs their support big time to push his agenda through in the coming days. But on the face of it, his willingness to sign the bill, with all the pet projects intact, seems like a forgotten election promise to me. There better be a good reason for it – because simply saying it is the previous administration’s unfinished business sounds like a lame excuse!

Spend More Money – It’s For Your Kid’s Benefit, After All!

January 6, 2009

Ashok Online Rants 1 Comment

There are lot of reasons why US economy went bust late last year, but one thing everyone seems to agree on is that we are too dependent on consumer spending. While that worked great for so long, easy money/credit is no longer available. That dries up consumer spending and everything comes down to earth with a thud.

I don’t know if US economy will ever move away from that focus on consumer spending, but I find it interesting how much the consumer is tempted to spend more and more. Here is an example.

My daughter goes to kindergarten. As with most 5 year olds, she loves reading books (or being read to). Yesterday, she came home with a sheet of paper from her school – it’s basically an “offer” to encourage kids to read, in partnership with Six Flags theme park. It goes like this: she has to read books for at least 500 minutes over the next 5 weeks or so. In return she would get a free entrance ticket to Six Flags theme park next summer.

Sounds like a good deal, right? She reads more and she gets a nice present. Well, the catch is, being a 5 year old, she can’t go to the theme park alone. An adult needs to accompany her. Given how we like to do things together as a family, that’s 3 extra tickets to buy! Since they don’t allow outside food to be brought into theme parks, we will end up spending exorbitant money for some lousy sandwiches and french fries there. Besides, the nearest Six Flags theme park for me is about 70 miles from my home; so think of all that extra driving and carbon emissions!

What’s really happening here is that Six Flags theme park is trying to make people spend money that they otherwise wouldn’t have. Everybody gets a cut in that extra spending – the theme park guys, the restaurant guys, the oil company guys, and so on. The schools play a willing partner in this because kids may read more (and who knows, they might be getting a cut too). A nice business strategy that supposedly has a positive effect on school kids.

So what am I complaining about here? After all, I would be helping my kid read more. Besides, I would be doing my bit to lift US economy out of the hole by spending money. Ironic indeed – we got into that hole because we spend way more than we can afford in the first place!

This is just an example of how much people are “encouraged” to spend here, even on borrowed money. I am not saying you should save it all and never spend a penny, but the balance is so heavily tilted towards spending here – you can’t help but wonder what’s happening with US economy right now is probably inevitable.

Less Traffic On Bay Area Roads…

December 12, 2008

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The traffic on San Francisco bay area roads seems to have gone down quite a bit these days, especially in the last 3,4 weeks. I first thought it might be the Thanksgiving holidays, but there is probably more to it – the job layoffs! We seem to be bleeding hundreds of jobs everyday here.

I think this one is going to be lot more brutal compared to the tech bust in 2001/2002. Having gone through the pain ourselves back then, I can very well relate to the anxiety and uncertainty of those affected by these layoffs. It’s no fun.

Anyway, those people lucky enough to hold on to their dear jobs through these tough days will at least have less chaotic commute I guess!

Punctuality, What Punctuality?

July 11, 2008

Ashok India, Online Rants , , 2 Comments

One of the nice things about living in San Francisco bay area is the “Indianness” of the place. There are so many Indians here you don’t feel like you are too far away from your home town in India.

With lot of Indians come lot of Indian parties to attend. Parties where most of the folks tend to come late. Almost as a rule, especially if it involves other Indians. For example, if I throw a party and invite 50 Indians to it, I can guarantee that at least 40 of them will come late. Some of them will be way late. Now imagine an American friend as the host, and the same 50 folks as guests – most of the guests will make it on time!

The point here is, we Indians tend to feel much less obligation for punctuality towards other Indians. At least, most of us don’t. We take it for granted. No matter where we live, no matter what we do for a living, it just doesn’t seem to be a trait that comes from within. In fact, we had been to a few parties here where the hosts themselves showed up an hour late. Because they “assumed” everyone would be late anyway!

Lately, this bad habit seems to have caught up even with the Indian celebrities visiting US. We attended a music concert by Devi Sri Prasad today here in Milpitas. He is a famous music director of Telugu movies back in India – made a lot of name for himself with catchy compositions over past couple of years. The show was supposed to start at 7:30pm, but the man himself was nowhere to be seen until 8:45pm. The organizers of the show wouldn’t even bother to tell the audience when it was going to start. They were showing a video clip of Devi Sri Prasad with the punch line, “He is the Man!!”. And we were sitting there, wondering, “Where is the Man!!?”.

When the show finally started, it was a big relief. The songs, the music, and the singers were great and it was nice entertainment. I only wish the “Man” had a little more respect for other people’s time!

Afghanistan Bans Indian Soap Operas!

May 6, 2008

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I recently came across the news that Afghanistan has banned a few Indian soap operas from airing on their local television channels. Apparently because these soaps (or TV serials, as they are more commonly referred to in these parts of the world) are not in keeping with Afghani culture and religion. They are too “immoral” for their country, their government says.

You can argue how much you may about the logic in that decision, but I think it might eventually turn out to be a great decision after all. Most of these TV serials are pretty lousy anyway – unrealistically melodramatic and dragging on seemingly forever. Two or more women often fight for the glory of being “the most victimized woman in the whole known universe”. Add a couple of incompetent or over-jealous men, and a background score that over-dramatizes even silliest of the dialogues — you have a perfect formula for keeping people captivated to their couches for months together!

I think it’s amazing, in some ways. How these serials can catch the imagination of people with such plots. They are so popular that all television channels compete to cram more and more of the same into their programming. Try talking to people when these serials are on air — your words don’t even reach their ears. Try calling them on phone — not many would even bother to answer. People watch them with the concentration of a student giving his IIT JEE exam after years of preparation — as if their entire life depended on knowing what happens in that half hour episode. It is slow addiction at its wicked best.

Even more worrying is the long term impact these serials can have with all their negative portrayal of characters. There is this whole generation of kids growing up in India watching these every day. I have seen young kids in India use dialogues from these serials — totally out of context and way beyond their age. God only knows how skewed their brains will become if they continue to watch these serials for another ten years.

Coming back to the original topic of Afghani ban, I think their government is saving their people all this trouble, albeit unintentionally. It’s a different matter that they are having trouble enforcing the ban. But if they ever manage to do that, it would be one decision they can proudly look back on 20 years from now!

Healthcare in US & India – Which One Is Better?

February 28, 2008

Ashok India, Online Rants Leave a comment

I recently had the chance (more of a misfortune, rather) to experience the state of healthcare in both US and India. The contrast in the whole process between the two countries is fascinating. If I ever find myself in a situation where I need to choose between one of the countries for medical treatment, it would be a very tough choice to make. “Which system is less negative?” would be the question I’d have to ask myself.

One of my family members was diagnosed with some serious health problems recently. He received his initial treatment here in US, and then flew to India for further treatment. When the patient was hospitalized in US, he was taken good care of for most part, although there were a few minor incidents that we wished didn’t happen.

But my biggest gripe about healthcare in US is the cost, especially if the patient is on one of those travelers insurance plans that don’t really cover much for pre-existing conditions. The hospital billed us (and the insurance company) at least 5 times their actual cost — and 10 times over for certain procedures like dialysis. Later on, we came to know that the hospitals routinely do that, because the travelers insurance companies typically pay only 10-15% of the billed amount. They also try to recover at least a portion of their losses from other unpaid bills too. So the hospitals look to cover their bases by billing inflated amounts. People like us get caught in that muddle, and trust me, it’s a very frustrating situation to be in.

Moving onto the scene in India, we took the patient to a reputed hospital in Hyderabad. The doctor made us wait for almost two hours, in spite of the patient’s condition. And when he finally arrived, he spent only five minutes with the patient. Within those five minutes, he answered three personal phone calls on his flashy cellphone, and asked us twice whether we already paid his consultation fees. The whole thing smacked of money-mindedness and I wondered if he was even paying any attention to the patient’s situation.

And the hospitals in India were not as clean, the support staff don’t always have time to tell you much information when you need it, and they expect to be bribed even for things they are supposed to do as part of their jobs. Not much accountability either, for it is next to impossible to do anything if things go wrong due to negligence on the part of hospital or doctors. But the best part is, the treatment costs only a fraction of what it does in US — as little as 5% in our case. So it’s a lot more affordable in India.

One might think it’s not fair to stereotype the healthcare systems in either country. Perhaps there are much better hospitals and doctors in both countries. But for most part, we tend to form our opinions based on our individual experiences. And my experience was anything but pleasant.

All these gripes and whining apart, the patient is doing well and recovering now. I guess that’s the ultimate bottomline!

These Trivial Things, You Know…

November 1, 2007

Ashok Online Rants 1 Comment

I hope I am not the only one thinking like this!

I spend money on a lot of things between my paychecks, like we all do. Some of those purchases are necessary and some are not. But there is this small category of things, that are absolutely necessary, but I find very difficult to spend money on.

Getting a hair cut is one such thing. Not everyone looks like Dhoni in long hair, so I have to get a hair cut every few weeks. But the Super Cuts salon in my neighborhood charges 18 dollars for that. Spending so much for something as trivial as a hair cut….ah, I need some serious motivation to do that! Paying for luggage carts in airports, or for a car wash are a few other things in this category for me.

What’s on your list of such pet peeves??

Onine Friendships – Are They Really Worth It??

October 10, 2007

Ashok Online Rants, Technology Leave a comment

I was listening to a talk show on NPR the other day. It was a fascinating discussion on how Internet is changing the way people, especially youngsters, seek and manage their relationships with others. One of the callers, who was a teacher, was wondering how kids are losing the sense for real life these days while chasing friendships and relationships online. In today’s world of MySpace and Facebook, she says, youngsters end up with a fake sense of importance and achievement – which is of very little consequence in real world.

As much as technology makes one’s life easier, I think she has a valid argument. A case in point – I keep getting these LinkedIn invitations from a lot of friends, the same people who don’t bother to call me to say hello even once a month. People want to have all those “network contacts” so they might be useful for a future job search. I mean, if someone is so serious about having me as a friend, why can’t they just pick up a phone and call me? Or even better, why can’t we meet up in person?

Another case in point – Google’s recent acquisition of Jaiku, a Finland-based Microblogging company. Microblogging is a fancy name for very frequent wireless updates to online friends about what someone is doing. The idea is you stay in touch with your online friends pretty much every minute you are awake. Honestly, who cares to know so much about others’ lives ?? What value does it add in real life !?

No matter how much technology comes into our lives, there is still no substitute for the good old personal ‘hello’ when it comes to friendships!

Most Bizzare Way To Rob A Bank

July 13, 2007

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I recently read a news article about a very interesting way to rob a bank. Some guy in Manchester, New Hampshire, robbed a bank in the funniest way you could ever imagine. He covered himself in tree branches (yes, that’s right, in tree branches), duct-taped to his body and head. The poor soul behind the cash counter was scared to death seeing this “moving tree” in the bank and gave away all the money to the robber.

But the bank’s security cameras did catch a glimpse of this guy’s face, which was then made public. A “friendly” neighbor of this robber tipped off the police who promptly arrested him!! The police must have had a good laugh about this whole incident, but they better treat this guy well — because trees are, after all, good for earth. :-)

This link has a photo of the robber in the bank. Check it out!

Too Much Of Ads In Life

June 25, 2007

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Did you ever wish for the electricity to go out when you’re in an elevator? Or ever felt like running away from your car when filling up gas?

It seems to me that advertisement-supported/enhanced business models are pushing the line a bit too far. Almost to the point of no concern for consumer’s privacy and choice. I had a couple of experiences recently that bugged me to no end.

One of them happened today at the Shell gas station in Mountain View, near El Camino Real and 85 North intersection. They recently installed video screens on gas pumps that are showing ads (with very loud volume) the moment I started filling the gas. As if I am not already paying a fortune for the gas, I didn’t have a choice to _not_hear_ those annoying ads. They promptly stopped as soon as I was done filling up the gas.

The other incident was when I visited a friend at his office in San Jose downtown the other day. He works on the 7th floor of his office building, so I took the elevator to get there. And there was a monitor in the elevator that started showing me ads about some hotel/resort chain. You can’t do anything but watch those ads in the elevator.

As brilliant as these “business ideas” might be, I didn’t like the fact that there was no choice for me to avoid those ads. I felt trapped between my necessity and someone else’s greed. So for the gas station, I decided to do the ultimate thing I could as a consumer – I will not go to them again until they stop forcing ads on me. Now, that’s easier than convincing my friend to quit his job and join some company on his office building’s first floor!!

If You’re A Friend Of Mine…

June 7, 2007

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…and live in San Francisco bay area, and planning to have kids some time soon — I have a request for you — could you please please “deliver” babies in second half of the year? Any time between July through December would be great!

Well, the reason is, we have so many friends here, and almost all their kids were born in first half of the year. That’s a lot of birthday parties to attend really! April & May are the busiest months for us in fact, with at least one birthday party every weekend! These parties are fun, but I think it gets boring after a while. You keep running into the same crowd for every party, eat the same kind of food (cheese pizza, anyone!?), and the same party places too!

What scares me even more is the fact that we started getting invitations from my daughter’s pre-school classmates now. I guess the kids don’t mind, but what about me !!??

Immigration Debate

January 4, 2007

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I was reading this article on Business Week a while ago – it argues US should make it easier for skilled immigrants to settle down here, and that argument is backed by well-researched data.

Anyways, what caught my attention was a comment posted by one of its readers, someone named “Steve”. He says “I would warn those eager immigrant enterpreneurs to protect their own children and grandchildren from the same fate as those of so many of the last century’s immigrants: Struggling with a culture of mediocrity in urban/suburban America.“.

This Steve represents the mindset of so many others in this country, who think that the immigrants take jobs away from the Americans. I think they’re not being fair by looking at only one side of the coin. True, some of these immigrants take up jobs that, had they not been here in this country, would have been done by locals. But at the end of the day, these legal/skilled immigrants add jobs – hundreds of thousands of them, in fact, to the economy here.

One only needs to look at a company like Google. It’s co-founder Sergey Brin happens to be the son of a Russian immigrant. Now his company has close to 10,000 employees, most of those jobs are taken by the children and grandchildren of last century’s immigrants, so to say. If at least 1 in 10,000 of today’s prospective immigrants go on to replicate Sergey Brin’s success, this country would still end up with a net gain of jobs.

I myself am a potential legal/skilled immigrant in US. I’ve been working here for close to 8 years. I dream of having my own company some day and be able to offer jobs to people here. I can’t do that now, because my “temporary” immigration status wouldn’t let me do that. My application for permanent residency has been pending for close to 4 years, with another 5-6 years of wait a very realistic scenario unless the immigration laws change.

If my company has 10 jobs, at least half of those would be located in this country, even after assuming I would “ship away” the other half by outsourcing. The point is, I can still create five new jobs here, which wouldn’t even exist if I can’t start my company in the first place! That, to me, is the other side of the coin all these Steves should see.

Airtel Calling Cards To India

December 31, 2006

Ashok India, Online Rants 3 Comments

Selling calling cards to India has been such a booming business of late, with the Indian population in US growing at a staggering pace in the last few years. There have been so many service providers offering calling cards these days, the latest of whom is Airtel – by Bharti Airtel, a leading telecommunications company in India.

I’ve been using Reliance for calling India and their service has been very good. However, I got lured by the low per-minute price being offered by Airtel as part of their promotional offer (7.9 cents a minute, compared to Reliance’s 12.9 cents). I first opened my account with just 5 dollars, as I only wanted to check out their quality. I managed to sign up on their ridiculously dysfunctional website and even made a few test calls to India. I thought the voice quality was decent; so I decided to bite the bullet and recharged my account with another 50 bucks. And they were offering double talk time on the first recharge, and it wasn’t a bad choice either — or so I thought!

All troubles started after I made my first recharge, which is probably a coincidence. Their 1-800 number to initiate the call wouldn’t work, their “supposedly 24X7″ customer service line always gives busy tone, and their online feedback form won’t let you submit a complaint! Even if you manage to connect a call successfully, it would drop within a few minutes.

Airtel really had nothing in place to offer the service. I think they just rushed into it to meet the holidays deadline without really planning their launch – which I am sure had made a lot of newly signed customers pull their hair out in frustration. I’ve heard similar complaints from a few friends of mine too. I’m now just trying to use up at least my 50 dollars I’d put in for the first recharge – forget about their bonus double talk time – once that is done, I am going back to Reliance. Quality and reliability of service is far more important than lower price. Unfortunately, Airtel’s service had none of these working for them right now.

Want To Buy Hell, Anyone!?

October 27, 2006

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The online version, that is! And it might set you back by a fortune too. :-)

The domain name Hell.com is up for sale, and is expected to go for more than a million US dollars in auction! Whoever buys this domain will have an opportunity to “redefine what Hell is”, according to Moniker, the firm conducting the auction. If you’re rich (and a bit whacky too), you can probably buy it as a perfect Haloween gift for that special someone in your life!

It’s actually interesting how much some of these domain names get sold for. Here’s a few examples (source: this article on Wall Street Journal):

  • Sex.com – $12 mil.
  • Diamond.com – $7.5 mil.
  • Business.com – $7.5 mil.

The above WSJ article also mentions that Heaven, after all, is not as popular as Hell. The owner of domain name Heaven.com says the site nets him only 5 to 6 dollars a day in advertising revenues! The saving grace is that he didn’t pay millions to own that domain name — he got it for free from his former employer!

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