Lesson 1: I was in 9th class in school, and had a senior who was in 10th Grade, his name was Rehan, i dont remember the family name. He was the most notorious/mischievous guy in school along with that he had the best results, a cool combination. I was around 2nd- 10th ranker in school, because, I was always the last nite student. I could never study ahead for exams, that was a weakness I had... Rehan told me than, either be in the Top 3 or fail, he meant, If you are not in the Top 3 than it does not make a difference, what rank u r at. No one looks at you, you are a common folk like anyone else... I still remember that advice, till this day... And i recollect rehan had topped in our school in SSC exams that year. I am sure he is at the top wherever he is in this world.
Lesson 2: I dont very clearly remember who told this to me, but I remember the lesson which said: "Whatever you do, do it in the best way, Give it your best shot. And this has been my strategy since then" Although people around you might not like it. But I believe in giving it my best whatever I Do!
Lesson 3: Was with a friend recently, and he was mentioning how this world is so very competitive today. Everywhere you want to work you have contracts, and while the company will give you benefits in your contract, it will squeeze you like a Orange is squeezed to take the juice out of it. So you are always at the Edge, you have to be the best..Or else the company would not need you any more... SO i have his words embedded in my mind too...
Lesson 4: The next was Irfan on the Nite Out. as he was mentioning how businesses need to be competitive, need to have con-cept's to keep customers attracted. I m not gonna put down his ideas out here.. They are owned by the genius... I asked him, what would you say for people like me, who work in a Service Industry, like IT-Companies. How do you think we sell ourselves.. he said you need to Diversify, In the past people said "Master of One, is better than Jack of All" but now you need to be Master of All, Master one wont help you. Made sense... So you have to be the best at your job, you cant say, I am a network Specialist and I know nothing else... Valid point.. So I was matching my roadmap, what I had achieved and where I wanted to be with his ideas and it did make a lot of sense.
Conclusion: I gotta be the Best. If anyone looks at my work, they need to say "WOW" thats my Aim reinstated again. Need to work a lot harder to achieve this kind of results.. Wish me Luck :) It is not easy to hear Wow in today's world!
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Baby's Night Out
U must have heard of Baby's Day Out... Isnt it! Well there no baby here...Just was wondering what to use as a title for this post and came up with this.
This Friday Nite. I was with 2 friends and I had gone to drop them to Salmiya at 12:00, so we were not very hungry but we did not have any dinner that nite. SO we thought of eating out. Than suddenly we came up with an idea of a Nite out. A pure Halaal night out. So we parked my small little car there. Took my friends GMC Suburban and hit the roads. Its engine was locked at 170km/h, so could not go beyond that in speeding. But it was a good experience, Its height is more than my height. And once you sit inside it, you feel like you are on the top of the world... The other cars look small, and the smaller cute cars like BMW Z3 looked soo small.. SO it was fun we had hit road 40 towards Ahmadi... and than opened the window to feel the air, and it was mild cold too. Sometimes speeding, sometimes going slow, sometimes playing with the Cruise control.. In 1 hour we reached a place that said "Slow checkpoint ahead" wow we were at Nuwaiseeb, I think thats the border, so we took a U-turn and back into Our lovely Kuwait... By now we were hungry, Stopped at a Sultan Express near the petrol pump. But didnt find anything interesting.
Than recommended we go to "Turkey Al-Mansoorin" thats in Fahaheel, A place I love, and atleast eat once over there every week, if not more. The chicken Kabab and Chickedn Faham are amazing. My Favorite, Shawarma is good too. So I took the driving seat, wanted to make sure I could handle this monster (Suburban) and yes it was great Fun!! I think I should buy one! Drove down until I was @ Turkey. The guys there know me bcos I go there so often. The time was 2:30, he told Mashawiyat close at 2, so I could not have my favorite dishes. I tried to convince him with my broken arabic, that its just Nuss saa(30 mins), do some for me. And than he told me he will speak to the manager to extend the time till 3 a.m. in couple of weeks, but right now I just had the option of having some Sandwiches and meal stuff. So we ordered some and were chit chatting while eating, I was learning a lot from Irfan, he is an Advertising/marketing dude. So he speaks a language which is abotu Business/Industry etc etc, which has too much for a guy like me to learn... So I got a lot of tips and motivation, Maybe another post on that soon. So by the time we left it was 3:30 a.m. And If I wouldnt sleep now, I would sleep while getting my car back from Salmiya to Mangaf. So I rolled out on the Suburban back seat and slept, and woke only when we were in Salmiya at 4:15 a.m. Drove back to Mangaf, reached around 4:32 while Fajr Adhan was going out. Prayed and went into Sleepppppppppp mode......
Good fun, Did some Off-roading too!!!! It was cool....
This Friday Nite. I was with 2 friends and I had gone to drop them to Salmiya at 12:00, so we were not very hungry but we did not have any dinner that nite. SO we thought of eating out. Than suddenly we came up with an idea of a Nite out. A pure Halaal night out. So we parked my small little car there. Took my friends GMC Suburban and hit the roads. Its engine was locked at 170km/h, so could not go beyond that in speeding. But it was a good experience, Its height is more than my height. And once you sit inside it, you feel like you are on the top of the world... The other cars look small, and the smaller cute cars like BMW Z3 looked soo small.. SO it was fun we had hit road 40 towards Ahmadi... and than opened the window to feel the air, and it was mild cold too. Sometimes speeding, sometimes going slow, sometimes playing with the Cruise control.. In 1 hour we reached a place that said "Slow checkpoint ahead" wow we were at Nuwaiseeb, I think thats the border, so we took a U-turn and back into Our lovely Kuwait... By now we were hungry, Stopped at a Sultan Express near the petrol pump. But didnt find anything interesting.
Than recommended we go to "Turkey Al-Mansoorin" thats in Fahaheel, A place I love, and atleast eat once over there every week, if not more. The chicken Kabab and Chickedn Faham are amazing. My Favorite, Shawarma is good too. So I took the driving seat, wanted to make sure I could handle this monster (Suburban) and yes it was great Fun!! I think I should buy one! Drove down until I was @ Turkey. The guys there know me bcos I go there so often. The time was 2:30, he told Mashawiyat close at 2, so I could not have my favorite dishes. I tried to convince him with my broken arabic, that its just Nuss saa(30 mins), do some for me. And than he told me he will speak to the manager to extend the time till 3 a.m. in couple of weeks, but right now I just had the option of having some Sandwiches and meal stuff. So we ordered some and were chit chatting while eating, I was learning a lot from Irfan, he is an Advertising/marketing dude. So he speaks a language which is abotu Business/Industry etc etc, which has too much for a guy like me to learn... So I got a lot of tips and motivation, Maybe another post on that soon. So by the time we left it was 3:30 a.m. And If I wouldnt sleep now, I would sleep while getting my car back from Salmiya to Mangaf. So I rolled out on the Suburban back seat and slept, and woke only when we were in Salmiya at 4:15 a.m. Drove back to Mangaf, reached around 4:32 while Fajr Adhan was going out. Prayed and went into Sleepppppppppp mode......
Good fun, Did some Off-roading too!!!! It was cool....
Monday, March 17, 2008
Companions and their Effect
Watch your companions! They have an effect!
Either you have an effect on them or they have an effect on you, this will always happen with your companions or friends. So watch out, try to see and analyze who you are taking as friends, if their effect on you is good or bad. If you are learning good things or vice versa.
Heard the above from a friend last week, and started analyzing my behavior. How it varies with the different sets of people I know. When I am company of good people, what are the good things and habits I have learned from them. When I am with the people with an attitude, how it has an effect on me. And May God protect me from having an attitude. When I am with people who are so Down-to-Earth and humble and nice, how I learn being nice and humble from them.
Ultimately, i watch whose company is giving me what and trying to protect myself.
Either you have an effect on them or they have an effect on you, this will always happen with your companions or friends. So watch out, try to see and analyze who you are taking as friends, if their effect on you is good or bad. If you are learning good things or vice versa.
Heard the above from a friend last week, and started analyzing my behavior. How it varies with the different sets of people I know. When I am company of good people, what are the good things and habits I have learned from them. When I am with the people with an attitude, how it has an effect on me. And May God protect me from having an attitude. When I am with people who are so Down-to-Earth and humble and nice, how I learn being nice and humble from them.
Ultimately, i watch whose company is giving me what and trying to protect myself.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Identifying the 'B' Manager
B stands for Bully... Well In my case there is no way of dealing... bcos its too late.. Now I just have to part with my company bcos of this dude. Neways for rest, they can try to read some stuff on how to deal with 'B' Managers befor this:
"There now seems no end to your tormentor's campaign of psychological harassment and personal and professional destruction -- aimed squarely at you. The nitpicking, the demeaning comments, the misleading digs and full-blown lies have all come together to exact their intended effect: to make you quit or get fired"
Why Bullying:
There are two reasons for this: 1) Many subordinate directors and managers, as a survival technique, begin to adopt the negative behavior and it is then perpetuated throughout the organization. 2)These executives are smart enough to know that yelling and hitting are quite visible, they also pride themselves in how cleverly they can (or think they can) belittle and humiliate the victim without others realizing what they’re doing. 3) They don’t target weak individuals, as most authors claim. They target competent and capable individuals. They generally pursue one victim (for the most part) at a time, until they fire the individual or the individual quits. They will then move on to the next target. Bullying is a set of behaviors that stem from fear and feelings of inadequacy. Bullies seek control over others and will try to discredit or humiliate those who intimidate them or who they perceive as a threat(are more competent/more well-liked/etc.)
A very good article, that divided them to be of 4 types is at: http://www.ameinfo.com/95129.html
Bullying Managers can be put into four types:
1. The Bulldog Bully This is a manager who resorts to raised voices and aggressive body language to get their way and refuses to allow you to state your case often with a torrent of verbose. Other techniques include getting red in the face, using abusive language, slamming doors and banging the table a great deal. They operate under a cloud of fear and employees are petrified of making any slips or mistakes in case they incur the boss's substantial wrath, this leads to a lack of desire to take any responsibility for tasks outside the employee's job specification and any creativity is stifled.
2. The Silver Tongued Tempter This type is most skillful and cunning, not for them the crudities of the active bully their style is wholly more covert but no less devastating. They happily promise great rewards and watch with glee at the extra activity their falsehoods generate. When the unfortunate victim realizes the full extent of the STB's empty promises and complains the STB then accuses them of negativity, because they dare to take them at their word. Often the STB will blame the withheld reward on 'situations beyond my control', 'other departments' or change the goal posts. For example an employee in a local financing firm was promised a promotion to team-leader with the associated pay rise, when the date arrived for her promotion the manager explained that the company wouldn't pay her a supervisor' s wage until she had 'proven herself'! This results in apathetic de-motivated and disengaged staff.
3. Messrs Reasonable & Co This one somehow manages to make all your requests seem not only ridiculous but outrageous too and convince you that their interpretation of the situation is perfectly acceptable and even normal, when, in fact, the reverse is true. The outcome is staff adopting a work to rule style and rejecting any attempt to take any initiative, as the perception is that there will be no back-up or assistance.
4. The Trapper Perhaps the trapper is the worst of the lot, if there is a 'worst'. These managers will actively work to set-up the unfortunate victim by setting vague or difficult work tasks or engineering an altercation so that they can paint the employee into or corner or use the event as an excuse for trumped up charges or even verbal/written warnings. This style results in massive turnover as staff get wise to the scammer and look for more ethical managers elsewhere.
"There now seems no end to your tormentor's campaign of psychological harassment and personal and professional destruction -- aimed squarely at you. The nitpicking, the demeaning comments, the misleading digs and full-blown lies have all come together to exact their intended effect: to make you quit or get fired"
Why Bullying:
There are two reasons for this: 1) Many subordinate directors and managers, as a survival technique, begin to adopt the negative behavior and it is then perpetuated throughout the organization. 2)These executives are smart enough to know that yelling and hitting are quite visible, they also pride themselves in how cleverly they can (or think they can) belittle and humiliate the victim without others realizing what they’re doing. 3) They don’t target weak individuals, as most authors claim. They target competent and capable individuals. They generally pursue one victim (for the most part) at a time, until they fire the individual or the individual quits. They will then move on to the next target. Bullying is a set of behaviors that stem from fear and feelings of inadequacy. Bullies seek control over others and will try to discredit or humiliate those who intimidate them or who they perceive as a threat(are more competent/more well-liked/etc.)
A very good article, that divided them to be of 4 types is at: http://www.ameinfo.com/95129.html
Bullying Managers can be put into four types:
1. The Bulldog Bully This is a manager who resorts to raised voices and aggressive body language to get their way and refuses to allow you to state your case often with a torrent of verbose. Other techniques include getting red in the face, using abusive language, slamming doors and banging the table a great deal. They operate under a cloud of fear and employees are petrified of making any slips or mistakes in case they incur the boss's substantial wrath, this leads to a lack of desire to take any responsibility for tasks outside the employee's job specification and any creativity is stifled.
2. The Silver Tongued Tempter This type is most skillful and cunning, not for them the crudities of the active bully their style is wholly more covert but no less devastating. They happily promise great rewards and watch with glee at the extra activity their falsehoods generate. When the unfortunate victim realizes the full extent of the STB's empty promises and complains the STB then accuses them of negativity, because they dare to take them at their word. Often the STB will blame the withheld reward on 'situations beyond my control', 'other departments' or change the goal posts. For example an employee in a local financing firm was promised a promotion to team-leader with the associated pay rise, when the date arrived for her promotion the manager explained that the company wouldn't pay her a supervisor' s wage until she had 'proven herself'! This results in apathetic de-motivated and disengaged staff.
3. Messrs Reasonable & Co This one somehow manages to make all your requests seem not only ridiculous but outrageous too and convince you that their interpretation of the situation is perfectly acceptable and even normal, when, in fact, the reverse is true. The outcome is staff adopting a work to rule style and rejecting any attempt to take any initiative, as the perception is that there will be no back-up or assistance.
4. The Trapper Perhaps the trapper is the worst of the lot, if there is a 'worst'. These managers will actively work to set-up the unfortunate victim by setting vague or difficult work tasks or engineering an altercation so that they can paint the employee into or corner or use the event as an excuse for trumped up charges or even verbal/written warnings. This style results in massive turnover as staff get wise to the scammer and look for more ethical managers elsewhere.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
U should always Learn
I remember one of my cousins advising my brother when he was going abroad for the first time, more than 10 years back, i definitely was a kid than('Smart kid'- this is a debatable issue) Keep your eyes open and observe things around and try to learn from the environment. N I dont know if my brother remembers it, I remember this and hence always keep learning...
I was sitting with a friend the other day in office, I believe in when u spend a lot of time doing work, a 5-minute break talking about other things refreshes u and increases productivity. So while we were chatting we came up to a MSN Messenger issue she was facing at home. N I said show me your messenger, i will tell u what could be wrong. and I got a shocked reply. "This is work, No messengers here". N I did have messengers at my work PC. So I clarified my position, referrring back to my Invensys days, where we all @ work had Messengers and most of the times discussed issues on it instead of talking n disturbing others. (Being a smart kid, i covered my position)
But when I went back and was trying to be honest to myself. I realised that I am not using the messenger at work now for work purposes, but just for short Hi, Hello with friends, when i find time. So learnt a new lesson.
I got a new workstation today as a replacement for my PC and I resolve that I will not be installing Messenger on this one. Need to be more professional...
Thanks to my friend - Learnt a lesson.
I was sitting with a friend the other day in office, I believe in when u spend a lot of time doing work, a 5-minute break talking about other things refreshes u and increases productivity. So while we were chatting we came up to a MSN Messenger issue she was facing at home. N I said show me your messenger, i will tell u what could be wrong. and I got a shocked reply. "This is work, No messengers here". N I did have messengers at my work PC. So I clarified my position, referrring back to my Invensys days, where we all @ work had Messengers and most of the times discussed issues on it instead of talking n disturbing others. (Being a smart kid, i covered my position)
But when I went back and was trying to be honest to myself. I realised that I am not using the messenger at work now for work purposes, but just for short Hi, Hello with friends, when i find time. So learnt a new lesson.
I got a new workstation today as a replacement for my PC and I resolve that I will not be installing Messenger on this one. Need to be more professional...
Thanks to my friend - Learnt a lesson.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Hypocrisy
I was trying to read some articles about it, trying to see what my views about Hypocrites are and are they correct and trying to learn How to deal with them.
One of the most common vices, or bad habits, is hypocrisy. Mainly, it’s a misuse of the gift of speech because language is used to conceal instead of reveal. By pretending to be what they are not, hypocrites imprison themselves. Although the doors of their cells are unlocked, they are afraid to step out and reveal their true selves. Hypocrites are liars. They practice deception. They bear false witness against themselves.
Leo Tolstoy (1828 ~ 1910) describes our reluctance to act on our hypocritical concerns for the welfare of others: "I sit on a man's back, choking him and making him carry me, and yet assure myself and others that I am very sorry for him and wish to ease his lot by all possible means — except by getting off his back." - I really loved this statement, its so true about some people you see around, they will try their level best to harm you but when they speak to you, it would be as if they are the only well-wishers you have in this world.
Some lessons on hypocrisy:
1. Let’s learn to recognize hypocrisy in others, not to condemn them, but to learn from their mistakes how we, too, may be guilty. Don't scorn hypocrites. For how can we know what fears, weaknesses, and troubles lurk in their hearts? Our job is to judge ourselves, not others. Don't sow contempt and disharmony by speaking ill of others. After all, "Hating people is like burning down your own house to get rid of a rat." (Harry Emerson Fosdick, 1878 ~ 1969)
2. Once you discover your own hypocrisy, congratulate yourself, for that means you admire the virtue you pretend to have. The trouble is, you believe you cannot practice it. It's time to correct your misperception, for you are capable of far more than you realize. Just as a physical weakling can develop muscles and strength by lifting weights, all of us can develop greater moral and spiritual strength by practicing the traits we admire in others. All we have to do is stop pretending to be what we are not and start acting in the manner we pretend to be. Don't worry about being perfect; just try to be better.
3. Don't refuse to learn a valuable lesson just because the messenger is a hypocrite, for as Oscar Wilde (1856-1900) wrote, "The value of an idea has nothing whatever to do with the sincerity of the man who expresses it."
4. Even if we were free of hypocrisy, if we were to speak ill of hypocrites, we would be guilty of spreading gossip. Never speak about someone you dislike, for if you dislike them, you have a bias and cannot speak fairly. We can avoid much trouble by refusing to speak about others, unless we have something good to say about them.
Ajeeb! I guess its tough to act on these lessons...And you wont know sometimes that some people are hypocrites until they are gossiped about. There were some people who were really nice to me and trusted and told them everything but eventually I realized the same people were trying hard to spoil my good image and speaking bad about me and raising false issues.
Reference: http://www.personal-development.com/chuck/hypocrisy.htm
One of the most common vices, or bad habits, is hypocrisy. Mainly, it’s a misuse of the gift of speech because language is used to conceal instead of reveal. By pretending to be what they are not, hypocrites imprison themselves. Although the doors of their cells are unlocked, they are afraid to step out and reveal their true selves. Hypocrites are liars. They practice deception. They bear false witness against themselves.
Leo Tolstoy (1828 ~ 1910) describes our reluctance to act on our hypocritical concerns for the welfare of others: "I sit on a man's back, choking him and making him carry me, and yet assure myself and others that I am very sorry for him and wish to ease his lot by all possible means — except by getting off his back." - I really loved this statement, its so true about some people you see around, they will try their level best to harm you but when they speak to you, it would be as if they are the only well-wishers you have in this world.
Some lessons on hypocrisy:
1. Let’s learn to recognize hypocrisy in others, not to condemn them, but to learn from their mistakes how we, too, may be guilty. Don't scorn hypocrites. For how can we know what fears, weaknesses, and troubles lurk in their hearts? Our job is to judge ourselves, not others. Don't sow contempt and disharmony by speaking ill of others. After all, "Hating people is like burning down your own house to get rid of a rat." (Harry Emerson Fosdick, 1878 ~ 1969)
2. Once you discover your own hypocrisy, congratulate yourself, for that means you admire the virtue you pretend to have. The trouble is, you believe you cannot practice it. It's time to correct your misperception, for you are capable of far more than you realize. Just as a physical weakling can develop muscles and strength by lifting weights, all of us can develop greater moral and spiritual strength by practicing the traits we admire in others. All we have to do is stop pretending to be what we are not and start acting in the manner we pretend to be. Don't worry about being perfect; just try to be better.
3. Don't refuse to learn a valuable lesson just because the messenger is a hypocrite, for as Oscar Wilde (1856-1900) wrote, "The value of an idea has nothing whatever to do with the sincerity of the man who expresses it."
4. Even if we were free of hypocrisy, if we were to speak ill of hypocrites, we would be guilty of spreading gossip. Never speak about someone you dislike, for if you dislike them, you have a bias and cannot speak fairly. We can avoid much trouble by refusing to speak about others, unless we have something good to say about them.
Ajeeb! I guess its tough to act on these lessons...And you wont know sometimes that some people are hypocrites until they are gossiped about. There were some people who were really nice to me and trusted and told them everything but eventually I realized the same people were trying hard to spoil my good image and speaking bad about me and raising false issues.
Reference: http://www.personal-development.com/chuck/hypocrisy.htm
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Difference between Need and Want
Was discussing with a senior friend of mine. I always have many senior, mature friends because I get to learn a lot from the wisdom that they have from their experiences. So its good to know people who have seen the world more than u. We were discussing NBA and Basketball champs. And they were mentioning about some guy who was a very good player, what he mentioned in his interview.
It was something like this: "My family has taught me that there is a Difference between a Need and a Want" I liked that statement that I asked my friend to narrate it again and I try to add it to my collection of some wise talk. I hope I remember it when i need to consider it.
Basically there are many things we want. We want to have a lot of money, the most amazing cars, etc. etc. But do we need them? We may be able to survive with a Moderate car and good amount of money to have a decent way of life etc etc. So there is always the difference between "I need to" and "I want to" and we should try to be careful in judging things whether we need them or we just want them.
Food for thought!
It was something like this: "My family has taught me that there is a Difference between a Need and a Want" I liked that statement that I asked my friend to narrate it again and I try to add it to my collection of some wise talk. I hope I remember it when i need to consider it.
Basically there are many things we want. We want to have a lot of money, the most amazing cars, etc. etc. But do we need them? We may be able to survive with a Moderate car and good amount of money to have a decent way of life etc etc. So there is always the difference between "I need to" and "I want to" and we should try to be careful in judging things whether we need them or we just want them.
Food for thought!
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
Back Home from Home!
Is it confusing?
Think Think what is the title trying to say!! Ok lets analyze. Basically it is speaking of two homes. So I have got two homes. One is the home where my MOM is, Back in India. I was born brought up there, have my family, childhood friend so I love my Indian home.
Lets break it "Back Home" and "from Home"
Now lets deal with "from Home" refers to my home in India. Actually I went for a 2 week vacation to India to see my family. I took 6 days off and concataneted it with Eid vacation to make it 2 weeks. Went back to my family, had a great time...did a lot of shopping and came back. Met friends, had some late nite Sitaphal cream at Haji Ali Juice center, some Veg. Thali @ Shagun etc etc. Since I was home on last Eid, it was a year now...n I desperately neeeded this vacation after the rigorous mental pressures in the last 3 months post resignation. And wanted a refreshment before starting the critical new tasks that are going to start soon.
So Alhamdulillaah I am fresh and kicking ready for the new challenges.
The first part "Back Home", now this indicates I am back home. So this indicates besides India I have another home. Wow... Dont get any wrong ideas I am still Single and Looking ;) Well What I refer to Home here is kuwait and specifically my friends and workplace in Kuwait. I remember sometimes when I used to be sitting late in office, my Kuwaiti friends would say "Go Home", I would say My Home is in India, Because Home is where the family is. In Kuwait I just have a house not a Home. And I got the reply. "We are your Ahl" Ahl is arabic for Family. And that statement means a lot. And to be honest, yes I have my colleagues over here who r my Family. They take care of me like a small brother. They advice me, support me and what not. So I also have a family out here. Hence a home out here.
Hence, Back Home from Home. I am sure that was really confusing... Even I am not sure whether I conveyed what I started this post for to Convey.
Neways....About the trip soon
Think Think what is the title trying to say!! Ok lets analyze. Basically it is speaking of two homes. So I have got two homes. One is the home where my MOM is, Back in India. I was born brought up there, have my family, childhood friend so I love my Indian home.
Lets break it "Back Home" and "from Home"
Now lets deal with "from Home" refers to my home in India. Actually I went for a 2 week vacation to India to see my family. I took 6 days off and concataneted it with Eid vacation to make it 2 weeks. Went back to my family, had a great time...did a lot of shopping and came back. Met friends, had some late nite Sitaphal cream at Haji Ali Juice center, some Veg. Thali @ Shagun etc etc. Since I was home on last Eid, it was a year now...n I desperately neeeded this vacation after the rigorous mental pressures in the last 3 months post resignation. And wanted a refreshment before starting the critical new tasks that are going to start soon.
So Alhamdulillaah I am fresh and kicking ready for the new challenges.
The first part "Back Home", now this indicates I am back home. So this indicates besides India I have another home. Wow... Dont get any wrong ideas I am still Single and Looking ;) Well What I refer to Home here is kuwait and specifically my friends and workplace in Kuwait. I remember sometimes when I used to be sitting late in office, my Kuwaiti friends would say "Go Home", I would say My Home is in India, Because Home is where the family is. In Kuwait I just have a house not a Home. And I got the reply. "We are your Ahl" Ahl is arabic for Family. And that statement means a lot. And to be honest, yes I have my colleagues over here who r my Family. They take care of me like a small brother. They advice me, support me and what not. So I also have a family out here. Hence a home out here.
Hence, Back Home from Home. I am sure that was really confusing... Even I am not sure whether I conveyed what I started this post for to Convey.
Neways....About the trip soon
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Dealing with Resignations
Reading a couple of articles on project management and how to deal with an Employee who resigns and I see how the way a resigned employee is dealed with in this part of the world is opposite of what the Industry experts advice. Couple of lines from different articles:
- Have the employee leave as a friend
- Once somebody has given notice, their heart leaves, better to leave them immediately
- If you don't need them for the transition training, it's best to let them go
- It's not necessary to treat him like a criminal
- Why make a person feel poorly about leaving?
WSS Post SP2 Hotfix
As I am working on a test upgrade, I wanted to use the Stsadm -o databaserepair option to get rid of my orphaned sites. Hence I installed one of the Microsoft Post SP2 HOTFIX on both my Sharepoint 2003 web servers. And everything went on fine. I ran the operation and resolved my Prescan issues.
next day morning when I came to office, one of the web servers was giving the error: "This Windows Sharepoint Services Virtual server has not been configured for use with ASP.NET 2.0.50727,832. For more information ..." Any one would go insane looking at that on your production webserver when you dont have ASP.NET 2.0 on it and users calling you.
And the Resolution was, I restarted IIS on the affected Web server and everything was fine. Strange but true.
next day morning when I came to office, one of the web servers was giving the error: "This Windows Sharepoint Services Virtual server has not been configured for use with ASP.NET 2.0.50727,832. For more information ..." Any one would go insane looking at that on your production webserver when you dont have ASP.NET 2.0 on it and users calling you.
And the Resolution was, I restarted IIS on the affected Web server and everything was fine. Strange but true.
MOSS Web Server gives 403 You are not Authorized
Have a MOSS Server farm, one of the Web servers call it Server2 was shutdown and changes made to the other web server call it Server1, when the Server2 was later connected I would get a HTML 403 error, you are Not authorized to view this page. When I disabled Friendly HTTP Error messages in my Internet Explorer, I saw the error was "Directory Listing Denied, This virtual Directory does not allow contents to be listed"
Was wondering whats wrong tried to run the Sharepoint Configuration again on Server2 but no luck, still same error.
Resolution: Went to Central Administration page, and In farm topology Clicked on Server2 and than Stopped the Windows Sharepoint Services Web application service and Started it again and now the site started rendering back.
Was wondering whats wrong tried to run the Sharepoint Configuration again on Server2 but no luck, still same error.
Resolution: Went to Central Administration page, and In farm topology Clicked on Server2 and than Stopped the Windows Sharepoint Services Web application service and Started it again and now the site started rendering back.
Saturday, September 08, 2007
Random Thoughts
Life is soo Amazing. Show me one man who has no problems?? But the best ones are those, who know how to deal with their problem. If you have a problem, First Dont Panic. I remember a friend quoted some Doctor telling him. "When you are in a hurry, Go Slow" So take a deep breath and look at the options around you. Look at the channels that are accessible to you. In my case being a believer in Islaam, we believe in Destiny, that everything is destined (Dont get confused, it does not mean that you sit with your hands folded) but we still need to work hard. As the creator loves man to do whatever he does in the best way. So look at your options, look at your priorities, Seek help from Almighty and work on the options available and see what comes your way. And than decide if you wanna grab it?
And trust me, when I was in India, being in the Software Industry, when I resigned from the second company I worked for, I told him I did not want to go to USA as it was too far from India, I would love to be somewhere where I can reach back home in 3 hours or be in MUMBAI. As for me my family is a priority. So he mentioned to me Awwab you are destined to go to USA. On a second thought I thought he was right. Bcos the next company I joined it was all planned and I was about to go to USA, tickets booked except that the Approval was waiting from the bigger bosses since the project managers had already approved it. But the way things changed, I landed up in Kuwait without having imagined this would happen. And now I am so Happy over here, God willing I will stay here for long if all moves fine.
So now you see, what I meant about destiny.... Well Food ready and me hungry... Gotta Run....
And trust me, when I was in India, being in the Software Industry, when I resigned from the second company I worked for, I told him I did not want to go to USA as it was too far from India, I would love to be somewhere where I can reach back home in 3 hours or be in MUMBAI. As for me my family is a priority. So he mentioned to me Awwab you are destined to go to USA. On a second thought I thought he was right. Bcos the next company I joined it was all planned and I was about to go to USA, tickets booked except that the Approval was waiting from the bigger bosses since the project managers had already approved it. But the way things changed, I landed up in Kuwait without having imagined this would happen. And now I am so Happy over here, God willing I will stay here for long if all moves fine.
So now you see, what I meant about destiny.... Well Food ready and me hungry... Gotta Run....
Monday, July 23, 2007
Jan Tielens in Kuwait
Blogging after long, I guess Jan Tielens inspired me to. Got this In-house training in my company for Sharepoint 2007 provided by the best, none other than U2U. And the tutor is none other than Jan Tielens and trust me, If it would not have been U2U, i would not have bothered to attend it.
To brief u, he is a Guy known (Maroof in Arabic) for his Sharepoint skills, and I remember I refer back to his blogs whenever i need some help while working with sharepoint development. I have also heard him in many screencasts. So finally, this gentleman whom I knew only through blogs and audio was in front of me, and giving a live training. It was an amazing experience (Thanks to Diyar 'My company'). I know him since 2003-2004, when i Initially started working with Sharepoint 2003
He is like my role model, in Sharepoint area. This is the first time he is in Kuwait, and I guess at the wrong time of the year, the climate is the highest in July and August out here. And I very recently heard from some1 that "Kuwait is the most Hot Inhabitated land in the world". I dunno if thats true.
Anyways, I wish Jan a good trip and I am sure I am gonna benefit from this training in a lot of ways, not just learning sharepoint. But observing how the Sharepoint Guru deals with his students, he is humble, he is nice and he is the Sharepoint Guru. Cheers...
To brief u, he is a Guy known (Maroof in Arabic) for his Sharepoint skills, and I remember I refer back to his blogs whenever i need some help while working with sharepoint development. I have also heard him in many screencasts. So finally, this gentleman whom I knew only through blogs and audio was in front of me, and giving a live training. It was an amazing experience (Thanks to Diyar 'My company'). I know him since 2003-2004, when i Initially started working with Sharepoint 2003
He is like my role model, in Sharepoint area. This is the first time he is in Kuwait, and I guess at the wrong time of the year, the climate is the highest in July and August out here. And I very recently heard from some1 that "Kuwait is the most Hot Inhabitated land in the world". I dunno if thats true.
Anyways, I wish Jan a good trip and I am sure I am gonna benefit from this training in a lot of ways, not just learning sharepoint. But observing how the Sharepoint Guru deals with his students, he is humble, he is nice and he is the Sharepoint Guru. Cheers...
Sunday, May 06, 2007
One year and still kicking
Time flies like anything. Its 6th of May, and the same date last year, I had arrived in Q8. So it has been a year for me to be here already. And it seems just like yesterday. I still feel I am too new to Q8. But its a year and counting...
"Lost time is never found again" - Benjamin Franklin Ibid 1743
"Time and tide wait for none."
"Lost time is never found again" - Benjamin Franklin Ibid 1743
"Time and tide wait for none."
He said Tafaddal
Yesterday nite, it was around 11, I was on my way back home and with me was Moiz, and there was a regular checking going on in Mangaf, What I mean by checking is, In Q8, the Cops might come to some corner and stop every car passing by and whoever they doubt, they ask for identification, we have a Civil ID, which we need to have with us all the time. And if u dont have your Civil ID, u might be in trouble. And sometimes, they may ask for driving License and car document as well. It all varies from case to case. What he thinks from the first look he glances at you.
After being in Q8 for exatly one year, I had never come across this by the Grace of almighty, so I have been counting like, In 1 year, no1 has ever asked me for my Civil ID by the Grace of Almighty. I mean, I just look soo Genuine, like a Genuine Windows XP ;) Actually I look Arab too, up until I open my month, no1 knows I am an expatriate.
Yeah so yest, i slowed down my car, as checking was going on. Although I had my Civil ID + driving License+ car documents, but still, it was my first experience of being in a checking. So I was looking forward to it. As each car was moving ahead. Now came my turn, I pulled down my windows and said Salaams to the cop. He glanced at me and bent a little to have a glance at Moiz who was sitting next to me and than said "Tafaddal" Hurray...... So I can still count On, 1 year and didnt ever show my civil ID by the Grace of almighty. Lets see how long can I count.
Well for Non-arabs, tafaddal . Literally I think it means Welcome. Suppose u r passing by my office, and I want to invite u, i might say Tafaddal Yaa akhee, Welcome O brother. Or i m eating and some1 is sitting around I would say Tafaddal. Like Join In. Taal - actually means come.
So Taal hunaa, is like Come here, but it sounds Rude. So u always say Tafaddal when u r calling some1.
And the same Tafaddal, when the cop stops u and says means, U can Go Ahead. So u c, How Genuine I am. Tafaddal.
After being in Q8 for exatly one year, I had never come across this by the Grace of almighty, so I have been counting like, In 1 year, no1 has ever asked me for my Civil ID by the Grace of Almighty. I mean, I just look soo Genuine, like a Genuine Windows XP ;) Actually I look Arab too, up until I open my month, no1 knows I am an expatriate.
Yeah so yest, i slowed down my car, as checking was going on. Although I had my Civil ID + driving License+ car documents, but still, it was my first experience of being in a checking. So I was looking forward to it. As each car was moving ahead. Now came my turn, I pulled down my windows and said Salaams to the cop. He glanced at me and bent a little to have a glance at Moiz who was sitting next to me and than said "Tafaddal" Hurray...... So I can still count On, 1 year and didnt ever show my civil ID by the Grace of almighty. Lets see how long can I count.
Well for Non-arabs, tafaddal . Literally I think it means Welcome. Suppose u r passing by my office, and I want to invite u, i might say Tafaddal Yaa akhee, Welcome O brother. Or i m eating and some1 is sitting around I would say Tafaddal. Like Join In. Taal - actually means come.
So Taal hunaa, is like Come here, but it sounds Rude. So u always say Tafaddal when u r calling some1.
And the same Tafaddal, when the cop stops u and says means, U can Go Ahead. So u c, How Genuine I am. Tafaddal.
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Body Language in Kuwait
Body language across the Middle East is distinctly different and diverse, thus it is strongly recommendable to be learnt for the sake of avoiding unintentional insults.
The greeting
The initial greeting at a formal or informal meeting is always preceded by a handshake. In the Middle East people shake hands with the right hand only. Handshakes open up and close a meeting and hands are shaken longer but less firmly than in the West.
Residents who have been here longer are familiar with the local nose-kiss greeting when men close to each other greet by touching with the tip of their noses. (I have never tried this one)
Further, placing a hand on your heart along with a slight bow is a sign of respect demonstrated at the initial stage of a meeting. Having greeted one's partner, business talk can commence. Mind it - maintaining eye contact is considered a prelude for a friendship or business deal as it creates a bridge of trust between the parties. Lack of eye contact, some say, might strongly convey the message 'you are unimportant'.
Here is a list of some more signs used in Kuwait and in the Arab world :
When a Kuwaiti touches his nose ('ala hashmi' in literal translation from Arabic 'on my nose') he means: 'I will do the favour you asked me for.'
So does the gesture of pointing at both eyes with both your forefingers. If a Kuwaiti man points at his moustache, he also sends a message making a vow to keep his promise. "I'll take care of this" or "It is my duty" could be pictured with the gesture of placing one's right hand or right forefinger right under one's right eye.
The gesture, literally translates into "I'll do what you want." If one puts his/her right forefinger on top of the head he supposedly indicates, "Everything is on my head to accomplish." In Kuwait, pointing at one's head and mentioning someone by name saying ('ala razi' or 'on my head') is interpreted as "I have respect for him/her." If the person you are talking to touches his head making this same gesture he means 'I respect you.'
Tantamount gestures
If a Kuwaiti starts moving his hand in circular movements in front of his stomach he disagrees with the mess that has been done. If an Arab touches his nose and at the same time lifts his head upward he says 'you are a snob.'
That gesture, an Arab expat explained, is often witnessed in traffic-related situations when the right of way was abruptly taken from someone. "The person whose right of way was not respected would follow the driver who was in the wrong and would point ironically to his nose lifting it slightly upward," he added.
On the other hand, the expression 'I am thinking' is illustrated grasping one's chin with the thumb side of the right fist. Beware, though, that if you hold your chin and start moving your hand up and down this can be considered a mockery of the person you are pointing at.
Biting one's right forefinger, which has been placed sideways between the teeth is an expression of regret. It usually means: 'I wish I did that' or 'I wish I knew' etc.
On the other hand, 'Wait a little bit' or 'be careful' is a sign illustrated by holding one's fingers in a pear shape and having the tips pointing up above the waist level and moving the hand slightly up and down. This gesture, many agree, can be observed extensively when driving in the jam-packed cities. And not only since the sign also implies: Be patient.
Predictably, 'Thank You' is a sign made by placing the palm of the right hand on the chest, bowing the head a little and closing one's eyes. Sticking your thumb between the teeth and pulling it out, across the Arab world, means someone who implies is not wealthy. The sign says, I am told, I have no money.
And my personal favourite: It is made with a quick snap of the head upwards with an accompanying click of the tongue translated as No. "That gesture can also mean 'unlikely', or 'whatever' explained a female Kuwaiti. A clicking sound accompanied by the word hruti (bull***t) means 'you are lying'. Hitting the right fist into the open palm of the left hand could be interpreted as contempt or threat for the person the gesture is directed at.
Also, showing the soles while sitting is considered rude because it is symbolic of 'you are being lower than my feet'. Lastly, 'come here' is illustrated with having one's right hand out, palm down, and fingers brought toward oneself repeatedly. The sign calls someone to come closer.
Source: http://www.kuwaittimes.net/read_news.php?newsid=ODMzNDk4MDcz
Sunday, April 01, 2007
My New Apartment
Well i was staying with a relative since I came to Kuwait. And me being a Born, Brought up and Spoilt Dude from Mumbai... he had a hard time, managing me, my Interests, my Lifestyle etc. etc.
So finally by the Grace of Almighty we agreed that I should stay in a different apartment for Good Insha Allah. And hence I moved to my new apartment, and already learning how it is like to stay in your own place, being responsible for your stuff and doing things on your own etc etc. Had to make a shopping list and buy stuff, get an A/C bought and fitted and so on. SO learning lot of things as Life moves on Insha Allah.
Got a Car, Got an Apartment... Now u guys can guess whats needed next.....High Time Man!
So finally by the Grace of Almighty we agreed that I should stay in a different apartment for Good Insha Allah. And hence I moved to my new apartment, and already learning how it is like to stay in your own place, being responsible for your stuff and doing things on your own etc etc. Had to make a shopping list and buy stuff, get an A/C bought and fitted and so on. SO learning lot of things as Life moves on Insha Allah.
Got a Car, Got an Apartment... Now u guys can guess whats needed next.....High Time Man!
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
My First Car - A Corolla
That's my first car bought with my own hard earned money...a Toyota Corolla. Poor man's carBeing a younger brother of someone who was dealing in used cars, back home I had driven most of the available Indian cars and some Imported cars. The most i loved out of them were the Jeep types, Tata Sierra Turbo was my favorite among the Jeeps there.
So, I wanted to buy a Jeep, but than didnt want to invest too much money in cars at this moment. So thought of going for a cheap car, Lancer, Galant etc. Which is Mitsubishi, so maintenance is easy and can get it cheaper than Toyota. but somehow could not convince myself on it....So I thought lets buy a Decent car to be my first car and went for a Toyota Corolla
And Trust me driving your own car - bought with 100% hard earned money, its a different feeling altogether, no installments nothing, Alhamdulillah Sooo Koollll. May God save it from harm and protect it. And protect me from Envy.
So I guess that was a Big decision i took on my own, I m learning things...Usually I would run away from decisions and use some1 else to take the decision for me. This time, i consulted my friends and consulted the one i trust the most and took my own decision....
Good, so Awwab is growing up...hmmmm
Yes, Kuwaitis r real nice people, as there was one involved in making sure this worked out for me.
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Practice what you Preach
Well I just lost interest in Blogging, bcos i wasnot blogging my will out, I was always wondering what am I writing, should I write, shouldn't I. And hence left it completely. But today my Twin blogged, and she mentioned I was the one who encouraged her to blog, so it did not make sense that I m not blogging and asking her to Blog. I remembered an old lesson "Practice what you Preach"... Twin, Thanks for the worrying part. I dont need to worry nemore if u doing that for me.
So here I m. Life has been cool lately. Went home last week after around 7 months, a different feeling going home first time back. The flight was around 3 hr 15 mins. I couldnt sleep a minute out of excitement. So now i feel home is too close. If the airlines wud give a monthly pass for cheap ofcourse, i can go for a weekend every month. After all being in INDIA is the best feeling for some1 staying abroad.
the worst part was that i was for 10 days, but it seeemed like a Single Day. N that is when i understood the statement "Between 2day and 2020, One Day" so however long be the period, time is flying so fast. That u feel its just 1 day.
Well i couldn't meet most of my friends because of time, I just wanted to be at home with the family. And spend my time with them. Sorry friends, next Trip Insha Allah.
The travelling has improved so much, its just a like a walk in the park, Alhamdulillah. Well I want to buy a car out here, but not sure which one, too confused. I wish someone gifts me one.
Some of my friends working for Microsoft when they realised I was in town, asked me why I didnt tell them, they cud have scheduled an interview. So I do have caring friends. Thanks Baba!
Maybe I can work for Microsoft, Kuwait and if they dont have an office, than I can become the Country Head for them and i dont see a prob wit that..... lol
I did my first Custom Workflow on MOSS 2007 today. I wanna deep dive into MOSS 2007 and ASP.NET 2.0 man.... I have just been too lazy.....
Different thoughts out of the mind. lets stop for now.
So here I m. Life has been cool lately. Went home last week after around 7 months, a different feeling going home first time back. The flight was around 3 hr 15 mins. I couldnt sleep a minute out of excitement. So now i feel home is too close. If the airlines wud give a monthly pass for cheap ofcourse, i can go for a weekend every month. After all being in INDIA is the best feeling for some1 staying abroad.
the worst part was that i was for 10 days, but it seeemed like a Single Day. N that is when i understood the statement "Between 2day and 2020, One Day" so however long be the period, time is flying so fast. That u feel its just 1 day.
Well i couldn't meet most of my friends because of time, I just wanted to be at home with the family. And spend my time with them. Sorry friends, next Trip Insha Allah.
The travelling has improved so much, its just a like a walk in the park, Alhamdulillah. Well I want to buy a car out here, but not sure which one, too confused. I wish someone gifts me one.
Some of my friends working for Microsoft when they realised I was in town, asked me why I didnt tell them, they cud have scheduled an interview. So I do have caring friends. Thanks Baba!
Maybe I can work for Microsoft, Kuwait and if they dont have an office, than I can become the Country Head for them and i dont see a prob wit that..... lol
I did my first Custom Workflow on MOSS 2007 today. I wanna deep dive into MOSS 2007 and ASP.NET 2.0 man.... I have just been too lazy.....
Different thoughts out of the mind. lets stop for now.
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Driving Test
I got my Driving Test on 5th December, so its High time, I start taking my lessons. Bcos graduating as an Engineer in Kuwait is easier than procuring a Driving License. But than I feel why do I need driving lessons, I have already been driving for more than 8 years and have been in the police station for underage driving and u tell me I need driving lessons. U gotta be kidding me.
Well But no risk, Bcos If I fail the test I get to wait another couple of months to get another test and I m soo desperate to drive, I just wanna get my driving license and start driving. So be good boy and take some driving lessons. Well in this virtual world I wish there was some Online Simulation software to take your driving lessons sitting right here with Laptop. But Yes I found a good Parking lessons site, emailed by a friend. SO if u want to know how to park successfully in different situations sitting right there on your computer.
Than go ahead: Park my Peugeot
Its a funny way to learn
Well But no risk, Bcos If I fail the test I get to wait another couple of months to get another test and I m soo desperate to drive, I just wanna get my driving license and start driving. So be good boy and take some driving lessons. Well in this virtual world I wish there was some Online Simulation software to take your driving lessons sitting right here with Laptop. But Yes I found a good Parking lessons site, emailed by a friend. SO if u want to know how to park successfully in different situations sitting right there on your computer.
Than go ahead: Park my Peugeot
Its a funny way to learn
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)