Monday, October 28, 2002

Pedigree

Our HR representative passed me a resume for an interview and whispered reverently, "an IIT guy". Never mind the guy from IIT majored in mechanical engineering and somewhere along the line acquired a diploma in computer science and is now interviewing for a software engineering job, where his IIT trained mechanical engineering skills would utmost be called upon to, I dont know, perhaps move a monitor. Another similar breed is those who have gone to school in the US universities, again majoring in all sorts of esoteric things like signal processing, but ending up as programmers. Only thing as far as I have seen that differentiate them at workplace is a more active email box with participation in sundry associations and a bumper sticker in their car that claims they are alumni of such and such university. I am always curious about the awe they inspire, sometime even seem to demand.

Saturday, October 19, 2002

Names

My friend calls me a bundle of contradictions. I call myself balanced.

Friday, October 11, 2002

Cold

The weather has changed and I've got a cold. The mornings have turned lazy and I nestle snug beneath a comforter (whoever thought of the name?), till the creeping hand of the clock reminds me gently. I hate alarms; besides I hit the snooze button and defeat the purpose. I was sneezing all through the day yesterday, the heightened temperature and the cold making my world acquire a hazy, hollow, dream like quality. Tired, at the end of the day, we went to a restaurant. The steamy bowl of minestrone was divine. Little pleasures. I guess that's what it boils down to.

My moods are heavily influenced by the weather. I need the Sun's brightness, its heat, the busy feeling it inspires. But a morning when my fingers feel cold against my face, when the windows are frosted has its own charms.

Monday, October 07, 2002

Changing Jobs

I recently quit my job. I was waiting near the elevator with my box full of things, when a woman joined me. I had seen her often, though I was not particularly acquainted with her. She saw me, nodded amiably and blurted, "cleaning out?". It was interesting to watch the shocked sympathy along with embarrassment at having said something inappropriate dawn on her eyes, immediately. I said, "today's my last day", not helping her much. Others joined us, glanced nervously at my side, and absolute silence prevailed as we descended despite the fact that it was Friday. I couldn't have had a better indicator of the economy. I idly wondered if I should give them a hug and reassure.

Anyway, I think one should force oneself to move to a new place, change jobs or atleast change the route to work from time to time, to shake oneself out of complacency, to reinvent oneself, to prove oneself. It is a great feeling to start something anew, despite the angst of change.