And so...the 50th post...

Has to be materialistic......Nai:-)

So here goes....

My blog is worth $5,645.40.
How much is your blog worth?

Call Centers - An American perspective

This was something that happened last week @ my old job..
This American guy...he is a pretty nice guy, was telling me and another colleague abt one his exp with an Indian call center rep.
Apparently, he had a problem with one of his network router stuff and wanted help.
and so it went to someone in Bombay..apparently..not exactly sure where...

So..watever that female said, dint work out for him...and both of them were tired of it.

So it seems this guy told her, maybe there is something u r missing, why dont u get me to someone else or maybe to ur supervisor..

and so all of sudden, acc to him, that is, this lady goes berseck..and in an intimidating tone..
"oh now, u want to talk to my supervisor...eh and complain about me...Nope"


so this guy goes " So where are you from"

"India"

"oh Indian, ..."
at which point she just blew up on him and put the fone down...


Me and my colleague who was also Desi, couldnt control any much more, started laughing big time,
and told him, u probably deserve it man..
He was a very good friend, and ofcourse he knew we were just pulling his leg..

The point was, Wat kind of mentality has been created in India about Brash americans..

Good to see that girl giving it back to him...for watever he said...but the way he told me that, I thought it just slipped out and that he profusely apologised..

That reminds me of another guy, who was talking abt the call centers, and said there is a program that is going to be aired on prime time in the US, wherein participants are paid money to talk dirty to these call centers folks in India..

Apparently this is going to be a reality show..and they are going to have fun at the expense of these call center ppl..

Hmm...wonder what lawsuits NBC is going to face for this stupid show if it does go thro...

Way to go 'New India'.....Dont take it lying down...(any which way...for 'the twisted' minds...that is:P )

Dinner Time..

and soooo...back to the world of tags...

boy...and the lil birdie that tagged me says I shd invite jus 6 ppl for the dinner..Now now..thts unfair...and since therz nothing much I can do abt it..I'll just stick to the blog world..

I thought I cud call all the strip club dancers but then..on second thoughts I decided that shud be a private dinner with them..not public..:-D

So here goes my invite list..

(1) FFBW
(2) Vi
(3) Jeenu
(4) Bhole
(5) Snake man and
(6) EE

There are quite a few others in that list..Priya, Priyamvada, Archana, Shilpa, Mukund and sowmya.,to name a few, that missed out...and having them wud have been fun too, but I guess the 6 ppl limit quashes all that and I'd stick with ppl I ve knwn from the beginning here on blog world.

Well mainly...3 guys to 4 girls shd be good...:-D and ofcourse almost everyone knows the other...so the initial 'getting to knw' period is almost non existent..

(I knw, probably EE is kinda not known to the rest of the gp..but there has to be someone thts new and someone that everyone else can pick on....haaaa...EE my way of 'revenge')

Other than that, all are pretty nice ppl...and since all the femmes mentioned refuse to send me any pics..this is the best way to make them 'appear in person'...Im not sure abt Bhole and Snake man but I'd wanna assume they are in the same 'boat'..(Nice Analogy eh, If I go down, they go down too...:-D)

and since Vi ha sbeen anice girl to me, and I have already tagged Jeenu before, and that I remember that FFBW put me in trouble once, I'll pass on the tag to her...

and so the honorary membership of the tag club passes on to..

FFBW
Archana
Visithra and
Sowmya

Let good fortunes and tidings come ur way and let the cupid smile on u next month ..if you make it to the dinner and/or honor the tag...:-)

Drum up public support.....will ya..

Now now, this is a national issue...one that cuts across Citizens, Green card holders
naturalized citizens and other internationals whether legal or illegal..

After all, the perception that US is a free market is gonna change with this legislation. All the more reason...that people are worked up no less over this ruling..

"What is this fella talking about/....." I hear you people..

This is the issue...
and Im pretty much worked up over it..

There is a new rule...
A four-foot "no touch" zone shd be maintained as a buffer between strip club patrons and the exotic dancers who depend on their tips.

If enforced, the rule would preclude the ever-popular lap dances and the traditional manner of tipping dancers.

Boy...Shd I start a signature campaign now...:-D

Now are you thinking "It was far better when this guy dint post since new year..." arent you..;-)


and yeh...my stupid score...courtesy Saranya




Since I scored pretty well, I am ready to display it here PROUDLY.. :-D

Bye bye 2005, Heylo 2006

Allrighty ppl., time to put the resolutions into effect..

No.1 and only one:

No more blogging for another year..

yaa rite..........I'll be baaaaack on Jan3 2006...:-D

Do I hear you asking why...well...Work starts only on the 3rd...rite ;-)

>>>>>>>ASTRO PREDICTIONS FOR 2006>>>>>>

Statuory warning: This is just for fun. Dont read any hidden meanings into it.

As the hero Honda slogan goes (Fill it, shut it, forget it)

Read it, laugh at it and forget it.

I have always found this site pretty interesting..

The 'plastic' bit sounds interesting, cause I am going thro something like that..

But again, Please dont read anything into it..

At the best itz a confidence booster, at the very worst, a grim warning...

SO here you go folks..

GEMINI OVERVIEW: While it's always been just about impossible to keep you from expressing yourself, you've probably been a bit quieter over the past year. Perhaps you've even felt downright hesitant to say what you're thinking -- especially if you're not absolutely sure of the potential repercussions of your words. That's not a bad thing; it's the wisdom of experience and age, and the universe will be tossing a bit more of it your way throughout 2006. If your friends continue to scratch their heads and ask what's wrong, reassure them with the very thing they've come to expect from you: interesting, chatty evenings over at your place, complete with the whole gang. You may be thinking more seriously lately, but that doesn't mean you can't indulge in some fun!

Speaking of serious thoughts, though, the period from early January through the beginning of March may demand some very careful consideration of joint finances -- that goes for both investments and any shared resources. If you're not happy with the way someone is handling a credit card that you're responsible for, if you're asked to cosign a loan and the thought just doesn't sit well with you, or if taxes have been a problem, this is definitely the time to resolve the situation, once and for all. And don't be shy about taking back that plastic! Remember, if your name is on the contract, you're responsible. Think of the future, and not lightly. This also wouldn't be a bad time to put a few pennies aside for a rainy day.

You may need to make some serious decisions in the romance department over the course of 2006. Changes to a friendship in April may get that show on the road -- but if you're thinking of turning this relationship romantic, be very sure that you can go back to being friends if it doesn't work out. Oh, and don't ignore a family member's efforts to introduce you to someone they think would be 'just perfect' for you -- no matter what happened last time. They could actually be right.


my dear family members, Are you all listening.......Are you gonna introduce someone to me...;-D

and yes...Herez wishing you all A VERY HAPPY, EXCITING and FUN FILLED 2006 for and each and every day there is..:-)
who is listening...TAKE THAT RED WINE OUT.....

Lunch time

Ever been in a sitn where ppl mis understood wat u said..

It happens with me always..though it most cases, it is intentional..

and even in those cases, when I dint mean it...ppl dont believe so..cause I always smile at the end of it..and they think that Im pulling their leg..

But then, who am I to complain, if it works, eh ;-)

So this was sometime last week, when a few of us @ work decided to go to Cheese Cake factory.Enter the waitress,

" I am so and so..(blah blah) I'll be your ...wat can I get for you all"

Everyone else ordered some drink or the other, while I decided to settle with water...and to the waitress, I said " Water should do for me...."

And here comes the fun..

Immediately her face turned totally red...and there was a momentary silence..
and I looked at the other guys they were like...as if I did a KPS.gill
on her..

"Excuse ME"..said the shell shocked waitress..

I realised something was amiss and repeated my order a bit slowly and a bit differently..

"I said, I am fine with water."

waitress: "oh..........." with palpable relief on her face..and others..
" I thought you said.. "what else can you do for me".....

and the others joined in.."Thats exactly what I thought too"...:-)

and the Afrikan American guy with us, was like.." boy, and I thought what the &*^%& you were saying. Shez gonna spit on our food tonite..."

Lolz, looks like what they show in Sitcoms like Seinfeld, friends, and a some other movies where you mess with the waiter(ess), they spit on ur food, does bother ppl...:-))

and so we ordered whatever we wanted..and I had to change my dish after I had ordered...Thats when the mini me' inside me, cudnt resist..

"You know what else you can do for me..."

waitress:...(with a broader smile this time).."yaaaa...."

" Well..I'll just go for this the chicken taco instead of the eggplant burger.."

This time she did...do that for me :-D

That reminds me ppl....Next time u hit the Cheese cake factory...try the Eggplant Burger... ;-)

and before u do that, try asking the waiter or the waitress(as the case maybe)
...in a bit faster tone...." water should do for me.."

And yeh, if you know my mom, please do tell her I'm a strict vegetarian.. most of the times :-D

Taste bites of 2005

Time for the lingering 'mouth watering' moments of 2005 :-)

Herez a few that I can remember...

(1) The best Indian Buffet that I have had in the us
The credit shd go to Gandhi restaurant in Las vegas..truly the best Ive had. The
first time, was when I went there in 2000 and the last, a few months back, this
year. They have only gotten bigger and better.


(2) Best dosas I've had..
LA's Annapurna - Panneer Burji Masala Dosa..
If you havent had it so far, go for it. You wouldnt regret it

Houston's balaji Bhavan
Pav baaji Masal Dosa...
This was another that I was very skeptical in the beginning, but turned out to
be real good.

(3) Best sea food.. Sichuan from the sea @ PF Changs
Go for all three mixed together (scallops, callamari and shrimp)
For a veg to say that, and that too, to like sea food is in itself a big deal.
But this is awesome. Next time you go there, try this.

(4) Best Naan..
This has to go to the Punjabi restaurant on Devon street in Chicago.
Nobody' elses' comes close..sher E Punjab. Thats what it is called!

(5) Best biryani
Cant remember the exact name of the restaurant
But I guess itz a paki restaurant again on Devon st, some garib niwaz or
something like that..


(6) Best Pasta
barnelli's pasta bowl in Schaumburg, a suburb of Chicago..
Try it and you will know why.

(7) malabar restaurant
Not sure itz still open. The last time I heard, I was told that it has been
closed.They had some very good keralite dishes. Located in Mountain view, CA.

(8) Ethiopian Restaurant
Therez one in Tempe, AZ where I live. Havent had a chance to taste that many Ethiopian restaurants, but this one is awesome. More the reason why I dont understand the dislike for the cuisine by my friends. Guess itz called Blue Nile.


(9) Best Parantha..
ah..cant take my mind of the small dungy place we had in my undergrad. Chidamabaram. Guess the place was called AA or AAA restaurant. either one...:-)
But till date, I havent seen a place that serves better parathas, or the side dish
that they used to give.(Egg chutney) . Gosh..Im drooling already...

(10) Best Drink
Dr.pepper...hehe...For totally personal reasons

So whats yours!!