Interviews are not good experience ;)

Oh one again a call for interview from a prestigious organization where I always wanted to be, getting shortlisted for interview itself makes me so satisfied that I start feeling that I have already been selected and start blowing my triumph I got a call I got a call ...
This interview was after many years at least after 4-5 years, but I am feeling nothing has changed during the course of time I still feel lost and very angry at me that I couldn't answer simplest questions that a just fresh graduate could have answered. Does it mean I don't have knowledge or I didn't give it enough time, One thing is true this time I didn't had much time to dedicate to study about the interview as I was shifting and getting transferred to new office in a new city and fortunately the interview date also clashed in between the same. So my first challenge was to pone all the things and make sure that I can attend the interview for rest of the things I was sure I will be able boost whatever I did during these years at my work.
Finally I could reschedule all my plans and made to to reach for the interview. They asked us to report at 9 and all the 10 candidates out of whom only one was supposed to be selected was there on time. After a lot of paper work and official formalities they started at 10.30 I was the third candidate in the list and thought I will finish before after noon but they way they were grilling each candidate for around an hour I came to know I can't start before lunch time. I browsed some concepts on laptop until it got discharged and I was not carrying it's charger as well. So I had no other options but to doze for some time and then my fav friends whats app . Its lunch time one gentle man announced. Yes I was waitting for this as I didnt have my breakfast in hurry I just came out of the building and found excellent restaurants on both the side of the streets. Finally settled in one and realized next is mine so better I finish fast and reach back.
Surabhi Dwivedi next is you. Finally !! I went in with very confidence I was not at all nervous or afraid neither hungry I had my presentation ready which they were asked to take I started speaking about my work presenting each slide one by one in front of panel of 5 dignitaries including the chairman himself. For a moment it made me laugh when I saw the chairman dozing and almost closing his eyes I resisted myself and a thought triggered in the back of my mind I am presenting so boring contents but at the same time I was getting prepared to see other panel member writing something while I was saying some sentence. Finally the chairman was so bored that he said your time is up please finish your presentation fast. Generally I finish my presentations on time or before time as I am not a very garrulous person but I think I am good speaker and I communicate well whatever was the reason, I was asked to be seated.
Now it was time for grilling for the next half an hour the first gentleman started who was external expert as I gave little gyaan ability moving their data center to cloud and how it can be scalable and will help in data analytic, he denied what all I said by saying
I1- What are the property of cloud
I said elasticity, scalability and pay per use he said do you think it will be beneficial in this scenario, suppose if we go with you and implement your suggestion and go with cloud which cloud will you suggest I said Private cloud, I1 then you will end up paying more in that case our data center will be lesser costly reliable and cheaper I tried to interrupt but felt other members were more interested in talking and listening to him and I couldn't convince.
I1 was ready with another basic question tell me the simple thing what is the difference between a file and folder in linux me : you can have many files or folder within a folder but not in file but he wanted something else and kept revolving around then he got frustrated by my answers :D , then he asked about daemon process again I answered some unconvincing way ... After some other basic questions by others like how do you define a software architecture they wanted a exact definition and I was producing a practical answer the way we design, ultimately I dont remember what I read in software engineering . Half an hour was already past and I could sense they were not ready to let me go without me answered or convinced them now the last panelist started who seem to be a graphics expert he asked about what kind of displays are available 2D graphics etc I answered everything from my vague memory again in an unconvincing way ultimately he had to ask which book did you follow in your college time for graphics oh I don't remember I said but actually I remember it was a Pragati Prakashan book for UPTU students for a course of half credit i.e 50 marks  Oh gosh they grilled me for almost 50 mins and in the last started asking why do you want to join us, you are already in a good position and getting to work which you might not get here that answer I convincingly gave to them and finally they said good bye with a smile. Gosh let me rush back ...

BlissfulBali

A diversified, serene island Bali, I have never imagined that the aeroplane will land on a airstrips surrounded by beautiful scenic blue water of Indian ocean WOW!! was the first reaction just before the landing.

Arial View of Bali

 We got our visa etc cleared and then we met with our tour guide "Patra" from make my trip. I was just lost in the beautiful infrastructure of the airport and the nearby building and trying not to miss any chance to capture the beauty of neat, clean and organized city while our driver took us to the Hotel at Nasa Dua Benoa beach. After a long tiring journey which started at 10.30pm from IST and here it was 3 pm when we finally reached to the hotel we got refreshed and then in the evening just roamed around the place hunting near by.

Tanah Lot Temple

Day1 was to have look at the near by places of Bali, blessed with spectacular mountains, green rice terraces, enchanting temples and a vibrant culture.

We started our journey for Tanah Lot temple, one of Bali’s most important and venerated sea temples, means "Land in the Middle of the sea" in Balinese language, the sea-draped temple of  rises out of the surf. Perched on a rocky outcrop amidst waves that crash along the dark temple walls, Tanah Lot is among Bali’s most picturesque temples. Temple sits on a large offshore rock which has been shaped continuously over the years by the ocean tide.

The scene was picturesque but the sun was also showering scorching heat we had a look of the nearby local shops. The one important thing that we realized the moment we landed in Bali that we felt as a Milliniore as they were talking in terms of thousand rupiahs or in our terms 1 lac or 2 lacs rupiah, so sometimes it was confusing to count the exact amount.  

Garuda Wisnu Kencana Statue

We then proceeded towards GWK cultural park Garuda Wisnu Kencana Cultural Park, it is said that thbye plan was to build a tallest statue of lord Vishnu. There are many statues representing the Hindu Gods.  

There is an exceptional view of the island and airport that gives a good orientation to how big the island is.  We got to see the Balinese dance performances and also got a chance to match with their tunes on the stage for few minutes. It was fun she was calling one by one from the audience to try balinese steps and then she called a tourist he was looking like someone from a European country . He tried to copy her step for a while and then switched to some hip-hop moves in the same way when I was called I tried for a while and then unknowingly switched to Bollywood moves.

Ulwattu Temple

Then we were advised by our driver to proceed towards ULWATTU temple before the sunset so that we can catch the glimpse of the beautiful sea temple. Built in the 11th century, it is one of nine directional temples meant to protect Bali from evil spirits. The temple rests majestically on the edge of a steep cliff that towers above the legendary surf breaks of southern Bali.

We have to buy a saffron scarf to wear on the waist as a symbol of respect to the God and were also warned from the monkeys, it was enough to scare me from their sight. No doubt it was one of the very beautiful evenig with sun prepared to rest in the lap of ocean leaving wll the heat behind and the sky absorbing all the fire left behind by the sun . 

Kecak Dance

We also got a chance to watch the spectacular Kecak dance held here during the sunset without any use of instruments, devotees chant along as costumed performers dance and act out the Ramayana. The most funny artist was in a form of Hanuman Ji and was jumping in the crowd and performing some funny moves. They depicted the story or Ramayna starting from Sita haran to the ravan- vadh.
Our first day of Bali was over with a beautiful experience and pleasant memories we proceeded towards Our hotel which was located at a nice place Nasa Dua across the sea beach.

NasaDua Beach

Next Day we thought of enjoying some of the water sports at Nasa Dua beach, the main problem for me was to calculate in terms of their currency as they had notes of 50 thousand and 1 lac rupiyah as well, so every time we used to calculate in terms of Indian currency, typical Indians you know. We went for snorkeling first, it was my first experience to see the world inside the sea the moment our guide pushed me in the sea I was so scared  as if I am sinking inside the water then my husband tried to convince me that I will be safe as I had life jacket then I peeped inside the sea water Oh My God it was amazingly beautiful with beautiful fishes swimming in amazing pattern, coral reefs, turtles flying in the water and various vibrant colours of fishes. AMAZING I have seen such sights in discovery channel or in some movies but I could see the real beauty that day. The best thing was the feeling of floating in between the beautiful blue Pacific ocean with sun getting mild just above your head. Thoroughly enjoyed the experience and after that we thought to do other water sports some other day and proceeded towards Kuta .

Kuta Beach

Kuta is the most happening place we found in Bali having a range of shops from a well known brands to local street shops. It has architectural beauty of shopiing malls, hotesl etc. Present a wonderful view to the street you can just roam on the streets.

View of the streets in Kuta

Kuta Beach is also one of the very beautiful beach famous for surfing activities as the sea waves were on their maximum heights and few tourist lying on the sand for sun bath. It was so sunny that scorching sun became unbearable for us.

We roam around the streets purchased few things for us and our dear ones. It was a nice experience to bargain in the local shops as they didn't understand english very much and we didn't understand their language.

So it was end of another adventurous tiring day. We were all set to start the next day for UBUD. 

Monkey Forest Ubud Bali

The heart of Bali’s culture definitely beats in Ubud. Perched on the gentle slopes leading to the central mountains, Ubud is the best place to become fully immersed in Balinese culture. The town is surrounded by most of the attractions that bring people to Bali—scenic rice fields, small villages, art and craft communities and ancient temples.

The beautiful site of Lush-green and well-tended Balinese rice paddy sites was mesmerizing, it was difficult to believe that a small island is so diversified with a schorching heat at aone end and a cool and pleasent weather at the other. We got to see an extraordinary variety of ornamental woodwork and various carvings as well in the local shops, adorning the beauty of the site.

Tegallalang Rice Terraces in Ubud

We came back to the hotel with a pleasant memory it was like one of the place I dreamt.
Last day again we enjoyed our heavy brunch at Ramada Benoa and were set to go back to Mumbai with bunch of sweet memories. 

The New HRD minister - Smriti Irani

I am a very apolitical person, I know it can ignite a topic of debate, because ultimately being a citizen of a democratic country I should choose one party as a medium of to communicate my grievances and expectations to the government, but unfortunately I still could not connect myself with one complete team, I may admire few individuals.
Coming to my topic of concern, the moment I read in news paper yesterday about Smiriti Irani being appointed as HRD minister, it compelled me to think for a while, there must be some thought process behind, it's good to give some reward to a hard working and efficient party member but until someone is extra ordinary it is not convincing to give such a responsibility to a person who has not even qualified graduate ( as I came to know from news).
How justified it is to place some one in such a position who has not even gone through phases of how much efforts one needs to put for higher education in India and who has not experienced it personally.
In my view no matter how much you gain through your experience of age education gives you a different vision to look at things and perceive in different manner that is another matter how much you utilize it in your practical life, focusing on the basic educational need is a different story but framing policies for the prestigious institutions like IIT's/IIM's and raising the standard upto the international level will not be easy task and I believe to improve the conditions some educational qualification are required apart from being good orator or being confident.
Time will tell better, I wish to see good results and proved to be wrong.
Education is the root of the country' economic, social, technological development and should not be experimented without any foresight, nobody has right to experiment with the future of innocent students. Learning should be made fun but getting marks should not be made so easy that you could not distinguish between a scholar and an average student.
We will come to know how efficient the policies are as the time unfolds. Good Luck Citizens.

Thought

Its ok to leave some desires unfulfilled in this birth so that you wish to be born again. :)

Ache din ane wale hain

Like many other Indians I was also very excited on 16th May when the result of election came out watching the clear indication that the citizen of India want complete political, economic, Social and financial reform and they want the progress model of Gujrat to be replicated in the whole country.

No doubt Modi and his strategist strain every nerve to grab each and every possible seat by igniting a fire in the youth and targeting the social media, they went so deep inside by means of joked updates so that every one started co-relating with that even a person like me with minimum interest in politics thought for a while about this.

I was also carried away in the wave for a moment I also thought that ache din aa jaye, So that people like us don't have to leave their hometown, thier origin, native and their state, only to establish in the society, in search of a good job and stay away from their near a dear ones. I just dreamed for a while that Uttar pradesh has progressed so much that many job opportunities are available their and I am going to my office from my home that too at "My desired workplace". People like me will not miss home cook food rather mom cooked food and they will not be deprived from the love and warmth of their own family and near ones just to earn few set of paper called money and a brandish display. They will have someone to stand beside them, warn them, love them rather than a premature learning of the tough society and convoluted world.

Looking forward for a change.

About the add world

The latest Coke add of "Han main crazy hon", it's really touching .

Coke has come up with a new marketing strategy by emphasizing on it's CSR activities and touching the emotional sense of consumer to  re-position itself . 

The strongest competitor Pepsi is yet to come with new idea as it's new add "Oh yes abhi" is not touching the emotional chord of the consumer in the way of coke .

Talking about the add campaign, the other interesting add launched recently is of Cinthol casting Virat Kohli. Gordrej is respositioning Cinthol by this new add using the tagline "Being Alive is Awesome" and in this way it is targeting the young and active consumers specially the teenagers and youngsters who used to spend hours outside in scorching heat.

Looking forward for the reports of how effective are these add campaign.  

About the add world -2

In my last blog I wrote about some add which were impressive, but simultaneously many commercial add we use to come across, after watching those we feel what nonsense is this.
To start with  in this category  most of the deo add of men .The basic theme they are using to promote their deo is only and only to impress girls. Is this the only reason why men use deo, or is this the only punch they can throw upon to motivate the youth to go for a particular deo. At least in our Indian Scenario I don't digest such idiotic thought in a way they are also passing a wrong message to youth.

Contuning to some other add kya apke toothpaste mein namak hai ya fir apke toothpaste ka taste humein bataiye ?
How does it matter how the toothpaste tastes like until and unless it is not bearable. My understanding is really less to understand there basic branding strategy but I don't feel like getting very motivated about buying the very particular product after watching the add rather I opt to switch the channel.

The other category is toilet cleaner, the moment they show a dirty toilet many of us feel like changing the channel rather then watching the full add but they are right in their way in conveying the actual purpose and usage of their product.

Falling Airfare in January 2013

I was reading about the news of airlines slashing up the prices.So thought of writing about whatever information I gathered from economic times.

Since the beginning of 2013 airlines are offering heavy discount to lure the passengers.

Spice jet has announced that there are 10 lakhs seats on offer for travel between Feburary to April.

Responding to this offer country's largest airline(by market-share) IndiGo also followed suit by following their pricing strategy and slashed their fares among different routes, viz  Delhi-mumbai,Ahemdabad-delhi and Pune-Chennai.

Other competiting airlines in business like Air India and Jet Airways too will have to alter their strategies sooner or later to stay competitive or risk losing business.

The airfares had shot up by 30-50% in 2012 compared to 2011 due to grounding of Kigfisher airline which led to significant capacity removal from market by reduction in the number of available seats per kilometre thus reducing supply in the market of increasing demand.

The prices have been slashed to pull passenger load in the lean season of February and peak season months of March-April. The motive seems to be to try to gain market share, ahead of its planned raising of funds to finance its capacity addition over the next 3 years.

This trend was started by Air India by offering special discount on early bookings, which was immediately followed by Jet Airways and Indigo.This strategy could help in controlling losses as tickets closer to the day of departure day will be expensive, making up for the discounted prices thus forcing the customer to book early.

Heart -wreching havoc at Utarakhand

The rain ravage which caused havoc at Kedarnath Temple, it was a heart-wrenching sight. I am really feeling very sad for the devotees.
I could remember the beautiful lap of nature when we visited the holy adobe of God in 1995 although I was too young to light the spark of spirituality in my heart and mind but I was old enough to admire the Golden Himalayas visible from the valley of KedarNath, the lush green surrounding adorned with frozen waterfall, serene pure and fresh atmosphere. Specially the trek from Gaurikund to Kedarnath embellished with variety of plants, saplings and trees.
I remember on the way to Badrinath we visited a temple whose statue was melting slowly and the priest said the rate at which this is melting at the same rate the mountains "Nar"  and "Narayan" are coming closer, the day when this will melt completely the way to Badrinath and Kedarnath dham will be closed and that day will be the starting of last phase of Kaliyug. I don't know how true that myth was but watching the news of the disaster this strory got refreshed into my mind from the treasure of memory, sadhus used to say this is Kaliyug as described in Upnishad and Purrans, the prevailing crime, corruption, lie and dishonesty proves these fable true upto some extent.
Even though the actual path to reach the temple might have disrupted, the human being will not accept this as a judgement of nature and will again build a new way to reach the devbhoomi where they would be willing  to wash away all their iniquity and get cleanse from their own sin.