The Prestidigitator

The general feeling is that ‘work in a software company is quite mundane and does not involve too many programming skills.’ Here’s how one IT professional summed it up on a popular student forum: “Remember (the Indian) software industry is not about creating new things. It is all about client giving you work. Work that their team is not interested in doing…But you get money and, of course, work experience and a life called ‘white collar job’.”

So, while the software industry may be making record profits, it is not firing the imagination of the youth who work in it. Swanky cafeterias and big bonuses work for a while. But today’s youth want all that and more. They want to be part of something larger than themselves. They want to be annointed not just as consumers, but as contributors to society.

                                -Business World (6 November 2006)

Makes sense.

On a similar note, Business Today came out with a list of the best employers in the country. Infosys came in first, followed by Mindtree and the company yours truly works for made it t0 third.

But then again, what’s in it for me?

This is a book I bought 5 months back and read once just before I came to Hyderabad. I was in too much of a hurry back then but I did realise that this was one of those books that deserved a second read and boy was I right!

The last few books I read have had drugs and addiction as a/the major plot line and this one’s no different. Dwight Wilmerding is a 28 year old working a politically incorrect (?) job as a tech support for Pfizer (think Viagra). He lives a few blocks away from Ground Zero in New York along with a bunch of quirky room mates and has a pretty dysfunctional family to boot. Divorced parents and a psychologist/left wing sister.

He suffers from chronic indecision (Abulia) and he apparently has a tough time living life because at every turn he is met with tough decisions . So he decides to try out an experimental drug, Abulinix that supposedly cures this. The drug makes him ‘decide’ to go to Ecquador to meet a long lost friend. Advenures, love and self discovery ensue.

Now this book had gotten a lot of great early reviews but the latter ones weren’t all that great and I think this is simply because the author, Benjamin Kunkel is way too smart (and witty) for his own good! Loved the philosophical conversations and drug induced (Weed, Ecstacy and ‘San Pedro’) ramblings, some of which are pretty profound. The ending was pretty much of a disappntment as everything tended towards politics and the exploitation of Third World Nations.

The first half of the book made this one of my all time favourites! 8/10 Dark Humor at it’s best!

…and wondering whether in similar irony, that Abulinix would force me to decide that my entire personality boiled down to neurochemistry, and I only flattered myself in believing that I possessed a free will in need of regular excercise. Then why would I do anything at all? Once you decide you’re only an animal, how do you keep from becoming a vegetable?

                                                      -from Indecision by Benjamin Kunkel

So here I am, back after a quick impulsive trip home and now I’ve got a guy standing next to my cubicle staring into my computer and I don’t even know him! I hope he’s reading this. ‘Go away, or I WILL punch you in the face!’

I’m not too much of a ‘festival celebrator’ but this Diwali was pretty much the coolest one I’ve had in 2 years. (Two years back on October 23rd, we got caught for bursting crackers in our hostel room. Ridicule from friends,awe from the juniors and a memo from the authorities followed.)

Started off with a visit from Sooraj, who came all the way down from Mumbai and then I flew home on Saturday (Note: Air Sahara is a lot lot lot lot better than Air Deccan) and spend 4 whole days with my family (minus my brother ). Honestly, I hadn’t laughed so much in the last few months like I did over the past few days. Most of it had to do with my dad’s vehemant rebuttal of my mom’s ‘Kamikaze Ant Theory’ (which I shall explain some other time).

I also rewatched American Beauty and trust me, it just gets better every time. I feel like posting a detailed analysis/review of the movie, but I doubt it’ll be read.

Anyhoo, still on ‘Business Wait’ but could be else where in a week! Ah!

“A second is no more than a second. A minute is no more than a minute. A day is no more than a day. They pass. All things and all time will pass. Don’t force or fear, don’t control or lose control. Don’t fight and don’t stop fighting. Embrace and endure. If you embrace then you will endure.”

                                                        —A Million Little Pieces

A Million Little Pieces is a ’semi-fictional’ memoir written by James Frey, a self confessed addict and criminal as he goes through rehabilitation in a Twelve Steps centre. The center believes that an addict can overcome his addiction only if he treats it as a disease and if he believes in a Higher Power or God. Problem is the author is adamant about his disbelief in God.

The story does not take you to that point where the protagonist comes to terms with his faith or lack of it; it is about owning up for one’s actions and taking the blame no matter how hard it is.

This is hands down the grittiest and most cringe inducing book I’ve ever read. I actually skipped through two pages of graphic detail where the author pulls out his toe nail out. This is definetly not a book for the faint of heart. It’s not just the intensity of the book,  the language is pretty down and dirty too.

All that said, this is also one of the best books I’ve read. I rate this over Shantaram as the emotions here are a lot more real and most of the stuff said here does not glorify the writer in any way, it only makes him human.

It’s a sort of coming of age story of a 23 year old addict who comes to grips with what family, friendship and love truly mean. The writing style is something I really loved. It truly captures the intensity of the plight.

All in all 8.5/10. Great great stuff!

PS As for the controversies, you can’t make a great story without exxagerating it now….can you?

I think I’m getting the hang of this whole ‘Business Wait’ process. Could probably be ‘cos I discovered that our company had its own in-house blogging portal. So began the otherwise unimpressive day by registering a blog there and I even managed to post some random entry.

I’m reading A Million Little Pieces right now (thanks to Ms Imperfect) and I can’t believe how much I love it and can barely put it down. Love the simple but gritty writing. Maybe someday, I’ll get to write something like that, go on Oprah, earn millions of dollars, earn another million dollars for writing another book, get defamed by some guy on the net researching into the ‘lies’ I’ve written and then go get bitch-slapped by Oprah!  James Frey, the author actually had to go through all this!

I’m in a really restless mood today (7 cups of coffee and counting) which probably explains the inconsequential ranting above. Plus I also kinda wish that life had background music to go with it. Would’ve been pretty awesome!

Anyhoo, apart from my brother, a great great friend (part of the EXTREME! gang ) has decided to put his free time into words as well. He is pretty much the most enthu guy I’ve known!  http://www.triquetra.wordpress.com 

Listening to The Saga Begins by Weird Al Yankowic (Man! I love this track so damn much!!!)

PS- The following was overheard by a friend of a friend at a project interview at work.

Interviewer: What is a Package? (Referring to Package in Oracle)

Interviewee: Um…X.XXXX lacs per annum!

He got the project!

I shall refrain from degrading this book by actually reviewing it. This is perhaps one of the most important books I’ve read all my life. One of those few books that I connneceted with on a deeper level (I don’t normally sound like this) and definetly one of those books that depressed me.

Yossarin (the protagonist) will forever go down in history as the ultimate anti establishement hero. The story follows this WWI fighter pilot’s attempts to get grounded because he sees that the war is simply absurd and that people he hasn’t even met are trying to kill him. However he can’t get grounded because of Catch 22.

There was only one catch and that was Catch-22, which specified that a concern for one’s safety in the face of dangers that were real and immediate was the process of a rational mind. Orr was crazy and could be grounded. All he had to do was ask; and as soon as he did, he would no longer be crazy and would have to fly more missions. Orr would be crazy to fly more missions and sane if he didn’t, but if he was sane he had to fly them. If he flew them he was crazy and didn’t have to; but if he didn’t want to he was sane and had to. Yossarian was moved very deeply by the absolute simplicity of this clause of Catch-22 and let out a respectful whistle.

“That’s some catch, that Catch-22,” he [Yossarian] observed.

“It’s the best there is,” Doc Daneeka agreed.

 The main theme of the book is the absurdity of living one’s life according to the rules and philosophies laid down by society, governement, friends, love and family. Yossarin is a dangerously sane man in a clearly insane world.

The writing is simply superb and each line is clever and reeks of black humor at it’s best.

I just regret the fact that I got to read this so late. Along with Catcher in the Rye, this is one of my favourite contemprory classics.

Anything worth living for is worth dying for.

Anything worth dying for is worth living for.

After a fairly long period of uneventfulness, things are starting to look bleak again! Hooray!

‘Business Wait’ (known commonly in the software industry as ‘the bench’) isn’t as much fun as I hoped it would be. I’m certainly not doing the things I should be doing (read, write, think and read some more). Instead, I have perfected the art of whiling away time without anything productive to show for it. I’ve always prided myself in being a ‘conversationist’ (if there is such a term), but now I wonder if ‘motormouth’ is a more apt word.

To add to my woes, Swen and I have a new room mate and I doubt I’ve hated anybody more in the last 22 years. He’s one of those people who can’t seem to hold a thought in his head and blurts out any and every thought/musing that comes to his head! I cannot describe how painful sitting inside the room has become. As a result, we have resorted to techniques like reading/pretending to read, writing/pretending to write, sleeping/pretending to sleep and spending a long long time in the toilet (which is actually quite neat). Damn! should have rented that flat when we had the chance!

Life!

Listening to All In by Bridges and Powerlines

PS- My little bro has decided to start a blog as well. Expect heavy handed philosophical discourses and revelations! Just hope he keeps writing. (http://lumeno.wordpress.com/)

Note to self-Write on absurdism, existentialism.

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