Thursday, September 5, 2013

Rupee down!

Couldn't help myself to avoid posting it.

  • The Indian rupee slid from 46.15/dollar in August 29, 2011 to 68.75/dollar in August 28, 2013--a plunge of whopping 49 percent.
  • On a monthly basis, the rupee depreciated 13.88 percent
  • YTD, the rupee has fallen 25 percent
  • The rupee fell 22% in July 1991, steepest before August 2013 happened
  • In March 1992, the rupee had fallen 11.5%

So, what next?

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

A Journey of thousand miles starts with a first step

Someone said me so. I don't know when I started my journey; but surely I am on right track.

Thanks to Ganesh H S, Shridhar Hegde, Avinash, Guruprasad Hegde and Argentina for helping me to take a firm decision about my life.
Now I am proud to announce my promotion from employee to employer (E to R : not an error !). There is lot to learn everyday and its not limited in technical aspects now.

My Company website is 4th website I ever managed and this blog-site being the first one! But I am good with web technology now. My colleagues' support was fantastic and felt like I am still working in MNC :)

We have decided to name it as NESOTE Outsourcing Services in short NESOTEOS (nesoteos.com).
NESOTE : Never Ending Series Of Technology Expeditions.

NESOTEOS.com
For NESOTE family, NESOTEOS is first subsidiary company. Outsource department of Nesote Technologies is planned to be setup as a NESOTEOS, a subsidiary company.
Nesote, as a product based company have many products to make someone's online business better. inoutscripts.com lists all products available. NESOTEOS, where I am working will involve in customized software development and software services.

It's a first step, I will keep posted for any good news. And most importantly, now I am relocated to Kerala :) Kaduthuruthy, a small village in Kottayam district, about 2 hours from Ernakulam. High rain, high humidity and high on dreams.

And here is first offer from me as an employer :)
I am looking for B.Tech./BE/MCA candidates in Kerala, Kaduthuruthy for software engineer designation. If someone is looking for long-term employment and competitive career they are most welcome. One can apply at nesoteos.com/career or mail to career@nesoteos.com.

Hope your blessings with keep me guarded as always :) 

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Few Out of box thinking terms - Simplified

Source : Internet

There was this robbery in Guangzhou , the robber shouted to everyone: "All don't move, money belongs to the state, life belongs to you".

Everyone in the bank laid down quietly.
This is called "Mind Changing Concept --> Changing the conventional way of thinking".

One lady lay on the table provocatively, the robber shouted at her "Please be civilized! This is a robbery and not a rape!"
This is called "Being Professional --> Focus only on what you are trained to do!"

When the robbers got back, the younger robber (MBA trained) told the older robber (who is only primary school educated), "Big bro, let's count how much we got", the older robber rebutted and said, "You very stupid, so much money, how to count, tonight TV will tell us how much we robbed from the bank!"
This is called "Experience --> nowadays experience is more important than paper qualifications!"

After the robbers left, the bank manager told the bank supervisor to call the police quickly. The supervisor says "Wait, wait wait, let's put the 5 million RMB we embezzled into the amount the robbers robbed".
This is called "Swim with the tide --> converting an unfavorable situation to your advantage!"

The supervisor says "It will be good if there is a robbery every month".
This is called "Killing Boredom --> Happiness is most important."

The next day, TV news reported that 100 million RMB was taken from the bank. The robbers counted and counted and counted, but they could only count 20 million RMB. The robbers were very angry and complained "We risked our lives and only took 20 million RMB, the bank manager took 80 million RMB with a snap of his fingers. It looks like it is better to be educated than to be a thief!"
This is called "Knowledge is worth as much as gold!"

The bank manager was smiling and happy because his loss in the shares are now covered by this robbery.
This is called "Seizing the opportunity --> daring to take risks!"

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

To Argentina!?

      When I started my journey to Argentina, I was pretty confidant that I can handle everything with Global language English and global currency USD. But I failed to say Spanish in Spanish (espanol) in my first attempt and also to get a taxi from airport! considering that many Indians are travelling to Argentina, thought to share some information.


This article is only for those who are willing to travel to Argentina and not for someone who want to know about Argentina. Also, not possible to cover everything in this blog, any more information feel free to contact.
You can see mix of cultures here. There are Italians, British, Russian, Chinese, French .. the list goes on. They speak Spanish and that also means that these is no English. If you are travelling to Argentina or most of the LATAM countries, you may continue reading this article. I stayed only in Buenos Aires, capital of Argentina where 40% of the population resides. So, most of below details refers to BsAs only.

1. Language : Learn Spanish. Its very easy. It helps a lot. I found this website Shortcuttospanish.com more helpful that BBC language learner. Believe me, it is very very easy language to learn if you know English. Although in most of major hotels you may get warm welcome with English but its rare.
2. Currency : Like in most of LATAM countries, they have Pesos. Today conversion rate is about 12.17 INR. Refer oanda.com for more details.
Argentina, in the mood of reforming, doesn't entertain exchange of local currencies into dollars or other currencies. So if you are exchanging @ airport, ensure that you keep the bill or so called ticket with you, so that later you can convert back to Dollars or other currency. One advise is save dollars.
Coins have denominations like 5,10,25,50 cents and 1 and 2 Pesos.
Notes have denominations like 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 Pesos.
Withdrawing money from ATM is safe and it costs about 80+ pesos for each transaction.And remember that $ means Argentina Peso not USD.
3. Accomodation : House/Hotels.... anyhow expensive! Considering 21% inflation as stated by government, hotel prices could change on monthly basis also. Getting a hotel in downtown of Buenos Aires costs roughly about 300 Pesos a day per person. If you are staying for long term, advised to get rented house which could costs about 3000 Pesos monthly. Do note that accommodation is most expensive part of your stay in Argentina, so plan it properly.
4. Transportation : Buenos Aires have very good transportation facilities. You can choose among, Bus, Subte, Train or Taxi or most preferably to walk also.
It also costs very less like 1.25 pesos for bus anywhere in city or 2.5 for subte anywhere to anywhere. You will definitely like the lo(ve)w fares. Get the city map of Buenos Aires and you will find a way to your destiny.
Travelling by taxi is expensive among all the options. LIBRE title on taxi means that taxi is free to occupy. Subte is quick way to reach destiny but be careful about which side you should get into.

5. City Planning : Being commercial place, you may see many nice architectures, mixture of Italian, British culture. Few old buildings are very beautiful with high doors. Each block of a road is about 100 meters. Every building have a number associated. One side only odd numbers and other side even numbers. City is very well planned and well executed. It will never be a problem to reach anywhere just by having a number and road name. To travel around once go for city tour which costs about 80 Pesos. If you have city map (mapa de cuidad) there is no chance that you will miss the route

6. Traffic : Its left side driving traffic. People are very patient, not in hurry to break signals. Cross signal only on green. And 99% of people follow traffic rules. Buses will only stop where they were suppose to. You can cross road on every block. Most of the small roads are one way. Small roads are not as small as in India. When you are walking by street, a red signal indicates that vehicle is entering or leaving building.
7. Communication : Its easy to get mobile SIM cards - refers as CHIPS, you may get them in any kiosk but cannot guarantee that they work always. If you are working on behalf of a company, mostly you will get a SIM card by company. Otherwise advised to go to merchandise and buy SIM card. You have options like Personal, Movistar or Claro.
Most of the hotels have free Wi-Fi included. Internet centers are also available but you have to search. Advised to use them only if you are in downtown.
Food.
I kept this part at the end as there is lot to say about food :)
Asians, be ready to get your spices well packed. When I read in history that British Came to India for spices I really didn't understand what it actually meant by. When you stay in Argentina, you will get to know the value of spices.
Morning breakfast includes mostly Facturas and cafe (croissant and coffee). Lunch will include mostly Asado, Pasta, Pizza etc but still light meal. Dinner which will be only after 9 PM.
Argentina is heaven for beef. As they say, they eat as much as they can :) But pizza is very common food you will find. There are Chinese take away restaurants for every 2-3 blocks in downtown of Argentina. In these Chinese restaurants you will get everything, fruits, veg food, salad, pizza. Costs about 3.8 Pesos per 100 gms. If you love spices or even if you dint ( i didn't know that I like spices before!) pack up more than necessary amount of spices, specially chilly powder. Rice, Dal or any such things are available there and in better price. Just learn to eat butter and bread well. There are few Indian restaurants and vegetarian Argentina restaurants as well.

For Vegetarians:


Argentina is heaven of beef, but nothing to worry, veggies also have plenty of options and not just to survive but to enjoy!
Remember few most important
words.

Carne - Beef
Pollo ( pronounced as Pojo) - Chicken
Jamon ( pronounced as Khamon) - Pork
Atun - Fish.
Verdura - Vegetables.
Easy to say no carne, no pollo(pojo), no Jamon (Khamon), no Atun if you are ordering something or asking someone to suggest. You can eat pizza without carne/pollo/jamon; they are made of floor, tomato, yeast and cheese. A type of empanada called as 'Humata" is only made of sweetcorn. You can cook pasta easily. But pasta or empanada are with traces of egg. Among fastfood, Subway is preferred for Veggies.
Learn basic names of vegetables, it helps a lot. If you are buying biscuits or any such products look for Granix brand, which indicates that its pure vegetarian. You will find many vegetables in super markets like COTO, Carrefour or DISCO. You will get vegetarian oil in better price. I stayed for almost four months and I had good time in cooking or otherwise eating Pizzas.
One last note on what to carry
1. Spices ( must)
2. Depending on weather condition, you may need warm cloth like gloves, scarf, woolen dress etc.
3. Universal power supply plug. Every neighbour country in LATAM have different one!
4. USD ($) - Life line and Credit Card.
5. And finally smile on face. People in Argentina are very kind, nice and helpful. Treat them well.
 
What to shop for ( Added as per Suresh's Comment)
Well, inlike in America, most of electronic items are expensive here. If you are thinking of mobile, laptop, camera or anything as such . . . . not a good idea. All electronic items are expensive here. And it also extends to other items like cloth, footware etc. Once market is better plan to visit for shopping.


This information is incomplete! Comments are welcome for corrections or additions.
-PC

Thursday, June 21, 2012

As it happened with Nokia+Microsoft

Surprised to read this newsMicrosoft turned its back to Nokia!

Nokia+Microsoft, much awaited pair hit mobile market with Nokia Lumia 800 just few months back.  Yes, they provided different interface than iPhone, Andriod or samsung's Bada OS. May be thats the reason, there were never involved in patent fighting ( which is regular story for Apple and Samsung).

Everyone expected this combination could break mightys like Apple, Google, Blackberry or Smasung. Competative smart phone industry gave better options to end users. Nokia gave up its Symbian OS, its own baby for Microsoft and expected good opportunities in smartphones to come back.

Change is inevitable. But this change- expects exchange of ideas. Who is right here? Microsoft sticking to its USP- desktops? Nokia hoping to grow with Microsfot brand? Microsoft sighting for better future? Nokia dumping Symbian?

Wish, this pair can make difference in better way. Or may its time for Symbain to be a phoenix!

All views are based on news snippets shared above.


Sunday, May 27, 2012

Good article - To Freshers

Click for Source .

Dear Graduates and Post-Graduates,
This is your new employer. We are an Indian company, a bank, a consulting firm, a multinational corporation, a public sector utility and everything in between. We are the givers of your paycheck, of the brand name you covet, of the references you will rely on for years to come and of the training that will shape your professional path.
Millions of you have recently graduated or will graduate over the next few weeks. Many of you are probably feeling quite proud – you’ve landed your first job, discussions around salaries and job titles are over, and you’re ready to contribute.
Life is good – except that it’s not. Not for us, your employers, at least. Most of your contributions will be substandard and lack ambition, frustrating and of limited productivity. We are gearing ourselves up for broken promises and unmet expectations. Sorry to be the messenger of bad news.
Today, we regret to inform you that you are spoiled. You are spoiled by the “India growth story”; by an illusion that the Indian education system is capable of producing the talent that we, your companies, most crave; by the imbalance of demand and supply for real talent; by the deceleration of economic growth in the mature West; and by the law of large numbers in India, which creates pockets of highly skilled people who are justly feted but ultimately make up less than 10 percent of all of you.
So why this letter, and why should you read on? Well, because based on collective experience of hiring and developing young people like you over the years, some truths have become apparent. This is a guide for you and the 15- to 20-year-olds following in your footsteps – the next productive generation of our country. Read on to understand what your employers really want and how your ability to match these wants can enrich you professionally.
There are five key attributes employers typically seek and, in fact, will value more and more in the future. Unfortunately, these are often lacking in you and your colleagues.

1.You speak and write English fluently: We know this is rarely the case. Even graduates from better-known institutions can be hard to understand.
Exhibit No. 1: Below is an actual excerpt from a résumé we received from a “highly qualified and educated” person. This is the applicant’s “objective statement:”
“To be a part of an organization wherein I could cherish my erudite dexterity to learn the nitigrities of consulting”
Huh? Anyone know what that means? We certainly don’t.
And in spoken English, the outcomes are no better. Whether it is a strong mother tongue influence, or a belief (mistakenly) that the faster one speaks the more mastery one has, there is much room for improvement. Well over half of the pre-screened résumés lack the English ability to effectively communicate in business.
So the onus, dear reader, is on you – to develop comprehensive English skills, both written and oral.

2. You are good at problem solving, thinking outside the box, seeking new ways of doing things: Hard to find. Too often, there is a tendency to simply wait for detailed instructions and then execute the tasks – not come up with creative suggestions or alternatives.
Exhibit No. 2: I was speaking with a colleague of mine who is a chartered accountant from Britain and a senior professional. I asked him why the pass percentage in the Indian chartered accountant exam was so low and why it was perceived as such a difficult exam.
Interestingly (and he hires dozens of Indian chartered accountants each year), his take is as follows: the Indian exam is no harder than the British exam. Both focus on the application of concepts, but since the Indian education system is so rote-memorization oriented, Indian students have a much more difficult time passing it than their British counterparts.
Problem-solving abilities, which are rarely taught in our schooling system, are understandably weak among India’s graduates, even though India is the home of the famous “jugadu,” the inveterate problem solver who uses what’s on hand to find a solution. Let’s translate this intrinsic ability to the workforce.

3. You ask questions, engage deeply and question hierarchy: How we wish!
Exhibit No. 3: Consistently, managers say that newly graduated hires are too passive, that they are order-takers and that they are too hesitant to ask questions. “Why can’t they pick up the phone and call when they do not understand something?” is a commonly asked question.
You are also unduly impressed by titles and perceived hierarchy. While there is a strong cultural bias of deference and subservience to titles in India, it is as much your responsibility as it is ours to challenge this view.

4. You take responsibility for your career and for your learning and invest in new skills: Many of you feel that once you have got the requisite degree, you can go into cruise control. The desire to learn new tools and techniques and new sector knowledge disappears. And we are talking about you 25- to 30-year-olds – typically the age when inquisitiveness and hunger for knowledge in the workplace is at its peak.
Exhibit No. 4: Recently, our new hires were clamoring for training. Much effort went into creating a learning path, outlining specific courses (online, self-study) for each team. With much fanfare, an e-mail was sent to the entire team outlining the courses.
How many took the trainings? Less than 15 percent. How many actually read the e-mail? Less than 20 percent.
The desire to be spoon-fed, to be directed down a straight and narrow path with each career step neatly laid out, is leading you toward extinction, just like the dinosaurs. Your career starts and ends with you. Our role, as your employer, is to ensure you have the tools, resources and opportunities you need to be successful. The rest is up to you.

5. You are professional and ethical: Everyone loves to be considered a professional. But when you exhibit behavior like job hopping every year, demanding double-digit pay increases for no increase in ability, accepting job offers and not appearing on the first day, taking one company’s offer letter to shop around to another company for more money — well, don’t expect to be treated like a professional.
Similarly, stretching yourself to work longer hours when needed, feeling vested in the success of your employer, being ethical about expense claims and leaves and vacation time are all part of being a consummate professional. Such behavior is not ingrained in new graduates, we have found, and has to be developed.
So what can we conclude, young graduates?
My message is a call to action: Be aware of these five attributes, don’t expect the gravy train to run forever, and don’t assume your education will take care of you. Rather, invest in yourself – in language skills, in thirst for knowledge, in true professionalism and, finally, in thinking creatively and non-hierarchically. This will hold you in good stead in our knowledge economy and help lay a strong foundation for the next productive generation that follows you.
Together, I hope we, your employer, and you, the employee, can forge an enduring partnership.
The author is a partner with KPMG, and these are his personal views.

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Originality

Originality

     is the fine art of remembering what you hear
    but forgetting where your heard it.


-PC