"Holiday Credit" - a worthy experiment?

Apparently, working in the month of December* (applies to all holiday seasons) generates mixed feelings. On a tragic note, there is always a feeling that holiday time is not optimally utilized. Being in nature (rather brainstorming in the nature) is always preferred than brainstorming on a desk, any disputes? On a better note though, with a very few in the office (read no bosses :p), the work environment is much more relaxed giving time for more coffees and more radical thoughts and laughter. And with no immediate pressure of deadlines a.k.a. sliding, one can work quite leisurely spend time exploring untouched long thought ideas...

In my Singapore experience, the pressure cooker corporate environment might actually turn worse (read hostile) for a few, specially on a Business (One u think money, you always think of money) front. There are a few souls who are not lucky enough to take holidays when they desperately desire. Now, for me, emancipation's top item in a corporate set-up is freedom to plan your holiday and in no circumstances it can be traded off for money. But then there are bills to pay and other societal pressures and hence the compromise. Worst still, there are few who have to soak their souls in the office even when they are on an official holiday. Totally appalling!!! Pity, huh!!! But then what is the solution, any way out?

Talking to colleagues Roshan and Merugu over coffee on a cloudy evening I believe, "Holiday Credit" - a credit on the lines of carbon credit that lead to Kyoto protocol could lead to an acceptable solution. Holidays have to be fairly monetized just like carbon credit monetizing carbon emissions. The set number of holidays provided by an employer can not have an equal weight and only a trade on them can lead to an optimal valuation. As an example, the vacation during the holiday season should obviously be valued much more than the vacation during the other times. And the demand and supply in the market should lead to an optimal value for holidays. This way, one can borrow/buy holidays finding a replacement for one's  work and the seller (money making souls) can be adequately compensated for her sacrifice. 

Most importantly, an avid traveler - yours truly, can plan loooong vacations (e.g. Antartica, Arctic, Himalaya and the endless list) in lull periods and compensate with spending time in the office during holiday season compensating for the colleagues if required. If there is any term called "team work", the Holiday credit would certainly fructify it. At least, it should be an experiment- worth a try. What do you say?   

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* Recounting, this is only second December since 2006 that I am actually working... 

Miss India Juhi Chawla in London

"Janhavi, come over here" sounded a strange voice as we were heading back to the Victoria Coach station in London. Neither me not Mr. Millionaire noticed the famous personality as we were busy sharing last minute fundas on our way back. I had noticed the trendy shoes of the lady but fundas as usual took higher priority for me. After a while Amol sounded ecstatic saying, "अरे गुरया, बघितला का कोण आहे?....जूही चावला."(Guru, Did u see who she is? It's Juhi Chawla) As I watched back I became a bit more excited as well and found Mrs. Millionaire conversing with Juhi as if they were childhood mates. As I approached them I requested Juhi for photograph. Honestly, how often you will get an opportunity to shot (even a former) Miss India? That too, for some one you had bunked classes and went for a first day first shows? Vaidehi requested for an autograph almost at the same instance and Juhi looked baffled. Now, this situtation must not be entirely strange for her but as an astute actor she demonstrated a face showing "Please decide amongst yourself first and let me know what exactly you want." I suggested Vaidehi to join for the photograph. Here it is, the photograph of former Miss India and Bollywood actress Juhi and Mrs. Vaidehi Phalnikar though my lenses in London.

Mrs. Vaidehi Phalnikar and Former Miss India and
Bollywood actress Juhi Chawla

Apparently, Vaidehi recognized Juhi by not looking at her in the first place. As she heard the word "Janhavi", she thought it might/must be Juhi and then looked at her only to confirm. Sounds too much to believe but for someone who remembers Juhi's dougher is called Janhavi and has the entire family history by heart, you have to bow. I bow. Listening to Juhi's entire family story I only remembered that Juhi got married to an Industrialist named Jay Mehta. Rest of it was too much of an information for me. Cache overflowed...

Identify The Drink...

Identify this drink. The options are:
(A) The Champagne
(B) White wine
(C) Water
(D) None of the Above

Dumb Clue: If your answer is correct I will offer you the same drink whenever and where-ever we meet :)

Thou art thy master!!!

"Some inspirations/motivations/learnings come from very close while some come from too far", said Amartya Sen. To my experience some incidents, knowingly or unknowingly teach you a lot. These occurrences are usually rare but they do get registered in your memory for long. One such incidence occurred in IMEC elevators.

There is something about my job that I am always in the company of biggies and I have had no reason to be uncomfortable about it. In National Semiconductor's (NatSem) office in Leela Palace-Bangalore, I was sitting next to Managing Director's cubicle. In Natsem's brunton office, my cubicle was next to the MD again. In IMEC, my cubicle is on the 4th floor of IMEC-1, where most of the management brass along with IMEC's CEO has an office. You do have a chance to interact with some of these folks, most of the time in an elevator. Usually I take an elevator to go down and stairs to go up (quite a fitness buff these days) but on this particular day I had a box in my hand and decided to take an elevator to go up. One of the Fab serviceman (may be around 55) in a blue uniform was already inside. Seeing the my hands full he quipped, "Which floor?" "4th Floor, Thank you." I said. "Oh, You are one of those big influential staffs sitting on the 4th floor?" He responded. I started laughing and explaining him that I am one of the plentiful PhDs enjoying good times in IMEC. I have very few powers to steer the way things are done here (or anywhere) and I am very far from those who are really influential in spending big money to steer next generation technology and I have no control whatsoever on these things. After listening to all my blah blah blah....he bamboozled me with a single sentence/question, "Aren't you a master of yourself?" and walked away on the 2nd floor that links to 200mm fab...

So deep and so profound indeed. I was very much stunned and was very happy reflecting upon the incident. Sadly though, I have never been able to see him again. I hope the day comes soon....

Extraordinary picture depicting US economy crisis

A lot of times you become so very madly busy that time, days, weeks to pass so fast. So many things happen in so less time. Usual research lethargy vanishes and you are full steam focussed on finishing the tasks. There is no time for fun, checking cricket scores, or even checking personal mails. Tired before finishing your day you open your personal mail box and encounter a mail with a photo (pasted below) depicting the US economic crisis in a very apt manner and you burst out in laughter, huge laughter. George Washington is no doubt a very very worried man nowadays. This laugh is equivalent to 100 laughs during other times to me. Kudos to the artist and his stupendous imagination...