alleviate - a reduce strain
mnemonic - a memory aid/a symbol

Achievement: First salary: 49,393/- ... humble beginnings.

quiescent - inactivity/repose
antipathy - dislike/opposite of sympathy

obfuscation - to make obscure/unclear
visceral - basic needs
modicum - moderate

I won't complain because I didn't deserve anything. Even this is more than what I deserved. I was just not ready. But I am getting ready now. I can feel the rush in my bones. In the future I will earn and deserve whatever I get.

Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.

"As a result of this, you may hear mention of the Useless Use of Cat Award (UUoC), also known in some circles as The Award For The Most Gratuitous Use Of The Word Cat In A Serious Shell Script being bandied about on the comp.unix.shell newsgroup from time to time."
- Got from a very famous shell scripting tutorial site.

stymied - thwart
lynchpin - a central cohesive element
rescind - to repeal/anull
panacea - remedy for all diseases

inane - lacking meaning
urbane - very formal
avarice - greed
facsimile - and exact copy

"Buying new soul" ...
Interesting ... till about 3 months before college placements I was still under the impression that the firm was a consulting firm! The heights of ignorance and unpreparedness ...

Fortune favours those who are prepared, and kills those who are not.

idiosyncrasy - a habit peculiar to a particular individual
fulsome - excessive flattering
unpropitious - unfavourable
superannuation - pension fund

specter - a ghostly apparition
preclude - prevent

"Now one of the world's rarest and most elusive of mammals, the South China tiger is fully protected by the Chinese government, with no more than 10-20 wild individuals estimated to remain along the remote border areas of China's rapidly developing provinces of Guangdong, Jiangxi, Fujian and Hunan."

... let mercy come and wash away what I've done.

tenuous - slender, thread like ... feeble
castigate - criticism
wrest - to pull or take control from

Yesterday marked the passing of Thamma. In a way, I will miss her.

A very important thought, which Rama mentioned today:
I am no longer in competition with my peers or contemporaries anymore. That was in college.
I am now in competition with and only with myself.

Day one at the firm

coercion - manipulating a person's actions/opinions
ergonomics - the scientific discipline for designing

Today was day one at the firm. The full magnitude of the disappointment has now finally hit me. But fretting will not help. This is the means rather than the ends. The road starts here and now.
Note to self: How can you judge them to be inferior to you, when you yourself are inferior?

An Old Story:

The Ant works hard in the withering heat all summer building its house and
laying up supplies for the winter.

The Grasshopper thinks the Ant is a fool and laughs & dances & plays the
summer away.

Come winter, the Ant is warm and well fed. The Grasshopper has no food or
shelter so he dies out in the cold.

Indian Version:

The Ant works hard in the withering heat all summer building its house and
laying up supplies for the winter.

The Grasshopper thinks the Ant's a fool and laughs & dances & plays the
summer away.

Come winter, the shivering Grasshopper calls a press conference and
demands to know why the Ant should be allowed to be warm and well fed
while others are cold and starving.
NDTV, BBC, CNN show up to provide pictures of the shivering Grasshopper
next to a video of the Ant in his comfortable home with a table filled
with food.

The World is stunned by the sharp contrast. How can this be that this poor
Grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?

Arundhati Roy stages a demonstration in front of the Ant's house.

Medha Patkar goes on a fast along with other Grasshoppers demanding that
Grasshoppers be relocated to warmer climates during winter .
Mayawati states this as `injustice' done on Minorities.

Amnesty International and Koffi Annan criticize the Indian Government for
not upholding the fundamental rights of the Grasshopper.

The Internet is flooded with online petitions seeking support to the
Grasshopper (many promising Heaven and Everlasting Peace for prompt
support as against the wrath of God for non-compliance) .

Opposition MPs stage a walkout. Left parties call for 'Bengal Bandh' in
West Bengal and Kerala demanding a Judicial Enquiry.
CPM in Kerala immediately passes a law preventing Ants from working hard
in the heat so as to bring about equality of poverty among Ants and
Grasshoppers.

Lalu Prasad allocates one free coach to Grasshoppers on all Indian Railway
Trains, aptly named as the 'Grasshopper Rath'.

Finally, the Judicial Committee drafts the ' Prevention of Terrorism
Against Grasshoppers Act' [POTAGA], with effect from the beginning of the
winter.

Arjun Singh makes 'Special Reservation ' for Grasshoppers in Educational
Institutions & in Government Services.

The Ant is fined for failing to comply with POTAGA and having nothing left
to pay his retroactive taxes,it's home is confiscated by the Government
and handed over to the Grasshopper in a ceremony covered by NDTV.

Arundhati Roy calls it ' A Triumph of Justice'.

Lalu calls it 'Socialistic Justice '.

CPM calls it the ' Revolutionary Resurgence of the Downtrodden '

Koffi Annan invites the Grasshopper to address the UN General Assembly.

Many years later...

The Ant has since migrated to the US and set up a multi-billion dollar
company in Silicon Valley,

100s of Grasshoppers still die of starvation despite reservation somewhere
in India,

..
...AND

As a result of loosing lot of hard working Ants and feeding the
grasshoppers,
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
India is still a developing country .... how is that

sanguine - cheerfully optimistic
fair value - unbiased value of an asset
contango - upward sloping futures curve
backwardation - a futures market scenario where the future price of a commodity is lower than current price
invective - a railing accusation
arms length principle (ALP) - condition stating that the two parties to a contract/agreement are on equal footing and are independent i.e, they are not related in any way, nor do they have common interests. E.g Lehman Bros. and R3 claim to be operating at arms length even though rumours suggest otherwise.
travails - work of intense painful/stressful nature
etymology - branch of linguistics which traces the historical origins of a

arrears - delays in payments
indenture - a legal contract between two parties
po-faced - blank look on the face
hedonism - philosophy which believes in ultimate pleasure
foible - flaw in character or behaviour
doodle - aimless/foolish activity

Note to self: Never have any preconceived notions of anything. Take things as they come and then formulate your opinions/plans.

supercilious - haughty and indifferent
sophistry - sophistication
hacks - journalists (fuckers, at least in general)
bowels turning to water - feeling of horror in a adverse situation

"Yesterday we went to the teetotal reception at Prince Mohammed's palace, and today I've got the most frightful hangover."

- Jim Hacker, The Hacker Diaries from Yes Minister - The Moral Dimension.


Moved to Bombay yesterday, and settled down into the lovely little apartment, I am sharing with Mehta. Not a bad place, Bombay, though not a patch on Delhi. Liking it, will settle down well here. For the time being ...