Denying Appraisals

Its been 4 months that my boss told me "You are due for a huge appraisal once you finish your MCSD.Net". I was left with just 2 exams at that time and I am still left with 2. I haven't made the attempt to clear them. It would have taken me just a month if I had to clear them but I have chosen otherwise. Reason - If i would take my exams my notice period with stretch to 2 months which I really don't like. I just don't trust the organization enough. Especailly looking at their past records...

So, I have been denying my appraisal for the last 4 months. I could have earned an additional 60K but... I even had a confrontation with my boss regarding this and i told him what was on my mind.
Result - the notice period will not change automatically at appraisals.

Big Win for me? Not exactly, because if I take my appraisal then the unrealistic expectations of the management will increase and I will be put under more pressure. Its me who is loosing either way. I get 20k and I work more then the people who take double the amount I get. And those who get the same as me don't work at all.

The management likes people who are ready to wag their tale in front of them for ever. They want bonded labor. And there are people who are willing to do that. By paying me a higher salary the management might be looking to

# put a ton of work on my plate.
# buy my faith
# doing away with the fear of me leaving out of this organization.

I may be wrong but this is what my perception is, at this time.

I have denied my appraisal for last 4 months and will continue to do so until I move out or the management shifts from its biased double standard thinking. Lets see who blinks first.......

12 Hour Shifts

I am going through a really tough period in my professional career. We just have a 3 member team and we are expected to create magic with our keyboards. Actually, we are not even 3. The TL has been real busy for a long time now and as of now he is not here. Result - me working late in office, carrying the load of the team, churning out whatever i can. My 8 hour job is now a 12 hour one and even more at times. I have got just no time for myself.

This is not the first time that the Management has been unrealistic and unreasonable in their expectations from me. Really, don't understand their theory. I don't know what they plan for me but i am sure it can be more work what else can they think of.

Poor me under so much stress and don't really have anyone to share my workload with. And on top of all this i have to listen to everything the management has to say.

If i loved my work any lesser, i would have resigned by now... but it is my love for my job which is keeping me alive in this organization.

Om Shanti Om - Reviewed

If u r a big fan of the 70's then this one is definitely for u. The movie is about reincarnation, something that was very common in the 70's Bollywood.

The movie looked good in the first but the 2nd half was a hangover of Rishi Kapoor starrer Karz.
The treatment of the movie is really lame and its not something that you would really expect from this movie.

The movie has done well due to its release during diwali season.

While the hype was huge, the movie didn't lived upto the expectations. Still if u r a Shahrukh Khan fan u will love this.

Saawariya - Reviewed

Last evening I went out to watch the much awaited Saawariya with my pals. Well, i am not hugely disapponited in the movie. It is a story well written and well told. And the actors really stand out.

The entire movie is shot in a single set and the backdrop has a bluish hue. The director has kept it really simple. And this simplicity helps to bring out the characters and the story and makes sure that the viewers attention is on the main storyline.

Saawariya is set in a dreamland. A place you won't find on earth, i guess. The movie is about a boy, a boy every girl will dream of - Saawariya, and his love for this girl Sakina. Ranbir and Sonam had looked good and supporting cast has also impressed (Zohra Seghal, Salman Khan, Rani Mukhrjee etc.).

The entire movie looks beautiful. This sure is a movie not for the masses but if you a purist and you like threatre kind of cinema it will be a treat for u.

Om Shanti Om VS. Saawariya

The last week saw the release of 2 big films - King Khan starrer Om Shanti Om and Ranbir Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor's dream debut Saawariya. While Om Shanti Om is a full-on masala movie while Saawariya is a romantic flick. Both movies had big expectations. Both the directors, Farah Khan and Sanjay Leela Bhansali had great success with their previous ventures. Farah is known for her vibrant full of life movies while Bhansali is a different director, a purist's delite.

It was quite strange to me how the whole nation got it wrong. It was not Farah vs. Bhansali nor it was King Khan vs. Ranbir Kapoor. Rather it all boiled down to Shahrukh at one and Bhansali at other. A great actor against an amazing director. Well we can only wait and say what the critics and more importantly the viewers have to say. Best of luck to both the movies.