Play to win an H1B Visa !

Yes ! Starting this year every April 1st, you can play the all new USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immegration Services) Lottery ! And yes, its totally different from the normal lotteries ... If you are the chosen one, you get an H1B visa but even if you lose, you get all your money back !! Do you have it in you ? Do you have what it takes ?

Seriously, this could very well be a new ad for USCIS H1B visa process !! Ok, enough of fun ! But, seriously, isnt this the state of the current H1B application process ? Ok, let me start from the beginning... H1B is the work visa USCIS offers to a US non-resident which allows one to work in US for a period of 3 years at a time. However, you can only apply for a new H1B visa during the period of April 1st - October 1st. Not only that, the total H1B visas given every year is also fixed and called as the 'H1B cap'. This cap is currently set to 65K (This was initially 195K and was changed to 65K in 2004) This appplies for ANY international student and NOT just for Indians.

Well, as most of you might be aware of (if not, read this), this year USCIS received 150K applications on April 2nd itself for the H1B visa. This quota of 65K, the cap was reached on day 1 of the allotted 6 months period !!! And USCIS was expecting another 150K applications to be made on April 3rd. Thats 300K applications, 5 times the quota !! So, USCIS announced that it will reject (!!) all applications made after April 3rd onwards. But that does NOT solve the real problem, does it ?

The real problem is choosing those lucky (!!) 65K candidates out of the 300K !! So, USCIS has decided on a 'random' selection process. All those chosen will get H1B this year and those who are not so lucky (at least) get their money back ...

So what went wrong ? Suddenly how come there are so many applicants ? Well, the market is much better right now ! All the companies are hiring big time !! So, all the Masters students are graduating as early and as fast as they can ... The offshoring is going on but I think its close to its saturation level and hence, the hiring here has accelerated ... Also, already working people are getting married and trying to get their spouses to US on H1 (including me :) ) ... All those who missed out on the opportunity last year are trying it now ... also there are the visa conversions ... H4 to H1, F1 to H1, L1 to H1 and so on ...

You will ask so what ? well, a hard limit of 65k was never gonna be enough .. As more and more people come to US (and there is no limit on the number of F1(student), L1 (exchange work) visas issued), one day 65K was gonna seem like just a small drop of water in front of ocean of thursty people ... Its just that that day is here already !! Sooner that expected ... So, all of the applicants have to play this lottery ... Appplying for premium processing helps in a way as the processing is done faster and you get to know the result faster ! At least, you are informed earlier - accepted or not ! So at least you can act accordingly on your backup plans !

So, hang in there in guys and gals ! My full sympathy is with you ... Will you make it in the 20% ? Unless, USCIS decides to change it back to 195K or more, its gonna be the story every year ... This is funny ... On a normal day, I would never think like this but now I just hope this 'random' selection is as 'random' as the selection for 'bag security check' at the airports !! I am almost confident of getting selected every year - let them make the chances down to 5% :) !!

Well, jokes apart, I myself am trying for my fiance' ! so wish us luck :) ...

Where are we headed ?

It is a world of quickness & swiftness ... 'slow and steady wins the race' just doesnt cut it anymore ... its more like 'fast and accelerating has a chance to win the race ' ... everything around you is about being ahead of time, ahead of everyone around you and if thats not enough, its about being ahead of yourself ! And as they say, this is just the beginning ... Though all this sounds very energizing and very happening, you really need to take a break and ask yourself, where is this going ? Where am I going with this ? Am I making the right decisions or just making quick decisions .. worse enough hasty decisions ?

They tell you, this current world is about you and you only ... whole world centered around you .. its the so-called 'individualism' that matters and nothing else ... while following and creating an identity for yourself, dont you think we are losing our identities altogether ? Identity is merely how many pages of results does google return when your name is typed ... right ? Tell me, how difficult is it for someone to steal your identity these days ? Take any way of communication, emails, phones, letters, online services like orkut ... anything and everything is full with scams and people hacking profiles and stealing identities ... So its NOT about individualism then ... right ? Its more like saving your identity than to make a new one ... thats why you shouldnt put your snaps on orkut .. thats why you shouldnt chat with a stranger ... and the list of dont's just goes on ... If this is just the beginning, then where are we headed ?

They tell you, its about advancement ... Its about moving ahead ... is it really ? Finding new weapons to threaten each other, kill each other and better (rather worse) ways of mass destruction ... is that what the development is all about ? Is it about providing a safe world to everyone or is it about a world filled with fear ? Are we entering the new era of development or destruction ? Why do we still have the hanging sword of global warming then ? I have touched this topic in one of my recent posts as well ! again, where are we headed ?

They tell you, its about being a winner ... and how does one define the term 'winner' ? is it someone who just goes ahead in his life at the cost of his/ her loved ones or by pressing everyone else down ? Or is winner a person, whos good at everything and not just one thing ? Gone are the days of 'jack of all and master of none ' ... you need to be a 'master of all' or if not, 'jack of all' at least to get some kind of recognition ! 'Master of one' is a complete loser ... A winner is someone who has achieved all the wealth at a young age or is it someone who faces life happily and is satisfied ? Do you know what you are ? which category you are in ? again, where are we headed ?

Who cares if you are a good friend, a good person, a good son, a good father, a good mother, a good person overall ? No one has time for that ! Relationships is whats better known as 'networking' these days ! Its about your network and who you know these days than who you care for and who care for you in return ... 'uski pahuch bahut lambi hai bhai, usse bach ke rehna' tells us something .. doesnt it ?

Dont get me wrong... Its not like I am against this whole advancement and this happening age.. I like it too but then I would like to pause for a bit ... think it over .. take some baby steps for a while, give it a rest and then get back in the game with a definite plan ... based on the previous experiences ... I do understand, when there is something positive figured out by 10 ppl after years and years of research, a thousand minds think about how to use it negatively ... there are always dangers while crossing road but we dont stop walking on roads... I am aware of that .. but then if we all become good drivers and pedestrians, we can walk safely ... without fear .. isnt it ? It has to start from one person .. power of one is beyond imagination ...

Life is funny and it gets at you fast .. Its better to be prepared for the rainy day !! You need to be fast for the world and steady for yourself to not outrun yourself .. your thoughts ... your goals .. your life ! As far as I think, thats when you will be a winner !

and yes, I never said its easy ! :)

Trigger: Orkut - Storm Warning by Selma

India and ....

Its been quite sometime since I blogged anything ... the excuse on my end ? 'I am in India' and I am trying to be away from my US-robot-friend 'computer' (hum use pyaar se 'comp' kehete hai :) ) as much as possible ... also the blogspot is more than just 'slow' from my place here in Dombivli ! so anyway, all in all, I havent blogged for more than a month now ... so what was I doing ?

I am in India since Jan 3rd .. and apart from enjoying the 'king-like' stay here, I am watching / following the life here in India ... trying to see whats changed since august 2002 (thats when I left India for US) and no matter how many times I have visited India in last 4+ years, the image thats recorded in my mind is still that of the year 2002... so everytime I visit India, I find it different .. to say the least :) !

The post title 'India and ...' does not mean to add to my excuse list of not being able to blog ... instead I was planning on reviewing a few major things I have seen in the last 20 odd (btw, why do they call 'xx odd' always 'even' if the figure xx is 'even' ? ) days ..there is more to it than whats mentioned below ... before I start, a disclaimer : The following observations are based on parts of India I have visited this time in the timeframe of 25 days ...

1. India and 'FM' : I remember the only thing you could listen to in a car, bus etc in 2002, was songs using personal cd / casette players ... In 2002, 'radio mirchi' was an experiement in its 'infant' stages ... in fact many youngsters (including me) had considered 'radio' as the old-man's only entertainment device .. my parents used to tell me stories of 'binaca geet mala' and all ... but I never came close to listening to radio when I was in India ... but these days, 'radio' is everywhere ... radio mirchi, radio city, red fm etc etc and the list is unending .. and the whole of the young generation listens to it with complete concentration ... girls do 'aaye haye' along with 'anirudh' on radio city or sometimes boys have a 'muskaan' to make them smile ...

2. India and Mobiles : I never had a mobile in India .. it was only after a year's stay in US, I was introduced to the world of mobiles. However, nowadays starting from a high class businessman to a roadside bhajiwali - everyone (and I mean EVERYONE) carries a mobile phone and not just any mobile phone- one with a camera, mms, radio, mp3 player, bluetooth / IR and what not ...

3. India and Traffic : The world-infamous indian driving and indian traffic has been getting worse and worse day by day ... More and more imported cars are getting introduced here with honda, toyora, ford, chevrolet already in Indian markets and as of today, 'nissan' also making its way in ... the traffic is not only because of the cars, but also due to the increasing two-wheelers. Have you been to 'Pune' recently ? just try driving around 10 - 10.30 am there ... its a hell .. as my 'mama' says, 'if you take your hand out to indicate a turn signal, there is every possibility that someone will take that hand along' ! jokes apart but the traffic is just horrible these days ! The traffic was bad then but current state is becoming worse with the increasing vehicles and absence of rules/regulations ...

4. India and Internet : The Internet always meant 'dial-up' and most people didnt even know of any other method of going online. Things have improved drastically. Dial up has been pretty much wiped out and 'broadband' or at least 'high speed' such as cable internet has taken its place. Many things such as bank accounts, reservations, shares etc are available online these days (though with a extra nominal fee). Things are improving and India is getting connected to the whole world in a whole new way.

5. India and Lifestyle : The Indian lifestyle overall has changed quite a bit with the offshoring of US based industries .. also the youth these days does not believe in 'savings' .. its becoming more of a 'spending' economy like the US... youngsters earn enough money these days to live a luxury life including the daily travel via AC buses, spending 1000s rupees on lunch and dinner and discos ... its changing and changing very very fast ... More and more people are interested in show-off work than the actual earnings .. All have mobiles and ipods and what not ... The phrase 'can I afford this ' meant could you buy that thing and have some money left as savings ? and now all it means is whether you can buy it ... and moreover, can you take some money from somewhere (loan etc) and buy it ? feel the change ?

I am sure there are more things to add here and the list is just unending ... I am stopping here for now ... if you feel anything else needs to come in these first five things that changed, do let me know !

(Guys ) Shopping for clothes in US ?

I have literally given up ! Given up on buying clothes in US !! There .. I said it ! .. its official now !! ;)

There is hardly any chance of finding any variety / any fancy clothes for guys in US ! Walk inside a big store / mall, all you can find is 98% space is occupied with clothes for girls, women, pregant ladies, jewellary, home stuff etc and last 2% (kopche mein kahi to) there will be a section for clothes for guys .. no variety no colors, no designs, no creativity except a few words on the front / back .. here and there ... If you are looking to buy something cheap then all you can get are complerely plain shirts in very simple unattractive (gym-type) colors ... if you are XXXL size, you have a higher chance of finding some variety ! Same thing with pants ...

India is THE place if you want some variety and in-fashion clothes ! Every time I go to India, I shop for the next 1 - 1.5 years ( till the next visit !) .. Its sad but its true !

Interesting questions on blogspot ...

I encountered some funny blogspot questions for profiles .. Pretty good (and some very very weird too) ones actually ! Made me think .. thought will share with you guys ... :)

1. Radio wire is often used to make bird nests. What station do they listen to?

2. Your hand has been replaced with rubber stamps .. what does it say ?

3. When you spilled the milk, did it look like the moon?

4. Well, maybe they don't need them, but don't you think that some fish might like a bicycle?

5. How do you pronounce the 'g' in bologna?

6. You've successfully slain the dragon! How will you toast your marshmallows?

7. Come up with some possible band names for your group that features a washboard and a styrofoam tuba.

8. You have to dig a hole to China. Where do you start?

Sometimes I tend to modify my profile just out of curiosity .. just to see what questions I get and how would I answer them .. pretty interesting question huh ! :)

Sonu Nigam - Best of the Best

I was just listening to this 'Mere Haath Mein Tera Haath Ho" from Fanaa ... and I have kept it on repeat mode for last I dont know how many times ... Of course the lyrics are great and also the music ... But what makes it best is Sonu Nigam's voice ... I am a huge huge huge fan of Sonu Nigam ... all of my close friends know how much I love his voice ... This post is dedicated to him ... He deserves many more like these ... :) .. here is a look at his journey ...

What can I say ? The only son of "Agam Kumar Nigam" (BTW he is a very famous singer in north) .. born on July 30 (Leo) ... With music running in his blood, this kid made his first stage appearance at the age of 3 and kept winning all competitions till the age of 18 when he moved to Mumbai for a serious career in Singing .. But things were not so easy for him ... He had to struggle a lot before Gulshan Kumar heard him and gave him his first super hit 'Accha Sila Diya Tune Mere Pyar Ka' from 'Bewafa Sanam' ... People started noticing him a little ... He was only 18 !

But even after that he didnt get the kind of break he wanted ... he kept singing (or imitating to the finest) Mohd. Rafi's old songs ... He had a moderate success ... Then came "Sa Re Ga Ma" .. The Zee TV show which gave him the opportunity to go to each and every house in India .. Sonu grabbed this opportunity and made full use of it ! His anchoring, style of singing, his lovely voice .. everything was so captivating ! Everyone starting from grandparents to kids started noticing Sonu ... since then his career has been flourishing ..

He started getting more offers for movie songs .. and he lived upto the expectations ..rather very well exceeded them ... Border (what a song Sandese Aate Hai !), Taal, Sangharsh (Lovely songs esp. Mujhe Raat Din Bas Mujhe !!), Saathiya (melodious !), Pukar, Refugee(Panchee Nadiya .. ), Dil Se (Satrangee re .. such a difficult song to sing !!), Dil Chahta Hai(Tanhayee ..), K3G(Surja Hua Maddham) .. Kal Ho Na Ho .. and the list goes on ... But not only did he capture the movie music world, he also entered into the pop world ... His album "Deewana" sold millions and millions of copies ... and he continued giving his best with Mausam, Jaan, Yaad Chanda Ki Doli and many others ... Every song he sang was with his complete heart ... every song deserved an award ..and he did win several of them ... But I think awards was just another stamp that he'z the best ...

Be it a happy song, party song, pop song, sad song or bhajan or classical ... be it any song ! Sonu can sing it ... and sing it better than others ... his happy songs will make u happy and sad songs will bring tears in ur eyes ... Another great virtue of this singer is his ability to change voice as per the actor ... he has sung for Shahrukh, Salman, Aaamir, Govinda, Sanjay, Bobby, Akshay Khanna, Akshay Kumar and every other hero ... and it never feels like a mismatch of voice ... and thats coz of his efforts to change his voice ...

Its tough to say which is his best song ... esp because he has sung so many and with such variety ... I think his best sad song would be "Tanhayee" from DCH ... high pitch song would be Satrangee re or "Rabba Mere Rabba ... Is Pyaar Ko Main Kya naam doo "... both these songs are very very high pitched ... Happy song ... well thats a tough one .. there are so many ! romantic song according to me would be a tie between 'Yuhi Ham Tumse Pyaar' from Khakee & 'Haan Mujhe Bas Mujhe' from Sangharsh ... well even the 'Dil hi dil mein humko maare' from Dum is also great ... truly, I dont know ... his every song is so good ... You listen to 'Kal Ho Na Ho" and the moment he starts singing 'Har Ghadi Badal Rahi Hai Roop Jindagi" and you are already bewitched ! bewitched with his charm ... It has never happened to me that I hear any of his song and I dont like it because he has done a bad job at it ! name one !! Music may not be good but just his voice takes the song up the charts !!

Shaan, Udit, Abhijeet, Kumar Sanu, (I hate him.. dil se ... I think he has done justice to only a few songs .. like Ek Ladki Ko dekha, Meri Mehbooba, Ai Kaash Ke Hum & maybe a few others ... but I am sure anyone would have sung them better than him ... anyway thats not the topic of this post is it ?) A R Rehman & others are good but I dont think anyone is even close to Sonu's talent, his voice, his modularity, his charm, his charisma, his style .... and I have not even spoken a word about his amazing looks & how handsome he is ...

Sonu, u r the BEST ! Keep singing such lovely songs .... hats off to you !

Nissan 350z

I love this car Nissan 350z and whenever I buy a new car(sometime this year), its gonna be this one !! This blog is dedicated to my next cool super-car !!

A coupe with futuristic style and at the same time enough horsepower (300hp!) to make you fly ! Its a complete package with looks and power !! Just google it and you will find so many photos ! Its an amazing car guys .. I recently test drove the 2006 Enthusiast model and I was blown away by the power this car has ...


I like black on cars ... Its very stylish ... Heres how my 350z would look like



Don't you think the taillights are just too good ? I think they are just too sexy !

Heres a close-up:

You know ideally I would like my car to have the lambo doors (u know those which open vertically upwards !!!) and undercar lights (yes, exactly remember fast and furious ?) ... Yes I cant wait to put the image of my car ... One day I will update my blog and put that pic in !! cross your fingers ... Its coming soon !!