Monday, December 31, 2007

Error 410 : Moved Out

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This page has moved and can be found at http://ceebu.wordpress.com

Tuesday, May 23, 2006

Vocal and Instrumental

For those of you who dont know... I am music enthusiast and learnt music for nearly a year (when i was a Kid...) Music is a passion for me and there have been days when I used to spend the whole day just listening to music..

After becoming a "Router Doctor" things have been pretty busy and music has taken a backseat... But Now i am slowly beginning to come back to my passion again. I managed to buy a Electronic Keyboard (Yamaha-PSR 275) at a good deal from BestBuy, SanJose, when I had been to the US during Feb this year.. I have been wanting to record what I play on the PC since then - I need a Midi to USB cable for that - and only today I managed to find a "workaround".. ANd immediately put it to use and the result is this...



Also, I managed to record a song (sung by me) .....

This song was originally sung by Ilayaraja and is a devotional song...



My hands and throat need a lot of practise.. I'll need to dedicate some time everyday for practising vocal and learning keyboard...

*To DO List Item* Added !!!

Thursday, May 11, 2006

A R Rahman's Interview on CNN-IBN

I glanced to go through A R Rahman, (one of my Favourite musicians) interview on CNN-IBN.. Here is the link to that..

http://www.ibnlive.com/news/interview-sound-of-rahman/9722-3-single.html

Excerpt:
"He is considered India's most respected musicians. He has been credited with giving Indian film music a global, a more original, more unique sound. He is also one of the highest selling artists in the world, having sold more than 50 million albums in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi and English. He has also made a very successful crossover to the West, while his roots, his first love, continues to be Indian music. He is A R Rahman."

The first time I lsitened to "Roja" was when I was a school kid. I was travelling in my friends car when this music was playing. I dint know that it was Rahman's composition at that time but this song.. "Pudhu Vellai Mazhai"..; this song was JUST AWESOME.... I took to Rahman like a fish to the water right away !!!

That day on, I have been an avid fan of Rahman. (Though have not listened to much of Rahman's Hindi movies cause they usually turn out to be re-makes of tamil tunes and remakes dont have the same effect as the original ones)

Some of my all time fav's

1) Pudhu Vellai Mazhai - from Roja
2) En Veetu Thottathil - from Gentlement
3) Ennavale Ennvale - from Kadhalan
4) Mudhalvane - from Mudhalvan
5) Uppu Karuvadu - from Mudhalvan
6) Nila Kaigiradhu - from Indira
7) Theendai - from En Swasa Katre
8) Chinna Chinna Mazhai Thuligal - from En Swasa Katre
9) Sonnalum Ketpathillai - from Kadhal Virus
10) Enthan Vanil kadhal Nilave - from Kadhal Virus
11) Swasame - from Thenali
12) Konjam Nilavu - Thiruda Thiruda
13) Thee Thee - Thiruda Thiruda
14) Nenje Nenje - Ratchagan
15) Vennilave Vennilave - Minsara Kanavu (watch out for this song.. I might record this later and upload it)
16) Kannathil Muththamittal - from the same name movie
17) Sandai Kozhi - Aayutha Ezhuthu
18) Santhipoma - Enakku 20 Unakku 18
19) Katre En Vasal vandhal - Rhythm
20) Kandukondein Kandukondein - I Just LOVE Aishwarya in this song

I could go on and on.. the list is never ending...

Sunday, May 07, 2006

The Grind of Performance Appraisals

Here is an excellent article I read while glancing through the web.... This gives a typical insight into the Indian Call center scene and suggests methods that can be implemented to perform a fair appraisal.. The methodologies mentioned here will also help to reduce the attrition rates, since more focus is given to individuals...

Aditya's perspective

Aditya is an associate at a well-known BPO company. He joined the company about 8 months ago and felt that he was doing very well. For example, everytime he got an accolade (rave) from the client, his team leader would appreciate him during the team briefings. Once in a while, his team leader also told him that he was doing a good job (though he did not exactly tell him why).

A couple of days ago, the team leader called Aditya and scheduled an appraisal for the next day. This was the annual appraisal that was held in March every year at the company. Aditya was excited as he was expecting a raise and, possibly, a promotion (or atleast some new responsibility).

During the appraisal, Aditya got a shock to learn from his team leader that he was not performing well. He was infact, below average in terms of performance. The team leader also spoke of numerous complaints that other team members had against him. Aditya was also rated low on parameters such as “team player”, “extra miler”, “initiative” etc.

Today, Aditya put down his papers and is quitting the company. He feels that his team leader and his company have treated him unfairly.

Team Leader's perspective


Aditya is a bright person with a lot of potential. He shows flashes of brilliance sometimes, which earns him some rewards. But he is not consistent. He would do very well on some days, and poorly on others. The team leader told Aditya on many occasions to keep track of his performance scores.

In other areas, Aditya was just an average person. He never took initiative to do anything extra. There were times when Aditya did not turn up for work because the company transport did not arrive. To top it all, Anjali and Michael complained that Aditya was quite arrogant and boastful.

The team leader decided to take the opportunity to inform Aditya about all of these in the performance appraisal. Afterall, that’s what performance appraisals are for. At the end of the appraisal, the team leader thought he did a good job in communicating this to Aditya. He also got a commitment from Aditya that he would work hard this year to correct these problems. Considering this, Aditya’s resignation was a shock.

Why do such incidents occur during performance appraisals?


Most companies do a good job of informing team leaders about the company rules and regulation for conducting appraisals. This includes dates of appraisals, appraisal format sheets etc. Still, team leaders seem to be unaware of the importance of appraisals, how to prepare for them and how to conduct them. The matter is further complicated because many of them may have never experienced a good appraisal themselves, and hence don’t know how to conduct one.

Conducting a good appraisal is not rocket science. It just requires understanding of the appraisee’s mind, expectations and a good amount of preparation. At the heart of the appraisal is the fact that someone’s career and livelihood is being discussed. Therefore, it is an important event that deserves thorough preparation. The team leader should prepare to the extent he expects his manager to prepare for his (the team leader’s) appraisal. Here are some pointers for the same:

1.Year Round Data Gathering
Many team leaders tend to get ready for appraisals at the time their company announces the appraisal dates. This means they get anywhere from a week to about a month’s time before conducting the appraisals. This is not enough time to gather the complete annual data about the agent. In any case, human beings suffer from the “recency” effect. Team leaders are likely to remember the most recent events vividly and hence their mind gives more weightage to these events. For example, an agent may have been an excellent performer through the year. However, he may have done one blunder about a month before the appraisal. This fact may weigh heavily on the team leader’s mind, leading him to give lesser weightage to the excellent performance of the agent for the prior eleven months. Alternatively, an agent may have performed poorly for the 10 months. However, he has shown substantial improvement in the last two months. The team leader may give favourable ratings to this agent purely based on the last two month’s performance.

The way to get around this issue is to maintain a file for each agent in the team. The team leader can spend about 10 minutes every week to update these files. The files will contain all information about each agent as regards their performance, initiatives taken, team work, complaints etc. i.e. anything that will affect their performance. Before an appraisal, the team leader can refresh his memory about all the incidents through the year so that the agent can be fairly appraised for the whole year, and not just for the recent past.

2.No Negative Surprises

The team leader has ample opportunities to inform the agent about his/her performance. There opportunities come in the form of coaching sessions, monthly reviews or even during breaks/lunch/dinners etc. When the agent walks into the room for the appraisal, he should already know what to expect. The worst thing that can happen is for an agent to think he is good, and get a diametrically opposite message from his team leader during the appraisal.

Many team leaders feel that agents have access to their performance data, and hence they ought to know how they are performing. While this may be true, agents may not be able to appreciate the effect of this data on themselves in terms of their performance appraisals. Taking an analogy, many people are aware of how much they earn. However, they may not know the impact of their earning on the taxes they have to pay, the savings they have to make, or even what should be their financial goals. From an agent’s performance perspective, this type of visibility is available only to the team leader, who must discuss the agent’s performance metrics, its impacts on the process/client/company/agent, and possible consequences (good or bad) at every available opportunity.

3.Plenty of Pre-Work
Before starting any appraisal, team leaders need to ensure that they have spent sufficient time reviewing the agent’s data. This is very similar to preparing for an exam. The same importance should be given here. The team leader needs to review performance metrics, agent’s files, previous reviews, progress on action plans, execution on extra responsibility, attendance records etc. Just gathering this data for each agent can take more than half a day (assuming the data is available). Studying the data, analyzing and arriving at conclusions can take a few more hours. This time is worth it because, as mentioned earlier, it’s a person’s career and livelihood we are talking about. Even if the agent is not serious, the team leader must be very serious about this activity.

Another aspect of pre-work is to keep all documentation ready before the appraisal meeting begins. If the team leader interrupts the meeting to fetch any document that is missing, then continuity is lost. The team leader then has the overhead of bringing back the continuity.

4.Collaborative Sessions
Unless scientifically proven, most people like to go through their own experience before they decide on a course of action or buy into a solution provided by others. An appraisal is no different. While it is very easy for the team leader to tell the agent about his performance and what he should be doing next, the agent may not be convinced unless he is given a chance to air his views. Therefore, appraisals should be collaborative sessions where the agent and the team leader discuss (or even argue) issues.

The end result of appraisals could be something that is not favourable to the agent in the short run. If the agent has to buy into this end result, he must be encouraged to talk and air his views. This means, even before the appraisal session begins, the agent must be given atleast one week to prepare for the event. He should even be coached as to how the appraisal process will be conducted and what his role will be. This process will ensure 2-way communication thereby resulting in greater chances of agent buy-in.

5.Career Planning
The appraisal process is also an opportunity for the team leader to help the agent plan his career. This could be for the next role as well as for long-term career goals. This process is often left out in appraisals with agents. Part of the reason, as mentioned before, is that team leaders themselves may not know how to be career counselors (they may not have gone through this exercise before). There are many career planning tools that team leaders can use. Companies need to acquire these tools and train team leaders on how to use them.

The appraisal process is a time for not just looking at past performance, but to also look at the future. If the agent sees that the current job offers a path towards his career objectives, he will be more inclined to stay with the company and would probably be more satisfied with his current job.

6.Physical Environment
Last but not the least, the physical environment in which the appraisal is conducted must be conducive for the event. Physical environment includes the following:

Conducting the appraisal in a room in a one-on-one setting rather than conducting it in a public setting.
Ensuring that the table is clear of all clutter. Only appraisal related documents should be placed on it.
Ensuring that the chairs are comfortable. Damaged chairs, squeaky chairs etc. will serve as distractions.
Ensuring that there is water available. If an agent gets emotional, this will come in handy. Consumption of water calms down people.
Ensuring there is sufficient stationary (pens, pencils, blank papers etc.)

Conducting performance appraisals can be very unpleasant of one is not prepared. The above mentioned points can go a long way in making an appraisal a positive experience for both the team leader and the agent.

Sunday, April 23, 2006

Election and People's Psychology

What a time to write an article about an election that I was a part of... and when I mean part of I dont mean as a voter... but as a contestant !!

No... No.. I am not talking about the General Assembly elections being held in TamilNadu.. I am talking about the Election of the Office bearers of the JARWA - Jains Apoorva Residents Welfare Association.

"Jains Apoorva" is the name of the apartment complex that I live in. There are a total of 96 flats here. And once a year the General Body meeting is held and the office bearers and the commitee members are elected. This GBM is also the day when the accounts of the part year are presented by the office beares and the GB accepts the same.

This is the first GB meeting I was attending so I was a newbie here. My name was already a lil famous in my apartment complex because I sang a song at one of the functions held by the association. (Chennai Sentamizh maranden unnale). The ougoing treasurer was also a known personality since he was the one to whom the monthly maintanence charges were handed over. Knowing a few people who had been gathered in the meeting, I occupied one of the first few rows to be able to understand what is going on in the meeting. I also asked a few questions with regards to the statement of accounts and made a few statements on matters of common interest.

The actual election of new office bearers got delayed due to arguments on various matters. By the time the election was to be conducted, the actual number of people in the meeting was atleast halved (not that everyone of the association members was available in the first place !!!) Then, the actual election took place - one person had to propose a name and depending upon the response from everyone he was either selected or someone else was selected. By the same method I was elected as the Joint Secretary of JARWA.

This was a good experience in terms of elections and gave me some thoughts into the general elections that are usually conducted and about the contestants... (Due to lack of time, I will continue this in a different blog).

Monday, April 17, 2006

Domain Maximus: Sidin's guide to the greatest Indian cricketers

Domain Maximus: Sidin's guide to the greatest Indian cricketers... Really Hilarious post.. Must Read for any Indian who knows what cricket is !!..

Tuesday, January 31, 2006

Autograph song for SW Professionals

Autograph song "Manasukullay kaadhal vandhichaa " for S/W Professionals

Pallavi

Jobsite il posting vandhichaaa ... vandhallo vandhallo
cell phonil interview vandhichaa ... vandhallo vandhallo
emailil offer vandhichaaa ... vandhallo vandhallo
speed postil letterum vandhichaa .. vandhallo vandhallo

ada indha offer podhaa dhenrum
innum konjam venum endrum
vera offer theda thonichaaaa.........

Charanam1:

mattamaana course ellaam padichiruppa.. adhey adhey..
fake aana experience poetiruppa... adhallo..
DTP velaiyellam senjiruppa..
aanaaa Technical writernu Solliyiruppa..

idhu thappu illa bayappada thevai illa...
indha industryil idhu romba sagajam pulla..
inga programming therinjavan yavanumilla...
ada interviewil vaay pechu jeyukkum pulla..

ada copy & paste pannavanellam professionalnu sollikitrukkaan..
neeyum adichu vidummmaaaa........

Jobsite il posting vandhichaaa ... vandhallo vandhallo......


Charanam2:

canteenil adhigamaaa irundhiruppa... adhey adhey..
computeril games ellam vilayaaduva.. adhallo...
PM ukku sombu nallaa adichiruppa.. avan naaykuttyku
biscuit ellaam poettiruppa...

idhu thappu illa bayappada thevaiyilla..
un PM kooda ippadithaan vandhaan mela..
ada kashtapattu ulachavan yavanumilla..
indha asingatha veliyila sonnaa tholla...

ada naayi vesham poettivitta kolachithaan aaganumay..
nallaa vaala aattu.....

Jobsite il posting vandhichaaa ... vandhallo vandhallo......