Travail

I wonder why 'travail', which in French means 'work', means 'difficulty' in English ? A strange co-incidence, or is it not? Just a random thought. Actually not such a random thought. Why is it not such a random thought? Well, you need to read on to find that on. Yes, read on.

So I just spent a most fun weekend in Chicago. It was a new hire gathering party by this company I am joining in July. As most of you might have noticed, I usually avoid going into the sordid details of activities that I must perform to keep arm and leg together. Also, I am most wary about disclosing work related information, as knowing myself I am likely to shoot my mouth off, which just might result in me getting shot off in turn (fired :)). However, in sum, they do have large sums of money, and seem to be ok partaking some of it on their new hires. I have no objection to that. Who doesn't ? Isn't my rhetoric business getting on your nerves? Or is it not?

So, I got put up in this most heavenly hotel. Earlier they had put me up here. I would have prefered cold cash instead, for the following reasons -

• I am not really into the watching tv while soaking in the bath tub.
• I don't care if the soup has minerals from the "cold reaches of the andes". I just wan't to be clean without smelling like a florist.
• More importantly, I am having serious issues breaking even with my rent. Thats 6 months right there handsome.
• Also, seeing Bentley GTs and Porshe Carreras parked at the entrance is most self deluding. Though I do love to travel, this is an ego-trip I just cannot afford. I have to keep reminding 'Bugger %$**#^&**$*(*#& you DONT have that kind of money. So, don't get any bright ideas!'. (However, I must admit that I have been most tempted to filch one of those things. It's quite easy. The keys are with the valet. You just need to act really smooth and suave, pretend you have lost your slip, and get him to fetch it for you. Just to get the image all together, give him a 100$ tip. He needs it, because he just lost his job. He he.)
  

However, I must admit that I do like this most alluring voice that calls me at 7 in the morning and says, "This is your wake up call sir. Is there something you would like have for breakfast?". You feel all important and like half a sneeze from you can push the Nasdaq 100 points. Also, you are reluctant to disappoint such an enchanting voice - you wake you.

Now, with all this staying in fancy-pancy hotels, there is this most frightening increase in expectations. There was a time, when I would been overjoyed if my room had a stainfree bed and a flushed toilet. Now, I very carefully scrutinize how the foyer is done up and reach a most irrevocable judgement. I guess J-Lo notices if her bed linen isn't made from the finest French satin. See, how much ever you have, you still succeed in feeling miserable! Cool! Yay!

The other thing that goes with such lifestyles is this tendency to delude oneself. Looking at gold bars doesn't make you rich. You need to rob a bank or two. I was with some kids who already work there, and some of the conversation snippets went like this -

Him : Dude, the penthouse costs 4.
Me: 400,000? *gulp*
Him: No dude, 4 millon.
Me : Okkkk. * $%^$%$^% - insert your choiciest string of expletives*

Jokes apart, I found my 25 or so co-hires to be most smart and impressive. Almost all of them were FOBs (Fresh Off the Boats) or 2nd generation Americans. Also, most were of Asian or Eastern European origin. That scares me a bit. Though I would think that I am a pretty competent type person, this competition business is most emotionally straining. I spent 4 of my undergraduate years in a class where over performance was the norm.Its not so much fun I tell you.

*Begin Digression*
To give you an idea of what happens, if asked to write a program that adds 2 numbers, half the class will come up with simulators that can calculate the trajectories of inter continental ballistic missiles. There was once, when they found out that a couple of guys in the class had managed to sneak through a couple of research publications. Such publications are very prized, because they validate that you can do 'research', and are looked on very favorably by all Amrikan Universities. So, since nobody wanted to feel left out, before the end of the year, there were about 15 publications between the class! Consider this with the fact that, yours truly after 2 years in graduate school has managed a grand total of zero publications. In my defense, a couple of publications are in the pipeline. Don't say mean things about me ok?
*End Digression*

Anyway, coming back, there was this one person from the group whose mother used to change linen in hotels. Another, whose dad is a big investment banker in China. One is from Harvard the other from MIT. One could possibly have funded half her class through college, the other possibly not. Its all about what you can do, not who you are (or more correctly what your daddy did). Fair. If only our Indian politicians can learn. Whats with this 50% reservation for the IITs? You cannot have the cake and eat it no. Either you can favor those you like or those who are good. You cannot favor those you like and expect them to change the world.