According to TSN’s Darren Dreger, defenseman Sheldon Souray has supplied Oilers GM Steve Tambellini with a list of at least six teams he’d be willing to waive his no-trade clause to join.

On this list are Anaheim, Dallas and Los Angeles in the West and Washington, Philadelphia and the Rangers in the East.

Souray is sidelined indefinitely with a broken hand he suffered in a fight with Jarome Iginla Jan. 30, but it is believed he intends to return to the ice prior to the end of the regular season.

The report suggests team sources say that it’s doubtful a deal for Souray could be worked out prior to the Feb. 12th roster freeze.

1. Eye drops
2. Weighted leg extensions (especially if you are female)

Don’t drink coffee and tea out of the same mug if you haven’t completely washed it, even if it’s stainless steel.

I think I finally started to realize the reason the existence of the Pink Floyd album “The Wall”.

At the darkest nights, when I hope that the next day will be better enough, to be productive, to learn something new, to do something cool, I don’t like to think that all hope is futile at that time.

Let’s begin with examples.

1. One of teachers treats us like schoolchildren. Maybe she is just frustrated…!
2. She also wants us to draw every bits of schematic in a 74 series digital IC, every unused and useless things in our laboratory notebook. Still I am thankful to her, that she allows us to get creative, letting us write our own stuff in the laboratory notebooks. Irony is some people think that to be more difficult than just copying it from others.
3. We are not allowed to spend our off time outside our college campus.
4. No interesting stuff, only boring recap and recap. Even in communication subjects, it is not interesting enough in the classroom. It is better at the library, with the books. That is the saddest thing of the century.
5. I spent most of my time writing stuff like laboratory notebooks. How can I perfect my engineering like this?

No wonder he wanted to build the wall around him, to isolate him from the rest.

It is hard to get update the blog these days. I have been busy with my stuff for a few days. A very good friend of mine once told me that a busy man finds time for everything. So I am trying to get regular again.

These days I am getting less productive. I am feel baked all the time. Maybe it is because I am getting less sleep or maybe it is because I am somewhat frustrated, due to the system I am in.

Updated something strange as this in facebook “I started trying to be a Geek among n00bs years ago. Now I walk alone… But I cannot go back, can I?”

One good thing though, one of my friends read my blog. I liked that, someone actually read my blog. Cool it was!

Winter is going away from Northern Hemisphere, and Hell will start to melt everything all over again.

Recently I am trying to get a control over my dreams, it sounds FUN, but haven’t managed it yet.

More to come soon, as I will be trying to get regular again….

And this is the most FUN thing I built in recent days.

Oberweis 2% milk tastes like ice cream.

There comes a time when someone needs to step outside of their comfort zone and step up to bat. It’s inevitable, and you’d be surprised how often people neglect this fundamental requirement. Seriously, though? Are we really that anti-social that we hide in our houses or apartments and never bother checking to see what the rest of the world has to offer?

I’ve recently begun a new regime of self-improvement tactics. I’ve changed up my diet to be driven more by caloric intake instead of “OMG NOM NOM NOM!” I’ve gotten rid of most unhealthy habits I had prior to 20TEN starting: no more smoking, not even casually, water instead of soda… the occasional pink lemonade; sugar needs to end. However, contrary to popular belief, Lindt chocolate-hazelnut bars are NOT candy… they’re technically, and scientifically proven to be, a member of the meat family, protein, and 100% part of a normal balanced diet. Marshmallows are vegetables.

Maybe I won’t be single for the rest of my life. I’ve already slimmed down considerably; now all I have to do is get past the initial terror associated with what my mind seems to think people think of me.

That said, anyone single and wanna go on a date? Hell, even if you’re not single… haha… lets go out and eat! If you’re rich, smart, and breathe through your mouth, A++++.

Other NYE decrees include better accountability regarding my monthly budget, flex spending, and seeking medical attention for my addiction to buying electronics, physical fitness, keeping up with my laundry (haha, if you know me), figuring out what to do with the damn cats, and embracing my genetic handicap against being able to keep up with fashion.

Eru

occasionally, people like me talk about love. it is at such times that the earth collapses within itself and humans are suddenly found to have been living on mars all along. an important assertion is made at such times- people like me should not talk about love. unfortunately, the readers of this blog (all 7 of them) will have to read my view on this topic as i have a complete disregard for all warnings.

love. all of us want to be in love. its everywhere you go. love is the fundamental universal language. it connects people just like nokia does. except love is not finnish in its ethnicity.

i’ve never been in love. i dream of the moment when that will happen. the following is a list of qualities i want in a guy-
1.shoe hygiene
2.nice hair and not floopy like shahid kapoor’s old hairstyle
3.money because i don’t want to sell my kids in order to obtain a ferrari
4.must like wasabi
5.must not smoke
6.should get along with my friends
7.should let me work. i refuse to be a housewife
and that’s about it. its hardly a tall order. so, all you blind guys out there-I’M AVAILABLE!

look out for part 2 of ‘love crap’. i promise it will be worse than part 1.

CLICK HERE TO OPEN CHAPTER

Apparently I have enough time to update my post tag list, nothing new in the land of N yet, trying to figure out how I’m going to interlink all of my story’s into movuies and stuff.

5+ Weaknesses for the Interview

This is in continuation to the earlier post named “5 Strengths & 5 Weaknesses @ Google!” since the weaknesses described in it couldn’t be used for a real interview.

We deceive!

We Live to deceive!

We  Live to get deceived!

We  want people to deceive!

No matter how much you sugar coat Lies and words of Self-Deception, they still remain what they Really are. Does Reality matter? I am not sure about it anymore really. Growing up in life, Growing up to life all those years, I have not been able to make up my mind on that and the notions I held in my years of innocent childhood have been tarnished by the ugly reality of the World I live in. Why is it that Truth doesn’t get us the desired results in life?

When it comes to interviews especially, one of the most likeable and expected questions is “Describe your strengths and weaknesses”.

I would certainly find it not very hard to answer that question but to answer it As Expected by the Interviewer is another story.  Over the years, I have come to realize that my Dictionary meaning of the Term Weakness when it comes to Interviews is completely wrong.

Dictionaries might describe Weakness as:

1. An inadequate quality; fault
2. A flaw or weak point
3. The property of lacking physical or mental strength; liability to failure under pressure or stress or strain

My version of Weakness means: “An extreme personality trait or characteristic (that you may have or not have) sugar-coated to highlight that it acts as a merit for earning big buck to the hiring company.”

Another important fact of life that I have learnt is that everything in the world is Relative.  Thus, naturally my definition of Weakness is discussed in the context of the interview.

Though I have always wanted to speak my mind on what I really believe my weaknesses would be in front of an interviewer but believe me, this will not get you anywhere especially in a job market. One in a million HR managers would actually admire your Truthfulness in this regard and you would surely face more rejections than approval to do the same. I still can’t comprehend the idea of what the interviewers really intend to understand in us from our reply.

Is it the skill and tact with which we can lie? Is it our ability to think One Step Ahead and get things done before being asked? In this case, the homework we might have done to have a well prepared answer. Is it the quality of shrewdness and self selling ability (i.e. marketing) in us? Or is it the diplomacy and ingenuity with which we handle the question?

However, I still want to maintain a shred of decency and truth in my reply to the prospective employer in hand. This is because I can’t think of losing my Truthfulness for one and secondly because my notions about life are quite different and distinct and I believe no matter how the world works as per others, it works how you want it to work for you; it works how you perceive it to work. Since discussing this is irrelevant to the scope of the current post, I would just resort to a quick list of 5+ Weaknesses that I believe can be used for the interview.

1. Lack of Experience: While I know that I don’t have any Direct experience for the position I am being interviewed for, I have professional experience that required all the desired qualities of professionalism.  My previous employer can second that I was effective and efficient in my previous job and I believe I can contribute and deliver fully to the new one. If given a chance and little time, this weakness can be overcome easily with my professional attitude.
2. Carefree Attitude: (While this is strength on one side, it can also prove to be a weakness. Dynamism and passion/enthusiasm is required to lead.)I am only carefree and relaxed till I think everything is under control. As soon as the deadlines and pressure pump in, I become proactive to meet them in the most efficient manner.
3. Working Alone: I prefer to work alone as I think I can deliver my best, concentrate and can avoid spending my energy on the team issues.  But since I like challenges and my past work didn’t really allow me to coordinate and work in team much, I am looking forward to grow in that area professionally.  I am excited that this will enable me to define some best practices in the area.
4. Getting Over Burdened: As mentioned earlier, I want to deliver my best and this perfectionist attitude makes me reluctant to delegate work to my subordinates. I can’t trust fully on their abilities and therefore, I over burden myself with work. The over-whelming feeling does take its toll sometimes. I realize this clearly and consciously and I have tried to work on it. Recently, I coordinated an event and tried to delegate as much work as possible and stick to concentrate to my duties.
5. Time Management Skills: Sometimes my perfectionism can affect my time management skills. Both of these are related and as I manage to curb that weakness, I believe this will be solved too.
6. Lacking Assertion: I don’t believe in coercion to get things done. My lack of assertion also stems from that fact. But I realize that this attribute is greatly required to build a strong character.  I have been working on this in my personal life as well as my teaching career and have successfully managed to have an upward graph.
7. Lacking Rational Thinking: Sometimes, I get over sensitive to what others have to say about my actions and notions. This is especially in areas of personality. I can’t meet everybody’s expectations and I can’t stop implementing the decisions I believe are right in my heart. I have tried on work on this area by researching and reading on human psychology and have managed slightly to understand and read people’s psychology and view every statement or comment in the light of practicality and rationalism.

There could be a much bigger list to use for the interview but since it was to match my Friend in order to carry the element of Truth in it, I have tried to keep it precise.  Also I believe that if asked to provide for 5 weaknesses or more, you should avoid the exact count since it makes the interviewer believe that you have had it planned already and that’s why he is unable to check your ability to respond to something out of the blues.

Some old fashioned, stereotypical employers do want the candidate to be well prepared and well read for all the questions so this decision will be based on your own personal analysis of the interviewer.

I personally believe that you can’t use one answer for each and every interview. Just make sure that your answer matches the position and business for which you are being interviewed. Analyze the interviewer’s personality, try to get into his mind, be attentive to his line of questioning, his attitude and what the things are he is stressing on.  For instance, if he’s insisting on finding the right candidate who can Grow with the company, you have to mention that this is one of your wish and desire. If you have had a couple of years experience with a previous employer, highlight it. If you don’t have this, then explain implicitly that its always been your dream and intention to Grow with a company but you also believe that you can and should not continue to work any longer when you start realizing that you can’t deliver your 100% and can’t work to your full potential. Since this won’t be honest and truthful to yourself and to your employer and you can’t continue something with a guilty conscience.

Another handy tip is to always have personal and professional experiences related to your strengths and weaknesses prepared since mostly the next question in line is to give an example to support your claims.

In a Nut Shell:

1. Be truthful.  Keep your conscience Alive.
2. Your strengths can actually be used as weaknesses.
3. Reply dynamically (as IT people would say). Base your reply on the given situation analysis. Avoid using the Prepared answer if it doesn’t fit well in a given interview scenario.
4. Understand the True definition of Weaknesses in the given scenario. Don’t start babbling your A, B, C ….Z personality weaknesses. Keeping in perspective the Job and Position, draft your weaknesses.
5. Your weaknesses are Actually things you professionally lack right now but are active and willing to develop.

The last thing to note here is that every person is different so no matter how much articles you read, no matter how much research you do on the Best Practices, there aren’t any hard and fast rules or text book definition of interviewer’s expectations or interviewee’s responses.

If you need any more examples to tricky interview questions, use a comment section below.

Share It!!

* Do you have difficulty in some situations expressing thoughts, feelings or personal desires?
* Does fear of disapproval hinder your performance?
* Do you find saying “No” so difficult that you commonly endure undesired activity
* Do you have a pattern of suppressing bad feelings until one single event triggers explosions of resentment?
* Do you anticipate rejection or failure if assertive?
* Do you fear all conflict so much that you avoid stating your opinion?
* Do you avoid or suffer high levels of anxiety or discomfort in certain social interactions?
* Do you find yourself ruminating or consumed with worry when facing a threatening situation?
* Do you avoid dating or meeting new people?

If you answered yes to some of these questions, then you would probably benefit greatly from Group or Individual Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Social Shyness and Assertion Training.

Join me on Dec 20th for an extensive talk on what group therapy can do for you. I will be starting a new therapy group come the beginning of January and am looking for new members who are interested in expanding their lives and social skills.

Date: Sunday, December 20, 2009
Time: 3:00pm – 4:00pm
Location: Dr Albin West Midtown Office
36 West 44th Street `
Btw 5th & 6th Suite 701
New York, NY 10036
212-631-1133

RSVP Here on Meetup.com

Cognitive Behavior Therapy New York, NY

I saw a toddler today, playing with a toy bulldozer, on the street. The bulldozer was in pretty good shape. It was great, colorful and whatever a toy would should be good at. But this boy was not in a good shape, otherwise he wouldn’t be playing with that on the street. I wish we had camera in our eyes so that I could photograph some instants of my life without seeking the camera. Maybe that is every photographers dream.

Few days age a friend of mine told me what a perfectionist she was once upon a time, and how she somewhat lost it (I don’t believe that). I was amazed by her story! She is such a skilled person! Just as I Love her, I started to feel sometimes that I might not be an appropriate person for her, she deserves someone lot better and complete that me who can actually Love her. Sometimes that makes me so unhappy, I wish I could be that perfect in my principles and ways, and in what I do that I could near her. But flaws in my character are so deep that I am still trying to make myself more complete after 20 years of spending Life! She is so nice and yet so perfect in her ways; I never seen anyone like her. Whatever, I am so lucky that I met her!

I started to programme AVR microcontrollers. It was really very FUN! My friends really liked that I think. I enjoyed the compliments. But I wish they were more interest in doing some programming first hand. You can see my first project here.

“People like us don’t change, we either stay sharp or get sloppy” – Rusty, Ocean’s Eleven. I liked this quote very much. After very bad good awesome cool encounters with Life, I am what I am.

Considering the hockey gods have me working through tonight’s game in it’s entirety, I will post something up now.

Biggest news for tonight?  Richards is out, resting a groin injury.  Don’t expect him to be out more than a couple weeks after last year, he’s been playing through it this season and decided to rest it for a while.  This means that the weight of being the top line has officially shifted to Ribeiro/Morrow/Benn.  When you have a second line that was effectively our first line the last two seasons, then you don’t really have anything to panic about.  Considering the Richards line was shored up by the arrival of Neal, they will shift down and become an above average 2nd line with Eriksson and Neal on the wings and the new kid in the center.  We can talk about the injury bug and whether or not it’s coming back for the sequel this season or not in another blog.

Look for the Stars to control the tempo.  The Kings got off to a solid start but are back to their struggling selves.  If there’s one thing we can say about the Stars it’s that the rivalries of last season aren’t really much to worry about.  The nights where somehow the Kings beat the Stars over and over again, are probably over in this new high octane system.  Expect either a close one if they don’t show up to play/the Kings come with their A+ game that we saw in the first few games from them – or a blow out if they play like they have been and the Stars play like we know they can.

Coming off of the (surprising) win in Chicago this is the perfect setup to gain momentum.  Take down a struggling team, send their losing streak to 4 – get our first two in a row – take the momentum and lay down death and destruction on the rest of the road trip.  Then let Richards come back and continue on with some solid stats.

Before the Law stands a doorkeeper. To this doorkeeper comes a man from the country who asks to be admitted to the Law. But the doorkeeper says that he can’t let the man in just now. The man thinks this over and then asks if he will  be allowed to enter later. “It’s possible,” answers the doorkeeper, “but not just now.” Since the door to the Law stands open as usual and the doorkeeper steps aside, the man bends down to look through the doorway into the interior. Seeing this, the doorkeeper laughs and says: “if you find it so compelling, then try to enter despite my prohibition. But bear in mind that I am powerful. And I am only the lowest doorkeeper. In hall after hall, keepers stand at every door. The mere sight of the third one is more than even I can bear.” These are difficulties which the man from the country has not expected; the Law, he thinks, should be always available to everyone. but when he looks more closely at the doorkeeper, in his furred robe, with his large pointed nose and his long, thin, black Tartar bear, he decides that it would be better to wait until he receives permission to enter. The doorkeeper gives him a stool and allows him to sit down beside the door. There he sits for days and years. He makes many attempts to be let in, and wearies the doorkeeper with his pleas. The doorkeeper often questions him casually about his home and many other matters, but the questions are asked with indifference, the way important men might ask them, and always conclude with the statement the man can’t be admitted at this time. The man, who has equipped himself with many things for his journey, spends all that he has, regardless of value, in order to bribe the doorkeeper. The doorkeeper accepts it all, though saying each time as he does so, “I’m taking this only so that you won’t feel that you haven’t tried everything.” During these long years the man watches the doorkeeper almost continuously. He forgets about the other doorkeepers, and imagines that this first one is the sole obstacle barring his way to the Law. In the early years he loudly bewails his misfortune; later, as he grows old, he merely grumbles to himself. He becomes childish, and since during his long study of the doorkeeper he has gotten to know even the fleas in the fur collar, he begs these fleas to help him change the doorkeeper’s mind. At last his eyesight grows dim and he cannot tell whether it is really growing darker or whether his eyes are simply deceiving him. Yet in the darkness he can now perceive that radiance that streams inextinguishable from the door of the Law. Now his life is nearing its end. Before he dies, all his experiences during this long time coalesce in his mind into a single question, one which he has never yet asked the doorkeeper. He beckons to the doorkeeper, for he can no longer raise his stiffening body. The doorkeeper has to bend low to hear him, since the difference in size between them has increased very much to the man’s disadvantage. “What do you want to know now?” asks the doorkeeper, “you are insatiable.” “Surely everyone strives to reach the Law,” says the man, “why then is it that in all these years no one has come seeking admittance but me?” The doorkeeper realizes that the man has reached his end and that his hearing is failing so he yells in his ear: “No one but you could have been admitted here, since this entrance was meant for you alone. Now I am going to shut it.”

-Franz Kafka

The easiest thing to do is to look at tonight’s game and think of it as just another reason to doubt the Stars this season.  But, with the help of a bad bounce (Robi) and a mediocre goalie (Petersen), they won.  They even put up two solid goals.  This means that even when they are doing nothing right, they have the skill to score against a team that could easily be called the best in the league, despite the Ranger’s current streak.

Now, in a perfect world they will take this much needed luck and build on it.  They will understand that they can win and if they try they will win.  They will watch tape and realize that they did basically everything wrong again, but they have enough skill to still at least put points up.  With the help of a terrible bounce (Robidas’ goal) and a mediocre goalie (Petersen goal) they won.  So they will take this as a boost of confidence and then get back on the Crawford horse which they seemed to step off of for the length of the Boston and Chicago games.

So, lets hope they go over the tape, man up and start skating.

Oh… and start Auld… forever…

After making my morning rounds over my favorite blogs and other Dallas Stars sources, the common theme is … “AHHHHHH!”

As I’ve said – there is definitely one good thing about Crawford’s system.  It’s all speed and workmanship-based.  You work hard and skate hard and the system will work.  You don’t do one or both and it falls on it’s face and you lose games 3-0.  So when you do lose you can tell easily whether it’s because you were outmatched or simply because your players didn’t show up to play.  I can honestly say that it was the second last night as the Bruins came into town and showed the Stars how to be dedicated to victory.

The message I’m trying to get across today is that panicking isn’t necessary at this point.  Certainly, ranting about the team not being a top 8 team after 6 games isn’t necessary either.

I recommend letting the Stars play out the next 5 or so games before we all start preparing for the apocalypse.  Try to take the Chicago game with a grain of salt, then start paying attention.  Chicago has a way of making the Stars look like amateurs even on their good days, after all.  Once we get that out of the way, start analyzing and either relaxing/combusting accordingly.

That’s all for now.

Ah, the state of things.  If you look at the stats on paper you may be confused as to what exactly is happening on the ice.  With a record of 2-0-3, nobody would blame you.  Then add the tidbit that all of those overtime losses were met in the shoot-out and you might even be flabbergasted.

So, what really is going on on the ice for the Stars?  Well, they are dominating the opposition.  Whether it’s the Canadian teams or Nashville, they have really shown their superiority in 5-on-5 hockey.  Due to soft-goaltending and an abysmal penalty kill they have come out with a moderate, but less-than-special ratio.  The good news is they can’t lose forever, in fact they have already defied the law of averages plenty of times this season.  So when Nashville came back into town for Preds vs. Stars in Dallas: Reloaded – it was almost fate that the Stars took them apart like the rapture on ice (which is a lot like Disney on Ice but filled with anger and defensive breakdowns).

They came out and scored 3 goals in the first 6 minutes, effectively running Dan Ellis out of his net.  Rinne faired better, but still allowed two more goals by the time it was over.  Turco was solid when he had to be, which times mostly consisted if in tight break downs to which he stacked pads and other Turco-type things.  It’s not that they beat a team who is coming off of a 6-1 loss the previous game and on a downward spiral.  It’s that they proved to themselves that the system they have been learning in the off-season and the early stages in the real-time is working.  You can out-play your opponents all season long, but until there are clear-cut results are aren’t completely going to buy into this system.  A 6-0 victory is what every player on that bench needed, in order to move forward with Crawford and his schemes and continue what will hopefully come out to “success”.

Want to feel good inside?  Go check out the standings.  Yes, they mean almost nothing this early on.  But, you can’t help but feel reassured as the Stars sit in 6th place in the conference and second in the division.  Now go check out the league leaders.  Grossman in first place for +/- with his d-partner Robidas in close second.  How refreshing is that to see?  A seemingly legitimate top pair.  The only question is if Robidas can play like this for 82 games, he seemed to be wearing down near the end last year.  At least he got the manditory puck to the face out of the way early this year.

So, maybe we were all a bit wrong when we vomited at the news of Crawford’s hire.  Maybe the picking up of Woywitka and Skrastins wasn’t as pointless as we thought.  Maybe the Stars can make this work…  All I know is that Morrow, Richards and Eriksson have me sitting comfortably in first place in my fantasy hockey league.  Thanks guys.