Underground for a while!!
There are days when its real hard to keep your humour about you. I think that happens once the honeymoon period is over. And maybe thats whats happened here. I have been enmeshed in just setting up life .. and its taken everything I have. I may have spent about 8 hours so far doing mathematics. This in two months of being here. How's that for productivity?
Speaking of productivity, I have understood how productivity gets messed up in a perfectly willing individual, in a supposedly "normal" working environment. Here is one way this happens:
I log onto my system. My system freezes. I reboot my system. Now it looks fine, but I cannot get into Pine to check my e-mail. I check my e-mail using a different software. I have an e-mail from my collaborator asking for some information and an e-mail from a journal asking me to sign a copyright form and send it back. Of course this mail software does not use Pine folders, so right there I have to remember to reassign mail to my folders in Pine when I do get into Pine later. One added task of 5 minutes + brain space to remember to do this. I try to reply to my collaborator and when I hit reply key I am asked to re-enter name and password. I do. The system loses the mail from the screen. I exit and re-enter. Another 10 minutes lost as system is slow. About 30 minutes after logging in I am able to send off the e-mail.
Next the copyright form. I decide to sign and scan and send via e-mail to save time. Time? who wants to save time? Time is for spending no?
I go to the only computer with scanner after talking to the "semi" systems person. I try and I try and I try and I cannot get the scanner to work. By now I am losing self-confidence. After about 30 minutes of this rigmarole I go back to the semi-systems person. "Oh you cannot use the scanner" she says "unless you log in as administrator"
I think "well hello did I not just talk to you about this 30 minutes ago?"
So I get the password and log out and in as Admin. I start the scanner - its sloooow but it works !!!
10 minutes later I have a scanned image. "Relief" I think. Now all I have to do is e-mail it to myself. I log into one account - the net freezes. I have to reboot the computer. Now an hour has elapsed since I started scanning.
I try again to log into my account - I am successful!!!!
I try to attach the scanned image file. I try and try and try - no luck. More loss of confidence.
Again I go to the "semi"-systems admin person. "Oh you want to send the file as attachment? Actually you know we are having trouble with the network on that machine only"
Now I say " Did you know this 1.5 hours ago or is this new?" She looks at me puzzled -"No this machine has been giving problems only for a long time".
I make eyes at her and leave. I go get a CD-ROM and decide to put the scanned object on it so I can send it through another machine. I come back to find someone else using the computer - Ok this was my fault. One hour later I have the computer again.
I insert the CD into RD/RW and say a prayer - I am becoming superstitious now. Oh boy it works!!!!. I go back to my computer and send the e-mail - three dedicated hours after I had started a 10 minute job.
If you have not become frustrated reading this, read on. Here's more example's of loss of productivity:
I apply for Broad Band connection at home. Since my phone is in Inst.'s name (who the hell knows why - let sleeping dogs lie) I need a big letter from the Admin officer (Mr. T) to get this from the phone company. By this time I know this could mean several iterations, over several days. I convince him to come with me to the BSNL office. We go in the Inst. car with our smart new driver. We arrive and Mr. T flourishes his business card grandly in the reception. Due to his lack of height the flourish gets unnoticed. After about 20 minutes we get the attention of someone and get ushered into Madame Geetha's office. Mdm. G is very pleasant and very busy. Every time she gets a word out of her mouth the phone rings. She has 5 telephones at her elbow. This is a phone company office you see, so this seems appropriate!! I am still trying to figure out how she decides which one is ringing. After 30 minutes she has spared about 5 words for us. Finally Mr. T pushes his letter asking for Broadband under Mdm G.'s nose. She yells for a Peon to bring out my file. 10 minutes later a file appears. She announces shaking her head side to side " you already have broadband - what can I do for you".
The head shake seems contagious. I respond in kind "I am applying now only" . The word "only" used frequently helps me feel that i am connecting with folks around. I catch a glimpse of an unfamiliar name in the file and point this out. She yells to the peon and tells him to go get the right file and gives him Mr. T's letter which contains my home phone number so he can locate correctly this time.
The clock ticks. Mdm G has at least one conversation on each phone. Peon re-enters this time with a large file with Phone number writ large. Its not my phone number. Before I know it she has authorized the job. I ask in panic "which phone number have you authorized the broadband on?" She replies 'this one only pointing to the file".
My arms flailing " thats not my number". She insists it is!!!!@$^%$*
She shows me the letter Mr T. has written. Sure enuf it has this number (not mine) in it. I turn to him puzzled " whose number is that?". "Yours" he says!! This is too much. It turned out that the PEON had just created the file behind the scenes while we waited and waited and he had copied the number from Mr T's letter.
Phone number is corrected and we are about to leave when I realize that I don't have international calling and ask for this. I am told that they can do only one work order at a time :-( Some efficiency!!
Outside of Mdm G.'s office we have to wait and wait for the work order to be registered. Again Mr. T flourishes his credentials. We are asked to wait. 30 minutes later a smiling clerk hands me the work order. It requires Rs 500 payment. I am eager to pay up and leave. With head shaking the clerk says " we are not accepting cash payments - you have to go to Malleshwaram office only". By this time I am reduced to begging and pleading - "please can you just take the money" so I can go. More head shaking 'sorry madame if you have checque we can take'. of course I have not been that productive yet as to have a bank account. So we hop back in the car and smart driver takes us to Malleshwaram. After the cashier has finished discussing her week-end plans on the phone, she takes my money and vanishes. 20 min later I am done. Lesson in India - don't ever feel exultant about any small victory - it comes back to bite you in the rear instantly. So too this time. To reassure myself I ask if I am all set to get broadband. She says "no you have to take this receipt back to the office you came from and they will issue the work order". What if I had not asked?
Back to the smart driver - Mr. T. in tow. By now I refuse to look at him for fear he will say that we should come back another day.
Back to the original office. More waiting - this time I show my impatience. I am told to go sit on the bench - the furthest one in the room is pointed to me. I obey, willing them to speed things up. 30 minutes later I have a print out spelling out everything and I am free to leave. Mr. T. has been waiting in the car. By now I have a new found respect for his display of patience. There is definite relief in the air - akin to just escaping a draft into the war. This opens up the door for a friendly conversation. As we drive up to the Inst. Mr T. says " see that wasn't so bad - it took only a couple of hours. I have found that the personal touch matters a lot - so I like to show up in person only". I laugh out loudly "No Mr. T it wasn't bad at all - only three hours out of my day". Time for lunch now. Need more energy to remain unproductive!
Speaking of productivity, I have understood how productivity gets messed up in a perfectly willing individual, in a supposedly "normal" working environment. Here is one way this happens:
I log onto my system. My system freezes. I reboot my system. Now it looks fine, but I cannot get into Pine to check my e-mail. I check my e-mail using a different software. I have an e-mail from my collaborator asking for some information and an e-mail from a journal asking me to sign a copyright form and send it back. Of course this mail software does not use Pine folders, so right there I have to remember to reassign mail to my folders in Pine when I do get into Pine later. One added task of 5 minutes + brain space to remember to do this. I try to reply to my collaborator and when I hit reply key I am asked to re-enter name and password. I do. The system loses the mail from the screen. I exit and re-enter. Another 10 minutes lost as system is slow. About 30 minutes after logging in I am able to send off the e-mail.
Next the copyright form. I decide to sign and scan and send via e-mail to save time. Time? who wants to save time? Time is for spending no?
I go to the only computer with scanner after talking to the "semi" systems person. I try and I try and I try and I cannot get the scanner to work. By now I am losing self-confidence. After about 30 minutes of this rigmarole I go back to the semi-systems person. "Oh you cannot use the scanner" she says "unless you log in as administrator"
I think "well hello did I not just talk to you about this 30 minutes ago?"
So I get the password and log out and in as Admin. I start the scanner - its sloooow but it works !!!
10 minutes later I have a scanned image. "Relief" I think. Now all I have to do is e-mail it to myself. I log into one account - the net freezes. I have to reboot the computer. Now an hour has elapsed since I started scanning.
I try again to log into my account - I am successful!!!!
I try to attach the scanned image file. I try and try and try - no luck. More loss of confidence.
Again I go to the "semi"-systems admin person. "Oh you want to send the file as attachment? Actually you know we are having trouble with the network on that machine only"
Now I say " Did you know this 1.5 hours ago or is this new?" She looks at me puzzled -"No this machine has been giving problems only for a long time".
I make eyes at her and leave. I go get a CD-ROM and decide to put the scanned object on it so I can send it through another machine. I come back to find someone else using the computer - Ok this was my fault. One hour later I have the computer again.
I insert the CD into RD/RW and say a prayer - I am becoming superstitious now. Oh boy it works!!!!. I go back to my computer and send the e-mail - three dedicated hours after I had started a 10 minute job.
If you have not become frustrated reading this, read on. Here's more example's of loss of productivity:
I apply for Broad Band connection at home. Since my phone is in Inst.'s name (who the hell knows why - let sleeping dogs lie) I need a big letter from the Admin officer (Mr. T) to get this from the phone company. By this time I know this could mean several iterations, over several days. I convince him to come with me to the BSNL office. We go in the Inst. car with our smart new driver. We arrive and Mr. T flourishes his business card grandly in the reception. Due to his lack of height the flourish gets unnoticed. After about 20 minutes we get the attention of someone and get ushered into Madame Geetha's office. Mdm. G is very pleasant and very busy. Every time she gets a word out of her mouth the phone rings. She has 5 telephones at her elbow. This is a phone company office you see, so this seems appropriate!! I am still trying to figure out how she decides which one is ringing. After 30 minutes she has spared about 5 words for us. Finally Mr. T pushes his letter asking for Broadband under Mdm G.'s nose. She yells for a Peon to bring out my file. 10 minutes later a file appears. She announces shaking her head side to side " you already have broadband - what can I do for you".
The head shake seems contagious. I respond in kind "I am applying now only" . The word "only" used frequently helps me feel that i am connecting with folks around. I catch a glimpse of an unfamiliar name in the file and point this out. She yells to the peon and tells him to go get the right file and gives him Mr. T's letter which contains my home phone number so he can locate correctly this time.
The clock ticks. Mdm G has at least one conversation on each phone. Peon re-enters this time with a large file with Phone number writ large. Its not my phone number. Before I know it she has authorized the job. I ask in panic "which phone number have you authorized the broadband on?" She replies 'this one only pointing to the file".
My arms flailing " thats not my number". She insists it is!!!!@$^%$*
She shows me the letter Mr T. has written. Sure enuf it has this number (not mine) in it. I turn to him puzzled " whose number is that?". "Yours" he says!! This is too much. It turned out that the PEON had just created the file behind the scenes while we waited and waited and he had copied the number from Mr T's letter.
Phone number is corrected and we are about to leave when I realize that I don't have international calling and ask for this. I am told that they can do only one work order at a time :-( Some efficiency!!
Outside of Mdm G.'s office we have to wait and wait for the work order to be registered. Again Mr. T flourishes his credentials. We are asked to wait. 30 minutes later a smiling clerk hands me the work order. It requires Rs 500 payment. I am eager to pay up and leave. With head shaking the clerk says " we are not accepting cash payments - you have to go to Malleshwaram office only". By this time I am reduced to begging and pleading - "please can you just take the money" so I can go. More head shaking 'sorry madame if you have checque we can take'. of course I have not been that productive yet as to have a bank account. So we hop back in the car and smart driver takes us to Malleshwaram. After the cashier has finished discussing her week-end plans on the phone, she takes my money and vanishes. 20 min later I am done. Lesson in India - don't ever feel exultant about any small victory - it comes back to bite you in the rear instantly. So too this time. To reassure myself I ask if I am all set to get broadband. She says "no you have to take this receipt back to the office you came from and they will issue the work order". What if I had not asked?
Back to the smart driver - Mr. T. in tow. By now I refuse to look at him for fear he will say that we should come back another day.
Back to the original office. More waiting - this time I show my impatience. I am told to go sit on the bench - the furthest one in the room is pointed to me. I obey, willing them to speed things up. 30 minutes later I have a print out spelling out everything and I am free to leave. Mr. T. has been waiting in the car. By now I have a new found respect for his display of patience. There is definite relief in the air - akin to just escaping a draft into the war. This opens up the door for a friendly conversation. As we drive up to the Inst. Mr T. says " see that wasn't so bad - it took only a couple of hours. I have found that the personal touch matters a lot - so I like to show up in person only". I laugh out loudly "No Mr. T it wasn't bad at all - only three hours out of my day". Time for lunch now. Need more energy to remain unproductive!
posted by Iss Desh ki Dharti at
10:14 PM
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