Politically Incorrect

Yasir[wicked]researched

Life is run on ad hoc basis these days. It wasn’t the same ever, at least, when I was in Islamabad. Aamer has a wedding to attend in the beginning of next month, and I thought, in the mean time, I would take a break and go back to home for a few days. I had that on my mind for the last month or so, but things just started to deteriorate a bit. A client is coming on Friday, which means 31st; the day I was planning to leave for home. I thought, okay 1st then. And last night, Khala called in from Karachi saying that Nana ji is coming for a wedding which is scheduled on 2nd here in Lahore and would like to go to Islamabad afterwards. Now, if I go before he’s done with this shadi, I won’t be able to accompany him for Islamabad. He’s anyway too old to go alone. If I wait for him, I’ll burn to ashes. I had this visit for so long on my mind that I don’t find any compelling reason compelling enough to stop me going home on 31st. What a mess!

Yasir[angry]declared

I had been eating a lot of chicken lately believing in Government’s claim that there’s no Bird Flu in Pakistan. Now they say, there is (in some distant areas), but no there’s not (we got rid of the infected chicken)! It’s already hard to believe Government, anyway. Bullshitters!

Yasir[disposed]explored

I just read in my notebook a sentence I jotted down some time back:

My incompability is my Competitive Advantage. 

I don’t remember the source, but I find it only rational for big corporations like the ones who have monopoly over a system. Only then, your incompability is an advantage. For the likes of Microsoft. But for a small player, compability is the only compensation they have for the monopoly. Things like Firefox and iPod. Like the marketing guys say, “give compelling reasons to buy”.

Yasir[angry]questioned

What is wrong with people? I mean, what the heck? You tell how important they are and they take you for granted and remove you from the podium of respect. Somehow, it has to do with the feeling of gaining an edge over you. I just recently told someone how I felt when we first met and though it was meant to be positive, the response was shocking. Perhaps, shocking, is a bit mild. The tone was rebukingly sharp and penetrating. And when you talk, the voice is so monotonous that you almost feel like clamping the phone down. I stood flabbergasted for a few seconds. So unfair!

چھوڑا نہیں غیروں نے کوءی ناوکِ دشنام
چھوڑی نہیں اپنو ں سے کوءی طرزِ ملامت

Yasir[enlightened]announced

Yasir[skeptic]probed

n. Knowledge worker, a term coined by Peter Drucker in 1959, is one who works primarily with information or one who develops and uses knowledge in the workplace.

The idea behind knowledge worker is, you keep your worker feeding for indefinite period of time in the hope that some day his grey braincells might start working and you boom. I have all the respect in the world for knowledge workers and have nothing against them but just accepting someone knowledge worker first day is not my type. You have to prove it first. For me, it’s little complicated and I reckon for every other employer who needs a person like that. But I don’t need one at the moment. I’d rather go for one who can cook for me!

No, I don’t imply that it’s irrational, but it’s rather irrational and irrelevant for me at this point in time. Maybe in future, who knows. But there’s no denying the fact that all these knowledge wokers love cyber-slacking, procrastination and are pretty difficult to handle. You don’t have to tell them to do the job first, you have to instill into their system that they have to do it. And have fun doing it. A lesson I learnt through teaching and used pretty successfully with my graduate students.

This also reminds me a latifa about the same thinking paradigm:

An employer to a prospect candidate for the post of a knowledge worker..

Employer: Your job is to think.
Candidate: And how much would you pay me?
Employer: 50,000/month
Candidate: And how much is the monthly turn-over for your company?
Employer: 20,000
Candidate: Then how on earth will you pay me 50,000?
Employer: That’s what you have to think!

Think. Think. Think.

Although, I see most of the marketing slogans as petty phrases, I somehow loved the one OCS coined recently: Think Done!

Yasir[crazy]dispatched

Umar: sharam to nahi aati!
Moi: aik he to kaam hai jo nahi aata

Yasir[stupid]sent

Out of nowhere Aamer suggested yesterday that I should get an insurance policy. The point is, I should get it while I’m young and it won’t make a dent in my pocket anyway. I reckon it just didn’t pop out of nowhere; one of our friends had a terrible accident a few weeks ago and another had an operation. I’m not sure whether it is okay to get one but anyway, he has me thinking.

AB called in about two hours ago. Everybody at home were looking at the family pictures I took in Karachi. I could hear giggles in the background. I wish to be there but nevertheless I am happy!

Our new company Proloka Pakistan have been registered while I was in Karachi. I have some big plans for that. Al Rug is doing fine at the moment, but somehow I always had the urge to do something in my own field. It’s nice staying connected to so many around. I’m getting more and more complacent by every passing day. Let-it-be type of mentality is creeping into the core. Don’t know the reason. I deem it appropriate to take over once you’re old, but now? Na-na.

I hate when people are on Government’s tail. I’d done the same a few years ago in my more public writings; bashing and bashing and more bashing. I normally avoid it now.

Today I wept after a long time. Alone as always. Helps sometimes.

Yasir[neutralized]declared