Saturday, July 31, 2010

Are women paid less in corporates?

My interest came from Business Today article (Originally Harvard Business Review) on women employees being afraid to negotiate salary on interviews. It said that they have this inferiority complex of disadvantage due to their sex on getting selected for a job.
Reality in Sri Lanka differs on the levels of employment. On executive and upper levels I haven't heard or do not know about such under payments. Even on middle level jobs they are paid even. For e.g. Secretarial or clerk.
In very down levels there maybe complications due to strength..etc.
In a conservative society like in Sri Lanka, one big concern in selecting females for employment is their safety and facility issues. I know one owner of an IT company who said "NO GIRL PLS.I DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH FACILITIES FOR YOU". And one of my cousins told me today how hard it was for her to come home after doing some extra work in office till 8PM on a Poya day. Guys do not have this safety issue and employers tend to under favor girls because of this. This two reasons might lead to underpayment if there are any.
Open for you to give your info and comment...

Friday, July 30, 2010

This week - First week at work!!!

Is realyl excited about watching one of my my all time favourite movies - 
Hitch



Celebrated our kuppi master (One who helped me with most of my Maths Studies in UNI) - Mahesh's bday with all my UNI Friends - That was really funny with that blind folded game...Met the Friends i really like to spend time with on Thursday. We chat for hours on everything...


Caught Britney Spears on How I Met Your Mother ...



Had a successful Sales presentation today aftr which d client said d best presentatn he has seen in SL for 7 years...


perfect 1st week at work...

I'm famous!!!

Sasanka ayya told me abt smtng dat happened when he was at the CIMA Business Leaders forum yesterday...

He has gone to CIMA staff and had tried to explain "I was a member of some international student organization in the University called AIESEC" and the girl has instantly asked "Do you know Nadheera?"

Sunday, July 18, 2010

How quick are you at business decisions?

I was going with my cousin bro. looking for coats for bestmen to rent for his wedding. Apparently we learnt that we should get 2 button coats so the waist-coat is visible. We looked in Nugegoda and then remembered that there was a place in Mt. where we go for beach every weekend. We drove to Mt. it was close and were coming back to Wijerama where i had to attend a party.

On the way in Bellanwila there's a junction with traffic lights and it was red and my bro. stopped. On the same side of the road was a tailor shop with some coats hanging. My brother showed me that and said quickly check, if they dont have 2 buttons for rent come back soon before green, I ran from the car to the shop. There was one guy and following is the conversation

Me : Do you rent coats?
Shop guy : [Takes a good look at me] For whom?
Me : For me
Shop guy : For what occasion?
Me : For a wedding.
Shop guy : Whose wedding?
Me : MY WEDDING!!!
Shop guy : Ok. We have. Take a look.
Me : Do you have 2 buttons.
Shop guy : No only three button ones.
Me : Ok. Thanks.

And i got back before green light. My brother said that the man came out to see where im going. Sometimes business is very quick. You need to give quick information to your clients protecting integrity. With just two information i took a decision of withdrawal - "No two button coats"!!!

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Food waves - Why should they move to that place?

Food waves - can be called the best vegetarian restaurant in south Colombo. Formerly located in 138 route - Nugegoda - Pettah road Food waves were hitting crowds. But then they had to be moved (jesus - it took so much time ot find) to some sub road in Nugegoda - Nawala Rd. And the place looked deserted now. They must still be having their consistent clients. But a very big decision of moving they have made.

Food still tasted awesome. And pure vegetarian food really felt lighter. You never feel asleep or feel heavy afterwards. So all you Vegies - Good news. (Chinthaka, Manajari, Lavina & the crowd of vegies should see the post!!!)

Jewellery shops serve soft drinks to clients!!!

Being the best man : It started!!!

Today i was having my first day of really preparing and helping them out for their big day. Ayya and akka (The groom and the bride) picked me up from University of Colombo.>

To go straight to Vogue Jewellers - Nugegoda. They had something to be adjusted. And the cool thing is that they serve SMAK  (-A soft drink - I wish Dimuthu Ponnamperuma could comment on this post...lol) at Vogue to customers.

Well - As i heard its served only to the customers that really brought something. Depending on the time someone spends and the piles of money spent to buy,its a worth investment by the business. A little bit of googling showed me that its a common practice in "expensive product" shops like jewellery, furniture...etc.

I have experience in getting a drink from a hotel when we went to book it for a function(With Shammi, Mihiraka and Sulakshana - When we went all the way to Wadduwa in sea belt looking for a Hotel for NATCON 2009) . But for a Hotel it's ok becuase their business is serving people. Your ideas, specially marketing, PR, branding  experts is valued!!!

175th Annivesary special assembly with H.E.President of Sri Lanka - I was lucky to be there!!!

Yesterday morning was the special assembly to celebrate the 175th Anniversary of my alma mater - Royal College (Or Sri Lanka's "ETON" as BBC says - http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8500520.stm )



Gracing the occassion was H.E.The President Mahinda Rajapakshe the opposition leader, ministers, MPs, Top Businessmen, Past & present teachers, Old boys - almost every one. I was fortunate to sit with His excellency "AYESH RAJAPAKSHE"..lolz and Hasitha Athawuda (Aaatha).



It was great to meet the old faces. From Parents of the Scrabble club - (Mrs.Yeheya - She still remembers the then Captain of Scrabble) to the EDEX crew - Malu and Lalith & many others - gr8 to meet you after a long time.

H.E spoke for a long time - many things quoted in papers on Sunday and even on TV and Radio - the famous forever opposition wish for a Royalist.

What touched me was when he said that - "We are a nation that went through hell(Abt the war), we learnt from it, We had to take an effort, use our brains to fight it. Likewise its good if a person has a problems. He has to use his brains or take efforts to come out of it"!!!

And many thanks going out to Kelum who kept my phone with him in Uni.of Colombo - since the invitiation card said not to bring cell phones due to security of President. But learnt that you can bring one in without any probs...Good learning for next time i go for a president function....Nevertheless, thank you Kelum again...

First blog post!!!

wow...what a feeling...smtng i wantd 2 do for a long time...Let my first post be abt why i want to blog - its simple, just what Mahathma Gandhi said

“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.”
Mahatma Gandhi (Indian Philosopher, internationally esteemed for his doctrine of nonviolent protest, 1869-1948)