A migrant job seeker’s struggle in Australia: how to guide yourself by Alok Das Preface Are you a migrant? Have you ever struggled to find a job, or –if you are a new migrant – are you struggling at the moment to find a job? You may have seen stories on the TV news or read it in newspapers that qualified migrants, failing to get a job in their field, are working in jobs that are below their skills and qualifications. These types of stories surely don’t boost your morale, do they? Well, if you did not have to struggle, you are either very lucky or probably there are not many skilled people in your field of work. However, the number of lucky people, as common sense dictates, are always a few. I am a migrant and when I was new to Australia I had to struggle a lot to ...
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Stay at home women – the unnoticed victims of sexism by Alok Das Let me tell you two true stories briefly. I have altered the names of the characters though. Story 1. Sajida was an accountant in her home country. She loved singing and painting. As common in many cultures, her parents forced her into an arranged marriage with Mamun who works in Sydney. Sajida was not ready to get married, she wanted to go abroad for further studies in environmental accounting. But in her culture arguing with parents is not allowed. So, following the marriage she is overseas – in Australia – but sadly not for studies but to be a stay at home wife. She is told by Mamun that women are not meant to work outside home, their sole responsibilities are giving birth to children and raising them, and looking after the household. Being in a new ...
Read More →Srilanka – why should it be the next Big Bang? A layman’s analysis BY Alok Das For the last many years the economics and business world have been obsessed with topics like China and India, China versus India, BRICS (the alliance of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa). Heads of governments, international agencies, big corporates, and media keep talking about these topics and we – the commonplace people – keep listening to them. Without going any further into these discussions, it is a fair statement that we keep forgetting about the potentials of other counties. One of the countries that have high potentials is Srilanka. Why? So you look at me with a suspicion? I can tell you why I believe so. Now allow me to set the tone of the conversation here. I am not an economist or an expert of anything for that matter, and that is ...
Read More →Some haikus : by Alok DAS (Writer’s note: Haiku is a Japanese genre of writing poetry.) 1 Two trains One train goes to Richmond The other to Shahbazpur Will they ever meet? 2 The flowers in my garden Sitting at my window I smile at the flowers They smile back. 3 Time is the hero We think we’ll do this And we’ll do that But it’s Time who wins. ...
Read More →Eating Bacon And Eggs For Longevity By Dr. Harold Gunatillake You have been told that less than 7 per cent of your total daily calorie intake should come from saturated fat. From a daily intake of 2, 000 calories it amounts to 140 calories. Saturated fat seems to raise the bad cholesterol LDL in your blood which raises the risk of heart disease and stroke. On the other hand you are supposed to eat between 25 and 35 per cent of your daily calories as unsaturated fats from foods like fish, nuts and vegetables. For good health, the majority of fats you eat should be mono or polyunsaturated fats, and less than ’02 per cent should come from trans-fats. ...
Read More →Wish someone had told me when I was 18: by Alok Das 18 years is a nice age, isn’t it? This is the time when you feel you want to conquer the world, challenge the status quo and reform everything. You have many dreams; you are enthusiastic about too many things. Most importantly, you do not want to be lectured about anything at all. There are too many striking points about this age. However, we do not live in an ideal world and so we need to prepare for a whole list of paradigm shifts. A little bit of guidance may be helpful. At least I feel so, nay, I would say many people like me who have crossed their 18th years a while ago will agree with me. When I look in retrospect let me tell you what I feel, that is, if I had the magic opportunity to ...
Read More →Five Haikus by Alok Das (Writer’s note: Haiku is a Japanese genre of writing poems) 1. Train to Richmond The train goes home everyday I also want to go home Not sure where home is. 2. Note to my destiny You took me from my village You failed to take my village Out of me 3. Sonai river Sonai river sings to me I can hear her songs Does she hear mine? 4. The bank teller The bank teller knows Too many stories Anyone knows his? 5. My hidden treasures Walking down memory lane I visit childhood days Whenever I want to. ...
Read More →Effective ways to manage home loans better by Alok Das (Disclaimer: This article is intended to deliver some general pieces of information only. Your situation may not necessarily relate to what is contained in it. Before making a decision regarding your home loan, it is recommended that you seek professional advice.) Background Having one’s own home is the most common Australian dream. This dream, in most cases, is achieved through a home loan. In addition, when people want to purchase investment homes that is also achieved through a home loan, often referred to as ‘Investment loan’ or ‘Investment home loan’. In this article I have discussed some ways that you can use to manage a home loan better. By the words ‘manage a home loan better’ I am referring to a few techniques you can use to: 1. decide where to start from 2. decide on the loan amount ...
Read More →Over with over selling by Alok Das Am I the only one who is sick of overselling approaches by sales people and businesses everywhere? Or, does it happen to others as well? I have done a count of how many times in a single day I have been approached to buy something which in most cases I did not need, and the list is overwhelmingly long! The methods sales people and / or businesses follow to approach us are numerous: face to face on the road, emails, outbound sales calls, flyers, follow up calls, referral from a friend, existing customer list, knocking at your doors, in the virtual world, the list goes on … Ever wondered how much it can actually cost you? I have. Let us consider this article as a guided tour where you will walk with me and then tell me if you get similar experiences ...
Read More →Srilanka – different perspectives by Alok Das At the outset, allow me to qualify the title. When I say different perspectives, it might raise many eyebrows: different from what? Many researches have been done on Srilanka and many books have been written too. I am not an academic / researcher and outside my friend circle, people hardly know me. So different from what? Valid question, no doubt. Well, I am an Australian who was born in Bangladesh and my perspective on Srilanka is greatly influenced by that. What does that really mean? Interesting? Triggering any curiosity? Now let me tell you my story about Srilanka. My rendezvous with Srilanka started when I was in primary school. I am a gen X who grew up in a third world country, mostly in small towns. In those days there was no Internet, and even television was a luxury in many parts of ...
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