had an interview the other day .... the lady who interviewed me was very nice BUT i was so damn tired since i had been working late the previous night that i am afraid i have messed it up.. this when my present job is really unbearable ...

when the hell am i going to be happy in life ?

ok , lets change the topic -- i saw some television programs recently. I rarely watch TV since i get my news from the internet , but news channels can be interesting at times.

One topic which indian channels seem to love is comparing India and China. In my opinion , this is a rather cliched topic. These are two very different countries which are dissimilar in almost every way. Similarities might be their huge population and the "developing" status which these two countries supposedly share.

I havent visited China but i do have a chinese friend who works in my employer's chinese offices. Interacting with her has taught me a lot about china that someone who just knows about china from media reports wouldnt be aware of .

From her description , China comes across as a diverse country ( 56 nationalities!) but it also has a dominant mainstream culture.The Chinese history is that of centralised rule by empires and emperors. Just one Empress in 5000 years of Chinese history!Neighbours were usually considered barbarians and absorbed into the empire via war , trade and cultural influences. The nation has been conquered by foreign "barbarians" several times in its history but no invasion has been able to change its fundamental character and sense of mission. Strong central rule , and absorption of neighbouring countries has led to China growing bigger and bigger under each empire. The march of China has only been stopped by natural barriers like the sea or by determined opponents who have fought chinese armies to a standstill.Today China borders India over a vast and undemarcated border. It is a recipe for trouble but that depends on the way it is handled.

In my opinion , India can hold its own vis-a-vis China only if it develops its economic strength and achieves political cohesiveness.To maintain peace and co-operation a balance of power is necessary. China is poised to keep growing due to its policies and resources and India better keep up if it wants to be of any consequence in Chinese eyes.