Next time you see a graduate student, TIP him/her

The other day I was a in a so called upscale restaurant and we were debating about the tipping culture. Those in favor of it were of the view that the waiters get paid too less despite doing a "menial" service job. Those against it, argued that they have chosen this to be their job. The restaurants are law-bound to pay at least the minimum wages. Pondering over the arguments, I wondered if graduate students are on the same page and should also be tipped! I realized there are a few points of similarities. But restaurant workers are actually much better off. Lets see the points of similarity.

1. Grad Students(GS) get paid below the state minimums. At Purdue, an average student earns $1250pm(1500$ pm-250$(Purdue fees)). Any student who wants to graduate in 5 years works atleast 300 hours in a month. So he/she gets paid just 4$/hr. Way below the state minimum of 7.75$/hr. Restaurant Workers(RW) get paid between 2.17$-5$ before tips.

2. Both do "menial" jobs. RWs serve customers, adjust to their whims and wash their dirty plates. GSs serve professors, suffer their whims and mostly do the dirty uninteresting labor involved in innovation.

3. Both have chosen it to be their path. Or rather both had nothing else to do.

4. And both rue that they should have been somewhere else.

5. RWs have to tip their support staff(bar backs etc for getting their job done). Grad students have to tip in restaurants for filling their starving stomachs.

6. RWs get little after tax deductions. At Purdue, an avg Grad student gets <1000$ pm after tax deductions.

7. 8. 9. 10.....

I can find a plethora of similarities. But there are two major dissimilarities. The BIG question is: who would tip a grad student! An RW can get direct tip from customers they serve. Who do the GSs serve? The industry? They wont wont give an iota if you stay up all night solving a difficult problem. The professor? Hahahahahaha... The people around? Especially those with kids? (You could argue that GSs's work will impact the future generation). Almost everything that you see around-mobiles, plasma TVs etc are a fruit of the work of thousands of poor starving GSs... Dont worry they dont care about you..So GSs, you are doomed. Nobody cares about you enough to tip you.

TIPS stands for Tipping I(E)nsures Prompt/Proper Service. If you dont tip at restaurant, they will spit in your food and give you a piece of their mind. You might wait long for a table and what not. What can grad students do? Take too long to complete some work? Haha.. not possible. The advisor will give them a piece of his/her mind. Funding will be cut off. And the worst of all.. the GS will take too long to graduate.

Dont waste your time reading this. RWs are much better off than GSs. Next time you go to a restaurant, ask them to tip you.

Portrait of progress

Here is an experimental short abstract prose I have come up with.. comments more than welcome.

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Portrait of Progress

Amidst thunderous applause, the indigenous satellite zoomed in its orbit. It would help predict many things, the scientists claimed.
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11:59AM: The plaza was bustling with activity. Young couples with eyes drenched in the honey of love amalgamated with reveling kids.
12:01 PM: An eerie silence. Shards of torn limbs and broken glass. Bloody eyes.
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Lok Sabha: The Defense Minister announces a 10% hike in the defense budget to $26.4 billion to curb extremism from neighboring countries.
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Kalahandi, Orissa: (A morning in winter) A famished man lies on the ground by the newly finished National Highway. His hands joined as in prayer. A rickety little girl sits by him, bare bodied; her palms bent and extended forward to passersby.
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Bangalore, India; Karachi, Pakistan: Apple launches the 3G IPhone with live telecast of the ongoing India Pakistan cricket match.
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Quetta, Baluchistan: (A morning in winter) A famished man lies on the ground by the Highway. His hands spread as in Salaat. A rickety little girl sits by him, bare bodied; her palms bent and extended forward to passersby.
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My favorite quotes: Misc

1. Once you have achieved what you wanted, all you feel is just howling in despair.

2. If you want to keep a secret you must also hide it from yourself.

3. You think you know who you are. You have no idea.

4. The philosophy of one century is common sense in the next.

5. we can't go 'round measuring our goodness by what we don't do, by what we deny ourselves, what we resist and who we exclude... we've go to measure goodness by what we embrace, what we create, and who we include. Chocolat

my favorite quotes: Fun/Sarcasm

1. Stupidity is as necessary as intelligence and as difficult to attain

2. All desirable things in life are either illegal, banned, expensive or married/committed to someone else!

3. 'thank god i'm an atheist'

My favorite Quotes: Inspirational

1.You only live once-but if you work it out right, once is enough. Joe E. Lewis

2. Fate like a rocket flies in a parabola usually in gloom, rarely along rainbows

3. HOLD ON TO UR DREAMS, JUST BELIEVE U CAN. NOTHING IS GONNA STOP U, THAT'S THE STORY OF MAN

4. Find out who you are, and do it on purpose.

5. Try not. Do... or do not. There is no try. Yoda

6. Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts

My favorite quotes: Love

1. Love no less than a queen, lose no less than a million

2. LOVE is like the wind, you can't see it but you can feel it inside.

3. You can't make your heart feel something it won't. Bonnie Raitt

4. I hate love

The Zahir

here are a few words of wisdom from Coelho's The Zahir

1."Fanaticism is the only way to put an end to the doubts that constantly trouble the human soul."

2. "We humans have two great problems: the first is knowing when to begin; the second is knowing when to stop."

3. "Lukewarm things are not pleasing to the palate"

4. "What is fidelity? The feeling that I possess a body and a soul that aren’t mine?"

5. "We just don’t all have the courage to follow our dreams and to follow the signs. Perhaps that’s where the sadness comes from.”

6. Its not life that matters but the journey.

More to follow