After 5 long years of staying in the same house, today, we moved again. Yes ... Again!
Fortunately or Unfortunately, I'm from a middle class family. And thanks to that - so far - we've been able to live in rented houses/apartments only. But, I would be lying if I say that we never owned any house.
When I was in my Xth std, we bought our first house. It was a wonderful property. Back water facing ... Second Floor ... Terrace all to ourselves ... 1800 sq ft ... Big halls (me and my bro used to play cricket there ... I swear!) ... Big rooms ... Plenty of land around the house ... Garden ... etc ... etc ...
(In short - it had the works!)
Unfortunately, bad times befell upon us, and we had to sell of the house. It seems, the stars pertaining to the house had everything to do with (That was the mambo-jambo that some renowned astrologer dad goes to told him!).
I had just completed my 12th, and I had secured an admission into the NIT, Calicut (It was called the Regional Engineering College, Calicut back then). And by the time we had to move out of that house - I was well into my 3rd semester of college.
Frankly speaking, I loved that house. I have a lot of fond memories of that place. The view of the backwaters during thunderstorms ... aaaaaaaaaah ... Nostalgic!
Also, I also remember that it was when I was staying in that house that I had my first majooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooor crush - Dhanya.
I say crush and not love - as today, I don't even remember her face. If it had indeed been love - it wouldn't be so would it?
Anyways ... More on that in later blogs!
So ... The way I see it - That house bought me a lot of good luck! But, since the astrologer said the house was a bad asset, and since dad worshipped that astrologer jerko like god - We sold of the house!
For a very long while after that, we were staying in one rented house after the other. And mind you, all those stays were pretty short-term by nature. 6 months ... 1 year max. Till - we came to this house (the one I just moved!)
5 long years we spent at this place. And to be very honest - It wasn't my most favorite of houses - for a plethora of reasons ofcourse. For instance, the house was pretty old w.r.t construction. It had a very morose feel to it. The toilets were absolutely disgusting. The were low ... Dirty ... Yucky ... Grossssssssssssssss ... I don't even wanna talk about it. It is after a lot of hue and cry that we finally changed the sanitary ware (at our own expense mind you!), and it is only after that going to the toilet at this home became a "not-so-very-unpleasant" an affair. Also, our neighbours (the family who stayed upstairs i.e.) weren't exactly very friendly. And to add to that - they were nosy as hell! And how can I forget - there was this church right next doors. And come Sundays - we had listen to them shouting and singing and praying at the top of their voices! I don't mean to sound discriminative here, but, whatever the religion you practise, practise it in such a manner that you don't disturb others around you! How difficult can that be!!!
Anyways ... Even with all these negatives, this house too had a lot of fond memories. Without "revealing" (pun intended!) too many details - let me just say - It was ... ummm ... the house where I "experienced" a lot of "firsts"!
(Keep guessing what they were!)
;)
And finally, we bought a new house, again (Touch Virtual Wood!!!) ...
And this time, the house's astrology has also been checked
(I know it sounds weird ... I think so too ... Blame it all on mom and dad!!!)
Unfortunately though, we won't be able to move into it for the next couple of months.
(There seems to be a delay in getting the Water and Power Supply)
So ... For the next 3 - 4 months, we've taken up another house. This one is a lot more prettier than any of the previous houses we've lived in. Plus, since it's on the 6th floor, the view is mind blowing. Mom is completely in love with it!
:)
So ... Till my next move (Hopefully, that'll be our last house shifting ever!) - Adieus Amigo!
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Virginity - A Big Issue Or A Small Tissue
For some reason, I've been debating this in my head all day. So, I thought I'd put my thoughts into print as well.
According to the WordWeb dictionary Virgin means "A person who has never had sex".
There is a lot of hype surrounding the whole virginity deal. For example, most guys (read as traditionalist men) expect their wives to be virgins. According to them, a person who has had sex outside of marriage, and that too before even getting married - is a person of loose character.
I'm not joking. This is what a lot of my friends, colleagues, batchmates, acquitances have told me. And from the tone in which they were saying it - I am pretty sure they meant business!
Also, most of them reason it out saying. "Hey ... I'm pure (read as I'm a virgin) ... I've not strayed ... And so - I just expect my wife to have done the same!".
To give them some credit - I prefer to look at it as - These guys have been saving themselves for their wives, and they expect their wives to do the same.
But, what irritates me is when a guy - who I know is not a virgin - tells me he would be really pissed, and would even consider divorce, if his wife is not a virgin.
An X-Roomie is one real time example of this. I know the bloke is not a virgin (I ***caught*** and a girl at home, in a -ahem-ahem- very "sticky" situation once), But, whenever we talk about stuff like this, he says "No ways I am getting married to a girl who is not a virgin! I don't want to eat someone elses leftovers!"
Come on dude ... What about the girl you ate (pun intended!).
But, seriously ... In this postmodern era of the 21st century - Is having sex out of marriage such a big deal? Correction - Is having sex such a big deal???
Personally speaking, it doesn't matter to me whether my wife has slept with anyone before. As long as she loves me, remains loyal to me (read as doesn't sleep with anyone else) for as long as we're married - I don't give a damn about her past!
I know a lot of my friends - both boys and girls - who have ... how should i say it - have "Strayed" to the other side. And from whatever I heard from them - it's a totally fun experience!
;)
With any luck - one day - I will "stray" too ...
(I am sure a few folks I know are going to drop me snide remarks for this!!!)
:P
N.B: I know that this blog, unlike my previous blogs, doesn't make any sense. In the context - that it starts of talking about something ... But then it doesn't conclude anything ... Partly this is because I'm feeling ultra sleepy right now, and partly because the things I write here might lead to me - inadvertently ofcourse - exposing people who told me some deep and dark "secrets".
So ... I'm just going to shut up and go to sleep!
According to the WordWeb dictionary Virgin means "A person who has never had sex".
There is a lot of hype surrounding the whole virginity deal. For example, most guys (read as traditionalist men) expect their wives to be virgins. According to them, a person who has had sex outside of marriage, and that too before even getting married - is a person of loose character.
I'm not joking. This is what a lot of my friends, colleagues, batchmates, acquitances have told me. And from the tone in which they were saying it - I am pretty sure they meant business!
Also, most of them reason it out saying. "Hey ... I'm pure (read as I'm a virgin) ... I've not strayed ... And so - I just expect my wife to have done the same!".
To give them some credit - I prefer to look at it as - These guys have been saving themselves for their wives, and they expect their wives to do the same.
But, what irritates me is when a guy - who I know is not a virgin - tells me he would be really pissed, and would even consider divorce, if his wife is not a virgin.
An X-Roomie is one real time example of this. I know the bloke is not a virgin (I ***caught*** and a girl at home, in a -ahem-ahem- very "sticky" situation once), But, whenever we talk about stuff like this, he says "No ways I am getting married to a girl who is not a virgin! I don't want to eat someone elses leftovers!"
Come on dude ... What about the girl you ate (pun intended!).
But, seriously ... In this postmodern era of the 21st century - Is having sex out of marriage such a big deal? Correction - Is having sex such a big deal???
Personally speaking, it doesn't matter to me whether my wife has slept with anyone before. As long as she loves me, remains loyal to me (read as doesn't sleep with anyone else) for as long as we're married - I don't give a damn about her past!
I know a lot of my friends - both boys and girls - who have ... how should i say it - have "Strayed" to the other side. And from whatever I heard from them - it's a totally fun experience!
;)
With any luck - one day - I will "stray" too ...
(I am sure a few folks I know are going to drop me snide remarks for this!!!)
:P
N.B: I know that this blog, unlike my previous blogs, doesn't make any sense. In the context - that it starts of talking about something ... But then it doesn't conclude anything ... Partly this is because I'm feeling ultra sleepy right now, and partly because the things I write here might lead to me - inadvertently ofcourse - exposing people who told me some deep and dark "secrets".
So ... I'm just going to shut up and go to sleep!
Impressions Sinking By The Hour
It's been a week since I joined my new organization, and honestly, I am not at all impressed in the way things are going here.
First of all, people don't get a computer if they're not alloted to a specific project. I've BEEN alloted to a project, but I still don't have a computer. The whole of my last week was spent doing permutations or combinations of the following:
1. Sitting idle staring at someone else's computer screen (the "other" person got annoyed at me starring at his screen and asked me to leave. Obviously ... I'd have done the same if I were in his shoes!)
2. Sitting in a library (oh btw at this library - You only get yesterday's newspapers. If you want today's newspapers - simple - come tomorrow! Also, you're not allowed to talk inside the library. And, since I am talkative person, I ignored that. End result - the librarian threw me out!)
3. Sitting on the sofas in the reception area.
4. Coffee Breaks.
5. Lunch Breaks.
The weirdest part of the whole deal is the way the organization is run. It is run like a Government Organization. Red-tape'ism is at its peak here! I mean - for crying out loud - this is supposed to be a private organization. But, the people here behave otherwise.
The next big shocker - You need to address people as "Sir" and "Madam" if you hope to get any work done out of them. Seriously. This, by far, is the biggest culture shock to me!!!
Even to this day - I remember the first project manager I ever worked under (a nice gentleman called Sridhar) reprimanded me for addressing him as Sir. And today, I have to address every Tom Dick and Harry in the admin department as Sirs and Madams, just to get a Form Signed or a Vehicle Gate Pass Issued. I shun to think what I will have to do when I need assistance in matters much more serious than this!
Resource Crunch ... Space Crunch ... Facilities Crunch ... I could list another 10 items - But, you get the general idea don't you!
Heck ... I'm toooooooo upset to even talk about the rest of the findings. I give up. I don't care anymore ... I think I'll just go to sleep!!!
Good Night Friends ...
First of all, people don't get a computer if they're not alloted to a specific project. I've BEEN alloted to a project, but I still don't have a computer. The whole of my last week was spent doing permutations or combinations of the following:
1. Sitting idle staring at someone else's computer screen (the "other" person got annoyed at me starring at his screen and asked me to leave. Obviously ... I'd have done the same if I were in his shoes!)
2. Sitting in a library (oh btw at this library - You only get yesterday's newspapers. If you want today's newspapers - simple - come tomorrow! Also, you're not allowed to talk inside the library. And, since I am talkative person, I ignored that. End result - the librarian threw me out!)
3. Sitting on the sofas in the reception area.
4. Coffee Breaks.
5. Lunch Breaks.
The weirdest part of the whole deal is the way the organization is run. It is run like a Government Organization. Red-tape'ism is at its peak here! I mean - for crying out loud - this is supposed to be a private organization. But, the people here behave otherwise.
The next big shocker - You need to address people as "Sir" and "Madam" if you hope to get any work done out of them. Seriously. This, by far, is the biggest culture shock to me!!!
Even to this day - I remember the first project manager I ever worked under (a nice gentleman called Sridhar) reprimanded me for addressing him as Sir. And today, I have to address every Tom Dick and Harry in the admin department as Sirs and Madams, just to get a Form Signed or a Vehicle Gate Pass Issued. I shun to think what I will have to do when I need assistance in matters much more serious than this!
Resource Crunch ... Space Crunch ... Facilities Crunch ... I could list another 10 items - But, you get the general idea don't you!
Heck ... I'm toooooooo upset to even talk about the rest of the findings. I give up. I don't care anymore ... I think I'll just go to sleep!!!
Good Night Friends ...
Movie Review - Mummy 3
After the runaway success of Mummy 1 and 2, when I heard that Mummy 3 had been released, I was just dying to see it.
Honestly, it just didn't live upto my expectations.
From the start itself, the movie fails to entice the audiences attention. The movie starts of depicting the cruelity of the Dragon Emperor, and how he was cursed by a witch and thereby turned into stone, and how if he is awakened he will destroy all mankind (seriously .... what is with this. It seems all mummies have the same motto in live. Arise - and then conquer the world!).
The portrayal of the The Dragon Emperor makes him look like a novice next to the fiends in the previous parts - namely - Imhotep and Scorpion King.
Next, Brendan Frassier looks really old in this movie. Seriously!
He just isn't able to do justice to his role.
Next, Rachel Weiz has been replaced by a new actress. And this, me being attracted to Rachel Weiz (just her looks i.e.), was kindda difficult to accept. Atleast for the first 20 minutes of the movie.
Next, humour is virtually non-existant in this movie.
(The one or two instances of comedy were very poorly timed)
Next, the screenplay is nowhere near anything like the 1st and 2nd parts. It's, for a lack of a better word, Lackluster.
Next, the graphics looks cartoony. Forget Impressive - It's doesnt even convince one.
Next, the script is REALLY REALLY weak!
I think the producers just tried to cash in on the "Mummy" brand one last time - even though they knew that the script was not good enough. But, unfortunately, they failed miserably!
On the whole, on a scale of 1 to 10, I would rate this movie a measly 2. In other words - it's an avoidable movie.
Honestly, it just didn't live upto my expectations.
From the start itself, the movie fails to entice the audiences attention. The movie starts of depicting the cruelity of the Dragon Emperor, and how he was cursed by a witch and thereby turned into stone, and how if he is awakened he will destroy all mankind (seriously .... what is with this. It seems all mummies have the same motto in live. Arise - and then conquer the world!).
The portrayal of the The Dragon Emperor makes him look like a novice next to the fiends in the previous parts - namely - Imhotep and Scorpion King.
Next, Brendan Frassier looks really old in this movie. Seriously!
He just isn't able to do justice to his role.
Next, Rachel Weiz has been replaced by a new actress. And this, me being attracted to Rachel Weiz (just her looks i.e.), was kindda difficult to accept. Atleast for the first 20 minutes of the movie.
Next, humour is virtually non-existant in this movie.
(The one or two instances of comedy were very poorly timed)
Next, the screenplay is nowhere near anything like the 1st and 2nd parts. It's, for a lack of a better word, Lackluster.
Next, the graphics looks cartoony. Forget Impressive - It's doesnt even convince one.
Next, the script is REALLY REALLY weak!
I think the producers just tried to cash in on the "Mummy" brand one last time - even though they knew that the script was not good enough. But, unfortunately, they failed miserably!
On the whole, on a scale of 1 to 10, I would rate this movie a measly 2. In other words - it's an avoidable movie.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Movies I saw in the Last 1 month
About a month odd back, I had written in this blog that I wanted to check out the following movies:
1. Hancock
2. Dark Knight
3. Jane Tu Jane Na
4. Wanted
5. The Incredible Hulk
I saw most of the movies mentioned in the above list, and you can find my verdict regarding the same below:
Hancock
This is a totally lackluster picture. Will Smith should probably shoot himself for making something this pathetic. The script is bad. The screenplay is passé. The movie, although only 90 mins long, feels like a big draaaaaaaaaaaag!
Dark Knight
The first half of the movie was mind blowing. Action … Action … and more Action was the mantra of the first half – which is pretty good!
But, just when I thought the movie had come to an end, I realized, No … It’s just the Interval. The second half, on the contrary, was totally pathetic. It was all mind games, and romance, and drama. I honestly didn’t like it that much. If it were up to me – I’d do away with the second part completely.
Anyways … Even with the boring second half, this is one movie I’d recommend for everyone who wants to see some really kick ass action.
Jane Tu Jane Na
I have a bootlegged copy of the movie on my Hard Disk. Sadly, I haven’t had the time to check it out as yet. The moment I check it out, I’ll let you folks know.
But, just as an FYI – all my friends who saw the movie Loved It!
Anyways … Keep watching this section for updates as and when it happens!
Wanted
This is a frigging boring movie. The whole USP of the movie revolves around people who have hearts that beat at 400 bpm (beats per minute), and assassins who are trained to bend bullets. The only thing that holds the movie together, are the stunt sequences, and ofcourse – the totally gorgeous Angelina Jolie (There is a 10 second nude scene of hers somewhere around the 90 minute mark. Don’t miss that!)
The Incredible Hulk
Unfortunately (or fortunately), by the time I was able to free up some time to hit the theatres to watch this movie, the shows had changed. So, right now, I am looking for a bootlegged copy f the movie. Once I get hold of a copy, I’ll watch it, and then comment on it. Deal?
1. Hancock
2. Dark Knight
3. Jane Tu Jane Na
4. Wanted
5. The Incredible Hulk
I saw most of the movies mentioned in the above list, and you can find my verdict regarding the same below:
Hancock
This is a totally lackluster picture. Will Smith should probably shoot himself for making something this pathetic. The script is bad. The screenplay is passé. The movie, although only 90 mins long, feels like a big draaaaaaaaaaaag!
Dark Knight
The first half of the movie was mind blowing. Action … Action … and more Action was the mantra of the first half – which is pretty good!
But, just when I thought the movie had come to an end, I realized, No … It’s just the Interval. The second half, on the contrary, was totally pathetic. It was all mind games, and romance, and drama. I honestly didn’t like it that much. If it were up to me – I’d do away with the second part completely.
Anyways … Even with the boring second half, this is one movie I’d recommend for everyone who wants to see some really kick ass action.
Jane Tu Jane Na
I have a bootlegged copy of the movie on my Hard Disk. Sadly, I haven’t had the time to check it out as yet. The moment I check it out, I’ll let you folks know.
But, just as an FYI – all my friends who saw the movie Loved It!
Anyways … Keep watching this section for updates as and when it happens!
Wanted
This is a frigging boring movie. The whole USP of the movie revolves around people who have hearts that beat at 400 bpm (beats per minute), and assassins who are trained to bend bullets. The only thing that holds the movie together, are the stunt sequences, and ofcourse – the totally gorgeous Angelina Jolie (There is a 10 second nude scene of hers somewhere around the 90 minute mark. Don’t miss that!)
The Incredible Hulk
Unfortunately (or fortunately), by the time I was able to free up some time to hit the theatres to watch this movie, the shows had changed. So, right now, I am looking for a bootlegged copy f the movie. Once I get hold of a copy, I’ll watch it, and then comment on it. Deal?
Books I Am Reading
As of today, these are the books I am currently trying to complete reading:
1. The Game (Neil Strauss)
2. Malgudi Days (R.K. Narayan)
Thanks to the TV at home, the amount of reading I am able to do these days has drastically reduced. But, with any luck, I should be able to complete all three books by the end of the month.
Okay ... Enough TV/Computer Games/Blogging for one day. I'm off to my reading table and my books!
1. The Game (Neil Strauss)
2. Malgudi Days (R.K. Narayan)
Thanks to the TV at home, the amount of reading I am able to do these days has drastically reduced. But, with any luck, I should be able to complete all three books by the end of the month.
Okay ... Enough TV/Computer Games/Blogging for one day. I'm off to my reading table and my books!
Life in the Small City - After Life in the Big City
After living in a Cosmopolitan, as well as Metropolitan city like Bangalore for close to two years, moving back to my hometown of Cochin has not been very easy.
For starters, the climate at Cochin is a lot warmer and it's a lot more humid too, as compared to Bangalore i.e.
Everybody shuts shop by 8 pm, and the roads are pretty much deserted by 9 pm. Bangalore, in sharp contrast, comes alive only after 8 pm. This is a mainly because, being the IT city that it is, people come back home only around 7 pm - 8 pm. It is only after this that they get to step out for some fun. The crowd in Cochin, on the other hand, consists primarily of employees in small-scale businesses. To the people here, come what may, their work timings end at 6 pm. And since the crowd here is primarily in the age group of 35 - 50, they prefer to head back home to their families rather than party around. To give them some credit, the disposable incomes of the IT youth in Bangalore is many times the actual salaries of the average Cochin based employee. A simple example would be the scenario at my home itself - My dad retired, after 25 years of service, at Weston Electronics, with a annual salary of 3 laks P/A. With this pay package, he had to pay for rent, 2 kids education, save money for a house, etc, etc. On the contrary, just 3 years into my career, I already earn close to 7 laks P/A. And I have no responsibilities whatsoever. I hope the message is loud and clear!
People here are a lot less broadminded than I would have liked. But, that again, we can account to the crowd being primarily in the age group of 35 - 50. People expect children to be the docile, obedient, unadventurous, not-crossing-the-line-parents-draw types. Nett result, the children are as boring as their parents!
The babes are BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD. Seriously, seeing a girl in a jeans is a rarity. Seeing a good-looking girl in jeans in am impossibility! This particular aspect, after living in Bangalore - where the girlshardly wear any clothes, is a total total heart wrencher!
Liquor is a lot more expensive than at Bangalore. I blame the higher taxes in Kerala for that. Also, you don't get a lot of brands or varieties either. By that I mean - getting stuff like Tequilla, or good cocktails, or schnapps, or exotic drinks like Kahlua or Bourbon - is a virtual impossibility.
No pubs here. The only pub I've heard of is the one at Hotel Avenue Regent. And that is not even a Pub. It's a lounge bar. On the contrary, Bangalore has a pub at every nook and corner of the city. In a place like Brigade Road, you can find a pub every 20 meters even.
But, all that said and done, on the bright side, living in the Small City comes with a lot of luxuries that life at the Big City can never afford.
Traffic is a breeze. It hardly takes me 15 mins - 20 mins to get to my office (which is a good 15 kilometers away btw). Even during peak traffic hours - the drive hardly takes 35 minutes. This is a biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiig blessing as compared to what I had to face at Bangalore. A drive of 12 kms to work takes, at the very least, 45 minutes. If its rush hour traffic - 1.5 hours.
"Pollution ... What is that?" is what I have to say about Cochin. On the contrary, thanks to the polluted environment at Bangalore, I ended up with a host of skin eczema and rashes.
No "You're-From-Outside-The-State" Ostracization here. This could partly be because of the fact that I am a Malayali, and therefore, not an outsider. But, in my experience, I've never seen people from any state being ostracized here. But, on the contrary, one thing I realized during my stay at Bangalore is that the localities don't really like outsiders. Atleast, that's the sentiments localities at a much more grass root level (read as financially not well off) bolster. One of my colleagues - MB (He's a Gujju btw) - got beaten black and blue on a BMTC bus, because of this charged emotion amongst the locals. This could be because of jealousy-invoked anger amongst the localities (Economics calls it "The Difference Between The Haves And The Have Nots!"). But, whatever it be, it's just not fair!
The cops are a lot less corrupted (read as cheaper to buy out!) in Cochin. Seriously... I mean it! At Bangalore, if a cop sees a Non KA (Karnataka) registration bike, the first thing they'd do is run up to your vehicle, turn off the ignition, take the key and walk away. What would result is a 20 min - 30 min long begging and pleading session, which would be followed by him quoting an astronomical bribe (which increases depending on whether/not you work in a Global MNC/Indian MNC) to not fine you. I got caught twice, and both times, I was asked for bribes of close to 2000. I mean - who the hell asks for a bribe of 2000 bucks? In comparison, if you ever get caught by a cop in Cochin, at the very max, a 100 buck bribe is all it would take for him to let you go Scott-Free. Heck - if you're lucky - he might even give you a salute!
:D
Cost of living is cheaper. 2 BHK Rentals would cost a minimum of Rs. 12,000/- in Bangalore. The same sort of a house would cost Rs. 8000/- here. Which is a good 33% cheaper. Food is a lot more economical too. A decent family (of four) outing to a decent restaurant would cost you a minimum of 1000 bucks in Bangalore. Here, a max of 500 bucks, and you can be back home all happy and content!
For starters, the climate at Cochin is a lot warmer and it's a lot more humid too, as compared to Bangalore i.e.
Everybody shuts shop by 8 pm, and the roads are pretty much deserted by 9 pm. Bangalore, in sharp contrast, comes alive only after 8 pm. This is a mainly because, being the IT city that it is, people come back home only around 7 pm - 8 pm. It is only after this that they get to step out for some fun. The crowd in Cochin, on the other hand, consists primarily of employees in small-scale businesses. To the people here, come what may, their work timings end at 6 pm. And since the crowd here is primarily in the age group of 35 - 50, they prefer to head back home to their families rather than party around. To give them some credit, the disposable incomes of the IT youth in Bangalore is many times the actual salaries of the average Cochin based employee. A simple example would be the scenario at my home itself - My dad retired, after 25 years of service, at Weston Electronics, with a annual salary of 3 laks P/A. With this pay package, he had to pay for rent, 2 kids education, save money for a house, etc, etc. On the contrary, just 3 years into my career, I already earn close to 7 laks P/A. And I have no responsibilities whatsoever. I hope the message is loud and clear!
People here are a lot less broadminded than I would have liked. But, that again, we can account to the crowd being primarily in the age group of 35 - 50. People expect children to be the docile, obedient, unadventurous, not-crossing-the-line-parents-draw types. Nett result, the children are as boring as their parents!
The babes are BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD. Seriously, seeing a girl in a jeans is a rarity. Seeing a good-looking girl in jeans in am impossibility! This particular aspect, after living in Bangalore - where the girls
Liquor is a lot more expensive than at Bangalore. I blame the higher taxes in Kerala for that. Also, you don't get a lot of brands or varieties either. By that I mean - getting stuff like Tequilla, or good cocktails, or schnapps, or exotic drinks like Kahlua or Bourbon - is a virtual impossibility.
No pubs here. The only pub I've heard of is the one at Hotel Avenue Regent. And that is not even a Pub. It's a lounge bar. On the contrary, Bangalore has a pub at every nook and corner of the city. In a place like Brigade Road, you can find a pub every 20 meters even.
But, all that said and done, on the bright side, living in the Small City comes with a lot of luxuries that life at the Big City can never afford.
Traffic is a breeze. It hardly takes me 15 mins - 20 mins to get to my office (which is a good 15 kilometers away btw). Even during peak traffic hours - the drive hardly takes 35 minutes. This is a biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiig blessing as compared to what I had to face at Bangalore. A drive of 12 kms to work takes, at the very least, 45 minutes. If its rush hour traffic - 1.5 hours.
"Pollution ... What is that?" is what I have to say about Cochin. On the contrary, thanks to the polluted environment at Bangalore, I ended up with a host of skin eczema and rashes.
No "You're-From-Outside-The-State" Ostracization here. This could partly be because of the fact that I am a Malayali, and therefore, not an outsider. But, in my experience, I've never seen people from any state being ostracized here. But, on the contrary, one thing I realized during my stay at Bangalore is that the localities don't really like outsiders. Atleast, that's the sentiments localities at a much more grass root level (read as financially not well off) bolster. One of my colleagues - MB (He's a Gujju btw) - got beaten black and blue on a BMTC bus, because of this charged emotion amongst the locals. This could be because of jealousy-invoked anger amongst the localities (Economics calls it "The Difference Between The Haves And The Have Nots!"). But, whatever it be, it's just not fair!
The cops are a lot less corrupted (read as cheaper to buy out!) in Cochin. Seriously... I mean it! At Bangalore, if a cop sees a Non KA (Karnataka) registration bike, the first thing they'd do is run up to your vehicle, turn off the ignition, take the key and walk away. What would result is a 20 min - 30 min long begging and pleading session, which would be followed by him quoting an astronomical bribe (which increases depending on whether/not you work in a Global MNC/Indian MNC) to not fine you. I got caught twice, and both times, I was asked for bribes of close to 2000. I mean - who the hell asks for a bribe of 2000 bucks? In comparison, if you ever get caught by a cop in Cochin, at the very max, a 100 buck bribe is all it would take for him to let you go Scott-Free. Heck - if you're lucky - he might even give you a salute!
:D
Cost of living is cheaper. 2 BHK Rentals would cost a minimum of Rs. 12,000/- in Bangalore. The same sort of a house would cost Rs. 8000/- here. Which is a good 33% cheaper. Food is a lot more economical too. A decent family (of four) outing to a decent restaurant would cost you a minimum of 1000 bucks in Bangalore. Here, a max of 500 bucks, and you can be back home all happy and content!
My Best Friend And His Role In My Life
My best friend Chery, as he terms it, is a "Serial Entrepreneur". He started one business (Photon Consulting. Then, within the end of the first year of running itself, he started the next one. And even as I type this blog, he's delving into a third one. But, the story doesn't stop here. He's got aggressive plans to expand into a few more areas/businesses in the near future.
Also, in his TO-DO list, he aspires to do an MBA from some reputed college (ISB being right on the top of his list!).
His claim -> He wants to do an executive program ONLY - as he can't afford to stay away from his business for so long, and besides, he doesn't need the placements that a regular program gives anyways.
Want To Know What I think -> He's just too lazy to prepare harder and get the better scores that a full time MBA, from any of the ivy league colleges, would require. Ergo, the decision to do the Executive MBA program.
:D
But, in any case, it's still an ambitious thing (not to mention that it takes a visionary mindset to be able to think like that) to want to improve ones knowledge by going for an MBA, and thereby help the business grow faster and better.
All this said and done, he is a hardcore fun person to be with. Although, at times I do get irritated by his slapstick comedy and the differences in opinions we have over, ummmmm ... lets see ... everything, he's one guy who brightened my life for as long as I've known him. Thanks to him, my interests have widened from getting drunk with my friends from college - to practising pick-up routines on girls, drag racing, X-Box gaming, DJ'ing, Gym'ing (A Big thanks to you for that bro!), etc.
And, most importantly, I learned a lot of things from him.
I learnt that it doesn't pay to be shy. It doesn't pay to be afraid. It doesn't pay to hesitate, and most importantly, It doesn't pay to be afraid of failure.
He, has instilled in me a new found confidence, a strong desire, or should I call it a want, to pursue my dreams, and now - I'm not that afraid of failure as I used to be earlier.
After doing all this for me, the least I can do is felicitate him and tell him a BIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIG THANKS by means of my blog.
Thanks for everything bro ... Really ... Thanks!!!
Also, in his TO-DO list, he aspires to do an MBA from some reputed college (ISB being right on the top of his list!).
His claim -> He wants to do an executive program ONLY - as he can't afford to stay away from his business for so long, and besides, he doesn't need the placements that a regular program gives anyways.
Want To Know What I think -> He's just too lazy to prepare harder and get the better scores that a full time MBA, from any of the ivy league colleges, would require. Ergo, the decision to do the Executive MBA program.
:D
But, in any case, it's still an ambitious thing (not to mention that it takes a visionary mindset to be able to think like that) to want to improve ones knowledge by going for an MBA, and thereby help the business grow faster and better.
All this said and done, he is a hardcore fun person to be with. Although, at times I do get irritated by his slapstick comedy and the differences in opinions we have over, ummmmm ... lets see ... everything, he's one guy who brightened my life for as long as I've known him. Thanks to him, my interests have widened from getting drunk with my friends from college - to practising pick-up routines on girls, drag racing, X-Box gaming, DJ'ing, Gym'ing (A Big thanks to you for that bro!), etc.
And, most importantly, I learned a lot of things from him.
I learnt that it doesn't pay to be shy. It doesn't pay to be afraid. It doesn't pay to hesitate, and most importantly, It doesn't pay to be afraid of failure.
He, has instilled in me a new found confidence, a strong desire, or should I call it a want, to pursue my dreams, and now - I'm not that afraid of failure as I used to be earlier.
After doing all this for me, the least I can do is felicitate him and tell him a BIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIG THANKS by means of my blog.
Thanks for everything bro ... Really ... Thanks!!!
Exposing My Dark Side
Inspired by blogs like this, and this, and this and many more like that, I too wanna try my hand at discussing those "Deep Dark Secrets" (read as the ummmm ... The Really Personal Stuff) in my life. But, honestly speaking, I don't think I have the guts to do so. You wanna know why?
Well - Its pretty simple actually! A lot of people read these blogs. And when they read those deep dark secrets - They'll know about that one side of me that I spent the last two odd decades hiding from people. This could be a good, as well as bad thing.
Good in the sense - I know longer have to hide those secrets. I can be just plain old me!
Bad in the sense - I am pretty sure that I'd have to live to face a lot of ridicule and jokes and finger pointing etc. And that - I'm not too sure - is something I want at this point!
Also, I am aware that a few members of my family also read this blog. And reading these shocking revelations might have adverse repercussions back home.
(One particular cousin, who happens to read this blog, is a bit of a loud mouth. He has this habbit of "accidentally" broadcasting controversial stuff to the rest of the family!)
But, I am also left thinking, the feeling I'd get revealing these enigmatic secrets - that would be such a rush ... Orgasmic even!
;-)
Heck ... That brings me back to square one again, and once again, I'm totally confused whether to do it/not do it!
What do you folks think - Good Idea or Bad?
Well - Its pretty simple actually! A lot of people read these blogs. And when they read those deep dark secrets - They'll know about that one side of me that I spent the last two odd decades hiding from people. This could be a good, as well as bad thing.
Good in the sense - I know longer have to hide those secrets. I can be just plain old me!
Bad in the sense - I am pretty sure that I'd have to live to face a lot of ridicule and jokes and finger pointing etc. And that - I'm not too sure - is something I want at this point!
Also, I am aware that a few members of my family also read this blog. And reading these shocking revelations might have adverse repercussions back home.
(One particular cousin, who happens to read this blog, is a bit of a loud mouth. He has this habbit of "accidentally" broadcasting controversial stuff to the rest of the family!)
But, I am also left thinking, the feeling I'd get revealing these enigmatic secrets - that would be such a rush ... Orgasmic even!
;-)
Heck ... That brings me back to square one again, and once again, I'm totally confused whether to do it/not do it!
What do you folks think - Good Idea or Bad?
Why I've Been Away From Blogging For A While
For those of you who have been following my blog for sometime now, you would've noticed that for the last couple of months, my blogging has been highly irregular. Also, you'd have noticed that a large number of entries come up all of a sudden.
Well, first of all, let me apologize for this erratic behaviour. Also, now, I'm going to take a moment to explain why this erratic behaviour.
I just moved professions. And also, I just relocated between cities. So, I've been busy for one. And more importantly, now, unfortunately, I don't have an internet connection at home. This means, either (a) I go to a cyber cafe and type my blogs in, or (b) I write my blogs at home, and upload them from my office PC. I am not too comfortable with option (a) as the cyber cafes I generally frequent don't have the necessary "ambience" to write blogs. So, I had to stick with option (b). But, now, thanks to my company switching, I don't think I'll have the luxury of doing that either. My new organization - TCS - doesn't permit me to carry any Storage Devices to work (I don't get the logic behind the ban though!). So, as of today, I have around 19 blog entries that I have written (on a textpad sheet ofcourse), but haven't had the opportunity to upload it.
I promise, tommorow (or maybe the day after) - when I hit a cyber cafe, I will take these blog entries along in a pen-drive, and upload them all at once.
Also, moving forward, I will try to be a little bit more frequent with the uploading bit (i.e. until I take a net connection at home again!)
So ... For all you lovely readers and fans of my blog - I'll continue dripping my creative juices here, and you folks keep having a good read!
Whatever you do - Don't Forget To Keep Smiling!
:)
Well, first of all, let me apologize for this erratic behaviour. Also, now, I'm going to take a moment to explain why this erratic behaviour.
I just moved professions. And also, I just relocated between cities. So, I've been busy for one. And more importantly, now, unfortunately, I don't have an internet connection at home. This means, either (a) I go to a cyber cafe and type my blogs in, or (b) I write my blogs at home, and upload them from my office PC. I am not too comfortable with option (a) as the cyber cafes I generally frequent don't have the necessary "ambience" to write blogs. So, I had to stick with option (b). But, now, thanks to my company switching, I don't think I'll have the luxury of doing that either. My new organization - TCS - doesn't permit me to carry any Storage Devices to work (I don't get the logic behind the ban though!). So, as of today, I have around 19 blog entries that I have written (on a textpad sheet ofcourse), but haven't had the opportunity to upload it.
I promise, tommorow (or maybe the day after) - when I hit a cyber cafe, I will take these blog entries along in a pen-drive, and upload them all at once.
Also, moving forward, I will try to be a little bit more frequent with the uploading bit (i.e. until I take a net connection at home again!)
So ... For all you lovely readers and fans of my blog - I'll continue dripping my creative juices here, and you folks keep having a good read!
Whatever you do - Don't Forget To Keep Smiling!
:)
My Dear Friend Pallu And Her Life These Days
Off late, I've been seeing a lot of activity on Pallu's blogs. I'm guessing (read as I know so) that this is because she has nothing better to do - thanks to the ex officio house arrest imposed on her by her parents - thanks to her marriage which is just around the corner.
But you know what - I'm really beginning to like what I read there.
Earlier, meaning - when she started blogging - the entries were primarily about her pubbing escapades in Bangalore.
Then, meaning - when the house arrest phase started - the entries were about how she misses Bangalore and the free life she had there.
Now, meaning - last 2 or 3 days - the blogs primarily revolve around how time kills her. Ooopssie ... My Bad ... I meant - How she kills time!
:D
I've realized one thing. She primarily spends her time
1. Cleaning
Whats the deal with girls and cleanliness??? Is this behaviour hard-coded in female genes or something???
2. Shopping For Jewelry And Clothes
I know girls think of this more as a sport than as a recreational item. And also because her marriage is just around the corner - I think it is justified as well.
3. Shopping For House Hold Items
By this Pallu clarified that she meant stuff like Pillow Covers, Bedsheets, Curtains, etc. Seriously, I don't understand how this can be so tough to choose? I have a thumb rule (Okay ... Make that two) when I go to buy these house-hold items.
a. There should be a discount on the item
b. There should be naked/semi-naked/dressed (order of preference) chick pictured somewhere in the product.
If any of these two rules are satisfied, I pick up the item. That simple. I don't understand, how and more importantly - WHY, girls make such a big deal out of something this simple and silly.
4. Teaching Her Brother Maths
Now this one takes the cake. It is totally unexpected. I mean, Pallu, Come on ... I know you're upset that you have to sit at home all day. But, torturing your brother with Maths lessons - That is the heights!
:D
She's been a total sweetheart to me when I was in Bangalore, and it is only thanks to her that I got to hit a lot of happening night clubs during my stay there.
As a token of appreciation, and also because I too am going crazy from all this forced abstentious nonsense (thanks to staying with parents!), I plan to help smuggle her out of her house for a coffee (read a Beer) one of these days.
I was thinking of visiting her house a couple of times in the Traditional Kerala Attire (Mundu + Chandanam Smeared Forehead + Oiled Hair + Totally Innocent Looks) to make her parents feel that I am an "Ayyyo Paavams" types. That way, when she comes out with me for the "supposedly" coffee date, they wont smell a rat.
But, when I pitched the idea to Pallu, she told me her parents are not that stupid, and sure as hell, they wouldn't let their daughter out alone.
And more important than that. If I wear this outfit on more than one occassion, My Mom will smell a rat, and I could get into trouble.
For those of you morons who're thinking I'm worried that I'll get into trouble for gulping a few beers - Well Buddies - that's not what I am talking about.
I am talking about a much larger risk that I face here. The risk that mom might think that I'm up to no good, and that there is a Female Element involved in the ratty scheme of mine. She might suspect that I'm wearing all this mallu traditional attire to impress some girl/her parents, taking her to the temple, etc.
(Trust me. I know my mom. And I'd be least bit surprised if her mind didn't start thinking up conspiracy theories more intricate and complex than the ones I just came up with a sec back!)
Such a thing would lead my mom to start nagging me, all over again, about getting married and starting a family!
That's the last thing I want - Especially, when I'm going to be stuck in Cochin for the next couple of months!
So, pallu, in MY best interest, I am not going to be follow that plan. Sorry about that darling!
:(
If anyone else has any "other" bright ideas regarding how to dupe the parents of a soon-to-be-married-girl to let their daughter out on a coffee date - I'm all ears. Drop me the suggestion in the comments section. If I am able to pull it off - I'll buy you a coffee (read as a beer or whatever else it is that you drink!)
But you know what - I'm really beginning to like what I read there.
Earlier, meaning - when she started blogging - the entries were primarily about her pubbing escapades in Bangalore.
Then, meaning - when the house arrest phase started - the entries were about how she misses Bangalore and the free life she had there.
Now, meaning - last 2 or 3 days - the blogs primarily revolve around how time kills her. Ooopssie ... My Bad ... I meant - How she kills time!
:D
I've realized one thing. She primarily spends her time
1. Cleaning
Whats the deal with girls and cleanliness??? Is this behaviour hard-coded in female genes or something???
2. Shopping For Jewelry And Clothes
I know girls think of this more as a sport than as a recreational item. And also because her marriage is just around the corner - I think it is justified as well.
3. Shopping For House Hold Items
By this Pallu clarified that she meant stuff like Pillow Covers, Bedsheets, Curtains, etc. Seriously, I don't understand how this can be so tough to choose? I have a thumb rule (Okay ... Make that two) when I go to buy these house-hold items.
a. There should be a discount on the item
b. There should be naked/semi-naked/dressed (order of preference) chick pictured somewhere in the product.
If any of these two rules are satisfied, I pick up the item. That simple. I don't understand, how and more importantly - WHY, girls make such a big deal out of something this simple and silly.
4. Teaching Her Brother Maths
Now this one takes the cake. It is totally unexpected. I mean, Pallu, Come on ... I know you're upset that you have to sit at home all day. But, torturing your brother with Maths lessons - That is the heights!
:D
She's been a total sweetheart to me when I was in Bangalore, and it is only thanks to her that I got to hit a lot of happening night clubs during my stay there.
As a token of appreciation, and also because I too am going crazy from all this forced abstentious nonsense (thanks to staying with parents!), I plan to help smuggle her out of her house for a coffee (read a Beer) one of these days.
I was thinking of visiting her house a couple of times in the Traditional Kerala Attire (Mundu + Chandanam Smeared Forehead + Oiled Hair + Totally Innocent Looks) to make her parents feel that I am an "Ayyyo Paavams" types. That way, when she comes out with me for the "supposedly" coffee date, they wont smell a rat.
But, when I pitched the idea to Pallu, she told me her parents are not that stupid, and sure as hell, they wouldn't let their daughter out alone.
And more important than that. If I wear this outfit on more than one occassion, My Mom will smell a rat, and I could get into trouble.
For those of you morons who're thinking I'm worried that I'll get into trouble for gulping a few beers - Well Buddies - that's not what I am talking about.
I am talking about a much larger risk that I face here. The risk that mom might think that I'm up to no good, and that there is a Female Element involved in the ratty scheme of mine. She might suspect that I'm wearing all this mallu traditional attire to impress some girl/her parents, taking her to the temple, etc.
(Trust me. I know my mom. And I'd be least bit surprised if her mind didn't start thinking up conspiracy theories more intricate and complex than the ones I just came up with a sec back!)
Such a thing would lead my mom to start nagging me, all over again, about getting married and starting a family!
That's the last thing I want - Especially, when I'm going to be stuck in Cochin for the next couple of months!
So, pallu, in MY best interest, I am not going to be follow that plan. Sorry about that darling!
:(
If anyone else has any "other" bright ideas regarding how to dupe the parents of a soon-to-be-married-girl to let their daughter out on a coffee date - I'm all ears. Drop me the suggestion in the comments section. If I am able to pull it off - I'll buy you a coffee (read as a beer or whatever else it is that you drink!)
TCS - Day # 1
Today (06-Aug-2008), was my joining date at TCS. I reached the office 15 minutes ahead of the stipulated start time of 9.30 am. There were 7 of us who were joining on the same day. All of them looked pretty senior as compared to me, and after I took the onus of introducing myself and getting their credentials out of them, I realized that they were indeed pretty senior members. Everyone else - except me - had a work experience of upwards of 6 years, making me the youngest guy in the conference hall. But, to my credit, I was the only guy from a World Class Company (Oracle). The rest of the crowd was from some "naam-ke-waaste" or the other.
Anyways, lets go on with the story.
So, a good 10 minutes after we were herded into the conference room, we were greeted by 2 HR ladies. One of them, I had already met. The other lady, a slighty dark one, was new to me. Let me call them as HR-1, and HR-2 respectively.
HR-1: "Good Morning Everyone. So, does everyone have their Forms ready?"
Everyone-Else: "Yes Maaaam ..." (In a musical kind of way. The sort that you hear in Class VI.
Me: "Nopes ... I didn't get any forms!"
Well ... Let me explain what that was all about:
TCS HR folks had sent me an e-mail on 05-Aug-2008, asking me to fill a host of joining related forms. Unfortunately, I had forgotten to take printouts of the same (as I was busy chatting away with Farhana, Sarah, Ravi Etta, Sameer, Milan, etc). It is only when I returned home, around 9.30 pm, that I realized my mistake. But, by then, it was too late to go out and get printouts (Cochin sleeps at 9.00 pm). So, I figured that my best bet would be to go to the TCS office and tell the HR that I didn't get any mails. I figured that they would buy that story, and would give me a copy of all the forms the had mailed me, and I could fill them up at office.
Now, back to the story.
HR-1: "Oh ... Sharath ... We had mailed everyone the forms yesterday. Didn't you receive them? Everyone else seems to have received them!"
Me: "Well ... I've been travelling a lot over the last two days. I didn't get a chance to properly rummage through my mail. I guess it might be there in my SPAM folder. I'll have to check to confirm though!" (Please note - I said this in a totally matter of fact manner. It takes years and years of practise of lying to mom, professors, and these days - the equivalent of both - managers, to pull of a stunt like that!)
I could tell that she bought the story. After all, why would someone with a background like Oracle lie about something like this. Especially on their joining date!
HR-1: "Oh ... In that case ... Sharath - You please wait for a few more minutes. I'll be right back. In the meanwhile HR-2, you start collecting the documents from the others!"
With this said, she walked out. 10 minutes later, she came back into the conference room.
HR-1: "Sharath ... I've mailed you the forms again!"
Me: (Totally confused!) "What?"
HR-1: "I've mailed you the forms again. Please take printouts of the same when you come tomorrow. We'll handle the joining formalities for you separately tomorrow. It shouldn't take more than 1 hour. Fine?"
I had expected her to come with a bundle of forms, not tell me that she had re-sent the e-mail to my mail id. I was, honestly speaking, totally stumped by the response. Especially, after working in a company like Oracle, where everything is so totally professionally driven, this was a totally lack-lustre and lacking gusto sort of reaction.
Me: (Too stumped to react) "Okay. So, what do I do for the rest of the day?"
HR-1: "You can go over to the Tejomaya building, and meet Sharat!"
Me: (Even more confused) "Come again ..."
HR-1: (Laughing as if really amused) "You need to meet a person called Sharat. (seeing my bewildered look) Yes - He's Sharath without a H... He sits in the neihbouring building. He is a member of the MATC. He will tell you which project you be working on and whom you will report to"
That sounded interesting.
For the benefit of people reading this and who're feeling totally lost. TCS has occupation in two office - Vismaya (the office I was in now), and Tejomaya. MATC (or whatever it is actually called)
I was told that Tejomaya was pretty nearby. But, nearby, in this case, meant a good half a kilometer away. Anyways ... I bore the brunt of that walk, and met up with Mr. Sharat. And guess what, the only thing he did was ask me to go meet a certain Mr. Rejin at the Vismaya building, and that he would be my Manager moving forward. That's it.
Again, another gruelling half a kilometer walk later, I met up with a smart and well-informed lady Ms. Smitha, who debriefed me about the project that I would be working on. I am not at a liberty to tell you the name of the client or anything else for that matter, but, all I can say is that the project involves a lot of fundoo technologies, and most importantly, there was no onsite opportunity in that project. I must confess, I was very very let down when I heard that. But, I always liked to believe - "That Everything Happens For A Reason".
After that, I had to get my access card. For which, I had to make yet another trip to Sharat's office at Tejomaya, and back to get a sign from HR-1. (Another 1 KM trip) As a follow on to this, I had to make runs between the Admin, IS (Information Security), and Facilities teams so that I could submit a scanned copy my photograph for the ID Card. Sadly, I wasn't able to complete the process.
Another task which took a few more grueling minutes of interaction with the Admin folks was getting the Vehicle Pass Forms. I intend to fill the same and submit it tomorrow only though.
The whole walking around trying to get signatures and approvals kindda reminded me of my last day at college (NITC) when I had to run around from pillar to post (read as department to department) to get all the No-Dues clearances from the concerned people before they left for their vacations.
At Oracle, or even Wipro for that matter, things were a lot more organized. One phone call, or e-mail was all it took to get approvals, and data. But, unfortunately, at TCS, the only way out is the one practised during the Pre-British Era. Run from person to person and grovel for whatever you need.
Honestly, the responses I got from the various departments and the lack-lustre manner in which everything was handled reminded me of the defunct and dusty systems in place at Government Offices in the country.
Seriously, is this how things are done here?
I narrated this experience to a friend of mine, who - for the record - has been with TCS for 3+ years, and this is what he told me - "Welcome to TCS buddy. A place where things never happen on time!"
I was left wondering - "What the hell have I landed myself into man!!!"
Anyways, lets go on with the story.
So, a good 10 minutes after we were herded into the conference room, we were greeted by 2 HR ladies. One of them, I had already met. The other lady, a slighty dark one, was new to me. Let me call them as HR-1, and HR-2 respectively.
HR-1: "Good Morning Everyone. So, does everyone have their Forms ready?"
Everyone-Else: "Yes Maaaam ..." (In a musical kind of way. The sort that you hear in Class VI.
Me: "Nopes ... I didn't get any forms!"
Well ... Let me explain what that was all about:
TCS HR folks had sent me an e-mail on 05-Aug-2008, asking me to fill a host of joining related forms. Unfortunately, I had forgotten to take printouts of the same (as I was busy chatting away with Farhana, Sarah, Ravi Etta, Sameer, Milan, etc). It is only when I returned home, around 9.30 pm, that I realized my mistake. But, by then, it was too late to go out and get printouts (Cochin sleeps at 9.00 pm). So, I figured that my best bet would be to go to the TCS office and tell the HR that I didn't get any mails. I figured that they would buy that story, and would give me a copy of all the forms the had mailed me, and I could fill them up at office.
Now, back to the story.
HR-1: "Oh ... Sharath ... We had mailed everyone the forms yesterday. Didn't you receive them? Everyone else seems to have received them!"
Me: "Well ... I've been travelling a lot over the last two days. I didn't get a chance to properly rummage through my mail. I guess it might be there in my SPAM folder. I'll have to check to confirm though!" (Please note - I said this in a totally matter of fact manner. It takes years and years of practise of lying to mom, professors, and these days - the equivalent of both - managers, to pull of a stunt like that!)
I could tell that she bought the story. After all, why would someone with a background like Oracle lie about something like this. Especially on their joining date!
HR-1: "Oh ... In that case ... Sharath - You please wait for a few more minutes. I'll be right back. In the meanwhile HR-2, you start collecting the documents from the others!"
With this said, she walked out. 10 minutes later, she came back into the conference room.
HR-1: "Sharath ... I've mailed you the forms again!"
Me: (Totally confused!) "What?"
HR-1: "I've mailed you the forms again. Please take printouts of the same when you come tomorrow. We'll handle the joining formalities for you separately tomorrow. It shouldn't take more than 1 hour. Fine?"
I had expected her to come with a bundle of forms, not tell me that she had re-sent the e-mail to my mail id. I was, honestly speaking, totally stumped by the response. Especially, after working in a company like Oracle, where everything is so totally professionally driven, this was a totally lack-lustre and lacking gusto sort of reaction.
Me: (Too stumped to react) "Okay. So, what do I do for the rest of the day?"
HR-1: "You can go over to the Tejomaya building, and meet Sharat!"
Me: (Even more confused) "Come again ..."
HR-1: (Laughing as if really amused) "You need to meet a person called Sharat. (seeing my bewildered look) Yes - He's Sharath without a H... He sits in the neihbouring building. He is a member of the MATC. He will tell you which project you be working on and whom you will report to"
That sounded interesting.
For the benefit of people reading this and who're feeling totally lost. TCS has occupation in two office - Vismaya (the office I was in now), and Tejomaya. MATC (or whatever it is actually called)
I was told that Tejomaya was pretty nearby. But, nearby, in this case, meant a good half a kilometer away. Anyways ... I bore the brunt of that walk, and met up with Mr. Sharat. And guess what, the only thing he did was ask me to go meet a certain Mr. Rejin at the Vismaya building, and that he would be my Manager moving forward. That's it.
Again, another gruelling half a kilometer walk later, I met up with a smart and well-informed lady Ms. Smitha, who debriefed me about the project that I would be working on. I am not at a liberty to tell you the name of the client or anything else for that matter, but, all I can say is that the project involves a lot of fundoo technologies, and most importantly, there was no onsite opportunity in that project. I must confess, I was very very let down when I heard that. But, I always liked to believe - "That Everything Happens For A Reason".
After that, I had to get my access card. For which, I had to make yet another trip to Sharat's office at Tejomaya, and back to get a sign from HR-1. (Another 1 KM trip) As a follow on to this, I had to make runs between the Admin, IS (Information Security), and Facilities teams so that I could submit a scanned copy my photograph for the ID Card. Sadly, I wasn't able to complete the process.
Another task which took a few more grueling minutes of interaction with the Admin folks was getting the Vehicle Pass Forms. I intend to fill the same and submit it tomorrow only though.
The whole walking around trying to get signatures and approvals kindda reminded me of my last day at college (NITC) when I had to run around from pillar to post (read as department to department) to get all the No-Dues clearances from the concerned people before they left for their vacations.
At Oracle, or even Wipro for that matter, things were a lot more organized. One phone call, or e-mail was all it took to get approvals, and data. But, unfortunately, at TCS, the only way out is the one practised during the Pre-British Era. Run from person to person and grovel for whatever you need.
Honestly, the responses I got from the various departments and the lack-lustre manner in which everything was handled reminded me of the defunct and dusty systems in place at Government Offices in the country.
Seriously, is this how things are done here?
I narrated this experience to a friend of mine, who - for the record - has been with TCS for 3+ years, and this is what he told me - "Welcome to TCS buddy. A place where things never happen on time!"
I was left wondering - "What the hell have I landed myself into man!!!"
My TV - Truly A Pandora's Box
For over a year of my stay at Bangalore, I didn't have a TV at home. It might come as a surprise to many of you. Especially so since even the most rural villages boast of 100% population owning TV's. Well, I just want to say that I never felt the need to buy one. As a matter of fact, it was a conscious decision on my part not to invest in a TV. During the last 1 year or so that I've not had a TV, I have had so much time on my hands that I've been able to explore a multitude of things I've wanted to try out. Reading, Blogging, Movies, DJ'ing, Product Development, Marketing Strategies, etc, etc, etc.
At times, I must confess, it did feel like a big handicap when the TV was not around to console me. Because, after all, you can only read a book or watch a movie or blog so much, and beyond that, it becomes boring. But, still, not having a TV at home, did afford me a lot of luxury in the form of time, which I utilized to maximum possible.
Ever since I've moved back to Cochin, I've been so glued to the "Idiot Box" that I haven't even unpacked properly (Might I add - It's been 4 days since I arrived here!). I miss a lot of appointments thanks to the "Channel Surfing" habbit that I am slowly developing. I've come to reality with the harsh reality that as the days pass, I am becoming more and more lazy. Also, thanks to the comfortable sofa in front of the TV (courtesy Dad), and the good food stocked on the dining table (courtesy Mom) - there is every possibility that I'll add a lot many more kilos to my already rather large frame!
I think, it's high time I shake myself out of this silly habbit, and try to go back to my good old days. I am not unaware that this is easier said than done. But, I have to try as hard as I can. For my own good!
Wish me luck mate!
At times, I must confess, it did feel like a big handicap when the TV was not around to console me. Because, after all, you can only read a book or watch a movie or blog so much, and beyond that, it becomes boring. But, still, not having a TV at home, did afford me a lot of luxury in the form of time, which I utilized to maximum possible.
Ever since I've moved back to Cochin, I've been so glued to the "Idiot Box" that I haven't even unpacked properly (Might I add - It's been 4 days since I arrived here!). I miss a lot of appointments thanks to the "Channel Surfing" habbit that I am slowly developing. I've come to reality with the harsh reality that as the days pass, I am becoming more and more lazy. Also, thanks to the comfortable sofa in front of the TV (courtesy Dad), and the good food stocked on the dining table (courtesy Mom) - there is every possibility that I'll add a lot many more kilos to my already
I think, it's high time I shake myself out of this silly habbit, and try to go back to my good old days. I am not unaware that this is easier said than done. But, I have to try as hard as I can. For my own good!
Wish me luck mate!
My Career Goals
My short-term to mid-term career goal has always been to move into a customer facing role, with my prime responsibility being milking new projects out of customer, and mapping customer requirements to business solutions. Different organization call the person involved in this sort of a role by different names - some call it a Business Analyst (Wipro), some call it a Program Manager (Infosys), some call it a Solution Architect (Akamai).
I think I got the inspiration to follow this particular career path from my cousin brother - Ravi. I grew up watching him climb up the corporate ladder in a similar profile. Since he was my childhood hero (he's not my hero anymore though - for some "other" reasons of course!) I guess I had this desire to become like him, and that resulted in the inspiration to follow in his footsteps.
I don't know whether it is the right step to take. But, given that I am gifted with a glib tongue, I don't think I'll do badly either! Whether it is indeed my "calling", only time will tell. For now, I'm just going to concentrate on anything and everything I can to ensure that I achieve this career goal of mine at the earliest possible.
So, Ravi Etta, if you're reading this, do drop me a few helpful pointers!
Deal?
I think I got the inspiration to follow this particular career path from my cousin brother - Ravi. I grew up watching him climb up the corporate ladder in a similar profile. Since he was my childhood hero (he's not my hero anymore though - for some "other" reasons of course!) I guess I had this desire to become like him, and that resulted in the inspiration to follow in his footsteps.
I don't know whether it is the right step to take. But, given that I am gifted with a glib tongue, I don't think I'll do badly either! Whether it is indeed my "calling", only time will tell. For now, I'm just going to concentrate on anything and everything I can to ensure that I achieve this career goal of mine at the earliest possible.
So, Ravi Etta, if you're reading this, do drop me a few helpful pointers!
Deal?
Moving To TCS
I've been hearing this question one too many times. So, I'm going to take some time off to write the actual reasons behind my decision to move out of Oracle to TCS.
1. The work at Oracle was getting boring
Let me elaborate. I was initially working on a project called Ship and Debit. It was a pure development project. I had a loooooooooooooot of fun working on it. The learning curve was rewarding in itself. Things were going very well. Then, all of a sudden, quite a few people quit in my team, sequentially of course. This lead to a resource crunch, and since I was the only person in the team left with product knowledge, experience and expertise on a product called Sales Online (OSO), I was pulled out of the Ship and Debit project to work on OSO. I didn't exactly like this decision that much, especially since the OSO project was primarily into a maintenance mode and it wasn't exactly the most rewarding - or for that matter fun work - around.
2. The pay was not competitive enough
When I joined Oracle, I was amongst the top 10% of the highest paid employees in my batch. This was indeed a great ego boost. But, over the 2 years I was at Oracle, my pay got raised a meager 15%, whereas my contemporaries, in other companies of course, had their salaries revised to such levels that, the last time I checked, I was earning a good 30% - 50% less than they were earning currently. The icing on the cake was that freshers were joining Oracle at the same pay stacks as people with 4 or 5 years work experience. This was indeed a big blow to my ego.
3. Desire to move to Consulting/Service
I've always wanted to move into a customer facing role. Especially one that’d let me improve upon my sales and marketing skills. This is because - I've always wanted to move out of applications development into more buxom and hot areas like Marketing and Sales. My logic is - if I am in a role where I play a direct influence on the revenue of a company - they'll be more inclined to respect, keep me happy and reward me handsomely. Maybe my logic is flawed, but until I am proven otherwise, I am going to run with this logic itself!
Anyways ... Back to the main story. So, I learnt, after a lot of researching, that the only two departments, at Oracle, where I could do anything like I mentioned above were Sales and Marketing, and Product Management. Also, on digging a little more, I realized that Oracle doesn't exactly encourage developers to move into such roles. Atleast, that's what all the "contacts" I touched base with told me. Thus, when I realized that my career aspirations could not be satisfied by Oracle, I started looking for organizations that would let me move in the direction I wanted to. And what better industry than the service industry to help me in these aspirations.
4. Easy Referrals Available
Since I had decided to move to a consulting/service industry space, the companies I could move to were - Accenture, Wipro, TCS, Infosys, Satyam, Cognizant.
* Cognizant - My friend, Ravi Ramchandran, had got me a referral. But, that lil dimwit had got a referral for a walk-in event, and I just hated walk-in events (I'll talk about why in another blog!). So, that didn't exactly take off.
* Wipro - I'd be dead before I walk into that shit hole of a company again!
* Infosys - Although this was my dream company, I didn't like the concept of having to wear a tie to work. Plus, my friend Raj (who is a manager there) informed me that there were no openings for 3+ years Java/J2EE professionals at the moment (thanks to the Sub-Prime crisis and the depreciating rupee situations)
* Satyam - They were not even ready to match my current CTC.
* Accenture - I didn't have anyone to refer me here. Besides, I was told that they didn't have any overseas opportunities.
* TCS - Well this is where my friend Vineeth and Rohit helped me out. They got me a referral, and I was interviewing with the TCS tech panel the very next day at Cochin. Everything went well during the interview, and a few rounds of haggling with the company HR resulted in a satisfactory paycheck.
5. For My Parents
My brother had just graduated from college, and was staying with my folks for about a month before joining the Oracle work force. After he left home for Bangalore, mom kindda went into a slight depression phase. Now that both her kids were far away (a good 12 hours journey by train/bus), she just didn't take it that well. I just couldn't bear to see her that way. So, I realized the best thing to do would be to move closer to home so that she feels better.
6. Overseas Opportunities
At Oracle, it was assured that we wouldn't get to go abroad. Even in the rarest of situations that we did, Oracle didn't have a concept of per day allowance. So, since there was not extra money-making upside to the whole deal, as well as the downside that one would have to pay from one's INR savings for any and all purchases and incidentals while abroad, it was not in the very least bit a lucrative deal.
On the contrary, TCS has a much more attractive onsite, both short-term as well as long-term, with a potential upside of making a few (if not a lot) of extra dollars (or pounds, or yen, or whatever other currency exists for that matter).
7. Fatter Paycheck
TCS was offering me a better paycheck. Hike wise I was being offered a meagre 10% more than what I make at Oracle. But, since I would be staying at home, I would be able to save a lot of money (like rent, food, partying, etc). Looking at it from that sort of a holistic perspective, I would be able to save and additional 1 lak+. On that note, I'd say my pay hike was an "effective" 30%+.
8. Promotions
TCS was offering me a promotion. I wouldn't say this was a make or break decision criteria, as I am pretty sure that if I had stayed on at Oracle, I would've gotten a promotion there as well. But, since the TCS offer was giving me a promotion ahead of the Oracle promotion cycles, I must say, it served as an unearthly temptation.
Now, for all those people who had this question in mind, I hope your queries are cleared. Let me know otherwise (via a comment/mail/sms/call) and I'll try to help you out with it!
1. The work at Oracle was getting boring
Let me elaborate. I was initially working on a project called Ship and Debit. It was a pure development project. I had a loooooooooooooot of fun working on it. The learning curve was rewarding in itself. Things were going very well. Then, all of a sudden, quite a few people quit in my team, sequentially of course. This lead to a resource crunch, and since I was the only person in the team left with product knowledge, experience and expertise on a product called Sales Online (OSO), I was pulled out of the Ship and Debit project to work on OSO. I didn't exactly like this decision that much, especially since the OSO project was primarily into a maintenance mode and it wasn't exactly the most rewarding - or for that matter fun work - around.
2. The pay was not competitive enough
When I joined Oracle, I was amongst the top 10% of the highest paid employees in my batch. This was indeed a great ego boost. But, over the 2 years I was at Oracle, my pay got raised a meager 15%, whereas my contemporaries, in other companies of course, had their salaries revised to such levels that, the last time I checked, I was earning a good 30% - 50% less than they were earning currently. The icing on the cake was that freshers were joining Oracle at the same pay stacks as people with 4 or 5 years work experience. This was indeed a big blow to my ego.
3. Desire to move to Consulting/Service
I've always wanted to move into a customer facing role. Especially one that’d let me improve upon my sales and marketing skills. This is because - I've always wanted to move out of applications development into more buxom and hot areas like Marketing and Sales. My logic is - if I am in a role where I play a direct influence on the revenue of a company - they'll be more inclined to respect, keep me happy and reward me handsomely. Maybe my logic is flawed, but until I am proven otherwise, I am going to run with this logic itself!
Anyways ... Back to the main story. So, I learnt, after a lot of researching, that the only two departments, at Oracle, where I could do anything like I mentioned above were Sales and Marketing, and Product Management. Also, on digging a little more, I realized that Oracle doesn't exactly encourage developers to move into such roles. Atleast, that's what all the "contacts" I touched base with told me. Thus, when I realized that my career aspirations could not be satisfied by Oracle, I started looking for organizations that would let me move in the direction I wanted to. And what better industry than the service industry to help me in these aspirations.
4. Easy Referrals Available
Since I had decided to move to a consulting/service industry space, the companies I could move to were - Accenture, Wipro, TCS, Infosys, Satyam, Cognizant.
* Cognizant - My friend, Ravi Ramchandran, had got me a referral. But, that lil dimwit had got a referral for a walk-in event, and I just hated walk-in events (I'll talk about why in another blog!). So, that didn't exactly take off.
* Wipro - I'd be dead before I walk into that shit hole of a company again!
* Infosys - Although this was my dream company, I didn't like the concept of having to wear a tie to work. Plus, my friend Raj (who is a manager there) informed me that there were no openings for 3+ years Java/J2EE professionals at the moment (thanks to the Sub-Prime crisis and the depreciating rupee situations)
* Satyam - They were not even ready to match my current CTC.
* Accenture - I didn't have anyone to refer me here. Besides, I was told that they didn't have any overseas opportunities.
* TCS - Well this is where my friend Vineeth and Rohit helped me out. They got me a referral, and I was interviewing with the TCS tech panel the very next day at Cochin. Everything went well during the interview, and a few rounds of haggling with the company HR resulted in a satisfactory paycheck.
5. For My Parents
My brother had just graduated from college, and was staying with my folks for about a month before joining the Oracle work force. After he left home for Bangalore, mom kindda went into a slight depression phase. Now that both her kids were far away (a good 12 hours journey by train/bus), she just didn't take it that well. I just couldn't bear to see her that way. So, I realized the best thing to do would be to move closer to home so that she feels better.
6. Overseas Opportunities
At Oracle, it was assured that we wouldn't get to go abroad. Even in the rarest of situations that we did, Oracle didn't have a concept of per day allowance. So, since there was not extra money-making upside to the whole deal, as well as the downside that one would have to pay from one's INR savings for any and all purchases and incidentals while abroad, it was not in the very least bit a lucrative deal.
On the contrary, TCS has a much more attractive onsite, both short-term as well as long-term, with a potential upside of making a few (if not a lot) of extra dollars (or pounds, or yen, or whatever other currency exists for that matter).
7. Fatter Paycheck
TCS was offering me a better paycheck. Hike wise I was being offered a meagre 10% more than what I make at Oracle. But, since I would be staying at home, I would be able to save a lot of money (like rent, food, partying, etc). Looking at it from that sort of a holistic perspective, I would be able to save and additional 1 lak+. On that note, I'd say my pay hike was an "effective" 30%+.
8. Promotions
TCS was offering me a promotion. I wouldn't say this was a make or break decision criteria, as I am pretty sure that if I had stayed on at Oracle, I would've gotten a promotion there as well. But, since the TCS offer was giving me a promotion ahead of the Oracle promotion cycles, I must say, it served as an unearthly temptation.
Now, for all those people who had this question in mind, I hope your queries are cleared. Let me know otherwise (via a comment/mail/sms/call) and I'll try to help you out with it!
Testosterone Overload
Okay ... I accept it. I'm a horny guy. But, in my defense, who isn't?
Every Tom-Dick-And-Harry on this planet is. Just that, they don't shout it out loud like I'm doing right now!
(Maybe I'm just really stupid!)
But, off late, I've been getting really really horny. As in SUPER EXTRA horny. And, I really don't know why?
It's just been a few days since I left Bangalore. Not that I was any less horny then. But, at the very least, the sights and sounds of Bangalore, as well as the absolute freedom I had - thanks to living alone in my 1 BHK - afforded me a frequent “release” mechanism.
Maybe it is because of moving home, and the relative loss of freedom, and the necessity to "hide" certain aspects of ones "true" personality, that comes with living with your parents, that I no longer have the luxury of that release mechanism.
(At least not as often as I'd like to!)
Heck ... At this rate, I think the only long term solution I have to this problem is - MARRIAGE!!!
Sadly, that's too loooooooooooooooooong term a solution!
Anyone got a better (read as shorter term) solution - drop me a comment with your ideas!
Every Tom-Dick-And-Harry on this planet is. Just that, they don't shout it out loud like I'm doing right now!
(Maybe I'm just really stupid!)
But, off late, I've been getting really really horny. As in SUPER EXTRA horny. And, I really don't know why?
It's just been a few days since I left Bangalore. Not that I was any less horny then. But, at the very least, the sights and sounds of Bangalore, as well as the absolute freedom I had - thanks to living alone in my 1 BHK - afforded me a
Maybe it is because of moving home, and the relative loss of freedom, and the necessity to "hide" certain aspects of ones "true" personality, that comes with living with your parents, that I no longer have the luxury of that release mechanism.
(At least not as often as I'd like to!)
Heck ... At this rate, I think the only long term solution I have to this problem is - MARRIAGE!!!
Sadly, that's too loooooooooooooooooong term a solution!
Anyone got a better (read as shorter term) solution - drop me a comment with your ideas!
Shopping at Cochin - A completely forgettable experience
Yesterday, I went shopping at the Raymond showroom at MG Road. And true to the title of this blog entry, it was a forgettable experience. My mom tells me that shops down shutters post 7.30 here. This is completely in contrast to what I've observed in the last two cities I've lived in - Chennai and Bangalore. The closing times in those two times were 9 pm and 10 pm respectively. And the best part is, even if you enter the shop at 9 pm, the sales executives ensure that you have a pleasant shopping experience before you leave.
Now, back to Cochin, and the Raymond showroom.
I spent a good 5 minutes trying to locate the mens trousers section, after which another 15 minutes of hunting led to me picking up a trouser I liked. During this while, I had noticed a couple of sales executive stealing a glance in my direction, and even after me signaling to one of them, none of them walked up to assist me in my buy. Obviously, coming from a city with a shopping experience like Bangalore, I was pissed.
I caught up with one of the sales executives and ordered him to get the shop manager. A few minutes later, a nonchalant gentleman announced himself as the shop manager. I voiced my concern (read as complained to him), in a very aggressive manner, and it was only then that I got some sort of a customer service from one of the executives.
Honestly speaking, I was left wondering - If the service rendered to the customers was improved, people here might actually start enjoying shopping.
Thanks to this bashed experience, I for one am not going shopping at the Raymond store in a hurry. That much I am very certain!
If any of you guys (or gals) reading this blog know any other place where a guy can get good trousers, at good prices, AT COCHIN - Please drop me a comment with the direction to that place. I'll send you a beer (or chocolates if its a lady helping me out) as a token of my appreciation.
:)
Now, back to Cochin, and the Raymond showroom.
I spent a good 5 minutes trying to locate the mens trousers section, after which another 15 minutes of hunting led to me picking up a trouser I liked. During this while, I had noticed a couple of sales executive stealing a glance in my direction, and even after me signaling to one of them, none of them walked up to assist me in my buy. Obviously, coming from a city with a shopping experience like Bangalore, I was pissed.
I caught up with one of the sales executives and ordered him to get the shop manager. A few minutes later, a nonchalant gentleman announced himself as the shop manager. I voiced my concern (read as complained to him), in a very aggressive manner, and it was only then that I got some sort of a customer service from one of the executives.
Honestly speaking, I was left wondering - If the service rendered to the customers was improved, people here might actually start enjoying shopping.
Thanks to this bashed experience, I for one am not going shopping at the Raymond store in a hurry. That much I am very certain!
If any of you guys (or gals) reading this blog know any other place where a guy can get good trousers, at good prices, AT COCHIN - Please drop me a comment with the direction to that place. I'll send you a beer (or chocolates if its a lady helping me out) as a token of my appreciation.
:)
The Sporadic Nomad
So finally, I have done it. Another day ... Another job change ... Another company ... Another city...
In 2005, when I graduated from NITC, I was a resident of Calicut. A brief 2 month vacation at home later, it was time for me to relocate to Chennai. The next 17 months at Wipro was a torture thanks to both an unforgiving climate as also a messed up employer and a even worse Program Manager. Anyways ... I bore the brunt of that and by Nov 2006, I was a resident of Bangalore.
Honestly speaking - I liked this city. After a really long while, I realized the true meaning of the word freedom. I was making good money, my friends were all there, there weren't any relatives to be afraid of running into, the people were broad minded, and “The View” (read as the babes) was truly spectacular!!!
;)
But, like all good things, it too had its down sides. The city was highly polluted which resulted in me ending up with an array of skin eczemas. Everything was frigging overpriced. Even at my fat paycheck, it was difficult to have any savings (I blame my lifestyle for that though!). And most important of all, it started getting a bit lonely!
No, before you morons get ideas, I am not warming up to mom's suggestions of getting married. I just meant that, living in a city where the only weekend culture is boozing or shopping, one does get bored after a while.
Well ... Like all good things, this too came to an end. I, effective from the time I am writing this blog, have moved back to my hometown of Cochin. It does feel good to be back. Atleast on prima facie. But, whether or not I will love it here, only time will tell!
For those of you who are wondering "Why is he not happy that he is back in his hometown? Most people would kill to be able to work off their hometowns!” Well, for those of you, please read on:
Point # 1: I am staying with my parents. For those of you who still don't get it, let me be a little more point blank. TONS OF RESTRICTIONS!!!
Point # 2: I am staying with my parents. For those of you who still don't get it, let me be a little more point blank. HAVE TO OBEY PARENTAL RULES!!!
Point # 3: I am staying with my parents. For those of you who still don't get it, let me be a little more point blank. NO MORE GIRLS!!!
Point # 4: I am staying with my parents. For those of you who still don't get it, let me be a little more point blank. NO MORE BOOZING!!!
Point # 5: I am staying with my parents. For those of you who still don't get it, let me be a little more point blank. NO MORE WATCHING PORNO IN THE HALL/BEDROOMS!!!
It wouldn't be one bit fair if I didn't list out the advantages of staying with parents as well:
Point # 1: Mom's Cooking.
Point # 2: No need to worry about doing the laundry anymore.
Point # 3: No more skipping meals because I'm too lazy to cook/go out and eat.
Point # 4: Looooooooooooooooooooads of love from mom and dad!
Point # 5: Cost of living is cheaper.
Besides all that, another thing that I find difficult to adjust to is the climate here in Cochin. I might sound arrogant when I say this, especially since I spent a good 21 years in Cochin. But, to give myself some credit, I spent the last 2 years in Bangalore, where the climate is evergreen and pleasant, and I got so used to that climate, that Cochin seems like an oven compared to Bangalore.
And the funny part is, this is August - The time of the year when the climate is supposed to be pleasant in Cochin. I dread to think what it will be like in March next year when the temperatures actually soar.
Anyways ... I think it's too early for me to arrive at any conclusions whatsoever about whether or not I will love my stay here. So far, I have always managed to adjust to the cities that I have been too, and I see no reason why I won't be able to reinvent the wheel again!
:)
Wish me luck!
In 2005, when I graduated from NITC, I was a resident of Calicut. A brief 2 month vacation at home later, it was time for me to relocate to Chennai. The next 17 months at Wipro was a torture thanks to both an unforgiving climate as also a messed up employer and a even worse Program Manager. Anyways ... I bore the brunt of that and by Nov 2006, I was a resident of Bangalore.
Honestly speaking - I liked this city. After a really long while, I realized the true meaning of the word freedom. I was making good money, my friends were all there, there weren't any relatives to be afraid of running into, the people were broad minded, and “The View” (read as the babes) was truly spectacular!!!
;)
But, like all good things, it too had its down sides. The city was highly polluted which resulted in me ending up with an array of skin eczemas. Everything was frigging overpriced. Even at my fat paycheck, it was difficult to have any savings (I blame my lifestyle for that though!). And most important of all, it started getting a bit lonely!
No, before you morons get ideas, I am not warming up to mom's suggestions of getting married. I just meant that, living in a city where the only weekend culture is boozing or shopping, one does get bored after a while.
Well ... Like all good things, this too came to an end. I, effective from the time I am writing this blog, have moved back to my hometown of Cochin. It does feel good to be back. Atleast on prima facie. But, whether or not I will love it here, only time will tell!
For those of you who are wondering "Why is he not happy that he is back in his hometown? Most people would kill to be able to work off their hometowns!” Well, for those of you, please read on:
Point # 1: I am staying with my parents. For those of you who still don't get it, let me be a little more point blank. TONS OF RESTRICTIONS!!!
Point # 2: I am staying with my parents. For those of you who still don't get it, let me be a little more point blank. HAVE TO OBEY PARENTAL RULES!!!
Point # 3: I am staying with my parents. For those of you who still don't get it, let me be a little more point blank. NO MORE GIRLS!!!
Point # 4: I am staying with my parents. For those of you who still don't get it, let me be a little more point blank. NO MORE BOOZING!!!
Point # 5: I am staying with my parents. For those of you who still don't get it, let me be a little more point blank. NO MORE WATCHING PORNO IN THE HALL/BEDROOMS!!!
It wouldn't be one bit fair if I didn't list out the advantages of staying with parents as well:
Point # 1: Mom's Cooking.
Point # 2: No need to worry about doing the laundry anymore.
Point # 3: No more skipping meals because I'm too lazy to cook/go out and eat.
Point # 4: Looooooooooooooooooooads of love from mom and dad!
Point # 5: Cost of living is cheaper.
Besides all that, another thing that I find difficult to adjust to is the climate here in Cochin. I might sound arrogant when I say this, especially since I spent a good 21 years in Cochin. But, to give myself some credit, I spent the last 2 years in Bangalore, where the climate is evergreen and pleasant, and I got so used to that climate, that Cochin seems like an oven compared to Bangalore.
And the funny part is, this is August - The time of the year when the climate is supposed to be pleasant in Cochin. I dread to think what it will be like in March next year when the temperatures actually soar.
Anyways ... I think it's too early for me to arrive at any conclusions whatsoever about whether or not I will love my stay here. So far, I have always managed to adjust to the cities that I have been too, and I see no reason why I won't be able to reinvent the wheel again!
:)
Wish me luck!
Joining Amway
Today, one of my friends (his name is not important - if you're wondering why - refer my previous post) came over home to explain "The Amway” deal to me.
Being a part of a similar MLM/Network Marketing company (It's called Quest Net btw), I pretty much knew what I could expect from his presentation. And to top it all - I had heard so many bad reviews about Amways from a few other friends. But, having worked on something similar earlier, I knew how hard it was to try and get someone to listen to your idea, and more importantly, how bad it felt when someone told you that he/she is not interested in listening to it - Point Blank!
Anyways ... I decided to respect his effort of wanting to explain to me, and sat through the whole presentation (which lasted for a good 30 mins).
And you know what? Although I still prefer my original Quest Net marketing jig to Amway, many of the urban legends that people had fed me about Amway have disappeared. As a matter of fact, I've started to think that Amway is indeed something that people can make money out of (although the fact as to whether/not I can make any money out of it is still not very clear to me!)
Anyways ... I am going to go back and ponder about this new business proposition for a bit (read as a week/two) before I make any sort of call on the same.
If any of you reading this has been a part of Amway and wants to be a darling/sweetheart and add a new thought, idea or angle about why/whether/not I should join - Please feel free to leave a comment!
:)
Being a part of a similar MLM/Network Marketing company (It's called Quest Net btw), I pretty much knew what I could expect from his presentation. And to top it all - I had heard so many bad reviews about Amways from a few other friends. But, having worked on something similar earlier, I knew how hard it was to try and get someone to listen to your idea, and more importantly, how bad it felt when someone told you that he/she is not interested in listening to it - Point Blank!
Anyways ... I decided to respect his effort of wanting to explain to me, and sat through the whole presentation (which lasted for a good 30 mins).
And you know what? Although I still prefer my original Quest Net marketing jig to Amway, many of the urban legends that people had fed me about Amway have disappeared. As a matter of fact, I've started to think that Amway is indeed something that people can make money out of (although the fact as to whether/not I can make any money out of it is still not very clear to me!)
Anyways ... I am going to go back and ponder about this new business proposition for a bit (read as a week/two) before I make any sort of call on the same.
If any of you reading this has been a part of Amway and wants to be a darling/sweetheart and add a new thought, idea or angle about why/whether/not I should join - Please feel free to leave a comment!
:)
Bomb Blasts @ Bangalore
I've heard of this happening in cities like ... I've seen the aftermath on TV ... But what I never expected was something of the sort to happen in my own city!!!
And you know what I did - the first thing I did - when I heard about it? Called my brother to check whether he was safe. Then, I called my sis - Radhu - to check whether she was safe. Basically, my mom and dad were staying with her for the weekend. So - this call was partly (or should I say primarily) to check on them. After that, I called up two of my cousins - Sriji and Sateesh (in that order). My next call went to - my best friend - Chery.
I don't recall calling anyone other than the people mentioned above.
Either, this means - I truly care only for a few people. Or, maybe it's because I was just plain selfish, and once I found out that my immediate family and most near and dear relatives and friends were safe, I didn't care to check the status of the remaining guys I know of.
I guess the proverb that "Blood Is Thicker Than Water" is indeed true. Or atleast that's what the above reaction stipulates - Right?
And this blog wouldn't be complete unless I mention the fact that a few people did care enough to call/ping/sms to check on how I was doing. Okay ... So - I'm trying to show off here. But, I guess I am entitled to do that ... (Isn't everyone???)
1. Pavani ping’ed me via gtalk
2. Rakku (aka Rakesh) sent me an SMS
3. Apeksha ping’ed me via gtalk
4. Pallu (aka Pallavi) sent me an (make that two) SMS
Thanks you all for making me feel special ... For making me feel that people do truly care about me ... For making me realize that I am not an insignificant speck on this planet ... For making me realize that I am remembered
(On that note - Do I owe any of you money, and is that why you remembered me???)
:P
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.... Going Melodramatic ain’t I ... No more "Saas-Bahu" soaps for me for a month!
Coming back to the topic, as far as I heard, there were 7 blasts in the noon (around 1.30 pm) and 2 more in the evening (around 5.00 pm). So, please people, till the cops and intelligence agency folks figure things out, and this pandemonium clears up - STAY INDOORS!!!
And you know what I did - the first thing I did - when I heard about it? Called my brother to check whether he was safe. Then, I called my sis - Radhu - to check whether she was safe. Basically, my mom and dad were staying with her for the weekend. So - this call was partly (or should I say primarily) to check on them. After that, I called up two of my cousins - Sriji and Sateesh (in that order). My next call went to - my best friend - Chery.
I don't recall calling anyone other than the people mentioned above.
Either, this means - I truly care only for a few people. Or, maybe it's because I was just plain selfish, and once I found out that my immediate family and most near and dear relatives and friends were safe, I didn't care to check the status of the remaining guys I know of.
I guess the proverb that "Blood Is Thicker Than Water" is indeed true. Or atleast that's what the above reaction stipulates - Right?
And this blog wouldn't be complete unless I mention the fact that a few people did care enough to call/ping/sms to check on how I was doing. Okay ... So - I'm trying to show off here. But, I guess I am entitled to do that ... (Isn't everyone???)
1. Pavani ping’ed me via gtalk
2. Rakku (aka Rakesh) sent me an SMS
3. Apeksha ping’ed me via gtalk
4. Pallu (aka Pallavi) sent me an (make that two) SMS
Thanks you all for making me feel special ... For making me feel that people do truly care about me ... For making me realize that I am not an insignificant speck on this planet ... For making me realize that I am remembered
(On that note - Do I owe any of you money, and is that why you remembered me???)
:P
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.... Going Melodramatic ain’t I ... No more "Saas-Bahu" soaps for me for a month!
Coming back to the topic, as far as I heard, there were 7 blasts in the noon (around 1.30 pm) and 2 more in the evening (around 5.00 pm). So, please people, till the cops and intelligence agency folks figure things out, and this pandemonium clears up - STAY INDOORS!!!
Oath of Anonymity
One of my previous blogs kindda whipped up a storm. I don't want to point out which one it was, but that little blog kindda made me realize that people DO READ my blog.
One part of me feels so happy about the fact that I have a readership base (I am going to try use some tool and ascertain whether that is fact or fiction) which is something I thought only my other blog - life-at-diapro.blogspot.com - had. And the other part of me feels bad for the people I had mentioned in the blog.
For those who're wondering about what all this yada-yada is about, like I said in the previous paragraph - I wrote a blog where I kindda mentioned peoples names. Well ... To be point blank, I kindda spoke ill about some guy and the worst part is - I mentioned his name (yeah ... Real Name). People read that blog, and kindda nagged him about it (I think!).
At the time of writing the blog entry, little did I realize (or should I say - "gave no thought to") that people who might know him, or worse - be related to, might read that blog, and the repercussion of such a scenario. I don't know whether or not something like that happened, but I sincerely hope that it didn't!
But, to give myself some credit (after all - it is my blog, and I like blowing the occasional trumpet), the instant I was informed of this angle to the whole issue, I removed all references to his (as well as all the others in the story) from the blog.
I know, understand and accept that having done that does not make my mistake disappear, and that whatever damage has been done has been done, but I just want the world (and him!) to know that I am extremely sorry for my boo-boo!
Seriously, I mean it...
On that note, to ensure that any such incidents don't happen anymore, from now on, all the characters in my blog are going to be fictitious/vague.
In other words - either I will use whacko names (Thomas could become Thangappan ... Martin might become Mahalingam ... Moosa might become Samoosa ... You get the general idea don't you?) in lieu of their real names or I'll end up using un-imaginative names (like AAA or XYZ or Mr. X) ... All that depending on my mood and the importance of the names to the story!
;)
So - my dear readers - kindly bear with me for whatever inconveniences this brain-fag idea of mine might cause.
(Hey - its 2 am here, and I've spent the last 4 hours trying to tidy up my house in anticipation of my parents visit to Bangalore. So - It goes without saying that I am tired and sleepy as hell. And so, I'm sure you'll buy-in when I say, I'm not at my Creative Best!)
Once again - "The-Guy-Who-I-Hurt" (or should I call it "The-Guys-Who-I-Hurt")
I'm really really sorry!
It won't happen again!!!
One part of me feels so happy about the fact that I have a readership base (I am going to try use some tool and ascertain whether that is fact or fiction) which is something I thought only my other blog - life-at-diapro.blogspot.com - had. And the other part of me feels bad for the people I had mentioned in the blog.
For those who're wondering about what all this yada-yada is about, like I said in the previous paragraph - I wrote a blog where I kindda mentioned peoples names. Well ... To be point blank, I kindda spoke ill about some guy and the worst part is - I mentioned his name (yeah ... Real Name). People read that blog, and kindda nagged him about it (I think!).
At the time of writing the blog entry, little did I realize (or should I say - "gave no thought to") that people who might know him, or worse - be related to, might read that blog, and the repercussion of such a scenario. I don't know whether or not something like that happened, but I sincerely hope that it didn't!
But, to give myself some credit (after all - it is my blog, and I like blowing the occasional trumpet), the instant I was informed of this angle to the whole issue, I removed all references to his (as well as all the others in the story) from the blog.
I know, understand and accept that having done that does not make my mistake disappear, and that whatever damage has been done has been done, but I just want the world (and him!) to know that I am extremely sorry for my boo-boo!
Seriously, I mean it...
On that note, to ensure that any such incidents don't happen anymore, from now on, all the characters in my blog are going to be fictitious/vague.
In other words - either I will use whacko names (Thomas could become Thangappan ... Martin might become Mahalingam ... Moosa might become Samoosa ... You get the general idea don't you?) in lieu of their real names or I'll end up using un-imaginative names (like AAA or XYZ or Mr. X) ... All that depending on my mood and the importance of the names to the story!
;)
So - my dear readers - kindly bear with me for whatever inconveniences this brain-fag idea of mine might cause.
(Hey - its 2 am here, and I've spent the last 4 hours trying to tidy up my house in anticipation of my parents visit to Bangalore. So - It goes without saying that I am tired and sleepy as hell. And so, I'm sure you'll buy-in when I say, I'm not at my
Once again - "The-Guy-Who-I-Hurt" (or should I call it "The-Guys-Who-I-Hurt")
I'm really really sorry!
It won't happen again!!!
Movie Review - Kung Fu Panda
This is one really chweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet movie. The panda is totally adorable (as are the other characters in the movie). On the whole, I'd say, it was definitely worth the time and money elements!
:)
For those of you who have 90 bucks to spare, you can catch this movie at PVR cinemas during weekdays before 12.00 am. For those of you who don't you can probably watch it online at www.watch-movies.net
For those of you who've seen the movie and want to share your opinions/views/thoughts/perspectives (you get the general idea right?) - leave me a comment or an e-mail.
Till my next blog - Adieus Amigo!!!
:)
For those of you who have 90 bucks to spare, you can catch this movie at PVR cinemas during weekdays before 12.00 am. For those of you who don't you can probably watch it online at www.watch-movies.net
For those of you who've seen the movie and want to share your opinions/views/thoughts/perspectives (you get the general idea right?) - leave me a comment or an e-mail.
Till my next blog - Adieus Amigo!!!
Soap Review - How I Met You're Mother
I started watching the soap series "How I Met You're Mother" from Friday (18-Jul-2008), and for the last 3 days - I've been completely hooked to it!!!
I finished watching one full season - and so far so good!
It's funny ... Correction - It's HILLARIOUS. I would even be audacious enough to say - the humor is funnier than the humor you'd get to see on "FRIENDS" or maybe even "SEINFELD" for that matter.
So, for all you guys with an unlimited broadband net connection and access to any Torrent Software - what're you waiting for, go download the series. I personally vouch for it!
:)
I finished watching one full season - and so far so good!
It's funny ... Correction - It's HILLARIOUS. I would even be audacious enough to say - the humor is funnier than the humor you'd get to see on "FRIENDS" or maybe even "SEINFELD" for that matter.
So, for all you guys with an unlimited broadband net connection and access to any Torrent Software - what're you waiting for, go download the series. I personally vouch for it!
:)
Movie Review - CONTRACT
Okay ... This is one movie review where I am going to jump straight to the point. THIS IS A PATHETIC MOVIE!!!
Seriously - FUCKING PATHETIC!
No Story ... No Masala ... The Screenplay sucks ... The actors look like Zombies ... Music is bad if not non-existent...
I never expected something like this from a Ram Gopal Varma flick. And the worst part is - the only reason I went for the movie is because it's a RGV flick. Remind me - NEVER TO DO THAT AGAIN!!!
On the whole, my verdict is - if you haven't guessed by now i.e. - This movie is a complete waste of time and more importantly MONEY!
Seriously - FUCKING PATHETIC!
No Story ... No Masala ... The Screenplay sucks ... The actors look like Zombies ... Music is bad if not non-existent...
I never expected something like this from a Ram Gopal Varma flick. And the worst part is - the only reason I went for the movie is because it's a RGV flick. Remind me - NEVER TO DO THAT AGAIN!!!
On the whole, my verdict is - if you haven't guessed by now i.e. - This movie is a complete waste of time and more importantly MONEY!
Wanting to go for a movie
It's been a very long while since I last went for a movie. Seriously ... I can't even remember when the last time was! Come to think of it - the last movie I saw was Ironman at PVR. So, I guess it's not been aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaall that long, but still, to give me some credit, 1.5 months is indeed a long time.
(Those of you who don't agree can jump off a cliff!!!)
I am planning to watch 1 movie every day for the next 1 week. The biggest advantage I'll have is
1. I get to watch movies at 70 bucks a ticket.
2. I get to enjoy my notice period.
3. After a 2 months long hiatus, my bike has finally come back to town. I was just looking for an excuse to ride it!
For now, the movies that I've short listed are as follows (in that order):
1. Hancock
2. Dark Knight
3. Jane Tu Jane Na
4. Wanted
5. The Incredible Hulk
Not too sure how successful I will be in this plan. But, in case any of you folks have seen any of these movies and think they're crap - please drop me a mail, response. I don't want to spend my valuable time and money (month end woes!) on a bad movie you see!
;)
Tally-Ho!
Monday, July 21, 2008
78 Reasons To Join The Army
I was never really keen about life in the armed services. But, today, thanks to KSP's GTalk status message, I found many-a-reason to join it!!!
http://www.serialno3817131.com/
http://www.serialno3817131.com/
Yaaaaaaaaaaaay ... Learned a new word Today!
I just started reading this book "The Game" by Neil Strauss. It talks about about how to find, meet, attract and close (read as 'lay') women (special stress on the plurality of the word).
I came across the word - Lexicon. First of all - Its not exactly a common word (atleast not one that I or any of my friends circle use). Second, it reminded me of the word Leprechaun. I started wondering whether they were related. My curiosity got so tingled that I looked up the word on WordWeb, only to find out that it means something akin to 'Dictionary'.
I must say, I was a little let down at having found that it didn't exactly mean anything close to Leprechaun, but what the heck - its a new word I learnt today.
I'm gonna try and make use of the word Lexicon as often as I can (ofcourse - when the context is right i.e.). It would probably make people think I am some sort of a language expert ... A genius maybe!
Oh ... And before I start boring you with any more BS, let me tell you the true reason I wrote this lame blog. I leant this new Word Lexicon today, and I wanted to store it online. Thats when I thought - what better place online than my blog.
:)
So ... For all those who cared to read this far, don't hate me, or worse - don't send henchmen after me. I promise to be nicer next time !
;)
I came across the word - Lexicon. First of all - Its not exactly a common word (atleast not one that I or any of my friends circle use). Second, it reminded me of the word Leprechaun. I started wondering whether they were related. My curiosity got so tingled that I looked up the word on WordWeb, only to find out that it means something akin to 'Dictionary'.
I must say, I was a little let down at having found that it didn't exactly mean anything close to Leprechaun, but what the heck - its a new word I learnt today.
I'm gonna try and make use of the word Lexicon as often as I can (ofcourse - when the context is right i.e.). It would probably make people think I am some sort of a language expert ... A genius maybe!
Oh ... And before I start boring you with any more BS, let me tell you the true reason I wrote this lame blog. I leant this new Word Lexicon today, and I wanted to store it online. Thats when I thought - what better place online than my blog.
:)
So ... For all those who cared to read this far, don't hate me, or worse - don't send henchmen after me. I promise to be nicer next time !
;)
Thursday, July 17, 2008
A Humorous Forward
I got this forward today. I found it really cute. So, for the benefit of all, I am posting it here.
====================================================================
Thought 1
When we are born, our mothers get the compliments and the flowers.
When we are married, our brides get the presents and the publicity.
When we die, our widows get the life insurance.
What do women want to be liberated from?
Thought 2
The average man's life consists of:
Twenty years of having his mother ask him where he is going, Forty years of having his wife ask the same question; and at the end, the mourners wondering too.
Thought 3
A Man was walking down a street when he heard a voice from behind, "If you take one more step, a brick will fall down on your head and kill you." The man stopped and a big brick fell right in front of him. The man was astonished.
He went on, and after a while he was going to cross the road. Once again the voice shouted, "Stop! Stand still! If you take one more step a car will run over you, and you will die." The man did as he was instructed, just as a car came careening around the corner, barely missing him.
The man asked. "Who are you?" "I am your guardian angel," the voice answered. "Oh, yeah?" the man asked "And where the hell were you when I got married?"
This is the Best !!!
Thought 4
Everyone in the wedding ceremony was watching the radiant bride as her father escorted her down the aisle to give away to the groom. They reached the altar and the waiting groom; the bride kissed her father and placed some thing in his hand. Everyone in the room was wondering what was given to the father by the bride.
The father could feel the suspense in the air and all eyes were on him to divulge the secret and say something. So he announced "Ladies and Gentlemen today is the luckiest day of my life." Then he raised his hands with what his daughter gave him and continued, "My daughter finally, finally returned my credit card to me."
The whole audience including the priest erupted in laughter.......... all except the poor Groom!!
====================================================================
If any of you in the crowd reading this are ladies, and you feel the pressing urge to call me a MCP, feel free to leave your comments adjacent to this post!
====================================================================
Thought 1
When we are born, our mothers get the compliments and the flowers.
When we are married, our brides get the presents and the publicity.
When we die, our widows get the life insurance.
What do women want to be liberated from?
Thought 2
The average man's life consists of:
Twenty years of having his mother ask him where he is going, Forty years of having his wife ask the same question; and at the end, the mourners wondering too.
Thought 3
A Man was walking down a street when he heard a voice from behind, "If you take one more step, a brick will fall down on your head and kill you." The man stopped and a big brick fell right in front of him. The man was astonished.
He went on, and after a while he was going to cross the road. Once again the voice shouted, "Stop! Stand still! If you take one more step a car will run over you, and you will die." The man did as he was instructed, just as a car came careening around the corner, barely missing him.
The man asked. "Who are you?" "I am your guardian angel," the voice answered. "Oh, yeah?" the man asked "And where the hell were you when I got married?"
This is the Best !!!
Thought 4
Everyone in the wedding ceremony was watching the radiant bride as her father escorted her down the aisle to give away to the groom. They reached the altar and the waiting groom; the bride kissed her father and placed some thing in his hand. Everyone in the room was wondering what was given to the father by the bride.
The father could feel the suspense in the air and all eyes were on him to divulge the secret and say something. So he announced "Ladies and Gentlemen today is the luckiest day of my life." Then he raised his hands with what his daughter gave him and continued, "My daughter finally, finally returned my credit card to me."
The whole audience including the priest erupted in laughter.......... all except the poor Groom!!
====================================================================
If any of you in the crowd reading this are ladies, and you feel the pressing urge to call me a MCP, feel free to leave your comments adjacent to this post!
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Yet Another Blow.
Just when I was thinking - "The spell of resignations has probably come to an end" - my friend and colleague S.S resigned today. He's a manager here. And I must add - a bloody good one at that!
But, the weird part about the whole deal is - No one (not even us friends!) expected it! It was totally out of the blue!
And the best/worst (they're after all totally relative terms) part is - his resignation comes at a time when things are in pretty bad shape in our team.
This surely turned out to be a bloody big blow to our Group Manager - WTUCKER!
Heck, right now, WTUCKER is in panic mode. All day long he's been calling the remaining members of his team and giving them pep talk, gyaan, and assurances for a brighter future (God knows if he will be able to fulfill them. If he doesn't fulfill them - then God Help Him!!!).
For now, I'm hoping my friends, who haven't quit (at least not yet), will be able to get something positive out this whole "climate" of resignations (given the frequency and intensity of resignations - maybe I should term it "season" instead) and get an impromptu promotion or at the very least - get good bonus numbers!
Wishing you all the very best guys (and gals!) ...
But, the weird part about the whole deal is - No one (not even us friends!) expected it! It was totally out of the blue!
And the best/worst (they're after all totally relative terms) part is - his resignation comes at a time when things are in pretty bad shape in our team.
This surely turned out to be a bloody big blow to our Group Manager - WTUCKER!
Heck, right now, WTUCKER is in panic mode. All day long he's been calling the remaining members of his team and giving them pep talk, gyaan, and assurances for a brighter future (God knows if he will be able to fulfill them. If he doesn't fulfill them - then God Help Him!!!).
For now, I'm hoping my friends, who haven't quit (at least not yet), will be able to get something positive out this whole "climate" of resignations (given the frequency and intensity of resignations - maybe I should term it "season" instead) and get an impromptu promotion or at the very least - get good bonus numbers!
Wishing you all the very best guys (and gals!) ...
Monday, July 14, 2008
Additions and Deletions
Today, 14-July-2008, the new guy - Dharmesh - joined our team. He is supposed to be my replacement. He looks (and behaves) smart and knowledgeable. Since it's his first day in the team, I went easy on him and didn't scare him with the nature of work he can look forward to. Instead, I painted a very "Rosy" picture regarding life at Oracle for him.
Justice be done, life at Oracle is generally very rosy. Just that - right now - things are not all that rosy. On the contrary - right now - its all gory!
Just when I thought Dharmesh's entry was a start of the return to the glorious days, I get wind that 2 other people quit. Thankfully though, this time around, they're not members of my team. They're from the TCA team. A team that, so far, boasted of having happy and content team members.
Well ... Looks like some members are not so happy after all!
:D
Justice be done, life at Oracle is generally very rosy. Just that - right now - things are not all that rosy. On the contrary - right now - its all gory!
Just when I thought Dharmesh's entry was a start of the return to the glorious days, I get wind that 2 other people quit. Thankfully though, this time around, they're not members of my team. They're from the TCA team. A team that, so far, boasted of having happy and content team members.
Well ... Looks like some members are not so happy after all!
:D
The Worst Night Ever
On Saturday (12-July-08), I had gone over to my Compsci batch mates house. Although it had been a while since I had been to their place, the main reason I had gone over this weekend was twofold:
1. My friend Mathi (aka Arun Mathew) has secured admission for his MS at Syracuse (or however that's spelt) and was leaving town on Tuesday. I wanted to wish him all the best and bid him farewell.
2. Another friend, a guy I totally respect, Irshad had come down from Hyderabad for the weekend. It'd been a long time since I last saw him, and I wanted to take this opportunity to catch up with him.
We decided to go to Fuga - a nightclub on Richmond Road. The party was great, and I must confess - I had a wonderful time. I'll write a in-depth blog on that later. For now, let me focus on only the parts that best describe the title of this particular blog.
Ok ... Now - For Anonimity Reasons - I am not gonna refer to people by names here. I'll just go on referring to the characters as AAA, BBB, CCC , etc.
(And please - no requests for their names. I'm not gonna let it out anyways!!!)
So ... AAA got sloshed, puked a couple of times and passed out!
Probably you're wondering why I'm stating this in such a matter-of-fact way. Well ... Its simple - He always does that!!!
BBB was ultra high. Thankfully, he hadn't passed out!
(Although, now when I think about it, if he *had* passed out, things wouldn't have gotten so out of hand!)
After a lot of haggling (also read as we *had to* agree to pay 100 bucks for a journey that would otherwise cost us only 35 buck), we found an auto rickshaw that would take us to our house. Since BBB and AAA were the ones sloshed, Me and CCC decided to hop along to take them home.
On the way home, AAA puked a couple of more times. The auto rickshaw fellow warned us that if he found crud in his vehicle - we'd have to pay for water servicing of the vehicle. His demands sounded fair enough - so we agreed.
On reaching our location, the auto rickshaw waala started claiming that there was crud on his vehicle and that he wants Rs. 175/- from us (over and above the 100 fare we paid him)
BBB, the drunken bugger, started arguing with him. Since AAA was drooping more and more by the minute, I asked CCC to settle matters with the auto rickshaw waala and carried AAA across the road to the other side. Once on the other side, I heard CCC and BBB arguing very vehemently. Not wanting to see two friends fight amongst themselves, I asked AAA to sit on the pavement for a sec and headed over to the other side of the road to resolve the fight between the duos.
What had happened during the 2 minutes I was not there was - The auto rickshaw waala wanted 175 extra and he was pointing to the crud on his carpet as well as the watermarks the vomit had left on the auto rickshaw’s body. CCC saw the mess and agreed to pay "something" (read as maybe 50, or 75 bucks) for the mess AAA has caused. BBB, drunk as he was, was looked for crud on the body of the vehicle - where wasn't there - and was vehemently arguing that there is no crud and so we won't pay. CCC was trying to tell BBB that the crud was not on the body, but on the carpet floor. BBB, drunk as he was (I can't state that enough), refused to understand or even hear what we were saying and kept repeating the same dialogue over and over again!!!
For the benefit of those who don't drink, or maybe don't drink that much (read as never got sloshed till date!) - One of the weirdest things about being sloshed is that once you're sloshed, you tend to keep repeating the same thing over and over and over again. You get angry about the silliest of matter. You might even get violent and physical.
Most people, when they get up the next day morning, manage to recollect bits and pieces of the previous night and then run around apologizing for their follies.
The way I see it, it's a disgusting, stupid and idiotic thing to do. Personally speaking, I've probably been sloshed less than 5 times in the last 5 odd years (that's for how long I've been drinking). And whenever that happens - I just shut up; lock myself in my room and go to sleep. My logic is - its better not to burn any bridges rather than burn them and then try to make amends in the morning!
Anyways, back to the story!
So, I went across to the other to resolve the fight between BBB and CCC. I saw CCC's point and tried to reason with BBB. But, piss drunk as he was, he still refused to accept what we were saying!
A few seconds later, he started fighting with me as well. I got pissed and told CCC "Dude ... Lets go. If BBB's so adamant about this - Let him solve it! I have better things to do that fight in the middle of the night!"
A few seconds after this, a Hoysala jeep came our way. The cop got out and started swearing at the auto rickshaw waala as to why he was standing on the road and asked all of us to clear off. The auto rickshaw waala took a U-Turn and got to the spot where AAA was sitting. CCC approached the cop and told them 'Sir. He's charging us excess fare. We agreed for 100. Now, he wants another 175 and he's fighting with us for that!'
On hearing this, the cop took the U-Turn as well, stopped near the auto rickshaw and then asked him to push off (obviously in an arrogant fashion). Before we knew it - the cop punched the auto rickshaw waala in the face. This was followed by 3 more slaps on his neck. The auto rickshaw waala started crying saying 'Sir ... My vehicle has crud ... I wanted money for that!'
The other cop in the car saw AAA sitting in a fetal position on the road. He walked over to him and gave him a solid blow on the back. This jerked AAA awake and he almost cried. I saw this and ran over to the cop and said 'Sir ... He's with me. He's not well. I'll take him home! Please Sir ... Sorry for everything!'
I put AAA's hand over my shoulders and pretty much started walking as fast as I could carry him.
I had reached the second floor when the cop asked all of us to come down. I had no clue what he had in mind. I was thinking, worst case - he wants to give us a piece of his mind for the whole episode!
Boooooooooooooooooy ... Was I mistaken.
I went down, still holding AAA, to find BBB and CCC standing next the cop.
Cop: 'Lets go ... You all coming to the police station with me!'
I tried to protest, but the cop raised his voice and repeated the same thing again.
With this said, he started walking toward the exit of the building. CCC and BBB had started walking behind him.
I was too shocked to react and followed the pack.
Near the exit, I saw DDD and EEE, and in the brief two seconds we got - we explained what had happened in the last 10 mins.
The cop just walked to his car - opened the back door and asked us to get inside. Trust me when I say - his tone was totally "NO-NONSENSE". Heck - It was more like a "Obey-Me-Or-Else".
I have never felt so powerless in my life. I've been caught by the cops before. But those were traffic cops. And each and every time I had been caught before - I knew what they were looking for - MONEY!!!
But this time, it was totally different. The guy didn't even give any room for us to bring up the topic of "bribing".
When I saw the open door, and I realized that Bribing was not an option, I move to "Plan B" - Begging and Pleading for Mercy. CCC also followed suit!
AAA, well, he was too sloshed. It was a miracle that he was standing straight. Thankfully, he kept quiet!
BBB, on the contrary, was yapping away something or the other in his drunken stupor. Mostly it was stuff like "He was charging us excess fare of Rs. 175/-" "There was no crud" "Can you show me some crud now?" "What did we do". And the worst part is, all these statements were made in a very arrogant fashion.
In between all this commotion some said "How much money do you want man?". (I am led to believe this statement was made by BBB, but since I am not 101% sure about that - lets leave the "who made that statement" aspect for now!)
To this, the cop reacted in a very angry manner.
Cop: "You want to give me money. Oh really ... Tell you what - I will give you money!!!"
He also started threatening to file a bribing case against us.
One thing was clear by now, bribing was most definitely not an option!!!
The next 15 mins - Me, EEE, CCC together were running between the two cops begging for their mercy and saying - "Sir ... We're student sir ... Out future will be spoilt if you charge a case ... We have to go abroad for studies ... Please sir ... Don't do this ... Don't you have kids our age ... Please ... Help us!!!"
The things the human mind can concoct when faced with a very adverse scenario is beyond imagination. Personally speaking - I never it that I had it in me to say such sentimentalist dialogues!!!
I must take a moment here to reiterate that at this point too - BBB was murmuring some nonsense about "excess fare" and "no crud" and "what’s the problem".
It was EEE who finally broke through to one of the cops. He saw a cross on the guy neck chain and said "Sir ... you're a Christian ... I am Christian ... We should help each other out ... That's what our religion says ... Please help us Sir ..."
That gambit worked like a charm - And within 2 mins, he had softened enough to start talking money (read as bribe)!
To cut a long story short - They asked for Rs. 1000/- and we ended paying Rs. 300/-. They gave us a blasting (Thankfully it was in Kannada so we didn't understand anything he said!) and left. We hurried home, lest they changed their mind.
What irritated me more was the fact that even after this near career and future ending experience, BBB came home and still kept justifying that there was no crud and so we shouldn't be paying anything. He even has the idiocy to say - "I've been to police stations before ... They won't kill me anyways ... Besides - I've been drunk before. And AAA and me - we've puked in autos before ... Its a first time for you ... That's why you don't know how to handle it ..." etc etc.
And the worst part is - he just kept saying this over and over and over again. I got so irritated, that I walked out of there!
To give him some credit, it was not the real him saying all this - It was the alcohol in him making him think and talk on those lines!
Anyways, it took a good two hours for the adrenaline in my system to subside and it was only then that I could go to sleep. Till then, I'll be absolutely honest here, I was shaking in fear!
Now, when I look at in retrospect, I just can't believe that I put everything in line - my career, my aspirations, my future, my life. All for what??? To help a drunken friend???
Somehow, after this experience, I feel, the next time I see any of my friends drunk and quarreling, or in any trouble for that matter - I might just walk away!
1. My friend Mathi (aka Arun Mathew) has secured admission for his MS at Syracuse (or however that's spelt) and was leaving town on Tuesday. I wanted to wish him all the best and bid him farewell.
2. Another friend, a guy I totally respect, Irshad had come down from Hyderabad for the weekend. It'd been a long time since I last saw him, and I wanted to take this opportunity to catch up with him.
We decided to go to Fuga - a nightclub on Richmond Road. The party was great, and I must confess - I had a wonderful time. I'll write a in-depth blog on that later. For now, let me focus on only the parts that best describe the title of this particular blog.
Ok ... Now - For Anonimity Reasons - I am not gonna refer to people by names here. I'll just go on referring to the characters as AAA, BBB, CCC , etc.
(And please - no requests for their names. I'm not gonna let it out anyways!!!)
So ... AAA got sloshed, puked a couple of times and passed out!
Probably you're wondering why I'm stating this in such a matter-of-fact way. Well ... Its simple - He always does that!!!
BBB was ultra high. Thankfully, he hadn't passed out!
(Although, now when I think about it, if he *had* passed out, things wouldn't have gotten so out of hand!)
After a lot of haggling (also read as we *had to* agree to pay 100 bucks for a journey that would otherwise cost us only 35 buck), we found an auto rickshaw that would take us to our house. Since BBB and AAA were the ones sloshed, Me and CCC decided to hop along to take them home.
On the way home, AAA puked a couple of more times. The auto rickshaw fellow warned us that if he found crud in his vehicle - we'd have to pay for water servicing of the vehicle. His demands sounded fair enough - so we agreed.
On reaching our location, the auto rickshaw waala started claiming that there was crud on his vehicle and that he wants Rs. 175/- from us (over and above the 100 fare we paid him)
BBB, the drunken bugger, started arguing with him. Since AAA was drooping more and more by the minute, I asked CCC to settle matters with the auto rickshaw waala and carried AAA across the road to the other side. Once on the other side, I heard CCC and BBB arguing very vehemently. Not wanting to see two friends fight amongst themselves, I asked AAA to sit on the pavement for a sec and headed over to the other side of the road to resolve the fight between the duos.
What had happened during the 2 minutes I was not there was - The auto rickshaw waala wanted 175 extra and he was pointing to the crud on his carpet as well as the watermarks the vomit had left on the auto rickshaw’s body. CCC saw the mess and agreed to pay "something" (read as maybe 50, or 75 bucks) for the mess AAA has caused. BBB, drunk as he was, was looked for crud on the body of the vehicle - where wasn't there - and was vehemently arguing that there is no crud and so we won't pay. CCC was trying to tell BBB that the crud was not on the body, but on the carpet floor. BBB, drunk as he was (I can't state that enough), refused to understand or even hear what we were saying and kept repeating the same dialogue over and over again!!!
For the benefit of those who don't drink, or maybe don't drink that much (read as never got sloshed till date!) - One of the weirdest things about being sloshed is that once you're sloshed, you tend to keep repeating the same thing over and over and over again. You get angry about the silliest of matter. You might even get violent and physical.
Most people, when they get up the next day morning, manage to recollect bits and pieces of the previous night and then run around apologizing for their follies.
The way I see it, it's a disgusting, stupid and idiotic thing to do. Personally speaking, I've probably been sloshed less than 5 times in the last 5 odd years (that's for how long I've been drinking). And whenever that happens - I just shut up; lock myself in my room and go to sleep. My logic is - its better not to burn any bridges rather than burn them and then try to make amends in the morning!
Anyways, back to the story!
So, I went across to the other to resolve the fight between BBB and CCC. I saw CCC's point and tried to reason with BBB. But, piss drunk as he was, he still refused to accept what we were saying!
A few seconds later, he started fighting with me as well. I got pissed and told CCC "Dude ... Lets go. If BBB's so adamant about this - Let him solve it! I have better things to do that fight in the middle of the night!"
A few seconds after this, a Hoysala jeep came our way. The cop got out and started swearing at the auto rickshaw waala as to why he was standing on the road and asked all of us to clear off. The auto rickshaw waala took a U-Turn and got to the spot where AAA was sitting. CCC approached the cop and told them 'Sir. He's charging us excess fare. We agreed for 100. Now, he wants another 175 and he's fighting with us for that!'
On hearing this, the cop took the U-Turn as well, stopped near the auto rickshaw and then asked him to push off (obviously in an arrogant fashion). Before we knew it - the cop punched the auto rickshaw waala in the face. This was followed by 3 more slaps on his neck. The auto rickshaw waala started crying saying 'Sir ... My vehicle has crud ... I wanted money for that!'
The other cop in the car saw AAA sitting in a fetal position on the road. He walked over to him and gave him a solid blow on the back. This jerked AAA awake and he almost cried. I saw this and ran over to the cop and said 'Sir ... He's with me. He's not well. I'll take him home! Please Sir ... Sorry for everything!'
I put AAA's hand over my shoulders and pretty much started walking as fast as I could carry him.
I had reached the second floor when the cop asked all of us to come down. I had no clue what he had in mind. I was thinking, worst case - he wants to give us a piece of his mind for the whole episode!
Boooooooooooooooooy ... Was I mistaken.
I went down, still holding AAA, to find BBB and CCC standing next the cop.
Cop: 'Lets go ... You all coming to the police station with me!'
I tried to protest, but the cop raised his voice and repeated the same thing again.
With this said, he started walking toward the exit of the building. CCC and BBB had started walking behind him.
I was too shocked to react and followed the pack.
Near the exit, I saw DDD and EEE, and in the brief two seconds we got - we explained what had happened in the last 10 mins.
The cop just walked to his car - opened the back door and asked us to get inside. Trust me when I say - his tone was totally "NO-NONSENSE". Heck - It was more like a "Obey-Me-Or-Else".
I have never felt so powerless in my life. I've been caught by the cops before. But those were traffic cops. And each and every time I had been caught before - I knew what they were looking for - MONEY!!!
But this time, it was totally different. The guy didn't even give any room for us to bring up the topic of "bribing".
When I saw the open door, and I realized that Bribing was not an option, I move to "Plan B" - Begging and Pleading for Mercy. CCC also followed suit!
AAA, well, he was too sloshed. It was a miracle that he was standing straight. Thankfully, he kept quiet!
BBB, on the contrary, was yapping away something or the other in his drunken stupor. Mostly it was stuff like "He was charging us excess fare of Rs. 175/-" "There was no crud" "Can you show me some crud now?" "What did we do". And the worst part is, all these statements were made in a very arrogant fashion.
In between all this commotion some said "How much money do you want man?". (I am led to believe this statement was made by BBB, but since I am not 101% sure about that - lets leave the "who made that statement" aspect for now!)
To this, the cop reacted in a very angry manner.
Cop: "You want to give me money. Oh really ... Tell you what - I will give you money!!!"
He also started threatening to file a bribing case against us.
One thing was clear by now, bribing was most definitely not an option!!!
The next 15 mins - Me, EEE, CCC together were running between the two cops begging for their mercy and saying - "Sir ... We're student sir ... Out future will be spoilt if you charge a case ... We have to go abroad for studies ... Please sir ... Don't do this ... Don't you have kids our age ... Please ... Help us!!!"
The things the human mind can concoct when faced with a very adverse scenario is beyond imagination. Personally speaking - I never it that I had it in me to say such sentimentalist dialogues!!!
I must take a moment here to reiterate that at this point too - BBB was murmuring some nonsense about "excess fare" and "no crud" and "what’s the problem".
It was EEE who finally broke through to one of the cops. He saw a cross on the guy neck chain and said "Sir ... you're a Christian ... I am Christian ... We should help each other out ... That's what our religion says ... Please help us Sir ..."
That gambit worked like a charm - And within 2 mins, he had softened enough to start talking money (read as bribe)!
To cut a long story short - They asked for Rs. 1000/- and we ended paying Rs. 300/-. They gave us a blasting (Thankfully it was in Kannada so we didn't understand anything he said!) and left. We hurried home, lest they changed their mind.
What irritated me more was the fact that even after this near career and future ending experience, BBB came home and still kept justifying that there was no crud and so we shouldn't be paying anything. He even has the idiocy to say - "I've been to police stations before ... They won't kill me anyways ... Besides - I've been drunk before. And AAA and me - we've puked in autos before ... Its a first time for you ... That's why you don't know how to handle it ..." etc etc.
And the worst part is - he just kept saying this over and over and over again. I got so irritated, that I walked out of there!
To give him some credit, it was not the real him saying all this - It was the alcohol in him making him think and talk on those lines!
Anyways, it took a good two hours for the adrenaline in my system to subside and it was only then that I could go to sleep. Till then, I'll be absolutely honest here, I was shaking in fear!
Now, when I look at in retrospect, I just can't believe that I put everything in line - my career, my aspirations, my future, my life. All for what??? To help a drunken friend???
Somehow, after this experience, I feel, the next time I see any of my friends drunk and quarreling, or in any trouble for that matter - I might just walk away!
Thursday, July 3, 2008
I'm In Deep Shit
On my B'day, one of my friends Veena had come home to wish me. She was at my place for maybe 20 mins when my cousin Sriji came home. I opened the door for him, he said "Hi Bro" to me, and then he saw Veena sitting on the chair, and the next thing you know - he had a weird accusatory looks in his eyes. Maybe I'm just imagining things, but, I am goddamn sure he smelled a rat.
And what psyches me out is, just the previous night, me and Sriji were having a conversation about marriage. In other words, he was trying to convince me to get married and start a family soon, and I was vehemently disagreeing to the idea.
And just the very next day, he "catches" me with a girl in my house. Enough evidence for anyone to smell a rat - ain't it!
Sriji just went home, to Chennai, for the weekend. I am sure he would have mentioned this incident to my sister (his wife). I was planning to go to Chennai this coming weekend to attend a cousin's marriage (yes ... if you haven't guessed by now - I have a lot of cousins). I am guessing that my sis might bring up this little incident during my stay in Chennai. As a matter of fact, I am pretty sure she will.
But, that does not, in the least bit, scare me. I can explain to my sis that - "Me and Veena are just good friends, and since she stays nearby, she decided to pop in and wish me Happy B'day" - and I am sure she will understand. After all, she is a broad minded person and I'm sure she too has friends pop in now and then.
What scares me is - in the event that she casually mentions this to my Valliamma (aunt) or my Mom, and given that they both are from "Old School", since I have no better of way of putting it, let me put it point blank - I AM DOOMED!!!
Seriously man ... I have a gut feeling that Mom and Valliamma won't be convinced by the whole "We're just good friends" bit. And add to it the factor that I am staying alone and that too in a "big bad city" (according to mom) like Bangalore, I am sure mom would go ballistic.
For those wondering "Why is he so scared of his mom goes ballistic? He's a grown up kid, and I am sure he doesn't get whipped anymore!"
Well buddy, she won't whip me, but surely an incident like this is likely to re-ignite mom's insecurities about her son going astray, and THAT, is more than enough for her to re-start pressuring me to get married!!!
I had been through a similar "pressuring-to-get-married" phase around 1 year back - thanks to a stupid slip-up (courtesy my brother), and trust me when I say my mom can get really really nagging in such scenarios. It took me 6 months of threatening to "not call home and never come back" before she finally let up and "gave me" 2 more years before I had to settle down (aka get married).
God knows what's going to happen to me this time around. Honestly speaking - I am toooooooooooooooooooooo scared to even think!!!
Worst case, please check this blog in another 3 weeks time ... You just might find my marriage invitation posted here!!!
And what psyches me out is, just the previous night, me and Sriji were having a conversation about marriage. In other words, he was trying to convince me to get married and start a family soon, and I was vehemently disagreeing to the idea.
And just the very next day, he "catches" me with a girl in my house. Enough evidence for anyone to smell a rat - ain't it!
Sriji just went home, to Chennai, for the weekend. I am sure he would have mentioned this incident to my sister (his wife). I was planning to go to Chennai this coming weekend to attend a cousin's marriage (yes ... if you haven't guessed by now - I have a lot of cousins). I am guessing that my sis might bring up this little incident during my stay in Chennai. As a matter of fact, I am pretty sure she will.
But, that does not, in the least bit, scare me. I can explain to my sis that - "Me and Veena are just good friends, and since she stays nearby, she decided to pop in and wish me Happy B'day" - and I am sure she will understand. After all, she is a broad minded person and I'm sure she too has friends pop in now and then.
What scares me is - in the event that she casually mentions this to my Valliamma (aunt) or my Mom, and given that they both are from "Old School", since I have no better of way of putting it, let me put it point blank - I AM DOOMED!!!
Seriously man ... I have a gut feeling that Mom and Valliamma won't be convinced by the whole "We're just good friends" bit. And add to it the factor that I am staying alone and that too in a "big bad city" (according to mom) like Bangalore, I am sure mom would go ballistic.
For those wondering "Why is he so scared of his mom goes ballistic? He's a grown up kid, and I am sure he doesn't get whipped anymore!"
Well buddy, she won't whip me, but surely an incident like this is likely to re-ignite mom's insecurities about her son going astray, and THAT, is more than enough for her to re-start pressuring me to get married!!!
I had been through a similar "pressuring-to-get-married" phase around 1 year back - thanks to a stupid slip-up (courtesy my brother), and trust me when I say my mom can get really really nagging in such scenarios. It took me 6 months of threatening to "not call home and never come back" before she finally let up and "gave me" 2 more years before I had to settle down (aka get married).
God knows what's going to happen to me this time around. Honestly speaking - I am toooooooooooooooooooooo scared to even think!!!
Worst case, please check this blog in another 3 weeks time ... You just might find my marriage invitation posted here!!!
Best B'day Ever
Contrary to what I had expected earlier, this B'day turned out to be the best B'day ever. The day started at midnight with my cousin Sriji, who is staying with me briefly, wishing me Happy B'day stark at the stroke of 12. (Oh ... We were having a couple of beers too). Around 8.00 am my sweetest and best friend Sujatha called up and wished me too. (She's still pissed about me having forgotten her B'day, but she's the sweetest person I know - and I'm sure she'll forgive me. Eventually atleast!). Just when I thought that would be the end of the B'day celebrations, Sriji and Guru surprise me with a B'day cake (Thanks guys ... You're the best!).
After that, I got tons of calls from all my other friends - Rajesh, Pradhaan, Abhiram, Anbarasu, Sameer, Pallavi, etc, etc, etc. And unlike last time, my sis and aunt and uncle too didn't forget my B'day.
As a grand finale, my friend Veena dropped in the evening to wish me.
The only sad part is, mom and dad forgot. For which - they did get a good scolding from me. But, to give them some credit, they don't celebrate any of our b'day using the English Calendar. They rely on a Malayalam Calendar based on star signs etc.
As per mom and dad, according to that calendar, my b'day falls on the 1st of July. So, for now, I'm going to forgive them and wait. If they don't call me up on the 1st of July to wish me, I'll know they were bullshitting me!
:D
On the whole, I realized one thing - It really does feel great to be remembered and showered with so much of love and affection. Thanks everyone for making me very very happy.
After that, I got tons of calls from all my other friends - Rajesh, Pradhaan, Abhiram, Anbarasu, Sameer, Pallavi, etc, etc, etc. And unlike last time, my sis and aunt and uncle too didn't forget my B'day.
As a grand finale, my friend Veena dropped in the evening to wish me.
The only sad part is, mom and dad forgot. For which - they did get a good scolding from me. But, to give them some credit, they don't celebrate any of our b'day using the English Calendar. They rely on a Malayalam Calendar based on star signs etc.
As per mom and dad, according to that calendar, my b'day falls on the 1st of July. So, for now, I'm going to forgive them and wait. If they don't call me up on the 1st of July to wish me, I'll know they were bullshitting me!
:D
On the whole, I realized one thing - It really does feel great to be remembered and showered with so much of love and affection. Thanks everyone for making me very very happy.
Need A New Wardrobe
I definitely need to clear out and refill my wardrobe before I join TCS. Especially given the fact that I don't own even a single formal shirt/trouser, and TCS mandates a formal dress code, I don't see myself having any other choice.
I have earmarked around 10K - 15K for the same. Guess, its high time I started "grooming" myself.
Power Dressing - Here I Come!!!
I have earmarked around 10K - 15K for the same. Guess, its high time I started "grooming" myself.
Power Dressing - Here I Come!!!
Swapna's Got Cold Feet
Swapna (aka Maalu) - one of my good old friends from Chinmaya - is getting married sometime in September. And guess what - she's getting cold feet!!!
Ha ha ha ha ha ...
I remember my best friend Sujatha (aka Suj) tripping and getting cold feet too, but that was like a couple of *weeks* before her marriage. But, yeah, I guess I'd account that to her being a lot more mature and braver (Ok ... I'm just saying all this so that she'll forgive me sooner!).
But, anyways ... Back then, I thought Suj was just plain weird as the guy should be the one tripping (Suj - Please be a sweetheart and forgive me for this!!!). But, now, I guess, since Maalu has also started of with the Cold Feet business - I'm led to believe that this phenomenon is universal.
I've got two more friends - Deepthi and Pallavi - getting married in the next 2/3 months time frame. If they too start feeling the same way (read as - they too end up with cold feet), it will cement the theory that all girls do go through to a phase of cold feet before D-Day.
(I'm still not clear WHY though!!!)
Ha ha ha ha ha ...
I remember my best friend Sujatha (aka Suj) tripping and getting cold feet too, but that was like a couple of *weeks* before her marriage. But, yeah, I guess I'd account that to her being a lot more mature and braver (Ok ... I'm just saying all this so that she'll forgive me sooner!).
But, anyways ... Back then, I thought Suj was just plain weird as the guy should be the one tripping (Suj - Please be a sweetheart and forgive me for this!!!). But, now, I guess, since Maalu has also started of with the Cold Feet business - I'm led to believe that this phenomenon is universal.
I've got two more friends - Deepthi and Pallavi - getting married in the next 2/3 months time frame. If they too start feeling the same way (read as - they too end up with cold feet), it will cement the theory that all girls do go through to a phase of cold feet before D-Day.
(I'm still not clear WHY though!!!)
Sarah - No More Crushes On Her
Since I made a blog entry on her a couple of months back, I thought I would make another blog entry on where we stand now.
Over the last couple of weeks, Sarah and I have been chatting for a couple of hours a day.
(Yeah Yeah ... I know should've been working instead!).
But, I must admit, I don't have a crush on her anymore!
(Mishti ... If you're reading this, I'm sure you just heaved a sigh of relief!)
:P
I could sum it up in one sentence (ok ... make that two):
"First impression - Cranky Teenager. Current Impression - Cranky Teenager, but uber fun to talk to!"
:D
Sarah - Rock On Babe!!!
Hope to get to know you a lot more over the next couple of weeks!
N.B: Btw - All The Very Best For Your Exams ...
Over the last couple of weeks, Sarah and I have been chatting for a couple of hours a day.
(Yeah Yeah ... I know should've been working instead!).
But, I must admit, I don't have a crush on her anymore!
(Mishti ... If you're reading this, I'm sure you just heaved a sigh of relief!)
:P
I could sum it up in one sentence (ok ... make that two):
"First impression - Cranky Teenager. Current Impression - Cranky Teenager, but uber fun to talk to!"
:D
Sarah - Rock On Babe!!!
Hope to get to know you a lot more over the next couple of weeks!
N.B: Btw - All The Very Best For Your Exams ...
Chik Lit - My New Found Indulgence
For those of you who're wondering what Chik Lit is, it's a genre of books where the protagonist is a girl/group of girls. The book basically deals with a woman's perspective of life, career, love, sexual affairs, relationships, etc. The narrative is almost always first person.
What I find best about these books are the humorous and witty manner in which the whole plot is depicted. Also, there is a lot of masala in the form of innuendoes, affairs, metropolitan lifestyles, etc.
Personally, I think such books - although they're meant for light reading purposes only - gives one a lot of insight about the mind of the modern urban woman. And trust me when I say - It's very very educative!
So far I've read only one book - "Almost Single" by Advaith Kala - of this genre. But, today, I went and purchased "KKrishnaa's Konfessions" by Smita Jain, taking the toll to two. According to the reviews in the Bangalore Times, it's a 'Must Read' title. A few days from today, and I'll be in a better position to pass my own verdict on the 'Must Read' aspect of this book.
Till then - I'm off ...
What I find best about these books are the humorous and witty manner in which the whole plot is depicted. Also, there is a lot of masala in the form of innuendoes, affairs, metropolitan lifestyles, etc.
Personally, I think such books - although they're meant for light reading purposes only - gives one a lot of insight about the mind of the modern urban woman. And trust me when I say - It's very very educative!
So far I've read only one book - "Almost Single" by Advaith Kala - of this genre. But, today, I went and purchased "KKrishnaa's Konfessions" by Smita Jain, taking the toll to two. According to the reviews in the Bangalore Times, it's a 'Must Read' title. A few days from today, and I'll be in a better position to pass my own verdict on the 'Must Read' aspect of this book.
Till then - I'm off ...
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Time To Leave - Again
For those who don't already know - I am quitting my current job. For those who are wondering why so - I have decided to take up a position with TCS at Kochi. The pay is better, the prospects in terms of career growth is much better, the role being offered is good, and more importantly, my stint at TCS would help improvise on my consulting skills.
I had given my manager at Oracle a slight hint that I would be moving organizations. This was sometime last Friday (20-June-2008). And the immediate effect - he started moving the bugs out of my queue into my colleague Abhiram's queue. Also, he has started asking other people to start "understanding" the intricacies of the products I currently work on. I hate to admit it, but, I would've been a bit more happier if he had informed me that he has relayed such instructions to other people in the account.
And what irritated me more, is the fact that he gave me crappy reasons as to why he has started assigning my bugs to Abhiram. I mean - come on man. How difficult is it to give me the fact? That all you're doing is trying to mitigate risks as much as possible.
Anyways ... After this, I had called up my HR POC (point of contact) and enquired about the resignation formalities. That's when he got alerted of my intentions to leave. As a result, he had come down to Bangalore to meet me today. What resulted was 15 minutes of trying to "maska" my ego and a poorly conceived try at convincing me that moving to TCS would be a suicidal move and Oracle was THE place to be.
But, I think it would be prudent to add a few bits and pieces of my interview with my HR - let me call him AAA for convenience:
AAA: "Why do you want to move to TCS. They won't even pay you as much as Oracle!"
Me: "Actually, they're paying me a lot more than Oracle."
AAA: "What???" (very surprised). "How much are they offering extra?"
Me: "A good 15 %."
AAA: "15% on your current stack of #$#@ laks?" (You must be crazy to think I would reveal my actual pay on a blog!)
Me: "Yeah ... I will be drawing around @!@$ laks there! Plus it's my home town. So, it's a pretty neat pay!"
AAA: "Awwwwwwwwww ... So - you're going to jump for a meagre 15%. Why do you want to do that. Come on ... It's just 15% man!"
Me: (In My Mind) "Atleast it beats the Only-Worload-Hike that you folks are giving me!"
AAA: "Why would you go to a place like Cochin?"
Me: "My parents are getting old ... And unfortunately, they're not keeping well. So, I need to take care of them."
AAA: "Everyone's parents are old and they need being taken care of. But, that doesn't mean you leave your career behind and go!"
Me: (Offended) "What was that again?"
AAA: (Realizing he might have crossed a line) "What I meant is, sentiments are important. But, leaving your career for them - that is not a very smart idea!"
Me: "Well ... I think it is a good career move for me as well. They're giving me a promotion and a hike as well."
AAA: "Oh ... Ummmmmmmmmm .... But, what growth can you possibly have in a place like Cochin. There are hardly any companies there."
Me: "You might want to get your facts right. There are loads of companies there - TCS, Wipro, Infosys, Cognizant - to name a few!"
AAA: "Well ... But, your career growth in Bangalore would be much better."
Me: (In My Mind) "Why don't you let me worry about that?"
AAA: "Atleast you should wait for another 3 - 4 months to see if there are any hikes/corrections/bonuses happening here. If nothing is happening, or if you don't fall into the purview of any of the cycles, then and only then should you start looking outside."
Me: "You're asking me to forgo a good offer that I have for something that may or may not happen. And in case it doesn't happen, I end up loosing a perfectly great career option and end up with nothing here as well."
AAA: "Come on man ... You have to be a lot more optimistic than that. If you look at last year - correction cycles and other focal cycles have happened. This year, we don't have any clarity on when or for that matter whether it will happen. But, historically speaking, it has happened. I don't know why this year should be any different?"
Me: "Okay ... So - can you give me some sort of an assurance that I *will* be covered if at all something happens this year?"
AAA: "No ... I can't give you any such assurances. But, I think you should start being a lot more optimistic man!"
Me:" Optimistic eh ... Sounds like your asking me to forgo the bird in hand for the bird in the bush!"
AAA: "Ummmmmm ... Not really ... But, just think about it - Worst case - If you don't get any hike or bonus even after you wait 3 or 4 months, you can hunt for a job, and I'm pretty sure, like you bagged an offer now, you'll get another offer then."
Me: (In My Mind) "So .... You want me to drop this offer ... So that I can work my arse off for the next 4 months ... And by that time you'll get someone to replace me completely and then when I say I'm leaving - You'll can 'Taa taa Bye Bye!' with ease. Dream on bitch!"
AAA: "I think you should wait for another 3 - 4 months before you decide to quit man. I mean it. It's for your own good."
Me: (In My Mind) "And I think you should go jump off a cliff!"
I don't want to seem insensitive, or worse, disrespectful, to AAA, but, neither am I convinced by the pep talk he gave me, nor am I going to change my decision.
So,the way i see it, the nett outcome of this discussion is that although I was planning on telling my manager of my intentions to quit today, I'm simply going to have to wait till Monday (30-June-2008) to "surprise" him.
I had given my manager at Oracle a slight hint that I would be moving organizations. This was sometime last Friday (20-June-2008). And the immediate effect - he started moving the bugs out of my queue into my colleague Abhiram's queue. Also, he has started asking other people to start "understanding" the intricacies of the products I currently work on. I hate to admit it, but, I would've been a bit more happier if he had informed me that he has relayed such instructions to other people in the account.
And what irritated me more, is the fact that he gave me crappy reasons as to why he has started assigning my bugs to Abhiram. I mean - come on man. How difficult is it to give me the fact? That all you're doing is trying to mitigate risks as much as possible.
Anyways ... After this, I had called up my HR POC (point of contact) and enquired about the resignation formalities. That's when he got alerted of my intentions to leave. As a result, he had come down to Bangalore to meet me today. What resulted was 15 minutes of trying to "maska" my ego and a poorly conceived try at convincing me that moving to TCS would be a suicidal move and Oracle was THE place to be.
But, I think it would be prudent to add a few bits and pieces of my interview with my HR - let me call him AAA for convenience:
AAA: "Why do you want to move to TCS. They won't even pay you as much as Oracle!"
Me: "Actually, they're paying me a lot more than Oracle."
AAA: "What???" (very surprised). "How much are they offering extra?"
Me: "A good 15 %."
AAA: "15% on your current stack of #$#@ laks?" (You must be crazy to think I would reveal my actual pay on a blog!)
Me: "Yeah ... I will be drawing around @!@$ laks there! Plus it's my home town. So, it's a pretty neat pay!"
AAA: "Awwwwwwwwww ... So - you're going to jump for a meagre 15%. Why do you want to do that. Come on ... It's just 15% man!"
Me: (In My Mind) "Atleast it beats the Only-Worload-Hike that you folks are giving me!"
AAA: "Why would you go to a place like Cochin?"
Me: "My parents are getting old ... And unfortunately, they're not keeping well. So, I need to take care of them."
AAA: "Everyone's parents are old and they need being taken care of. But, that doesn't mean you leave your career behind and go!"
Me: (Offended) "What was that again?"
AAA: (Realizing he might have crossed a line) "What I meant is, sentiments are important. But, leaving your career for them - that is not a very smart idea!"
Me: "Well ... I think it is a good career move for me as well. They're giving me a promotion and a hike as well."
AAA: "Oh ... Ummmmmmmmmm .... But, what growth can you possibly have in a place like Cochin. There are hardly any companies there."
Me: "You might want to get your facts right. There are loads of companies there - TCS, Wipro, Infosys, Cognizant - to name a few!"
AAA: "Well ... But, your career growth in Bangalore would be much better."
Me: (In My Mind) "Why don't you let me worry about that?"
AAA: "Atleast you should wait for another 3 - 4 months to see if there are any hikes/corrections/bonuses happening here. If nothing is happening, or if you don't fall into the purview of any of the cycles, then and only then should you start looking outside."
Me: "You're asking me to forgo a good offer that I have for something that may or may not happen. And in case it doesn't happen, I end up loosing a perfectly great career option and end up with nothing here as well."
AAA: "Come on man ... You have to be a lot more optimistic than that. If you look at last year - correction cycles and other focal cycles have happened. This year, we don't have any clarity on when or for that matter whether it will happen. But, historically speaking, it has happened. I don't know why this year should be any different?"
Me: "Okay ... So - can you give me some sort of an assurance that I *will* be covered if at all something happens this year?"
AAA: "No ... I can't give you any such assurances. But, I think you should start being a lot more optimistic man!"
Me:" Optimistic eh ... Sounds like your asking me to forgo the bird in hand for the bird in the bush!"
AAA: "Ummmmmm ... Not really ... But, just think about it - Worst case - If you don't get any hike or bonus even after you wait 3 or 4 months, you can hunt for a job, and I'm pretty sure, like you bagged an offer now, you'll get another offer then."
Me: (In My Mind) "So .... You want me to drop this offer ... So that I can work my arse off for the next 4 months ... And by that time you'll get someone to replace me completely and then when I say I'm leaving - You'll can 'Taa taa Bye Bye!' with ease. Dream on bitch!"
AAA: "I think you should wait for another 3 - 4 months before you decide to quit man. I mean it. It's for your own good."
Me: (In My Mind) "And I think you should go jump off a cliff!"
I don't want to seem insensitive, or worse, disrespectful, to AAA, but, neither am I convinced by the pep talk he gave me, nor am I going to change my decision.
So,the way i see it, the nett outcome of this discussion is that although I was planning on telling my manager of my intentions to quit today, I'm simply going to have to wait till Monday (30-June-2008) to "surprise" him.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaappy Birthday To Me
Yaaaaaaaaaaaaay ... Sriji - My Sister's Husband - wished me Happy B'day at the stroke of midnight. I am reaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaally very happy. Atleast this time, unlike last time, someone remembered my B'day!
:+)
:+)
Yet Another Birthday
Yup ... That day of the year is here is just around the corner. I am yet another year older. So, come 27-June-2008, officially, I turn 24 years of age.
Ordinarily, I would've been extremely happy about this day. But, this year, strangely, I don't feel anything of the sort.
A couple of reasons why I feel this way are:
1. Last year - Mom, Dad, Bro, Sis, Cousins (in short everyone) forgot to wish me on my B'Day. I had to call each and every one of them in the evening and roast their arses for forgetting it ...
Something tells me, with every probability, it will happen again this year!
2. Somehow, somewhere deep down inside, I get the feeling that I'm getting REALLY OLD!
3. Like my last B'Day, I think I'll end up spending the day all alone!
(It's either that or having to throw a party and get piss drunk, and pass out. I prefer the former - Thank You Very Much!)
4. No one seems to planning on getting me any gifts. "Its the end of the month and I'm broke" being the most common excuse!
5. With Mom & Dad's ruling (sounded more like a threat to me) that one more B'Day and then they'll get me married off - Every B'day now feels like one step closer to THE END!
(I know you might be thinking Linkin Park. I have two words for you - SHUT UP!!!)
Anyways ... Hopefully, given that I have another day to go before the B'Day gets here - I'll brighten up!
Cheeeeeeeeeeers!!!
Ordinarily, I would've been extremely happy about this day. But, this year, strangely, I don't feel anything of the sort.
A couple of reasons why I feel this way are:
1. Last year - Mom, Dad, Bro, Sis, Cousins (in short everyone) forgot to wish me on my B'Day. I had to call each and every one of them in the evening and roast their arses for forgetting it ...
Something tells me, with every probability, it will happen again this year!
2. Somehow, somewhere deep down inside, I get the feeling that I'm getting REALLY OLD!
3. Like my last B'Day, I think I'll end up spending the day all alone!
(It's either that or having to throw a party and get piss drunk, and pass out. I prefer the former - Thank You Very Much!)
4. No one seems to planning on getting me any gifts. "Its the end of the month and I'm broke" being the most common excuse!
5. With Mom & Dad's ruling (sounded more like a threat to me) that one more B'Day and then they'll get me married off - Every B'day now feels like one step closer to THE END!
(I know you might be thinking Linkin Park. I have two words for you - SHUT UP!!!)
Anyways ... Hopefully, given that I have another day to go before the B'Day gets here - I'll brighten up!
Cheeeeeeeeeeers!!!
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
An Unforgivable Act
Today (23-06-2008), I got a call around 9.30 pm from Sujatha (my best chum). I was surprised that she had called me at this our of the day. Out of the ordinary, but not unusual.
For one sec, I was left wondering that she's probably calling to give me some "good" news
(The news that one would expect from any Indian couple a few months into their marriage).
Me: "Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey ... Wassup Suj ... How you doing sugar?"
Suj: "Hi ... What's the day today?" (in a very serious tone!)
This was totally unlike Sujatha ... And so ... I became a little cautious ...
Me: "Ummmmmmmm ... I dunno ... Monday ... The 23rd I guess ... Why ??? What happened ???"
Suj: "Aren't you supposed to do something today ???" (In a VERY commanding tone!!!)
Me: "Whats that ??? Hmmmmmmmmm .... Let me think - What's the speciality of today ??? Is it your B'day by any chance ??? Naaaaaaaa ... I thought that was in Feb or was it March ... "
Suj: "WHAT WAS THAT AGAIN !!!"
By this time she had begun to sound truly menancing!
Me: "Is it your marriage anniversary by any chance?"
Suj: "You bloody fool ... And you claim to be my best friend !!! It's my B'day you Bloody Idiot ... Fool ... Stupid ... Arse ... Jerk ... "
At that point - I had realized one thing - "There was no frigging way I was getting out of this one in one piece!!!"
The only way was to take it lying down!
But, as Murphy's law states - "If something can go wrong - It will".
What happened after that just serves as proof to that law.
(Murphy ... I hate you for coming up with such crappy laws!!!)
Me: "I'm Soooooooooooooooooooooooo Sorry Da Suj ... I didn't go to office today ... And so I didn't get to check out Orkut ... If I had seen your B'day there - I would have surely given you a call and wished you!!!"
Although I fail to understand the logic behind it - That single statement was a bigger insult that me having forgotten her b'day!!!
Suj: "WHAT THE HECK ... I THOUGHT YOU WOULD'VE BEEN BUSY THE WHOLE DAY WITH YOUR DELIVERY DEADLINES AND MEETINGS AND THAT IS PROBABLY YOU FORGOT MY BIRTHDAY. AND THAT'S WHY I CALLED YOU SO THAT YOU CAN WISH ME ... AND NOW - I FIND OUT THAT YOU HAVE BEEN RESTING AT HOME THE WHOLE DAY AND ON TOP OF THAT YOU NEED SOMETHING LIKE ORKUT TO REMEMBER MY B'DAY ... YOUR "SUPPOSEDLY" BEST FRIENDS B'DAY ... I CAN UNDERSTAND USING A CALENDAR OR SOMETHING LIKE ORKUT FOR YOUR REGULAR "OTHER" FRIENDS B'DAYS ... BUT YOU NEED SOMETHING LIKE THAT TO REMEMBER MY B'DAY TOO IS IT !!! THAT GOES TO PROVE HOW MUCH OF A "BEST" FRIEND I AM TO YOU !!!! YOU STUPID IDIOT !!!"
For the remaining 15 mins that we were on the phone - I only remember saying: "Sorry ..." "You know how much I love you ..." "I am such an Idiot ..." "Please forgive me ..."
(Oh ... And all she was saying was: "I hate you ..." "I will kill you ..." "Don't talk to me ever again ..." "I'm not your friend anymore ... ")
I even tried to talk to Suresh - Sujatha's husband. You know the regular small talk ...
Just to divert the attention from the issue at hand (Me forgetting her B'day i.e.)
But, sadly, that didn't work as well as I had expected!!!
Sujatha caught onto me like a bloodhound on a trail - and tore me apart AGAIN!!!
:(
The very first thing I did after that is to call up my relationship consultant (aka Agony Aunt) - Pallavi - and ask her for tips on how to wriggle myself out of this one.
She's given me some "inputs" and I intend to put them into action tomorrow itself.
Wish me luck folks!
For one sec, I was left wondering that she's probably calling to give me some "good" news
(The news that one would expect from any Indian couple a few months into their marriage).
Me: "Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey ... Wassup Suj ... How you doing sugar?"
Suj: "Hi ... What's the day today?" (in a very serious tone!)
This was totally unlike Sujatha ... And so ... I became a little cautious ...
Me: "Ummmmmmmm ... I dunno ... Monday ... The 23rd I guess ... Why ??? What happened ???"
Suj: "Aren't you supposed to do something today ???" (In a VERY commanding tone!!!)
Me: "Whats that ??? Hmmmmmmmmm .... Let me think - What's the speciality of today ??? Is it your B'day by any chance ??? Naaaaaaaa ... I thought that was in Feb or was it March ... "
Suj: "WHAT WAS THAT AGAIN !!!"
By this time she had begun to sound truly menancing!
Me: "Is it your marriage anniversary by any chance?"
Suj: "You bloody fool ... And you claim to be my best friend !!! It's my B'day you Bloody Idiot ... Fool ... Stupid ... Arse ... Jerk ... "
At that point - I had realized one thing - "There was no frigging way I was getting out of this one in one piece!!!"
The only way was to take it lying down!
But, as Murphy's law states - "If something can go wrong - It will".
What happened after that just serves as proof to that law.
(Murphy ... I hate you for coming up with such crappy laws!!!)
Me: "I'm Soooooooooooooooooooooooo Sorry Da Suj ... I didn't go to office today ... And so I didn't get to check out Orkut ... If I had seen your B'day there - I would have surely given you a call and wished you!!!"
Although I fail to understand the logic behind it - That single statement was a bigger insult that me having forgotten her b'day!!!
Suj: "WHAT THE HECK ... I THOUGHT YOU WOULD'VE BEEN BUSY THE WHOLE DAY WITH YOUR DELIVERY DEADLINES AND MEETINGS AND THAT IS PROBABLY YOU FORGOT MY BIRTHDAY. AND THAT'S WHY I CALLED YOU SO THAT YOU CAN WISH ME ... AND NOW - I FIND OUT THAT YOU HAVE BEEN RESTING AT HOME THE WHOLE DAY AND ON TOP OF THAT YOU NEED SOMETHING LIKE ORKUT TO REMEMBER MY B'DAY ... YOUR "SUPPOSEDLY" BEST FRIENDS B'DAY ... I CAN UNDERSTAND USING A CALENDAR OR SOMETHING LIKE ORKUT FOR YOUR REGULAR "OTHER" FRIENDS B'DAYS ... BUT YOU NEED SOMETHING LIKE THAT TO REMEMBER MY B'DAY TOO IS IT !!! THAT GOES TO PROVE HOW MUCH OF A "BEST" FRIEND I AM TO YOU !!!! YOU STUPID IDIOT !!!"
For the remaining 15 mins that we were on the phone - I only remember saying: "Sorry ..." "You know how much I love you ..." "I am such an Idiot ..." "Please forgive me ..."
(Oh ... And all she was saying was: "I hate you ..." "I will kill you ..." "Don't talk to me ever again ..." "I'm not your friend anymore ... ")
I even tried to talk to Suresh - Sujatha's husband. You know the regular small talk ...
Just to divert the attention from the issue at hand (Me forgetting her B'day i.e.)
But, sadly, that didn't work as well as I had expected!!!
Sujatha caught onto me like a bloodhound on a trail - and tore me apart AGAIN!!!
:(
The very first thing I did after that is to call up my relationship consultant (aka Agony Aunt) - Pallavi - and ask her for tips on how to wriggle myself out of this one.
She's given me some "inputs" and I intend to put them into action tomorrow itself.
Wish me luck folks!
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