Right here right now

Bench...

2007-10-11T03:14:00.000-07:00

2 eventful years... starting with getting to know something new... for a person been in sales and travelling almost 20 days a month... the sudden stop at office was a big change in itself... but i enjoyed it... the culture at the place where i was working until recently was really good... it was a place to learn... it was almost a college... we had gone on a bike trip, we had a trekking expedition, and then my first project... and then some time in the bench... and again my first trip abroad and my first foreign project... ha... there were quite a few firsts... it was all fun... though with certain hiccups... well i was working... not studying ;)

and it all went so fast... so was the personal front... quite a lot happened... and if i look back at it all... life is really gr8... i am enjoying it my way... though certain compromises (or becoming more responsible would be apt) are being made now... its still gr8... i am loving it (sorry McDonalds... for using ur line) its been really gr8 all the while...

and now this is something different... new company, new place... (almost 30km from my place... and the traffic here... it takes 2hrs one way) this is making life more interesting...

and wat am i doing here? honing my skills... i have now become decently experienced carrom player, learnt something new - pool, and then there's the TV... Cricket (though India is playing it as if they saw the cricket bat for the first time and not knowing how to use it) still i am loving it ;) though not feeling as bad i used to feel earlier when they lost... 'cos i am always expecting it ;)... so wat am i doing here?

I am in BENCH... i pray god i get a project soon... else i mite just rot... i dont think carrom has big money in it... else could aim for becoming a professional... pool... good but not so good...

but this is just a phase in my life... the interesting part is new place and new friends/colleagues... and of course the inner ring road... when i get my bike to office ;) (it sometimes touches 100kph)

The title

2007-07-09T04:02:00.000-07:00

i think i have forgotten blogging... i dint know how to enter a title for this initially... i dont know why... probably the page dint load properly...

but whatever... i am back... now for how long i dont know...

there has become a pattern now... whenever i have a break between projects... i blog...

and now wat am i doing? in support of a project i completed recently... not knowing wat to support ;)

insecurity that comes with any change is so big that the customer wants me to stay back for a month more... a month more? wat do i do so long with no work...

but since my last blog... i think it was in April... a lot of things have happened... and i shall not put them as good or bad... but a lot of learning... and my god... its just so wonderful knowing how much learning the human brain can take... and its still doing....

probably thats the reason why a computer can never match a human being... unless its programmed to learn from each and every scenario it comes across apart from wat it is currently programmed to do... now that system is worth developing... wont it be? and if we think of the evolution and the amount of changes thats happened with human beings....or for that matter any species... to bring all those into a computer (artificial intelligence) should be a lot of work... and no wonder human brain is still trying to create it... well now thats the greatness of this intelligence... to create an intelligent thing thats as intelligent as it...

oh... where am i caught now? intelligence creating intelligence....

started with something and wrote something else... again the brilliance of human brain to think of multiple thoughts and ideas ;)

where am i now...

2007-04-09T07:58:00.000-07:00

some firangi duniya... in a very firangi climate ;) but luckily in a hotel thats pretty decent (with a temperature control thing... i hope its probably a basic necessity here, but just in case had it not been there... cant imagine how it wud have been)... i dont have to go arnd looking for food... i can make my own... and that is the best part...

also i do have a laptop and internet... the second best thing... without these two... it would have become highly impossible for me to stay over here ;) also the third one... without my earphones and mic... (else how cud u talk to home?)

but all is an experience nevertheless... so am enjoying in that sense... :)

change...

2007-04-09T07:55:00.000-07:00

dint realise till now that how quick my interest changes...

had started on a blog about an event that was pretty much unsettled me... but suddenly it no longer seems to be of any importance...

and i just started writing this instead...

First blog in 2007

2007-01-31T22:07:00.000-08:00

well...i am not able to title this properly... "a new blog in the new year"..."a new me"...

watever...its just a title ;)

but its been quite sometime since i blogged...and coming back...i see a lot of activity going on arnd...ppl who had stopped sometime back are active now...thats nice... it feels like coming back home :)

so wats been happening these days... some personal promotions...more responsibility... more maturity...(atleast i have to start acting so now)... my PJs, my flops, my thoughts, my mobility (going anywhere anytime) these all have come under some control now... well not that someone is doing this to me... but i have started feeling them myself... and controlled from doing it at any place i feel like...

but all these i am able to do it with someone now... be child-like...not childish ;)... get my PJs and flops in full force... express my thoughts anytime...

so wat happened to me...

i am MARRIED!!! and did i say i changed...

ask my wife....

did i say i became more mature...

ask my wife...

did i say i am more responsible...

ask my wife...

but i must say... life is lovely, just as it is...

Movies

2006-11-06T00:28:00.000-08:00

i just love watching movies....and probably watch too many (last wknd when mom called i was in the theatre...and the week b4 last...again i was there...) and this month is at its best...3 movies...1 Hindi (DON), 1 Tamil (Vallavan) and 1 English (The Departed)...

i just feel like saying some movies to be crap...but when i think of the work put in by the ppl in the production and that some person is trying out something, makes me not criticize...and again not everything we do become hits and not everything we do become flops...but probably it is human nature that we end up criticizing...probably thats the work of "ego"...now lets not get into that...

but as a general feeling...i want movies to give "hope" than just being plainly realistic...now wen u want something realistic then its there in ur life...why would want to go and see that again in a movie?

i feel movies must either be one which makes you laugh (comedy) or atleast feel very confident while coming out of the hall (for me most of Jackie Chan movies do the trick) or make a person think something constructive (the sci-fi movies) or atleast one where the good overcomes the bad...

and now when you see all the "Superstars" in Indian cinemas you can find out why they are superstars...firstly they dont die (some movies got their climax changed because of the fan following for the heroes)...and secondly he will be an underdog who gets to win when it really matters and these superstars attract crowd from all classes no matter where they stand in the economic ratings...and their popularities tend to be big infecting everyone...and again you have to be at the theatre on the first day of release...and must see all the festivities happening arnd...must say thats a very different experience...and you wonder why is this happening?

dont you think they entertain the masses while they give "hope" too which they dont get too often in the realistic life? probably i tend to be inclined to the mass mentality when it comes to movies...

mind you there are some big cry-baby movies too that have become big hits :(

Anger...

2006-10-25T23:08:00.000-07:00

i saw that movie "Anger Management" some days back...though i cudnt sit through it...i liked the concept though...when Buddy says...there are 2 kinds of anger - explosion and implosion...that was really good...i think i am to an extent the second kind...but sometimes do explode ;)

and i had attended a Transactional Analysis class when i was in 10 std...pretty young to attend it then...but there they had told that u have to express your anger and shud never keep it suppressed...and even told me to have some swear words ready ;) and thats when i started using some ;)

but there was also a saying by Buddy in the movie that..."anger is the only thing that u gain a lot by not losing it" (not the exact words)...and i have experienced this...getting angry and then expressing it makes u more angry...only way that works for me is to move away from the place...some mite think this is submission...i myself think so sometimes...but after sometime if i look back i wud feel that was not really worth spending my energy for...

but there are situations that must make u angry and u shud be then...and in those situations i make it a point that the person irritating me knows...

and there was this movie again abt Tiger Woods...in which there would be a scene where someone wud have stuck a rascist note on his hostel door and he would become very angry but then wud take it and put it on the wall of his room at a place where he would be able to see it and when asked by his roommate as to why he is doing it, he says that anger gives u a lot of force to perform better and that he would need this...

and in my view there must be some anger in a person else he would not be able to get to "excellence" in watever he is doing...only that it mustn't get destructive...like if my landlord pisses me off in some small issue...it can be used as a driving force to make me purchase a house and in the process get my confidence building as i get to own more...or if the passenger in the nxt seat on a bus ride is irritating then it can be used to plan for getting a car for yourself...and many more situations in which anger can be made to work for u positively...

and one of them has started on me...and good that i am getting to do something positive abt it.... :)

Insurance...

2006-10-10T01:27:00.000-07:00

having written "Blogging dead or not"...i am finding it tough myself to keep mine alive...

there was a time when i was blogging thrice a day and now once a month seems to be a big task...or am i making it one?

generally the topics to blog abt seemed to have dried on me...

one thing that i rmbrd was...today morning...i had gone to an insurance company with one of my friends to get his bike's insurance done (it was expired for almost 7 months now...and mine too was the same sometime back)...it was the same place where i had done mine...and the funny thing for me was...my first insurance company told that i have to transfer my bike's registration and the address in the RC book...and hence they wudnt do it until this was completed (i thot he actually expected some bribing)...and like me going to change the world...i mailed to the id for customer grievance...and typical govt office...no reply...

and my bike was not insured for sometime after that and one day was talking to one of my colleagues who informed that he had a contact person at the second insurance company and he called him up...and my insurance was done in 2 days...

but i was just wondering...in this age of all the customer service (though i dont like that term as a consultant) and with many businesses trying lotsa things to reach the customers...i am wondering wats happening with these insurance companies...generally the vehicle insurance...it makes me think that since the government has a rule that all vehicles must possess insurance are these ppl taking it for granted that insurance business will always thrive...it makes me sometime wonder wat that rule is for...is it for protecting the person driving the vehicle from unforeseen circumstances and also to the other ppl (third party) involved in the incident...or is it for feeding the employees of the insurance company...and the third party involved...the people supposed to maintain traffic law and order...

wat is the purpose of insurance? to make good the loss...wats the insurance to the loss because of insurance or the non-insurance?

after having worked in this industry...life insurance to be more precise, i always felt it was a must for everyone...but with vehicle insurance...i am not able to think so...

luckily my friend's insurance renewal or re-application i must say...went on smooth without any hassles...

blogging dead?...or it is not...

2006-09-11T04:11:00.000-07:00

well...was it pure coincidence or some higher being trying to say something to me...when i wrote the previous blog "blogging dead?" my blog was not getting refreshed...i had to close it and relogin ;)

blogging dead?

2006-09-11T04:08:00.000-07:00

suddenly getting a feeling that the whole blogging world is dead...

After project....

2006-09-11T03:47:00.000-07:00

was really very relieved when the project ended smooth with no big issues...atleast in my module...and after 3 continuous weeks of nonstop work...i thot it would be great to take some time off and relax...

but now its all very different...i have started to hate this feeling of "no work"... so damn irritating it is to sit without any work and checking mails...(as if i get a lot)...and whenever i get a small work...i grab it as if that is the best thing in my life...am just wondering how long wud this last ;)

UnPredictability

2006-08-28T23:17:00.000-07:00

the predictability that comes with most of the greats in any sports is mindboggling...but for the normal human it almost becomes a routine and the greatness of the athlete is put to the background...this happened with Micheal Schumacher (Alonso or probably the new rules by the racing body did the trick) and was close to happening to Pete Sampras but the French Open saved him

i watched the Agassi-Pavel matched today before leaving for work...and such a rollercoaster it was...and that exactly is wat you shud expect when Agassi is playing...

the perfection in the sport becomes so much that its almost a mechanical precision with which these guys go about it but with Agassi...its totally different...certainly one of the legends and certainly one of the best adapters to any surface and its very very few who come like this...and you can actually see the power of human mind while he is playing...some games he would be 2 sets down and come back to win it

though he is among the greats the matches he plays are never one sided and the momentary brilliance of the opponent is also available to be enjoyed (though I dont really ;) ) while in the case of Pete Sampras and Roger Federer the same is not available...

the unpredictability of Agassi is wat makes him great like wat predictability did for Pete Sampras

it would be one of the best moments in history if Agassi wins this US Open but then... again its uncertain...and watever might be the result, he would always be one of the best

Now project towards the end....

2006-07-28T06:24:00.000-07:00

hmmm...i must say i am very impressed (with my work) ;)

the level of anxiety i had at the beginning...if i think abt it now...it looks very funny...most of the hurdles i crossed without much difficulty and i found out that every problem has a solution...only that you have got to search it at the right place...and how do u get to know the right place? well just dont think too much...i rmbr a saying that goes in the line...too much of thought clogs ur capacity to have a proper perspective...

but now i am very happy with the work i had done...

and then wat i even learnt using Excel...infact its a very good tool and has lots of functionalities...and probably u can use it as an entry level ERP tool by itself...

and getting to learn new things and the success u get on doing small small things actually is a real morale-booster... and i strongly feel that u need to celebrate it in the way it you feel comfortable....

No blog in June...

2006-07-25T07:15:00.000-07:00

hmmm....just now realised...there was no blog in June'06...

I am very much alive....

2006-07-25T06:17:00.000-07:00

probably in the best part of my life...

good job...very interesting...

personal life....very interesting.... :)

generally finding it tuff to blog... from a "compulsive blogger" to "not-so-much compulsive blogger"...

After a long time...

2006-05-26T21:09:00.000-07:00

its been quite sometime since i have been quiet ;)

well after a long time i am getting time to blog and am not able to think of anything to write abt... been very hectic offlate with testing going on at the user end and lotsa issues cropping up and added to it am leaving office late and the Hosur road traffic sees to it that i dont reach home before 7pm and have missed my gym for whole of last week...

its so good when a routine gets set and then it feels so bad when it gets broken....when it is set i feel so in-control of my time but now i have started getting very irritated...the testing happening in office is adding fuel to fire...small issues that can be solved by the clients...they expect me to do and it pisses me off so much that i feel like shouting at them...but then they are "Clients" i am not supposed to speak to them...but mind you my project wont be successful without a very dedicated participation from the client...but that dedication should be in solving the issue rather than blaming each other...and wat was supposed to happen 2 months back, when the project started...the requirements gathering is happening when they are testing...with the system being set to wat the wanted earlier...

it is so funny...service...u cant define a "good" service...u cant satisfy everything and for a project theres something called a scope document which clearly states wat is needed...but it so happens that the requirements keeps changing like the climate of Bangalore ;) these ppl keep adding new things everyday that at the end if u see the scope document and the actual work are totally different...and then theres a blueprint...which is the final document and u will do the work only to watever is being specified there...but now my client wants a different setting...the same one that i had suggested earlier...wat the h#$k?

but then its ok...all in the walks of life...u need to go thru these...else u wud stop believing that u r alive ;)

now at home...am off for the weekend and theres mom arnd and good food and its so nice...

Q-blog

2006-05-08T03:55:00.000-07:00

wats kept me occupied these days....

90% official work
8% personal work
2% Oliver Twist

yes...i am reading Oliver Twist (Koi's blog reminded me of it)...and as usual...its excellent...wat a rollercoaster for emotions...

more on it...later...

Q-blog over :)

The update....

2006-04-15T11:52:00.000-07:00

last week was one eventful one....first event happened on Monday when we left office at 7pm...our cab driver had gone on some personal work to the city and got stuck in traffic on the way back...and it was so irritating waiting there...i just cant explain...but good thing that i completed some work...so we left office at arnd 7pm and the traffic in the Hosur road...shud someone say...was horrible...so to forget the anger of him coming late and the traffic...we (me, a colleague and the PM) got into a conversation...abt politics in office... and that kept us occupied...another added tension was that i was missing my workout that day...its been 1 1/2 months and havent missed a single day and that was the first day...

then tuesday was very normal...

on wednesday it was normal till arnd 3.30pm and then came a mail from one of my frens with just the subject line..."Dr. Rajkumar is no more"...dint take that seriously...and it went arnd as a passing comment...but then things started happening...our PM who had left office on some personal work called up and asked us to leave office at once and go home...and then there was also another announcement in the office asking everyone to leave...i still dint get the seriousness of it and was happy that i wud go home soon...but just as i reached home did i get to know it...some guys had gone crazy...went arnd to get something to eat and saw that all the shops were closed...nothing was open...back home...my roomies started coming and i cud do nothing but sleep...in radio it was all kannada songs of Mr Rajkumar, in TV all the other channels were off air while only kannada channels which had his movies, his songs, some documentaries, etc...
when i got up arnd 8...was so hungry that i cudnt hold myself from venturing out...my frens were not very comfortable to the idea....but then i was too hungry so i went arnd and every shop was closed except for the medical stores...then asked a few for biscuits and they had none...so got a family pack Cadbury Dairy Milk and then had that as dinner...another roomie went arnd and luckily he had a shop which had biscuits and bread and jam...i was very very happy...we had the biscuits...saved the bread for the next day and before i cud get hungry again i went to sleep...

thursday morning...i cudnt keep myself in bed...it was arnd 7am and i was damn hungry...so got up...had a pack of milk...so had it...some slices of bread with some cheese i had already stored up and only after that did i feel a little fine...it was so horrible a feeling of having the thought that u cant get the next meal...there were times when i used to just not eat because i had some work but only on this day did i know how important a meal is...and i had actually planned to leave for home the weekend and my fren had booked tickets for thursday nite...but i thot we wud better leave this place before anything bad could happen and u never know in situations of high tension what will happen when and where...but these two guys who had the tickets and were supposed to come with me were at office...i was very pissed off...but then cud do nothing...so played hand-squash with my roomie and then there was a shop open arnd the corner...got some bananas and Lays (i dont know why...but was feeling like eating a lot of potato chips that day ;)) and had our lunch again of bread, biscuits, bananas and chips...then slept and woke up arnd 6 when dad had called up to tell that if the situation was still a little tensed then not to come home the weekend... but then i was all prepared to go...i suddenly felt like an unwanted immigrant in some country and started feeling a little insecure...so started arnd 7pm from home (my bus was at 10.30pm) and then dint get any rickshaws...one guy told 300bucks to travel to Majestic from Jayanagar 9th block...atrocious...then luckily there was one of those first buses arnd and we got dropped at the 4th block...then another one the conductor told would stop at Mysore bank...and Majestic was pretty walkable from there...but as the reached Mysore bank ppl there told that there was no problem in Majestic and the buses could go...so atlast we had come to the station...i felt very relieved...

then at station i met my frens and a junior who was also going home and had booked his tickets for the day bus at 10.30am...and lo...the bus was cancelled and he sat the station with another guy to his company the whole day...there was nothing arnd...everything closed and no buses...the whole place deserted...i then thot....i had a great escape...had i left in the morning i too would have been stuck in the bus stand...then we had something to eat...and our 10.30pm bus left at 11.45pm and just as we were leaving Bangalore there was a big thud...some guy had thrown a stone at the bus...the driver stopped for a second...shouted at the small crowd that was arnd and then thot it was better to leave...and from there on the went so fast that we reach Mysore probably an hour earlier...and even then somewhere in between Mysore and Bangalore there was a noise...i just was begining to sleep and then this sound of breaking glass...again someone had thrown a stone and had broken the window...luckily nothing happened to the two ladies who were sitting near the window and the driver dint bother to stop...he was on full throttle and only after sometime when he felt it safe did he stop...and then came two more buses with the same broken windows...

atlast when i reached home it was arnd 9.30am...and that was pretty quick but the only thing was i had a very bad butt ache...the road was horrible and we had seats just above the rear wheels and were punished badly...:)

anyways...after coming home...it was good food and good sound sleep...and am now blogging from home...after a long time has broadband connection come here...and i have set everything up so that mom and dad could speak to bro...

6000 zeros...

2006-04-01T02:08:00.000-08:00

well i dont think i would ever forget 31st March 2006....y? because that was the day i had put (typed) 6000 zeroes in an excel file :(....dont think any of those tough teachers in school would have put so many in the answer sheets of the students in their lifetime ;)

it was all because of the customer master record and the junk that came up while downloading it to excel...there were records for arnd 6000 customers here and i had to download them...check them...put them in a particular format and then send it to the users to confirm on the details...generally its only the format that would be provided but here i cudnt do it as there were 6 different tables to download the records and the query that i created wouldnt work as some tables dint have records for some customers...so i had to download from each table separately and then join them...

i did that in just one day....some 2 weeks back...but later when i checked i found out that some tables dint have details for some customers and i would have to match them separately....so there it started...i had been postponing it for sometime but then who else would do it...so i took it up on Thursday...and downloaded them

while downloading i had another problem....some places records for 2 customers would be at the same row...that was irritating...now i had to go back to the tables download only for them and then put them in the excel sheet...

and also some customer records were comfortably not taken into the excel file...i dint know why and no one arnd knew too...then i tried downloading it as a html file....now this was perfect...all the customers in the table were there in the file...but the problem was i would have to copy it and paste to an excel so that i cud match with records from other tables...well that was another headache...one table when downloaded as html came to be 45MB.....and cudnt paste it to an excel file...but the others were just fine...only that when copied to an excel file...2 rows got merged for one record....so the total number of rows came to be 12000 and odd...i had to de-merge all the rows and then delete the extra rows...

now y did i put those zeros....i tried deleting selecting a few empty rows...but that was taking a long time...so thot would fill them with something and then use filter to take them out and delete the rows...but then again the filter was not working after a few 100 rows....so had to do a sort and then delete....

so i entered 6000 and odd zeros and then sorted and deleted the rows...it took arnd 1/2 to do that...and the sound of the keys in the keyboard started to have a musical effect on me....i even tried getting a beat into it...just to keep myself from getting bored...

this cud have been done pretty easily using some tools in excel...but then cudnt get any expert in excel to help :(

watever....but yesterday was unforgetable...

Work....

2006-03-29T21:12:00.000-08:00

been quite interesting these days....been working a lot and havent felt bored of it...and since the change in place my luck has been working very good for me ;)

earlier when we came to the client place to work we were made to sit along with the users and also the place was close to their MD's cabin...it was so awkward...we cudnt discuss anything...and we had to be very silent and everyone else in the office looking at us like..."who r these ppl?"....was not very comfortable...

but it was very appropriate that two of my team members were one day on a roll and were continuously chit-chatting...i myself cudnt take it...just imagine how the MD would have felt...she (the MD) came out twice out of her cabin to talk to her secretary....and these two were continuously talking...never bothering of anything arnd...and then this lady got pissed off and changed our place to the conference room...(we had asked for it on the day 1)...we were so happy...now no one to "boss" arnd us...and no "ooof...these software engineers" look...

and since the day i came to the conference hall....all the things were happening gr8...all the errors were solved in no time...and all the configured scenarios were running fine...and i have started loving it...and its always very good when u see something u have done work fine...

and also i have been learning on the excise duty...(unless it be a necessity...i dont think anyone would learn it....so dry) and its been working better now...

and i have been pretty very occupied also....early morning leave for office...and just as i return its time for gym and then it would be arnd 9...have the dinner and sleep....this is for the 6 days a week the whole of this month...and sunday sleep and some shopping in the evening...but well...no regrets...i am loving it...

wats happening these days? PartII

2006-03-19T04:45:00.000-08:00

has been almost a month since i have written something...seems like its been ages since i had written the last one...

was getting sucked into the quicksand of work....been very hectic offlate...so funny...when u have no work...u have no work...i mean u do nothing at all....and

when u have work...u dont know whether u r breathing or not...

but then no complains...i have been enjoying wat i had been doing so long...quite a nice period this has been in my life...lots of learning and lots of acting (real acting...;) i had to...to convince the client that i am experienced) but again lots of work too...and i did do a good job so far...shud pat myself for that...

was told that a senior guy wud be supporting me...but then "the senior" never came and i never asked...thot i wud do it myself...but with an occassional mail to one :)

and the travel to Electronic city (well thats where my client is) is really sick...the traffic...horrible...and we had been having an army of drivers and different models of cabs coming arnd...the travel guy arranged was sending a different driver and a cab everyday and we just cudnt co-ordinate at all...but now its all fixed and guess wat...we are being picked up in an Amby which was used by JJ....she had used it long back and had been with some govt officer at Erode and then the present cab owner had bought it say like some 3rd hand?....got a cool number - 7777 and the windows are supposed to be bullet proof!!!!!!! feels like someone very important now :)

and also have started waking up at 5.30 everyday and feels like i have lots of time a day (except to blog :( ....cant do it at the clients place....pretty conservative ppl they are and we are sitting along with their employees)

so thats wat has been happening these days....and hope my next blog wud be soon :)

Escape from Embarassment

2006-02-28T00:05:00.000-08:00

been quite sometime since i have blogged...was stuck with work? not really...i dont know...did have some work...

but something that hpnd today that compelled me to write...

i generally come to office early arnd 8am and go for breakfast arnd 9.30...and did the same today too...went to the restaurant, ordered a masala dosa (was bored of eating the same set dosa daily....) and after having given the order i remembered that i forgot to fill....not my bike...but my purse :)....i dint have cash...and card was accepted only for bill more than a Rs 100...and i dont think i can eat 5 dosas to make it hundred or even if i have 2 milkshakes it would come only to arnd 60 - 70 bucks....now this was really very embarassing...and i cant leave for the atm now...so called my roommate...we both work in the same company but different projects...

a long call....kept ringing...felt like ages....and he wasnt picking up...then i rmbrd he goes to gym in the morning so probably on the way to office...but watever...i needed help...atlast i rmbrd a colleague of mine had come to office by then...and luckily too i had his number....called him up and asked him to comeover...this was again another embarassment...u can ask ur frens...they wudnt mind or rather you wudnt mind asking them...but colleagues...

but i guess this embarassment was better than the one that could have been if i had noticed that i had no cash after the waiter had brought the bill...

(a big sigh of relief....................)

Confidence

2006-02-21T05:36:00.000-08:00

2 reasons to not be confident....

the first among them is i am going for a project...first time and no experienced person arnd to help me out

next having worked for almost 3yrs i still havent done any decent savings...

2 reasons for me to be confident...

i am still learning...(havent got that thing most people get into once they get to a job...i still feel like a student...or a college kid)

Tom Peters blogsite makes me confident (with statistics comparing India, China to US...he actually gives me more confident than awakening the West to a more competitive world...he makes me feel like GOD...because i am an Indian and the West is scared of me ;))

distraction...

2006-02-17T02:11:00.000-08:00

shud say...the heights of distraction...dont know why...but 2day i have written 2 blogs....including this one...the mind kept wandering or probably was getting too many topics to blog on....compulsion at its heights again...

but anyways...i read a blog on a person attending interviews and i remembered one of mine...just cant understand now as to how cud i have been so arrogant ;) well this is wat happened...

during my PG we (me and my friend) were picking interviews....i mean we dint want to get into companies that we dint want to be in...but were generally being shortlisted because of one or another reason...it so happened that in one of the placement processes with an IT major in India(my friend got into this company) we had a test which we both passed and then there was the interview...i dont know i was very averse to IT (i liked computers but dint like the idea of working with them....its different now)

the first question in my interview....

interviewer: Hi, tell me something abt urself..

me: Most of the things are already there in the resume....ask me wat else you want to know

interviewer: #$^(*

and you could imagine how it would have gone further...;) and obviously the results

later in the evening, some guys trying to impress the HR wanted to have a feedback abt our department and students...and this guy was there in my interview panel and he told..."good, but some guys are too arrogant..." looking at me...

sorry buddy...dint really mean it...just wanted to do something different....

but the expression in the interview panel's eyes....i just cant forget it ;)

Politics...

2006-02-16T21:07:00.000-08:00

i was just wondering if the government is what it is supposed to be? "for the ppl, by the ppl" or the ppl in that phrase is just the politicians or all the citizens?

because most of the nations fighting against each other...is it the people fighting or the governments or the politicians? I am a citizen of a country and i as an individual have no hatred or hard feelings about a citizen of another country...now also theres the issue of terrorism....this if u see u dont have all the terrorists fighting for a single cause...they seem to be fighting for each individuals cause and then the politicians name it as "fight against terror" or "fight against sinners" or watever...

now is there an element of self-gratification there? in terms of popularity, money and power for the politicians? i wouldnt say every citizen in a nation is enlightened or sophisticated to know everything...and there are huge chances of most of the uninformed being misled in the name of religion and caste and language...

are these ppl (politicians) really leaders with development in their mind or just some better informed and manipulative individuals trying to gain power? and doesnt this thinking undermine the efforts of some real good leaders who are into politics in the right sense?

dont know y this topic came....usually not my style...but just happened....

wats happening these days?

2006-02-15T03:40:00.000-08:00

getting to be a compulsive blogger

feeling guilty in doing that...(wasting office hours?)

started to work at office...atleast am feeling so...not my PM probably

wanting to go home....(anyways am going this weekend....theres no place like home - mom, dad and bro....wat if u r not at home...i am always reminded of the fight for tv channel we generally have ;)...usually u win but now since i am alone...tv is all mine...he he he...)

eating well....developing a special interest to eat....nothing particular but eating whenever am feeling hungry....lot more different than i was some 3 months back (used to skip meals even when was terribly hungry)....well started eating chocolates too...dont know why....probably b'cos someone told me that u would gain weight if u eat them...well i wud gain weight if i eat properly and that i am doing now :)

washed my bike sometime back....(first time since coming to B'lore....i have become more lazy than before....earlier i used to give it a wash every alternate week)

missing my solitude...(i really love spending time with myself...doing nothing...and thinking of watever comes to my mind)

started reading too....(when in college used to read atleast 2 novels a week....now after probably 5 yrs read my first novel...."Disclosure" by Micheal Crichton....ok...wudnt say my favorite...but completed it in 12hrs straight...brought it from the old book shop in the morning...started reading from 2pm and completed it before 2 in the nite or morning)

and just when i was writing this blog....my PM calls for a meeting...to discuss wat i will be doing in the project...my first one...and then tells me all that i dont know... :( and now i am depressed...
also a new development...i would be coming early in the morning at 7 to work on the current scenario of the customer and analyse his present system.....

GOD PLS SAVE MEEEEEEEEEEE

One trip that i can never forget....

2006-02-14T04:35:00.000-08:00

i have taken most of my friends home and to my knowledge most of them have enjoyed their stay...generally because it was Nilgiris and most never got to stay in cold weather...

just thinking of that i remembered taking one very good friend of mine home...well apart from home we were also to visit my UG college as i was having my convocation...so one Friday (or Thursday...i dont remember it exact) evening we headed home from Trichy (where we were doing our PG) and reached the next day morning...we rested for sometime and then took him arnd some places of tourist interest and while returning thot that i would take him to my old school and also that it was a very long time since i had been there...almost 10yrs...so we go there and then trek all the way back home...it was arnd 4-5kms...this guy was all the way saying that he was not tired and was fine...but on reaching home he had his lunch and then slept from 2pm to almost 7pm...

after this the next day we (me, my friend and Dad) left for my college at Coimbatore...we had a very early breakfast and ha ha ha....i am not able to control my laughter thinking of it....

my Mom generally takes pleasure in giving good food to whoever is at home....whether its me, my friends or any guest for that matter...and good food in both quality (i dont know if i can say this...the guests would have to say...but i always loved her cooking) and quantity i shud say...so wat hpnd that morning...my friend ate so much that the food was at his throat...ha ha ha...

and again we were to leave to Coimbatore...

unluckily that day there was a road block in the normal route and the vehicles were diverted thru another route...via Kotagiri...and the road in this route is generally narrow and a little steep...so u have it running in a lotsa curves and bends...ha ha ha...so this guy sits at the window seat to have a view of the scenery....this place is really very good...called the "Switzerland of Nilgiris or TN or WG..." but being compared with Swiss...so he was excited...

now the road was so difficult on him that he was nauseating....and generally u have this feeling of "Altitude sickness" when travelling in ghats...he felt it very bad and mind u he was also stuffed with food till his neck...ha ha ha...he held it back very effectively till the foothills and generally its gets alrite once u reach the foothills and u feel fresh...but he was still feeling sick....

the most funniest thing was that he let it out when he came to Coimbatore....some 40kms off the foothills....which is very rare...most of the ppl vomit during the decent and its generally considered normal and the onlookers wont mind it...but this guy let it out when the bus was at a signal at Coimbatore and the look on the ppl down at the road was very funny....(ha ha ha....falling off my seat)

must say thats one of the trips i would never forget...ha ha ha....thanx buddy for making me laugh thruout the journey and also now when i think of it....ha ha ha....

Last weekend

2006-02-13T00:42:00.000-08:00

i had plans to go home for the weekend but then it was cancelled at the last moment as one of my newly married friends fixed his reception on Saturday...and had to attend it as he was flying to US on Wednesday...

the reception was at Walajapet some 2 hrs before Chennai...on the Vellore-Chennai highway...and he told us that it would take only 4hrs to reach there from B'lore...so we happily started at 1pm, got him a gift and went to the bus stand at 2.30...and the conductor says it takes 7 1/2 hrs to Vellore and another 45 mins to Walajapet...now wat the h@#K? arnd 8 hrs travel? and how r we supposed to reach there before the reception gets over at 9.30pm? so we thot that instead of taking a single bus to Vellore we would split the journey...that makes sense as these long distance buses generally stop arnd 1/2hr to 45mins for rest...

so we went to Hosur...then from there to Vellore (very slow this guy was....2 weeks back i was in the same road on a RE and did 120kmph....he was driving the bus at 60kmph...but got to see the movie 12B...decent one...) and when we reached Vellore it was already 8.30...and by the time we got a bus to Walajapet...it was 8.45...we were running short of time...but this bus was a little faster... we reached W.pet at 9.20 and took a rick to the Kalyanamandapam...

and there we were...late...everything was over...and the bride and the groom were having their dinner...and we went straight to the dinner hall...so funny it was...and it was the first time when i went to eat before i could wish the couple :) was so embarassing...most of their relatives were there and one of my friends who had come down from Chn dint get many items in the menu when he sat for eating...he had come very early...was waiting just to meet us...so he was sitting with us and was eating all the things he dint get the first time ;) so had some fun at his expense and went to wish the couple...took some snaps and then waited for him to finish all his formalities...thank got we had company with some small kids playing with us...his sister and his cousins...

our plan was to return to B'lore on the same nite but then the groom made us stay that nite and we started only on the next morning...again another embarassment...we were the first to eat the breakfast...everything rite from the stove to our plates...somehow we finished it and moved quickly...we were dropped off at the railway station...Walaja Road...and this was first time i was travelling with an unreserved tkt...but talked to the TC and got into the reserved coach...got a seat at Katpadi...and then there was no one to claim the seat...so he let me sit in it and guess was he took only 20bucks for it...i was very surprised...my friend dint get one...so alternated btw sitting and standing...

So wat the the moral of the story:
train is faster than the bus ;)

we made it in 4hrs by train...had some nice sleep after reaching home

sleep is very important u see...

Did i treat myself, yesterday?

2006-02-10T00:46:00.000-08:00

well before i could do it to myself...we had a treat for the new confirmees at office yesterday night...so we went to this place call "Inchara" and surprising it was near to the place where i stay and i never knew about it...

we had some good food there and the team was slowly getting to shape as a single unit...though theres still sometime before you get the bonding...

but i dont know if i would be a part of any team for long...'cos generally the functional consultants keep moving across projects and its like the specialists in their chosen fields or more appropriately modules as called in sapoo (SAP)

now about the treat i had very spicy food and was wondering would i be ok the next morning...but luckily nothing big happened (with my stomach) probably the curd rice at the end helped a little...so was very fine this morning

and another news is that i came to office in jeans today...officially Fridays are casuals but jeans is not allowed...but everyone else wears it and no one cares...so thot i too would...dint feel like i was working...or probably that was just my thinking...but during the first half of the day i was not very comfortable...feeling better now :)

Wow...

2006-02-09T01:17:00.000-08:00

the feeling of getting something done right...the feeling of success...if only i could express it in words as i would emotionally....

it was very very true when someone said..."the kick u get with success is nothing compared to anything else in this world" mite not be the exact words...but then who cares...

now why am i writing this? i just completed the complex exercise in SAP and again should say...i have grown a lot from the first time i did the same...and my god...am dumbstruck at the way the human brain works...i was able to link many things while executing the transaction...like why this is not happening and where i would have to do the changes....this was excellent...wonderful...watever watever...

these small successes...u need to pat urself...would give u a lot more confidence and i have seen that more u appreciate urself the more confident you r rather than waiting for someone else praising u or approving you of your success...

i love this feeling...am leaving now...going to celebrate it myself...by having a tea ;) alone now and getting a chocolate for myself later in the day

Pondy stay and return

2006-02-08T05:01:00.000-08:00

well i thot of having 2 separate blogs for the stay and the return...but was getting stuck with work and also losing the details...

so heres a quick thingy....well dont know how quick and short its gonna be :)

on reaching Pondy we couldnt get a place for all of us to stay at a single place...we had to hunt arnd for an accomodation...and me being the only Tamil speaking member was by default the hunter...

after arnd 2 hrs search we located a place...it was a charity organisation for the handicapped... making prosthetic limbs and distributing them for free...and they have this facility which the rent it to the tourists and the amount they receive as rent goes to the trust...

we guys took a dorm and the gals had a place with 2 rooms...it was pretty comfortable...

i was more tired travelling arnd Pondy looking out for the accom than the trip of 350 kms...this bike was tuff riding inside the city and again Pondy roads are too narrow and too crowded :(

Saturday evening went with some guys helping out the guy whose bike got conked and the others (including me) went to the nearby beach...we went arnd 7pm and it was already dark...

then coming back some guys boozed and made a lot of noise till arnd 1 or 2 am...we were supposed to leave the nxt day...

the nxt day...on Sunday...we went arnd the city and somebody went shopping and suddenly the whole group is shopping...and it was decided then that we would stay on Sunday...bunk office on Monday (i rmbrd my college days)... only me and another couple...three of us were planning to return...now thats risky....so we decided to stay back and start on Monday morning at 5am...so we roam arnd Pondy and then go to Auro beach near the ECR in the evening...we had nice fun and it was the first time that i road a bike in sand...was very tuff at the same time very exciting...were in the water for arnd 2 hrs...

most the ppl were asking for a place which serves fish...and since i had already worked arnd these areas when i was with my previous company i had a person who was from Pondy... on contacting him he gave me the place "Anjappar"...we reserved the place and these ppl had good nv food while the veggies had no big choice as usual :( (i am a veggie)

by the time we reached back at the dorm it was 12....i forgot...after food these ppl wanted to go to the beach...so it was arnd 12.15 and i felt very sleepy...so took my bike and left...and now these guys behind had the keys...so they were forced to come to the dorm...

i was the first to wake up at 4 in the morning...and woke up every one arnd and by the time we started it was 5.45...and now there was this new thing...ppl wanted to see the sunrise...and everyone was behind the idea...so went to the beach and found that it was cloudy and wont be able to watch it...so took some snaps and were abt to leave when the sun came out of the clouds and delayed us by another 1/2hr...so started from Pondy only at 7 am...while the original idea was 5am...:( i had plans of attending office atleast half day...

and then the return journey was all race...average speed again at 90kmph and with very few stops....we reached Krishnagiri by 1pm...it was only another 90 kms but one of the bikes had lost the route and were far behind...so we had to wait for them to join and in the meanwhile we ordered "double-omlettes" at a roadside dhabha...we ate close to 18...and that guy had a roaring business...also there was the test match going on...so we sat there and waited...

and when we left the place it was 3.15pm...we reached Bangalore arnd 5pm and went straight to office...informed my PM that would fill in the formalities for leave the nxt day and then left to the Enfield showroom to surrender the bike...that trip was very funny...wud require another blog probably...and my usual style a long one...

then went home...had a nice hot...i mean real hot bath and then slept...

nxt morn...surprisingly very fresh...must thank the RE i rode...:)

Pondy Bike trip - onward journey

2006-02-02T21:36:00.000-08:00

and again another activity from the very very functional adventure club of my company...

we had gone on a trip to Pondy from Bangalore in bikes.....was really scared of thinking of it before the trip....was wondering if i could make it as once during my college times...i had gone to Madurai from Trichy in a bike (a TVS Victor) and returned on the same day....and at the end of the day...my butt was aching so much that u cant imagine...

but this trip was different...

as a promotional activity, Royal Enfield sponsors bikes to companies....and my company having a very active adventure club does get their support...

its generally like this...a guy who is going to a trip the first time or riding an Enfield for the first time gets one...while the vehicle comes well serviced...the fuel expenses will be shared by the rider and the pillion...

since this was my first trip i got a "Thunderbird"...and i shud say the feeling was overwhelming...infact i was a little scared to ride it from the service station to office on the evening before the day of travel...so i took a friend of mine along with me and he drove it back...then i parked my bike at office and took the Enfield home...i wanted to get used to it and also wanted to show-off to my roomies that i got the bike ;)

had my dinner a little early and then slept at arnd 9pm...was to get up at 4 the next day...

woke up at 4 and picked up my bag...was already packed the previous nite...was pretty cold outside but then the anxiety of the trip kept me very very warm ;) and at arnd 4.30 am left home (had to kick the bike some 10 times...pretty tiring) and reached office by 4.45 and no one was there...was wondering if i got the starting point wrong...but went into the reception and found a guy waiting...

we were supposed to start at 5 am....but then except for us both...there were none...and slowly ppl started appearing...and we started at arnd 6am...and we had coffee at a highway teastall in the Hosur road...at arnd 7.30 and were to stop at Krishnagiri for breakfast...the group of vehicles were making big noise and was a great crowd puller...it was really a nice feeling with all the attention arnd in the highway on u...

and when we crossed Hosur the traffic became very thin and there was an occassional truck or a long distance bus...so the road was for us...the whole thing...and now it was time to test the bike...a real test ride...and i drove like mad...never have i driven anything to full throttle...not even a TVS 50 ;) and this bike was responding so well that almost the whole stretch of Hosur road i drove it full throttle....i reached the maximum speed of 120kmph...and it wouldnt go further...these guys have tuned for that :( and i dint want to change anything 'cos it would lower the mileage...but then i was in the first with 2 guys following close...we were a total of 9 bikes...6 REs and 1 Yamaha Fazer, 1 Pulsar and 1 Passion...

we reached the toll gate at Krishnagiri at arnd 8.30 and had to wait for the others to catch up with us for half an hour...then there was a little drama arnd...the 2 guys with me had travelled some more distance while we had to take a left to have the breakfast...and then after all the confusions...the joined us at the restuarant...well cant say that a restuarant...a dhabha..

we had some idlis and dosas and left at arnd 10...and now the road was not a national highway...it was pathetic...lotsa pot holes..and to add to it...the tree shadows masked the pot holes very good....and at 2 - 3 places i just left the bike go...but must say it is very rugged...nothing cud shake it and never did it move out of its line of motion...very good i must say...

we crossed places like Chengam, Tiruvannamalai and Tindivanam before we reached Pondy...there was this fort on the way...Gingee Fort...an excellent place...we couldnt go as we thot that we better reach Pondy and shall make to it on the way back...

we reached Pondy at 3.30...we had a breakdown of a vehicle...the guy had not put oil..and was running with only 20% oil in the engine...it got very heated up and was abt to seize when one guy had brought oil along with him...we put that and moved ahead...on reaching Pondy we come to know that we had put 15w40 oil while these bikes run on 20w40...the whole engine was spoilt and he bought an old engine for 600 bucks and only after that was he able to ride it...

Ayyanaar fotos

2006-01-20T03:28:00.000-08:00

Host of the Jungle !!! the one who received us at the foot hills

ppl who gave us good jaggery tea at 1.30am and for many ppl hope ;)

this was the falls were we had our food...

this was a place close to the one called "sothu paarai"

at 1.30 am in front of the hut...waiting for the tea...some brave souls could manage to smile along with me ;)

dont know wat to title this as...

2006-01-20T00:28:00.000-08:00

this has been inside me for quite sometime....every day when i am going for lunch i see a mother taking her child back home from school...probably the kid is in pre-kg or kg class...now y did this gather my attention...the child was different...autistic...it makes me think a lot...the kid walks a little different...a very loose limbed action...now is the kid different or me?

then there is this child at the place where i eat...a perfectly normal child (normal? am not able to define wat normal is....conforming to social standards?) very brilliant this one is...she never thinks twice before talking to anybody or atleast not started to...very quick to know the names of the ppl coming there...and very very cute...

now i said normal in the previous para...y is that? the adult mentality? the educated mind? or am i a social conformist? and just can't stop wondering y am i thinking like this? y am i comparing? and who am i to think like this?

Teaching

2006-01-19T04:02:00.000-08:00

was reading thru one of the chapters of the book called "Beyond Violence" by J Krishnamurti...at one point he says that teaching doesnt mean that a person accumulates knowledge and delivers...its infact the teacher who learns more while on teaching...

this brings into me a experience i still remember....i was in 10th standard and there was this habit of going to the school early and then i would have bits of papers with notes i would have prepared while studying...i had special interest to study then...dint know when it started but i had a friend by the name of Manoj...me and Manoj would both come early to school and we had a nice road around our school...we would walk around and tell the other wat we learnt the other day or it was literally teaching the other...this used to be so good...that we never sat to study during exams while we discuss...we both used to fare well in the tests...

probably its a universal truth...the teacher learns more that the student

Groundhog day

2006-01-10T05:13:00.000-08:00

watched this movie yesterday evening in Zee Studio...it was purely out of no other choice that i had to watch it...both HBO and Star Movies had "not-so-gr8" movies...this one had a nice title music...so thot wud watch till my roommates were back...

but then i was surprised...the movie was interesting...its about a person living the same day again and again...the same ppl he sees at the same spot and they ask the same questions...and it was very interesting to watch that how many different things you can actually do with the same routine...he would even jump off from a high rise building, stand in front of a fast moving truck, try electrocuting himself, run a car into a mine...to die of course outta boredom...but then he would wake up in the morning to the same alarm tune or noise...infact it had a nice little song when it rang....

wouldnt say that the movie is gr8...but the thinking...praises to the person who has written such a story...great creativity...u saved my evening yesterday...

Trip to Alagar Hills

2006-01-08T23:30:00.000-08:00

while i am typing or blogging or watever one may call...i am aching all over...just getting to know that there are so many muscles or "pain points" in the body...and y is that so...becos i trekked after some 10 yrs or i walked some distance (close to 20 kms in 2 days)...

but this was a great experience...a truly adventurous trip...with all the aspects of adventure involved...probably may look very ordinary for the regulars but then it was really gr8 for me...so wat was it all abt? here it comes...

my company has an "Adventure club" and as a part of its activities they organise trekking, biking, etc...this time it was a trekking expedition to Alagar Hills near Madurai and the mail said that only 30 would be able to participate and it was first come first serve...so i shot the mail immediately...but was always wondering wat trek could you possibly do at Alagar Hills...i remember walking to the top while having left the shoes at the foothill temple of Alagar Koil when i was in my 5th standard...that was a family trip and we thought we had to leave our footwear down and then walk up...we dint know that we could wear them all the way to the top...and it wasnt anywhere being close to tough...but then i thought that since it was a software company the ppl here are really "soft" and this would be tuff in them...;)

i just wanted to go somewhere and thought this mite be good...but then....it was excellent

there was two teams - one from the Chennai office and the other from the Bangalore(or Bengaluru) office...there were 17 ppl from Chennai and we were 5 from Bangalore...there were 2 more guys who joined us who were the friends of the organiser and 4 guides...and here is were the fun begins...

we were asked to come to Madurai and then there would be a vehicle to take us to Rajapalayam...why do we have to go to Rajapalayam to go to Alagar Hills? well but we dint have too much time to ask questions...so we went to Madurai and there was a Qualis which took us to Rajapalayam...we were taken to a very good house...this belonged to one of the organisers...and as we get down he comes and after saying hi...asks us to get ready soon...infact there was no time for bathing...so we had to just brush our teeth and had a quick breakfast (it was prepared for close to 30 ppl)...and was a real variety...we had poori, idly, semiya, and some more dishes whose names i dint know...took some in each, ate and then picked up our lunch packs and boarded the vehicles...there was two...a van and the Qualis...i got into the Qualis...

we were taken to the foothills...and it dint resemble a little bit to the Alagar hills...so i ask wats the name of the hills...they say its Ayyanaar Hills...well....there was the first adventure...we dint know where we were going...

then the organisers get the permission from the Forest officials and then we leave for the forest...we were going to an estate some distance (no one told us the exact distance) it was always...u cross that hill and you walk along the top u get a temple and then down to the other side u would get the estate guest house...

and this is were the fun begins...our guides take us along...we travel a certain distance and lose the marks...its very thick forest mind you...so they cut the shrubs and grass and make way for us and we move ahead...we come to a very steep hill...mite be steeper than 60 degrees and we all literally crawling up with all the four limbs on the ground...there were some really big ppl in the group and also they had never trekked in their life...it was a little tuff...and we would have crawled some 5kms...we started at 12pm and now it was 2pm...then the guides search the whole place for the markings and find none....they now blaming each other and then after a lot of "discussion" they decide that this is a wrong route and would have to go down and take another route...well wat the $%&K...but then we could do nothing...we came down again...and by the time we were back...some ppl were totally out....nothing left in them...there were actually 2...then we find some route and we see some marking...this was an hour after descending...and again we move up..but in another direction...i was up in the front with one of the guides...there another in the middle and the other two were at the last...

two guys were so tired that they couldnt move and wanted to go back...and good that they left...otherwise they could have got stuck at a point of no return where they could neither move up or down...so one of the guides left with them and we moved forward...we dint know wat was to come ahead...

we were searching all the way for some red markings made on the rocks and moved ahead...the guides by now where the target of severe criticism by the team...every move they made was asked some hundred questions before moving ahead...and their only line of defence was that the grass had covered the path and that there was a temple near by just on the other side of the mountain...so we kept moving ahead...it was slowly getting a little dark and we hadnt had our lunch either...it was at 10.30am when we had our breakfast and it was now close to 3.30pm...we moved ahead and then atlast came to one of the most said places...a waterfall...there we sat and had our lunch...then by the time we left that place it was already 5.00pm...

now we started moving ahead and then after an hour we came to place called "sothu parai" its the place where you have ur food and rest for sometime either way...so we sit there for sometime waiting for the slow movers to join us...and now it was really dark...it was arnd 6.30pm and was real dark...the guides had a few cycle tyres with them...they lighted them up ( they really burn good...but with a lot of smoke...i have never seen rubber burning like this) now this is our torch...so the first guy and the last guy had two halves burnt and carried it along...it was also used for scaring away the wild animals if they were to come...

by now most were very tired...and it was getting very slow...and ppl when "provoked"(asked to move a little fast) would start shouting at the guides for having lead them the wrong direction earlier...s0 we keep moving ahead not knowing if we are really in the right direction...luckily we get signals in our mobile fones and the ppl call up the city informing abt the situation...but the city ppl were already contacted by the ppl who left down...and there was someone who knew the route was coming up to help us...so there was a little confidence arnd now...but we still kept moving...

after moving across the bare rocks...we again come to a very thick forest...and it was real dark inside...but now we had the route marked...there as not too much grass growing here and here the path was visible...but now the thing was how far are we gonna walk?

its at this thick forest that the new guy comes...he is called "saami"...since he is going to Sabari Mala...and having seen the saami...the guys get confident...the saami has been through the path a lot of times and he could make it to where we were from the bottom in 1 hr while it took us close to 7 hrs ;) now we start moving ahead and the route becomes a little steeper...and ppl start shouting of pain and the now the movement becomes slow...but at last we find the temple and we rest there for sometime...its 10.30pm then...we had some snacks and chicken curry and some potato fries left...i dint feel like eating anything...wasnt a little bit hungry...so just had some "muruku" and peanuts and lied down for sometime...

we started somewhere arnd 11pm and saami told us that if we could walk a little faster the we would be able to make it to the estate by 1 - 2am...otherwise there were some other estates in between and we could stay in one of them...ppl started walking with new vigour for some distance and then the same thing starts...they start complaining of pain in the legs...one gets a sprain...and again everything slows down...

me being with the saami in the front was feeling very irritated with this slowness...it was like we are stuck in the middle of nowhere and these ppl couldnt understand the danger...if there was a herd of elephants attacking there was no place to run and we had just to get trampled...but then it was always understandable...when in pain nothing else shows up...

and then saami makes up a thing...says that he feels that the elephants were there arnd...and just then we come across a small and very muddy pond...now i and another guy start endorsing this and this acts a motivation to move the guys ahead...there was even a fight with the saami...some guy was shouting at him asking if he knew the route...there was a little panick starting in the group and i shouted back at them to shut up and move ahead...and a person wouldnt risk it coming alone to help a group if he dint know the route...the thing settles down for sometime and we start moving ahead...and then at a point saami says that we wont be able to make it to the original estate planned for and would have to stay in one closer....so we find one on the way and wake up the ppl...there were two families staying there...or rather 2 couples...thanks to them...they gave us good tea...and the time was 1.30am...they got the store room ready for us to spend the nite and then we had more tea...it was excellent...there was this jaggery put into it...and it tasted so sweet...we felt so very refreshed...

then the storeroom of the estate was given to us for the night's sleep...luckily it was a little warm inside though a little dirty and in normal days no one would think of lying down there...we were all so tired that it dint bother...

woke up in the morning...and the funniest part was...i had some problem with my stomach the whole of the previous day and was just hoping that the estate wud come soon so that wud run to the toilet first...but sadly things dint turn out like that...and when we reached this place they told us not to go out as its a little dangerous....so sad me...had to hold it till the morning...luckily dint eat anything too much so there was not much strain to the stomach ;) it could hold till the morning...and as soon as i woke up...first thing was to search for the brush, the soap and then the drinking water bottle...which was empty now...ran out...and into the forest (no toilets arnd.... :( ) and just as i was abt to sit down....there was something running arnd behind me...got up and ran to the path thru which i had come....and then i see another guy coming for his call....and then i felt a little confident and searched for a decent hideout and was blessed...was such a relief...

we again got the jagerry tea and were waiting for the ppl from the original estate to come with the food but then they were not to be seen....some guys had gone with the saami to call those guys...and they returned saying that we were to move and the ppl from the estate would prepare food for us and then join us on the way...

so we started moving at arnd 11 am and then we could see the beauty of the place....was so good...so untouched...all virgin lands not touched by the human feet or very few to move arnd...such an excellent view and scenic beauty...it got us all into the photographer mode...everyone was out with their cameras but then we moved a little faster and wat took us nearly 4hrs the previous nite took us only 1 hr on the return...

me and another person were very fast...we couldnt hold back our legs...we moved so fast that one of the guides had to run down shouting at us to wait...as the ppl behind were scolding him saying anything happening to us would be his responsibility...poor chap was so scared that he literally ran the whole path to catch on us...and then we halt for the others to join us at the place call "sothu paarai" remember...we waited there when we came up....but sadly the place where we sat when walking up was not the original sothu paarai...

then these guys join us...and we decide to reach the falls and halt for the ppl with food to come...and again me and the other guy start running down...this time there was one more person with us...so we 3 reach the falls and rest for a while while having the rest of the peanuts and then other reach us after 1/2hr and so do the food ppl....we gooble up watever was available...wasnt very hungry...and then its announced that the Bangalore ppl would have to leave early and thus as soon as we finish our food we run down with saami leading us....and mid way we get some wild "nellikas" (dont know the English equivalent) and then there is this heavy downpour...it was very heavy rains but we dint stop...we kept walking and reached the foothills by 4.30pm...luckily i had brought some extra clothes....but unluckily my bag was open when i was in the rain and it got all wet...:(

when we reached the foothills the Qualis was waiting for us and we left to Rajapalayam to the house of the person who had arranged the trip...thanks to his parents and him...we washed and then after some hot coffee...we left for Madurai and then we planned to go the Temple but were not able to...had our dinner at Madurai and left to the busstand...

we reach Bangalore at 8 am and i dint want to lie down else would sleep and be not able to wake up...dint want to take a leave too...so went to office early...then in the evening heard from ppl that the most of the Chennai guys dint go to office that day...

well that was one eventful trip...

Memories 2

2006-01-02T21:22:00.000-08:00

well where did i leave last...at the 2nd or 3rd standard...

i remember one incident which was around the same time mite be in the second standard...i had a teacher who was leaving the school...i was not very fond of her at class but she used to come with us in the school bus and she would get down at a place called Supply Depot at Wellington...close to the St. Joseph's College...i cried so badly when she got down the bus i still dont know why but just that someone was leaving me was making me feel so bad...then i remember she taking me to her place and say that she would come back...this thing is very fresh...then we used to have a Standard Motor van as the school bus...

4th standard i remember quite a few things as i started actively participating in sports...my favourite being long jump...we had houses by the names of Ignatius, Alphonsis, Francis and Domnics...i dont know if the spellings are right but they all sounded the above...Ignatius had a blue flag, Alphonsis had a red flag (i was mostly associated with Alphonsis), Francis had a yellow flag and Domnics had a green flag...we used to have a very nice sports meet and used to be a part of the drill where we used to form the school name and the year of the sports meet...it used to be so fun...the PT master used to be very strict and we used to get it nicely from him when we made mistakes...and then there was the March....i used to love the flow when my seniors used to do it...and then my sports event of long jump...though i liked it...i cudnt compete with most of the other guys as they were senior to me...i was in the sub-juniors and it consisted of ppl from 4th standard to 6th standard...and it was generally the 6th standard ppl who used to get the prices...and then i was also introduced to various painting techniques in the "arts and crafts" class...i used to be very good in crafts but dint have any special interest in arts...it required some skill...but then i generally started developing interest towards pencil sketching...this was to an extent because of one of my classmate being a very good cartoonist...

then it was during this time that i was also getting into studies...my dad used to say that he would get me a bicycle if i could get into the top 10 in class...well he thought i wouldnt get it...i cudnt get it in the quarterly exams and neither in the half yearly but then i got it in the annual exams...i came 8th in class...that was the first and the last time that i cud break into the top 10 during my stay at the school...

i should mention a special friend here...he was Nanda Kumar...we used to call him YS they being his initials... and we used to be the best of the friends...and once it happened that we fought in the bus on the trip to school...and the bus generally leaves us in the ground and then we would have to walk a few steps up to the class rooms...it was so tough for us to hold back not talking to each other that we talked just as we climbed the stairs...now he is in the Army...and been quite sometime since in touch with him...

Memories

2005-12-28T03:25:00.000-08:00

well i feel a little like the essay writing assignment or the compositions we used to have in school...but then its really very fulfilling to do this...first i thot of a title "My Native" then "My Home"....but then i felt that memories are better...

the place i belong to is really the most beautiful and the number one in any list of places to be visited for me as it has my home...the only place were i can be just myself...the memories of me giving the first performance in school still remain vaguely as i was not given the prize...a stainless steel tumbler...when all my classmates were given and i wasnt...well it was not a mistake...its just they (my teachers) forgot...i cried so much that mom had to go meet my class teacher and get it...this was in LKG...(well wat memory i have...this is not something told by my mom, probably she would have forgotten it but then i remember...its fresh in my memory)

and then there was this lemon-in-the-spoon race...this took place the AVK club and i still remember taking the lemon on the spoon and running and it falling...again picking up and doing this multiple times...i dont remember whether i got a prize for it or not...but then me running with the spoon in my mouth is still there...

then there was this admission to 1st standard to a convent...it was considered very good and i wrote the entrance examination only to fail...i was a very good student in the KG classes...was the topper...but here i fail...well it dint hurt me then as it would have now...but dad was very particular in putting me there...so he went and met the principal and then a church father recommended that i take another test...i remember meeting the father as that was the first time i went to a church... and then got thru the second time...without losing a year ofcourse...it was a test only to me

then here i come...a new place and a very diverse set of ppl...there were hostelers from various places...and this dint affect me...or i dont remember anything happening to me then...but then my mom keeps saying that i felt it very alien...i was used to speaking Badaga (my mother tongue) and a little of Tamil...and English was like no conversational skills...(here comes my IT language...skills and skill sets)...so when i come back home...i keep asking mom that if our language is Badaga why r ppl at school asking me to speak something different?

and here started me becoming very average in studies...it was probably i was not able to cope up with the ICSE syllabus...so was getting very low grades...and the major reason was that though i knew the answers...i was very slow in writing...i remember once when my teacher (a sister, nun) told me that to write the test tomorrow before taking the sheet from me...i had just finished the fill-in-the blanks and match the following...well i took it happily and left for home...

dont remember wat happened in 2nd and 3rd standards...but usually remember the days before the vacations...we used to have both winter and summer vacations...they used to be like one month for winter and 2 months for summer...i used to wait for them eagerly

Roads

2005-12-28T01:33:00.000-08:00

today i am in an activist's mood...

well laid roads are indication to good economic development...someone said this or something similar to this...

but our city road? they have wells...or atleast potholes as big....the RTO has a thousand rules and regulations while registering the vehicle and they take road taxes...now my question is where is all this going? i have a bike which i love riding but then taking it out on the road makes me feel as though i am hurting it rather than loving it

its HORRIBLE....

one day there is a good road...the next day come the corporation ppl...dig it to lay fresh drainage whatever or the ppl from the telephone department come to lay fresh cables...then wat happens they fill the hole with mud and go off...or else the road dept or watever the call it comes and lays patches...WE NEED COMPLETE ROADS....NOT PATCHES

there are again some parts where the upper layer or the last laid layer has gone and some parts where the layer previous to that has also (if you really like the thing you are riding then you wud know) ARE THE PPL RESPONSIBLE FLYING ARND THE CITY?

IF THERE IS A NEW TYPE OF TRANSPORT PLS...PLS DO LET US KNOW...

OOPS MY BACK...now the govt says they are putting in crores for road development...where is the money...

only thing is that the vehicles cant express...else a bike when you kick start it to leave to the office...it would throw you off like in one of those cow-boy movies where the wild horses jump really wild...

The Whole

2005-12-26T22:52:00.000-08:00

i do read some spiritual material.....i am interested in them...probably its my curiosity to know the unknown...
so i came across somewhere that we are all a part of "GOD", "The One", "The Supreme Soul" or watever name ppl may call...and it also said that if anything is part of the whole then its the whole in itself...well thats interesting
this brought a new thinking in me...well if i am a part of the whole and a whole by myself then you too are right? everyone else is right? thats wat that article also meant
now when everything is the same...u and me are the same...then y is this difference...y do i think differently than you...y is that there is so much conflict...y shud i except you to understand my point of view...y dont i think that what you are thinking is a part of the whole and since i am also the part of the whole...is also my thought?
if everything is the whole then i and this computer are the same...i and the words that are on this page are the same...then everything is one and the same...now i am confused??? am i?
do i read a lot on spiritual? do i need to stop this thinking? but y?
when everything is the same why should i fear you who is the same as me...or is me...why should i think of not doing something that is considered by most of my other me's (you all's) as wrong or probably why should i think to do that in the first place...if you think of it as wrong then i should also think of it the same rite...but guys, if you can't take this...forget it as my title says it already...

Complication

2005-12-26T21:01:00.000-08:00

well i keep thinking of it most of the time.....why do we all complicate so much in life....
when we talk to someone we complicate things....when we dont we do again when we mail someone we complicate things....when we dont we again there are more....and this itself would be a big complication ;)

now...when we start to think of this information technology with internet and mobile connectivity revolution as a boon....i cannot help but wondering is it really a boon...

though i am not very old....i still have some connection to the pre-internet era....or the email era when we used to keep in touch with frens who had gone far with a "inland" letter (i used to call it England letter ;)) and when they used to send a letter back or when they come for vacation it used to be so good that we would sit chatting arnd for a long time

but now with internet connectivity...u have long chats on mails...(here long doesnt mean the length of the mail but in Gmail terms...the conversations) it mite just have a "yes" or a "no" as replies....and again i dont know how many would agree...when i send a mail to a fren and he doesnt reply atleast for sometime...it makes me feel angry though he may be genuinely busy....i never felt this when i sent a inland letter...is it because the internet has made things fast that i am expecting a faster reply? i dont know...

this is just one thing that came to my mind....the same is true with cellphones...

well why should we bother? why do we think so much? is it because most of our work is getting automated that we have nothing useful to think and think abt things that are deteriorating to our self-esteem and to our relationships? well i dont know...

but all i know is that i would love to laze arnd thinking of nothing...just be me.... and look at the small things happening arnd me like the ant carrying something arnd...the bird chirping at a distance....the stars in the sky in the night....the speed of my bike when i ride it (but am not able to now...the roads here are horrible...i dont want to hurt him...probably this can be another topic some other time)

so at the end i say to myself....."dont complicate"

Bluffmaster

2005-12-21T23:13:00.000-08:00

the theme of the movie goes arnd enjoying like right here right now....atleast thats wat i got outta it. it was a cool one...liked it...my kind...take life as it comes and its not worth wasting it by complicating it.

i wouldnt want to tell the story as its worth watching in a theatre...

how did i go to the movie?

called up my roommate to chk if they were ok for a night show at Forum for Bluffmaster....it took sometime discussing on how we go as each was in a different office (all MBAs and v were taught to plan in the b-school....) but then it got decided that 2 wud go and get the tickets (well i cudnt get it booked online....some problem with the system) and the other 2 wud join us....

i actually got 5 tkts but then the 5th guy cudnt make it.....so had to give back the tkt at the counter and ask them to sell and wud collect the money in the break....and was lucky as they cud find a taker....and also got my money....

the movie got over at arnd 12.30am and probably this was the only movie (hindi or any Indian) were ppl sat to watch the title at the end....it was because of the song "right here right now"....a really cool one....atleast u've got to keep an eye on it in the music channels. its got stuck with me so much that i am always on it in office....dont ask me wat genre of music it is....something very similar to Hip-hop with the Indian taste to it....

Daily u wake up to do wat?

2005-12-19T22:01:00.000-08:00

well if you ask me the same.....i get up to go to sleep in the nite...and do some stuff in between like learning a little SAP (its all self learning and mind u, SAP is not for self learning....this is supported by the material which says its NOT a teach urself program) but then there are few geniuses in this world.....

now this genius works for sometime....then listens to songs....then plays solitaire (its Spider Solitair) and he is proficient in the Middle level of the game.....just not able to get the thing rite for the nxt level but then its a matter of time

walks half a km for lunch and walks back the same distance (some work mind you)

sits in front of his comp after lunch with stars in his eyes....then they vanish when its time for tea and snacks....

completes some exercises (rmbr....he is learning SAP....not physical....though he is planning to go to a gym but not having time for it....)

then goes back home (he has a mobike and not got a no-objection certificate to use it in the present state) keeping a look-out for the cops....keeps to the middle of the road...easier to escape them

either he has his dinner on the way back or goes home and comes back to the restuarant or asks his roommates (wonderful ppl they r) to get him something packed....the last one being his favourite ;)

watch a movie after that (dinner) in HBO or Star Movies....if he gets the remote first....else its either a recorded cricket match or Animal Planet or WWE....but luckily....its generally the remote in his hand...(he comes home earlier....rmbr....his roomies used to get him dinner packed)

goes to dream at 11pm.....

the same continues the nxt day....

dont u think its worth have a good sleep at the end of the day with so much done....