musings.....

So.. it was a nice time at chennai.Met up with the gang.It was cool.I have been meaning to do a lot of good blog stuff. Like 100 things about me.Or about each one in the gang.Or about "The wind beneath my wings". Yes that "Wind beneath my wings" is infact long due,considering no due mention in any posts so far.

Statutory Warning : This is going to be one heck of a "feelings" post, and my first attempt at that!!! So, you are strongly advised to stop reading here.

Some mails go like this :

"Hey if u go offline ur smiley is supposed to change!! Were u really offline or some of ur usual "I dont need help" stunt??Kiddo come online and I ll try to snatch comp timings frm sister.And finish packing soon.Dont forget ur ps allotment etc etc..(OK!!Now I can hear u say "Stop it Granny" !!!! So I better stop here!)These days my blogging ishtyle is rubbing on to my mails too!(If I ever had one , that is !)"

I wont be here for your birthday.But well,if you thought you could sac out and be lazy that day too,then well..think again!!! I have ways of making you run around all day,being half the world away too!!!!

And,considering I wont be celebrating this birthday of mine with you,well, what are u planning to do??( I know you havent thought of a plan yet,so start as soon as you read this!!!)

Anywayz your PS or psenti sem will get sac after sometime.And I bet you will have ample time and would be roaming around,so dont give me all the usual "Sang, I am busy, I have no time to mail" stuff...I am not ready to buy it !!!!

WBMW, Hope some of you will be there to see APOGEE 2005. I wonder how many in the department would still know me.I wonder if they would still have my name on the acknowledgements list.I wonder if you would still think about me when you pass hrough 2233.I wonder if you will go to the inaug,and if you do,I wonder if you will remember all those countless inaugs,fash-P's,Mithalis and the way we laughed at those absolutely hideous mimes.I wonder if you remember those mega dopy snaps that sent our mess bills skyrocketing,I wonder if you remember leching @those good looking guyz in a wrongly delivered snap.

I wonder if you remember those long road trips, I wonder if you ll think of me when u see a gushing waterfall, and the way we waded throught dangerous waters, I wonder if you ll think of me when u see the white snow,and think of those huge snow ball fights,the snow-man making competion,those rabbits at Hidumba's.

I wonder if you will see apple shake and think of me, I wonder if you will pass by the raag room,and,forgetfully, peep in to see if I am there.I wonder if you will ever walk down that Mal road again,I wonder of the chowki still recognises you,I wonder if you still remember 217, I wonder if you still come up with 216, alwayz.

Those first PEP meetings in first year,SUB graffiti,our panga with those (contr)OLZ guys,the first holi,the paint delirium,the first session,the sariska trip,gunjan Bansal,the trip home,Adhisayam trip, That trichy visit,those second year IC sessions,kola and me freaking out @ vfast,that mussorie trip,PS I epiphany,cyberfiesta lights control,sane 3,informalz,Nainital trip,yo gang,comp net CT,that election,sangamam 2003,Raag,concerts,TAP,Nrithyaranjani,APOGEE 2003,compereing sessions,APOGEE 2004,kulu-manali,manikaran,those cycle rides,those foggy Pilani January nights,the fireplace confessions,March 23,GRE ghoting @home,all nite chatting,July 24,July 31,My Psenti sem bday,Aug 14,Aug 20(Infy!!!),those early morning gate calls to Junta,Election Commission meetings,those audi raggings,Psenti Oasis,apping marathons,netsec assignments(??),psenti laccha,farewells, and more farewells,cakes and bakes, that last train journey... that list could go on and on....



Do you want me to tell you how I feel about me leaving? I am not starry-eyed ,I am not awed about touching the "hallowed sands" of the US of A. I am not a big stud,I am not eagerly awaiting to devour the tomes of techie stuff in the libraries.Yes,it is time to move on,I am leaving behind a lot of baggage here.Some excess baggage,some essentials.A whole lot of people who were a part of my exsistence.There are some people who made living easier for me.I am a bit of all those people now.I am grateful for all those good times I spent,I am grateful for those other times too,coz it taught me living,it taught me strength.Wherever you are , whatever you guys do, I just want you guys to know,your the best ever, and that you touched my life in a way that I hadnt let anyone touch it.

Two amazing days @chennai with friends,Elliots beach,Marina,Spencers..and amazing time with cousins,scanning family snaps,laccha ,songs, and hogging big time with cousins !!!!!! will be back with more...

Okayyy !!!!
Got it !!! (*sighes in relief*)
Details later.. After all you cant expect a tired soul who came all the way from mandaveli to ambattur in a journey that sapped all my strength and lasted a good 2 hours to blog now!!!
And of course there was a bonus of meeting two people who are very dear to me !!!

After a lot of unsucessful attempts to post, here I am.The fact that most my log-ins to blogger is in a vain hope of seeing a Gmail invite and of course the fact that the time I spend with my first love, the computer, has been seriously curtailed by the arrival of my sister from her idyll in swiss has not done my blogging much good either.

So my last minute running around for zeroxes and print outs, the typing and re typing of DS forms and the like herald another step in my life or career or whatever they call it.Actually, one could say that terms life and career could almost be used synonymously in my case,given that I cant claim to have much of either.

Okay,so here we are.24th is the D-Day.Come to think of it, the whole week promises to be very eventful.So folks,I know you are going to miss me a lot,but I ll be back to the blogworld soon.
And the next time I blog, I would have a clear idea of what happens next.Again,in more ways than one.

Barrichello - I
Trulli -II
Schumi -III

Trulli pits.So Ferrari 1-2.In a slightly different order though.Panis 3.Toyota good performance.Fisichella has a tyre failure and barely makes it to the pit entrance.Good news for Ralf, he is not in any serious danger.Schumi first again,thanks to Barichello's pit.Barrichello is all over Schumi.Amazing F1 show.Everyone is up on their feet.
A tense battle ensues.Coulthard lapped by both drivers.So avoids playing a part in this battle.Schumi goes quicker.

Montoya tries to close in on the Ferraris.Montoya is
Black-Flagged after his routine pit at lap 56,which means he has to go back to the pits,apparently due to team starting in spare car.(*whatever those FIA rules are*)and Montoya is out of the race !!(I can hear madhu spit out a string of expletives!!!)
Mark Webber out of the race too.Car rear on fire,transmission failure.Sato,needs another pit to finish,with 11 laps to go.Trulli and Sato battle again.BAR team out of the pits,so Sato trying to stay out there and keep Trulli at bay.Ferrari,meanwhile, seem to have got everything right.

Huge gulf between two ferraris.Fisichella is out giving a lame Minardi its first point.Four more laps to go.Sato might become the second Asian driver to stand on the podium.Last lap : No last minute mix -ups Ferrari 1-2 Sato 3.Schumi's 78th Gp victory. 8/9 this season.Tell me Schumi, doesnt it ever get lonely up there??Sato gets a standing ovation.Fantastic racing.

Wow !!! Blogging and F1 do go together after all!!!
Okay..feeling elated!!!

So acknowledgements time :This post is dedicated to two die-hard F1 fans who couldnt catch this race ..akka who is on her way back from a Swiss holiday with hubby(;-)) and madhu,who I know is swearing,in his place @Hyd.

And yes..!!!! I ll be there next year !!!!!

Heard in the background :Fading strains of German National Anthem .... and a thousand things in the to-do lists.. the DS forms, and CA statements ok ok.. back to reality!!!!

Sorry but I guess this is going to be an F1 commentary blog.Superb start, Barichello almost overtook Schumi,very accident prone.So far safety car out twice.Alonso crashed out.Ralf injured.Cars in lap 15.Ralf rushed to hospital after a hig speed car accident.14 survivors.The entire grand stand stands up and applauds Ralf.Montoya up from 17th to 4th.

Chatting with madhu now..I just realised how I must,to the readers of this blog, come across as a chronic whinner-cribber, you know sort of I-am-dissatified-with-everything kinda person !!!!!!Okay, so from now on, its only....wait!!!

Sato is giving Schumi a hard time.He is breathing down Schumi's neck.Jenson Button pits.Sato pits on lap 24.Comes out 11.Gets caught in traffic,costs him time.Schumi thanks his stars.Sato pushes hard.Button pits again.(*what is he thinking??*)Oh...He is out in the 27th Lap.
Okay.. So from now on..only chocolate and roses.
Sato finally leaves the traffic battle behind.Sato still now 8th.33 secs behind Schumi.Montoya who almost didnt start the race, is now 2nd.(Started in spare car too!!) Lap 34: Raikkonen and Fischella locked in a tough battle.Williams getting ready for a pit.Montoya's first pit.Raikonnen in pits, inspecting side boards,Mclaren reliablity problems.15 second pit stop.Montoya on a single stop strategy.(Good strato.. won Hakkinen races here!!)Sato and Panis battle.Amazing driving by both,Panis still ahead for now.Investigations on Montoya.(what exactly not known now)Lap 41.Both Ferraris pit.
Watch out for more in the next post.
Yipee !!! I am going to be there next time.. watching it live !!!!

Music playing in the background.Faint strains of past come floating by.Well , who am I kidding,I am feeling very nostalgic today.I dont know if nostalgia is a word that can be attributed to this.Because,it pains to acknowledge.to categorize, to let go.To let go of the few things in life you let yourself become involved with.Damn, there is only one thing I want to write about right now.And damn, I know I cant..
I am congenitally ..WHAT?? Balaji's status is "Missing PS mates"!!!

Okay that is what started off all these lines .. but what?? wait.. He self trips himself with vidhya, again not unusual.. But.. Okay. .what was I saying?So yes, my life, and people, .. vidhya's status is "Someone please chat with me!!!" Ok now this is too juicy to let go.We start about their 4 hour "Kadalai Marathon" and then slowly graduate to blocking flights and air routes, and the VISA interview and

balaji :Stop chatting with vidhya,her attention is getting diverted !!!!
balaji : She wont chat with you now.Coz I have asked her not to!!!
Vidhya : Aaamam,avan solita maru peche ella !!!!
vidhya :aamam.. onnaku munnadiye inga ellam ccp aayachu !!!!

I start off in a desperate attempt to do KMH to these two
self-trippers.P comes to my rescue,we conference, and decide to give him hell !!!!! what an amazing chat session we had.. Two desperate self trippers (*winks conspirationally in the do-I-smell-anything mode*)who didnt want to be disturbed online.... and me and another guy doing KMH and piss the shit out of them!!!God I have never had such a great time.. !!!!!!!!!

And!!!P at purdue is guess what.. going to Indianapolis GP with his wingies,one from UMich Ann Arbor and one from UIUC !!!!!(*polambifies in jealously*) But hey, the good side is.. He has promised to take me to the GP next year!!!! Yipee!!! and it is only 2 hours from UC !!!Double Yipee!!!

See .. I told you I am congenitally incapable of writing anything but crap !!!!!

It was some days back. And one of those days when you look around, and find a scapegoat to blog about. For want of a better topic,it was the turn of poor software industry again
God!! Some day I should write a good post!!!!(*bows head shamefully*)

So here we go again :

Top 10 Reasons to quit xyz:

1. There is no one in the place I know.. Those who I know are happily globe trotting or sacing out at home..

2. Only 2 lifts for 6 huge floors.. one of which has to be out of order everytime and you being in 6th floor have to wait till eternity to commute anywhere!!!

3.Food is stale and sucks big time.

4.There is not one decent restraunt or eat-out in a radius God knows how many kms.IIM was closed for vacation rendering cofee day inaccessible too:( (Ironic this,coming from a strict no-coffee person..But cmon, the pastries are heavenly(*a dreamy distant look in eyes*), and the place is like our dear old sky maan!!!)

5.So called FIREWALLS.. CANT ACCESS BLOGS AND ORKUT AND EPALS.. What are people supposed to do?? Die??

6. Work is either non-existent or painfully boring.

7.No one gives a damn,no one has a life,all around you see robots coming painfully late and staying up all nite.. So communication is a big problem between the 2 species..People who have lives and those who dont!!!!

8.All the usual "mind games and politics" (were you reminded of Phoebe's 3rd grade!!!!)

9.Home is a good 7 kms away, cant go and catch that afternoon nap.

10. No mails,no messenger,- parking lot was pathetic till
recently,which meant if u slighty overslept(which is an obviously regular feature in my life!!!) you had to park you vehicle in some god-forsaken no-mans land and walk for what would seem eternity.

Standard 8 or 9. Chocolate boy Jugal Hansraj enters the scene with "Papa Kehte Hain".Udit scintillates with "Ghar se nikalte hi ".Rush to shop and get the audio cassette. WHOOPA!!!!
Got something I never bargained for. We forget to switch of the system.. and the cassette rolls by. We hear "Mujhse naaraz ho to " . Appa is enthralled with the Golden boy's(Of course Sonu!!!!) voice.

A year later."Tu" happens.14 year old me,falls "truly,madly,deeply" in love with Sonu Nigam. It was not exactly my first crush(Oh that would be the guy in and as Dr.Doogie Howser M.D)but that was the biggest!!!Oh my gawd!! Those nights of staying up late to watch re-re-re-runs of "TVS Saregama " !!!!!!Gosh!!! those starry eyed days!!!

Have come a long way since...But,at 20,the phase of life I am in, suddenly, these lyrics make sense to me.

Mujhse naaraz ho to ho jao
Mujhse naaraz ho to ho jao
Khudse lekin khafa khafa na raho
Mujhse tum dur jao to jao
Aap apne se tum juda na raho
Mujhse naaraz ho to ho jao
Khudse lekin khafa khafa na raho
Mujhse naaraz ho to ho jao

Mujhpe chahe yakeen karo na karo
Mujhpe chahe yakeen karo na karo
Tum ko khud par magar yakeen rahe
Sar pe ho aasmaan ya ke na ho
Per ke neche yeh zameen rahe
Mujhko tum bewafa kaho to kaho
Mujhko tum bewafa kaho to kaho
Tum magar khud se bewafa na raho
Mujhse naaraz ho to ho jao

Aao ek baat mein kahu tumse
Aao ek baat mein kahu tumse
Jaane phir koi yeh kahe na kahe
Tum ko apni talash karni hain
Humsafar koi bhi rahe na rahe
Tumko apne sahare jeena hain
Tumko apne sahare jeena hain
Dhundti koi aasra na raho
Mujhse naaraz ho to ho jao
Khudse lekin khafa khafa na raho
Mujhse tum dur jao to jao
Aap apne se tum juda na raho

1. Dont Think
2.Dont ever Think
3.Never think
4.Blog,orkut,mail,eat,sleep,work
5.Watch "Kyunki......." at 10 30 (*loud guffaws in the background*)
6.Call those few(read almost non-exsistent entities) and check if you are still alive.
7.Missed call PS mates at home so they can call u back frm kolkata :))
8.Eat ,sleep and sleep and sleep.. ... and crib about the lack of sleep :))
9. Procrastinate.Do things only when you absoultely have to.If you have any doubts refer Rule 1.
10. Hail piracy!!! Watch all flicks on dear computer.

Just when you thought your love affair with yahoo is nearing its end.. Bam !!! They come up with a new very cool messenger.And just when you get irritated with abrupt window closings and virus ridden spam mails,Lo and Behold !!!! They come up with 100 MB storage space !!!! Yipee !!! Yahoo rocks maan!!!!!! and 10 MB attachments !!!!!Specially comes as a boon to us Gmail denied folks!!!!Yay!!!!!

So, my conversion process is almost over, and I have a whole lot of people I am grateful to.My team,which I think is tooo good...My project guide,my college senior,DES trainees,PS mates and a whole load of others.But before I do that,I must present to you a narration of my travails with another project before I was opted to shift to my present team.Read on.


When I see these other "teams" in my domain, I am tempted to worship mine.My team has an easy camaraderie,and some team lunches and so on.These other "teams" work much like this.One is blissfully unaware of the other's existence.When a trainee gets into such a team, often,the first day is the only time they get to interact with the "focal".All you get to do after that day, is sit and stare mindlessly at those pages and pages of code,which for all you care could be the original bible in hebrew or pychedelic chant in zulu.Your only access point to the "team" would be a poor neophyte,(read as a trainee who got converted 10 days back)who gives you ominous stares that say "Shit!!! you airhead,you dont know this? what did they teach you in college?nursery rhymes?" It is a clique really,a slighty aged version of those half baked pseudo-MCP guyz in college if you will.Of course,there is a sane person in this whole drama, and just when you think you can manage Bam!!! he goes onsite.Our neophyte here becomes King Focal's right hand,and your accessiblity to the teams on goings just dropped to nil.Just when you thought you could quit,Focal and neophyte become chummy with a fellow trainee in the project (who by the way, is in the same plight as you,but comes up with these stunts of staying up till 10 daily for "greater team visibility" eeks !!!!*dude,get yourself a life !!!*)and decide to transfer those shitloads of "Code review" crap to you(Oh for the uninitiated,that just means changing a function name and exception handling in about ten thousand lines of code!!!).

Fast forward two weeks, you dutifully discover that there is a project release slated for the next month and the hitherto unseen King Focal suddenly starts talking about "Slipping deadlines".You then discover an excel sheet stored away on some non descript computer holding details of who should complete which module by when.Two days later - neophyte comes up with the "we have to talk" routine.Tries to put on a good show a la "Mr.Future PM"(Oh..dont start that foriegn origin crap.. this is just Project Manager).Soliciously "seeks to help me out" by asking me if there is a problem.(Dude !!!!
maybe you should consider explaining to people what they are supposed to do when they are given hebrew codes!!! And you know,it is a good idea to have a team meeting.. so that those fools can know our names, and what we look like,let alone discuss what is happening in the project). I could list down a thousand things that fall under the general category of "You and your team suck" ,but then,I think of a better thing to do.This is my chance to escape from that hell.And with generous help from all quarters shift to my present team.. And they rest, like they say "is history" !!!!!!!

What is happening to me?
(Ok...now that is a slight take-off from that
"powerful one-woman play" which chandler gets stuck in !!!)
God!!! I didnt watch F1 this weekend,and almost totally forgot about EURO 2004!!!

All these months of accumulated stress (of all kinds )is edging its way into some sort of conclusion.This weekend I spent a quiet idyllic weekend with my folks.Visited my ashram,hopefully works peace into my soul.Hopefully my long break from office comes soon.All my friends are happily ensconced in family,helping moms with their kitty parties and touring with sisters visiting from the US and so on.All I want to do is sleep,sleep and sleep.And maybe find that inner peace back.If it ever did exsist.If I am ever destined to find it.

Ok... so I made that job!!!!
okay so me rushing to catch that bus back home !!!!
Yipee !!!!
Shall be back to blogworld on monday folks !!!
A more detailed account hopefully !!!

My fingers are itching.Yes.Miss-Irony decides to make her special appearance again.
Today is the last day of PS.I finally get to sit around.A headphone set in hand, a computer with net access,this must be anybody's idea of a perfect day.But alas !! It was not meant to be.It is 4 O clock now, and officially I have no more than a few hours of BITSian life left.But no!! I am being made to sit and wait around for that decision.Uncertainity till the last moment.
I have a good mind to lash out at aleast a million people right now,the only reason of restraint being... Oh well chuck it .Somethings can wait.Yes,a lot of things are queuing up to find a place in this blog.Yes.My day will come.And come very soon.It will come on a Thursday, two weeks from now.Then my time comes.The last ounce of my patience withering away fast.Cmon, I have been stretched to the limit,in more ways than one.Just holding out a bit longer.No idea how long the resolve will last.Showing all signs of breakdown already.I am going home.Home.Not necessarily a therapy,but this time it could different.Yes, it could be titled the return of the prodigal daughter.

My humor is at its lowest.
I cant write anything without swearing now.
Shall be back sometime.
Going home this weekend.
Gonna take a break from all this crap soon.

Tommorow .. 12 O clock..yes.. My interview!!!
It has been very very long since I have really understood the significance of some component enough to want to do it well.Mind says "Cram cram!!!" heart says"You have less than 24 hours anyways..what can you accomplish in these hours that you werent able to do the last 4 years".Ok, after a long time I am trying to ghot.So adieu for now.Hopefully,by the time I write the next post,life will be much better.

Here it is... The final 3 days.And could life *be* more hectic?
Yes,We are all enjoying our final days of running around with "no-dues" and reports..and,most importantly ..THE CONVERSION PROCESS.
Having lazily breezed our way to the end of the semester, we suddenly woke up to discover that we havent been intimated about the conversion.Subsequent run-ups to the HR,and we discovered the proverbial mix-up,a regular feature of our stay here.So,here is the scenario - 22 people and two interviews per person in a week.That of course means,trying to do a lot of stuff at the same time at our end,a lot of uncertainity till the end,and the usual side-effects of irritation and some Tee.

So,as I was doing something today I realised I might have a potential job interview tommorow.What!!!! I just discovered the PS mates around me ghotting away to glory.Oh before I continue,it is nothing new for me to doze till midday and wake up only to discover the entire wing ghotting for a test at 3,contributing to the already sky-rocketing summer temperatures.After some more of tossing and turning I would lazily pull myself out of the bed, and believe me,it took me all the inner strength to go up to some room and find out what course is it and and other related stuff like syllabus etc.Hungry by now,we would all go to the mess which would do nothing to my already irritated self.Finally settling down with some chips and *insert all expeltives you can think of* food we would start planning the evening and where to go in cnot(Oh, not that cnot is a major food court of all exotic cusines..but mind you,it really provided succor for us battered souls for 4 years)and what to have et all.

So its 2 o clock.Wingies start explaining some chapters to me.2 30 Some junior comes in, with a department timing problem.Work at 8, and she cant make it because of a wing treat.(Curse curse my earlier lectures to them about a sense of belonging to the department,being on time..bla bla bla).Before your realise it is 2 45.Sweltering,of course there is a power cut.We try to get dress(default :the nearest jean and T shirt you can find)and leave.Of course,we dont have cycles.Run run to the nearest junior and pile on something.Rush.Stop at Budh redi.Enjoy shikanji.Rush..But to where??*scratch scratch* what is the room number?
Ok think think.Which FD the course happens?? (*What is the course name again??*)Ok what is the faculty's FD?(*Cmon yaar it is not my fault if "maheshwari" happens to be a male name instead of female's !!!*)Fortutiously,a girl , an inhabitant of my block comes up.(Of course, we dont know she is also doing that course)She is shell shocked to find us in the Budh redi at 2 59.Ok,Rush.1209.(Who even knows those God forsaken corridors other than psenti-goers!!!)*puff puff*

Glance at papers.Start the crap.Go out at 3 15 to flex those tired muscles, and drink water,seeing the IPC entrance wondering of any of my friends would be there.Go back to the compree!!.More crap.I see Kola cooly sauntering up and get additional sheet..we both try our best to stop those horrendous guffaws.Get back.Line spacing -3.Write write.Get the extra sheet.Again stiffled laugh.Time is 4.(Me and Kola have this thing.. whoever finishes first meets the other in ,where else..IPC!!!)I think of those mails sitting in my inbox.
Ok fine.I give up.Not able to conjure up any more stories my "Karpanai Kuthirai" breaks to a halt.Give paper.Go out.Inside : Kola giggling away.Makes a sign for me to wait.Struggles to come up with something to finish that half-sentence.Gives paper.Comes out.We laugh our heads out.Ordeal over.NOW THE DAY BEGINS.Go to IPC.Come back.Gate call half the population-Have a blast in cnot.Go to SUB,have a ball in the department.Today late night perm.Go to ANC at 1.Gate crash.Come back to a wing laccha session or movie session.Sleep blissfully.Wake up mid afternoon..Another test??Oh not again !!!!!!


*Back to present* The Oracle book in my desk is still open.So are the headphones, playing BoneyM's Rasputin.After Orkut,epals,and Blogging,time is 12 50.Lunch time baby!!!!!

Mein deewana thera ban gaya jaane jaana !!!!!!!
Thats right !!! I got my headphones to office !!!
Finally I get to listen to uninterrupted music while I work.
Cerebrum and yaakai (Oh,find that out for yourself) are in UPS mode.Have to shut it down one day.Extreme lack of sleep and total exertion in the weekend.But was worth every bit.
KD and Haran had come home and we cooked !!!!
Also Haran got along a GLD and I was able to do some GNF.(Yup.. find that out too !!!Lazy people!!!).I just woke up from a "power nap".Quite surprised actually.I thought I could only do the huge heavenly Hippo nap..*insert a huge wail here* when was the last time I slept like a baby !!!!!!!(When I was a baby of course!!!!) Okay I will stop right here.
And yes..This is a banal sentence.Maybe I should make it my signature to avoid repetition "One of these days I will write a good post".Ciao in a few days if I am alive that is.

And oh !!! I finished typing (read as ccp-ing) my project report at 3 AM yesterday night.Thank god an otherwise boring night-out was saved by the online presence of fellow BITSian doing the same thing in Pune.That guy is a dear friend and also happens to be my
PS-I project mate.We had a nice time reminiscing our report typing(again,ccp-ing)
endeavors at Mahima's place,those trysts with the librarian who was adder deaf and so on.We just realised then, that our BITSian lives officially ended yesterday.Today that report has been formally(??)submitted.Yes.My last ever.And 4 days hence..I pass out of college.I cease to be a BITSian.People will call us "oh.. those ex-BITSians".And..Life goes on.It really does !!!!

Saturdays are good.We did the shop-till-you-drop routine.
It is nice when u get to shop for someone on someone else's dosh in Allen Solly,West side,SF and the like..LOLZ !!!!

Okay..this is explanation time !!!For the Venusian,it is the act of shopping that is more "fulfilling" rather that whom you shop,how much you shop or what you shop.Ok,Martians ...if you didnt get what I am talking about maybe you should skip this and come back to it when you have a girlfriend 1.0 or wife 1.0 installed on your system!!! Okay that was a bad take-off from some forward I found in.. guess where.. another fellow's blog!!!!:))Wow !! whatever happened to a term called "creativity" !!!!

Anyways, on a different note,tommorow we are planning to cook big time!!! Two of my friends(yes!!! Thats right!!! I have a life too!!!after 6 dreary months..!!! yes yes yes!!!!) are coming home.

The next week is going to be the toughest and the most important in all ways.God!!! I ll be very relieved if I can finish off the mountains and mountains of stuff piling up!!

This is going to be a sad post.
I just got to know the sad demise of one of my juniors!!I cant believe all this is happening.Every semester brings with it atleast one casuality.Why.. just why!!It brings me vivid memories of my encounter with these situations.It makes me very very sad.I wanted to write about some incidents that changed my life forever.But somehow I cant bring myself to recall that pain all over again.God!!!may her soul rest in peace.Sriram.My cousin,playmate,batchmate.We were 14.It was terrible.That pain never ever goes away...
It is ironic how you can write pages and pages of some small funny incident,but cant manage to find words that aptly convey the sadness,the helplessness,the triviality of human existence - in words.

I did something today I hate doing.I did something that I hoped I ll never have to make.
Yes. I made a resume for myself !!! I have no clue what I have written in those 2 pages.
I hope I really dont get screwed on what I wrote.

So,end of PS is in sight, and I have also started typing my end sem report !!!!
What would life me without 2 magic combinations in the keyboard "ctrl+C" and "Ctrl+V" !!!!
Anyways, to prove my point I am going to post a nice one that I found sitting in my inbox yesterday!!Shall post something after I finish off these reports and resumes.

Difference between Focus on Problems, and Focus on Solutions!!


When NASA began the launch of astronauts into space, they found out that the pens wouldn't work at zero gravity (Ink won't flow down to the writing surface).In order to solve this problem, it took them one decade and $12 million. They developed a pen that worked at zero gravity, upside down, underwater, in practically any surface including crystal and in a temperature range from below freezing to over 300 degrees C.
And what did Russians do.......................................?? The Russians used a Pencil!!!
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One of the most memorable case studies I came across on Japanese management was the case of the empty soap box, which happened in one of Japan's biggest cosmetics companies. The company received a complaint that a consumer had bought a soap box that was empty.
Immediately the authorities isolated the problem to the assembly line, which transported all the packaged boxes of soap to the delivery department. For some reason, one soap box went through the assembly line empty. Management asked its engineers to solve the problem. Post-haste, the engineers worked hard to devise an X-ray machine with high-resolution monitors manned by two people to watch all the soap boxes that passed through the line to make sure they were not empty.


No doubt, they worked hard and they worked fast but they spent whoopee amount to do so. But when a rank-and-file employee in a small company was posed with the same problem, did not get into complications of X-rays, etc but instead came out with another solution. He bought a strong industrial electric fan and pointed it at the assembly line. He switched the fan on, and as each soap box passed the fan, it simply blew the empty boxes out of the line.

Moral of the story: KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) i.e. always look for simple solutions. Devise the simplest possible solution that solves the problem :-)

I solemnly swear that I will wake up early.

I solemnly swear(!!) that I will come to office before 10.

I solemnly swear I wont take two hour lunch breaks !!!

And the list goes on and on. It is a long story.All through college I have been having these epiphanic bouts where I think I ll "reform" and metamorphose into something more palatable.Only after I joined Honeywell this January did I realise how stark was the difference between the planet we inhabited, and the "other" world. For example,waking up in the morning.My sincere attempts to metamorphose from a nocturnal being to a normal species goes something like this.

Night : It is 11 45 and your makkal are online.You are just deep in conversation about the poor fellow's woes with the fairer sex(!!LOL... I would like to think of myself as the gang's "Official consultant on crushes,relationships and related matters" with the ad tag line goes " Complete services offered on common ailments - friendships,growing up,wing problems,hanging out problems,relationships(local and long distance) and breakups,heartaches etc" LOL !!!!!)


1 30 : The guy launches into a detail of his trysts with his lady,starting from his sneaking out of his wing (at the risk of night-long rape sessions by his gleeful wingies,as he would discover later),those furtive glances as he walks towards MB,head tilted in a toughtful (??) pose as he seeks to avoid his city seniors and department mate gals, who are suddenly very concerned about why you missed yesterday's Mechsol special class( Thats for people blessed with the habit of attending classes.. Yes!!sounds hard to believe , but that species still exists!!!). Finally after about an hour of "aruvai" that (the guy hopes)
convinces them that he is here to borrow some lab records of MT II from a lab groupie of his wingie who has a test tommorow,the guy walks up to the chowkie to pass the gate call.
Our MB chowkiji occupying one of the top ranks in terms of KQ (Thats Kadalai Quotient, for you !!!) is sitting around the fireplace (heavenly in those cold Pilani winters I tell you!!!)with 5 other Didis who cant stop talking stories of how 10 years ago some girl in MB
eloped with a lokie, and how it led to family feuds and so on.Our Hero,too shy to interrupt him, curses his luck and contemplates going back.


He turns and boards his "bicyle" which needless to say,does not have any semblance of "road worthiness".He sees one of his bhawan seniors (one of those hardened "No-girls" kinda guy who claims presidentship to those MCP communities!!!) sauntering coolly upto our casanova chowki who by now is discussing how the orange saree looks good on our Kiran didi.Chowki acknowlegdes him, and goes to the microphone and gate calls that customary room number.Hero is shocked !! Mustering up courage for one final time, he also goes and mutters the lady's room number.Chowki barks at him and starts off reciting rules about how no gate calls are passed after 10 and so on.Finally the gate-call is passed. The interminable wait begins.



Half an hour later.Hero gets jittery.Some faint strains of someone saying "No pains No gains" is audible.He turns to leave, when our lady's responsible roomie comes out with those thick spectacles (it is ob that she has been ghoting for the past 5 hrs for next week's 5 mark SPM surpise quiz!!!!) and informs our hero that she has gone out for a wing treat.Time 10:45.Hero silently curses himself for this foray into unknown territories.He contemplates giving up on this stuff.For good."Hieeeeee" some one screams behind him.Our lady with the whole wing.Wingies cant stop giggling and murmuring excitedly.One of them even come up to our dude and asks "Is it true that you actually have her name written on your room walls"(Curse my wing enthu sessions!!!That traitor- my sidee!! for loud-mouthing about "truth-or-dares" to MB.. hero thinks!!)!!!!


10 50 Wing leaves.The guy and gal are finally alone.They fidget around for a while.Hero's head goes blank.He tries to come up with some inocuous topic.Finally they start about Sharmaji's alu dry. Beside them -A whole gang of some department is walking back from a huge treat.Noise reaches a cresendo.(yes.. that does sound suspiciously like what we do all the time!!!)"HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I TOLD YOU TO GET BACK IN ON TIME " - Today happens to be one of MBans rare outbursts(I must hasten to add here, she is one of the most respected people in BITS,handling the onerous task of handling a 1000 inmates of MB with amazing poise!!!).Hero and heroine exchange good byes.

My computer clock reads 3 AM. I still havent written those CDs, havent sent those very important mails to univs and seniors.Havent yet made the commenting feature in the blog work.Havent yet read up on the SRS for tommorow's project meeting.Havent yet checked out testimonials at orkut.

Ever wonder you never see me at Honeywell's Mother Earth for breakfast !!!!!!!!

Oh..Watched "Hum Tum" yesterday.Nice,very nice.(Meaning very cuuuteeee in Venusian!!!)
A nice movie "When Harry met Sally" ..again, they had to make it dramatic,add masala,toss a few numbers here and there(although "ladki kyon" is haunting I must admit!!) and Indianize the whole thing!!!!
PS gets over in a few days!!I cant believe Bitsian life is coming to an end !!!
Last Friday was too good.We met up after Friday Blast(which was amazing!!!!and the whole honeywell was awed(??) but how much enthu we showed!!!) and sat in the steps,sang some songs,reminsced..wow!!!I guess that day, all of us were hit by the realisation that the best days of pur lives were behind us.
Those first year days,worrying about clashes in timetables, and not getting profs we wanted,sitting and religiously jotting down permutations on the Timetee book,seniors,ragging...we sure have come a long way since then !!!!
So maybe I should , in true BITSian ishtyle write out a long "acknowledgements" list.Reminds me of times in PEP where we had a huge notice wall and all of us used to write down some all these cute ones.. and some cleverly disguised stuff!!!
Will write a cool post some day!!!

Oh yes!!! fixed up the commenting thanks to Haloscan !!!!
yeay!!! And that module I spent days slogging on.. The one that was misbehaving today morning.. fixed that too!!!

Ok, So,my landline is dead,net connection at home conked off, My blog is in an awful mess.The enentation comment feature doesnt work,I have disabled all other commenting means...My counter registered 200 hits, and for all you know it could be churning out arbit numbers.. and.. the worst part.. when I wrote a post about this...hold your breath.. It dissapeared into thin air!!!
Could life *be* more pathetic!!!I am gonna cut paste this nonsense of a post.. lest I lose it again!!!!