musings.....

Shifting,cardboard boxes,packing tapes,tags,hand luggages,Huge boxes,check-in luggages,podis,cooker,gasket,cosmetics,clothes,clothes and more clothes..I am dizzy.We are shifting out from bangalore,and,both of us are flying out soon.So y life, if you have not guessed already, is as disoriented as the whole house is.Net also gets disconnected today, I am packing is dear old comp sometime today(sob sob!!!). I ll be back to www in a few days,after we go and unpack in trichy.Shall try to be back to the blogworld soon.

It is quite amazing.Today I am playing this confused soul.A long call to a friend did clear up the haze a quite a bit.Then I chanced upon some blog, Lo and behold, there is a person who echoes my sentiments - EXACTLY.I mean it is amazing how a faceless,nameless entity who you absolutely dont know anything about, can make you feel you are not alone.And provide some solace,if not answers.(I found this on those blog-hopping sprees from sud's blog,who btw,has decided to co-author a book titled "Zen and the Art of kadalai" with me!!!Imagine that!!!if you cant maybe you should stroll down peoples scrap books on orkut!!Sorry suds,but these days I have not much else to blog about you know !!!Anyways,Hail blogs!!! It really really made a difference to my living.In more ways than one.

I generally dont blog back-to-back these days.Reason, plain and simple, my life is not that interesting.But today, i really have to blog about some sweet people, who did very cute things.

I log in at around seven in the evening, and I chance to go to orkut.Sumi is the first on that list."Vetti ponnu !!! ensim pays you so much for being online all the time!!" I think...I go to her page, and Holy Molly!!! What do I see?? 43 scraps !!!! "Okay, so I was right about the guys stampede" I think, and open her scrap to see some juicy bits of gossip I can later trip her with.

Guess what I see, three of my closest friends, discussing about my Bday!!!! I was totally touched.These three chatted with such gusto about this on their orkut scrapbooks, that it resulted in orkut locking their accounts for "abuse".

I am really really touched at how much forethought and planning goes into my birthdays.I am really really moved to see people taking time off to plan and get me thoughtful gifts.You guys rock my world !!! Love you guyz !!!!! Anyways, to see these three culprits,who btw, were stupid enough to not delete the scraps click here. Culprit 1 , Culprit 2, and Culprit 3 ... and of course, the cute me !!!

The trip was great.
I remember those trips to Sariska,Dehradun,Mussorie,Naintal,Kulu-Manali et al when we used to openly drool at those families having a sumptuous home prepared home meals.Now it was my turn to see those hunger stricken masses and say..."Look at what I am eating!!!".The trip had the added significance of being long due,and a one we all would take together, for aleast sometime to come.

We started at about 9 30 from bangalore,all breakfast and lunches prepared,a typical postcard family outing.We reached Ranganthithoo by noon.
It is a picturesque bird sanctuary, my first visit to one.(Ironic considering the other ones in India are Bharatpur, and Vedanthangal, in Rajasthan and Tamil nadu, places I lived a considerable portion of life in !!!)A boat ride on the Cauvery took us to huge community nests of the black egret, white egret,the Cormorand,wagtails and much more.It was an amazing sight to see swarms(pardon the bad grammar, the cerebrum doesnt retrieve the specific name for "a collection of bats" real-time now!!!!) of bats sleeping upside down on treetops.As we peered through the binoculars,we also saw crocodiles,sunbathing on rocks,snoozing with their mouths open.(Amma of course,panicked because the boat "went too near the rocks" and that her two daughters were "sitting at the edge of the boats"!!!).It was quite a sight to see them swish their (lethal)tails in self-defence.After gulping down home made picnic lunch, we headed to the Mysore Palace.

Having seen the palaces of Jaipur, and spending that unavoidable half hour for the entire course in "Heritage of India" classes meant I could actually try and see structural similarities and differences between the South Indian and North Indian styles of architecture.(Well well.. do we see a budding Howard Roark in offing!).But the highlight of the palace was those wonderful paintings,depicting the life of those days.Every army man,every hawaldar was described to perfection.We then visited the museums which displayed tons and tons of silver and gold ornaments and thrones of the Wodeyars.The sheer enormity , the opulence of medieval India,inspired some sort of an introspection into why India was robbed in broad daylight by all and sundry-Mughals,chinese,french ,portuguese,british,well..almost anyone who could lay his dirty hands,seems to have plundered this abundance.

We then went to Brindavan Gardens and Krishna Sagar.The whole place was, however under massive reconstruction,and we tired souls couldnt really appreciate those manicured bageechas from "Aradhana" days.
As we were about to exit ,we saw a 7 feet tall person, at the entrance,doing some sort of a routine posing for snaps,earning a living by the odd tourist benefactor.We could recall him as India's tallest man from Limca book of world record days.It is indeed a pathetic sight.Couldnt the wealthy Limca do something about him??

Overall, it was an amazing trip.Poor Jeeju is alone in Maryland,we promised that the next trip to DC,New York,Niagra, we would surely pack sevai,puliyodarai,papads - all things families do !!!!




PS :I know that is not much of a picture,but with all the pentaxes and HP photosmarts rendered unusable by yours truly, this is the only shot we could manage on a polaroid!!!!

Now listening :"Kaiyil mithakkum" in a playlist titled "6apr2003".I am reminded of Saif crooning to Rani in "Ladki Kyon" in "Hum Tum".Really man!!!How different gals and guys are !!!!

"Jaane Kaun Kaun Se Din Woh TumkoYaad Dilaayein
Pyaar Ko Chahe Bhool Bhi Jaayein
Taareeqein Na Bhoolayein
First March Ko Nazar Milaayee
Chaar April Ko Main Milne Aayee
Ikees May Ko Tumne Chuwa Tha
Che June Mujhe Kuch Hua Tha"

In fact the entire song is very cute and so true.Infact I sometimes think it is a direct take from "Men are from mars women are from Venus".The full lyrics are here.

 

 

Why???
 
 
Why, cant I just post the truth here?Why the hell should I really be bothered about people finding out?
Why should it matter that some in the family will read it?Wouldnt they have guessed by now?(Cmon!! It was there for everyone to see!!!)Sometimes it is frustrating.Sometimes I just want to say "To hell with everything" and just holler the truth from the roof top.Somethings indeed arent to be kept to oneself.It would come out in the open someday.I'd rather declare the truth to the whole world myself.
 
That truth, isnt after all a total secret.It indeed was something that was percieved by a trained eye.I have , in the past,carefully chosen to avoid talking about this.Taken the high road.How?Pretense.And denial.First to myself, and later to the world at large.But,at one point , it became too much to take.That was when things took a different turn.It is an amazing feeling,how you are elated and depressed at the same time.Sometimes you think you have just been plain lucky for to go unnoticed for such a long period of time.And depressed for hoodwinking  people you know well.Not that I havent tried to come clean.I have, come close, a couple of times.The outcome :It was laughed off as a joke. (Did you just hear Chandler say "What does a man have to do to be taken seriously in here!!!)
 
 
Yes, I had been burning to write about something for long.That post, and the substance of the post,is here,now.
I formally declare that... ...
Okay wait. I still have somemore time..
*think think* what will be the repurcussions of such a bold confession?
How will it affect ..... *more of think think*!!!!
How should it matter... this is the truth, and I should come clean someday!!!!
 
Okay fine.. whatever happens.. Here is the ultimate truth... ....
 
I AM DEVOID OF ANY CREATIVITY.. I CANT WRITE FOR NUTS !!!!!!!!!
 
 
 
 

Today is one of those amazing sundays .Met up with an old friend(oops!!! She is a classmate from bits!!!! Have I grown old already!!!!*puts head down in shame*).We sure seem to have started the real journey down life's path.Or rather,another phase in life. .A year ago, we were just a couple of class bunking,late night movie watching bitsians.I daresay we are anything more today, but then,with age, and time,life changes.It inevitably does.I cannot believe I just had a conversation with her,about talks of her  imminent marriage (Thanks to constantly nagging  Tam parents!!)and as to my giving her fundaas on how she should wait for some more years.(Yes!!!!! It did have the added advantage that it  would give me a little comfort when there are still people in my batch single when I am slogging my life out in dull dreary labs!!!!)

Then I met the gang,and a whole bunch of Bitsians as we did our usual trying-to-look-like-shoppers routine in MG road.For a change,we did actually buy a saree for my friends mom.It was a hilarious sight as he fumbled with those dizzing array of choices,like a school boy on his first day at school!!!Needless to say,we womenflock(or the non-males,as they call us) pooled in what little expertise we had to help him find the right one. After we stumbled on a few more of our species, a discussion with a fellow discipline mate did give me that final nudge, that my career decision is indeed right for me.

It is funny.When will I ever have a closure???Do I even want to have one??Maybe I take solace in identifying myself with a familiar set of friends,and a magical place called bits, memories of special people and wonderful times.It is so much a part of my identity now.I hate to let go.(*scratch scratch* didnt someone say letting go is the hardest part of living??)

Blogger has added more features, the color,formatting,date,time changes,numbering,bulleting,quotes and mainly , the image upload (which , much to my chagrin,is still externally hosted!!)!!!!
 
Three people in the gang are coming this week, this combined with the others who are already here should make this week an interesting one.I got myself a new pair of glasses(Oh!!for all those visions of Preity Zinta in "Kal Ho Na Ho"!!!).Can only hope I dont end up as one of those thick-spectacled grannies one day!!!
 
Vir Shangvi and Ekta Kapoor on star world.A welcome change after three days of TV strike.!!!
"India's Child Genius Contest" !!! Utterly disgusting !!! At this young age!! These poor kids facing so much pressure, and even to the concept of winning and losing,parental spoon feeding and what not !!!When will this society ever let kids be just that..kids.
 
 

Or in this case Air India(*giggles at the bad humor*).I know it is still a month before this post is due.I also know it makes no sense to post the lyrics of this song here.It probably has no relevance( Of course, I still think the movie was "sho sweeet" and that it is actually very romantic to have visions of that scene in "Armageddon" with Ben Affleck(*wow**drools all over the place*) and Liv Tyler(me in her place of course!!!!))
But still, I would post it here for what bitsians call "Gen enthu".

All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go
I'm standing here outside your door
I hate to wake you up to say goodbye

But the dawn is breakin', It's early morn,
The taxi's waitin', he's blowin' his horn
Already I'm so lonesome I could die

I cant bring myself to post the rest , for reasons hitherto unknown.Anyways, all you starstruck people can read it here.

I try spontaneity.I try humor.But,if I go any further though I am afraid we will tread dangerous waters, in that this post will become a big "to-do" list,which is the only thing that comes off the top of my head these days.Cmon!!!With a truckload of things to be done before I leave, I cant come up with a decent post.(Yup!!! here we go again...!!! Maybe this site should be called "bahana unlimited " instead of "musings")But this time, I am just posting samples of some things that I wanted to post about.Some snippets.Sorta like a spoiler if you will.

1. I feel sorry for having pushed it over the edge.It could stand me no more.So,xp is out of my life.I had a closure.I am back to good ol' Win98.That means Xfiles themes - cursors,icons,and a beautiful boot music that reaches deep down.And brings me memories of a year ago.They were three months that transformed my existence-may,june,july 2003.For that matter august tooo.For that matter the whole of 2003 was a wonderful year for me,in more ways than one.

2.Why is it that I just cannot bring myself to write the "100 things about me" post.Sometimes,I feel you have to be a megalomaniac to write one.Or a self-obsessed snob.Or just a normal person.I happen to be none of these.That explains all my failed efforts to create that post.Or,maybe I ll just ask my frenz to do it for me.yes!!! That seems a nice idea!!! Why didnt it strike me so far??

3.I just finished reading "The Alchemist". It is one of those books that talk to that part of you.The part that you have been trained to ignore.The part of you that dreams.A part that is deemed unimportant,childish or impractical. I think it is one beautifully written piece.It did make a lot of sense to me.Another "must-read" that I would probably pester,nag,threaten,struggle,or plead my non-book reading friends to read.(I can hear them groan in disgust now!!!).Like "Men are from mars,Women are from Venus" or like"Doctors"!!!!!!

4.Mega CD writing sessions, and those irrational binges at Music World(Thanks to some credit point vouchers on Stan Chart!!) brought home one more thing I would love to blog in detail about - Music .To me means a lot of things.Most importantly it means memories.Almost all my favorite songs are closely linked either to a person or an event or both.It is a wonderful,beautiful feeling-the song, and the emotions.Maybe some day I will compile a list of those songs and memories.Maybe!!!!!

Happy birthday Deepu and POM!!!!!
(*lots of hugs,cakes and chocolates*)
You guys are the best !!!!!
Have a wonderful year ahead !!!!
Love you loads!!!(*ummmmhaaaaaa*)

PS: Yes,this was originally planned as a photo post.But a *&^#ing net connection at home meant rushing to the nearest net center and wait in queues,and fighting with pathetic keyboards to type this post.Forgive me you guyz!!!!!!

Some template changes spice up the Blog..!!!!
Shane Warne needs just one more wicket to equal Murali's record.And two to break it.Go Warny !!!!!!Some time later :Yes!!! Chandana is Warne's record equalling victim.Wish Murali was here to be his own record breaking victim.

There is this song,sung in Australia's dressing room,a tradition perpetrated by Rod Marsh and David Boon.Thought it would be good to reproduce it here.Of course, this is the politically correct version ,courtesy baggygreen.It doesnt require a stroke of genius to figure out the irreverent one.

Under the Southern Cross I Stand
Under the Southern Cross I Stand
A sprig of wattle in my hand,
A native of my native land,
Australia you little beauty.

Yes!!!! Thats right !!! Thank you Jack!!! I now have a Gmail account!!!! Yipee!!!!!

Maybe there will be a tommorow.Maybe that tommorow will hold something better.Maybe,just maybe,someone out there will understand.Someday.

Abraham Lincoln once wrote, "I am now the most miserable man living. If what I feel were equally distributed to the whole human family, there would be not one cheerful face on earth. Whether I shall ever be better, I cannot tell. I awfully forebode I shall not. To remain as I am is impossible. I must die or be better it appears to me."

Indian software companies - The Myth and Reality


"My son works for xyz (which is Indias largest software company).He joined three months back,He has three people working under him.My son compensates for their laziness.He works day and night,it seems he goes back to his pg only once in two or three days "
The above remarks were uttered by this "hard-working" sons mother to her neighbour in one of their who-is-doing-better-than-who sessions in the backyard.The neighbour duly thinks the entire software industry thrives on this fellow's diligence,and urges her 10th standard son to "work hard" and "make it" to xyz engineering college and "get placed" in xyz company of the software industry (Hello !!!).


Cut to REALITY :

Our hero saunters cooly into his workspace trainee cubicle(Ha!!do you really buy that crap about people working under him??).The time : 11 A M .Logs in and checks mails,chats etc.Time : 12 30.He goes with his team to lunch.After two hours of "work-talk" that includes little else but who is going onsite and who is not,whose passport has more number of visa stamps,who is getting a salary hike,and who deserves to be where etc hero goes back to work. Gets to code.Two "review meetings",one tech talk, and three coffee breaks with the team(Cmon yaar,the brain is saturated,lets get some coffee and fresh air!!!)later,it is six.And that means two things,a lengthy snack break(samosas,bhel puris and what not!!!)with floormates, and a good TT session.Time is 9 and that means rushing to the canteen for that (free!!) dinner.At 10 there is a teleconference and hero bluffs his way through status reports only to find he has a deadline in two days.Starts work furiously,suddenly remembers a long lost(read as will-come-in-handy-sometime) US cousin.Calls from here through IP and asks a team mate sitting onsite to transfer call.Time is 12.Sleepy eyed now,wants to listen to some Iron maiden and start work.Bam!!!! wonder of wonders !!! Firewalls are down.Sees the opportunity of life !!!He starts downloading these "life savers" and some screen savers(should I say what variety??).Sends an official mail asking for some non-existent standards document from the PM (to "enhance visiblity" what else!!!) that just screams "Look at the timestamp!!! I was in office till late today!!".Before he realises it is dawn,and he calls home to crib about "how stressful" the his life is !!!!

Blogaugur Suds prophesised "Thought Shall not blog more than once a week" !!!I thought to myself "Ha!!! I shall soon be one of India's un-employed masses.And a proverbial one at that!!! So I shall have all the time in the world to blog.I shall produce quality posts, and that too daily".

Thus I set to work. Grey cell factory worked overtime.A dozen very good ideas surfaced in one of nights where you decide to turn in early due to lack of access to the computer.

Next morning,you have a few "mundane" tasks like going to office and deciding whether you want to contine or not.Then, you catch up with friends who are back after a break,and you decide to go out for lunch.Then,your PS mate wants to stay with you for a day or so before finding a place. So,hogging at MTR and a late nite "Girl friend" show happens.(Lest your fecund brain is only too busy conjuring up all un-christian images..see a red flag?? Stop right there!!! we were only watching a movie.. thats all!!)

Wake up next morning, only to find you've been riddled with flu.Ah, just a cold,you think, and follow rule number one in "The lazybones guide to life and living" - "Though shalt do nothing about it until absolutely necessary."Next morning, you have to wake up at 4 with full blown cold,temperature and all the accessories. No, no, this is not after our customary afternoon seistas. Yes, it is the unimaginable.It could have easily found a place in Ripley's believe it or not. Yes,early morning 4 O clock !!!!(Okay, My circadian was still reading "midnight" or in this case "Early night" but thats besides the point!!)I go to pick up a friend from the train station.I sleep through call taxis,platform tickets queues,the like.Train scheduled time : 5 20. Of course, brain is furiously working its way into how I can pick my friend and her mom,get an auto, and go home by 6 back to heavenly snooze.
Alas,destiny had other plans for me.I,my friends, had forgotten that I was in Bangalore, and that the train I was talking about was the "Bangalore Mail " of Indian Railways.True to IRST (Indian Railways Standard Time) the train peacefully chugged her way the platform at 6 15 !!!OF course,haggling with the porter, and the long queues at pre--paid auto meant we reached home by a good 8 o clock.

Well,the reason for Poms visit was to find a good pg for her.Well friends,friday was an important day for me. It was a day when I charted a career course for myself.Four of us, would scour the streets of Rajaji Nagar, in an attempt to find a decent place to reside for six months.Little did we know what this adventure would involve.It took us though dingy streets,bunk beds,windowless places called rooms,stinking toilets,damp ceilings and rat infested bureaus, that would have put Fagin's hellhole to shame.Finally though,lady luck smiled on us, and we found the little darling a wonderful place in a bunglaw with carpeted floors,all venetian blinds and the like.If you still remember about my career course,it was to start a pg in bangalore if I am out of work after UC.Lady luck also decreed another visit to MTR on me.After a major round of hogging that could have put Haran or Kattan to shame,we slowly ambled our way home and hit the sack in no time.


Still fumbling with photo uploading in the blog, I woke up today,in mighty resolve to produce a masterpeice in literature.A gem that future generations would venerate, and learn from.I started typing thus :

"There is a very interesting story that I want to share.This person happens to be ... well.. how to describe it..in simple words, a dearie.."

Power Cut!!!!Electricity Boards has never been one of my favorite boards.(For that matter neither has the black board(*chides herself for digressing* !!!)I still remember days of yore when the whole family used to cuddle up in front of the TV at sharp 9 on a sunday morning to watch "Ramayan" or "Mahabarat".We were a typical "Dekh Bhai Dekh" kind of family in those days.Having only two out of twelve parsing Hindi at that time,meant we had to wait for long before the actual translation happened.And,if by twist of fate,a power cut happened..The way these grannies used to curse poor electricity board guys could put an ol' sailor to shame.

Consequent struggles with photobucket,image type conversion problems,some marathon sleep sessions, and a sumptuous dinner at Gramin,and late night chats later,here I am.But alas folks,sudsayer's augury was only too true. Here I go with what could well have been the title of this blog-I havent written a good post in a long long time.


That photo btw, is that of me and my cousin madhu,when we were a bunch of teething five year olds.Reminds me of simpler times.Yes, I do look cute!!!
(*bows and acknowledges the adulation*).

Why havent I written anything post-worthy in the last God knows how many days? I have had quite a few ideas to post,I have been fighting with posting photos, finally here is it..