Its Wi(e)red

Today I spoke to my childhood friend(over the phone )after really long long time...He used to be my best friend back in my school days...Over the years I lost touch with him..I think it was not inadvertant for various reasons..He being little reticent by nature put the total onus on me to continue the conversation and me not known for my telephonic skills found it so hard to keep the ball rolling.. 

After putting down the phone I really didn't feel happy that I talked to an old friend. It was just a casual talk and stuff about how-life-is-treating-you type..I wonder how a face to face conversation with him will be when I couldn't say anything over the phone..

I don't put the blame on the time gap or the distance factor. Its just we don't share the same interests now as we used to during our school days...The maturity level has had its draconian effects..The roads has diverged and so are the feelings..The silver lining is I am very much comfortable in talking to my other childhood buddies..

The same goes to my inter friends and even my engineering friends though they just left me few years back...So I guess it depends on the person and not the time lag...

P.S: I don't believe that any relation can change overnight(due to distance or time factor)unless you deliberately do that..

Telephone etiquette

I am not the one who follow etiquette always but I am definitely is the one who know when to follow...And according to me this particular telephone etiquette is the one which people ought to follow...at least while talking to me over the phone..

I feel like getting over a top of the tower and scream aloud so that everyone hears that..Once and for all...I hate when anyone calls me and talks to the person beside him/her without even saying "One minute" or "One sec" or something like that...I don't say you shouldn't talk to anyone but please do that by telling to the other person on the phone..

Come on guys.. I am on the other side hearing to you and you suddenly speak to the person beside you, and me on the other side trying to figure out whats going on...Its like finding silvers of cloud in the middle of all blue skies...Give me a break!

Just for Gags...

1. In the bus: A heavy lady wearing pointed high-heeled shoes steps on your feet... 
Stupid Question:- 
Sorry, did that hurt? 
Answer:- 
No, not at all, I'm on local anesthesia.....why don't you try again. 

2. At a funeral: One of the teary-eyed people ask... 
Stupid Question:- 
Why, why him, of all people. 
Answer:- 
Why? Would it rather have been you? 

3. At a restaurant: When you ask the waiter 
Stupid Question:- 
Is ! the "Butter Paneer Masala" dish good?? 
Answer:- 
No, its terrible and made of adulterated cement. We occassionaly also spit in it

4. At a family get-together: When some distant aunt meets you after years... 
Stupid Question:- 
Munna, Chickoo, you've become so big. 
Answer:- 
Well you haven't particularly shrunk yourself. 

5. When you get woken up at midnight by a phone call... 

Stupid Question:- 
Sorry. were you sleeping? 
Answer:- 
No.. I was doing research on whether the Zulu tribes in Africa marry or not. You thought I was sleeping....you dumb witted moron. 

6. When you see a friend/colleague with evidently shorter hair.... 
Stupid Question:- 
Hey have you had a haircut? 
Answer:- 
No, its autumn and I'm shedding......

7. You are smoking a cigarette and a cute woman asks... 
Stupid Question:- 
Oh, so you smoke. 
Answer:- 
Gosh, it's a miracle ........it was a piece of chalk and now it's in flames!!!

The White Tiger

I picked this Booker's choice  last week. The cover page didn't scream that I was the Booker's choice.  It is as if a nursery boy was forced to finished his homework with the devil like creature in front of him with a stick..Initially when I started reading this the tone sounded something strange...Strange in sense its not the one I thought it to be..Its different though not the newest of the kind ...

I liked the way he told about the Darkness which is unfortunately true. The way he tells about the two India concept and a country where you can see a posh place and a slum  just separated by a few miles....

All he tells is perfectly true but I just can't digest it...Yeah I know its oxymoronic but I cant help..He should not have called a spade a spade...Now that this is a Booker's choice I guess many people will pick this, like the way I did and tend to happen a wrong impression on India...

---What a fucking joke

G

Dunk in "Japanese"

I am in that league of people who admire Japanese...For many reasons..First and foremost, I think no other country can recover the way Japan recovered after the deadly World War...It was and is possible only for Japan..Don't know how they do but they do...

My company being a Japanese one I noticed some thing which really appalled me..They use the products which are from Japan or in other words, products made by a Japanese company..

The Micro controllers we use are Japanese one. We use NEC, Panasonic and Renases- All truly Japanese. They don't touch Philips , Atmel etc etc..The cars the executive board use are the Japanese ones. Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Mazda, Mitsubishi...The stationary we use are made in Japan. Even the rest room accessories are made in Japan..!!This is no coincidence...Or is it..?I think this is strange...

In some way I think I am getting "dunked in Japanese" for good:)...To hell with every other thing...

New Phase

First day of my corporate life...And I am very happy that I started my corporate life on my Mom's birthday.... Happy birthday Mom...:).. Also one my goods friends Bday..Happy Bday Sravanthi...

The first day started with a audience with my company's director...And the meeting was true inspiring...Such a wonderful and friendly man to talk with.. I didn't have a felling that I am talking to a director...His words of encouragement did inspire me...

Coming to the company policies and habits, for me its totally awry and strange..

1) First and foremost..My company has an uniform:)...The uniform is worn  by everyone.Right from the director to the clerk..

2)Since my company is a Japanese one, some of the Japanese  habits are followed. Like bending and saying bye after a meeting is adjourned. 

3) I was given material containing Japanese characters.....For my reference:)

4)Every day at 10am we have a gathering for about 3-5min. However the gatherings will be different for each day.. One day all the departments meet and the other day only people of the respective teams meet and discuss...

I guess there will be many more in the store...Hope it would be a smooth journey...

The haunted HOUSE: India

I just don't fathom why we Indians forget( in a week if its gruesome and if its in cosmopolitan) that we had a terror attack, faster than the success of a recent cricket series...I just don't fathom..and I mean it...

The 26/11 Mumbai attack is the most brazen one I have ever seen and I can without any second thought put this with a comma or perhaps a semicolon at the side of the 9/11 attacks in a list of top ten worst terror attacks. Such is the scale of destruction. 

Every month a weekend is dedicated to the terrorists....And its not just confined to one part of the country..North, South, East, West... Name a economic power station..and I will throw some light for you( on the terror attacks)..I am sick of it...

The PM says its very unfortunate incident..Yeah right...turning your fortune into an unfortunate one...Does unfortunate things happen every month my dear dutifully elected PM...I presume not...It doesn't happen and if it does happen it shouldn't happen...A weak government which cant even ensure the safety of its citizens...I saw a thread in orkut in Indians in Singapore community asking is it safe to travel to Mumbai this week...An Indian thinking twice to go to her motherland...pathetic...

Yeah and lastly for all those countries who threw some free advice( which they were not asked for) first mind your own lawn before trying to water other's...I agree its the gutter out there...Refrain from putting your beak any where near the gutter...You see it doesnt appeal to you..We are self reliable and we can handle our own problems..

I pray for all those people who lost their lives..especially the task force and the commandos..May those souls rest in peace....Kudos to the valour shown by them....And those mothaf***** terrorists...I wish Allah come and enlighten all of them..

And I think its time for saffronization at the center...Enough is enough...You had many chances..Mr.Singh please give way...

HA?

Tum Ho To, Gaata Hai Dil
Tum Nahin To, Geet Kahan..
Tum Ho To, Hai Sab Haasil
Tum Nahin, To Kya Hai Yahan..

Tum Ho To Hai Sapno Ke Jaisa Haseen Ek Sama..

Jo Tum Ho To Yeh Lagta Hai Ke Mil Gayi.. Har Khushi
Jo Tum Na Ho Yeh Lagta Hai Ke Har Khushi.. Mein Hai Kami
Tumko Hai Maangti, Yeh Zindagi…...

HA......?

Missing a 'missed call'

Of late I started realising I am missing a missed call.

Missed calls I used to get to test whether I fell asleep while cramming, to pep me up, to just keep myself in this world, importantly the times when I used to kick start my day only after me getting a missed call , wishing me a good morning, missed call acting like a cipher from my roomies telling about the food ,missed call to show annoyance, happiness and to throw tantrums, lastly and definitely the least to check the base station strength....

Now my poor mobile rarely gets a call let alone a missed call...

A missed call, for those who want to talk less and have a greater impact...

Cheerio~~~~

So what's the feeling of getting your 1st Job..?

Before I begin this post I would like to congratulate G for bagging a job:) ..

OK first things first.. Actually this is not my first job offer. So when I got my first job back in undergrad I was above the ground level. Bagging a job in campus placements is not a big deal in India, at least in those times and in my college. Every Tom, Dick and Harry used to get it. But still that day was special.

May be because my peers were placed before me and I finally got rid of the regular dose of sympathies from my fellow mates, an unprecedented euphoria engulfed me on that day.  

Next day my face screamed thousand words telling my fellow mates " I too joined the bandwagon" :) .The feeling of you joining the corporate world is abysmal and unbounded. It took some days for the feeling to sink in. 

Now after 2 years down the line here I am , in a new place, a new company, new profile and also the new definition of joy. This joy definetely has some phase lag with the old one.

Of course, I am very much elated for the job I got.. But this feeling has a bottom, didn't reach the acme and definetely circumscribed. Something makes me ponder why this joy is miles away from my undergrad one. May be first is always first..Still searching for the answers....

G

Death By Chocolate

Huh today I was in one of those reminiscence sessions and this time it was the death by chocolate that stood out. Javagreen:One of my engineering hangouts where we used to go just for this.

Imagine you have decided to go to javagreen( say with some friend), come what may, to relish the sundae. As you steeped in, you notice a female/male drooling over the death by chocolate just served to her/him by the maitre d'. Without your knowledge half part of your brain concentrates on the tray carried by the gal/guy and the other half on the items left out in the display.

Then you start cursing yourself for being late( say 5 min..) and at the same time thank the gal/guy for not ordering an extra DBC because only one DBC is available and now you are forced to share with your friend(following etiquette). Then you order your sundae and you feel that the maitre d' is taking eons to serve a dish which was already prepared.

And finally when the DBC is brought you feel that the amorphous chocolate and the cake are too perfectly blended to touch. A perfect amalgamation!!!!

Finally you feel to have the carte blanche and apply 0.1N force on the flimsy part of DBC with the best finger you have and forgetting the etiquette's, you put the finger in your cakehole, rest it there for sometime and feel the substance slithering in your esophagus with an assigned purpose of purifying your stomach:P.

Then slowing forcing the finger out for the next intake, you flicker a smile(:D)revealing the cocoa on the incisor, followed by reflexive words "Ummmmm...finger licking good :) " but feel insatiable....

To whom ever it may concern

What is the use of having a blog when I cant express my true feelings...Why do my freedom of speech  finds itself clawed...? Why do I get tongue-tied at times....? Why do I give a damn about what other people think when they don't....

Sometimes I want to hit the nail right on the head but later end up beating around the bush like I am it doing now...I don't think I am a flake....I am not...I would love to be like the Gary Murphy character in Along came a spider. Not like a sadistic one but just doing things whatever I intend to do and impulsively without giving a second thought.

But the problem is I happen to have a second thought....always...I am just flimsy..I guess flimsy is an understatement...A superlative for that would be a apropos one...

P.S: This is not an allegory...So please lock your deciphering skills....Consider it as one of my rants and ramblings....

Miss miss and misss...

Why do I always feel that I am late by few hundreds of seconds to everything whenever I need to reach my destination asap...

Get down my apartment and walk to the bus stop and see the bus leaving just in front of me..1st miss..Wait for 10 more min for the next bus to arrive...

Reach the MRT by the next bus to take red line train and yet again you can see the train just closing its doors right in front of you...2nd miss...there comes the instant swear word...Wait five more minutes for the next train.At the same time you see the unwanted green line train just arriving at the other platform...aargh!!!

Get into the crowded brightly lit car and wait for 30+ minutes and get ready to change to the purple line train..There come the fresh jolt...The purple line train just departing, teasing you again...3rd miss..I just cant believe my luck...phewwww....Net lost 20 min!!!

And why do I feel that whenever I have hell lot of time at my disposal , all the trains synchronise and come or at the worse wait till I reach the train...Come on...why don't you get the hell out of here...

G

Vroooom F1 Singapore

There are many firsts in this GP.

First  F1 night race,first Singapore race and the last, my first race:).. The devils were roaring in the circuit when I entered.  I kept saying to myself "the month long wait was finally over"..The formulas racing through my mind were simple.....want to get a glimpse of these machines asap....the urge, popping in me from a very long time..from the moment the tickets were put in my hand:)..

The night was perfect for the dark Knights to zoom through the streets....No rain :( (unfortunate for me and fortunate for drivers). And the first glance for the true Indian was a Indian team machine..Force India..Yeah beat the breaks off of that man..

The decibel level was at the acme..True Dolby stereo:D...The millions of seconds wait was over in a nanosecond.... or was it a pico sec. Whatever....The devil just zoomed past me and I still kept staring at the road with an animated face...A wow expression on my face...

Goddamn race....enjoyed the dramas that had taken place during the race. I couldn't avoid a laugh for myself seeing at the plight and luck of the Ferrari's. Its not that I hate Ferrari. I just don't like them. I just don't like the champions... You see I don't like "The Big Guys"(exclude Federer. I started loving him when Sampras was "The Guy". Fed was a dark horse at that time). True, The Ferrari's are the guys who are capable of kissing the velocity of the sound if not the speed of light.... 

On that note I give a full five for the organisers for making the event a grand success...It was picture-perfect event..I hope they don't organise any more night races. One side of the coin they waste hell lot of power and the other side they say Save Earth. Conserve Energy. Such an out of phase act...The beauty of the race is the Beast....not the lights..

Cheerio

My first Tag....

Saw this tag somewhere and decided instantly that this would be my first tag ..kinda cool one..

Life ten years ago: 

Bindass school life..no worries..Started coming to school in Pants. Yeah that was the great thing during my schooling...and some of the milestones in my life..Hate my +2 life. Missed my parents.

Life five years ago:
Engineering...By far the best phase of my life. I wish I were in B.E throughout my life. New people, great friends, new experiences, good and bitter memories. Missed the forests for the trees. 

Life a year ago:
New place,New people again, back with parents, good homely life..Bad college life..

Life In Future:

There will  still be a dawn and a dusk and I need to move on...My life, my way...

5 Snacks I enjoy:

Cake, Ice cream, chocolate, panipuri and French fries

5 Bad habits I have:

Short temper.

Stubborn.

Bad at forgetting the past.

lack of patience.

Bad Listener.

5 Locations I would like to run away to:

Hyderabad

Goa.

Any secluded and calm place

5 Things I love to do:

Chat with an old friend and have a belly bursting laugh.

Late night bike rides with the air striking hard against you.

Watch movies, movies and movies.

Play Tennis and Badminton.

Visit new places.

5 Things I will never wear:
hmmm Only one I guess. An yellow color shirt.

5 Biggest joys at the moment:
Going to F1 in few minutes.

Writing in my blog.

Seen a scrap written by a friend.

Almost finished my assignment.

Listening to Jab We Met songs.

5 Things I do not like:

Lying.

Laziness.

Unkempt.

Body Odour.

Breaching a Trust.

Something to achieve next year:

Get some damn good job.

Something that has impacted me last year:

Better leave than say here. I was thought the Murphy's law. 

What I will miss about 2007:

My engineering life, my friends and my place.

5 Things I want to do before I die:

Realise my dreams.

Make my parents proud.

Visit many places.

Scuba Diving.

Possess a villa in a country side.

 

My journey to Amazing Thailand!!!

She is amazing, marvelous, stupendous and captivating...Her sheer beauty will help you find yourself in the wonderland. Its the fantasy turned into reality. The artistic beauty turned into reality. Its the journey through space and time. The banality overruled. The blue sheet of the Indian ocean lying beneath the sunlight enthrals you. This is Thailand for you.

I didn't know enough about the beauty to recognise it at a glance..The dormant state of my mind took its own time to react to my eye impulses and to believe the marvel that stood in front of me. Slowly I found myself aahing and oohing at her!!!

The midterm break was used effectively and took off to Phuket on Saturday. A beach with a small shore will do for me, to raise my enthu level and to get pumped up. And Phuket has just this to offer me. Myriad beaches just to evoke my senses and helping me to understand the unfathomable.

Went to Phi-Phi island, James bond Island and places within the Phuket. Phi-Phi island is the amazing beach place I have ever seen. Boy, the water was absolutely pristine blue . I was freezed by its beauty. We did snorkeling there. The flora and fauna under the water has its own way of presenting the mother nature.

Not to forget the Thai food. By far the best sea food I ever had.( I am very bad at experimenting different cuisines and hate sea food). I still can't believe that I had sea food. I had become carnivorous to the core. Amazingly my boundary with never crossed chicken, seen itself encircling the lobster, crab, squid, prawn and the fish. Amazing dishes. This trip definitely thought me to explore a cuisine beyond the Indian food....

Rented a bike and later regretted. I don't understand WTF am I tormented whenever I ride a bike. A flat tyre again in my life. Aargh!!! I am sick of these punctures. Give me a break please. At least on a tour. My own bike had given enough of these. Luckily had a garage nearby. The night life and spa's are the other centers which enchants you, making your body and soul rest in peace.

On the whole an awesome trip and one of my trips I can never forget....

If you plan to go, the detailed itinerary of ours can be got here:)...Have fun...
http://weekendoutings.blogspot.com/2008/09/amazing-thailand.html

On the day of Onam....

This post was in pipeline for many days...Its almost 1 week over since this event happened..but here I am ending up posting now...hardly finding time these days :P....OK first things first..

On this day of Onam I had my first Mallu food...ummmmm...:)  As usual had to wait because of the serpentine queues made outside the hotel on this special day...The Maître d' occasionally apologising for making us wait.

Unfortunately we had a very good view of people who already succeeded in possessing a banana leaf. Seeing them, my stomach started having hungry pangs and my hunger grew from mole to a mountain hill. 

After waiting for some more time, finally we were welcomed and  the Maître d' 's face changed from a sorry face to a welcome-to-my-palace face. The wait was worth it. I dunno whether Mallus have so many items in a  Mallu's thalli on Onam or the hotel has on its menu on that day. Whatever it may be I lliterally had 24 items on that gargantuan banana leaf!!!

The Gods own country has its own style of preparing the dishes. The first stupefy came when I was served the rice. The grain would have been 0.4cm in diameter and 0.6 cm in height..I was told that is the rice people generally eat, back in Kerala. I was dumbfounded!! But that was good..

I don't know whether the hotel stood on its word by serving the 24 items because I couldn't count and categorize the items as every item is new to me. After a long time had my lunch to the fullest....Awesome......Happy belated Onam...........

I miss the candlelights

Recently I had encountered an incident which I almost forgot after coming to Singapore. My apartment wiring was undergoing an up gradation, as a result there was an power cut for some hours.. Then I realised that there exist something called a blackout. After a long time I felt I longed for a power cut...

Who said power cuts are always cursed..? Probably they are the one who have never experienced the magic of the darkness...I can use all the superlatives to express the bandwidth of ecstasy that a blackout brings along with it..

And a blackout when you are cramming would be a awesome feeling..Initially it would start with all the swear words I know and then pleading the unknown current man( its so funny.. that's what I use to call) virtually...

Then I end up with a flicker of smile crossing my face and placating the silent theatre of my mind to take a break from burning the midnight oil. At that instance newtons law would no longer seem applicable and I can see myself flying in the air, not giving a damn for the next day exam.... I remember how I used to pester my roomies with my stimulated pumped up madness..It was such a fun to tease them with my craziness..I miss all those..

And the moment the power is restored my cloud 9 gets condensed and I get sucked into the little study-centered world enveloped by the emptiness, encapsulated with an avalanche of thoughts about the next day exam and forming a cocoon of my so called exams-don't waste-time thought...

And the bottom line, I miss the candle lights...

I salute 'Mumbai Meri Jaan'

Mumbai Meri Jaan - A must see movie...I liked it...I didn't feel bored even for 5 Min's. The film kept rolling and I was glued for the entire two and a half hours.

Realised how big India was..India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Srilanka were all under one roof called India. And as if this is not enough some SOBs trying for another split..

All the characters( soha,maddy,kaykay,irfan) in the movie were personified perfectly. In spite of the shiver running down their spine the resilience showed by the Mumbaikars after the blast(7/11) should really be appreciated.

It takes tons of courage to board the crammed trains the very next day after the blasts. They might have had ripple of thoughts flashing in their mind whenever they see any suspicious articles. But one has to live with this.....After all, you cant keep looking over both the shoulders at once but being vigilant. And the news channels ...You don't believe how they try to create a mountain out of molehill. Such a suckers..I do believe this happens even off screen..

On that note I salute Mumbai Meri Jann..It was so realistically taken..Watch this movie..You will not regret of wasting your 2.5hrs...

And the Wait is Over...

The day has finally come.. the last day of my internship..Its not that I have been dying for this day...I just got bored of it...You can call it as a '3 month itch' ..No more early wake ups...The Sun God can now be happy( at least for the next 4 months) as he doesn't need to see my gloomy sullen face every morning, cursing him for staying away for just 12hours!!

But do I miss my Office...?I don't think so..I don't miss my office, my cabin, my colleagues....It just doesn't have that substance to cause the melancholy...I am very much happy to catch up with my school work again...last months of my graduate studies....should make use of it...

I should thank my (ex)company for one thing..for helping me to appreciate the student life...As they say, one can appreciate light only when one experiences darkness....( now that doesn't mean I stayed in darkness for the past three months:)..I learnt a lot from that)

A rendezvous with......

I am happy but don't know why...but I have a reason...Reason for what..? A reason, which made me bunk my office session :). Bunked without even informing to my supervisor. What if he rejects my request? I know he won't but still I didn't want to take a chance..I may not get this offer again in my life...so ended up slipping out of my office 'illegitimately' in spite of the hectic work..

So was it so important? Was it worth bunking..? Yes of course, it was, at least for me. I could have said it will never happen in my life until today... So where the hell had I been after bunking which later turned out to be a productive one? I have seen APJ Abdul Kalam in subfusc from a stone's throw away distance and that too for one hour!!!

He had come to NTU to receive a Honorary degree, Doctor of Engineering( Honoris causa ). I was excited to see The former President. My excitement grew in strength after seeing him and the packed Nanyang Auditorium. The whole auditorium(1500 capacity) was full with not even a seat to spare and lucky me, found myself a place in a first few rows(thanks for the pre-registration :) ). People who didn't, ended up having a virtual view of the proceedings outside the Theatre.

The roaring claps defined the popularity he still has among Indians. But two things disappointed me.One, I expected him to give an impromptu speech. Two, I couldn't get a glimpse of his famous hairstyle:( ( his hood playing the spoilsport)...Long live 'The Missile Man of India'......

PJ

Got this forward from one of my friends and I kinda liked it:) Gau, if you are reading this, this post is dedicated to you:)

One Ant knocks the door of a house. The house owner opens the door. "I want a place to stay", said the Ant... "I have a vacant room which you can occupy for free of cost", said the owner. Ant went inside and occupied that vacant room.

After some days, the Ant brought in another Ant and requested the owner "Can you please allow this Ant to stay along with me". "Oh sure, you can do so without paying any rent" said the owner.

After some days the Ant brought one more Ant and requested the owner to allow that Ant to stay with it. Owner agreed to it without asking for any rent.

This continues and Ant brings in one more Ant and owner agrees for it. On one fine day, the Ant brought in the tenth Ant and requested the owner to allow that tenth Ant also to stay with it. The owner said "Ok, you all can stay here but you need to pay rent". Now the question is: Why did the owner ask for rent when the tenth Ant came in?

Because they are now tenant (Ten ants)!!(Highlight the space after 'now' to see the answer)

A Lady is on top of a hill and she is going to push her Father down from the hill top..... So what is the name of this evil lady??

(Highlight the space after 'is')Her name is PUSH-PA!!!!!!!!!!

Singh is Kingg

If you have just glanced the picture, I suggest you to see it again. You will notice the protagonist is replaced by Manjeet Singh. Waaaait!!!Wondering who this Manjeet is? He is my supervisor in the company I have been working :)..

One day I was casually strolling in the corridor and suddenly my eye caught Katrina staring at me:)..And a careful second glance left a scintillating image of a person whom I have been seeing daily for over some months. I managed to spell out the name in the lowest decibel possible Majeeeeet!!! dragging the letter e till my lips can no longer be stretched. He has put the photo hanging to his cubicle!!! I didn't want to miss this funny side of my supervisor. In a flash of a second my mobile appeared in my hand and then fiddling with its settings ended up taking this snap and left as casually as I came there to avoid suspicious glances from my colleagues and with a victorious smile as if I have taken a cover picture due for the next release of the Playboy

****Happy Birthday India****

Let me start from the bottom Line...Happy Birthday India and I am proud to be an Indian..I don't remember when was the last time (minus today at the India Embassy )my lips synced to my national anthem. I feel so penitent for that. But the brighter side is that the national anthem is still in my cache memory..I remember the words of my Java Prof(Mr.VenuMadhav) back in my undergrad,"Don't Consider I-day just as a holiday". At that time I didn't give a second thought. Never attended an I-day celebration during my undergrad. Shame on myself...I am happy that at least now I could take my time out for the celebrations..

Had been to Indian High Commission today..The event started with The President's speech read by the High Commissioner followed by the flag hoist by the same and then some cultural activities. Sung the national anthem with a crust of pride filled with a trough of remorsefulness(for the same reason mentioned). The performance given by the artists was truly mind boggling..showcasing the true, rich, traditional Indian Culture..Even the roaring wave of applauds turned out to be an understatement. I wish I can attend each and every I-celebrations no matter where I am.

And I want to end the note by congratulating Bindra for his and Her maiden individual gold in Olympics. No regrets even if we end up wining only one gold. Remember "Rome was not built in one day"...Miracles doesn't happen overnight...It takes over years.. Congrats Paes-Mahesh, Saina, Akhil for the quarter finals appearance.

May all the blessings shower on 61 year old baby....

Jai Hind!!!

Beijingjing Olympics

Just a day left before the Olympic Games kick start in Beijing. Olympics never meant a big event for me considering the fact that my country doesn't win big medals. Hmm...hope one fine leap year would be in waiting for my country.

I would like to introduce these cute cute characters to my blog or rather introduce my blog to these chars:)..These dolls are so cuuuute.Tiny nose and oval shaped eyes..Typical Chinese look huh...They don't have ears yet have names...Beibei, Jingjing, Huanhuan, Yingying and Nini...These are not just some other tongue twisting Chinese names. I came to know from my Chinese friend that these names have some significance. The names of the above dolls stands for Beijing Huan Ying Ni (omit the recurring part from their names) meaning Beijing Welcomes You..Ha ha that's something cool...

Songs.mp3

I wonder how a song can change my mood. One moment I feel I am enveloped by emptyness being deprived of everything and the next moment after listening to a song(not all songs,of course) there will be colors coming from no where replenishing my spirits and strengths.I sometimes turn deaf to the outside world but to the song....

For no apparent reason the transient state of my mind engendered by the emptyness feels so pumped up. The music does this remarkable thing turning yourself to a turncoat. It does cajole you many a times and then you cant help but keep wondering why this metamorphoses within you took place in a few thousands of seconds!!!

It encapsulates you in the virtual world of happiness bringing a subtle smiles of enlightment unfolding your lips and out of a nostalgia, sometimes springing tears into your eyes. I remember many a times I used to keep the door ajar while showering allowing the extra decibles to reach my eardrum thus helping me to croon over the lyrics. Such was the heights of craziness..

On that note I list some damn sweet lyrics which cannot be missed out at any time..

Tumse Song from Jab We Met( it goes without saying ..this is my fav one:) ... )

Aankhon mein ankhne teri

Bahoon mein baahein teri

Mera na mujhe mein kuch raha hua kya

Baaton mein baatein teri

Raatein saugatein teri

Kyun tera sab yeh ho gaya hua kya

Mein kahin bhi jata hoon

Tumse hi mil jata hoon

Tumse hi tumse hi

Shoor mein khamoshi hai

Thodi se Behoshi hai

Tum se hi tum se hi

Kahin tho Song in JTYJN

Jahan mein jahan tu aur jahann

Bass tere mere jazbaat hai

Hogi jahan subah teri

Palkoki kirano mein

Lori jahan chand ki

Sune teri baahon meinnn…..

Bolna Halke Halke from JBJ

Dhaage tod laao chandani se noor ke

Ghoonghat hi banalo roshini se noor ke

Sharma gai to aagosh mein lo

ho Saaaso se uljhi rahi meri saasein

PS: The above list is only extensive but not exhaustive:)...

Operation Aborted

Few minutes back I tried to open Memories!!! using IE7. It took its own sweet time to open. It took eons to show my sweetheart to me. And after that ,to my horror it gave a pop up showing Internet Explorer cannot open the Internet site, operation aborted. My first words were WTF.. This was the first time I encountered this when I opened my blog.I checked for any typos..No mistakes.I pressed OK button on the pop up and then F5 ,in spite of knowing F5 cannot do any miracles. No miracle happened. I repeated it 5 times. All of a sudden my heart started pounding.Then I started questioning my self. Did Google blacklist my account? Did anybody flag?When was the last time I opened my blog?

Tried to open some other sites. There was no problem. A flashing idea popped up in my mind :)... Mozillaaa..To my relief the answers to the above questions were no....And then ,is Mozilla trying to be sweet? No more browsers in my notebook. I cannot verify the credibility of Mozilla.:((Ended up creating this post using Mozilla..but still wondering WTF is IE7 not opening my blog....Let me see after some time...

Fusionopolis

Fusionopolis-My company's new building name. Today was the first day at the new office. New place, new environment and of course some new faces. People who holed up themselves in the old campus can be seen now, thanks to the cubicled work space.

The enthu to enter the new swanky building at last subdued. I entered with great zing wanting to explore the place asap. And I was not disappointed. Its ritzy, comely, pacific yet creepy. One can have an awesome view of the city and the sea from my floor and I kept staring at the oceanic view.

I then stolidly strolled across the office and then went in search of my cabin. It was little messy looked like an infirmary with people helping each other to logistic their stuff . I was exuberant to find my place and then started my session of unpacking. But there's something to brood-will this place be an art movie theatre or will it be a like a work place which I envision always..only time will tell..

The Office Lingo

Office-A place where people hardly call a spade a spade and the language, well, each word has an inner meaning..And if you fail to decipher then you will be in serious trouble..Never go by the inner meaning. You needn't master this art of cryptography. Only one mantra..Just get used to it..These are some of the encrypts in the corporate sector..

1.."We will do it" means" You will do it"

2."You have done a great job" means" More work will be given to you"

3."We are working on it" means" We have not yet started working it"

4."There was a slight miscommunication" means" We lied"

5."Lets call a meeting and discuss" means" I have no time to talk now"

6."We are on the right track but there needs to be a slight extension of the deadline" means "We screwed up, we cannot deliver on time."

7."We had slight differences of opinion "means" We fought"

8."You should have told me earlier" means" Well even if you told me earlier that would not have mattered!"

9."We need to find out the real reason" means" I will tell you where your fault is"

10."Well Family is important, your leave is always granted. Just ensure that the work is not affected,"means," You are not going home unless you finish your job"

Shame Shame.....

This day will be remembered as a Black Day in the history of Indian politics...The day had everything...from tragedy to the comedy of MPs voting manually( the same old chits we use to play )in the 21th century...I would bow my head down in shame if any foreigner asks me about the proceedings that have taken place today...Such was the situation ....very pathetic...I know the word pathetic would be an understatement...But this is the way our politicians were ,are and will be...

I don't give a damn if any of the politicians accepted or gave the bribes...That's news doesn't come as a flabbergast to any Indian as we were used to that...Whats appalling is the MP's flashing wads of notes to showcase the state of Indian Politics to the rest of the world....Is there any need for taking our pride to the streets of shame...?This shows why we are still lagging behind..The holy land of democracy doesn't stand tall anymore...

I am glad that the congress has won and so is the 123 agreement..All these guys know that the deal is in the country's interest but still are adamant to bring the govt down putting the nations interest aside..The BJP's and CPI suck big time...Shame on the CPI who don't want to back the N-Deal just because they don't want India to give stiff competition to China....Shame to call themselves an Indian...Kudos to Rahul Gandhi's speech..Kudos to all the people who had made this deal possible(even though at some cost)...

My tryst with Gooooogle

Its stupefying to see my dependence on Google increasing exponentially day by day...Initially I used to use only when I get the message Internet Explorer cannot display the webpage..I don't even remember when we fell in love or to be precise I fell in love with Google, which later turned into a one side marriage..ha ha one side marriage appears funny, right..?Its a one side marriage because I trust in all the crap data she provides. Never I had a second thought to verify the authenticity..I never felt deluded..

There is not even a single day I spend without meeting her. The moment I open my browser I can see her smiling colourfully like the genie coming out of the lamp, waiting for my order. Now my rendezvous with Google is no longer confined to the search tool. Orkut, Blogger occupy part of my day. They have become some of the few things without which my day doesn't end. No wonder the Google shares demand such a high value...

Some facts:

• Google was named after the word googol which means a number 10 raised to the power 100
• GEarth, You Tube, Blogger are not from Google's Lab. They are the results of the Google massive acquisitions.
• All Google products are Blue in Colour ( by default)

If you can get your hands on this book The Google Story by David A.Wise, read that. It makes a good reading...

Jaane Tu...

I am too lethargic today and not at all in a mood to work...I thought why not write something on this movie which I saw last week..

Film verdict first-I think I can give 3 popcorn's to this one.

I always like a movie which is centered around some group of friends. Be it Happy Days, DCH or Janne tu for that matter. There's lot of nostalgia when I see such movies. I know I am little sappy, but I cant help. My Engg 4 years were the glorious years of my life...

Coming to the Jaane tu.. I tried to reflect every scene of the movie with my days in college but with some tweakings. Like in the movie, people in our group had their own nicknames although they were not official..Our group is an odd numbered one and this is even. ha ha probably director didn't want to mess up things my leaving one guy/gal...We know the odd number probs..Trikies on one bike or else singles on the other or the worst thing, pack everyone in a car and lots more...Like in the movie, they were moments where people felt green and empty in the absence of the others..

The songs were pretty cool...Rehman rocks...Everyone liked Kabhi Kabhi but Kahin tho and Nazrein Milaana Nazrein Churaana are equally good especially if you listen carefully to the lyrics...For me Kahin tho takes the cake..

The climax was horrible and you can feel like the old wine put in even older bottle...Other than that I think it was a decent job by the debutant's...

The bottom line: A boy and a girl can never be best friends unless they are tied by a rakhi bond or engaged..Let me see if the noname13.c can disagree with this...

A Fool's Errand

I made a visit to an optical shop yesterday. And he showed his stuff and obviously tried to brag about his stuff.. He showed me one particular frame and said "this is from XYZ". It was the same old dirty trick to play someone for a fool. Why don't he think that I am a no body's fool. At the end the shopkeeper couldn't please me and I left without burning a hole in my pocket...

The Happening...

I happened to see this movie -The Happening..Let me confirm first. I am not writing a review for this movie. There are zillion reviews out there where you can get a clear picture of this picture and I don't want to be a one in that lot. What made me to create this post is the crap involved in it.

Personally I didn't like the movie. It didn't struck the chord. Its a fool's errand. I mean the theme itself is farcical..What the fish..Tress killing humans by releasing toxins!!! I had a argument or rather a discussion with one of my friends. He agrees with the story and says its the package for us called period of evolution which I couldn't agree.

Are they taking avenge to what we have done to them for over the centuries..? Trees can talk, amble in LOTR's but not beyond that boundary. Its not going to happen like The Happening..And if that is the case my dear trees we have reached an impasse, so lets have a truce..We'll make you an offer you can't refuse :P

Ciao...

Nadal grows Grass in his Castle of Clay

Wimbledon-The most prestigious event of all and a dream land for every tennis player. This time Roger was embarked on a date with destiny hoping it to make for the sixth time in a row but couldn't take the bull by the horns. Yet it was Feds valour that made this 2008 Wimby the longest ever played Wimby final and will be remembered forever!!!

It was truly a promising final with lots of actions and drama. Can you expect anything better than this..? Never I have seen any warriors fighting like this. There was not even a single stroke that was not played, striking with every possible angle that you can measure. The rain played spoilsport and the match was a roller coaster ride for both the players.

The whole match I was on the edge of my seat literally cursing Rafa. The first two sets was a cake walk for Rafa showing doomsday for Feds era. Fed couldn't convert the break points into game which played a crucial part in his defeat. Fed fought back till the last set but couldn't avoid the disaster.

It was the longest ever played Wimby final lasting for 4hrs 48 min ending the 5year reign of the King. Fed has his flavour even in the defeat. Rafa need to create a record to dethrone the Emperor. Feds winning streak of 65 consecutive matches came to an end and so was the aspiration to win the 6th consecutive Wimby title :((((..I agree, Rafa deserves the praise but Fed deserves no burying.

This is the third grand slam defeat for the year, making it difficult to digest for any Fed fan .Goddamn 3 timesssss... Nadal's game surely improved over the years but I never thought it would dethrone the King of Wimby..I am sure Fed doesn't give a damn if he looses 5 French opens but loosing a single Wimby will definitely make him cry his heart out!!

It pains to see the King in such a sober mood in his stylish cardigan holding the runner's trophy at the center court..:((..I am HeartBrokennnnn...

The faded light at the center court doesn't indicate the falldown of The Emperor as many ass***** have written in their damn columns. No one can write his epitaph. His is still the number one and is The One. The Swiss watch will never stop ticking!!!

And finally to be on the optimistic side...I wish Fed would kick Rafa's ass in the next Wimby and send the message loud and clear--get your dirty(clay) feet off my Lawn!!!

Hope Olympics will be Ours...Cheers RF...

Plagiarism Vs Inspiration

Ever pondered whats the difference between Plagiarism and Inspiration…? Well ask Music Director Pritam and you will get the answer straight away: hair strand difference. He coined out the term IPR, meaning, International Public resources.

Always there is a blatant act of plagiarism involved in all his films and you can bet your bottom dollar on it. Probably he may have felt you cant make gold from iron and straight lifted the tunes not just from English but from all the languages he could cover.

Surprisingly nobody sued him( As far as I know) and he can thank his lucky stars for helping him keep smiling all the way to the bank.

I always enjoyed listening to his tunes. In fact my all time fav track was composed by him. Thank God that's not a copied one ( Again, as far as I know :) ) .Its high time that you understand the difference between inspiration and plagiarism. So my dear yuppie stop resting on your laurels and start rolling up your sleeves before Bollywood goes truly global.

Few out of Many

Life in a Metro song Baatein kuch ankahee copy of Korean song, 'Ah Reum Dah Oon Sa Ram' by Seo Yu Seok! Original: http://youtube.com/watch?v=KCTGuhPcC4Y
COPY: http://youtube.com/watch?v=Ura4grIiF90&feature=related

Race Song Pehli Nazar copy of Chinese Kim Hyung Song Sarang Hae Yo Original: http://youtube.com/watch?v=8KoS3weBxAg
COPY: http://youtube.com/watch?v=ffp5h_FGEJY

Woh Lamhe 'Kya mujhe pyaar hai'copy of Indonesian Band 'Tak bisakah' Original: http://youtube.com/watch?v=EZTqg1MgkTY
COPY:http://youtube.com/watch?v=2EoblYYvLsE&feature=related

Now ponder this: Sarkar is an Inspiration from Godfather or Plagiarised….?

A jaunt to MacRitchie

It was not an impulsive one and people amazingly showed up at the right time. Wanted to take a break from the monotonous life and finally made it..Got up early by 6 and started by 7. Its just half an hour from my place and met the other guys at 7.30 at MacRitchie and the 12 of us started for the trek.

This trek was more fun than the one in Malaysia. The place is filled with greenery( ya I know no point of trekking without that) and has a reservoir. Our first destination was the Tree Top Walk. Its a suspension bridge providing the birds view of the forest. Had a lot of expectations before going there but was let down ..reasons..It was a very narrow and very stiff without even swaying an inch which is a big no no if you wanna have real fun. Nevertheless, the elevation was good providing nice view of the forest.

Then reached to ranger station and had a break for a while. There was difference in the gait and accidentally we split into two groups. One the way my ears were smiling to the chirp of the birds and crickets. Rarely I get that combo.There was the reservoir where we saw cute bale of turtles. They were so cute that the moment they saw us, they tried to come near to us.

On the way back we saw a gigantic monitor lizard blocking the way and basking there. It was so creepy..Damn I hate these cold blooded reptiles. We tried it scare it away but in vain, dared and crossed it. Saw the golfers teeing off in the ground nearby and took some Kodak moments and were out finally...

On the whole we might have walked over 10km and had truck loads of fun. Surprisingly I didn't feel hungry pangs and was totally pooped, sweating like a pig...Happy to see that my weekend was filled with some fun...

??????

You never know what the hell is going to happen tomorrow..neither you know what's there on the cards for today....There was this particular incident last week, I never expected or wanted to come in my life..

I friend of mine buzzed me to get an advice. I knew I can't do anything in that matter but still I hated myself for being a dead duck with lively ears..I didn't know whether to be glad to be called in difficult times or feel gloomy for choosing me to help in what I call is the knottiest task I could ever imagine.

As they say every cloud has a silver lining, I hope it does some good and hopefully I may come into some help in future....

The Art of Honking

The car in front of you is moving so slowly at the immigration checkpoint in Singapore. Impatient, you blare your horn. Bad mistake. That can get you a fine or even three months in jail. And if you are Malaysian, you can be barred from entering Singapore. Under the Road Traffic Act, those who blare their horns while their vehicles are stationary can be given a $70 compound fine or be charged in court and face up to $1,000 fine and three months' jail.(courtesy:http://tnp.sg/news/story/0,4136,167776,00.html?)

Ha ha seems derisory to me, who learnt riding a bike without even taking the thumb off the horn. Continuous honking assures the novice that he is safe and no other vehicle is going to kiss his one. That the least one can do when you can expect vehicles coming in n directions. Its a catch 22 situation. You should honk in order to make your journey safe.

I guess, not even a single ride of mine was there without a honk, at least for a nano second. And when it comes to borrowing a vehicle, I never preferred a one which doesn't have a horn..ha ha..so choosy..Making things worse is the Blow Horn signs on the back of the vehicle making it a point to honk, honk and honk...

//Happy Fathers Day\\

I remember when I was a kid people always tried to grill me by asking me whom you love the most..Mummy or Daddy..? Obviously I didn't want to spill the beans and always tried to give a diplomatic answer. When I think of those things now ,it really appears quite ludicrous. Even now I think I will fumble when I am asked the same question.I cannot take the sides because both has their own role to play and complement each other.

I really spent very few years of my life with my Dad. Most of my school days were without him. His visits were once in an year. Unlike my Mom, I was more interested in knowing about the gifts he is going to get. And the day I come to know that he will be coming shortly, I used to take a pen& paper and jot down my wish list.

And one particular wish list always remained special to me-a video game. This time I was let down because I was told that he couldn't find time for that.phew...my vision was blurred with the water in my eyes and I went outside furtively and let my eyes do the rest of the work,charily observing my surroundings so as to avoid embarrassment of being caught while crying for a silly thing. Ha ha later my dad had a surprise for me:)

My wishes were given the priority, as a result they sacrificed many. I regret for making them feel sad by some of my decisions. Always encouraged me, made me feel happy and never allowed anything to let me down. To me, he is the epitome of success and inspired me in many ways. Will always make you feel proud of your son. I am short of words to write about him..Love u lots dad...
Happy Pop's Day!!!

Incredible !ndia

When I was passing by the Dhoby ghaut MRT I happened to see the ad board showcasing India's cultural heritage and apparently promoting tourism. The sight of that brought a smile on my face. Seeing your country name on a foreign land by all odds should make you feel proud. But then this struck me..Why Incredible India.Did the Amazing Asia tag inspire them?Oxford has two meanings for Incredible.

1) Amazingly good 2) Impossible to believe.

Every Indian will be delighted when a Foreigner says the 1st one.Second one can be seen in different perspectives.Impossible to believe....Two days before, I read an article in IBN about a London minister saying throwing garbage out of the window was “normal behaviour” in India, to do so in Britain was “not acceptable behaviour”. I am sure many countries cannot even imagine throwing garbage out of the window which we Indians do or at least use to do..

I happened to meet a British tourist when I was touring in Malaysia. She is in Malaysia having visited India before coming over to there. I was very inquisitive to get a feedback from her. The very first word that came from her is " its good" then she continued, "but I don't know.. its not like England". Then I was telling to myself " How can India be England. If that is the case why should you take all the pain of travelling 4000 odd miles to see a a carbon copy on England ." She then followed with another terrible word " I was scared". That put me into embarrassment and wiped the smile off my face and I decided not to ask anything more than that.

On the flip side, a friend of mine ( Chinese) from NUS happened to visit India recently . He visited Kajuraho, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Udiapur,Jaisalmar, Amritsar, Agra etc etc..I was really awe stuck when he said had visited all these places. Being an Indian I have never seen places outside Hyderabad except Goa and Delhi, thanks to my B.E. I was again put into embarrassment when he said " you might have seen all these places". We always long to see places outside India but are least bothered to visit the umpteen good places in India. I thought atleast this Guy has said that India is Amazingly good.. I am not sure how the narration of his tour differs in the absence of mine but at least he made me feel proud unlike the English woman...My country -

Incredible!ndia....

The Ghosts of Silence..

Damn....Its already two weeks that I joined this company and I still didn't make any friends...I am not to be blamed..The place is like that..People here seldom speak and are very stolid. I don't know whether its the multiculturalism or the language barrier that's making it difficult to break the ice...I share the compartment with two Chinese (Mr Kwok ,Mrs Mo), a Vietnamese(Mr.Quoc),and a Japanese(Mr Tan). Ha ha at least I managed to master their names..

There is absolutely no gabfest making my whole day never ending. Probably I should understand that these people are doing the damn research and the work they do demands the so called silence. The only sound or rather I should say rattle that fills the room is the sound of the mouse clicks and keyboard presses. Often my vocal chords have the urge to vibrate but are subdued for the fear of limelight and aftermath they might create.

Next month we will be moving to a new location and I am not sure whether I will be lost in the bigger campus or will I get the chance to meet new people to make friends....Till then I have to hold the horse and hope for the better or prepare for the worse..Only time will tell..and btw here is the snapshot of phase A of the fusionopolis where we will be moving in approx 43 days 9hrs 17min 55 sec...

Tournoi de Roland-Garros

The City of Lights hosted yet another grand slam making it 107th time-The French Open..As usual Americans proved that they suck when it comes to clay courts.It was raining Serbs this time.There were no stupefies, with same old guys in the finals but with thumping wins..Man...The Bull once again proved that he is invincible on the clay courts.For him it was literally a walk in the park ...A total destruction, ruthlessly humiliating the world number 1.

The match lasted for just 108 min with a bagel( 6-0) and bread stick(6-1). The last time Fed baked a bagel was in 1999. Fed couldn't do any worse than he did yesterday. And after this I guess, Feddie would never think that defeating Nadal on clay court is no big shakes. It was a total lopsided game with Rafa vanquishing Fed..phew

The clay court magician controlled the match right from the beginning leaving Fed little hopes to win a grand slam which he never won. Gee, Poor Roger.. it was not really his day.. And when Fed thinks of Roland Garros the only man that comes in his way is Rafa... And the way Rafa is playing I am sure it will be very difficult for Fed to defend his Wimbledon title. I wish Fed repeats the game at the Wimbledon but with Rafa at the receiving end.

And Ana Ivanovic proved that she is the queen of Clay. She held her nerves forgetting the disaster final last time and trashed Safina. Her Physio, Bro, Advisor and Hitting partner have planned to do something outrageous and ended up running around the Arc de Triomphe wearing one of Ana's Adidas dresses. That's called the Joy of Triumph...

bonjour..adios..