tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33726226445519378632024-02-19T09:41:54.737+05:30A Few Untainted Thoughtsr@j!http://www.blogger.com/profile/04357517661556956412noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3372622644551937863.post-69073892552152352122018-10-05T10:38:00.001+05:302018-10-05T10:38:58.589+05:30Dakshayini edathi <p dir="ltr">She is short, but stands tall,<br>
One with very few words<br>
Yet the words you can't miss<br>
Or forget </p>
<p dir="ltr">Never seen her laugh or cry <br>
Hard to think her soul is dry </p>
<p dir="ltr">In times tough and hard<br>
She held them strong as a fort </p>
<p dir="ltr">It rains in me <br>
To walk down the way again <br>
Lacking the comforting sight in white </p>
r@j!http://www.blogger.com/profile/04357517661556956412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3372622644551937863.post-30348153490128215132018-06-14T22:32:00.005+05:302018-06-15T14:34:24.570+05:30Meet the PM (Ex PM)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It's been more than 3 years and at least for the first two years, the literary Raji was sound asleep as the mother Raji was trying to fit 20 hours of official and personal work into 16 hours everyday. I gave birth to my second daughter in March 2017 and loved the maternity break that I only got to start after her birth. I have been reading one book or the other since then and for me - reading and writing goes hand in hand. So here I am - Starting my Nth innings of vigorous activity completely unapologetic of the hibernation and unwilling to come up with any logical reasoning, at least for the reading bit.<br />
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So last week, I had my WOW moment - I actually met an Ex Prime Minister and he spoke to me for 10 seconds at the most - Now that is equivalent as to winning an olympic gold for me! I spent the next few hours sharing and tweeting the video/photo of the book signing.<br />
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Mr. Brown and Ms. Sarah Brown was at SouthBank centre to talk about his time in politics and his current work since retirement from mainstream politics - basically to promote his book. It was meant to be a candid conversation but was more formal than a BBC breakfast show. However, I have always enjoyed watching him talk - political debates, interviews, election propaganda - the man is natural in front of a crowd. This time was no different, he walked and talked with great energy. I had trouble catching up with him when he jumped from one topic to another and basically covered 40 years of his political life in less than 20 minutes of his opening statement. </div>
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I was alarmed at how easily celebrities interacted with mere mortals here. There were no mobs calling out slogans, no black cats or body guards. He took his time, shook hands with everyone waiting in line for his signature, spoke something relevant to the person, apologised for the wait time and thanked with the same bright smile even to the last person in the line. I do agree that politics runs in his blood and he is trained to react in a certain way to make the recipient happy irrespective of what goes on in his mind at the time (Yes, I do remember his microphone accident). However, I also believe that being accessible and living like a common man is what makes a true leader in a democracy. </div>
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r@j!http://www.blogger.com/profile/04357517661556956412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3372622644551937863.post-43132301819949683792014-12-30T17:37:00.000+05:302014-12-30T17:37:20.693+05:30Whats in a name!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
the answer is .. a LOT!<br />
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When I call the GP, they ask for my DOB instead of my name, My colleagues rely on self-complete options of mail and chat applications to connect to me, When I'm asked for my surname on phone, I'll start spelling it without them prompting, If I have to fill up any documents with my husband, I have to go around convincing people that he is indeed my husband even though our surnames are different because I chose to keep it that way... The list goes on. But this post is not about how Indian names are handled in the western world. In fact this is about how important your full name is!<br />
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I had to write one test the other day for our VISA extension and my DH completely ignored my middle name while registering. So on the day of the test, I woke up at 5 to revise everything I managed to gulp in the previous day, arranged food for DD for the whole day, reached the center on time after 90 mins commute only to be sent back home because I had my middle name missing when I registered. All my efforts to convince them with originals were in vain. That's a good 5 hours and £70 washed away in the waters !<br />
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Lesson learnt: Always spell check your name, Husbands are not smart enough to remember your full names all the time!<br />
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r@j!http://www.blogger.com/profile/04357517661556956412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3372622644551937863.post-21309083436876525452011-03-21T17:10:00.001+05:302011-03-21T17:14:28.433+05:30A train journeyMy mom was tensed as usual seeing many guys in my coach. I tried to make my way through the highly crowded compartment when my sister and mom chose to stand outside and spy on my neighbors for the 8 hour journey. After I got to my seat, I got busy settling my things, when suddenly a guy, <em>a smart young man in his mid twenties</em> called me to tell that my sis wants to talk to me. Without giving a proper acknowledge to my messenger, I moved to say b-bye to amma and sis. These days talking to strangers, that too guys, that too in front of amma is a strict no-no to me.<br />The train started and I maintained my highly made up mature look. This being the first evening train to Bangalore from Palakkad, there were many sleeper ticket travelers and I had to share my berth with another family till Coimbatore. There was no chance of sleeping off as I would have done usually. I finished my dinner and desperately waited for the family to get down in the next station. All of a sudden I heard a <em>hi </em><br />It was him again, the same messenger guy. I gave a least interested smile back and started to play around with my mob. He had decided not to stop... The conversation went like this…<br /><br />He – it’s very boring right?<br />Me – Yeah!<br />He – Which berth?<br />Me – 25<br />He – going to Bangalore?<br />Me – Ya<br />He – Software engineer?<br />Me – Yeah (<em>A very disappointed one this time</em>) … and you?<br />He – I’m into yoga. I’m a yoga trainer<br /><br />Something lit up in me. Wow, I got a chance to get free ka advice that too at a time when I desperately wanted one … I have grown in size sideways, so much that I had to give off all my favorite salwars to my sis since I could not get into any of them. My BMI is in the brim, another half kg would brand me over weight… I have low bp, I’m anemic, and my legs get swollen if I sit for a long time… In short, I have all the ailments and concerns of a woman in her 30s and I’m years behind 30 <em>(***winking***).</em> Conversation continued like this…<br /><br />He – I was also a software engineer till 3 years back. <br />Me – Oh I see… Were you into yoga from childhood?<br />He – Yes, but I never thought of it as a career. Now I’m happy that I chose it. 80% of our customers are software engineers.<br />Me – Obviously… when you pick a city like Bangalore where 80% of the total population is into IT<br />He (smiling) – that’s true<br /><br />We talked for the next 1 hour. There was no telephone number exchange. In fact I don’t even know his name. I asked him many questions; he answered them patiently as he would have done to any of his students. According to him, Yoga is a vast science. There are almost 80,000 to 100,000 asanas and most masters in Yoga will manage to learn only a few 100s. Yoga is about letting yourself free, it is not something that is restricted by do's and don’ts. It should be part of our lifestyle and not for reducing our weight or for toning, although they are guaranteed after-effects of yoga. There is no dieting required for yoga. In fact he says that there is no point in refraining from anything you like in order to maintain your figure. That will cause a disappointment, sometimes that we won’t even notice.<br /><br />I was relieved. Alas, someone told me that there is no point in dieting :) When the train reached Bangalore, we got up, bid <em>good-bye</em> and <em>All-the-best</em> and moved out in two different directions. I was happy for meeting him, a composed individual whose sole aim in life was not to earn money.<br /><br />How many times do we pay attention to people around us? How many times we smile at kids playing around? Life today is governed by money, driven by power and guarded by fear.r@j!http://www.blogger.com/profile/04357517661556956412noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3372622644551937863.post-61179771270204617622010-08-28T20:28:00.004+05:302010-08-28T20:45:14.469+05:30Go green :)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0CefJKukF4L61k7PukxZd95EsygBWRc8uWUA1CnNpC2f9VX4ngA2552rdZa4NGpZAZtjzKW09H3yLQT8joifWukNQP2BgsyHyKq0ghqqtG-QUEIeZnq-ZT9iZJWa4wnF73QCRDJZXkjQ/s1600/IMG_2910.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 216px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510479341316814306" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0CefJKukF4L61k7PukxZd95EsygBWRc8uWUA1CnNpC2f9VX4ngA2552rdZa4NGpZAZtjzKW09H3yLQT8joifWukNQP2BgsyHyKq0ghqqtG-QUEIeZnq-ZT9iZJWa4wnF73QCRDJZXkjQ/s320/IMG_2910.JPG" /></a><br /><div><div>Certain revelations sets in you a little late .. sometimes you discover it when someone else tells you. Something like that was imposed on me lately when Jay discovered that green is my favourite colour. His justification to the observation is that knowingly/unknowingly I pick green in things I wear, homewares that I purchase, bed covers, choice of paint and even my blog template. I thought over and found it quite right, so from then green is my favourite colour, purple is picking up fast although. Recently I purchased a room curtain for my drawing room and I chose purple from all the colours there, and even my new blackberry is purple :)</div><div></div><br /><div>Knowing my fancy over favourite colurs, Jay gifted me 2 T shirts for this onam - One green and the other purple :)) Well, I thought of writing this post after another realisation. Recently I find myself eating lot of Kiwi and you know why, it looks brilliant with those fine black seeds in the green background... the loveliest fruit according to me ... and of course, it tastes good :))</div><br /><br /><div></div></div>r@j!http://www.blogger.com/profile/04357517661556956412noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3372622644551937863.post-3638790334050468872010-08-25T00:36:00.003+05:302010-08-25T00:52:04.290+05:30Maybe a li'l longerI requested, I demanded, I protested - Finally I won!!!<br />I got relocated to a developed country on work, plainly because I wanted to join my hubby there. Back from home 90 miles looked less, its just 1.5 hours in train... which meant that I can commute daily to office from home. I was excited. <br />It was not that easy...<br />Work was getting hectic, simple routine jobs which demanded your complete attention even on weekends<br />More time on train and no time for me(leave alone my husband) at home made me restless<br />I fell sick, got bedridden for weeks together...<br />Now I feel giddy thinking of the work that awaits me next week...<br />Was it all worth it???<br />I look forward for the life that my mother had at my age ... a comfortable job next to home, return home on time with ample time for family, calm weekends with parents/grand parents, cooking was never a task, we never missed our favourite TV shows and took turns to share the days happenings....<br />Maybe I have to wait a li'l longer ....r@j!http://www.blogger.com/profile/04357517661556956412noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3372622644551937863.post-39443070070160676962010-07-30T00:21:00.004+05:302010-07-30T00:48:00.440+05:30The White Tiger - review<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlDip3KLarowGb9RRi3KVRHnbzjqEe3w-wzXDms4BdtvGLJfOmHHTwmRr9bqAR_LoShmMkyZPSP45YPZw6lTlDPRcXV7pjIN1Yg_PC0Y8qzFeaA5duAgKMp4jxHRE5ERYrz-mcbHWpk5c/s1600/images.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 183px; height: 276px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlDip3KLarowGb9RRi3KVRHnbzjqEe3w-wzXDms4BdtvGLJfOmHHTwmRr9bqAR_LoShmMkyZPSP45YPZw6lTlDPRcXV7pjIN1Yg_PC0Y8qzFeaA5duAgKMp4jxHRE5ERYrz-mcbHWpk5c/s320/images.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499409270155927730" /></a><br />A very frank and plain representation of the present state of India seen from varied angles. The narrator is a common man who is proud of what he has 'achieved' over the years despite being born in a poorest of poor families. Very fast moving book written in simple English. There are many instances where the author has portrayed things very innocently, mostly by ignorance. The comparisons and perceptions are written in a fresh new style. On a whole, a good to read book - which you can carry for a one day trip :)<div>And thanks to the book, I didn't know what's so unique about a white tiger....<br /><div><br /></div><div>PS: I'm aware of the fact that I didn't start my post with a preface explaining my hibernation. That was intentional coz i have no excuse ... I was just lazy!!!</div></div>r@j!http://www.blogger.com/profile/04357517661556956412noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3372622644551937863.post-4570924561875103332010-03-23T17:26:00.004+05:302010-03-23T18:33:33.522+05:30I'm tagged!Thank you Commni for tagging me. I love tags, but I always love reading the answers that people write, let me try my shot here…<br />So here goes my first tag post<br /><br /><strong>1. What is your current obsession?</strong><br />Walking and jogging… Can’t believe I have become so health conscious.<br /><strong><br />2. What are you wearing today?</strong><br />One of my Salwar which is 4 years old and looks brand new even now.<br /><br /><strong>3. What’s for dinner?</strong><br />Dal, Roti, rice … the usual stuff :(<br /><br /><strong>4. What’s the last thing you bought?</strong><br />North Indian non veg meals from my office cafeteria<br /><br /><strong>5. What are you listening to right now?</strong><br />Keyboard strokes<br /><br /><strong>6. What do you think about the person who tagged you?</strong><br />A girl with great sense of wit and amazing writing ability, Communi, having said this, I also have a suggestion, forget your CAT/MAT and join Creating Writing Course in a good university.<br /><br /><strong>7. If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished anywhere in the world, where would you like it to be?<br /></strong>Thripoonithura, Cochin :)<br /><br /><strong>8. What are your must-have pieces for summer?</strong><br />Lot of water, fan, sunscreen lotion, wet tissues, a dim lit room in the ground floor of any building with proper ventilation, umbrella.<br /><br /><strong>9. If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?</strong><br />Swindon<br /><br /><strong>10. Which language do you want to learn?</strong><br />I wanna learn to write my mother tongue properly first. Rest all can wait.<br /><br /><strong>11. What’s your favourite quote?</strong><br />I never let schooling to interfere with my education – Mark Twain<br /><br /><strong>12. Who do you want to meet right now?</strong><br />Etta<br /><br /><strong>13. What is your favourite colour?</strong><br />Green. I have joined the ‘Go Green’ initiative<br /><br /><strong>14. Give us 3 styling tips that work for you.</strong><br />1. Never take too much time to get ready for any occasion. It’s always better the natural way, 2. Hair and foot speaks a lot about one’s personality (This is just my observation, I got a very unruly hair), 3. Dressing decently is more important than dressing stunningly<br /><br /><strong>15. What is your dream job?</strong><br />As a senior secondary school teacher in an international school which has the best bunch of students and faculty very near to my home. Of course the pay does matter!<br /><br /><strong>16. What’s your favorite magazine</strong>?<br />I don’t follow any magazines. I read anything that comes handy.<br /><br /><strong>17. If you had $100 now, what would you spend it on?</strong><br />A high heal black cut shoes for myself, Birthday gift for my sis and dad, Head first series of SQL, a corduroy blank pants for myself and a small gift for etta.<br /><br /><strong>18. What do you consider a fashion faux pas?</strong><br />Body piercing<br /><br /><strong>19. Who according to you is the most over-rated style icon?</strong><br />Freida Pinto<br /><br /><strong>20. What kind of haircut do you prefer?</strong><br />Would like to try curls but knowing my hair, I would stick to normal U cut.<br /><br /><strong>21. What are you going to do after this?</strong><br />Grab my bag and run to catch the bus back to office<br /><br /><strong>22. What are your favourite movies?</strong><br />Tough question, Of what I can remember now – Manichitrathazhu, kadhavasheshan, Shawshank Redemption, Pretty Women, Jab we met, Anbe Sivam, Kannathil muthamittal, Cast Away ….<br /><br /><strong>23. What inspires you?</strong><br />My failures<br /><br /><strong>24. What do your friends call you most commonly?</strong><br />Just my name; it’s too short to be shortened further<br /><br /><strong>25. Would you prefer coffee or tea?</strong><br />Tea… Can’t live without it a day<br /><br /><strong>26. What do you do when you are feeling low or terribly depressed?</strong><br />Keep myself busy with things of my interest.<br /><br /><strong>27. What makes you go wild?</strong><br />Hunger<br /><br /><strong>28. Which other blogs do you love visiting?</strong><br />All the blogs I'm following.<br /><br /><strong>29. Favorite Dessert/Sweet?</strong><br />Payasam (Paalada)<br /><br /><strong>30. How many tabs are turned on in ur browser right now?</strong><br />I use IE 6, so only one tab<br /><br /><strong>31. Favorite Season?</strong><br />Rainy season<br /><br /><strong>32.Whats ur current facebook status msg?</strong><br />I’m not into facebook!<br /><br /><strong>33. What is the right way to avoid people who purposefully hurt you?<br /></strong>Ignore<br /><br /><strong>34. What are you afraid of the most?</strong><br />Staying away from home<br /><br /><strong>35. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing you thought?<br /></strong>My eyes were red like a cherry in the morning<br /><br /><strong>36. What brings a smile on your face instantly?</strong><br />A sight of him ;)<br /><br /><strong>37. A word that you say a lot?</strong><br />Hello<br /><br /><strong>38. Tell us a bad PJ u heard recently??</strong><br /><br /><em><span style="font-size:+0;">Once there was a bus conductor, who was very rude to his passengers.<br /><br />One day a beautiful young girl, of around 18 years,tried to board the bus, but he didn't stop the bus. Unfortunately the beautiful young girl came under the bus and died on the spot.<br /><br />Angry passengers took the conductor to the police station, who in turn took him to the court.<br /><br />The judge was not at all impressed with him and gave him capital punishment.<br /><br />He was taken to the electrocution chamber.<br /><br />There was a single chair in the center of the room and a single banana peel at one corner of the room.<br /><br />The conductor was strapped to the chair and high voltage current was given to him! .<br /><br />But to everyone's amazement, he survived.<br /><br />The judge decided to set him free, and he returned to his profession.<br /><br />After a few months, this time, a good looking middle aged woman tried to board the bus but the conductor didn't stop the bus.<br /><br />Unfortunately, this time also, the good looking middle aged woman came under the bus and died on the spot. Again angry passengers took him to the police station, who in turn took him to the court.<br /><br />The judge took one look at the conductor and gave him capital punishment.<br /><br />The Bus conductor was taken to the same electrocution chamber where there was a single chair in the center of the room and a single banana peel at one corner of the room.<br /><br />He was strapped to the chair and high voltage current was given to him.<br /><br />This time also to everyone's amazement, he survived.<br /><br />The judge decided to set him free, and he returned to his profession.<br /><br />A couple of months later, an elderly gentleman tried to board the bus.<br /><br />This time the Bus conductor, remembering his earlier experiences, stopped the bus.<br /><br />Unfortunately the elderly gentleman slipped and died due to his injuries.<br /><br />The conductor was taken to the police station and then to the court, to the same judge.<br /><br />Though he hadn't done anything wrong, but considering his past record the judge decided to set an example and gave him capital punishment.<br /><br />The Bus conductor was again taken to the same electrocution chamber where there was a single chair in the center of the room and a single banana peel at one corner of the room.<br /><br />He was strapped to the chair and high voltage current was given to him.<br /><br />This time he died instantly !!!!!!!!!!!<br /><br />The question is why didn't he die on the first two occasions, but died instantly the third time??<br /><br />Try to solve it yourselves. This is rather interesting and answer is perfectly logical.<br /><br />If necessary read the puzzle once again.<br /><br /><br /><br />Still you couldn't, Then see below...<br /><br /><br /><br />Think hard<br /><br /><br /><br />Tired????<br /><br /><br /><br />Wanna know the answer ????<br /><br />Answer :<br /><br />During the first two times, the conductor was a Bad Conductor, therefore electricity didn't pass through him.<br /><br />But during the third time, he was a good conductor, electricity passed through him freely and he died!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!! !<br /><br />Ha Ha Ha ha !!!!!!!! Obviously you gotta revise your science chapter on Electricity? ?<br /></span></em><br /><span style="font-size:+0;"><strong>39. What's the last book that you have read?</strong></span><br /><span style="font-size:+0;">Cloud nine minus one- Sangeeta Mall<br /></span><br /><span style="font-size:+0;">I'm tagging Saravana, Jithu and Arjun. Let me see if you really reveal anything :)<br /></span><span style="font-size:+0;"></span>r@j!http://www.blogger.com/profile/04357517661556956412noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3372622644551937863.post-30137261800829372552010-03-06T19:55:00.005+05:302010-03-07T00:32:17.404+05:30On a serious note :)Long time no see.... I know it has been really a big gap and the biggest thing that I regret about is that I broke the resolution of mine to keep posting something in my blog at least once in a month.. now thats bad ... chalo better late than never. I'll update two posts this month and that'll do the compensation :)<div><br /></div><div>It has been a happening 'era' for me and I feel a 'little' grown up. I have heard that marriage brings with it so many responsibilities, but for me it meant a lot more recognition - a new identity. </div><div><br /></div><div>This is my first post as Mrs. Jayakumar and yes, people give me some respect, I'm married now... </div><div><br /></div><div>I'm loving my work now. It's really good to work with people who know what they are doing and are logical enough to justify why they are doing that. There are a few freshers in the team and one can feel the difference when we are with them in their energy and enthusiasm. </div><div>They are not very keen to check their mails every 10 minutes and don't have an alarm set for 'tea time'. They are proud to display their ID cards and payrolls. There is no cribbing about appraisals and no one bothers about maintaining the hours in office. They are eager to meet their pals and weekends mean more than long hours of sleep. No manager is bad and no question is silly. They are here because they deserve to be here and I just hope that they are given enough chances to prove their mettle, at least to start off in a way they like. </div><div><br /></div><div>I got a new friend, a Sports Instructor, although with her tiny frame no one would guess it. She came to me to help her create a resume. I got interested as I was filling it up. She was doing the job because that was the thing that she was interested in. She knows what she wants and she can tell you with confidence where she will find herself after 5 years. She understands her weaknesses and is sensible enough to refrain from doing something just because she has to do it. </div><div><br /></div><div>Okie, enough of my philosophy. Coming to some of the things that I did lately, I read KamalaDas's 'My Story'. It was a book that I wanted to read for a long time just because of the controversy surrounding it but the book didn't come to my expectations maybe because I read the English translation, I couldn't feel the real beauty in her language but I liked her poems. I somehow felt that the story is made up... a little too much of added masala than what an autobiography should contain. Although the plot was OK, I felt that there is no story as such in 'her story'. Her thoughts as I could sense from the book were the same in her 40's as it was in her teens. May be she never grew up. I felt the dissatisfied tone in everything she did apart from writing. </div><div><br /></div><div>I heard from a friend that her son, M.D Nalapat writes nice political reviews ... however I haven't come across his articles yet. </div><div><br /></div><div>That's it for now but watch out, I got unlimited internet access at home and all the time in the world to keep jotting something... See you later!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>r@j!http://www.blogger.com/profile/04357517661556956412noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3372622644551937863.post-28351864146082664402010-01-08T11:56:00.002+05:302010-01-08T11:59:14.108+05:30FWD : Avatar compared with Vietnam Colony<span style="color:#660000;">Outstanding observation.... I got this as an email FWD and thought of sharing it ....</span><br /><br /><em><span style="color:#000099;">What is the Talk of Town now? Whats the whole world is talking about? Be<br />it Media, Newspapers, Tv, InfyBlogs, BB, your friends circle, everybody<br />is talking about one and only one thing. - A V A T A R<br /><br />I had been to bangalore for the weekend and saw this Ever hyped picture.<br />Avatar is named as the "Movie of the millennium" and the top ranker in<br />imdb list. Even the critics are all praise to this movie. Each one is<br />praising cameroon to the sky. But would you kill me if i say AVATAR is<br />the hollywood version of an old Malayalam Movie?<br /><br />Yes. Avatar is the hollywood version of an old malayalam movie. A<br />Mohanlal starrer, Siddique-Lal directed, movie called VIETNAM COLONY!!!<br /><br />Now wipe out the "What the Fa" expression from your face and lend me<br />your ears.<br /><br />After 15 minutes into the movie i relaized that, AVATAR is VIETNAM<br />COLONY RELOADED<br /><br /><br />To start of with, let me give you and Intro about Vietnam Colony, if you<br />have no clue about it. This is an old malayalam movie which was released<br />when i was a kid. The story line is based on a colony named as Vietnam<br />Colony, where only gundas, goons, and below poverty line people lives.<br />This colony is situated in the centre of the place and a construction<br />company owns this colony. But the residents are not willing to vacate<br />the place as they dont have any other place to go. Then the company<br />makes a smart move by sending one person (Mohan Lal) to the colony, to<br />be one among them and to tactfully vacate the people. But knowing the<br />reality and by empathizing on the poor residents over there, the Man who<br />was sent by the company, stands for the colony people and fight back<br />against the company.<br /><br />Striking something? Not Yet? Now replace the Vietnam Colony and the poor<br />residents as the people in Pandoras World. Replace the construction<br />company folks as those scientists. Replace Mohanlal as the Hero of<br />Avatar. Now you got it.<br /><br />In Avatar, the hero (sorry , i dono his name) goes to Pandoras world<br />standing for the scientists and be one among the residents. Later on he<br />realizes the value of their existence and fight back against the ones<br />who had sent him. There are plenty of scenes matching with Vietnam<br />colony.<br /><br />In the begininng, grace would tell the hero that she was looking for his<br />brother and have no confidence that he would finish the mission.<br />Similarly, in VC, Construction Company first doubts about the talent of<br />Lal and worry if he could evacuate the gunds and other localites from<br />their place.<br /><br />In VC, When Mohanlal Reaches the colony, at first, he would have an<br />argument with the Auto Rikshaw guy regarding the fare. The Auto guy<br />tries to indulge in a fist fight with Lal. Then the Main Rowdy of<br />Colony, Rauthar, comes and stand behind Lal. Seeing him, the Auto guy<br />would flee and Lal thinks that the Auto guy got scared of him only and<br />when he turns back, he would see the gunda standing behind him.<br />Similarly in Avatar, when they are in the pandoras world for the first<br />time, an Elephant kinda creature tries to attack the hero and flee by<br />seeing a much bigger animal behind him. Hero thinks the elephant got<br />scared by him and when he turns back he see a much more bigger creature.<br /><br />In VC, the person who had been sent by the company falls in love with a<br />girl of the colony. Similarly in Avatar, he fall for a girl from the<br />pandoras world. At one point of time, the slum people realize that he is<br />a person from the construction company and attacks Lal. Then the girl<br />comes for his help. Similarly in Avatar, tsu tey tries to kill the hero<br />and its the girl who saves the hero.<br /><br />In VC, during the climax, Lal gets back to the company and tell that he<br />is no more working for them and then the company people comes to the<br />colony. At the climax, Lal is fighting against them along with the other<br />Colony people.In Avatar, along with the hero, whole community is<br />fighting against the villains.<br /><br />There are much more scenes which Resembles the old Malayalam movie. I am<br />not saying Avatar is a remake of Vietnam Colony, but i am saying Avatar<br />is the Hollywood version of VC. Cameroon has added lots of stuff to the<br />western audience as well as to other viewers that you almost forget this<br />point. Now that is an Interntational Talent which makes you forget about<br />the original Plot. If Cameroon again take AVATAR after 10 years, i am<br />sure he would add in essentials so that no one would notice that its<br />still Avatar.<br /><br />There are lot of wonderful scenes in AVATAR and Graphics is at its best.<br />Those wild creatures and the flying dragons were too good. I would want<br />to get rid of my RTR now and need a personalized vehicle like the one<br />Hero captures during the end.<br /><br />While coming out of the multiplex, the first thing that came to my mind<br />is that instead of spending 500Rs at PVR Cinemas, i could have easily<br />taken the dvd of Vitenam colony for 15 Rs and could have enjoyed it once<br />again. This is James Cameroon's most hyped movie and the film after 11<br />Oscar Award winner TITANIC. It tooks 11 years for cameroon to make this<br />movie, a reality and now i wonder if Cameroon was watching the DVD of<br />Vietnam Colony throughout these 11 years :-)<br /><br />Who would have had a hearty laugh watching these? None other than<br />Mohanlal and Siddique-Lal. Or would siddique-lal have felt bad after<br />seeing that their plot has gone international and have renowned<br />Worldwide fame? It pains you know. Even a chotta psychic blogger like me<br />felt bad when i got the articles which i have wrote in Infyblogs as a<br />forward to me. (Now stop laughing loud and making fun of me. It has<br />happened)<br /><br />Well, If you havent watched Vietnam Colony, then you are Lucky. Avatar<br />is a new Experience to you.<br />If you have watched Vietnam Colony already, and dint even recognize this<br />until i wrote here, then praise the perfection and technicalities.<br />If you have watched Vietnam Colony and Already found out this similarity<br />in the theatre itseld, congrats for your out of box thinking.</span></em>r@j!http://www.blogger.com/profile/04357517661556956412noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3372622644551937863.post-71004738160087031962010-01-05T13:59:00.000+05:302010-01-05T14:15:25.005+05:30New Year Dhamaka 2010To begin with, I wish all my readers a very happy and pleasantly happening New Year. The start was great for me. On 31st night I ate till I felt that my stomach will burst if I try to stuff in more. And the last weekend, I saw two incredible movies one after the other – Avatar and 3 idiots.<br /><br />Of course Avatar is a super duper hit; but I didn’t know anything about the movie before watching it, except the name, the blue- black posters, and the director’s name of course. In fact I never bothered to check on that since I was not all the way excited about animated and unrealistic movies. But this is not like that, it has that girly touch to it and the movie gives due importance to emotion. Believe me or not – this was the first time I was watching a 3D movie. I was excited when I got the big 3D spectacles and double checked it with Ettan’s before choosing the best one. The actors were not popular ones (Point to be noted: I cannot identify more than a handful number of actors when it comes to English movies). But that really didn’t matter since I loved the Navis (The animated characters) better. I should admit that I was watching the movie for its colour and charm and didn’t pay attention to the technical details. It was a fairy tale for me. I did jump out of my seat a couple of times and leaned over sometimes to touch the flowers of the Eywa (the sacred goddess of Pandora). The dialogues are written beautifully – simple and just perfect to strike the chord especially when it comes to humor. The location is too good. I would love to go there once the way they flew over on those huge bat kinda creatures. The climax (The final shot I mean) is just awesome. <br /><br />I was still roaming around in the fancy land when we started to watch 3 idiots the next day. I should say, it’s a must watch kewl movie. The movie is all about fun, fun and fun. It’s like a nonstop entertainer from the beginning to the end. Hats off to the crew – the movie rocks! Much much better than the book which the author claims that the movie is based on. In fact there is nothing to compare since they are way too different. Except for the basic plot – the campus, 3 crazy guys, a padakoo professor and his beautiful daughter, and some stray scenes here and there, there is nothing common between the book and the movie. There is no need for such hype about giving credit, copyright or whatever to the author. Every youngster will be able to relate to the movie at some point or the other. It’s another Aamir film as such since he rules the movie end to end. Sharman supports him and as expected he just lives the role – a character made for him. There was nothing outstanding in Maddy’s cast but he did carry around with ease. The all popular jokes like ‘Induction motor starting like vroom vroom vroooooom’ is being used but it really didn’t look outdated – all credits to Sharman Joshi! <br />After watching these two movies, I felt this weekend to be just perfect to start the year.<br />Since this is my first post for the year, I’m here to recollect the happenings of last year. I had always wanted to write diaries but I never had the guts to expose all my thoughts in a book, which might come handy to anyone at home ;) Why knowingly put yourself in deep trouble? But I used to write for every New Year. This year, being the last spinster year, I have mixed feelings. I’m excited about marriage, but although I don’t believe rather don’t want to believe that I would be restricted after that… No, that won’t happen. People say that these kind of scary thoughts are common for girls but generally don’t come if the girl has been staying out of home for a long time and it’s even rarer if she already knows the guy. Now if you say 4 years is long, then I’m away from home for quite a long time but I’m still homesick and these days it’s crazy. I’m visiting home every alternate weekend making any good convincible reason. Making people at home aware of this would be the last thing I wanna do now. I was prepared for getting married from a very long time but when it’s nearing, I kind of feel scared. I find myself uttering the aamir slogan – “all izz well” these days.<br /><br />Last year was kind of dragging for me. Everything was as usual. But yes, we went for outings – Wayanad and Coorg. Office was boring to the peak… thanks to recession. At home, it was fun after Vishu. Actually when I’m looking back, nothing is striking me. Altogether not so good but yet trouble free year. This year is crucial. My status gonna change from single to married. New home, new relations – I know everyone but still it feels strange. I may have to shift my work location … hmm its gonna be a hectic year … but looking forward for it … eagerly with my fingers crossed Jr@j!http://www.blogger.com/profile/04357517661556956412noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3372622644551937863.post-5111032665700234872009-12-04T15:02:00.003+05:302009-12-04T15:12:28.005+05:30Another Milestone!My last post dates back to 4 weeks back from now. Bad!<br />Actually the reason is that when I come to office in the morning, I make this plan – today I’ll write about ---- but what can I do? Writer’s block you see! (Can I use such words or is it patented only to big writers?)<br />I’m bored to death. Office is too boring and I keep saving up little bit of work left so that I can do it the next day to keep myself occupied. Now, if you think that it’s great to laze around in the office, I would like to correct it – It’s really not when you have the constraint of spending 9.5 hours in the office and especially when all your friends are either <em>in a different tower</em> or <em>on leave</em> or <em>gone onsite</em> or <em>are pregnant!</em> ;)<br />I met Rahana after 2 years when I was going back from office one day. The same as she was in college. After our 10 minute long discussion, I realized that people are really keen in settling down. So many of my classmates are pregnant and many are mothers by now. Life seems to be running off like loose sand. Guys are picking up as well. What I fail to understand is the differentiating factor that we have gained in the last 4 years after college. Except for a well paying job and stay outside home, I don’t find any significant change. And I was thinking till a few years back that 25 is old. It looks like yesterday when I was running around for Nani’s marriage and that actually is 8 years back. At this pace, I fear that I will remain confused as my kids grow up and suddenly when they are over 20, I will sit and think of how I got married as if it was yesterday. Is it the effect of the place where I’m or just the age. I don’t know the reason; all I know is that I do not like this pace. Enough of philosophy, let’s get to more interesting things – I’m getting married!<br />Marriage – one time in a life time. You have all the liberty to plan and splurge money to your wish – that’s Nami’s advice. Good or bad, I’m spending enough money and time for planning. And that’s what keeps me occupied all these days. After Sreeja left to Mexico, I have all the time in the world to do whatever I wish. Last time when I went home, we finished the most dreadful and painful part (Gold shopping). After that we thought of going to Coimbatore for checking out Sarees. It was a Tuesday and I suppose it’s not a good day for people in TamilNadu to purchase silk. Good for us, we had at least 10 sales girls around us for our assistance. We chose Ganapathy silks and thanks that we did, we have no regrets. It was like a mall with 5 floors. I have heard my friends say that they have sarees of regional taste more but I don’t agree. They have everything, mostly in silk. Only thing is that you have to specifically ask for, sit and choose. What I was amazed at was the price range. You ask it and you get it. You can go to the shop with just 1000 rupees and yet return back after shopping to your hearts satisfaction. Tamilian’s are known for their hospitality. When we were done with the shopping, they kept the sarees for Puja and gave us a big steel thattu with manjal and kunkumam, also a discount of 1000 rupees. And when I was waiting for acha to get the bills cleared off, I had a chance to meet the owner. I was amazed at the way they managed the store. They have fresh stocks coming every week; they have only one branch and 1500 people working in various shifts in the same shop. They have policies laid up clearly. The employees get PF, performance Bonus, they get salary from ATM’s, they have a clear count of Annual and Sick leaves and what not. I admired the owner and the management there as I heard all this from a sales manager there. We had to admit the difference in experience – the previous day, we shopped for lacks in a Jewellery shop and it looked no better than the street market. No matter how high the gold price soar, the place for the yellow metal in a typical Keralite family is very big!<br /><br />Things that I like in TamilNadu<br />· Chettinadu cuisine – Non-veg in particular. They are just so spicy.<br />· Silk sarees – nothing to match the rich colours and intricate works in Kancheepuram silk sarees<br />· Jasmine flowers – They wear it for all occasions and when it is unadulterated with orange and green additions, they smell so good and are nice to see (Only if they wear it after taking bath ;) and trust me the reverse is not very rare.)<br />· Their hospitality<br />· Respect for women<br />· Their readiness to change and develop<br />· Their anklets – Only thing is that they end up wearing it for wrong occasions, a client meeting in office for example.<br /><br />What I dislike<br />· The turmeric, which is the all time hit moisturizer there.<br />· The climate<br /><br />I started with something else and ended up analyzing TamilNadu … great!<br />I’m waiting for comments…yes yes go ahead ….!!!r@j!http://www.blogger.com/profile/04357517661556956412noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3372622644551937863.post-17109423107054641992009-10-30T17:14:00.004+05:302009-10-30T17:25:50.319+05:30Hobbies - Then and now<em><span style="color:#663333;">This is a write up I prepared for a competition in WOW(Women of Wipro). That's a crazy link they provided - I'm not able to submit it ... Despite cutting it short to fit their word count. Baad mein jao competition, here is the complete article as I wrote in the first go.</span></em><br /><br /><br />When does a person actually take time to sit and think about his hobby? Frankly put, I would say when he has to fill up any application forms, and mostly that will be tailored to sound just perfect for the post that is applied for. The hoppy thus becomes professional! It loses its whole definition (The dictionary defines hobby as an activity or interest pursued outside one's regular occupation and engaged in primarily for pleasure). Looking at the fast pace at which the world keeps changing it’s a fact that when people get stuck in the rat race of moving on, they hardly find time to keep track of their interests. The struggle for existence takes priority over ones passion. Hence he has to actually think hard before answering that tricky question – What’s your hobby?<br /><br />That’s the generic way of putting it. Talking about me, my interests are short lived which I justify as an invincible element of growth. There was a time when philately, currency collection, why even empty matchbox collection fancied me. My day was done if I manage to do a high profit exchange with my classmates and trust me that would be a serious affair and we used to have mediators for each transaction. After I got into my high school, Nancy Drew, Hardy boys and Famous Five took most of my time. That was like an addiction for me. Thanks to my school library, they had the entire collection. My college curriculum put a big loud full spot on my reading. That was when Music fascinated me. I had a brand new CD player and good huge speakers at my disposal. I liked to roam and my two- wheeler gave me all the freedom to roam around in town and most importantly, come home late. Soon after landing up with a comfortable job, my culinary interests took over everything else. I used to spend a lot of time thinking of what to cook in the evening. The liveliness and colors of a big city lured me and I loved going out to eat and shop. When I was suddenly left with lot of money and ample spending options for the same, the shopping freak in me gets all what’s needed. As time passed my definition of travel also expanded its boundaries. I got chances to travel in and out of the country both officially as well as personally.<br /><br />Now that I have spent four years here, I feel that I have outgrown many of my interests. And as my age demands, I started paying more attention to my fitness and weight. I was never so keen about maintaining good physique but as the saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention. So I spend a good amount of my time exercising which I enjoy doing. Since I chose aerobics, I don’t feel that as a compulsion. It’s good to move to the fast rhythms and nice to see quick results. And most importantly it’s not an individual item. When coupled with simple yoga postures in the end, it takes care of you mind and body as a whole. It’s not about losing weight, not even about becoming trim – it’s just a feel that you are healthy and fresh. At the end of a session, you feel light and if you take a brisk walk out, it’s just perfect. Every day in the morning, you don’t have to spend 15 minutes of your time juggling in your wardrobe trying to decide which dress to wear for the day that will make you look slim and hide your tummy. After all it’s nice to have a hobby that you love doing with great rewards as bonus.<br /><br />Apart from that there is one thing that has caught my attention lately - photo collage. I take time to get the pictures printed out, arrange it in stick albums or get it framed with nice tags. And since that has become my gifting trend to almost all the occasions to anyone I know, I get teased enough by my friends. No matter what, everyone will enjoy those rare moments of theirs to be framed. And although it’s a habit with me, it’s always new and special to person receiving it. It’s like going back to your school days when you work with glue sticks and paper cuttings.<br /><br />Moving on to my next pastime, I have suddenly become a cleanliness jerk! I have always believed in a little amount of mess. When my mother used to scold when I was a kid for not arranging my things properly, I used to say that I love to place all the things messed up around me. It was usual for me to pile and push all my clothes into the wardrobe and close it with maximum pressure before anyone comes to my room just to hide him/her from the horror of the first-look of my room. But things have now started changing, maybe again as I believed, part of growing up. I take time in cleaning up my room, arranging things in place. I love to play the perfect host for a dinner with neatly kept curtains with the guest room spic and span!<br /><br />I feel that the remnant of a good reader is still in me and I have started to pen down my thoughts in my blog. I update my blog more frequently these days and with more sincerity. Although I started it just like an email-ID, it has more or less become my identity. My readers count has increased and I treat it like a personal diary of mine.<br /><br />Thanks to my fiancé, I have now started to appreciate some of the all time classics of Hollywood. I was always a passive movie watcher, and the very thought of watching an English movie continuously from start to end without missing a dialogue used to make me feel bored. I started to watch the most popular of English movies and should say, couldn’t just help appreciating them. So these days, I love to spend some time to watch the evergreen classics from time to time.<br /><br />Apart from all these, I love to walk and to observe people. I no more complain about bus not being on time or the busy traffic since the place around never remains static. The street vendors, the aunty sitting next to me in the bus, the nasty motorcyclist, the unruly rikshaw driver – all become the characters of my instant play. I have overlooked the beauty of all other places, with a simple self judgment that no place can match the beauty of my hometown. Not that I have suddenly changed my mind, but I have opened myself to explore and admire the intricacies of my surroundings.<br /><br />Above all, I believe in activity. I feel that one should be always busy to avoid any tensions. Choosing a hobby is a personal taste. But to make a healthy individual, one who is physically fit as well as mentally stable, there has to be something happening around him. Each individual has to pursue a hobby of their interest different from their work on a routine basis to maintain the vigor in life - That spark that keeps him going!r@j!http://www.blogger.com/profile/04357517661556956412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3372622644551937863.post-44842506147929787812009-10-26T11:21:00.004+05:302009-10-26T11:45:00.441+05:30Another Classic for the Malayalam Film industry to be proud of - Pazhassi Raja<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBHj6WmH55LAXlRxfwT8XAhnCZJr4ea8XJ7G-ln52fEIcl4im7AeLqrk2KySR2CfQ1wZH10Svff3b2FV2ADcmEfERcC9py-utBN-__O-2H16FGSvdIK369iYUgix_uE98ACWcoBMMDeos/s1600-h/untitled1.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396783292073541938" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 132px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 95px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBHj6WmH55LAXlRxfwT8XAhnCZJr4ea8XJ7G-ln52fEIcl4im7AeLqrk2KySR2CfQ1wZH10Svff3b2FV2ADcmEfERcC9py-utBN-__O-2H16FGSvdIK369iYUgix_uE98ACWcoBMMDeos/s320/untitled1.bmp" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div>If the first thing that I do on a fine Monday morning after coming to office is to write a post on the movie ‘Pazhassi Raja’, then you can believe the extent to which it has moved me. I’m spellbound!!!<br /><br />I know very little of Kerala history for which I comfortably put the blame on my academic curriculum at KV. Many of the short stories in ‘Aithihyamala’ were new to me when I read the English translation of the same recently. And since I have been very little to towns with historic importance within Kerala, I stayed aloof from the supposed to be very familiar sagas of my state. My disability of not being able to read and write my mother tongue was one more cause for the isolation.<br /><br />I feel pathetic to say this but I started to watch the movie as an alien - One who had no idea of the history of the place where she was born and spent a good majority of her life. Unlike ‘Oru Vadakkan Veeragadha’, this is not a mammooty movie. It’s indeed a good multi-starrer; all are stars in their own way. Sarath Kumar, Manoj K jayan and Padmapriya were at their best. PadmaPriya was so natural in her performance right from the first scene that I didn’t bother to look at any other actor when she is there on screen. She did justice to the action sequences and she looked gorgeous even without makeup. I liked the way Manoj K jayan climbed the trees and his performance when he was brought for hanging in the cage. Sarath Kumar did the fights like any warrior; he moved the sword with ease, his attire was suiting him very well. Mammooty, as expected looked royal in his costume. Although I didn’t like Kaniha in the movie trailers because I thought that she didn’t have that Malayali look, I changed my opinion after watching the movie. She brings in that tender lady touch to the movie without which it would have been very dry.<br />The songs are all one better than the other. As actor Devan said, this is a movie to be watched by every malayali. This is a movie which I feel will be liked by children and adults, men and women alike. So don’t feel sad about spending 200 rupees, this is to be watched in theatres else you will miss half the thrill for sure!<br /><br />I am leaving the rest to be filled in by Etta and Sree as they can bring more facts to this…r@j!http://www.blogger.com/profile/04357517661556956412noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3372622644551937863.post-45395298755425667492009-10-24T15:23:00.004+05:302009-10-24T17:14:47.801+05:30Year end resolutions<p>I can see that the frequency of my posts have reduced significantly. At least, there is a pattern - a minimum of one post in a month. The last two months, I feel that I have spent more time at home than in Bangalore... visited 4 times already, all visits for more than 3 days. No smooth sail in the office coz i got thrashed by my HR and my Boss alike for not maintaining my average hours for the second time. When will this policy change!!! I have to seriously consider changing my transport medium. Back to Office shuttle.. God that means get out of hostel by 7:20 in the morning!!!<br />I changed my work location to another tower and under a new manager. The first noticeable change came in my designation. It does sound better now I should say. It’s time to renew my visiting card ;) This place is very happening. All young people around. Planning for marriage, About to marry, freshly married, expectant mothers, fathers to be, just became fathers - that’s the range of people in the team. Very vibrant, colourful ;) and yes, lots of maska chaska girly talks in the air. Very different from the dry and old gang there in my previous building.<br />It’s good to see Rose move around with the big belly ... The whole team is considerate with her and gives her enough room to feel comfortable @ office. Our lunch time gossips slowly shifted from who's getting married to whom to who is in which month. I got my ABC corrected in these matters from the starters.<br />For the first time, my mother looked worried that I'm gaining weight. I should say that I have been a little careless lately and I do feel bloated myself. So my resolution (to be started from Monday)<br />Don’t miss aerobics/yoga even a day<br />Strict veggie till mid of December.<br />get to office by 8:30 in the morning daily<br />Avoid fried food :(</p>r@j!http://www.blogger.com/profile/04357517661556956412noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3372622644551937863.post-53744932380434787242009-09-25T16:09:00.002+05:302009-09-25T16:11:01.347+05:30Win Win Time...I’m not talking about any competition that I won. The good news is from my workplace. Wipro, TIS won two mega projects thereby adding the revenue to more than 200 million dollars in one go; Great indeed. But the fact that I’m surprised is that we managed to get a treat for that. It was a good change. I got to see the veterans speak, those people whom I had just heard of. I realized that these big shots just deserve to be there. A few have their own unique style, a positive energy in what that speak and do. It’s not in the attire, not in the catchy words they spoke. They spoke plain English in the simplest way one can expect, without blabbering or stammering, complete and to the point.<br />I felt good that I belong to an organization that is not that scarce of leaders who inspire people just by their presence.<br />It’s very well said that the success of a person’s career largely depends on the manager under whom he works.r@j!http://www.blogger.com/profile/04357517661556956412noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3372622644551937863.post-52089760550953434462009-08-17T12:01:00.004+05:302009-08-17T14:26:05.653+05:30What does Independence Day mean to you?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUAkjVSxCbMzp21lXmAcJFbcDDhPKDqDWBp-AcANlYW8Fv46RD5vgzhwVVOYQw9B_QqcspH97BFrgjhK5TMq4E3XB4rOYTefpwNRwf8nuafxEbXYLdVBRJbP_EE0t52YrDBnbrlptwYAo/s1600-h/images.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370839675966517522" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 99px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUAkjVSxCbMzp21lXmAcJFbcDDhPKDqDWBp-AcANlYW8Fv46RD5vgzhwVVOYQw9B_QqcspH97BFrgjhK5TMq4E3XB4rOYTefpwNRwf8nuafxEbXYLdVBRJbP_EE0t52YrDBnbrlptwYAo/s320/images.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>This text was flashing in the LCD screen as I waited near the lift in my office building on Aug 15, 2009. Despite being a Saturday, I had to come to the office to start fresh some tasks which had to be demonstrated the coming Wednesday. We are good indeed, known for the last minute rush, huge planning, a chain of workarounds and what not – all of it just a couple of days before any serious presentation. But yes, none of our demos even look like our earlier ones. So here I was again in the office preparing for another demo saga.<br /><br />Did I miss the main thread here? I remember quite clearly the independence days which I had celebrated in different stages of my life. I’m proud of one thing – I never missed to go to school on an Independence Day or a Republic day. No, it’s not for the laddoo they give, but I really liked to dress up in pure white and stand for the assembly singing all the known patriotic songs in varied languages, to prepare the flags and bands the previous night to wear to school for the occasion, to see all the cultural events in school, repeated year after year – same songs, same dress, same teachers – only the faces of the kids change. Every year new set of Gandhis, Chachajis and Bhagath Singhs adore the stage. Still the feel was great. This day has another advantage that both my mom and dad will be at home when we go back home before lunch from school. After that it was a routine to watch Roja(Tamil) for the nth time.<br /><br />I vividly remember the day when Ji was participating in a fancy dress and she didn’t have anything ready for the day – leave the costume, we didn’t even have a national flag by 11 O’clock in the morning. One hour of rush, four of us stormed in four directions, got the things, draped her in a white saree, did a li’l make up, I painted the flag in a chart paper and by afternoon our Bharat Mata was ready. This was for a competition organized by the railway school if I remember correctly. She didn’t win a prize but we thoroughly enjoyed the back stage activities.<br /><br />As years passed, the day became less and less activity filled. There was not even a flag hoisting ceremony in our office. Except for the big images of tricolour in the newspapers and of course a few people wearing it in their wrists, there was apparently no change. It was just another day. This is one of the many things that I miss being one among the geek gang. If I was at home, I would have at least noticed a difference. There would be flag hoisting events in every nook n corner. Thanks to the Indian Railways, they have a divisional office in Palakkad and the associated buildings like the Railway school, The Railway hospital, The IOW, All trade Union offices the list goes on. These are the things in close vicinity to my home and I wouldn’t have missed the occasion. At least not the march past followed by the dog show of the RPF (Railway Protection Force).<br /><br />Now if I sound like a typical IT employee shamelessly complaining about everything I see and still willingly doing the very same thing, I’m sorry.<br /><br />With all due respect to the legendary freedom fighters, I salute the nation on its 62nd Independence Day. Jai Hind!</div>r@j!http://www.blogger.com/profile/04357517661556956412noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3372622644551937863.post-63386644154624254272009-08-10T15:32:00.006+05:302009-08-10T16:45:11.613+05:30CoorgA good choice for a small outing (min 2 days). We went there last weekend. We were 7 of us and the trip was awesome. The stay was cool and food was amazing….<br />Just takes 5 hours to reach Coorg (Kushal Nagar being the entry point) from Bangalore. The roads are quite good and we do have decent eat outs on the way. The place as such looks like a small town in Kerala but for the Kannada boards and hoardings. Coorg has to its credit a great choice of Home stays for us to pick. Most of them offer you great scenic ambience in an affordable rate ~ 2k per room per day. The main attraction of these is the food they make suiting the needs of the guest. For people who are interested, they offer local wine that too in affordable rates.<br /><br />Since we had very less time at our disposal, we chose to make the trip as less hectic as possible.<br /><br />We started with the <strong>Golden Temple</strong> in Bylakuppe which is a big Tibetian Monastery. It is in Kushal Nagar itself. The road which leads to the temple is fully surrounded by corn fields. You feel like you are in Tibet. Bylakuppe has several Buddhist viharas, (temples)<br />The inhabitants, the hotels, the shops, things which they sell, the names of shops and hotels will be more in their style. You will be able to spot monks from Kushal Nagar junction itself.<br /><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHWOma_C89pBV3J-I4cpL2Pb9angWWkDfkb54zoxnir_4utSZlfVoqvk1q7PUEZTIfxgOoSBEffP-1vpUOXzimq1WXiAUWmNUSeqwNWH8Mz2ZRQZAKsfI3uJzl1bj8m6Sr0vA_Q0SrA10/s1600-h/dsc01752+(Large).jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368274577418765650" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHWOma_C89pBV3J-I4cpL2Pb9angWWkDfkb54zoxnir_4utSZlfVoqvk1q7PUEZTIfxgOoSBEffP-1vpUOXzimq1WXiAUWmNUSeqwNWH8Mz2ZRQZAKsfI3uJzl1bj8m6Sr0vA_Q0SrA10/s320/dsc01752+(Large).jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHWOma_C89pBV3J-I4cpL2Pb9angWWkDfkb54zoxnir_4utSZlfVoqvk1q7PUEZTIfxgOoSBEffP-1vpUOXzimq1WXiAUWmNUSeqwNWH8Mz2ZRQZAKsfI3uJzl1bj8m6Sr0vA_Q0SrA10/s1600-h/dsc01752+(Large).jpg"></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXyEE0hH6NRRqo8EXO-c4OBdKUf-WdylEImV5ZhQWgD_9ka-5Td0xfW8h16dkDn5Onup2DPg-5VCL3KTDH5rTsnXqNV9tX_PnBDkRYAp4TVyiqcdCMGAN4L0S5gqHDnC_vsSDUjSV1q6c/s1600-h/dsc_4758+(Large).jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368275053898742530" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 212px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXyEE0hH6NRRqo8EXO-c4OBdKUf-WdylEImV5ZhQWgD_9ka-5Td0xfW8h16dkDn5Onup2DPg-5VCL3KTDH5rTsnXqNV9tX_PnBDkRYAp4TVyiqcdCMGAN4L0S5gqHDnC_vsSDUjSV1q6c/s320/dsc_4758+(Large).jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div><br /><br /></div><div></div><div><br /><br /></div><div></div><div><br /><br /></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>The Monastery is really huge with accommodation facility on request. It is the second largest Tibetan settlement outside the mountain kingdom, the first being Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh, where the Dalai Lama lives. And you will be able to see their prayers and rituals if you go in the right time. Language is a big problem as they won’t understand a single word of English (I badly wanted to take a snap with one of them, but didn’t know how to ask.) Most of them will give a hearty welcoming smile and that’s it.<br />A little bit of googling will reveal that there inhabitants there are not the actual citizens of India and that they will have to renew their residence permit every year. They are just Tibetian refugees in exile and are taken care of by the Government of Tibet. It’s good to see the bright colors and golden paints flashing from everywhere once you get into the temple. Their walls are covered with paintings and roofs are colored gold. They have the custom of lighting lamps; their prayed are echoed by rhythmic subtle beats. Everything around including the attire of the monk is bright and colourful. Once you get out of the temple, you have enough shopping outlets where you can get classic Tibetian souvenirs.<br /><br /><strong>Abbey falls</strong> – not the biggest or the largest, but since we went in the monsoon season, the water flow was very high and it looked really majestic. It’s around 10 Kms from Madikeri. The waterfall could be seen only from a distance from the hanging bridge since the pathway down was closed ---safety first! </div><div><strong></strong></div><div><br /></div><div><strong><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivs4LOG1gi5bwFfSBpIu_CTcFbrZ9LrtW2omEZj1wOmHDZBKdcqgObFZh5lgo_PG_W5AkT1rGUcpiWqjRWDitessEsHABxaXgXMb4y0H6yQjd97qXIScGcy1ZAAH6sZnAjI8cmiPp6x3Q/s1600-h/dsc01978+(Large).jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368275465629956578" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivs4LOG1gi5bwFfSBpIu_CTcFbrZ9LrtW2omEZj1wOmHDZBKdcqgObFZh5lgo_PG_W5AkT1rGUcpiWqjRWDitessEsHABxaXgXMb4y0H6yQjd97qXIScGcy1ZAAH6sZnAjI8cmiPp6x3Q/s320/dsc01978+(Large).jpg" border="0" /></a></strong></div><div><br /></div><div><strong></strong></div><div><br /></div><div><strong></strong></div><div><br /></div><div><strong></strong></div><div><br /></div><div><strong><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivs4LOG1gi5bwFfSBpIu_CTcFbrZ9LrtW2omEZj1wOmHDZBKdcqgObFZh5lgo_PG_W5AkT1rGUcpiWqjRWDitessEsHABxaXgXMb4y0H6yQjd97qXIScGcy1ZAAH6sZnAjI8cmiPp6x3Q/s1600-h/dsc01978+(Large).jpg"></a></strong></div><div><br /></div><div><strong></strong></div><div><br /></div><div><strong></strong></div><div><br /></div><div><strong></strong></div><div><br /></div><div><strong></strong></div><div><strong></strong></div><div><strong></strong></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><strong>Rajah’s Seat</strong> is a small garden offering great scenic view especially the sunset. Legend has it that the local kings of Coorg spent their leisure time here watching the sunset. But since we went in the late morning, we missed the sun set but it really gave a good view from top.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDXj6IhE_5LWupoBpWmVfaVCzjoGUqf35JS6Ynszg5rDnqKIIHJj3IAlKViJ23Jbvfew_Yh1uVh_ydXNY84ZzwxZiPvRXaIPo6c9DF3Z0UcasHlEJOsMv-drcNhR6Vq5uu6VzdGIIL4bk/s1600-h/dsc01980+(Large).jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368275842330440482" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDXj6IhE_5LWupoBpWmVfaVCzjoGUqf35JS6Ynszg5rDnqKIIHJj3IAlKViJ23Jbvfew_Yh1uVh_ydXNY84ZzwxZiPvRXaIPo6c9DF3Z0UcasHlEJOsMv-drcNhR6Vq5uu6VzdGIIL4bk/s320/dsc01980+(Large).jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><strong></strong></div><div><strong></strong></div><div><strong></strong></div><div><strong></strong></div><div><strong></strong></div><div><strong></strong></div><div><strong></strong></div><div><strong></strong></div><div><strong></strong></div><div><strong></strong></div><div><strong></strong></div><div><strong></strong></div><div><strong></strong></div><div><strong></strong></div><div><strong></strong></div><div><strong></strong></div><div><strong></strong></div><div><strong>Dubare Elephant Camp Coorg</strong> – This is an elephant camp which has close to 150 elephants. We didn’t get inside - No one who has for once seen Guruvayoor Aanakotta would dare to go anywhere else just to see Indian elephants. Beside this camp flows the river Kaveri where you can do river rafting. Now that’s something that we missed but there should be something to do when you go there the next time!<br /><br /><strong>Nisargadhama</strong>, a wild life sanctuary is a good spot not to be missed (Beware, there will be monkeys that might scare you). You have resorts inside the sanctuary and it’s nice to see the bamboos neatly grouped giving a good path way to venture through.<br /><br />We were done for the day after all this and had to start back home. But this trip was indeed a memorable one. Not to mention the Dump charade, the best being <em>Agrahaarathile kazhudha, Kalli chellamma, pakshe </em>and <em>avan chandiyude makan</em><br /><br />Nami’s dialogue over the dinner table – the besttttest. For security reasons, I’m not publishing it here. None of us will forget it very soon, especially Kiran, alle Kiran? ;)<br /><br />Akkru – the best performer. You held the spirits high throughout the trip!!!<br /><br />Jisha – I have said this before but now in front of a larger audience – you are the best accountant and will continue to be our Finance manager in future.<br /><br />So I leave the rest for others to complete …</div>r@j!http://www.blogger.com/profile/04357517661556956412noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3372622644551937863.post-25151817141035967632009-08-10T14:53:00.001+05:302009-08-10T14:55:40.427+05:30Just like that ...I have not yet decided on a particular topic to scribble down in this post. It’s just that I’m left with nothing interesting to do on a Monday morning and just decided to write anything that comes to my mind. Oh yes, I was thinking about autobiographies. I believe that only people who have the habit of writing diaries can one day think about writing an autobiography. Otherwise how the hell are they able to remember all the intricate details of a person/incident? Diary writing is something I cherish a lot, attempted quite a number of times and finally decided that it’s not my cup of tea. Well the main reason being the fact that I didn’t feel that I will ever be able to confide everything what I think when I write. Alas, what’s the point in stuffing up hidden meanings in a beautifully crafted sentence just because someone might end up turning the pages of your secret chamber?<br /><br />Last weekend was another usual one. No happenings. Decided to meet old school pals but thanks to the hartal, I was forced to sit in my room. So once again - movie, movie and again movie. Started with Shakespeare-MA Malayalam, then Sarvam, the Notebook and Love Actually.<br /><em><br />Shakespeare-MA Malayalam</em> : It’s more of a drama than a movie. Avoid.<br /><br /><em>Sarvam</em> – I took the CD assuming that it would be a not very popular Surya movie.<br />The side view of Arya in that green shirt which appears in the movie poster makes him look very similar to Surya. But the movie as such didn’t disappoint me. It started as any usual Tamil movie – pathetic comedy and stupid romance. But I got very curious when the heroine dies in the first half and after that it’s interesting. Arya’s movies have a minimum standard I believe…. Except for his voice of course!<br /><br /><em>The Notebook</em> – I rather not dare to comment on a classic like this. Having read Nicholas Sparks four novels, I had a minimum level of expectation set on my mind. I find his writings to be total filmy kind. And I had heard enough reviews from friends about this. This one is really worth a watch – A very cute love story.<br /><br /><em>Love Actually</em> – Complete Masala. To be watched with friends.<br /><br />And did I mention anywhere that I saw Love Aaj Kal last weekend. A time pass movie with great songs. Was really shocked to find that the Punjabi kudi in that movie is actually a Brazilian Model. She looks very much Indian.<br /><br />So that’s all from me for now, but keep watching – I’m gonna come with a BIG writeup on our Coorg holiday.r@j!http://www.blogger.com/profile/04357517661556956412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3372622644551937863.post-53052846783034206232009-07-06T17:39:00.002+05:302009-07-06T17:43:46.780+05:30Thank God - It's Monday!<p><br />For the first time in the past three years I waited impatiently for a Monday. No, no, it’s not the salary day. It just happened that I was jailed in my tiny hostel room for a complete weekend. I had rented out <em>my IPOD</em> to its actual owner, My Lappy charger blew off and I can’t switch it on now, there is no TV in my room, and the book I was reading was one of its kind. I would be the first to pass such a nasty comment for the winner of <em>the Booker of booker</em> but really Saleem bhai, you forced it out of me. I don’t think that the author could have stretched the book to one more page. You can safely skip a chapter or two and you won’t notice the break in the storyline at all. If you say that is the beauty of the book, well maybe I should look down and search for my kind of books – Big font, fast moving, easy writing and present age ones. Ok I’m not here to write a book review. I just wanna pen down my feelings on a Happy Monday – Yes Monday’s can be good!<br /><br />Saturday morning I got up with a blocked nose. One need not switch on the TV or turn the newspaper pages these days to know the variations in Bangalore climate. So I took two DVD’s from the video library and started one after the other. Alas, it was only past 12 and I had no clue on what to be done for the rest of the day. I called up my dentist for a date. My earlier post would have given a hint as to how much I look forward for a visit to a dental clinic L. Well, that was in any way better than slogging in my room. After that I walked all around koramangala, did some shopping, and came back by 6. I got tired of walking and took my sleeping pill – Yes, the book. The next day I went out for breakfast, came back, saw another movie – Videsh, Heaven on Earth. That was enough to spoil the day and to compensate for that I watched another movie (after having lunch also from out) - Calcutta news -must say – I liked it! Evening, I took a long stroll and again ate local snacks from all the street vendors.<br /><br />Finally after all the adventure and out of experience, I’m with a list of things which you can do on an ideal weekend. </p><p><br />1. Try out all the forgotten yoga postures one after the other taking breaks in between<br />2. Think of all occasions in the near future and splurge money on gifts<br />3. Discover all the eating outlets in your neighborhood and in each of that, the best item.<br />4. Did you think that pedicure is boring – Try it out patiently, believe me you’ll enjoy it<br />5. Who said you can take bath only once in a day? Try twice – it’s refreshing you know!<br />6. Play scrabble alone, win-win situation!<br />7. Clean up your room.<br /><br />I’ll keep adding to this….</p>r@j!http://www.blogger.com/profile/04357517661556956412noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3372622644551937863.post-55319123338048133122009-06-03T15:09:00.002+05:302009-06-03T15:11:00.674+05:30This is angry me writing this post ...<span style="font-family:lucida grande;">Ya I know, I know – this is not the place to write about official etiquette. But recently I’m getting so pissed when I come across some mails without a salutation. <br />When you send an official mail, be it an answer to a question or a simple comment, it should have a “Hi so-nd-so” inevitably in the beginning. At least that’s what I feel. Come on, putting someone’s name is not a time consuming activity!</span>r@j!http://www.blogger.com/profile/04357517661556956412noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3372622644551937863.post-79894286262110811812009-06-02T17:40:00.007+05:302009-06-02T18:01:42.828+05:30Anzac Oatmeal CookiesThe ordeal of staying in office when there is no big work on your head in itself is really a tough job you see. And to escape the boredom, I have started eating ... really a lot. When the weighing machine showed a figure > 60, I easily blamed it on the machine. Come on ! that's really a scary number !<br /><br />So with utmost dedication and vigour, I'm attending my aerobics classes regularly. But I just can't help munching. And yes, my aerobics tutor told me that it's always better to keep eating in small quantity frequently. Being a really good student, I'm following her advice strictly. And this long trial and error approach for the best snack led me to this superb thing - Anzac's Oatmeal Cookies. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim-HEkxhDSl_9v79XAwvP-4iA6BiT6kH9W2_I0DUCPVksIS_4mCj-6G9woyvC7P0mq62-_0IbNtZbEsVaVYn6dSBXv8QmKOfPXhctXgs_nnGLxdzgpkwXUv9d6V-dtTQj-k7rimfsp378/s1600-h/RFVCATO4OD0CAEZXJB5CAIR1E25CAO7UUG8CAORN4CRCAS478UPCAY5ZTZ1CA5AVPJOCA2PXW1WCA223RHZCAPCEYGKCAI2X1AHCAGJ5WHPCAWAUW1WCA94Y244CAI4CFXKCAAYNMWUCAVEJR15CAEK9C1C.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342705434350792194" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 114px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 114px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim-HEkxhDSl_9v79XAwvP-4iA6BiT6kH9W2_I0DUCPVksIS_4mCj-6G9woyvC7P0mq62-_0IbNtZbEsVaVYn6dSBXv8QmKOfPXhctXgs_nnGLxdzgpkwXUv9d6V-dtTQj-k7rimfsp378/s320/RFVCATO4OD0CAEZXJB5CAIR1E25CAO7UUG8CAORN4CRCAS478UPCAY5ZTZ1CA5AVPJOCA2PXW1WCA223RHZCAPCEYGKCAI2X1AHCAGJ5WHPCAWAUW1WCA94Y244CAI4CFXKCAAYNMWUCAVEJR15CAEK9C1C.jpg" border="0" /></a><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342705207160256306" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 96px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 124px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz-UDV6xZf8MVXT9KPRKwiDM6iyru5DHSjLjIpvjc_PCmqKER4IB80TA2qZEY2R-lxhaE9jWMz058J1fGBjRHgt_a3yBgwqTnnheJS8sX8TzLozsu3ATBZWoTPPGYQBF3cOkpcA3ckqIE/s320/images.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br />When <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Sree</span> told me that <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Asha's</span> 1 year old kid <em><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Kunjan</span> </em>eats this (and only this) as his breakfast, lunch and dinner, I thought of giving it a try - just to check what's so special about it.<br />But should tell you - its simply too good. I never liked Oats but this one is too good. Try it with tea and you'll love it.r@j!http://www.blogger.com/profile/04357517661556956412noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3372622644551937863.post-1251024104722464442009-05-12T11:15:00.003+05:302009-05-13T09:27:18.610+05:30First is FIRST<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Be it sweet or bitter, the first experience is something we hold close to our heart. First job, first trip abroad, first love, first kiss, first drink etc; the list is endless.<br /><br />So when I am sitting here in my office cubicle very tactfully stealing some time from my supposed to be working hours just below the nose of my manager, a volley of sweet memories are rushing to my mind. This is the same place where I “worked” for the first time I landed in my job and I can feel heaviness in my heart and couldn’t help myself jotting it down.<br /><br />My first few days in Wipro: Those were days of fun, everything was new. We were just like few kids out of college and office looked more or less like an outing except for the serious grave figures who were spotted occasionally passing the corridor moving around in their own world unaware of the surroundings and talking to themselves.<br /><br />I remembered Sreeja passing a comment “Why is that none here are smiling?”<br /><br />The canteens and lawns were the hot spots. I kept hearing words like bench and free pool lest did I understand what they actually meant. The cafeteria discussion was confined to choosing the most affordable prepaid card dealer – the affordable here meant hundreds of free messages. Once back from home town, the first thing to do was to book train tickets for the next trip and a trip actually meant 5 days of restless wait and reparation. Suddenly all the new faces whom I had met for the first time in my lives and shared a month of training became my world in this fancy land. I felt strange and wondered how people ate, dressed, talked on phone. It was like so much money pushed to my hands and very less to do in office. One weekend here meant a trip to Commercial Street, lunch from MAS and games in PG. I was happy to live in the new world and everyone around were happy.<br /><br />Silly stupid things looks more funny now like the whole gang of some 50 rushing to use the proximity card for the first time on a door access card reader, mistaking it to be the one that marked your attendance and each one returning happily watching the green light glow with a beep!<br /><br />Today am sitting here, back in the same tower and floor. When I see young people moving around here, feel like warning them -”Watch out guys… We are the veterans here”<br /><br />The Small saplings which were planted then have become big to be called trees. Smoking corner is no more there and there is a small juice junction. The COE lab which was once our kingdom looks very deserted now. The chairs are arranged neatly and nothings scribbled on the white board. No songs put aloud and no demo fumes over anyone’s heads. The conference room next to the lab is titled “WAR ROOM” - I wonder whether someone really went there. There is undue silence here and people looked really busy. Being a wing that handles round the clock support projects, there a very few people at a time in the wing – that meant less noise and mess.<br /><br />It’s a great feel. Wipro has given me some good friends, a comfortable and smooth work experience and a bunch of sweet memories.<br /><br />Everything is the same. We still have all the fun that we used to have. We still laugh our hearts out over silly jokes.<br /><br />Only the gang is missing!</span>r@j!http://www.blogger.com/profile/04357517661556956412noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3372622644551937863.post-82958044503006194402009-05-07T17:34:00.003+05:302009-05-08T09:33:18.609+05:30Kichu Stories - Part 1<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Being the youngest one in the family, Krishna <em>or kichu as we call her</em> is the most pampered one. I’m talking about my 10 year old first cousin. Her funny stories are worth enough to be compiled into a book. </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br />This incident dates back to some 2 years.<br /><br />After a movie, we went to a restaurant to have our lunch. The ambience and the menu in itself was not really welcoming. But since my mom is very skeptical about girls roaming around and eating out alone, we settled to a not so good OK kinda restaurant very close to the theatre.<br /><br />Menu was of no use since nothing in that was ready there or will be ready if we wait. To add to the horror, the waiter seemed all the more confused and he ended up serving Chicken Manchurian in the place of Chicken Lollypop and Ghee rice in the place of Fried rice.<br />When we came out we were so frustrated that we didn’t actually feel like offering any tip. Still for the namesake we carefully placed a 2 rupee coin inside the booklet that he gave us and hurried to the exit.<br /><br />Kichu was the last one to get out and she noticed that we have left a brand new 2 rupee coin there !!!<br /><br />She took it and yelled out aloud “Raichi, you forgot to take the balance!”<br /><br />All we could think of at that time was – ESCAPE </span><br /></span>r@j!http://www.blogger.com/profile/04357517661556956412noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3372622644551937863.post-7316661154669831952009-05-07T15:17:00.024+05:302009-05-07T17:08:37.355+05:30Zoozooz - Aren't they Cute????<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyNlL3gxG6MANFs8huW__wIEK762b2Pfe8lDGq1kxPm5JXIkB0nLFfzT2rUiH4V0e4W3z5Cs4y3dtvr8-Y2HdhS1w54EfFaozuO2fKd2cJOHF_q4OyM73OyHku8Cd92UKbU4AGv37EF3o/s1600-h/wall_paper_5.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333031198048283682" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyNlL3gxG6MANFs8huW__wIEK762b2Pfe8lDGq1kxPm5JXIkB0nLFfzT2rUiH4V0e4W3z5Cs4y3dtvr8-Y2HdhS1w54EfFaozuO2fKd2cJOHF_q4OyM73OyHku8Cd92UKbU4AGv37EF3o/s320/wall_paper_5.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div>For those who keep teasing me for waiting for these commercials which comes in between <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">IPL</span> and watching them more carefully than the match itself - <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">JFYI</span> there are more than 50,000 fans registered for <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">Zoozoo's</span> in <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">facebook</span>.<br /><br /><em><span style="color:#339999;">(As for <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">IPL</span>, sometimes... err ... most of the times I will be unaware of even the teams involved... All I'll notice is ... Yes... Shah R<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error">ukh</span> is in a denim blue shirt, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error">Shilpa</span> has come with her sis to watch the match, and Cheer leaders are more energetic and ... you know .... than yesterday !!!)</span></em></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>So friends, a big round of applause for <strong><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-error">Prakash</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" class="blsp-spelling-error">Varma</span></strong>(Nirvana Films) and the gang of Girls from <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_9" class="blsp-spelling-error">Mumbai</span> for bringing <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_10" class="blsp-spelling-error">Zoozoo's</span> to life.... clap clap clap !!!</div><br /><div>Well, I understand that I am not delivering a vote of thanks but cant help it you see !!!<br /></div><br /><div><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_11" class="blsp-spelling-error">Amchi</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_12" class="blsp-spelling-error">Mumbai</span> on the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_13" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">receiving</span> end of a great chunk of good publicity - Thanks to Danny Boyle and <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_14" class="blsp-spelling-error">Vodafone</span>.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>How can you just afford to just skip these ads.... they are so <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_15" class="blsp-spelling-error">Chweet</span>...as you might say !!<br /></div><br /><div></div><div></div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_gpY9d-yLc5E7QCIK61WWoXudeveT9ox-uJm2UWukWfqnTsD1vUY-T_UsdhBdZ7De8Eez9smw8bskCWtRDhqlPKA7MUiJYvIzrR1iU6OjOKanmTeo1OSP7ejNDG55PkV038xRnsPxaIw/s1600-h/wall_paper_3.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333020820601714178" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_gpY9d-yLc5E7QCIK61WWoXudeveT9ox-uJm2UWukWfqnTsD1vUY-T_UsdhBdZ7De8Eez9smw8bskCWtRDhqlPKA7MUiJYvIzrR1iU6OjOKanmTeo1OSP7ejNDG55PkV038xRnsPxaIw/s320/wall_paper_3.jpg" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzao5pw6UELqChHWYEQezYTyZpapdpPaLLrJHgfy3aae6JGu4IPrqbwjPXXQ2Jl8R5SBzyg5tsd5dqPewrCb9UJ8D8BFehdlsmkE2pHljnu908V2UIFb-g2odRhTu__Nim9XKbOmBTG6Q/s1600-h/wall_paper_6.jpg"></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div><br /><div></div><div><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcafHVmGH-t16UTizM-Ps0OrBN_3cGgD4qfp9_fNEkxTtK1sdiIYZAoyw7WJflR1XPsCMqvZkwZ3omKjVoXLJs1DvirDv1CGX8YvxZSwWglazt1sBW0Vy5ky-ds4pDI73Kjf1taP_hPb0/s1600-h/wall_paper_4.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333020926962895810" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcafHVmGH-t16UTizM-Ps0OrBN_3cGgD4qfp9_fNEkxTtK1sdiIYZAoyw7WJflR1XPsCMqvZkwZ3omKjVoXLJs1DvirDv1CGX8YvxZSwWglazt1sBW0Vy5ky-ds4pDI73Kjf1taP_hPb0/s320/wall_paper_4.jpg" /></a><br /><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>Now to the facts - Blame it on the recession, but Vodafone's pockets were also wiped out. Indeed necessity is the mother of invention and here came Zoozoo - the genie.</div><br /><div>ZooZoo says :</div><br /><ul><li>It took only 3 weeks for my creation</li><li>I have foam stuck in my costume</li><li>I'm big ( a human head will reach only up to my mouth )</li><li>I was shot in Cape Town</li><li>And I let only ladies and children drive me ;-)</li></ul><br /><p align="center">Vodafone rocks - Not in good service, also not in value for money service but their ambassadors are (and were) the best.</p><br /><p align="center">Way to go ...</p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAT0bndaSHwwjcK4zc48l1gWgr36DPhkHVfKfJBttBEhYy_B1xaGfSTlTRT8uftMYR4uneVlntAn9baWmlqmkyl3qWWCk7L1wGV7o9svtu6sI9LamTeLDzNDa4PcF2E8WjmQ8Q0qhiexA/s1600-h/images.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 114px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 107px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333038518172547954" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAT0bndaSHwwjcK4zc48l1gWgr36DPhkHVfKfJBttBEhYy_B1xaGfSTlTRT8uftMYR4uneVlntAn9baWmlqmkyl3qWWCk7L1wGV7o9svtu6sI9LamTeLDzNDa4PcF2E8WjmQ8Q0qhiexA/s320/images.jpg" /></a><br /><div></div>r@j!http://www.blogger.com/profile/04357517661556956412noreply@blogger.com2