Cheers!!!

Ramesh had just come from onsite and he had decided to throw us a party on Friday evening. Booze was a given, in such parties. But, it usually peaked only after the lady members had gone and we were left to our own affairs...This time though, it started off a bit early...

And people with drinks in their hands were mixing freely with others and dining. The drink of the night was a Smirnoff vodka that could very well be poured into a mineral water bottle and sold as such..Absolutely no color. This meant that when mixed with sprite or mirinda, no discoloration happened.

I was sitting at a table for six and had with me a few non-drinkers and a couple of drinkers. For a moment i left the table for a second helping. By the time i was back, there was a mix and match of my table mates and a couple of others had replaced the original guys. The beef fry that i took the second time was a lil spicy and i realized could do with some water. I immediately reached out to a full glass of mirinda standing on the table and gulped half of it. It was only when half the contents had gone down my oesophagus, that i realized that it was a drink.

Initially i did not realize anything outside the ordinary. I even chided the drinkers by asking if this was what they were drining; it did not even taste like anything. I started repenting 5 minutes later...my whole digestive system from tongue to large intesting was on fire...The spicy food added to the effect...I could literally feel burning on the insides...even a big glass of water failed to put out the flames...and then things started getting out of hand...I dont know from where i had that big urge to eat more....I had a sampling of almost everything that was laid out, and still wasnt finished. I even polished off two full bowls of fruit salad and ice cream.

All the while the only thought crossing my mind was if it was apparent to another person. I also had these fleeting thoughts of police catching me when i drove home. Fortunately for me, since the drink wasnt properly mixed, i got a large part of mirinda and only a small portion of the drink...and that probably prevented me from crashing out.

After the good byes were said, i drove home, all the while keeping within speed limits, and eagerly looking out for a police patrol. Eventually, with no mis-adventures, i reached home... The scene after i return from a late nite party is ridiculos, often bordering on the insane. Amma would give me a head to toe scan and look into my eyes for any indication of booze consumption...My eyes, after 8-10 hours in the office, and another 1-2 hours facing the blaring headlights, would already be blood-red. To add on to the effect, I would sport a swagger in my step and an incoherent speech...I loved to play this trick ony her. Her face would then register all the "navarasams" which is a treat to watch.
But this time around, i knew i would not have to put up too much of an act. Readying myself for all evenutalities, i stepped out after parking my car, only to learn to my huge relief, that she had slept off early on account of having a headache... Thank God, my first peg-adventure ended quite well. (of course my scale is a trifle different from other drinkers. A 10th of a peg for them is one peg for me...hope u catch the drift.)

Creating History

Tours, trips and team building activities are common place in any IT organization and ours was no different. But what made this one different was the way in which it culminated, and what it meant to me.
Vaazhvanthol is 40 kilometers from the city and boasts of some pictursque waterfalls, scenic fauna and serene climate, with a dash of forest environment thrown in. In short, for city dwellers, it was the ultimate getaway. The hotel, Rohini International, which arranged the trip was utmost hospitable..dont worry, this is not a sponsored ad...When i say they ver, i mean it in totality.
We started off at 8 am, reached the hotel by 9, had our breakfast and set off on the trek. It was a 4 kilometer trek through the wilderness, scaling some seemingly insurmountable rocks and cliffs...the destination, two waterfalls spat in the middle of the forest. After almost an hour of trekking, we reached the first of them...what amazed us all along the way was the crystal clear water...it outdid the mineral water we had in our bottles...all the 50 of us had quite a splash in the small dams of water created near the falls; and since rains stayed away, we had a jolly good time.
All of us then proceeded to the second one, which presumably was higher than the first and required some skill to scale. 20 mts later we reached the second one which was more majestic than the first. And only those who were supremely confident about their swimming skills ventured out for a splash...
The trek back took an hour and we arrived back where we started...the lunch was brought into the forest by the hotel...and it was a new experience...sitting besides a brook, enjoying the lavish breeze, washing our hands in the cold water...all gave us new thrills...
After lunch it was time for some team building...and what has me happy is that my team won...the activities were conducted very near to the dam catchment area. After the activity, every one had a chance to indulge in whatever they wanted to...some played football, some volleyball, some went river rafting and some played cards...

By about 7 we wound up, and came back to the hotel where every one refreshed themselves, caught a dash of the cricket match where SA had got a drubbing, and then proceeded to have dinner.

After dinner, it was time for some more enjoyment, and people who had some talents were invited to exhibit them... and then it happened! they announced my name and said i would sing a song...now if someone told me to give a speech, i would give 10...if someone told me to dance, i would; if mammootty can, why cant I? But if someone told me to sing, it would not be my cup of tea... not because i dont have a okay voice, but because i have that " what would other people feel" attittude... after a lot of persuasion, i sang "hume tumse pyaar kitna"..which is one of my all time favorites... as i finished it, i got a rousing ovation...it might probably have been because nobody thought i could even sing twinkle twinle let alone a ful fledged hind song...it might be because the rendition was good. But what it did, was give me a lot of confidence... it felt good that someone appreciated that you had some talent..

Ohh, and by the way, the lines "tumhe koi aur dekhe, tho jalthaa he dil" are my favorites... I relate to them very often...being a true Arien i guess... possessive !!!

Anyways, the next time i am offered a chance, I am not going to shy away. I know, all those who read this are thinking, "please tell me in advance, I'll make sure i stay away" .... :-)

And what history did i create? It was the first time in my life, that i sang infront of an audience..

Snip Snip Snap...Ouch !!

Friends often say god has been a little too generous on me...the reason? He gave me hair which doesnt need combing once i do the routine round in the morning. The "straight-haired" guys have to spend some time before the mirror, a few times every day, to sort out their "hairy-affairs"...I have been blessed with curly hair, which by their standards is the best one to have...Hmmphh...if they ever saw the time i spent every morning trying to get it in place, they would change their opinions...I probably spend more time than their combined times...
Ok, the story is not of the umpteen ways to comb the hair or to adorn it, but it is about the man who has the hard task of cutting my hair;my hair dresser. The place is called a "beauty parlor" though i doubt if anyone comes there for that.
So, the subject in question is a staunch communist...and since i am one of the few people who frequent the shop, am subjected to a barrage of his yester year exploits...and of course like all communists, those stories get the blood boiling in him....sadly for me, he decides to take it out on my poor hair...all the while i have to produce approving sounds like Hmmm...Yaa...Ok.. etc... I cannot afford to nod, lest he cut off my head. When i sit on the chair, my only prayer is, god dont let his hands slip...
Last day it was the same again...after having sat down (read said my prayers)...he started off on his monologue...this time it was about the general strike we had...he recounted his childhood experiences...he said he used to go for all strikes sponsored by the left...
i asked "havent you ever got arrested then?"he had a sheepish look on his face...I thought that might be to say, oh yes, I have...But, He said..."no...never"For the first time ever, i was interested...after all, a police story excites anyone... "not even a single time? so u mean these were not agitations? only peaceful protests?""no..not that; as soon as the police come, i run off from the scene...you know i go to those protests without my family knowing...and if i end up in a police station, they might have to come to bail me out...there is a friend of mine who comes with me for these strikes...as soon as we see the police we scoot"...I was laughing from head to toe...but couldnt show it on my face...lest he be offended and decide to take it out on my..yes thats rite... on my poor hair...he was silent for the most part thereafter...the only questions he asked me were "right side ok?"" do u want to use a hair dryer"?
And as i stepped off the chair, i saw his face, a lil cloudy a lil downcast and blood-drained ...I had perhaps hurt a staunch communist... he might have probably been lamenting the fact that he did not get arrested even once... I felt sorry for him...
It might have something to do with the "ambitions" i remarked upon in an earlier post...any ideologist communist's greatest honor would be when he participated in a mass movement and got arrested for the same...it is a story that he could share with generations to come....and my poor communist friend here was probably shattered by the fact that one of his customers did not buy his story and probably saw him as a failure on that count....
Do we see people like this in our day to day life? People who have not been able to achieve their dreams, and know that they might never achieve it? How do they react when put in such situations? Does the IT industry have a lot of analogous situations?
As i think of going back the next time, i am worried if he would have that it mind...I would be surprised if he doesnt, considering the very few people who ever turn up there...and god bless my poor hair...but of course, as my friends say, it has already been blessed!! AMEN

*** F.R.I.E.N.D O.N.E ***

"Hey, wait"
I turned back and there he was walking towards me ...I knew he was in my class, but not his name...after all it was only two days into my first semester of engineering and i did not even know the name of the guys sitting on the bench next to mine. It was already 8.45 and in those initial ays, one did not want to be late to college.

By the time these thoughts transpired, he was beside me...
"Hi, this is Arun. You are in EC arent you?"
"Yes..this is aravind"
"Ok...mind if you accompany me to the vikasbhavan bus depot? I have to submit my concession form"
"Ahh well...ok" I knew I wasnt going to like this guy; he was making me late for college.

Little did i know what lay ahead.

That was how i met Arun, one of my closest friends til date. Our friendship has had testing times, trials and tribulations....but it has survived and flourished to this date...

During our first year, we used to go to his house for combined study. All those visits are still fresh in my mind...the first time all the more so... Since it was the first visit, I did not know his parents or his family, and had to be sure i'd impress them. As soon as i reached his house, i took out the assignment sheets, and books and started jotting down. The reaction on his parents face was one of absolute bewilderment. They looked at me like someone from outer space. I guessed i was not studious enough, and increased my pace. At this point they said, "hey aravind..stop..have some juice...relax for some time and then start"

I then realized that in my eagerness to impress, i'd just made a fool out of myself...and both of them have remained as unassuming as i saw them on that day. Be it coming to college on an arts festival day and making a fool out of subru or be it throwing crackers on rekha (arun's sis) during diwali.

As time went by, we (a lot of other close friends as well) got together a lot more to do "combined study"....whereas in reality we sat late into the night playing computer games, or joking; but the majority of the time was spent on gossipping...I know you wouldnt believe it, but we had a great time at that...we analysed relations, people, happenings in college, politics, movies; almost everything under the sun. Late into the night, we would take up whatever vehicles were at hand and would go to a thattukkada at poojappura and have thattu dosa....those times were magical...

I dont remember the exact semeseter, but at one point of time, he began to see less of us...he had an affair... He had to spent more time with her...And at that point of time, I started hating lovers...and the DCH dialogue suddenly pops up in mind..."When you are in love, you dont have time for your friends, you only have time for each other"....Anyways, the relation progressed well. Our close group of friends knew from day one that it was not going to end well. His parents would never agree to such a kind of a relation, and he was so attached to them that he would not go against their words...But then when was falling in love rational; when was it based on logic?

we still had the combined studies,outings and fun going on, but the magic was missing...After college, he got into a good B-school and left to do his MBA...after which he got placed in one of the best IT corps of India...and continues to work out of hyderabad....

And yes, his love got married. He was devastated...I could tell that from his eyes. He had tried in vain to get consent from his parents. For quite some time, he tried to put on a facade, but then we friends know better. It is on that sole point that we still disagree. He shud have never attempted something he knew would never happen...

Inspite of all this, he remains one of my closest friends....

*** F.R.I.E.N.D T.W.O ***

Unlike Arun, i donot quite remember when and how i met Balaji....but today he is on the same circumference of close friends as Arun is...

The best thing with this guy is his honesty....if you are wrong, he would tell you so. You want a fair opinion, you go to him. And if you want to know which mallu films are hits, how many are coming up and whos acting, you go to him...he is a walking wiki on movies.

We've had quite a few tussles, especially after the all india tour, of which i have written before. And interestingly, he now shares accomodation with a person with whom he had the worst fight..and they are best friends now...He has turned Professional as well I guess
Between us, we had told Arun about the problems his love affair might throw up, but...Anyways, all that is past and now we all live in different cities, separated by physical distance, but united and close by the bond of friendship which holds us dear.

*** F.R.I.E.N.D T.H.R.E.E ***

Unlike Arun or Balaji, Manu was not in the same class as mine, for the first year. It was only when the third semester started that we came to know each other up close.
I had heard quite a stories of him being the chocolate boy of his class, with quite a few gals going gaga over him...of course that was to be expected; he was handsome. But the sad part is that girls have always given him misery.

He was head over heels in love with a muslim girl in our class. The feeling was reciprocated to quite a large extent. We always thought that would culimnate in marriage, but that was not to be. During the next semester itself, she fell in love to another classmate, having given manu the reason that he was not mature or bold enough. He brooded over her for long...and finally gave up on her...They are best friends now...

Once into his final days at college, he was introduced to a girl from a different college through a mutual friend. Naturally, he again fell in love...we warned him well and good. The girl's character was a touch doubtful, and we were pretty sure she considered him a pasttime. Initially the relationship went against what we speculated. It seemed all would en well, but it was not to be. He asked his parents to talk to her parents, but things turned all the wrong way and it ended up pretty badly....
To put it in short, he has a devastated love life...and I only hope the next one he finds doesnt live him dead....

" Tell me about yourself "

I've had some wonderful opporunities to meet people sitting on either sides of an interview. A few anecdotes which really leave behind some traces in the mind-

1. When I was interviewed - Final HR interview at UST

Murali and Kishore were seated across the table, busy typing away on their laptops.

Murali - "Ok Aravind, tell me about your college."

I started talking abt my college, and they kept "Hmm" ing in between.

Midway they stopped me and asked - "Hmm, so calligraphy is a hobby for you".

"Yes, it is"

"Good, so do you believe that people with a good personality have a good handwriting?"

"Yes I do"

"Interesting...why do you say that?"

"Because I have a good handwriting and a good personality"

"Hahaha..great" {I to this day dont know if it was sarcasm or just my cheeky answer that made them laugh}

Murali immediately took up a piece of paper and scirbbled something on it (utterly illegible) and said...

"There..take a look at that. Do you think you can read that? No right? So any change in opinion?"

"Wow..thats great...It now confirms the fact that every truth on this world can have an exception"

"Hahahaha...Ok Aravind. thanks for your time"

I knew my last answer got me the job

2. When I interviewed

There was this guy in hyderabad. Anything you ask him, he just had a smile on his face. 5 minutes , all smiles and no answers, and i was done. I politely asked him to leave. At that point he asked me to tell him the answers to the questions i asked him. I patiently did so, during the course of which, i saw his eyes getting moist. I knew he was a lil daft in the upper storey...at the end of my explanation he said.."Sir, I have attended a lot of interviews, but till today, no one has ever explained the answers"....I guess he had made it a hobby of attending interviews and giving the interviewers just a smile

3. Telephonic...

After the initial exchange of pleasantries, i started asking him questions...answers not satisfactory...until when i asked him a question and he replied with "Please give me four options" I guess he is brought upon a lot of KBC...

Ambitions

What drives men?

Dreams? Ambitions?

I've wondered recently as to what different people dream to be.

What does a thattukkadakkaran want to be? A hotelier?

What does a taxi driver want to be? A pilot?

What about a rag picker? {I dont know, my imagination cant run that wild}

But then, is he still a rag picker because he did not dream enough? Or does he not dream because he is a rag picker? Is it a vicious circle?

Probably not...lots of people who made it big in this world started off pretty low in society...it because they dreamt big that they are here. But dreaming is not enough. The passion with which you strive to achieve them is important I guess. The stories of the Ambanis, the Birlas and the Gates' of this world are inspiring...humble starters, but look where they are now.

At this point, I am thinking about my previous post where i ranted about the moolah. Am i contradicting myself here? No. It is just that i was talking about dreams and ambitions, and for all of these people, making it big, meant money. So, in a way, it augments my thoughts...nowadays, people think only about money.

But you be damn sure, if you have an ambition and the passion to achieve it, you sure shall.

Emotional Vs Professional

Growing up in this industry has its own troughs and crests.

On the one hand, u make a lot of money, u have a great lifestyle and the adrenalin rush it brings is quite enjoyable.

On the other hand, you grow more and more machine like...devoid of human emotions like sorrow, anger, and for that matter, not even love or hatred. You become PROFESSIONAL. You cannot afford to be angry at someone for not doing something u wanted him to. You cannot be sad that your manager is not happy with you. Whatever the case may be, you put on a smiling face and accept it...and all of tht gets pent up within ourselves; unkowingly we might release everything upon our families...they often suffer the brunt of our frustrations.

English films like terminator have portrayed a tomorrow which would see machines thinking like humans. My take on this is different; tomorrow we might see men thinking like machines...and the start of that is here for all to see. We stop laughing at jokes, at small moments of happiness; we stop crying when something goes wrong. We are forgetting to be emotional. The world has put on a facade.

IT majors keep speaking about values and culture being the foundation of their businesses, but fundamentally, isnt everything about money? And time? I believe the very axes on which the world used to revolve are changed as well..they are no longer X and Y, they are Time and Money.

Hey NEO, is the matrix still there? Morpheus, where are my pills???

3 point something

Three years gone by on the 3rd of November, and i still dont know where I am headed in my career. I had always wanted to quit at the end of three years in IT, do my MBA and take on from there. The industry is hyper-dynamic, but i never dreamt my life would be one as well. Suddenly I am burdened with the task of making money. And, an onsite opportunity is my only way out. I am torn between emotions...Should i go, leaving behind all i cherish; leaving behind what motivated me; and embrace an option that is at loggerheads with where i want my career to head? I guess i must make that difficult choice. At this point, I must think about my family, and not about myself. It is pay-back time...not that they have asked for it, but just that i realize it...

I cannot now afford to play for time...the game has just started...and god give me the strength to see it thru

2006 A Love Story

She was tall, lanky and beautiful. She had a love life. She had a relation going with a guy, right from college. It was pretty strong until distance separated them. The guy fell out of love, but she did not. She still loved the guy in a way that only women can. The guy made it a habit of constantly abusing her psychologically. And one day said, he's calling it off. She walked in pain for a month. It was not quite evident on her face, but her eyes showed the sorrow deep within.

He was her closest friend at the work place. He had no love life. He just cared for her as a friend. They had lunch together, had coffee together and sat very much near each other. When her relationship with the guy broke up, he was there to console her, pacify her and bring her back to normal. And it was only a natural progression that he fell deep in love with her. Days passed as he watched his passion grow, but he did not have the courage to tell her, lest it break her heart.

Finally, one day over lunch, he told her. As with all women, she took it lightly. She brushed it aside as a joke, as a past-time. But then she realized that he was serious. She is now in a state of confusion. She shares all secrets with her mother. She shared this too, but it did not quite elicit a positive response. She is undecided and has asked him to give her more time to decide.

And then, she asked me. Where do i come in? I am a very close friend of both these people. He has not told me till date that he proposed, but she did. Thats when she asked me what my opinion was. I just smiled. For, I knew, her mind had already given her the answer. As they say, "The Oracle has sopken". If she was not genuinely interested, would she ask him more time for an answer? Wouldnt she she have said no at the outset? Would she fear her mothers reaction? Would she say "I dont know" when i asked her how she felt? I did not give her all the reasons. I just smiled and let her know that "your mind has decided. no matter what i say, it wont influence your decision", and left it at that.

Have i been reading a lot of Sherlock Holmes; have i understood the mind of a lady well enough? Or is it a totally absurd claim? Will no man ever be able to understand a woman? You decide.

Now, how is this going to affect me? Hmmm, dont get the wrong ideas, I wasnt in love with her, but she was a very dear friend. One with whom I often shared a cup of coffee and my many thoughts. Whatever be her reply, I am going to loose a dear friend. If she says yes, I will loose her and the occassional cup of coffee. If she says no, he will get the idea that I persuaded her, and i loose him. Either way, the situation seems to unfold into a double edged sword. And i am worried. This week, one of my dearest friends is gonna go away for a long time. I cannot afford to loose one more.

What shall i do...

Thats how it all started

(--= This is a three part blog. Please read "The Second Month" and "The Last Days" which follow this post =--)

Life has given me some unforgettable memories..some pleasant, some not so. On this occasion I wish to recount one which transformed me...ofcoz this is not about a rendezvous with the spirits, nor is it about a meeting with a living GOD, but is about my training days at Turbo Plus (hereafter referred to as T+), when I was transformed from a greenhorn to a professional...hehe....built up all the hype and let u down aint I??

Those of you who are not pissed off, continue...
Turbo plus is the training center of UST...oh, and btw, UST is where I work. Even before joining, I had heard a lot about its tough schedules...But I was never prepared enough for what lay ahead.

My first days - I remember vividly my first day. I had put on my best blue and had planned on reaching T+ well before 9am. Luck had it that I got an autorikshaw late, and that guy did not know the exact location. He left me half a km adrift of the actual place. Thus I had it that I had to run all my way to the place, with my formal attire not helping things in the least. By the time I reached T+, it was just about 9. I had the good fortune of having friends in the batch, and so did not feel out of place. We all were bundled into a room. 37 nervous wrecks sat there awaiting further instructions. At this point, the team from UST piled in. Niketh was there, along with Viju and Asha. Pleasantries exchanged, welcome extended and they were gone. A very fair lady then stepped into the room and asked us to get the stuff ready. Never realized at that point that, Bindu chechi, as she became later known to us, would play an important part in that transformation. But more on that later, coz I was at that time frantically searching for my passport-size photographs. I searched in vain, only to realize that I might have left it at home...When it was my chance, I gave her my best sheepish smile..she had seen a lot of such cases I presume; she simply said, ok bring it tomorrow...Gawd..Wasnt I relieved...Once it was all done, it was time for some other faculty from T+ to give a lecture...and my o my....a lecture it was...and that was when I first heard of "push technology". Sanu did really have a talent for that...he said, he was always shy of public speaking, but he overcame it by constant practice. one always wondered if he ever did. But then, like Bindu chechi, he too was to become part of ..yea..u guessed it...transforming...

Our first introduction to Rajagopal sir took place the next day. Confidence oozing from every pore, he amazed us with his ability to teach. I learnt that day that learning to code was going to be interesting...To this day, I cannot pass a day without wondering about the role he had in shaping us for the inevitable. He was such an amazing man, that everyone respected and loved him. He taught us only C, C++, Java...but in teaching them, he also taught us what passion could do...

The first month was a real eye opener for us...Drooling in the comfort of having got a job, we were thrown against the harsh reality of actually having to pass the training before we could join...It was as if a time bomb was ticking and we were sitting on top of it, hoping the fuse would be pulled out before it reached the end. Being from a non-IT background, a lot of us found the going really tough...It was only the strength of our relationships that helped us see through these tough times..and in hindsight, it was good that the situation was really tough, coz it gave us the chance to foster some relationships which continue to this day. And so one month later, we had learnt a great deal, and failed in almost all exams...and hence were all far off from the 70% that was needed to see us in UST.

But one month later, we had certainly progressed in our lives. More wonderful friendships, more angles of looking at things, more professional..hmmm yes, the transformation had started...as we progressed into the second month, it was time for retrospection...of putting in more to get to that magic figure of 70%, of finding out where we went wrong and putting things right..

The Second Month

Things were getting too hot to handle...We wouldn’t even have finished one lab when the next theory would have started, and a test would be due. It was getting on my nerves...my score was still not too good...It was when I had serious apprehensions about my ability to cope. Many nights (whenever I got some time to sleep) I would lay awake thinking about this...finally one day it caught up with me...and I broke down...I was sure I could not take any more...But I could of course never show this to anyone else...coz everyone had a totally different concept about me...I was the one who always egged my friends not to get disappointed with the low scores, and here I was breaking down and sobbing...Fortunately, I had the chance to interact with a batchmates husband who had been through the same training. He told me, he had not done too good either initially, but had then gone on to score the requisite marks...we spoke for quite some time that day...and I found my confidence seeping back right in. I always associate that night as one of re-birth...coz I had pretty much given up on myself...
And then started a struggle, in a way I never had before in life...friends got together and did combined studies...people who were good were roped in to take classes again...and then I started appearing for tests with much more confidence...and the results obviously showed...my overall score slowly eked its way up from the low 40s to the high 50s and then broke into the 60s...and I was happy....
We also went on a memorable trip to palaruvi and kuttraalam and also to the beach where munnampakkam was shot...Everyone enjoyed, as it was a much need break from the stress...and as with every tour, this helped us cement those relationships...
This was the month of December and T+ also had Christmas celebrations...and the occasion was made memorable by selection of Christmas friends a week in advance....of course, no one else knew who your friend was....ad u ver supposed to give ur friend a clue everyday and on Christmas eve u had to guess who your friend was...that was way too fun....but the fun was yet to come...and that was new year's eve...Our batch had planned a lot of programs, in which the most anticipated one was the ottamthullal...conceived by one of my best buddies Manu, and orchestrated by another, Sudeep, along with yours truly, it was a runaway success...the story revolved around a guy who joins turbo plus with immense expectations, who then comes to face the realities, and then finally strives very hard to score all the requisite marks...in short, our story....even Rajagopal sir gave a standing ovation when it finished...we topped it off with an introduction of ourselves...it went..."conceived by Manu, not even nearing 70%, sung by Sudeep, not even 60% and Aravind...nearing 70% but not there yet"....and then we in unison cried out loud...."Saaaaaaaaaaar, please make it 70%"....Needles to say we were heroes for a week....

December was drawing to a close and we had mastered almost every basic concept...everything was within our reach, except for the marks...as the final exams drew close, I was at 67% and confident of clearing, by giving a good performance for the final project evaluation and lab exams...And hence came in January...and our final moments at Turbo plus...

The Last Days

The new year dawned with a lot of hope...our lives were being transformed...we were on the verge of getting into the it industry and everyone’s hopes were high...those who had cleared the magic figure had the comfort of being there...those on the verge where confident of making it...but those who were way below were having a hard time...a time similar to what I had during my second month...and people were breaking down here and there....and I could tell them from what I experienced, that they needed to have the courage, the faith that would see them through....
We also had to get our projects ready...fortunately for me, I was put into a team with an exceptional lady...Ramya chechi, who later went on to become our batch topper, with a mark which has not been bettered, i hear. She already had some good ideas...we discussed it and developed it into a fine concept and then presented it to Rajagopal sir. Ours was one of the very few projects which got approved the first day...we were happy and started work in earnest...or should I say Ramya started...we just sat around and gave her moral support...and finally when everything was ready I ran around getting the PowerPoint slides in place, getting all the documents ready and then finally printing them...

Our last evaluation day arrived. We were scheduled to have the project evaluation and the viva, along with a lab exam and then retests for those who still did not clear 70%. Our project was slotted for some time in the afternoon. By the time I went in to face the music, all of my project mates had finished theirs and were sitting in the room.

Jey (the evaluator from UST) : Hello Aravind, these people tell me you have done all this documentation...and SRS and all that stuff...so you are an expert on SRS preparation?
Me: No sir, I am not, I just happen to be good in word.
I dunno if it was that funny, but my project mates, and to my embarrassment Jey, started laughing on this...and I like a buffoon joined in as well.
Jey (in between giggles): So, tell me wht this project is about..
Me: well, it is an...(I blah blahed a lot of things, when Jey cut me in between)
Jey: Ok, so I've got a customer in Delhi. I want to send this to him...So what would you do?
Me: I wud send it to him, Sir..(my mates had started giggling again..Jey might have thought this guy is the batch clown, and cheekiness is his trademark...but I had answered this question in all sincerity.)
Jey: Yes, but how?
Me: In a CD sir...(and my gosh, I melted away to oblivion when I saw Jey and my mates laughing their heads off...I did not realize what the funny thing was...and I obviously had to join in as well...)
Jey: My friend, I wanted to know what u will be sending to him...(Ohh yea, then u gotta ask it that way)
Me: Oh sir, the source code...the (BLAH BLAH continues)
Jey: So will u be sending VB6.0 also along with this(the project was done in VB6.0...)
Me: of course
Jey (his eyes wide open): for a product of 50$, you would send him VB6.0 which would cost 1000$?
Me: Well, he ordered it sir ...so he has to pay up.
Jey: My my...ok friends...you might leave now...thank you...

And there ended my nightmare. I later learnt that all my answers were blunders ...and big ones at that...and then I had that awful sinking feeling...I am not gonna pass....When the marks came out, our project team scored the best marks, with me being second..of course, first was you know who...I was dumbfounded...I came to know later that the evaluators from UST had given rajagopal sir the task of putting the marks...and since he wasn’t there to hear my answers, he gave me a good score based on what I had demonstrated for two months....which really made me feel very happy....Why? two counts...one, I got an approval of my hardwork from rajagopal sir, and two, yipeeeeeeeee...I had crossed the magic figure........now no more retests needed...I was finally gonna see what UST looks like to an employee....I had transformed...from a mere college student to a trainee, and finally to a professional...and IT industry, I had arrived!!!

You Are 60% Open Minded

You are a very open minded person, but you're also well grounded. Tolerant and flexible, you appreciate most lifestyles and viewpoints. But you also know where you stand firm, and you can draw that line. You're open to considering every possibility - but in the end, you stand true to yourself.

How Open Minded Are You?

You Are 56% Intuitive

Your intuition is often right, and you use it more than you may realize. Your gut feelings are usually a good guide, but you need more to go on when making a decision. You'll often check to see if the facts back up your feelings. And when your intuition is wrong, you work to improve it for the future.

How Intuitive Are You?

9 months and 24 years later

Yes...9 months and 24 years later, what have I given her. What else but sorrow, pain and humiliation? What have i expressed openly, if not anger and rebuke? But what most of all, have i felt deep within? Love...unconditional love...and only one woman in my life may ever claim it...my mother...

Today when anyone asks me why i prefer my home town to the US, i'd say any dumb reason that comes to mind. But the foremost of them, I never share; it is this love, it is this very comfort, it is the wonderful feeling, that someone really cares for you, that keeps me here.

I still remember vividly, during my days at kasargode, when i was just a few years old and a small stick had pierced my eye, the way she cried...But today, when she is in pain, I never care.

I remember those long walks we had on the CPCRI campus. But today, when she asks me to drop her someplace on my vehicle, I shirk away.

And how can i forget the way she used to teach me, laboriously going over each text? But today, when she asks me to teach her a wee bit of computers, I smirk at her.

Inspite of all this, she is as unwavering in showing her love, as I am in not doing so. But I've decided enough is enough. I've realized that time is ticking away...I've realized that it is now time to give it back to her, with capital and interest...And do i will, for sure...

Leaving you all with a small thought...I've seen authors acknowledging their wife/son/daughter in their books, but very seldom a mother...Why so??? Also, I've heard people say, the most thankless job in the world is tht of a policeman...But whatabout a mothers'?

-Audieu

My small disappointment

My small disappointment

Hmm...been some time since i visited myself on the web. Things have not been too lucrative... yea...whtas new right ?? Wanna know what it is this time around? I called her..oh sorry..my school friend...she happily told me her marriage got fixed..So what, big deal...u never cared for her...u never let her know what you might have felt...and today when she breaks this news, it breaks your heart as well? Yea...doesnt sound reasonable to me...but when was relations or feeling ever governed by rules...when was the heart ever restrained by them...But deep within, there is some feeling, one which i dont have words to describe... i dont know if its self pity..I dont know if its loath...i definitely know that it hurts...and my mind asks me...WHY O WHY?? And it answers: to be loved, to atleast live in the belief of being loved is a great thing...and to oneday wakeup with the knowledge that it is lost forever, is a little daunting...And in her case too, I set her free, she never will come back...she never was mine...Ofcoz, these are words my mind solaces my heart with.

Someone once told me that when the heart is in ecstacy or if it is in shatters, thats the best time to produce something creative...I have always subscribed to that view...and today is such a day...

I was chatting to my colleague, and the conversation led from one thing to another and finally arrived at one of the most intriguing things on earth. Relations...

So intricate, yet so vague
So perfect, yet so fragile,
So beautiful, yet can turn so ugly

He talked to me about a girl from college whom he almost ended up proposing, if it was not for her sending an invitation to her marriage...he loved her from the bottom of his heart; he still remembers the day he took her out for a tea. He told me that it was an all en-compassing feeling which filled him with tremendous amounts of energy and happiness, and he says he was not fully in love.

When he finished, i was crying...a long time since i did so. Stories had stopped to move me, but this one did. Coz i could relate a lot to it. I failed to make myself clear on one occasssion and I am hurting from all molecules of my body. I wish I had someone to confide in, but all my dearest friends are not with me...and that is when i realize that the cellphone no longer makes this world smaller....

But then I've made my decision. I shall not tell her...Coz I st her free, she never came back, she never was mine...But one day when u read this, know that you ARE loved.

This is a two part blog and is about my experiences at college, specifically one bit of it, my last semester tour. Read the post below to start ...

Our return journey was quie un-eventful. We reached trivandrum a little travel weary but overwhelmed by the sense of how big our country is, and how small we really are. Ok enough of philosophies.

I'd like to now reacollect how the tour and events post it changed my life. The tour gave me a very dear friend, and it was a pity that I did not know her until the last semesters. It also gave me some of the most unpleasant memories, which i will recount here.

Our class had two distinct groups among the guys. I was inclined to one group, but the other group did not find me objectionable either. When one group took up organizing the tour, I got pulled in as well. I did nt think of it at the moment, but since i was always interested in such things, i plunged neck deep into the state affairs. I got really tied up and did not have time for friends. My dearest friends started feeling that i was neglecting them and leaving them for the others. To my peril, such thoughts never crossed my mind. All this built up over the course of the 20 day tour. I did not find the time to go shopping with them or enjoy the places. All i was worried about was to conduct everyting successfully.

After the tour got over, and we presented the financial details, they came back with mis-appropriations. What hurt was that the people who raised this were my best friends, and I had no inkling that things would turn up this way. For almost a month no one used to speak to me. Those were perhaps the darkest days of my college life. It was perhaps a test of endurance, a test by the one above to see if our friendship was for real.

I am happy to say that they did. When things finally cooled down and we started talking, [I remember i cried while sitting in college and mutual friends were trying to put things back in place by having us across the table and talk. I also remember vividly that once we finally talked things over, all of us went to Aruna restaurant and had chilly porotta...just to cool things off ;-)]

And that my friends is the story of the tour. The tour which taught me to plan, the tour which taught me about friendships and the tour which taught me about love...not mine, but Shahjahan's...

I am not sure if I've mentioned this before, but mine was a batch which had the unique fortune of going on tours every semester. We'd decided to combine our 7th and 8th sem tours into a mega affair and go on an all India outing.

Dates ver fixed, all tht was left was to plan. We spent an exact month on planning the entire tour. It meant a whole month of class bunking, but since it was on "official" grounds, we got attendance. We decided the places we were gonna visit, which where Goa, Mumbai, Delhi, Agra and Shimla (for non-indian readers, if any, these are places worth visiting when in india :-D) in the order in which they were gonna host us.

Once that was finalised, we had to book the train tickets; 56 tickets in one bogie was always a tall order, but we managed to pull it off. Once the train journey and the dates ver in place, accomodation was next on list. Being college students, we were on the lookout for cheap accomodation when someone suggestd youth hostels. We booked accomodation for Goa and Delhi in youth hostels (one comment on youth hostels..if u need accomodation cheap, and at the same time need a homely feeling, youth hostels are the best bet..) Our biggest problem was gonna be Mumbai coz accomodation never comes cheap there; but surprisingly that is where it was cheapest, coz we got accomodation at the BARC, which was also on our list of Industrial visit centers..

Arranging local tours was never a problem. In goa, the manager of the youth hostel arranged it, in Mumbai, we had a friends relative do it, and in Delhi we had a package tour arranged with Panickers.

Come August 18th and we set off to Goa. My first memories of Goa are the Panaji station which we reached early morning. The youth hostel was situated on a beach and needless to say the atmospehere was as serene as they come. We had our share of fun, frolic and shopping at Goa and finally started to Mumbai. We almost missed the train due to a miscalculation by yours truly. I actually thought 1600 meant 6 o clock rather than 4. It was fortunate that the bus driver had to leave early someplace and so had us dropped at the station by 3.45. Providence!!

The next leg of the journey is the one I will never forget. I believe it was a full moon and she was lighting the world for us to behold. I had only heard of the Engineering marvel called Konkan railway, now i was realizing why it was called so. We passed through numerous tunnels, some of them had water falling down the mouths and the train actually cut through the mini-water falls. I had never had such an enchanting journey my whole life. We reached Dadar station the next day, and had quite a time figuring out where the bus tht was supposed to pick us up was.

Mumbai was in essence everything we had heard of. A city bustling with activity, a city which ws the economic capital of the country. Mumbai's memories are a little faded, mainly coz i slept off my tiredness. The second day we visited the R&D hub of India, BARC. What we saw there really amazed us..we knew the future of our country was safe. Second day evening we set out for the Capital of India...

Stay at Delhi is what comes to mind first. As i mentioned earlier, it was at the International Youth Center that we were put up. It was in one of the most pristine locations of Delhi - chanakyapuri - spat in the middle of embassies. The roads were 10 times as wide as what we had here. Tour of Delhi was arranged by Panickers travels who also arranged our leg of the tour to Agra and Shimla. The Taj at agra is yet another memory that I shall never forget. She stood so pure in between all those standstone buildings, and seeing her I realized and imbibed the love that built her. She was the most marvelous structure I'd ever laid my eyes on.

Our bandwagon then rolled all the way to shimla, where the winter was just starting to come in from the mountains. We trekked all the way upto the snowline; albeit there was no snow to play with. We also bought a lot of apples and sabarjalees, which were as cheap as you could get. Shimla and then back to Delhi, and Delhi and a long journey back home..

My second story begins here..

I am thinking of writing a book titled "How to propose to a girl". Hey, thats easy. I'll list down the ways I have tried, and then write an antithesis to each. Simple rite? And then mebbe i'll add another word to the title "Successful"...Sigh....

Today a friend was telling me how someone proposed to her and she managed to wriggle out of that tricky situation. The first thought that came to my mind? Well, the guy has guts...

I did some reasearch and came up with "rhetoric". Yeah, thts what you need to possess to really impress. Hey its not the latest viagra on the block. It simply means, "art of using language correctly and effectively". Mhmm, that says a lot. And that they say is essential to "proposing to a girl you’ve fallen in love with (or gracefully turning down the proposal)". Well, I am not quite sure, because I am quite rhetoric (I hope it is the rite adjective), but success on this front has always eluded me. :)

I sometimes think I am no trying too hard, and then always console myself by saying "there should be someone worth trying"...(Oh, i know what you just thought "My gawd..as if this guy is casablanca)...Hey folks these are things I say to pacify myself.

i've finally decided to pin it on my sun-sign. Ares...Arians (not Aryans) have a flaring ego. And it does really hurt if someone whom you propose turns you down. Mhhm..that sounds better. I am now waiting for a Sagittarius (someone told me only they can tolerate arians...Next time, better ask a lady her DOB before anything else)

As for the book, I thought it better not to publish..

This time, its about yet another lady..Yeah, i know what you are wondering...All he has are ladies...But lemme ask you, what else must a guy have :)...Ok, jokes apart, this one is dedicated to one who has really shaped my career.

One and a half years back when my then manager left, Rachel came as replacement. I hated her from first day on. She was a stickler for time, she brought in a lot of processes (which translated into lots n lots of documents) and was also not the jovial kind. I came to the know the reason only a few days later; she had spent time with the Indian Army..Oophh..

One week later she called me.
"David said you wanted to leave the project ?"
"Ahh well yes, Its been a year since i've been with this project, and i think its time for me to learn something new"
"Does it have anything to do with David leaving and me coming in?" (I was taken aback by this question. Though that was the truth, I was surprised at how she guessed.)
"Of course not Rachel, that has nothing to do with my decision" (Be diplomatic)
"Ok...I have been observing all the team members for some time now, and you are one person I'd really like to have it in my team." (oh yeah, the usual manager jargon) She continued .."I agree its a big change, but good or bad only time can tell. Give me a chance to prove myself. If you are still dissatisfied 2-3 months down the lane, I'd release you. but promise me you'll stay until then"..
I thought, ohh what the heck, just two months...and my answer therefore was "Oh, sure Rachel, sounds fine to me.'

One and a half years after that meeting when one evening she convenes a meeting of the team and says "I am moving out of the team", you could hear a pin drop in the room. The silence was deafening. No one dared move or speak. The knowledge that Rachel would no longer be there was slowly sinking in.

I am gonna miss her terribly. She is the one person who always showed me positives and negatives...She is the one who showed me that there is no limit to what we can achieve if we believe in ourselves. She is the one who taught me what a good manager is. And she my dear friends is also the first manager to give me a "Star performer" appraisal.

The day when she announced her decision to leave the account, she cried. Innately, all of us did too. After the meeting, when we came back to our seats, all looking gloomy and sad, a long timer with the company said - "Ive never seen people sad over a manager leaving". I'd say that is true my dear friend, no one has touched us so.

This entry is a tribute to the person who made me realize who I am and what I can be....

Its been a month since i posted something on here...But my schedule was too hectic...got some breathing space atlast...and the mood to write something...Someone told me you had to either very sad or very happy to get something creative done...a post for me is definitely something creative :-)
Of coz, last week was terrible for me...The ladies in my life (mind you, none are girl-friends or my love), gave me quite a difficult time...I embarassed myself infront of one, almost having lost the friendship of another, when yet another drops a bombshell on me...but then as old timers say, when they start coming, misfortunes often bundle up ....

i am quite at my wits end figuring out what to do with them...and believe me, its never been like this...

and ohh, abt the lady who figured in my previous post, we still do talk..but i couldnt bring myself to ask her the million dollar question... :)

I've finally caught up with her...She is my friend from school...but a lot of things transpired between us, and i lost contact with her. When i came to know she still existed single, my heart missed a beat. Should I call her? Should i ask her? It is quite mind boggling how the heart can hyper react in such cases. I am even starting to wonder if the heart is faster than the brain (whatever)...

anyways coming back to the lady in question, she was one of the sweetest things in class...and the only thing she did wrong was to write down in her diary tht she had a liking towards me (to this day i dont know if that is the truth, but i plan to ask her one day)...I just stopped talking to her from that day (yeah yeah..i can hear the "wow what a dumbo" comment)...We split streams after 10th, and that was the last time i saw her.

She has been spending her life here in my home town, but I have never come across her. But even if i would have, would I have recognized her? Years later, hearing her voice through my phone I am overcome by an intense feeling of sadness at the way i treated her. I might have missed out on an opporunity to have a friend for life. I might have missed out on many wonderful moments we could have shared...

But i have decided...I will definitely ask her what had happened that fateful day. But then, if she says she never even knew about it, and that she did not even feel like that for an instance in time, what would i be? Is it better to remain in the dark, resting on the beautiful feeling that I had also been loved, or embrace light and the truth. I dont know...But time will tell...

December 3, 2004
****************
Hi Aravind, Kindly be informed that you are formally shifted to 7S-TR2-S20: m/c no:****** with effect from Dec 3rd, 04.
Thanks And Regards,
Rakhin Prabha Rajan

When I got the allocation mail, I was a little sad. The thought of movingout from Rec Room to some place called TR2 was not too comforting. One andhalf years later, on the brink of moving from TR2 to my own niche in 7S, Iam flooded by an immense feeling of nostalgia...

I am also sure I am not theonly one...The memories of life in TR2 have been clearly etched into theminds of whoever has had the chance to be here. With only a few days of my professional life left to be lived in TR2, Ithought it prudent to write an ode to one of the most happening rooms of USTechnology. TR2 has been the nerve center of all activities concerning ouraccount...Want to have an account meeting? Want to celebrate a birthday?Have to announce a tour? One almost always turned to TR2. Some of ourbiggest projects have been executed out of TR2. Some of our most memorableevents have been celebrated here, and some of our biggest decisions havealso been made here. This room has been as much a part of our account asanyone of us.

I am sure everyone would agree that the wonderful team spiritwithin our team has a direct relation to a majority of us being in TR2.Successes have been shared and sorrows divided. When I came into TR2, there were people from other accounts still sittinghere. A few months later it became an exclusive haven of our account. Myfirst seat was in the last row, which reminded me of my engineering class (Iwas sitting in the first row and had to relegate to last row after myprofessor told me while distributing answer papers that he hadn't seen aworse first bench in his career). You had the advantage of watching theworld without the world watching you. Some months later I realized that Imight end up a specimen for the medicos to work on, if I continued to put upwith the cold waves (literally) emanating from the AC vents.

I then requested for a change and when Biji left TR2, I got my first promotion (orshould I say demotion) to the second last row. Interestingly, it is exactlyone year since I moved to my present seat. It is then that I had a chance towork with a full fledged team along with Ramesh and Varma. From then on ithas been a wonderful journey, and as of today, Sojan and I are the seniormost in TR2 (wow, what a great feeling).

I almost feel that a family is being cut to pieces; of course it being the time of nuclear families, one cannot complain. But the thought that thishaven, which has provided everyone with intimacy, love, trust, protection,tenderness and understanding, will no longer be part of our folklore, oursaga, is indeed disturbing.

I only wish that the bond which has held us together through times thick andthin, would hold, strengthen and flourish even when we move out. For, intrying circumstances, it is the knowledge that friends are near, that givesyou comfort and helps you go over the hurdles. This might be the last gazette out of TR2. It would also be great if peoplewho have experienced life in TR2 reply with their experiences....

Friday was hectic as usual..But then I had something to look forward to...our team was touring Kodaikanal, which is a picturesque hill station in the South...The climate was promising to remain good, the air was charged with positivity...the expectation of a great weekend lay ahead...

8.30 it was when the last of our team mates wound up withi his call to US, but still no sign of the Bus..another half an hour spent speculating about the ETA at Kodai. The Bus finally found it convenient to make an appearance by 9. By 10, after a round of pickup, we were on our way.

Friday was just fading away, and talks of code written and trackers sent that day were floating around...Within an hour, sleep was catching up, eyelids were drowsy, shoulders were drooping...Another long week was on its way out... It was then that the fun really started. A couple of us young bloods found it hard to digest that we were here to sleep. Every 10 minutes the silence was shattered by riotous sounds, loud enough to keep a charging herd of elephants at bay. Until about 1, this exercise continued... Curses could be heard flying here and there...Luckily we are not in the world of Harry Potter. By about 1 am, even the most energetic found it better to surrender to the wonderful all encompassing feeling..no of coz am not talking abt Love...its sleep..yeah what else...

The sleep was short-term though. We woke up to a deadly calm surrounding us, and realized that our Bus had punctured one of its tyres...What rotten luck. One hour was spend trying to find a shop to fix it. Right from the moment the bus started, many of us had a fleeting feeling that all was not well, and now our worst fears materialised...After the puncture came another GREAT news..the vehicle would go no faster than 60kmph. Motorcycles overtook us and we watched in disbelief as the driver stopped the vehicle to let others pass by.

17 hours of rickety driving later, we finally arrived at our destination, satisifed that we were still in one piece. The accomodation was out-standing. It was a welcome change in a tour filled with mishaps. The ambience was superb, and more so was the food. All of us gave in to the lust for food, and by the time we were finished, our stomachs resembled footballs...(oh yeah u cud say i was watching a lot of the world cup)

We may have succumbed to that wonderful thing called sleep again, but for our dearest friend Antony suggesting that we go for a trek. Yeah, the idea sounded dumb, especially after a sumptous feast, but there it was...One km was the distance originally mentioned. Oh yeah, as you already figured it out, it was much much more...Statistics were to reveal later that we trekked 17kms both ways. It is interesting how u miss out a figure sometimes...

It was quite late by the time we reached the destination, and our journey back was a once in a lifetime affair. We were in the middle of a forest (city dwellers call even a score of trees a forest, but this was the real thing), with the night settling; news that a herd of bison was prowling around added to the hyperbole...The most important thing we learnt off this adventure was that Nokia phones with camera have a powerful flash feature. Yes, you guessed rite. That was our torch, our leading light.

By the time we retuned, (the bison herd was for real, but did not create any worries-only because they were too far away) it was too late for further adventure. But this was the only night we had to organize a camp fire, which we did. The original plan was to cook over the fire and eat, but then with food, it is better not to take too many risks. The team sat around the fire and a fierce round of Antakshari followed...It almost ended up in a free-for-all, but for the intimation that another feast had been setup...


Dinner Time!!!...Hmm..it was growing to be a habit now. The trek had famished us all, but with it had brought in a ravenous apetite. Needless to say, the food vanished in no time...A good measure of fruit salad with icrecream saw us signing off with a flourish...

Again, the real party started at night. People who were not tired, because of the "Fire in the belly", partied late into the night. A game of cards with 6 people, was going on. Elsewhere, people were performing "monoacts"...It is interesting that such copious amounts of dialogues can be had for almost nothing..(err, well, a little)...

I saw Sunday Morning at 6.30 am. I dont see working days at these hours, and was surprised how a tour can tickle your bilogical clock to press the alarms at optimum times. By the time the entire team got ready, it was 9 am. Breakfast at 9, did i say delicious, was followed by checking out of the guest house, settling of bills and writing a than you note to the manager.

This day was devoted to sight seeing. We were about to see why Kodai was one of the best hill stations in the country. The climate was at its best. No rains, a perfect sunny day. We trekked pine forests, floated across the lake in boats, cycled its perimeter and finally shopped.......Righto, Shopping!!! What tour without shopping. Many people infact carried home more than what they brought.

When we finally started our journey back, it was 4.30pm. 12 hours later, we were back to where it all started. The honeymoon had ended; but all made sure that it was great while it lasted. Earlier, in the context of shopping, i said "Many people infact carried home more than what they brought." I would refine it to say "All people carried home more than what they brought"...This tour has helped us foster better relations and build new ones, meet with people whom we never knew existed, helped us understand others better and above all, bonded us together in a wonderful feeling of togetherness, of team spirit...which was the essence of the entire tour...

Everybody played a part in making it a grand success, but it would be grave injustice if i donot single out a few names..
Antony with his indomitable spirit, Aromal with his "cool as a cucumber" attitude and Sojan with a real display of leadership have done a wonderful job. I may have missed out a few names, but that is purely un-intentional. The success of this has me eagerly waiting for the next. I hope the entire team can participate, next time around.

I am getting hooked to orkut now...What makes it interesting is the scrapbook...feelings you never thought existed in others suddenly seem to pour out through these scraps...and of coz, it is an interesting past time....

There is this girl...She was with me at school. A really sweet girl...and the only mistake she did was to have an inatuation ..that too, with me..To be frank, i got scared...I never talked to her after that...But now, years later i met her through a mutual friend...we talk regularly now..I am single, she is single...You never know when things may change

Its almost two and a half years since i joined the dynamic it industry...A lot of things gained...and lot of things lost in this journey...I realize that this industry is filled with ironies...U compete with your team member for a better appraisal, you work with the same person as a team ...u work long hours to impress your boss, these same long hours gives you a non-productive image ...

But then I have realied that Life is so...and hence it must logically follow that anything connected must have a subset of its ironies...

In a philiosophical mood? yeah true!!! Most of friends are not near me...people who are have got married and started families...it is when u sit idle without a thing to do, that you realize their value

Ok....enough for now...I have bored myself...

I satisifed my craze for electronic gadgets...i now have an iPOD..I am absolutely flabbergasted with the sound quality..defnitely a must buy...One thing i was not impressed abt, was the headphones...they looked too drab..mebbe the next thing they could think of ws to bring in bluetooth support...that would be totally out of the world...

This is my first blog. I have been wanting to do so for quite some time now, but have been putting it off. It is an incident, and a tragedy at that, that has made me set this thing up. I felt i needed an avenue to voice my opinions and record my thoughts...a diary would have been another choice, but then it doesnt give one the option of reading other's opinions on his thoughts..and hence this blog..i plan to make regular posts here..and hope i can carry forward this online diary adventure