Been Ignoring

I have been ignoring this blog for so long. Just shows I am not that great at distributing my attention as I thought.

For more updates on what I have been up to , please click here.

Oh my life’s blacking out!!!

Hey don’t worry pals…not that the long dark hands of evil are striking me or anything of that sort. I’m not even at one of those 6 couple movies that makes you faint at the end. All that’s happening is power cuts in Bangalore over the past week.
Can you imagine there was a 13-hour shutdown faced by huge parts of the city on Sunday? I had absolutely nowhere to go on Saturday. Thought I would watch a Malayalam movie on TV. I did watch it but only bits and pieces. The movie got so distorted that after some time I didn’t know what was happening at all.
I brave myself and say so what if I can’t watch TV. I have umpteen things to do other than that. I settled on my favourite reading but again no light to read. Thought I’ll wash my clothes for the weekend and then reality struck hard……. No power, no motor. No motor, no water……..eeeks!!
And like an icing on the cake there is water shortage as well!!! No groundwater or the controversial Kaveri water as they call it and no tap water too. The government has notified that water supply may be rationed in the coming months - once in three days to six days - depending on the situation. Now how bad can that get???
So this is going to be a daily situation…Think I’ll have to live with it. When I’m in this dilemma guess what’s the government’s problem is!! When to shut down power??? Reason - The World Cup matches will be telecast live between 7 pm and 3 am and obviously people are expected to be glued to their television sets during these nights. Even worse these days also mark the examination time in the state. So, students taking their ever important CBSE and SSLC exams have to study by candle light.
Really after all this I think I have a better position in all this mess……..I don’t watch cricket and I have passed those exams long back. So coming to think of it……….Oh well so who needs power anyways!!!

The war continues....

Ok all the Tamilians who happen to pounce on this please forgive me. This is purely an individualistic situation and thus an individualistic expression!!!
For the past two weeks, as Tamil channels were off air in our area there was a lot of peace at hostel. The cable operators in Karnataka seemed to think that blanking out Tamil channels is a way to protest against Tamils. Well I really don’t think I want to comment about the topic but I had fun at my PG due to this.
Well...it's like this....There is always a clash concerning viewer-ship rights in our PG. And as every where else it works on the “Survival of the Fittest” theory. Or perhaps a modified theory – “Arrival of the Fastest”. Explaination of the theory as quoted from “Vidya’s experiments with everyday truths” :

“The person X who arrives at the closest location to the television and takes control of the remote gets to remain in control of the same through out the day. If person X wishes to retire, control passes to the hands of Y chosen by X”.

Thus the fight continued in the PG everyday. Thanks to the timings HP offers me I’m usually the winner . But there is a new race every day. For a few days the competition was suspended.(Thanks to the cable operators once again.) But now things seem to be back to usual.
Very frankly, at the bottom of my heart I just wished that just like they took 17 years to take a decision on the Kaveri issue they would have taken Tamil channels off air for another 17 years!!! I know…..as usual….asking for toooooooo much!!!

Honey Moon Travels

This Friday a new movie was released….Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd. No I didn’t watch the movie….Not really interested to either. But the movie title did catch my attention. The word “Honeymoon” especially. Just made me wonder where does this word originate from..
Ok honey is something sweet….so it could be a symbol for the good, sweet time spent at the beginning of married life. But isn’t honey got with a lot of difficulty. Isn’t it associated with bee stings? So does it come along with stings???? So drop that line of thought!!
Now the moon…Fine that does stand for beauty and romance…now I’m really definite on that for all the number of “Chaand” songs in Hindi. But again doesn’t the moon have black spots? Doesn’t it go to the no moon state every 30 days or so??? So what’s up!!! I’m confused!!!
So now that my train of thought fails me I decided to google this out. Nothing that old man Google doesn’t know and I really found some interesting stuff. Check this out!!!

1. The origin of this word date back to the times of Babylon. In order to increase the virility and fertility of the newly-weds, the father of the bride would provide his son in law with all the mead (a honey-based drink) he could drink during the first month of the marriage and therefore "moon".
(Way to go father in laws……..!!!)
2. The word honeymoon has its roots in the Norse word "hjunottsmanathr" which was anything but blissful. Northern European history describes the abduction of a bride from neighboring village. It was imperative, that the abductor, the husband to be, take his bride to be into hiding for period of time. His friends assured his and her safe keeping and kept their whereabouts unknown. Once the bride's family gave up their search, the bride groom returned to his people. This folkloric explanation presumably is the origin of today's honeymoon, for its original meaning meant hiding.
( Hey that’s an exciting game!!!)
3. An otherwise trustworthy reference work claims that "it was the custom in ancient times for a newly married couple to drink a potion containing honey on each of the first thirty days - a moon - of their marriage. Attila, king of the Huns, was reputed to have drunk so heavily of this potion that he died of suffocation." This is yet more fantasy. It is true that the Huns were fond of mead, but Attila died the day before his marriage, not after. He was about to be wed to the 15-year-old daughter of the Mayor of Rome.
(I can only imagine her relief.)

So figure it out for yourself guys...

It’s a jungle out here….

Oh my god!!! After all the 2 months (almost..) there is a huge commotion in office. All thanks to our new “Talk the talk” program. Well nothing much… all you have to do is talk only in English. Sounds pretty simple but the noise it’s making on the floor here is hilarious. Each person who speaks in any regional language has to shell out money into the box (generously contributed by someone on the floor). The money too is Rs. 10, 20 and 30 depending on hierarchy.
The major contributor is our manager, Mr. Biju Pillai. Poor guy is so used to speaking all the slangs possible in Hindi even though he hails from Kerala, god’s own country. Now that… I really wonder why???? But whatever…. he seems to be screaming that half my salary is going to go like this. I think that probably going to happen too. Deep condolences from my heart to him. Due to all that now he seems to be going around picking on others talking in regional language and sometimes even making them talk to!! He he…some people can get desperate to get more people in the gang.
Not only him, looks like each one is picking on the other here. The funniest was when someone said, “Maa Kasam!! I didn’t speak in Hindi.” Shell out the money again dear!! By the way looks like all our cool talks and chit chatting is soon going to be done away with. As one of my team members, Shashi points out, “Is this some way of getting us to just do our job and nothing else??” Well……I really don’t know!!

Naach meri jaan naach naach!

Another of my passions in life is dancing. I guess all those friends of mine who have known me well enough can vouch for that for sure. I have always felt the zing in me when on the dance floor…Hey really don’t need a floor….Bus, class room or even rest room… anything will do!!! It’s just the way I find to unlock all the energy in me. When I’m really happy or down dance has cured everything.
I’ve learnt dance from the time my dad thought he couldn’t do anything about me standing in front of the TV and swaying away. Learnt classical in the beginning and then college life introduced me to cinematic and impromptu dancing.
But on a funny note I found someone else also who shares the same views on dancing. “Dancing was my hobby during my school days. I still dance sometimes with friends at parties, but that is only for pleasure." said Sreesanth. When I read this in the newspaper I watched the news to check it out. I also did check out the same on the net. Hey this guy is cool man! I personally couldn’t have done that even at the highest moment of achievement. Not that those instances are many….(he he)
Check it out for yourself
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGJYwz5Ovlc
Can you believe this chap is an accomplished break-dancer? Not such a stunning revelation, considering the jig you see on his matches. To top it all India’s newest pace sensation was a national break-dance champion while in his eighth standard. And it’s something he is very, very proud of, even if he doesn’t admit it.
Even though I’m not a cricket freak, enjoyed this jig in the morning newscast and it was really hilarious and entertaining.

Harry Potter and me!

Thought of writing about one of my greatest crazes....The only boy wonder.I’m a total Harry Potter freak. I've just read all the books over and over again. Managed to even get a few of my friends hooked on to it as well. So some part of the Harry Potter revenue belongs to me!!!
The very first time when I started reading through the first book,I realized that I just couldn’t stop. It was as if I had entered a magical world where I was reading a book and I simply can’t stop reading(Was that a part of magic!!!).I am 25 years old but the child within me forced to read on!
It’s imaginative, well written, it’s just cool and makes fun reading. A truly modern novel that can be appreciated by all-men, women and children of all ages. The series traces the emergence of a new kind of hero from rather humble circumstances.
Diagon Alley, Hogwarts Express, Platform 9 3/4 ,Quidditch and so much creative magic!The words and the narrative are excellent and cast a spell on me. As the magical adventure unfolded I found myself thinking about it all the time and still do!
So for everyone who has enjoyed all those Enid Blytons in their childhood times....this is worth a check out!!

A wild ride to Bandipur

A place I really wanted to go to…It had been long since a lot of colleagues talked about this place so when some of my friends said “Why not go here???” I literally jumped on this opportunity. I mean why not!!!! I am a trip freak. Take me to any new place I’m always at my best.
Bandipur turned out to be beyond my expectations. It was living with nature to the word. It’s located at the foothills of Mysore-Ooty highway. The place is a beauty with lush green and that really drove us wild. From Bandipur we drove another few kilometers to our cottage, ‘Tiger Ranch’. This private cottage is at the heart of deep forest. With about 8 private huts, the cottage provides you with an amazing experience of staying deep inside the forest. The cottage is made of bamboo and so are the cots.
The night at the cottage was awesome. Imagine yourself in the midst of a jungle staying at a hut. The fierce wind making some horrible sounds and the darkness playing havoc all around!!! The night was so cold that I was hugging myself in spite the warm clothes and blankets. Believe it or not there is no generator functioning after 11 in the night. So you are left with just a lantern for the rest of the night in the deep jungle.
The trip was a major experience to me. After all the routine life at office, it was a time to break free. All the dancing, singing and trekking made me feel closer to myself all over again. The trek was so serene. We were watching out for all the strange flora that I had never seen before.

On the way back we stopped at a sunflower garden which was heavenly. Just felt straight out of those movies..Remember Tujhe dekha tho in DDLJ?? I really recommend a trip to anyone who is looking for a weekend get away with peace.

Love at HP

Since my Valentine got a computer,
My love life has taken a hit.
Nothing I say is important,
Unless it’s a byte or a bit.

Before she got her new laptop,
Everything was just fine;
Now she says we can’t talk
Unless we both go online.

"But honey," I said, "I’m attached to you;
Love is what I feel."
"That keyword isn’t relevant,
"She said, with eyes of steel.

She clicked the keyboard furiously;
The screen was all she could see,
And then to my horror and shame,
She started describing me:

"Your motherboard needs upgrading;
Your OS needs help, too.
And you definitely need a big heatsink
To cool your CPU."

"Don’t blame me, my sweet," I pleaded.
"Not on Valentine’s Day."
"Fix the bugs, and I’ll see," she said,
While looking at me with dismay.

"What ever you want, my darling;
Whatever you need; you call it.
I’ll upload or download anything,
And then I’ll go install it."

(Her hostile CD keeps replaying,
And though I don’t want to fight her,
Is this what I want for a Valentine?
I’ve been burned; can I rewrite her?)

"Are you all hard drive now," I asked;
"Is there no software in you?
Don’t you remember the good times?
Let our memories see us through."

"Please, honey, we can save it,"
I said."Our love means more than that."
"That’s not in my cache;
we’re going to crash,"She said, as she turned me down flat.

"Aw, honey, don’t talk like that," I said.
"Can’t we just plug and play?
I hereby accept default,
And I’m yours, my love, come what may.

"If you want to get into my favorites," she said,
And you want to get past my encryption,
If you want to get through my firewall,
Here is my only prescription.

"First, put up your own Web site,
And e-mail me when it’s done.
I’ll check your page rank with Google,
And tell you if you’re the one."

My life has become quite a trial,
Since my Valentine got a computer
If I want her to care about me again,
I guess I’ll have to reboot her.

One night @ the call center

Just read Chetan Bagath’s “One Night at the Call center”. It’s a pretty ok-ok kind of a book. True it is one of the kind where a writer has taken the pain to understand the traumas faced by these call center employees. He has made an effort to understand how a normal night at work place could be. Yeah some of the instances were real life like- the cab driver and guys sharing the cigarette, the smoking lot, the breaks, the coffee through the night, characters….pretty fine!!!
Even though I was impressed by it at the first read when I really got to thinking about it, it kind of left me blank and without an opinion. Was this another Bollywood masala in the making?? Another one filled with romance, tragedy, comedy, life, sob stories… Pretty much the same content, right and to top it all the happy ending too that really doesn’t work guys!!!
It is a book too casual to read. BPO life is very hard as people has to work at night shifts, but I think the author wrote a book for the mass & not just for the BPO employees. It actually portrays the brighter part of the story I should say. Life as I have seen working these night shifts could get even worse.
It gives you the hope that there is a way out but in 99% cases that go before my eyes I find that there is no escape. People here are stuck due to reasons so many. Some educational qualifications, some family problems, financial constraints…the list goes on.
Anyways it’s worth a read. Simple English, the story keeps going…Check it out!!