Strangers in a Strange Land

Monsoon Madness

2011-08-02T11:29:00.000-07:00

The Bombay suburban network doesn't really bring images of beauty to your mind. The overflowing gutters, the garbage dumped by the railway tracks - not too pleasing to the eye.

Sometimes though, the elements and the location just combine to provide the ideal setting. There had been light rain earlier in the morning. The train pulled out from Dadar station towards Elphinstone Road where the two Central and Western lines diverge after Dadar - a great big expanse open land in the centre of Bombay with the illegally cultivated spinach, palak and god knows whatever else growing between the railway tracks. The plants had this wonderful fresh look to them. And with the early morning shower, all the dust and pollution in the Bombay air had been washed out of the sky to leave bright clear blue sky

There on a train in the heart of Bombay you were traveling through this pristine world - the green, brown and blue combine to present this idyllic scene. All to be destroyed by the onrushing train in the opposite direction. The other train passes and you are back in the world where you can almost brush the buildings on the side of the tracks. Back to the real world after a split second visit to a dreamland.

And they tell you that the rains bring only gloom.

Finally, and the absurdity of the Indian supporter

2011-08-01T11:12:00.000-07:00

This was written in the week after india won the world cup. Looks like i didn't press publish earlier.
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So lets channel our inner Freddie Mercury and bellow "We are the Champions" at the top of our lungs. We've beaten SL in the finals and finally lifted the trophy after 28 long years. It gives the opportunity to proclaim we are the best in the world. All the leaving work early for the midweek quarter and semi finals has been vindicated.

Surprisingly, I thought there was more importance attached to the quarters than the semis. Maybe its the fact that the Aussies were the defending champions, or the fact that Ponting is the most reviled cricketer in these parts; there just seemed to be much more pleasure in the beating the Aussies. Revenge for the Sydney test, whatever the reason, people were really pumped by the Aussie win. Then on, the discussions in the office boards and elsewhere seemed to take it for granted that the we would win the cup; that nothing could stand in our way.

Obviously that was a fallacy. If not for the generosity of the Pakistani fielders and the absurd batting from Misbah, we could have been knocked out by the superb bowling of Saeed Ajmal and Wahab Riaz. The final too was on a knife edge until Captain Courageous played the innings that will henceforth define him.

After the quarters, the powers that be were forced into a public screening of the semis at workplaces across the country. In Pune, it was being shown on a projected screen in one of the food courts. Around a thousand people crammed into the open air food court and eagerly awaited the match. This was our own personal stand. Miles from the venue, the voices chanting and cheering could not but help the team.

I have snickered in the past at the stories of Rajnikant movie screenings in the heartland. The seetis and chavannis thrown at the screen when the Man makes his appearances on the screen. Well, there was the other Man, He Who Must Not Be Named, playing. Each time the the camera panned across to him, the gathered crowd went into raptures, looked on the verge of Rajni style worship. Each review of his was accompanied with chants of fervent prayer to whatever you believed in. This Man is the One, bigger than Rajni, with his dominion reaching across the country, hell I'd wager, across the world wherever Indians gathered.

This world cup was about this one Man. But the final has shown that its more than that; a team effort, with a team of the entire nation. For a few days the euphoria of winning - and winning beating the better teams when it mattered - provided a release from the mundane day to day routine of life.

So let's sit back and enjoy the feeling before the IPL bulldozes over everything.

Crowdsourcing

2011-03-23T10:16:00.000-07:00

40,000 people.

The voices of 40,000 people egging you on is sometimes not enough. As Nehra found out to his and the attendant spectator's horror last Saturday night against South Africa. This post could be about the stupidity of Dhoni in giving him the ball to bowl the last over. Or his own at bowling length when the batsman were looking to slog wildly. But that would just be quite pointless.

I had made it across from Pune to see the world cup match between IND and SA. The Vidharba Cricket Association's stadium in Jamtha is an excellent one. We had great seats up in the fourth tier at long off. But more than the viewing, it was the noise - the shared joy and disappointment of the others at the ground around you that was the most memorable.

The crowds were screaming themselves hoarse with the chants of "Sachin [clap][clap][clap] Sachin" as long as he was at the crease (and everytime he dived about while fielding). He didn't let us down either and along with Sehwag and Gambhir provided a great platform for a unbeatable score. The crowd, however, was silenced by that spectacular collapse at the end of the innings triggered by the Steyngun.

There was a bunch of South African supporters sitting behind us in the stands who felt good enough about the score after the first innings that they fancied their teams chances and started to chant and sing boisterously. The Indians trying to silence them never succeeded and it was great to hear them sing Shosholoza (the unifying song featured in Invictus)

The second innings though was a complete roller coaster of a ride - no team really getting on top. There always was the feeling that South Africa was going to make it through. That didn't deter Indian supporters who watched Zaheer bowl his heart out. The explosion of noise and the accompanied release of tension as each wicket fell topped anything that came in the Indian batting innings

In the end, the South Africans were the ones singing "Ole ... Ole ... Ole". But it came at the end of a excellent game of cricket. Let's just hope that we are able to reverse the result in case the two teams meet later in the competition.

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star...

2010-04-23T05:51:00.000-07:00

Have been doing the back and forth between Bombay and Muscat for the past few months. Was initially drafted for two months on a project there. Since then, have been shanghaied into it full time.

Looking at Muscat, its hard not to believe that every mallu household in Kerala has atleast one member in the Gulf. Food, stores, snacks, everything has a mallu influence on it.

The interior of Oman though is another matter altogether. On the borders of the Arabian desert water is scarce (costlier than petrol for a fact) and humanity scarcer. Large swathes of land where there is no permanent habitation has left it pristine.

Had taken a trip into the interiors for a night safari. The place, just of the road to Sur between Ibra and Bidiyah, offers 4x4 drive through the desert, camel rides, sand boarding (and belly dancers if you have the luck) alongwith the night stay, dinner and breakfast at a arabic desert camp for around 30 OMR (~ $70). However, mother nature put on the most impressive show for the night.

Though this place is just a few kilometers of the main highway, it lies in the valley between two sand dunes. Electricity is generated locally using diesel. So when the establishment decides to switch of the generator, there is no background light to ruin the night sky. The stars truly come alive. Coming from Bombay with its almost infinite light pollution, the skies look completely different. Even when compared to the sky as seen from the sea shore in the colony.

Bang in the middle of winter, the lead scene was Orion facing the rushing Taurus with the dogs sniping at his feet. Looking at the scene from a fresh perspective, you could actually see how the ancient Greeks imagined a hunter and a bull in the sky. You could see the barking Canis Major and Canis Minor at Orion's feet waiting for the blow that brings down the bull. Orion with his club and shield held up high holding his ground at the on rushing mad red eye (Aldebaran) of Taurus. You see the folded limbs of Taurus mid leap and imagine the Pleiades as the heart pumping blood around the enraged bull. A true canvas in the stars. Sorely regret not having a camera that would be able to do justice to the scene.

Camped around a weak fire to hold back the dropping night temperature, with a shooting star every few minutes, you could lie there waiting for Hades to come around to pick you up.

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A great pic of the two constellations. A representative diagram is available here.
Odd pics from Oman here. Also has a few pics of Muscat and Qantab beach nearby.

The calm before the storm

2009-11-11T03:31:00.000-08:00

So I sit here waiting for the cyclone Phyan(yes, there already is a wiki up! And wiki on cyclone naming conventions) to hit. The TV channels have of course take gone berserk on coverage. Can't remember which but there was one which even asked a question comparing this to the last nov terrorist attacks. I can't understand what was the stream of thought that linked a natural "disaster" to something that was one of the most brazen attacks on India in my lifetime.

Anyway, there is an air of expectancy about the town. BMC has got out its disaster management cell and are looking less clueless than usual. Weather wise, there has been no rain for a few hours now. Maybe this is the cyclone sucking in all the moisture before hitting town. I'm getting images of early morning cartoons that used to come when I was a kid, where a cloud would take a deep breath and everything used to get sucked in. The morning rain has freshened up the trees and cleaned the air out. Am clearly able to see out to beyond Vashi bridge from home. Quiet nice actually.

Now to see if the met dept gets one prediction right for the season atleast.

Edit:- We've been had. But is it considered a success that people peacefully made their way back home and things seemed to have a semblance of control, even though the entire incident seemed mostly looked overhyped?

Looks like that is to remain my luck with cyclones.

If there only were the sandstorm

2009-11-06T03:39:00.000-08:00

The teams were the same. There are very few remnants of those teams in both the sides. Some of the victims (Kasporowicz/ Bevan) are now commentating. More than ten years back Sachin Tendulkar was having his penultimate course of the Aussie meal for the year in Sharjah. With most of this partners out, he somehow managed to drag us through to the Final. No shot went wrong. There was even a forward defensive shot that split the field and raced away to the square boundary. No one who saw that match will ever forget how he harried Laxman into taking quick singles. A man completely in control of the game sandstorm or no sandstorm.

Yesterday was like a repeat performance. Yes, there was no Warne. Yes, Raina prob hoicked a few more than Laxman did. But still you could see, the cornerstone of the chase was Sachin. As long as he was still at the crease, we were not going to lose the match. All the shots seemed to be coming back - the aerial shots, the shots through the covers, the hooks, the pulls, the running between the wickets. That this was a man who has been playing international cricket for 20 years was hard to believe.

There have been mentions by the greatbong and cricinfo that this performance was like the performance of the team in the mid 90s. Prob true in context of this particular game, but not the case in general. We are no longer as highly dependent on Sachin as we were earlier. Though the day he retires, there doesn't seem to be anyone in the current team that can come anywhere near as close as what he did yesterday.

That knock yesterday has to be one of his best knocks - way up there with the Sharjah back to back and the second innings century against the Pakistanis in Madras (which also we lost once he got out). Almost reaching the sublime levels of the Laxman - Dravid 2nd innings at Eden Gardens or even the Sachin - Azhar onslaught on the saffers in the afternoon session at Cape Town in 96-97.

The look on Sachin's face when he went to go pick up his MOM awards was such a look of disappointment. The first time that his true emotions have prob leaked through to the media, possibly explaining what is still keeping him going all these years. The last occasion I remember a similar reaction was after Dravid got his maiden century at the Wanderers in 1996-97 and we weren't able to get Daryl Cullinan out on the last day to take the match.

Bring back the memories. And make some more.

The Swirl

2009-09-18T12:31:00.000-07:00

Doordarshan celebrated fifty years of existence this week. None of the hazaar news channels seemed to even mention it. They seem to have all the time in the world to discuss the possibility of animal mortality amongst other things, but can't be bothered with what preceded them all. Looks like they think that they're brand value will be lost by referring to a network that broadcasts News without infinite looped video clips and jarring background scores (and with added goodies of awkward silence while the video runs through). A network which created a whole host of quality shows. Quite pathetic that.

Buniyaad etc came out when I was still crawling about on me knees. Even when I was old enough to realise the pictures in the box were telling a story, I couldn't understand the language till very much later cause I didnt understand Hindi at that time. Still one remembers some of the stuff that was on the air. For some wierd reason, I still remember the scene from the Ramayan when Angad is sent to Ravana's court as an envoy. No one who saw Mahabharat can forget the cutting edge special effects of arrows cutting arrows and Brahmastra wielding peoples.

And for the bachas like me, there was Jonny Sakko and the Giant Robot, the Transtel sourced stuff like Telematch/ Pingu etc, fraggle rock + the greatest cartoon of that time - He-Man.

But the one thing that will be hard to forget from that time is the superb montage that used to come up when DD transmission used to start. The psychedelic revolving swirls which eventually formed into the DD logo with that sad but hopeful theme running in the background. Pure brilliance that. More on the montage here.

Cough Cough

2009-08-26T00:15:00.000-07:00

How many people think that the recent spike in swine flu incidents is due to the tactical manipulation of the media by the producers of the recent GI Joe movie?

Come on. Its bloody obvious aint it. Wear a N95 mask and a helmet and you look like a sure fire Cobra shocktrooper.

Cobra commander just had the last laugh.

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Got a cold and cough. I'm sure the vindictive Gods will make sure that i've got the swine flu after this.

* Observation based on comparison with the awesome tp that used to be GI Joe cartoons at 730AM on Star Plus way back when.

Transition

2009-04-06T00:31:00.000-07:00

Monochrome to Colour. In one week.

Thats what its been like this past week here. The barren trees and bleak outlook from out of the office window has changed altogether into full greenery.

Surprising how just a few different shades of a colour can completely change the atmosphere. Things suddenly looking up around here. Am even willing to forgive the theft of my time.

Just hope the one foot long squirrel sitting on the window sill don't get any amorous ideas in this season.

Hellas

2009-01-25T04:11:00.000-08:00

So how does it feel to walk around a city that is over 3000 years old? Better still how does it feel to see structures that are still standing which are that old.

Athens, with its seven hills and small alleys is just that. How does it feel? Quite brilliant.

Too see the care with which the old monuments are being restored, you can not help but feel frustrated at the way the ancient heritage back home is being neglected and destroyed. (I know big talk - what am I doing about it?)

Anyway. The city of THE acropolis. THE because every Greek city had one. But this is the one that matters. This is the one that the world recognises. This is the one that is probably in the best shape.

Went up the hill to the temples of the Parthenon, Erecthyion and to Nike on a day with spitting rain. Walking about the acropolis, you get a sense of the old grandeur of the place. You also have to marvel at how the place was built in the first place. Lucky for us we got a tour who let us know details about the place. Also told us of places to visit around the Acropolis. Like the new Acropolis museum, still not open but a preview display is up. Quite nice that.

The tickets to the acropolis also give you entry to the 6 other places around the city:

The Ancient Aghora - Crumbling market place on the foothills of the Acropolis. Built and rebuilt over over the ages, still a lot of structures standing from way back when.
The Roman Aghora - The forum as its called in Roman territories is the Marketplace put up by the Romans when they finally took the city. Most of the place is in ruins.
Hadrian's library - Shell of the great library setup by Roman Emperor Hadrian.
The Temple of Jupiter and Hadrian's gate - The incomplete Temple that was built in the centre of the city. The scale of the thing is enormous. Unsurprising that they ran out of men and material to complete the thing. Hadrians gate is another relic of the Roman time, built right next to the Temple of Jupiter.
The Theatre of Dionysius - Huge theater built on the slopes of the Acropolis. Seeing it you remember that the ancient Greeks were the first to have public plays. Huge theater. Standing in the well you can almost see the hundreds of peole sitting in the seats rising around you.
Keramaikos - Supposed to be an ancient cemetry. Didnt bother the spooks.

Also went to the Ancient Harbour of Piraeus. Not ancient anymore. Nothing old visible. All the tourist lines of the Meditaranean is all you get to see.

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In between, went for a day trip out to Delphi, The Navel of the Ancient world. The location where Casandra (cue Voices) and the other Oracles prophecised the glory and the destruction of the ancients.

The place was generally in ruins. Archaelogical restoration is in progress, and you can see some of the past glory of the monuments in place. Delphi was dedicated to Apollo and the columns of the temple are still visible. Every four years, Games were held at the Stadium built at the top of the stadium. Walking up to the top, realised how out of shape I was. The bloody Greeks must have been hulks to walk up that slope carrying their armour etc.

The highlight of the trip though was at the Delphi museum. There a almost complete lifesize statue of a Charioteer is installed. Its eerie jade eyes seems to follow you as you walk around the statue. Superb.

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This trip was done one week after the riots in the city in Dec 2008. While waling in Pireaus, a crowd was gathering for some more protests. Got out of there as fast as possible.

Also had dinner in the completely seedy Indian restaurant near Thission. Outside were completely dodgy looking immigrant janta. The police made a round of the place a few times while we were having dinner.

There was another Indian place just a few streets earlier to the seedy one. This one was great with decent Indian fare. Quite amazing how the atmosphere of the place just completely shifts in a few 100 metres.

Had good vegetarian food in the country. Probably helped to have along a person who new what to order.

Also, was amazing to see the Greek alphabet again. All those years of alpha, beta,gamma,delta etc in school paid off. Atleast you could guess what was written in case the english script was not available. Nice timepass as well. Especially when you could read some of the engravings on the monuments.

Photos @ picassa

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Thus ends the travels of the crazy Indian in Europe in winter 2008.

BTW , completely stunned at the number of Indian tourists in Greece for the time of the year.

Deustcheland

2009-01-15T02:57:00.000-08:00

Probably ended up in the country at the wrong time. Gloomy skies, brisk wind, but thankfully no precipitation. But winter was beginning to show its true colours.

Five days in the country, six towns in and around Bayern. Gods gift to the traveller is truly De Bahn, One stop location to find public transport anywhere in Germany, and trains anywhere in Europe. The site is quite stunning in that it give details of connections between buses, trains, metro et all in one place. It even gives you expected time it takes to walk from one terminal to the other.

Some of the offers on the site are quite interesting too. I ended up taking a Bayern pass everyday and was able to travel on all public transport in the region except the high speed intercity trains for 20 odd EUR a day.

Travelling around the region you are reminded that each town was in itself part of the federation of city states. Each town, Nurnberg, Bamberg, Wurzberg, Augsburg, Munich all had there own city forts and royal palace for the local City ruler. All these palaces are very impressive. Highlights of each town

Nurnberg : the old town with the Haptmarkt area
Bamberg: the town hall - a UNESCO world heritage site. Can not be described. To be seen to understand. Would be superb in good light i think.
Wurzberg: The river Main and the bridge accross it. The way the flow of water was regulated through the arches of the bridge reminded me of wiers etc that we had learnt in FM. Surpirising that I realised that, cause the statues on the bridge itself were superb. The walk along the river was sublime. Reminded me of walking along the seaside back in the colony.
Augsburg: The main street in the town, the Fuggurei - a clean ancient ghetto type place
Munich: The beast at the heart of the area. Capital of bavaria. Everything is larger than life, the squares, the palaces. And I don't think i've seen half of what is there to see in the city.

Was christmas time when i was around. The christmas markets were thrown open in all the town squares. The smell of gluhwine (mulled wine) and sausages was everywhere. General cheer and Christmassy feel in the air.

Managed to put in a day trip to Salzburg, Austria (after spending the night in the waiting room in Munich on Christmas eve). Beautiful town nestled in the Austrian Alps. Was where Mozart stayed and creatd his music. The city centre is another UNESCO heritage site.

Cheeky fact - The town houses here are all called Rathaus's. Haus being House - loosely translating to Rat House. Quite amusing that the hall of the town people is called the Rat house.

For picures go that direction. You'll need to signin to see the pictures believe.

Differences

2009-01-05T02:25:00.000-08:00

One sometimes gets a rude awakening that you are from another culture and thought process entirely. Even something as simple as grocey shopping opens your eyes.

In Germany, I was quite surprised to find that everything - and I mean everything, is closed on holidays. Super markets/ stores everything. Coming from a place where you can always go to the kirana store incase you need something, was quite annoying. Landed on a Saturday and was provisionless for a full day before I could get anything. Thankfully there was just enough provisions lying about the house to last the weekend.

Monday morning first thing get to the nearby super market, get saamaan that would last for my stay there and get to the check out. Pay up and lookup for plastic bags to carry the bought stuff. Pick up one of the bags kept at the check out and start the stuff that I've bought, only to be admonished by the woman at the checkout in a thick teutonic voice "You must pay for the bag". Pay for plastic? What? That to a steep price for flimsy plastic. This is when you realise the EU is trying to force people to be environmently friendly. A good thing definitely, but completely alien to me.

Guess thats what all that cross cultural sensitivity crap is all about.

brrr

2008-12-15T15:10:00.000-08:00

for the bare handful of men above, the officers and ratings on the bridge, it was pure undiluted hell. but a hell not of our latter-day imagining, a strictly eastern and biblical conception, but the hell of our ancient north-european ancestors, of the vikings, the danes, the jutes, of beowulf and the monster-haunted meres the hell of eternal cold.

true, the temperature registered a mere 10deg below zero, 42deg of frost. men have been known to live, even to work in the open, at far lower temperatures. what is not so well known, what is barely realised at all, is that when freezing point has been passed, every extra mile per hour of wind is equivalent, in terms of pure cold as it reacts on a human being, to a 1 deg drop in temperature.
HMS Ulysses
Alistair Maclean

Boy, did Alistair Maclean know what he was talking about. The temperature outside is around 5 deg C. But then there seems to be a gale force wind on. Atleast thats what is sounds like from all the howling of wind through unseeable gaps in the windows.

Add to that the idiot [looks at self] who doesn't believe in the cold and decides to go for a random walk in this weather woefully short of warm clothes. Two hours of it and ones extremities are nearly frostbitten. Then there is the return to warmth. The blood flows back to the external levels of the epidermis causing wierd tingling sensations. Come to think of it think there was something about that in HMS Ulysses as well.

Definitely need to search for some Maclean eBooks.

The walk was quite worth it too. Christmas finally adding some colour to this town.

Fire Fire Fire

2008-10-29T23:11:00.000-07:00

Was walking to the station the other day on my way to work. There is this bank on the way. Just as I was passing by the money van had come in. And there was a security chap guarding the van. This guy was equipped with an SLR. All well and good.

Except the bloody thing didnt have a cartrige fitted on. Neither did he look like the kung fu move making sort (tho one might have second thoughts after seeing Kung Fu Panda).

Are the banks so broke that they can't even provide adequate protection to money? I'm taking all my money out right this instant.

There. I have done my bit in closing down a few more banks and adding to the economic situation. Muhahahahahaha

Casper's Playground

2008-10-05T12:04:00.000-07:00

Do not be the last person leaving your home for a long vacation. And definitely not in the monsoons.

I was left the enviable job of having to store things in such a manner that they would not rot under the onslaught of the moisture in the air. End result, the day before I was scheduled to leave everything in the house is under old sheets and drapes. Add to that, the crazy wind blowing through unseen gaps in the windows providing a chilling background score.

No. I am not to be blamed for the sidey spooky films that have been released recently. And yes, the place survived the monsoons

Going Under

2008-08-17T14:44:00.000-07:00

I do not know how to swim.

However, the few times that I have ended with my head under water are brilliant enough to make me want to do it again. So for people like me there is either the kiddie pool or the bath tub. I choose the bath tub (preferring not to undergo more public humiliation than is necessary in life)

The moment you cross the boundary of one fluid to the other the world seems to completely change. All the sounds you hear when your head is above water are all suddenly drowned out. All you hear is your heart pumping blood to the brain. In case you leave only your nose above the water you can hear the rush of air to your lungs and back out. A complete sense of emptiness and peace. A few times in China I even thought I heard someone playing piano softly, quite likely a halucination brought on by the serenity.

This though, is completely contrary to when one was a kid. You used to splash about in your own private little pool, enacting some great sea battle using the soap/shampoo bottles and whatever else floats as submarines, frigates and battleships.

Two opposites. Both superb in their own way.

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The less said about those crazy people competing in the swimming pool the better. Phelps is not human. That should be enough.

Terminal-ed

2008-06-22T03:06:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to the Traveller's Tales. As it seems to happen towards the end of all my trips, my most recent transit experience goes wonky.

First week of June and me was all content and happy that I have a fixed return trip with no muck ups where I can screw up. Just to be doubly sure, me goes to the local HR chap on monday to see if my calculation of Saturday being the correct date for the expiry of my visa was correct or not. Me was quite confident that the date was correct seeing that I had arrived at the date using complex procedures involving the Oracle(TM) date function (No need to bore yourself wondering why I would do that)

Well, it seems I was wrong. Me complex procedures did not take into consideration the day I landed in the country. End result, all me superbly booked tickets are valid for a day on which I would in all likelyhood be arrested at immigration.

So begins the standard run around and get a ticket jamboree. Mail Monday to travel for a change in dates. Send out a reminder on Tuesday. Another in the evening. Call in on Wednesday morning. Am told to get in touch on Thursday. Like a dumbass that I still believe that I would get tickets for Friday. Thursday morning come in check my mail, no tickets. Call travel say all routes are overbooked. So thus begins the contemplation of alternatives, the brilliant idea that I would go and get immigration done on Friday night (as me flight was at 6AM in morning anyway) itself is shot down by the facilities I remember to have seen on arrival at the airport. No tickets till the evening. I resign myself to having give some gyaan about why i over stayed. Firday morning frantic call at 7:30 from the manager

Manager: "Are you out of the country?"
Me: "No."
Manager: "Get to office. Lets see what we can do."
Me: "OK"

So I reach work at 10AM. Get call from travel that they have ticket flying out to AMS for 1400 today but the connecting flight to BOM is only the next morning. I say can you get me an alternative route. Some more time wasting and travel comes back at 1045 saying this is the only ticket they can get. Without options me tells them to issue the tickets. Print it out, say bye to janta, run back home dunk all my luggage, have a bath and leave for the airport at 12.

Thus begins the 45 hours journey from Bucharest back to Bombay. Land in Amsterdam Friday evening. Just my luck, the hotel that is there within the airport terminal is undergoing renovation. So no rooms there. Also the dutch are not kind enough to issue on arrival visas. Would atleast have roamed about Amsterdam (Maybe would have ended up unknowingly getting hash into the country, but what the hell) So I end up with 16 hours of random roaming about the airport. Some 50 odd chinese janta also end up doing the same thing. End up dozing of on one of the reclining chairs hearing "Jig-a ,Mayo,Nihao-Ma" all around me.

Next morning get up and have breakfast and catch the bloody flight back. End up, sitting next to geriatric old woman who tells all her life's woes in a confessional and finally land in Bombay

Fun.

Can someone tell me the time?

2008-04-06T14:50:00.000-07:00

So I experienced my first time shift. No, I wasnt moving at nearly the speed of light. Nor did I drop through a worm hole. Just the average twice in a year shift in time practised by most of the world for daylight savings.

It does screw about with your mind. I was actually up when the clocks shifted last saturday at 3AM. Was reading The Fountainhead. Just glanced at the clock on the toolbar. It was showing 4:05AM. I was sitting there scratching my head wondering how the hell it was past 4. Fountainhead is good. But not that good. Did I sleep while I was reading? Then the starter finally kicks in. Lets goo check the time on the mobiile. It also shows 4:05. Find an analog device. Ah! The watch. There its still 3:05. Amazed that MS had built this into Windows. And it actually worked. Woohoo.

I ain;t likly to be here when they shift the clocks back. I am getting cheated of my time. I want justice.....

Khutta Rakshash and other tales

2008-03-30T14:48:00.001-07:00

Romania is famous for being the land of Vlad the Impaler, I say its the land off crazy dogs and dog lovers. There are all these wolf-like strays running around the streets of Bucharest (Yes, I am currently there). Every bloody house in the neighbourhood has a Canine

The other day, we were thrown out of our room for a couple of hours as there was supposed to be some meeting there. So me and and a few other people here went out for a little walk about. The random walking took us into this residential street. Quaint houses with small gardens and all that. Slowly the howling begins. However in the two weeks I have been here, I have got used to this. So we just continued walking up the street talking random crap. Towards the end of the street there is a fork off to the right, while there seems to be a left further up the road which should get us in the general direction we need to go. We stop for a moment at the fork pondering which way to go. After a few seconds we decide we'll go straight.

As soon as we step into the straight path, we here this HUGE roar two feet from us across the wall. All of us are jumping out of our skins and make for the fork as fast as we can. Turning around we see this massive outline of a dog on the other side of a two metre high wall.

Must have been a St Bernard... or as one of the other chaps put it ", Khutta kya? Woh to Khutta Rakshash ta."

The basic plotline for the next Stephen King novel? Maybe.

============================================

The other night after leaving work late we went to tram stop across the road hoping to catch the last tram home. Waiting there in the freezing cold, a puppy comes up and starts roaming about in the general vicinity of my legs. After waiting some 10 mins we decide to go cross the road to get a cab. The pup near my feet all this while. So we cross the road and wait. I look down and who is to be seen there but the same pup. Shoo it away and it goes scurrying off across the road in between all the cars. Two minutes later its back near me and just refuses to move till we get into the cab and are on our way.

What is it? Do I smell like bacon or something. Looks like I finally need to get some deo.

============================================

That Direction -->

A challenge

2008-03-09T14:39:00.000-07:00

To all you macho footboard/window sill hanging peoples of Bombay, Eat your hearts out. The latest challenge in public transport - How to fit a body measuring 6' X 1'6" into a entrance 4' X 2' wide? While ten other people are attempting to do the same when the vehicle in motion.

I present the humble tum-tum. The tuk-tuk or seater as others know it. Lifeline for the late-getter uppers like me and the Indian countryside.

Thankfully no more of that for a few weeks atleast.

Frustrations of the software engineer

2008-02-26T04:12:00.000-08:00

Transcript of convo on office messenger. Pardon the grammar. Also the masking of names. intellectual property and all that shite

SR [5:01 PM]:
i should have hidden in some corner of the banglore office
GS [5:01 PM]:
why?
SR [5:01 PM]:
then i would never have been roped into client A
GS [5:01 PM]:
hahhah
SR [5:01 PM]:
been two years now :’-(
SR [5:03 PM]:
but shouldnt say anything
SR [5:03 PM]:
you've been in client D for the same time
GS [5:03 PM]:
good relation na with client A :-)
GS [5:03 PM]:
Yes sir
SR [5:03 PM]:
dont need a wife
SR [5:03 PM]:
yet
GS [5:04 PM]:
need a wife
GS [5:04 PM]:
So i have to divorce client D
SR [5:04 PM]:
:-D

geeky IT dudes. We're so cool

This is an endorsement

2008-02-22T10:52:00.000-08:00

There. i didn't lead you along.

Well lets see if unconventional advertising works. Shor Bazaar - Might be worth giving them a listen. You could then claim to be one of the original fans when they start raking in the moolah.

Enjoy

Townie

2008-02-17T06:14:00.000-08:00

Running around Fort over the last two weekends and you realise how much you relate to that part of town. I moved out of South Bombay some five years ago. However every trip into 'town', as suburbia calls it, leaves you with a good feeling lasting a few days.

No, the town that I know is not the pseudo exotic bull image that people get while reading Shantaram. Yes, there are seedy places about on causeway, but there are seedy places everywhere.

It is the old world charm that you get in the area which is so appealing. The walk from Gateway to Radio Club, sunset at Marine Drive while seated near the Oberoi, roaming around Fort, going up rickety staircases to obscure offices that pay Rs 20 bucks as rent while raking in thousands, the unknown side roads on Mohammed Ali Rd, Kalbadevi Rd. all brilliant.

Then there are monstrosities that the Brits have left us. VT, the buildings along the Oval, Fort as a whole. To me, the ideal picture is one taken from the one end of the Oval, getting the Institute of Science, the University and the High Court in the night when it is all lit up.

Was inside GPO last week. The tall dome, the lazy uncles and aunties at the counters...there is a charm to it. Unlike all us morons in the IT industry staring away at PC screens pretending to work while orkutting. Bah... ended up spoiling a nostalgia post with that. (Follow link...mind blowing video)

Perspective

2008-02-10T04:32:00.000-08:00

You'd never think that something as simple as changing glasses would make that much difference. Have changed four cheshmas in the last week. The original one broke, was using a my earlier ones, then got one to get around my blindness and finally got the new pair yesterday

Each change gives a surreal different view. People not wearing glasses will never understand the subtle differences brought about in vision while shifting from one pair to another. Learnt long time ago to not complain to the optician - else be prepared for lamba kahani (Probably came from getting glasses from bawa uncles.) Most of the change comes in the corner of the eye type vision, but even then it is very disconcerting. The best comparison that I can think of is looking through a glass tube. Straight vision fine, the corners all wonky.

Remember the last time I changed glasses. The first day after getting them i was running to catch a train at the station. Misjudged the height of a ledge i tried skipping over, caught my toe just at the corner and ended up sprawled on the platform in peak hour traffic.

No more locals currently, but wierd things could still occur. For now, I got sight! I got sight!

Walker, Pune Ranger

2007-12-29T10:24:00.000-08:00

Been on two lightning trips to Pune over the past few weeks. Leave first thing in the morning to return in the night. Have used all modes of transport i could think of in these trips - trains, buses, cars, ricks, tum-tums - basically anything with more than two wheels on.

Add to that loads of good old walking. Must have walked some 15 odd km on these two days. And why did I end up walking so much? True, I do enjoy walking. But then there are limits. The first trip took the Indrayani and went looking for a bank in the wilderness. Only to roam all over Shivaji Nagar. You come across names like Junglee Maharaj (JM) Road which just about makes up for it. Without running into anymore wild roads, but walking along many more - success. Get to work. Waste time there. Walk the 4 odd km to Phase II (stupidly). Waste some more time there. Get an Indica in the evening and get back to Bom.

Next trip take the volvo out to Pune. Get my work done. Catch tum-tum at Hinjewadi. Idiotically don't tell the driver where I want to go. Ended up getting a tour of the fields around Hinjewadi and then somehow land at Gandhi Chowk. No, I have no idea where the hell that is. There however was a board pointing to Chinchwad station. This being the first time I saw clear directions in Pune, I get excited and decide to walk. I then proceed to get Chinchwad gaon ka darshan, all the manufacturing companies out there and the gutters, everything. Few km and a rick later reach the station. Brilliant decision is made to take local to Lonavla. And then catch the Indrayani to bom. While local is stationery at Talegaon, train which looks ominously like the Indrayani passes by. Have chai and vada pav at Lonavla thinking whether this is going to turn into a repeat of Nanjing. Thankfully hear announcement saying the Indrayani is coming in. Relief and the related feelings. Jump into the unreserved and reach home.

Yes. I still like the train ride better than the expressway. If nothing else, for the great views you get. There just is something about the train that just can not be found on the road.

------------------------------------------

Two days in Pune. There just isn't anyone there any longer. People you knew have either ditched or are ditching. Makes you wonder, Why the hell am i still in this organisation?

The lucky traveller

2007-12-08T11:46:00.000-08:00

After staying with an expired visa in HK twice, was wondering whether I would have a repeat here.

Me visa was to expire on Saturday, I had no idea about my travel plans till Monday. Contact travel for a ticket back before Saturday telling them the reason clearly. First the chap completely ignores the request. Second, the guy comes back saying the tickets are all waitlisted. Finally, after two days, the chap does come back with a confirmed ticket. Only its on Sunday night, by which time I would have become an illegal migrant in a none too friendly (or so we hear) country.

So there me is sitting completely lost wondering what the hell to do. Get back to travel telling them clearly to get me a ticket leaving latest saturday night. Slowly the tubelight on the end switches on. Says that they will check and let me know. Thus begins two days of frantic calling every few hours to find out whether I have hope or not. Finally thursday night I get a ticket out. Only thing I have to travel via Beijing and I will be leaving Beijing at 0005 on Sunday. Something is better than nothing. Besides I thought I would be completing me emigration formalities in Shanghai in the afternoon and things would be fine.

Come saturday, after all my previous experiences with travel, I decide to leave bright and early for the flight. Booked a taxi to go to the airport. Go down at the appointed time. Wait five minutes. Wait ten. Wait fifteen. Then start getting jumpy. My phone had died out. No one was at home and I had left my key in the house as I was leaving. There I was stranded in the middle of the street with no sight of no taxi and no way to call and find out whether it is coming or not. Trudge off to the estate agents, who are two blocks away, dragging all my baggage. Somehow explain to the agent that I need to make a call, call a taxi and get the agent to tell the taxi waala were I want to go.

So successfully I end up at Shanghai Airport, only to find out that I cant pass emigration there. It will have to be done in Beijing.

With no option, get on the flight to Beijing. Get off at Beijing. No bridge here. Its two degrees C on the tarmac. All the passengers from the flight are hoarded into a bus. Thankful for the warmth from bodyheat stand as the bus then takes all around Beijing airport to arrive at the baggage claim terminal. Pick up bags to go for check in to me next flight. One weird thing, Customs check is done before check-in here. The guy at the check in counter was more worried about me expiring visa than the guy at emigration. Gives me a weird looks and finally gives me a boarding pass. Go and clear emigration at 2300. I am legal for one hour more. Thankfully flight leaves on time and after travelling twelve hours back and forth accross the Asia, I'm back home.

Broke on through

2007-12-04T01:09:00.000-08:00

Yes..this one has been in hiding for quite some time. So what have i done since August end when i last reported in? Apart from being buried under at work very little. Though I did manage to get out once in awhile

A small town called ZhouZhang (atleast thats the best way I can translate the spelling). The town is about one and half hours out from Shanghai. Touted as the Venice of the East, the waterways and small paths are all very viewable. Being a touristy destination though, crowded and noisy.
The Shanghai Grand Prix. The place where Lewis Hamilton probably threw away the title that was his for the taking. The noise and the smell of gas ... great fun. Realised the quality of Chinese fake merchandise while walking back after the race.
Nanjing. Probably the best trip I have taken till date. Not just for the place but the circumstances under which it happened and the wierd situtation we found ourselves.

Some background, Nanjing was the capital of China in the early Ming dynasty, before the third Ming emperor decided to move the capital to Beijing. Me and one other guy had only heard about it. One Saturday night at 1230 we were talking about it. The other guy was leaving back to India the next weekend. After 6 months of getting mauled, We wanted to get out and see some China. Decided if we manage to get up early the next day we'll go out to Nanjing

Did manage to get up early and went to Shanghai South Station looking for trains to Nanjing. We were told that there was no return available tickets are available for the onward journey. Asked him how long it would take us to reach there and we were told that it would take two hours. We thought 2 hours by train would be 3 hours by bus at the most. So decided to go anyway.

Get to the correct station and board the train. Soon after the train is chugging along at 249 kmh. This is when the realisation struck that this plcae is pretty far off and we just might not be able to return by us... First thing we do getting out of the train is go look for a return ticket. No english spoken here. Luckily the guy behind us knew some english. Were told no train today, best tickets you can hope for second train out tomorrow morning. No option so we took the tickets. Slightly concerned about the nights stay but we decided to worry about that later. Buy a map and pick out the Zhongshan National Park area.

Probably the best unguided decision we could have made. Autumn was in full bloom and the place was beautiful. The colours, the scenery all awesome. The best part... not so many people about. Peaceful, tranquil and very satisfying. Went walking around the park, visited the tombs and various places inside.

Six hours later, exhausted ,hungry and cold (some 6 degrees C at that time) we come out as the sun sets. We call back to Shanghai to find the address of an Indian restaurant that i remember is there somewhere in Nanjing. Get the address and hurry over to there for dinner. While having dinner, we tell the waiter that we needed a place to stay. He said that the local Chinese waiter will help us find a place to stay nearby.

Calmed and satisfied we have our dinner. After dinner the Chinese waiter takes us to a few hotels. Everywhere we are told " Mayo Passport, Mayo" (loose translation No Passport, Not possible). At 9pm we realise we are in deep in shit and were thinking the only option would be to stay in the station waiting room. Go back to the restaurant and tell the owner of our plight. The chap raises his hands and suggests we take the last train out to Shanghai. As we exit the place the waiter comes up and asks "Aap main se koi Tamil baat karta hai kya?". I said I do Why?. Then the chap says "Chalo, Phir main aapko ek aadmi se milata hun jo aapka shayad madad kare." Me was thinking wtf?

The guy then takes us to a Chinese restaurant nearby where .... a Tamilian is making roti. Stunned I see this chap's lifesize cutout at the entrance and I am left speechless for a few seconds. Finally regaining my senses, me tries my dodgy Tamil and the guy agrees to take us to this contact of his who does not need a Passport for boarding. He says he'll meet us in a couple of hours.

So there we were walking around the streets of Nanjing with our fate in the hand of a Tamilian Roti Maker. The guy comes and takes us to this hotel with an entrance in the rear of a seedy looking building. Inside, decent enough acco for staying a night. Thank our man profusely, sleep and get back to Shanghai the next day in time to see the work go to the dogs again.
The week after this adventure wanted to go either Beijing or go see the Tennis Masters in Shanghai. Neither happened. Just too tired after the week. The weekend after that was to be my last in China. Me made up my mind to go to Beijing come what may. Others hooked up. However after the Nanjing Experience, no one was willing to take any chances. On short notice flight was out of the question. So took a overnight train. 1400 odd kilometers in about 11 hours on the Z class trains. Very comfartable.

In Beijing, one of our friends in the bank had arranged for a tours for the weekend. Sherman from "Happy Beijing Tour Company Ltd" picked us up at the station and took us to the The Ming Tombs and The Wall. Ming tombs were bit more grander than at Nanjing. However the ones at Nanjing somehow seemed more satisfying. Maybe the less crowd, not being herded around in a tour helped. But somehow just felt better about that visit.

From there to lunch. Thanks to the guide we had a good vegetarian meal. Then off to The Wall. The misty day might have spoiled photos. But standing there on top of the thing, even amongst the crowd, you could not escape the grandeur of the place. A ten metre high 7 metre wide fence built on the edge of hills. Amazing. Any chap who tried to attack this bit of the land must have been straight out of his mind (was told that there were a few of them though). Two hours later we are on our way down. To the hotel and some deserved rest.

Get up early next day and get going to The Forbidden City/ Temple of heaven and The Summer Palace. The forbidden city is a sprawling Palace where the Emperors of China used to stay. Is grand as an ancient monument. The crowds however did not help the feeling there.

After spending a few hours went to the Temple of Heaven, where the emporor's came to pray to the Gods. A single building set in the middle of a forested area, very beautiful.

Finally, the Summer Palace. A palace on the shores of a man made lake. Amazing scenery. Should be visited in the Summer though. Almost froze in the winds coming in over the lake. Cetainly worth a visit.

Went back to see Tiananmen Square in the night. Lit up it is a sight worth seeing. Got back into the train and reached Shanghai the next day.

Even after going to Nanjing and Beijing, you just get the feeling that you have not seen anything of the country. Places like the Huangshan Mountains, Xi'an, Tibet. Just feel like i should have got out more on the weekends. Anyway, Maybe we'll see them sometime in the future...

Taxidriver

2007-08-27T10:22:00.000-07:00

Taxi's and taxi drivers make most of me interactions with the people of this town. Going in the morning or returning at the end of a long day, the cabbie says Nihao and something else and then Naadi, Which then is your cue to blurt out where you want to go. Which is where the fun begins

Be prepared to start the usual flailing of the arms. But here you cant help feel that you are a traffic policeman, directing them here there and everywhere. Know the words for right left and straight and the chap immediately assumes that you are an expert in the language.

The other day, on the way to work, I get this hyper talkative chap. Think the guy was giving a load of gaali's under his breadth all the way. At one point there was this truck coming the wrong way up a one way street, chap breaks out into a string of words and then looks at me to respond. Me raises me hands with a look of what i take to be exasperation on me face and we go along. The chap was muttering all the remainder of the way.

And then there was the other day, Chap says something like you Xindian. i had just got on the cab and I thought he was asking whether i wanted to goto Xintiandi (or however you type that) I'm trying to tell him "No want to goto Xujiahui" Repeat this three four times to which the guy goes "Me Chinese, you Indian". Finally dimaag ki batti jali and I say yes yes lets go along. Next signal the guy takes out his bottle and empties his water, turns around and says "Paani nahin hai." Me is sitting there speechless and pretty much looking like a dumb fool staring back at him. Signal changes and we reach Xujiahui. Me says thanks and gets on going.

Fun I tells you.

Mondays

2007-08-13T10:54:00.000-07:00

I am slowly beginning to sympathise with Garfield.

First of all its the day after the weekend when you just don't feel like getting up. Secondly things just seem to get weirder on this day. People fear friday the thirteenth, I say fear the vengeful monday morning.

Few weeks ago I got up, went about the usual morning routine. Go in, have a bath and come out. To find the as a room mate put it "Look its the Titanic". Water had overflowed form the drainage outlet to fill bathroom and the living room. So began operation mop up. Get out two mops and soak up the water. End result go into work 45 min late.

Today, get up and about to go in when was very nicely informed that the loo's gone and got choked up. Theres a job for the plumber. Add to that finding out that we have no rice to cook for lunch tho we had made sufficient food the previous

Rather nice mood these things leaves me in the morning.

Well, of we go trying to convince a plumber through gestures that the pot is clogged up. Should be good fun. If not for me...atleast for the innocent by-standers

Back In

2007-05-18T06:07:00.000-07:00

A few months ago i thought that i had finally managed to break free. But, by looks of things though, as long as you remain in the organization you can never break free.

Update for the peoples, me is in Cheen, as in Hindi - Cheeni bhai bhai. Been here for a few months now. Any of you planning to end up in this part of the world (I have no idea why you would be) learn some Mandarin. Then give me a shout out. You can then help me understand what the hell people are saying to me.

Don't get me wrong, the people are generally helpful, just there is this very large language barrier. You want to get something across to a local and you start thinking that you should have been mime. Get into the taxi and you feel that you've become a traffic policeman. One of these days they going to arrest me for flailing me arms in a dangerous manner. Wait, this aint the US.

So anyway, onwards we go.

Back to base

2007-05-05T03:49:00.000-07:00

Been back in Bangalore (or is that Bengaluru) for the past two weeks. One year and the bloody town goes and changes on you. For one the traffic jams are now bearable. Hosur Road no longer is the hell hole where for every 100m of motion you would wait 10 min stationary. Flyovers that were being constructed forever got finished. Even new flyovers havent effected the traffic (that much). And the BMTC has introduce brillaint AC buses.

The day to day food around has improved. Atleast I haven't found coconut in everything. The north indian dishes are passably north indian.

But somethings don't change. Work is a pain in the everything. Bangaloreans are as laid back as ever. The city centre still has the greenery about.

Back. Lets see how things go

----

All your base are belong to us

First in Not Last Out

2007-04-03T11:30:00.000-07:00

Not sure that anyone's been bitten by a leach. Supposedly once they get their grip going they suck till the last drop or drown from drinking too much blood. Only way to get them of be to burn them

Well me has gone and burned the bloody leaches at site of me skin finally. For now atleast. Hopefully it can be made permanent. Only time will tell. Next need to find a way to get the other leaches off.

in your face turds...I'm still Alive.

Horse Racing

2007-04-03T02:05:00.000-07:00

Annual ratings nikla? Thats (and its variations in other languages) all that I've been hearing the past few weeks at work. So finally they are out

Highest rating mila?

Acha, to kya karega?

Wohi hamaal giri?

Mast hai...

What difference the ratings make is a mystery. Only thing that they really seem to be doing is bolster your diminishing ego.

They should start a sweepstakes to see who gets what. The unpredictability will atleast provide more fun than our glorious cricket team...

Reminiscences

2006-11-22T12:55:00.000-08:00

Nine months back to the day I was sitting in Bangalore airport after missing me flight contemplating whether me should go back and get me shoes...looking at the line for check in i decided that i would leave them there...thinking where they going to go in a couple of months...got onto a propeller aircraft with me two pieces of hand luggage and made my way over

Well...lets hope they are still there...without any cockroaches/mice/frogs etc in them. Meanwhile i have learnt a few things here

first and foremost a game called mail...this essentially involves people with highly inflated egos going for each others throats using e-mail. Rules of the game...only one...i am right you are wrong...grammar...non existent...the challenge...to find obscure reasons to blame the other ...or better yet..to push work on the other...everyone must take part...sadly...me wasnt much good at it

you can give the AVP of the company an earful...only you willl get that back and more when your boss hears of it

people have a far more extensive vocabulary than you would ever expect..especially when they realise that a mistake has happened

it is great fun having a go at vendors...especially when you yourself represent one and the other has no clue what you are on about...you can claim that your operations are based out of Outer Mongolia and charge extra for whale oil to heat the place and get away with it

Now let me go check if someone has got a thesis out on the decomposition of leather

Run...Forest...Runnn...

2006-07-23T01:27:00.000-07:00

Saw this video after a long time the other day...that got me thinking...has anyone attempted a full speed sprint across the main bridge at Dadar at say 11 am? Is it even possible?

Me is willing to pay for lunch for anyone who manages to get from one end of the thing to the other in 15s ... the only thing...is you'll have to find me to get the lunch if you do manage to..

Lost arts...

2006-06-16T12:06:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine sent me to this site which has a pretty intersting theme to it...the world cup in ascii art..

Got home and later in the night our good friend google throws up this...where i find this...some people really have way too creative minds with tooo much free time on their hands...

spectacular...visit...especially if you are absolutely pakaoed and at work...

It got dark...

2006-05-30T12:11:00.000-07:00

...and darker still....till it was night...

Then...at the precise moment when me stepped out to have dinner...the
sky came tumbling down...not exactly...but it did start pouring..

Seemed like the gods had decided to to take out their frustration on
me...each time me was not under cover it poured...walking from office
to lower parel station...station to home...end result one very
drenched me by the time he gets home...

Hell...who cares...its been a while since me got meself
drenched...anyone has a football...or better yet...a frisbee?

A different world

2006-03-12T02:01:00.000-08:00

Actually left work while there was still some natural light about yesterday...Got on a fast back from Dadar...lost track of the stations passing by and realised i'd missed my stop only when i reached Thane...so back we go

Coming out at my station...me's initially not sure whether i've gotten of at the right place...loads of ppl abt, the shops all open and brightly lit...totally disoriented...somehow managed to get back home

looks like you dont need hash...altering timings is enough...

Pitter-patter

2006-03-12T01:55:00.000-08:00

Woke up the other day and couldnt believe it was 8....nce and thought it was the sunrise..checked clock and got up...opened blinds to see a cloudy day...with promise of rain..and it did...in the afternoon

Been sitting in a mill..Modified redone and all that...but without any false roofing etc....suddenly it goes all dark..and hear this massive sound....look up see the rain through the skylight...the sound...closest i can think of is possibly a bass drum on reverb...

I wonder how the chaps who used to work here earlier used to do there
work with the machines and the noise in the monsoons

So its women's day...

2006-03-08T10:29:00.000-08:00

....That explains why me day has gone to the dogs....

Ended up having a three and half hour conference call with ppl at work starting yest midnight.....follow that up with reaching work early and leaving late.....

Ok I got cake at work out of it....an altogether wonderful day...

---------------------

I got fire....I got fire...

The week just gone by....

2006-02-25T10:37:00.000-08:00

Monday morning get up a bit late...was supposed to go in in the
morning....was leaving home at 830....when i get call....where the
crap are you....get work as soon as possible..listen to the
pm...put mobile in pocket...get on bus...get off bus...check
pockets...no mobile...

Tuesday.....miracle happens....i reach work before 9....am dazed for
the rest of the day

Wednesday...reach at around 930...go have breakfast...come back..see
mail from PM asking to meet her...go thinking i'm going to get crap
for not doing any work...sit down...she asks...how you feel about a 1
month...max two month stint in Bombay...me
thinking...huh...where did that come from...think abt for a
moment...then signed me own death warrant by saying yes....am told i
have to leave asap...if possible get there by tomorrow morning....put
in a travel request...get tickets to travel by the 9pm flight to
Bombay...am told this is a EMEA/ES project by the new PM who is in
Pune in the afternoon...leave work at 7....reach home at 830...chuck
my clothes into a bag...reach airport at 855...to b told that i
have missed flight....again...

This is where Thursday comes in...run around at the various airline
counters in Bangalore Airport...to be told that only Jet has a flight
by which i can even hope to get to Bombay in time for Thursday
morning...buy ticket....leave Bangalore at 12...reach bombay at
2...home at 230...sleep...and am of to Lower Parel at 9am....come home
i think at 1030...eat...sleep...

Friday...home....work...home...sleep...

Saturday...wait today is saturday right?
----------------------------------------
Guess who's back
Back again
Shady's back
Tell a friend

No longer...

2006-02-25T10:35:00.001-08:00

Back to homeland....atleast for a few weeks...

Rant....Rant....Rant....

2006-02-18T09:17:00.000-08:00

Sri Sri Ravishankar has decided to descend on this town....Him and his legions of followers....I land on Monday and the first thing i see as i am exiting the ariport is this desk set up to help 'devotees' ...behind them this massive hoarding ...4000 thousand buses have been engaged to pick and drop ppl...largest collection of musicians anyone has ever seen...over 2 lakh people attending his rally...

Now the question that comes to mind is....How many chutiya's are there in this world? Do you really need to go some hack to help clear your mind...wont just five minutes sitting and thinking calmly help you?...NO....it has to be packaged and branded as some shitall course...the yuppies lap it all up...then the rest of the chutiya world take it up...

Whats with this town anyway....last year Benny Hinn...this year this idiot...next year who? Osama? thats probably the only way the yanks will catch him....

--------------------------------------

On a side note, got on the pubilc bus(one the few that werent drafted for the grand rally) to get to work today...the crowd dwindles...and there right acrross the aisle...there be this chap with a kid in his hands...not bacha type kid....but the goats offspring types...i cant remember ever seeing a dog/cat in a BEST bus...cows all over the road and cattle in the busses...where am i? Lalooland?

12° 8' N 77° 37' E

2006-02-18T09:13:00.000-08:00

me...bangalore...booo...hiss...

not really

18° 56' N 72° 51' E

2006-01-27T10:25:00.000-08:00

Me....bombay...home...yay

Moo Tales....

2006-01-18T09:50:00.000-08:00

An IAS candidate once wrote:

He is the cow. The cow is a successful animal. Also he is four footed. And because he is female, he give milks, but will do so when he is got child. He is same like-God, sacred to Hindus and useful to man. But he has got four legs together. Two are forward and two are afterwards.....(full text here)

I just wonder...has this person been charged at by one of the species while standing in the middle of nowhere? Was waiting for the bus to come the other day when i see this blasted cow decide that it likes the look of the grass on this side of the road. From its warped perspective the grass must have seemed to be on the move...so it decides that it must charge accross before it gets away...Me just stands there thinking 'Hmmm...i should move out the way...'as it charges past... what i want to know is how something that size dont get hit while going for a blind charge...me feels inspired...maybe me should try it sometime...probability must favour me...

--------------------

Another day...was going to get on the bus to get to work...this is when this blasted cow that was lounging nearby decides that just has to sit in front of bus door...should i read that as an omen? an animal as sacred as a cow is blocking my way to work....who am i to challenge the Gods...

-------------------

You Holy Cow
The telegraph pole knows where
It knows where you live
You Holy Cow
I'll get it to take me there
And shout abuse at your window

No....I aint stoned...

And its 1...

2005-12-20T09:10:00.000-08:00

...year since i came to this town...

While coming back home the day before I went for one of me random walks...walking from Palace Grounds...thought I'd get to Shivaji Nagar and get some transport from there onward home..

Walking...I suddenly realise i dont know where the crap I am...and this being Bangalore there is not a soul on the bloody road after 10 to ask for directions...unless you count the dogs...but sadly cant communicate with dogs...so just continue walking in what I think is the general direction that I want to take...15 fifteen minutes gone...there must be something that I recognise...five minutes later...wokay...where shit am I...go on...a fork in the road..now what...ah theres a bank up there..it'll tell me the area i'm in...Miller Road...where the f%#k is that..screw it just take the right fork...10 mins later a police station...Bharathi Nagar police chowky...what...follow the road...get to a crossroads...praise the lord...there's an empty rick ..make sure that he aint out to fleece me..give him directions...rick starts...100m on I pass the hotel where I had stayed when I first came here last year.

Coincidence or what.

Random Thoughts

2005-12-10T08:55:00.000-08:00

Well

Its more than a year to the day since many of us got our marching orders to various places round the country...in some of our cases only to be booted of some place else...or back to where we came from...looking back....the wild haggling for a swap seems like madness...but its all done and burried.

This day last year was the last day of training for many of us...remember that we found out that it was Pusalkar's birthday and some of us Infy ppl ended up running around the campus trying to catch him and give him bumps...come to think of it...did we?

So its one year of being a full fledged "Professional"....now what does it feel like?

To me...nothing...no sense of accomplishing anything...just plodded along doing just about what needs to be done when the time came. All the talk of meeting life head on and similar crap just seems to be a load of bull. I really dont think that I am any different from what I was a year back....the same old slightly peeved slightly uncertain wierdo from Bombay

The next year begins....lets see whats in store for us....for atleast two it seems to be starting off rather well.....

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Dont know....but think this fits in here....

Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day
You fritter and waste the hours in an offhand way.
Kicking around on a piece of ground in your home town
Waiting for someone or something to show you the way.

Tired of lying in the sunshine staying home to watch the rain.
You are young and life is long and there is time to kill today.
And then one day you find ten years have got behind you.
No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun.

So you run and you run to catch up with the sun but it's sinking
Racing around to come up behind you again.
The sun is the same in a relative way but you're older,
Shorter of breath and one day closer to death.

Every year is getting shorter never seem to find the time.
Plans that either come to naught or half a page of scribbled lines
Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way
The time is gone, the song is over, Thought I'd something more to say.

(c) Pink Floyd

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I know....probably not what most people wanted to read the first thing in the morning...but what the hell...

And no...I dont have suicidal tendencies....

A few more pics from Bangalore this time around here

Its a miracle

2005-11-28T06:26:00.000-08:00

Well...went out to Madras two weekends back...saw the reports of rain and what not...but was still skeptical...was silently giving gaali's at the thought of eating dust on the trip there...then dehydrating to the extent of braking into the component amino acids...but NO...it had actually rained in the barren land...i cant say that it was cold...for the first time that I can remember there was no oppressive heat...you could actually sleep

And there was water coming out of the taps

Praise the rain gods....now....Stop for craps sake....

-------------------------

Also a piece of advice...do not travel by rick at 6 in the morning in winter. Has been attempted twice...once in Pune last year and couple weeks back in Bangalore...surpirsed that me has not lost any limbs to frostbite...yet.

Wimps

2005-10-25T03:26:00.000-07:00

One gets the feeling that Bangalore is filled with wimps....

It rained...rather drizzled all through the weekend....and the entry point to Hosur Road got flooded...So come yesterday morning when the horde was moving towards Electronic City they come across a 100 foot stretch of 2.5 feet of water..vehicles were diverted...some ppl ended up visting the National park on there way to office...

There were reports that it would rain again in the evening...so there was a mass evacuation of electronics city in the afternoon...rumours say that Wipro has given the rest of the week off....

Anyway....on the way back the 2.5 feet had reduced to 2 feet...but everyone got through....no rain...and thats that

---------------------------

it's like you're waiting for a diamond shore to wash your way
bets put aside, you're evil
let's crawl into your face
a vision, vague or not, raising a frightful wake-you-up
time for...
evacuation
evacuation
evacuation

uhmm...

2005-10-06T02:50:00.000-07:00

Well…I’m back….one fifteeth chink…but back I am…

Though that almost did not occur….

I was told on Friday to go get the hell out of the country…Now…my ticket was valid only on Taipei – Bangalore…that too only till 30 Sep…So when I call up the travel desk asking them to book my ticket they tell me it is not possible…you will have to raise a new travel request…It is way out of your budget and similar rot...Basically were telling me to goto hell…

Saturday was a public holiday in Hong Kong….Chinese Liberation day or some such rot…so all travel agents closed…frantic searching of airline offices result in zilch...finally reach through to Singapore Airlines reservation number…only to be very bluntly told that there are no vacant seats for travel on Monday...Next try Thai…you have a confirmed booking from Hong Kong to Bangkok….but Bangkok – Bangalore sector is unavailable…contemplate giving gaalis to the twat on the phone…but leave it…next try Cathay…seats vacant HK – Singapore – Bangalore …I’m thinking good…but the ticket will be issued only till 1pm…have to rush across the Harbour to get to the ticketing office…reach there at 1230…stand in queue get to the counter…only to realize I don’t have the cash…female there says you can come tomorrow and pay for you ticket….asgfasdgfnak…

Next day go get the ticket do some random roaming about the city after which I return at abt 12…cook…eat…pack..sleep at round 5…

Monday morning….get up at 1015..think crap...i’m screwed…needed to buy some stuff…go searching for the stuff..time 1215…ok…goto bank to say that I’m leaving, settle dues etc…time 1330….collect lunch…get going towards home ..time 1415…realize that the stuff I bought needs to be packed ...1417..start packing 1418…end packing 1425…get all the stuff down from the 19th floor to ground floor 1430…hail taxi to airport 1435…arrive at airport 1605…

Flight leaves 1550

So there I was in Chep Lai Kok International Airport Hong Kong…calmly contemplating the next outburst…goto the ticketing counter…am initially told no free flights to Bangalore till thu……After the female searches the damn system for some 15 min she comes with a flight that is going to Delhi at 2335…from there you will have to book your ticket to Bangalore…decide to take the risk…loaf about the airport for 7 hours…get on flight arrive in Delhi at 3am…clear customs etc and arrive at delhi domestic at 4am…bheek maangofied at the various airline counters for the cheapest ticket that i could find…finally caught flight at 710 and reached home in Bangalore at 11

Thus ends the tale of one slightly drowsy traveler….

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

do not attempt to go here if you are on a dial up connection…

Guandu

2005-09-23T23:24:00.000-07:00

....no....i'm not giving the lot of you gaali's for no reason.....that would be too crass....

No....Guandu is the name of a place in Taiwan very close to Taipei....there is a water park there....i tell you....if you dont know how to swim dont goto a waterpark....almost drowning the first time you hit water is not a very pleasant experience....come down slide after your arse has not been in contact with blasted thing for half the ride and then you hit the water...you go under....you get disoriented....is this up...or is this down....one of those boxes with this side up was found wanting....so after floundering about in the water for a few moments...hand touches floor...you push in the direction that you think is up and....get more disoriented...finally somehow you get up and then you realise the bloody water is only till chest level....and you walk out.... Well did that last weekend i was in Taiwan....repeatedly....so that is that.....

Seems Disneyland is going to open in Hong Kong....me thinks that me is too cheap to go there....

Later..

Versioning

2005-08-26T04:51:00.000-07:00

Let me give you a brief introduction into how the management in this BU works....

Well....the maximum duration of my stay on my present visa will expire on 31st. Normally people in my situation who have multiple entry visas run off to Hong Kong for a weekend and return to spend another 60 days in this hell hole. Well i dont...so i told me manager so...

So here is when he comes out and says "But i had planned for you to stay there for a few months more, you should have told me before." Had told him previously. Blasted maroon...wat does he expect me to do....take my visa and stick it down his throat or something? So he asks me to go enquire if it is possible to get the visa renewed here itself....This is version 1....

Next day...me checks with the local people and they tell me that it is not possible to get it done in Taiwan. Manager dejectedly says....fine...goto to India get a Multiple Entry visa.....This is Version 2...

Later in the evening....frantic call from manager..."I checked with people who have just returned from HK...it seems you can get visa there....confim with people presently in HK....if possible you can go to Hong Kong for a weekend and get the visa...."....this is version 3....or should we call it 2.1.2a....

Check next morning...am told that you can get a business visa for Taiwan in HK only if you already have a business visa for HK...return back to manager with this information...he says ok...seems no way abt it...go back...but you have to come back in 1 week.....version 4....or reconciliation to verson 2

Tuesday morning one confirms with manager about travel back to india...he says go ahead...Talk to female at visa dept back in Bangalore....she cribs abt getting multiple entry...tell her me needs it...and that is that...

Tuesday evening...i get a call...pick up....and its the manager....yay....now he tells me that ppl in taiwan are considering whether they need ppl there...you come to HK for now...if taiwan says they dont need then you will spend a few months in Hong Kong....else travel back in mid september to india get visa...run to Taiwan.....too confused to give a version now....

have been booked on flight to HK on 31st...

this is as of today....nay now...discussion b/w resp managers going on today....till then in limbo we remain....woohoo.....

----------------------------------------

meanwhile....
Jojuwan.......jojuwan....jojuwan,yojuwan,jojuwan......
translate that....should be pretty simple...

Naruwan II

2005-08-06T09:11:00.000-07:00

ok...where were we before ur friendly neighbourhood typhoon which neverwas came around...oh yes...me had landed in this wierdall country..

I land in taipei...meet up with the ppl here...one from my team in bangalore named guru...he introduces me to this other guy..."This is Ganesh Gopal Masti Jayaram...all in all for CRM"...well i thought he was just joking...but later on me finds out that the chaps name is really exactly that....seems he lived up to name...

The monday me gets the first taste of what is to be gruel in this world out here...Lunch time all feel hunger....me wondering what the crap we are going to do for food...1230 ppl get up...chalo...lets go to this restaurant for lunch...so we get up trudge about side streets of central taipei for 15 min and we are at this Burmese place called Kunmings...In the three of us go...get to a table...no verbal exchange..just a indication from one of the other chaps and lo and behold....five minutes later food is here....Consisting of one bowl's worth of rice, some dal,some form of roti, steamed cabbage,some sort of rot made out of soya and salad...this remains staple to ths day...me asked how ppl discovered this place in the first place....seems that no one knows ...infy ppl have been coming here since the dawn of time...There be these two Paki places around which we go once in awhile...but then they not near the office or near where we stay...so the same rot itis....unless someone feels inlcined to do the cooking....and the only chap who seems to do so is going back next week...so bring on the rot....

-----------

Been one month here now....what have i seen of this country...nothing...only that which i have seen in random walks (both forced and intentional) around the city. Wonder how many of you have walked from Fountain up DN Road past BMC,Xaviers, Metro and then Kalbadevi Road to Princess Street? Dont believe there are many....Well that is pretty much what me saw the other day..Somehow got to this place where there be all these massive old fashioned buildings...nice wide road...you come to this ground off to one side...walk further up...the road narrows....hawkers appear...thebuildings have all these small shops selling god alone knows what...it becomes cramped...the crowd slows the traffic down....suddenly...in the middle of it all...you see this old majestic place...like the fire temple at princess street...uncanny

Praise the lord that there are no Gujjus around...

Haitang

2005-07-18T18:34:00.000-07:00

On the news (ie CNN, chink tv too..but then cant understand any of tht stuff can i...) every 15 mins or so...

Typhoon Haitang
Category 5
Winds of upto 250 kmph with gusts of 300+ kmph
expected to hit Taiwan sunday night just south of Taipei...

Blasted damp squib i tell you....i've seen heavier rain in bombay...i've stood in winds which were atleast the same force at the sea shore or on the colonade...BUT....me got a holiday for it...and for that one thanks the rain gods...

But, by the look of images shown on the same chink channels..there seems to have been heavy rain in southern Taiwan...500 odd mm in some place...with flooding and roads being swept way and all the jazz...me would have liked to see that first hand...but that did not happen...

Well theres still time....later...

Naruwan

2005-07-10T18:31:00.000-07:00

Well....its been one week way out in the far east...lets start about the beginning...

Travelled last fiday night to Taipei through Bangkok (no thunder thai jokes please..)...Landed in Bangkok around 4 am local time..went to the transit lounge where me made a bed out of two seats and me hand baggage on a trolley..Maroons have a foot massage parlour in the lounge...but cant provide some reclining chairs...Anyway got me connecting flight at 7AM...had a decent heavy breakfast...dozed off....and woke up in time to hear the captain announcing what i think translated to the approach into Taipei. Btw you movie buffs would be excited to know that i had the opportunity to see art house productions 5 children and it and Man of the House in flight...sadly as i said, sleep got the better of me...

Anyway got off at Taipei (good thing that i did...else might have ended up in Seoul in some student protest)...Converted some of the cash that me has been given and went to immigration...went through without any problems...me thinks tht it has more to do with the immigration chap and me not having any common language by which he could ask me anything than anything else...got out of the ariport and got to the taxi stand and the robot that i am vomittefd what i was told to tell the cabbie " Pathe Lu, IBM"...cabbie responds in garbling something in chinese and opens the bonnet..so i took that to be get on and got on..

An hour later and 1240 taiwanese dollars lighter me arrives at Pathe Lu IBM...which it seems is IBM building on Pathe Lu. get to the reception ask for ABN-AMRO...the chap there starts gesticulating and garbling away...two minutes later the chap is actually feeling guilty that he can't speak english...somehow me and him come to the understanding that it is on the 11th floor...further gesticulation...and me understands that there be a phone in the lift landing from which i can call the chaps i'm supposed to meet and return to some sanity...

Went up tried to contact the people...couldnt....came down to see them down waiting...cursed a few gaalis and went met them...got home had some lunch and slept....

good thing too...seeing tht i had to come in in the night on the first day...any the first day ends there...will continue some time later...

be warned...there shall be random profanity and frustration thrown about without warning...for now...top of the morning to you...keep it too...me is off to sleep...

Screwed

2005-06-30T10:28:00.000-07:00

Me is being forced to go on a covert mission to The Area In Which Arseholes Nitpik to bring down a bank tomorrow night. Me is already putting meself in grave danger by sending this out....can almost hear them shouting 2 plus 2 is 5.
Considering that i have to face :

a) Mad bankers
b) Possible outbreak of The Bird flu
c) The cyclones that come around every month or so
d) Impending attack from the commies
e) and being a country on the Pacific rim...earthquakes...

...me does not have very high hopes of survival. If by some weirdall chance i do survive...they telling me that me will be evacuated in three months time...maybe i'll learn ancient kungfu torture techniques (hmm...there be a plus side....)....so long folks

-------------------------------------------

Who's to say where the wind will take you
Who's to know what it is will break you
I don't know where the wind will blow
Who's to know when the time has come around
I don't wanna see you die
I hope that this is not goodbye

Revelations

2005-06-23T11:04:00.000-07:00

Things I have learnt from running around TN:

It is impossible to live in a city like Madras in summer...me opinion is that you spend long enough there and your brains will boil and come oozing out of your ears...

Do NOT go walking barefoot anywhere in tamil nadu at 1300 hrs...the ground will bake your feet hard...maybe this is what hell might be like....in that case tis good practise then....

Do NOT sit down when there is a three year old and a plastic table in the vicinity. there is a good likelyhood of the kid picking up the table and advancing on you with the intention of impaling you on it...

Villagers are money grabbing bastards

There is a certain splendour about ancient historical places...you cant help but feel it..

There is nothing like home made food

//end revelation....go back to watever you were doing

IST -13 part trois - Travails of the frustrated soul..

2005-05-18T10:53:00.000-07:00

Third shot at the graveyard run..dont know why they haven't been able to bury me as yet tho....possibly me be undead...
One more week of doing nothing...staying uptil 3 then dozing off in the chair...me is getting talented at that i think. This time around atleast there be another fresher chappie like us...so unleashed some nice gaalis...nice feeling tht..been a whle and all..ended up playing some underarm cricket in the pantry as well in the middle of the night.

the futility of these brillaint night shifts leads to such pure frustration that it can not be described. Add to this come friday night there be this chappie who be three year our senior decided to give us his entire dukh bara kahani...end result saturday morning me be a bit gone...fri night certain creature in mysore had told me that she is going to exit the city in a bit...think i said something along the lines let see if i can drop in this weekend

saturday comes...go back home after the night ...sleep...and saturday's gone

sunday comes...was so peeved that decided lets get out of the city...coimbatore is too far off...so might as well end up seeing mysore..and thus begins the tale of insanity and idioacy...

Dont know how to go there, so decide to goto the holy grail of transport in bangalore Majestic. Come out to catch a bus to there..waiting at the bus stop some 5-6 buses came along which i knew didn't go there...another bus comes i ask him Majestic, he says something that i hear as yes..get on ask for ticket chap says "no majestic, market". I had heard that there be busses to out stations from there so think fine...there must be bus to mysore form there. On the way there i am greeted by a signpost which tells me that this is mysore road and i'm kicked seeing as how my idioacy paid off. Get down..am told no busses to mysore..ok, this is right beside mysore road so i think i'll walk there and flag down some bus going in that direction.

Come out onto mysore road and notice a flyover and believe that buses must be taking that to avoid the congestion below...Now flyovers generally are what 500 odd meter things...so think we'll walk to end of flyover see a bus and get on be in mysore in 3 hours...the walk begins...five minutes later...the walk continues......15 minutes later i think that i spot the end of the thing.....blasted false alarm.....25 min later come to the end of the bloody thing in time to see a bus zoom pass. this bus had mysore written on it (in English, normally everything is in blasted kannada)...i was thinking finally something going my way. idle about for a few mins waiting for the next bus to come about....none forthcoming...my brilliant mind hear kicks in and gets the motor muscles moving...few minutes later i see another bus go by...missed cause i wasn't looking for it...mutter some gaalis beneath my breath and stand waiting for next bus....this cmes around in two minutes....i try to flag down the prick....who calmly ignores me and drives on..this happens twice more...then mind starts working again..bus will stop only at the bus stop...there must be a bus stop nearby...lets walk to it...so the trudge begins again...onwards we go....5 min...no bus stop...10 min no bus stop...15 min bus stop...see tht a mysore has stopped....yaaayyyy...all this while i see tht busses are fairly frequent...so decide no point in running...will wait for next bus...next bus comes...gos...another same story...another....again the same story....no blasted bus stops...finally give up go back to Majestic somehow...get instructions from amma in mysore and am on bus..this bus however stops jsut abt where iwas standing....&!@#@^^%$@

Bus moves along the 120 odd km in some 4 hours...me has breathed in enough dust to choke an elephant in this time...give a few more curses about road travel and look for bus to get to infy...i see large clock tower...walk in that direction...look to the left and see Mysore palace...beautiful is all i can say..look right and see the bus which i have been instructed to take coming down the road...sprint after it and get on...i'm almost there....

Well, not quite..bus goes through to town...nice wide raods with lots of greenery abt...then goes out of town..and on and on and on (like this mail)....if you former room mates of mine remember...this route was similar to the bus which gave us a guided tour rural mulshi taluka before reaching Hinjewadi minutes before the compre..finally reach infy mysore..hear this hysterical cry from accross the road and see tht it be amma...cross the road...meet friends of amma and am told that we be going back the entire distance to city bus stand..the morons couldnt have come around when i was in the blasted city could they..ended up going to this place where food takes more time to come than it possibly takes for a chicken to hatch...came back to infy mysore around about 11..was shown around the campus in mysore in the night...nice place but over the top...as everything this company is..

Sat abt while amma and gang went about their (seemingly)nightly ritual of keeping awake their gods with their singing...slept finally around 2 in the night...got up today morning and braved the 4 hour ride back...came in for afternoon shift 1.5 hours late and now on me way out...

as a parting shot....witness the power of ze google...
http://www.telugubiz.net/songs/search.php?do=list.tracks&col=tr.name&val=aa%20ante%20amalapuram&sort=al
tht b Jan 05 mysore dc anthem....maroons have it running in me head...they shall pay for it with their lives if ever met again....
dont kill me for this...
notice no gaalis in mail...imagine them...you know where they are likely to appear...spam away idiots...in all likelyhood it will bounce back at you

IST -13 part dieux...

2005-04-21T18:03:00.000-07:00

The sun's just rising on the world outside...and me has completed me second session of ze night run....two days this time around
Things i've done this time ....read the prologue to The Bonehunters, Erikson's next book online...read George RR Martin's novella Arms of the Craken also online...rereading The Gardens of the moon.....surprise...surprise...not online...and ..Listened to some of me weird muzak...
Exciting moments.....when i got up and walked to the sofa to lie down and doze of....
Challenges faced....how to fit a six foot frame in a five foot sofa....w/o hacking off body parts....and staying awake....failure on both counts me thinks...
Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee........

-------------------------------------------------------------

Made a good living
By dying it's true
As the world in my TV
Leaked onto my shoes
Sleep of no dreaming.......

Things...

2005-04-15T20:53:00.000-07:00

Well….let me introduce to a f#$%ing moron….this basturd calls me up yesterday night at 845 from Coimbatore and tells me tht he is coming to bangalore. So I say Oh…this when he decides to tell me that he would like to stay with me till mon. Me being a decent type of chappie (this is when everyone must go right) says fine. The bast then proceeds to ask if I can come to the station to pick him. For the sake of clarity let us name this basturd as Builder. Well, I said no me's got to get to work. The chap then says tht he'll find his way to my place. I say fine. Today morning chap gets lost near me house and finally I go out and meet him and get him home leave for infy coming in 1.5 hours late…All fine….Later in the morning he calls me tells me he wants info on radar and sonar. I tell him I'm not the person to ask. He says you have the net na….search and tell me in the evening…..Now wat I'd like to know is how jobless does the prick think I am…and even I were jobless wat does he think…I'm some sort of slave or something….
Going to have a nice talk with the chappie tonight…..lets see if some blood falls….

------------------------------------------------------

While changing me password today me realised that quite a few of us freaks have now spent around 250 days in our repsective instituitions….we've been busy haven't we….

The Trial..

2005-04-11T11:50:00.000-07:00

Have any of you lot ever come across a 324 MB log file? Do you even have any idea how long it takes to load such a file? On me measly P-III 128 MB RAM running 2000 it took all of….25 min to load in notepad…Now that aint the end it of…Guess how long it takes to search for the word "fatal" in this file?....go on…..guess…well it didn't find the word in the file, which I needed to find...me was in great mood I tell….never felt better in me life…..

IST -13

2005-04-03T07:43:00.000-07:00

Finally have finished 6 days on the trot of the night shift....don't know what i have achieved by it except screw me life....just to think i was in bombay enjoying my sleep same time last week...now don't think i can even sleep before 4 am...result me waking up in the middle of the day...going to be great fun as i try explaining coming in around midday tomorrow when i'm supposed to be here in the morning.....

PL: Hello, weren't you supposed to be here at 8?
Me: Oh yes...isn't it 8 now...
Pl: No, its 1230
Me: You sure that your watch is not zonked....its either that or me...
Pl: Well we know which one it is then don't we....

Or something like that..

And i really don't get what i was supposed to be there in the nights for....i'm incapable of providing anyone any help regarding the application....whatever problems came....and there were only a few... were handled by the other chap ...me just came in stayed awake in me seat till roundabouts 330 and then dozed off...me never knew that the body can twist and turn so much in a seat...

Lets wait and see what this month throws up...

Nite....

Simple Pleasures

2005-04-01T13:57:00.000-08:00

Going home...
The colours in the clouds when you are above them and the sun is setting....looks like golden cotton candy that stretches out for miles...
The sight of the city you know all lit up from the sky and recognising the roads and areas while coming into land
Travel in a local train at 1045 in the night and its still reasonably full....this while traveling in the opposite direction...something you'll never find on the local transport here after 10...or should i say wat local transport after 10...
F 1015 K .......not many will get this.....just stand at the door and enjoy the cool breeze as the world rushes by
Meeting people you want to see (surprisingly, there are a few)

Now that that is all over....back to the grind....and the sleepless nights....

A tale of two shows...

2005-02-28T04:25:00.000-08:00

i know thats a corny title......but wat the hell

Wokay two shows.....a world apart...first in infy on fri and the second at Cubbon Park on sat

infy show publicised as "we play everything from metal to pop"....felt it would be dodgy but was a bit bored so went along.....the show had promise bose amps abt....chap who seemed to know how to get the right mix...then the "musicians" themselves come on stage....and the crap starts.....guitarist had probably the worst tone tht i've heard in me life.....even worse than the guy from the band at RAIT last year who just went on and on and on.....vocalist of no ability......they tried with or without u,with arms wide open.and some other shite...basically disgusting. i'd prob take the RAIT guys any day....left before i started tearing me hair out.

Me's been looking for a TAAQ show since i came here. On tuesday me read on gigpad tht phenom will b playing at this thing called Radiocity Live....was curious had a look at the thread..learn that they b opening for TAAQ. i thought ok....we'll try to make it....Passes available accross the city phukat in various shops....i thought i'll go around and collect on sat...they should b available....come sat me go to CCDay nearby and ask for passes....chap tells me sir...passes were out by thur...now me b not very happy.....but tink wat the hell ...lets goto Cubbon Park (which is another Park in the city centre)... i have time to waste....even if i don't get passes i'll pass sometime..

Reach Cubbon Park after some of the normal half understood convos with the bangalore public....show start at 7 reach at 615 there be a good 150 ppl already queued up....me goes to the chap at the gates and ask any passes chap tells me all out b/w 11 and 12 in the morn....but i can prob let you in after 8...i thought fine,lets see. gates open at 645 ppl go in....heres when i see a couple of ppl wearing Radiocity clothing.....decided lets do a bit of bheek-maangofying and see wat happens....them iniatally reluctant...after abt 5 min said go on get in....me happy....go inside....stage set up ...manage to get right next to the barricade... in front there be some 10 rows of chairs for Vip public....the arena itself.....nice....think a clearing the size of SP quad surrounded on three sides by trees....

the place fills up to about 3/4ths full....things start round abt 730....kamina RJ's and some skimpily clad female do the introductions and then phenom takes the stage.....nice band....started of with two originals...then started into covers.....did knockin' on heavens door, DT's surrounded, a souped up version of MJ's beat it (which was interesting), summer song and a few more. Nice originals.....instrumental resurgence which is a lot like Dance of Eternity with similar weird times and unbound which has some nice keyboard and harmony parts towards the end....And man....can the vocalist sing....end of show they finish of with comfortbly numb.....the lead played the end solo awesomely....me thought woooh....ths going to b difficult to beat..
but then...i was wrong....thermal take the stage....bassie in sarong, rythm in pajama and generally looking like a bunch of hippies. They start up with....guess.....Radio ga-ga....They covered two others - owner of a lonely heart and purple haze....all awesome.....tone on purple haze was to die for....Otherwise an all original show....they play something which can possibly be called keeda tech muzak...think floyd and add RHCP and some more weirdosity and you get thermal....i haven't seen warren play, but Bruce Lee Mani is probably the most talented rock musician in India.....does awesome vocals,plays brilliant leads. him be our answer to Gildenlow of PoS i think....I have not seen anyone who has more control over his solos....awesome legato play, hammer-ons,tapping....the works ....just brilliant i tell you....forget abt the rest....its worth good money to just see bruce. Song titles i remember were steal...awesome song where each of the guitarists each sing a verse before some awesome play by bruce, Paperpuli song abt the cynical rock journalists...However for me the high point was the two intsrumentals they ended their show with....one i think called Late other unknown....here you see them literally let lose...pull out evrything and anything...at one point in late the bassie and the two guitarists playing a high speed tapping bit in harmony....fricking awesome i tell you.... end of show end of day....very satisfied.....a good weekend

been rambling on.....so think it be prudent to shut up now....

Bangalore

2005-02-25T04:02:00.000-08:00

Wokay, boys and girls after day-before's launch into the bangalore traffic think i must make amends before I am mobbed by ppl around here.

Bangalore is a nice city, if for nothing else just for the weather....Came here right in the middle of winter...didn't feel the chill....winters over...things warming up....do you feel it...yes....does it bother you no....nice breeze keeps blowing about... atleast in the not so congested parts of town.
Also for the number of trees around......goto malleswaram and the main road is actually an avenue...trees on both sides. this south-eastern part of town is abs bullshit but elsewhere its just so green. Last month while i was still staying at me aunts place, on republic day, me grand uncle tells me go see the republic day flower show at Lalbagh (bangalore's answer to lodhi gardens). Me cribbed and more, but was eventually given the boot and told to go....so went sulking. The flower show was fine .....colourful, nice floral arrangements and all. Saw tht and decided to have a walk about.

You don't realise the size of the place tilll you've been there. I went in by the entrance near wilson gardens (i think)....after me roaming me was lost so asked security how to get out...chap tells me MG Road exit....right,Jayanagar exit....left.....Now as far as i know these two places are nowhere near each other....Now....Lalbagh, Its the sort of place where you can probably fit in a few thousand ppl and still find some peace and quite to leave you to your own thoughts. Something like the seafront at after 9 in the night.....sit on the rocks, look at the stars and basically forget abt the world. To have a thing like that in the middle of town is, i personally think, amazing.

Up in the sky

2005-02-17T05:19:00.000-08:00

Last weekend me saw some of the most spectacular things me has seen in me life.....way up there with sunset from the mountain top at Panchmarhi (bet a few remember that) and the boat ride thru Sognefjord in norway......

I have a friend from back home who lives just of the edge of the runaway at HAL.
Manmohan Singh was in town to inaugrate something at infy mysore, but tht is a different story...So since he is in town IAF decided to give a free show.....somehow me friend found out....called me over

So i went...this being bangalore takes forever to get from one place to another....reached his place......just as the three LCA's were taxiing on the runaway.....now thts wat i call timing
Anyway the AJT was first on show did some stunts in the air .... trying to impress ppl abt its worthiness for IAF....good...but better was still to come......the three LCA's took off in formation....this seen from a distance of some 200m....man....i'm not n aircraft freak like some ....but still, i tell you tht was just awesome.....the roar of the engines as they be going down the runaway.....now tht was something.....anyway they got in the air, showed off their stuff and flew offf into the distance....

Next up was the Sarang helicopter team.......I never knew that helicopters could do some of the stuff i saw tht day.....u need balls to do some of the stuff they do.....end of show.....got to see the traffic jam on the runaway for all the flights which were grounded during the air show
Went home to me aunt's and was told tht she has complimentary tickets to Aero India.

Next afternoon we leave for yelahanka.....which be somewhere in the wilderness.....got stuck in traffic....missed the first half hour of the thing......got in just as a black aircraft with red wing tips (i think it was a jag or the yank F16) doing some pretty showy flying.....the twists and turns,the vertical 360 etc...next up some tp by a helicopters.....while they b doing this the Su-30 is rolled out.....crowd roars......chap just idling abt on the runaway......could just imagine his boredom looking at the choppers....This fat ugly chopper with twin rotors no tail rotor....kamov-32, i think, was flying abt...seemed to have a radar stuck to its belly. flys past us......this is when you here this massive roar from behind us.....turn and its the sukhoi powering for takeoff.......chaps off and in the air in some 300m maybe......god knows.....was short i'll tell you...seen from just beyond the runaway...was amazing.......once in the air he did his stunts.....involved some major thrust vectoring i think....seemed to be making turns which should not have been possible.....i don't know, at the top of his vertical, the chap just seemed to stop and rotate in his position....this not once, but twice, so don't think it was some error. does a slow speed flyover at some 100m height and dissappeared......some more chopper stunts....dropping of commados and a jeep etc......

next suryakirans were in the air....took off in groups off three groups of three......just as the third batch were up in the air spewing blue smoke, one hears jet noise(I know....) behind me and heres the sukhoi flying at 100m full throttle......eating up the distance between it and the last of the suryakirans.......something like a cheetah after game.....brilliant....chap brakes left just as it seemed he was going to run down the poor things and then landed leaving the skies to the suryakirans.....they did their usual stuff and exited. End of show was with these paratroopers jumping from some 7000 feet. Its one of the things you need to do....when you have the balls to do it. Step out of the safety of a plane and plunge down to your fate....the air rushing past you....the rush must b worth the scare

Was stuck with me cousins or me would have gone to see the static displays. anyway got out satisfied....

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Can't keep my eyes from the circling skies
Tongue-tied and twisted Just an earth-bound misfit, I

Ze Loo....

2005-02-10T05:13:00.001-08:00

Now, those of you who are groced by prdp's sense of humour....i suggest you delete this message as soon as possible and disinfect your pcs....

Wats with this place i ask you. You goto the loo settle yourself on the can.....look left and on the toilet paper holder one sees written in big block letters..."have you switched off the lights and your pc monitor in your cubicle before you left your seat". i ask you, is tht the one thing tht is very high up in your mind when you be going to the can.....and if you've forgotten to do so....whether you'd zip up and rush back to the seat to do the needful.....There are Morons in this organization i tell you........

Also wat exactly is toilet humour? What does one do when one meets one's boss in ze loo? You can't say just "How's it going?" can you? Ran into the pl in the loo last week. Was at a complete loss as to how to handle the situation. End result was an awkward silence.....

Don't crib i didn't warn you.........

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I'm not the kind of person you think i am....yeah
I'm not the anti-christ or the ironman....yeah
You're jus a freak......

Weekend

2005-01-25T05:33:00.000-08:00

I missed out on an opportunity to change my outlook to life. Benny Hinn was in town over the weekend. He was performing his miracles and all. He had this wonderful effect on the masses even before he arrived. Just made some of them decide lets burn a few vehicles, pelt the odd commuter. Man, i tell you, we should have gone to Yelahanka to see the show.......problably would have seen him flying around like an angel. Or we probably could have had an inquistion type scene.......

Other options,of course were to go see "Ay"....a tamil movie.....the director must have scored 800 in his verbal GRE i think. He conveys somuch through the use of just 1 syllable.........future art film directorme thinks. Him and the one who directed "Engal Anna" by some chance this be a documentary on one we know?

Some of the things i have seen in me journeys (on better way to put it)accross this city:

1. This dude is walking his dogs. Nothing special about that. Only theybe wearing Boot colour sweaters.....Hell, the moron himself walking abtin a t-shirt.....some ppl have there brains in there gonads......oratleast of equivalent size.
2. There be a road here called Sankey Road.At one point, at a bus stop, it be written in big bold letters "SankyRoad". What me is to think of that...........
3. Poster on a post at abus stop: Wanted\n\t\tMale or Female\n\n\t\tContact:XYZ.........
4. The LCA.......some already know this.....but it be a sight i tell you

this is one insane city is all i can say

Rant

2005-01-12T05:12:00.000-08:00

WHERE THE F@#$ TO HOUSEOWNERS IN BANGALORE THINK THEYARE............Nariman Point, Malabar Hill???if anyone says bangalore...........i swear i will force you head downa toilet hole and let you to soak in the atmosphere the next time i see you.......

As most of you probably know by now, i have been asked to relocate tobangalore.....actually last fri Pl asks me while i pass by his cabin"What do you think about relocating to bangalore". I told him i'd liketo stay back.........actual words were "there's no option....uhm....noproblem"...he looks at me and says no option? ........and me thinks.........Hell, I digress.this is supposed to be a rant.
Well....seeing that we are going to be here for awhile, we decide to start looking for a place to stay on saturday. Further it being bang and all the things we have heard about the high rents here we decide we'll have a look at PG accomodation. Come saturday ...one starts bright and early at 1030 and goes to BTM (an area close to infy.....close hear being 15km......and just outside town). Get the classified paper....narrow down to a few ads that look reasonable. We reach first place ... ask for PG.......response "Hindi, EnglishGothila" (Gothila means don't know)....Me tries luck asks"Tamil?".....the bloody help there shakes head happilly and me has to converse in me dodgy knowledge of the language and hope some info gets through with the help's dodgy knowledge too. Showed rooms with 4 beds and cupboards in a room wat.....lets say......1/4th the size of the BE classroom. Price quoted ... you won't believe it....blasted Rs.2500......this for a dingy room in a house where some 20 odd ppl stay. We said no....and moved on thinking something better would beavailable........ but no.......this f@#$ing city offers nothingbetter. every1 asks 2 - 2.5 K for basically shite. trudged around till 6 in the evening. by the end of it all we decide balls to the PG.....4 of us will get together and look for a flat

So Sunday comes we leave at 10....move on to koramangala...slightly closer to the city....20 km from infy. Contact this agent.. tell him looking in the range of 6-7k with reasonable deposit.......dude tells us "Sir, Excellent house. Only 5 min away". then proceeds to take us for a good 15 min walk to wat seemd like each and evry by-lane inKoramangal 8th block....and comes tyo this house. Then he goes up this stair ...which if i am going up no1 can come down.....and shows us this flat. Now flat was advt as 2BHK so we thought we'll have some space.......We go in.....in me honest opinion .... the total space there would not be more than 4 cubicles of second floor in B-1.... to the unitiated tht would be abt....200sq ft. the moronical agent then tells us rent 6k, 10 months dep sir........Virtually give him thefinger and goto other places. Similar story elsewhere.....end of dayzilch success......me in one of me better moods...

Anyway........still searching........

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The one decent thing about sunday......finally found a place that reasonably resembles b'bay.........For going to koramangala we went through Majestic........After some searching we reach this mass of crowd going to a subway. on asking are told that subway leads to majestic. the subway has the complete feel of Churchgate subway.....complete with the crowds and the hawkers........

---------------------------------

Frustrated ...not yet.... getting there...yes

B is for........

2004-12-25T05:33:00.000-08:00

…….Bangalore
…….Beehive
…….Bullshit

Wokay………. to all those doubters, me is really in Bangalore. Got here on sunday morning. Went to the hotel. Put on the TV and while browsing through channels came to Channel [V] which was showing …… guess wat………some video titled lootela by some freak called Raja……….this remember was at 745am……….and me thinks wat a wonderful start to the stint here…….Anyway spent most of the day sleeping (overnight bus travel is not the most conducive to sleep) and was dragged along to see swades in the evening………End of day one

Day 2 and one gets up bright and early at 6 as we are told that infy bus comes somewhere nearby at 7. We (four of us in the hotel) get out well in time and start looking for the bus stop. The resident Kannadiga decides to guide us. In what we think is kannada he starts asking for directions……….end result we walk about MG road for half an hour or so……..very nice considering that the outside temperature is about 13 degrees or so……..Eventually we give up on the infy bus, catch 2 local busses and get to electronics city. We being the geniuses that we are did not realize that electronics city is just that……. A city. We think we shall walk it to infy form bus stop. After a 1 km trudge we reach gate 2 and ask for our building……the dude at the gate finds this the perfect opportunity to tell us that we should have gone too gate 5………but no matter you can walk to the building. After another 15 min of aimless wandering in campus one reaches building. Once we report here the guy says ok now goto Mt. Everest conference room and join the banking fundamentals course going on there ……. Me so happy……….. What followed is 2 days of most awesome bullshit that I’ve come across in me life. Me thinks that me is leaking brain matter ………….

Well the campus here is awesome………nicely landscaped and well designed………….between every few buildings there is a water body ………. A fountain here , a waterfall there……….overall creates a nice ambience. However the best part of the campus are the two beehives in our building here. Yesterday me gets in the lift and go to the top floor ………. There on the outside me sees this huge brown thing hanging down the side of the building…..on second look it’s a beehive……..exciting ain’t it………

I must say one last thing ……….. the traffic on Hosur Road puts the traffic jams on SV road to shame…….. Me must have passively smoked ten packs in the last two days. Travel which takes 30 min in the morning takes 1.5 hours while returning in the evening ………

This idiot knows that a certain moron in this city needs to be contacted…………. Will do so after this idiot finishes with the list of relatives one has not seen in 10 years ……….

Football.........

2004-12-18T05:31:00.000-08:00

Now i know what it feels like to be a football......

First i am booted from Pune to Hyderabad............within a week me is passed on to Bangalore. Me just hopes that this is not the one two and then the shot at goal.

Don't know what the hell me is going there for. The PL just said come over, duration and details we will see once we get there. So of me goes tomorrow. Reaching on Sunday morning.

Lets see if they boot me in the general direction of Mumbai soon..........

Hyderabad

2004-12-14T05:34:00.000-08:00

in response to someone saying that i'm going to hell......

Hell has been breached ..........but they are not concerned ........ seeing tht one of their own is coming back. its changed a lot since the last time i was here. surprisingly there are no raging fires or pits of molten lava about (the canteen still needs to checked out tho). However maybe we can do something about that.........
Got here yesterday evening. Went an stayed with an uncle for the night. Think i will goto the hotel tonight Me has just spent 2 hours travelling by bus. I thought i can catch bus at 830 and reach here by 930.....instead reached at...blah...do the math. Met others in the lobby.....did some searching for the guy we were to meet and am now sitting here this blog. We will be briefed sometime later in the afternoon as to wat to do. The scary bit is that some ppl who reported yesterday have already been assigned to a project.
Later.....

Beginnings

2004-12-14T05:19:00.000-08:00

so where do we begin
and what else can we say?
when the lines are all drawn
what should we do today?

One word: Start