Tuesday, July 26, 2005

The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain! :-)

When raindrops go pitter patter
Most people go "awww"
Worries do not seem to matter
Cheer seems to be the law

Count me outta that group I say
I simply seem to hate the rain
Oh I yearn for a sunny day
Where my plans don't go in vain

Rain is alrite for the poets and the like
Who wonder at beauty every hour on the hour
But the rest of us commute with a bike
And with gushing sewage we have to spar

Getting drenched sounds romantic and fun
"Oh join us for a rain dance", they all sing
But I am late for work and I must run
Wetter and soggier than a wet hen's wing

Umbrellas protect the top of my head
But just that and nothing but that
Into murk, dirt and germs I've been lead
And fallen over hidden potholes and ruts

A soggy air envelops the whole wide world
Clothes remain damp and undry
Tis the season of cough and cold
Sickness beckons from far and high

In short I want the monsoons to be over
And the bright sun back in its place
No more black clouds that glower and hover
And I can live in peace till the end of days!

:-)

On a by-note

Sorry folks for my vanishing act
But if I didn't do my work I would be sacked
Duty beckoned, very powerfully so
And my blog was suspended, much to my woe

Jinguchakka and Eroteme will be happy I guess
Now that I am under pressure and duress :-)
But not to prove a point did my blog lie still
It just happened and much against my will

Now I am back with a mediocre post
Soon will spice up with stuff hot and roast
Keep reading my blog and keep coming by
For now - have a nice day, tata and bye! :-)

Tuesday, July 19, 2005

Not So Dumb!

Early morning I got a call from this guy in our Finance department. He said that there was some tax form that I hadn't filled in yet and wanted me to do that right away. So I went down to his cabin and he gave he some form where I had to fill in some basic stuff and sign. I am not so good at reading the fine print, but after watching umpteen Thamizh movies, I know that one shouldn't sign anything without knowing what we are doing it for. So I put on my polite persona and asked him what exactly this is for. He said with a straight face, "Let me explain it to you. You've joined this company a year back and every month the company pays you a salary. You have to pay the government income tax for that." I was flabbergasted. I told him that I was familiar with the concept only to have him launch an explanation about TDS and how the company deducts tax every month from my salary. I filled my form in silence and left.

This kind of behaviour beats me seriously. I didn't know what to do this morning. It's not like the usual dumb questions that we all ask and don't expect a reply - like asking "Are you getting married?" when someone gives us an invite card or "Are you eating?" to a person who has an open box of pizza on his table and a huge chunk of it in his mouth. I don't know what makes people think that they are surrounded by imbeciles whom they have to enlighten. And what do you do in this kind of situation?? (if you are not an imbecile awaiting enlightenment :-) )

I get this feeling a lot while watching movies. I know a movie isn't real yada yada yada, but sometimes while watching something reallllly stupid I feel like taking my brain out and literally throw it far away. And I feel like screaming to the film maker "I am not this dumb." It is worse when the director is someone sensible, the movie is kinda off beat and gets yourself thinking "Hey this could have been me" and then that thing happens!

And yes, if any of you are looking out for tax gyan, you know whom to ask now. :-)

Monday, July 18, 2005

Ten Things to Do

if you don't know what to blog

10) Respond to tags or create one of your own and pass it along

9) Blog about why you blog

8) Blog about why others blog

7) Write a high-brow post on "writer's block"

6) Make lists like 10 things about me, 10 things about this universe and so on

5)

The above space is left intentionally blank

4) Announce a break from blogging and come back after a few days

3) Tell people you are getting married and watch the comments section fill up

2) Post pictures of you, your home, kid, cat and watch people go "awwww"

1) Don't blog


The blogger shall return!!!


:-)

Thursday, July 14, 2005

Eigo wa hanasu hito wa imasen-ka? *

Long long time ago, when I was an under grad student, someone told me that chances of employment in software firms are high if you know Japanese. (Apparently it has something to do with the fact that the company may have clients in Japan and you might have to go onsite and then your Japanese skills become wieldy and so you are the more attractive candidate for the job. More on pre-placement myths soon. Watch this blog! :-) ) Then my industrious cousin M started going for Jap classes (I can't tell you more than this about M, he's threatened to sue if I make fun of him on my blog) At about the same time my friend D who had taken up Japansese in her college, wrote my name in Japanese on a scrap of paper. The squiggles looked so cute and I felt that I just HAD to learn how to do them.

Then PS 2 happened in Bangalore and dutifully I went around searching for classes. I found one and almost paid the money when I discovered that the place was called "Learn Spoken English". Worse still they had a huge board advertising this outside the building, on the building and in a few places leading to the building. Since I had got the number of the place from someone and had conducted the preliminary investigations over the phone, this fact had eluded me for long. That was a cheesy position to be in! The snob in me decided that I couldn't be seen entering that place, lest people (read handsome guys who had the potential to be future bfs) think I know no ingles! I told them I would be back in 2 days to pay the money and successfully avoided that place by taking a more circuitous route to work.

Then I was back in Pilani for my psenti sem (final semester) and the first thing I noticed when they gave us the timetable book is that Beginning Japanese was now offered as an audit course (Audit course means you pay extra for that and it doesn't contribute to your CGPA) Expectedly I was one of the first to register and roped in S also. The first class was nice, we sat on the first bench. The instructor squiggled on the board and I dutifully re-squiggled them on my new note book that had "Beginning Japanese" (in capital letters) written on the cover. And then the instructor asked me to come and squiggle on the black board and feeling like kindergarden kid I wrote (or drew) something on the board and blushed with pride when she told me my answer was right.

Campus interviews were on and like 95% of the BITSians I also made a job in the first week. And then my enthusiam for Jap waned a little. Now that I had a job at hand it seemed silly to learn Japanese. But a cursory query revealed that audit courses could not be dropped - not only would you lose your money, but it will listed on your transcript with an E grade (Unsatisfactory). I was no A student, but the thought of an E was somehow disturbing. Then I remembered that it was all about cute squiggles and I started attending classes.

The classes graduated from boring to un-non-sleepable. The squiggles weren't so cute anymore. And writing on the board was embarassing 'coz I didn't know any answers. S became the star pupil though. She discovered that she had been a Japanese citizen in her previous birth and attacked the language with a vengeance. And I started doodling in class instead of squiggling. I mastered Hiragana when the class had almost finished Katagana and when I started learning Katagana, I forgot Hiragana. And by the time we started doings kanjis, I had given up on my Japanese dreams and started taking care of my life. Meanwhile S carried on being the starriest student in class and by association the hapless instructor assumed I was good too. When I stopped attending classes, she passed on umpteen messaged through S, asking me to be regular. And caught me three times on the road and once in the temple and made me promise to attend classes - which I didn't!

One fine day, in the middle of the farewell parties, S nonchalently told me that the Jap compree (final exam) was scheduled for the next day. I scowled at everyone in sight and spent the whole night discerning Hiragana, Katagana and Kanji. The day dawned with a fierce dust storm (the fierecest I have ever seen in Pilani) and I trudged to FD I (the building where the exam was taking place) and squiggled away to glory. I knew a few answers and "inteligently guessed" the rest.

I got my papers a few days later and made a E anyways. I swore at my Japanese instructor, the Japanese language, Chinesese language, software firm with Japanese clients, my Japanese instructor again, sushi, Hiragana, Katagana and Kanji and my Japanese instructor yet again in order.

The sem was over and holidays flew by and I joined my present company. People told me that there was there was this guy who was BITSian too and thamizh and from Chennai and from my school. The heart went out to him as a fellow survivor and I was determined to make his acquaintance. Just before I could go and meet him, the person who told me about him said "You might have heard about him in BITS. He is Prof T's brother-in-law. Yeah his sister (T's wife i.e) took Japanese classes too". I stopped in my tracks and till date haven't exchanged even a smile with him! :-)

* - Is there anyone who speaks English?

Wednesday, July 13, 2005

The Story of My Life!

A white eclipse screen I stare at all day long
Eyes fixed and mouth devoid of any song
My fingers keep typing int long and double
And I must do this all day to avoid any trouble

My manager walks about and peeps right in
It is a regular check to check me from sin
No surfing, mailing, googling or blogging
And never never should my cell phone ever ring

My extension can sound when it pleases though
So that my progress my PL can know
This is reviewed in meetings aplenty
Amidst lots of yak and lots more coffee

At the crack of dawn, about 9ish or so
Into my office I put in a show
I stay put in cube, my haven and home
I have no time to dither and roam

I have to code to write, that must compile and build
And all those time sheet things to be filled
My goals are set, straight and forward
No choice or time to be anything but a nerd

"Then why do you do this" you may rightly say
Oh I guess I haven't told you about my pay
It comes every month and tis quite fat
For all my complaints, I have uses for that!

:-)

Tuesday, July 12, 2005

Places I Want to Live in

I mean places I want to actually live in for a considerable amount of time, not just visit or tour.

I want to live in Kerala and not in Trivandrum, but somewhere near the backwaters. In a house like this















So when someone comes home I can say "You wanna see the famous lagoons of Kerala? Just come to our backyard". And how great would it be just able to have a view like this while dining? And maybe catch a boat race or two while munching banana chips.

And I also want to live in new York for a while. This is not a dollar dream and I don't want to just live in the US of A, but I want to actually live and experience New York. I want to go to Central Park and the Met and check out if places like Central Perk exist and travel on those topless buses and Broadway and so much more! Having most of my favorite sitcoms based on New York is the cause and fuel for this. Also I get to wear this too! :-)















I want to live in Venice too, just for the canals thing. I like the idea of taking a boat (or a gondola for the politically correct) just to buy bread or pay the electricity bill! :-)

I don't know how much it snows in NY. In any case I wanna live in a really snowy place where I can get bundled up in warm wear and trudge on snow like a penguin.
















Thats all folks! :-)

Sunday, July 10, 2005

Show Me a Man Who

believes in religion but is not religious

talks well except about himself

is clean shaven with a french beard

is a sports fan and not a fanatic

reads and is not a dork

is aesthetic and not artsy

speaks with perfect grammar and doesn't think its a big deal

doesn't write poetry and certainly not about love

is romantic sans mush

has a blog and well, updates it


Well, show me someone like that, seriously! :-) And I promise nothing. :-)

Friday, July 08, 2005

"You Know What ...

You really shouldn't have come to me now. But then you have and I have to let you down. You have the right questions which maybe I can answer, but the timing is just not right. We've had good times together and I don't want to sour things between us, but I really not in the place now. But you know what they say about time; I can't do anything now, but maybe in the future. So please understand that I am helpless. We can work things out if you approach again later. "

How about this for my "Out of Office" message??? :-)

Wednesday, July 06, 2005

Parineeta, Saltwater Taffy and Living Single

I saw Parineeta last weekend and I am obsessed with it. That's the only music I listen to these days and I am driving everyone crazy by humming "piyu bole" all day long. (Contrary to what some people think, this is my favorite song from the movie :-) ) . And I am searching for this now

0143033565

Yup thats the book, the English translation that is. I am calling 3 book stores (Odessey, Walden and Himalaya) everyday and they remain bullishly out of stock. So Hyderabadis help me here, any other book store I can try?

Do you know what this is?

hfca160

Apparently it is saltwater taffy. I read about this once while at school in some book or magazine. And some years later I came across it again in a FRIENDS episode (TOW the Birthing Video). Now, I have this absolute craving to eat them or rather try them and find out what they actually taste like. And they aren't available in this part of the world. Grrrrr!?! I want to eat saltwater taffy NOW! So what do they taste like actually?

When I was about 10 years old, we went on a trip to Calcutta(it wasn't Kolkata then). About a month before the trip, I distinctly remember my mom telling me "In Calcutta you can eat sandesh". I heard "eat" as "meet" and thought Sandesh was a boy we were going to meet there. :-) So when I was finally in Calcutta and was shown sandesh, it was quite a shock, and not very pleasant 'coz I didn't like the sweet too. :-) Anyways, this has nothing to do with the post, but Joel has asked us to tell stories while making a point and that's why. :-)

While on obsessions and whims and whatever, a few years back, this sitcom called "Living Single" about a bunch of Afro American females used to be aired on Zee English. I want to watch an episode of that now. :-(


And before you ask, I don't need to meet a shrink. :-)

The image tool of blogger (which everyone is raving about) isn't working today!

Update: Walden people called up just now and they have got the book! Woo hoo! :-)

Tuesday, July 05, 2005

Proverbs and What They Mean

When the going gets tough, the tough get going
Going where? Oh you mean away from the problem?

Well begun is half done
And who's going to do the rest of it?

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush
What about when it poops?

A barking dog never bites
Do dogs know this?

Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise
And a party pooper

Honesty is the best policy
Must try saying this to the insurance agents

Don't bite the hand that feeds
And the hand that's dirty. While on the subject of hands and bites, just don't do it at all


--
H complains that my quality of writing is coming down. To her and others who feel that - wait baby wait, till my project gets over, then I promise deliver on my blog. :-)

And on a totally unrelated note, me completed a year of corporate life today! :-)

My sister's the Beshtesht!

H feels she isn't mentioned enough on the blog. So here goes:

Harini Sundarrajan
Harini Sundarrajan
Harini Sundarrajan
Harini Sundarrajan
Harini Sundarrajan
Harini Sundarrajan
Harini Sundarrajan
Harini Sundarrajan
Harini Sundarrajan
Harini Sundarrajan

:-)

Sunday, July 03, 2005

Why Do I Blog?

I've been accused by D of not being serious on my blog! (Not so much of a accusation as a gentle rib yanways :-)) We had a small discussion about her blog and she was telling about what she wanted to blog about - very thoughtful and thought provoking. And then we got talking about why people blog. She talked about global ideas and intelligent responses and so on.

That's when the topic slid to my blog and then the word entertainment crept in. And that got me thinking about why I blog.

I've seen some blogs that are just a personal diary which chronicle their day to day lives. This is a good way for friends and family to keep in touch and know how the blogger is faring.

And then there's the frequently updated typical geek blog - news, updates, Google and MSN, condition of Iraq and so on. The path advocated by Joel and the like for putting your blog on your resume.

We can't forget the literary blogs which create magic with words. Beauty reigns and its sheer delight to watch the words play with each other.

And the sports blog, lingual blogs, life@Msft blogs ...

My blog is certainly not geeky, no news or even sports. And I try to keep personal stuff to the minimum. When I started blogging, I resolved to not write about anything about my life, but it's difficult to separate me from my writing. So now I just try not to make it very what-I-did-todayish. What I am trying for is essentially a "feel good" feeling. I want people reading my blogs and I want them to read it hopefully with a smile and to relate to what I write (and not judge me :-) ). Even if I feel strongly about something, I try to disguise it under something frivolous.

So I sign off with a promise to be shallow and silly forever and ever! :-)

PS 1 : I will link to D's blog once it is up and running.

PS 2: Its become fashionable nowadays to talk of motives behind blogging. I am feeling relieved now, I am on the right side of the boat! :-)