Is it me or my writing...?

So much to write but too Lazy to type it all…..well here goes…
The last few weeks have been terribly eventful ….
The first week of December went by doing street plays for Visions….1st was World AIDS day…so did close to 8 plays in Garment factories and then caught up with Dr.Ramana Rao (Radio City Karmayogi fame) on the 4th……He has an estate a few Kms off Tumkur road….n he treats nearly 800 patients a day on weekends…n everything is free of cost…..He qualification is paramount…his Degrees seem to comprise of all the alphabets in the English language……but he still has his feet firm on the ground…..such an inspiration……we did a few plays there too…
Then went on to do a play on MG road for Bangalore Habba…..
Well…..made a couple of new friends this month…and am glad I met them in my life…..
Sorry for making this post so boring…..but not in a mood to write…..so kindly adjust ! !

23 Candles blown this year...........

I turned 23 this November 23rd...Damn, so much more to do in life ! !

A lot has happened in the last year...5 crushes, 3 hook-ups, 4 dates....do u believe that?...u better not, cause its an exaggeration, but I did lose 1 phone ;o( and it also includes joining my Dream Company...Infosys Technologies Ltd. I have completed 6 months here and life has certainly changed for the good...

Started Blogging ....made a lot of new friends....visited a lot of new places...read a lot of books....stayed on my own for nearly 2 months.... went rocking for a couple of concerts....and recently purchased a small 750sq Flat in ISRO Layout..Its perhaps is the only useful Investment I have done.. Thanks to my Mom..Shez the best!! got the flat in time...and the right price n place....

Couldn't ask for a more eventful year...

Being in twenties-something

It is when you stop going along with the crowd and start realizing that there are many things about yourself that you didn't know and may not like. You start feeling insecure and wonder where you will be in a year or two, but then get scared because you barely know where you are now.

You start realizing that people are selfish and that, maybe, those friends that you thought you were so close to aren't exactly the greatest people you have ever met, and the people you have lost touch with are some of the most important ones. What you don't recognize is that they are realizing that too, and aren't really cold, catty, mean or insincere, but that they are as confused as you.

You look at your job... and it is not even close to what you thought you would be doing, or maybe you are looking for a job and realizing that you are going to have to start at the bottom and that scares you.

Your opinions have gotten stronger. You see what others are doing and find yourself judging more than usual because suddenly you realize that you have certain boundaries in your life and are constantly adding things to your list of what is acceptable and what isn't. One minute, you are insecure and then the next, secure.

You laugh and cry with the greatest force of your life. You feel alone and scared and confused. Suddenly, change is the enemy and you try and cling on to the past with dear life, but soon realize that the past is drifting further and further away, and there is nothing to do but stay where you are or move forward.

You get your heart broken and wonder how someone you loved could do such damage to you. Or you lie in bed and wonder why you can't meet anyone decent enough that you want to get to know better. Or maybe you love someone but love someone else too and cannot figure out why you're doing this because you know that you aren't a bad person. One night stands and random hook ups start to look cheap. Getting wasted and acting like an idiot starts to look pathetic. You go through the same emotions and questions over and over, and talk with your friends about the same topics because you cannot seem to make a decision. You worry about loans, money, the future and making a life for yourself... and while winning the race would be great, right now you'd just like to be a contender!

What you may not realize is that every one reading this relates to it. We are in our best of times and our worst of times, trying as hard as we can to figure this whole thing out.

We call it the "Quarter-life Crisis"

A phoney accident!

Sad but true.... ! !

I lost my NOKIA 3230....in typical Bollywood shtlye.....was in the Driver's seat of my car talking to my pal on the phone when this incident happened....

I was at one of the Million Traffic Signals in Bangalore City(Udupi Garden Signal -BTM Layout to be precise)....I was speaking on the phone with one hand on the Wheel and the other on the window holding my phone...suddenly this guy from the bike next to me at the Signal hit my hand really hard...and the phone fell down....now, that's when I started doing a series of blunders which ended up in me losing the phone forever....
I was pretty shocked that I couldn't notice whether the phone fell out of the car or inside the car...the Signal turned green and I could see the bike Zooooom away...I frantically searched with the door open but the friendly people here in Blore(I'm obviously sarcastic)....Honked their way to Glory....Couldn't stand the noise, so managed to pull the car to one side of the road and immediately jumped out of the car and tried searching for the mobile....but all in vain.....
The next best thing was to try calling my number....hoping against hope that someone would pick it up......and the surprising part was that, the mobile rang and I could hear a feeble voice on the other side.....his voice sounded extremely Drunk and I could smell the liquor over the phone ;o)

The first question he asked was " Mobile Eshhtu guru?" which meant " How Much is the mobile?".....This was a shocking question given that I already felt like the Biggest Loser ever to have roamed the face of this planet .......My phone was robbed right under my nose and all I could do is......... stand there in disbelief that this wasn't happening to me.....
I told him that the phone cost very less and he wouldn't get much money if he sold it.....but he refused to accept it....he wanted to know the exact price of the mobile...
The conversation went on for about 25 minutes.......(can't believe I was negotiating to buy my phone from a thief)...and he finally agreed that if I could give him 5000 bucks, he would return the mobile to me.....I realized that all I needed was an opportunity to get him to come to a public place.....so that I could plan the snatching from him for a change ........with a help of my friends....
He suddenly changed his mind and asked me to call him the next day morning , cause he wanted to sleep over this thought...(what Crap ! ! )

The next day....it was gone ! !

Every time I called, I kept getting "This AIRTEL number that you have called is switched off, please try again later"....( like F***, it was genuinely switched off).....
I tried for a couple of days after that....but kept getting the same msg....I realized that the phone must have been sold by now( One Lucky Bastard ! ! got to buy my phone)...

Hmmm.....well life has to go on doesn't it?.....I promised myself, never to talk on the phone when I'm driving and to ensure all the windows are up, when I am in a car...

So people...BEWARE ! ! we work our asses out, for over a month to get one funky gadget of technology in our hand....and some Loser, son of a gun...gets to rob you and make easy cash out of it....give it some thought ! !

How safe are you?

Hi...would like to share a nothing-to-feel-good-about incident that happened on the universally acclaimed Hosur Road ( for all the wrong reasons though) while I was returning home from Office a couple of days ago.......
I was in one of the Infosys(Infy) buses and I noticed there was an Infy bus right in front of us..All of a sudden our bus halted....I also noticed a group of people rushing from all sides towards the bus in front of us...it really sounded unusually noisy....waking a lot of snoring Software Engineers in my bus, I looked out through the window and could see the driver of the Infy bus in front of us ...jump out of his seat...and run across the road to the opposite side...and my instincts told me...something was really not right ....
As we went closer to the bus, I could see all the employees rushing out of the single narrow door that the bus had.....Could hear people on the road shouting " Accidentuu...Aa yamman melle hatusbutta le, Begaa Ambulancege phone maadro .." which meant "Its an Accident,a lady has been run over by the bus...Call the Ambulance fast"..... I prayed that, it wouldn't be too serious...but the unfortunate happened..could hear something more now...I heard one in the crowd say, the lady was killed instantly....and then the unexpected happened....one of them started flinging stones at the bus...and so did all of them the next second....luckily all the employees in the bus had already got off the bus and the mob went crazy...the bus had suffered a dozen hits in less than a minute...from all sides...Our driver realised that the incident was taking a life of its own....our driver tried to sneak away from the mob...but, it was too late..the mob quickly realised that our bus was also an Infy bus...and the next second, the windscreen of our bus shattered hard...into a million pieces...the next thing I know is that all of us closed all the windows and lay on the floor of the bus....waiting for the situation to cool..so that we could get off the bus....
Finally...we managed to open the door and dash out of the door...All of us managed to escape unhurt.....Was happy to make it out of the bus in one piece..... I caught another bus and made it home safely..and there was one thought that kept my mind occupied...What if the mob had set the bus ablaze? What if?....the incident would have had a nasty end..... Just pray that this doesnt happen to anyone.....

Best Holiday ever....

Im Back from my greatest Holiday destination....

This time I holidayed with my folks and the place we chose was the best we could ask for...........
Lakshadweep Islands is a sheer poetry of the blue shades of the sea and sky. The mystic whiteness and greenary of land merging, intermingling and generating a symphony of liveness. Lakshadweep is truly a rhythm of Land and Sea....was really lucky to be there....and have a glimpse of this awesome place...
I went along with my parents and cruised across from Kochi to an Island Resort, and spent close to a week there....lying on the beach..and watching the Sunset in the beautiful horizon and also the Night sky for shooting stars...one hell of a vacation....will upload most of the pics I took soon.....

feels good to get back...

Yipee ! ! ...........the Training is over ! !
Started my Training program on 1st of August and went on till 4th of October. Two months of confinement has taken a lot out of me. I made a whole bunch of new friends and learnt a lot of stuff. I infact started blogging in the early days of training, when the schedule was relaxed and besides, I was the only one who had 24 hours internet access :)
I am back in my beautiful city and now in my very own Den, as I write this Post.....I sure am delighted to be back.

Smart Advertising....

We all know that Coca-Cola n Pepsi have been the most competitive beverage companies .....Take a look at this hoarding by Pepsi. This building is on TTK Road, Chennai. Coca Cola has occupied the 2nd floor for their sales & marketing office and recently fixed a board. Two days later Pepsi put up a board in the same building where they have no retail outlet ...

"Dil Maange More ! ! "

A good break......

I finally got a break from all the stupid assignments I have been doing for over a month now...and so did all my friends here in Mysore..we finished up the pending work the previous day and wanted a day for ourselves...just to be ourselves..
We started planning...with Bandipur being the top of the list, followed by Ranganthitu bird sanctuary, Tippu's Summer palace n Brindhavan Gardens....


Achut,Srikanth,Easwar,Uppili and myself planned to leave the campus by 9:00 in the morning but managed to drop out of the campus only by 11:00...all set, we realized that Bandipur was already out of the list as it would take 3 hrs just to reach...so the next on the list was the Bird Sanctuary and boarded the bus to Ranganthitu...

The bus pulled off at a spot not very close to the sanctuary and we had to take a 15 minute walk to the entrance. The rich green fields on one side, clear waters on the other and the fresh air around us....was a welcoming experience....myself n Achut were already looking for spots to explore our photographic instincts.....

When we reached, it was really sad to know that boating was closed due to floods which hit a few parts of Karnataka last month...and much of the natural habitat was destroyed...we had no choice...fingers crossed we hoped to see at least one bird ...the place looked rather deserted, except for a few crows and walkways leading nowhere....we just had a light snack n were out of the place soon..
The walk back to the pickup point was all fun...All of us finally got to be ourselves...we were taking snaps for almost every 5 seconds....

The next pitstop was at Tippu's Summer palace in Srirangapatna.....the ride back in time was memorable...when I walked thru those abandoned fort walls...I felt a deep sense of emptiness in me...I would have loved to see how life was in those days ! ! if only that could be possible....

I fail to understand why places of such historical importance have been maintained badly...The palace is in bad shape n the paint on the ceilings are beginning to peel off...
The summer palace would have been a lovely place to be...during Tippu's time...It is totally made of teak wood and the paintings are a blend of Persian and Indian style of art. The paintings said a lot about their lifestyle n the wars they fought ! ! ....


There is one thing that I really feel sad about. The fact that all the artifacts and
the most expensive jewels of Tippu Sultan are now in different museums across Europe and none in India is unfair…..it somehow just doesn’t seem right. We sat down in the gardens, which once upon a time was a playground for the children of Tippu Sultan….I looked at the Empty Palace and could see the dream of a brave Sultan left unfulfilled…..well….History always amazes me….and that’s the reason we call it history…..

We were soon on our way back to Infy, happy having spent the entire day having fun and were waiting to get back to our rooms and have a good night’s sleep…..the next day, life was gonna get back to what it was the day earlier...we had to get back to our training rooms…

The Summer of 2000......

Here I am ....this is me......

I have been wanting to write about my Gang back in Blore for a long time now......
finally the time has come.....
it was the best thing that ever happened to me......
Im sure its the way each one of us in the gang feels about it......
We all first met up at Engineering College.....
first things first..the Gang consists of the following Gangsters,
in order of the most notorious.....


1.Vishwas alias dabba - Bhai of the Gang, the biggest Criminal...has been spotted in all the Girls' Colleges in Blore city....n has been in n out of our great College cricket team....From a Captain to a Ball boy, he has seen it all

2.Geethika alias Geets - Has been spotted spending a lot of time with the likes of Shruthi nowadays...you must have guessed her criminal reputation...gets really notorious at times...has a pretty good fan following too..

3.Usha alias Uzzzzzzha - The master mind behind all our plans....usually gives the idea n backs off...n was always busy finding a decent job n give up her criminal reputation.

4.Shruthi alias Zoomin - Is equally notorious as the Bhai.....Bhain of the Gang, has a deadly reputation of making even the most serious people laugh.....(has been caught napping in every posture possible...)

5.Sahana alias Saan - Another notorious gangster, who has a pretty good fan following...but is highly dangerous when woken up from her deep sleep...she has been convicted with charges of hitting, slapping n even tearing up clothes of people who try to wake her up from her deep slumber.....


6.Sandeep alias Sandy - A veteran gangster...has left the group due to professional reasons....hez now doing a part time with another Gang in Hyderabad...he has a good track record....and was one of the first people to fund our Gang. Has promised to be back n join our Gang....still waiting...

The awesome days of fun we had in college will always be the best days of my life ! ! ....the best thing about our college was the fact that we have had 4 Principals, 20 teachers change every year, Internals on every Saturday and the best thing of all, our college trustee...hez truly the best ! ....people who know him know that Im drop dead sarcastic about it…….

Frankly….keeping a Gang together is a tough job….but we have survived it all…..after all the fights, first crushes, fist punches, misunderstandings….we are proud that we like each other the way we like ourselves…..am still in Mysore n missing all the fun the rest of the Gang is having….couldn’t be there even for Friendship’s day….too bad…but was stuck with work here......

The good old days of gang bashes are over. We finally managed to get the jobs of our lives….(well not all….but that’s life ! ! ….What you want and what you get are two different things)….Each one of us are Software Engineers now…..dealing with stuff that are very new ….The IT is a nice place to live in ……but not for long…. ! !

Truely inspirational........

Some really inspiring thoughts that I came across...im sure that everyone can relate a few of these to their own lives.... like I did ;-)

• The trouble with being punctual is that nobody's there to appreciate it.
• We must believe in luck.For how else can we explain the success of those we don't like?
• It's amazing that the amount of news that happens in the world everyday always just exactly fits the newspaper.
• It matters not whether you win or lose;what matters is whether I win or lose.
• Life is pleasant. Death is peaceful. It's the transition that's troublesome."
• Help a man when he is in trouble and he will remember you when he is in trouble again.
• It is not exactly cheating, I prefer to consider it creative problem solving.
• Behind every successful woman, is a man who is surprised. (no offense ladies!!)
• Whoever said money can't buy happiness, didn't know where to shop.
• Alcohol doesn't solve any problems, but then again, neither doesmilk.
• Most people are only alive because it is illegal to shoot them.
• Forgive your enemies but remember their names.
• Put your hand on a hot stove for a minute, and it seems like an hour.Sit with a pretty girl for an hour, and it seems like a minute.THAT'S relativity.
• The number of people watching you is directly proportional to the stupidity of your action.(I hope, not too many people watch this posting)

Lance Armstrong ... A genetic marvel

His story has inspired people round the globe...n Im one of them.....The first glimpse of him I had was a photograph of him lying in bed nine years ago, his body withered from chemotherapy. another picture showed him, completely bald,
dipping his chin to reveal the six-inch-long, fish hook-shaped scar on his bare skull where doctors removed the brain tumours.

Now, lance is the icon of health, a man so indomitable in the face of every challenge. spanning nearly three weeks and more than 3,548 km, lance's unprecedented seventh consecutive tour de france victory was taken for granted by everyone except him. but, once again, the 33-year-old texan embarked on a harrowing journey of backbreaking mountain climbs and 65-mph kamikaze descents down ribbon-thin roads enduring scorching heat, withering humidity, pain and self-doubt.

Yet, he made the outcome feel predestined. Lance's seven titles are only part of what makes him unforgettable. more than 150 men finish the tour de france most years and many people overcome cancer, too. but lance finished his competitive career as a peerless example of how to navigate all of that—the shock of getting sick, the torture of getting through it and the question of how to get on with your life.

Lance has become an incontrovertible symbol of hope. his five-year-old autobiography, "It's not about the bike: my journey back to life", is now a tome that is widely read.... he reaches something deep in people.... his foundation has sold more than 40 million yellow rubber bracelets bearing a two-word exhortation: 'live strong'.

Even with four or five stages to ride, lance already spoke about spending more time with his children, or replacing his hours on the bike with heated tennis matches against his girlfriend, sheryl crow.... but first he committed himself to ending his career with one last flourish.

On july 24, he drove himself to win the last competitive stage known as the 'race of truth'. one of the announcers remarked it was as if the sky was shedding tears, knowing Lance was nearly through. one by one, the other great cyclists who Lance has humbled over the years pedalled up to pay homage. As he neared the finish line, one of the announcers noted how the sun had come out again, as if on cue. Now and then you could overhear fans shouting, "au revoir, Lance..." and Lance smiled n said "It's time".............

Three down Four to go...........

Yipee! ! ....the Oracle test is over...managed to pull of a decent score...am done with 3 tests now, but still have 3 to go and 1 Final Compre Exam....Holy cow ! ! ....I feel I have been waiting for the break which never seems to come.....the test was prety funny today...all the options of the multiple choice questions seemed to be right.... ;-)
Anywayz...started off with Core java today....am tight for the next 7 days...mom n dad r planning to visit me next weekend....looking forward to it...

Looks good...

The awesome training rooms at Infy....can make even the dumb skull a geek......well almost ! !

(Above n below) The hi-tech training centre in Infy, Mysore......the hot seats are also seen....

Oracle....commit successful

After a full morning of trying to study Oracle...finally got my faculties in place to concentrate for the last part of the day n pulled it off....(I hope).....
Am tired of studyin.....seriously need a break...its kinda sad when u realize that you still have to go through loads of books n sites to prepare for the tests which seems to be happening almost every weekend....I wanna run back home n spend a whole weekend back in Blore, I percieved training in Infy to be better than this.....well..this is reality ! ! ...therez no escape ....

I am on my way to a Rendezvous with sleep......its an art I have mastered over the years, I can sleep in almost any position, any time n anywhere.....its 2:30 in the morning now.....havent stayed up so late for quite some time....anywayz, hoping I will be able to do the Test decently tomorrow.....oops ! ! today....

Nostalgia.......

I am back with a lovely piece of nostalgia.....did my schooling in Baldwin Boys' High School n passed out in 1998....those were truely the best days of my life ! ! .....(this line sounds familiar....reminds me of a nice number by Bryan Adams) .....Life has changed, certainly for the good....but I now understand the value of those gone away days ! ! ...
Was browsing, when I got this piece.......Im sure u'll enjoy this....as I did. All of us have memories of our school days to cherish ......

Here it goes...

Gone are the days
When the school reopened in June,
And we settled in our new desks and benches.

Gone are the days
When we queued up in book depot,
And got our new books and notes.

Gone are the days
When we wanted two Sundays and no Mondays,
yetManaged to line up daily for the morning prayers.

Gone are the days
When we chased one another in the corridors in Intervals,
And returned to the classrooms drenched in sweat.

Gone are the days
When we had lunch in classrooms, corridors,
Playgrounds, under the trees and even in cycle sheds.

Gone are the days
When a single P.T. period in the week's Time Table,
Was awaited moreeagerly than the monsoons.

Gone are the days
Of fights but no conspiracies,
Of Competitions but seldom jealousy.

Gone are the days
When we used to watch Live Cricket telecast,
In the opposite house in Intervals and Lunch breaks.

Gone are the days
When few rushed at 5:30 to"Conquer" window seats in our School bus.

Gone are the days
Of Sports Day, and the annual School Day,
And the one-month long preparations for them.

Gone are the days
Of the stressful Quarterly,
Half Yearly and Annual Exams,And the most enjoyed holidays after them.

Gone are the days
We learnt, we enjoyed, we played, we won,
we lost, We laughed, we cried,we fought, we thought.

Gone are the days
With so much fun in them, so many friends,
So much experience, all this and more.

Gone are the days
But not the memories,
which will beLingering in our hearts for ever and ever and
Ever and ever and Ever.....

A new day has come ! !

It sure is a new day..but nothing has changed....Im sure you'll agree with me..there are times when we just wait for tomorrow, dreamin it will be a better day but all you get is a day as boring as the one before...I still have loads to study n am in no mood......

I swear, all the Engineers in Karnataka have gone through this phase.....There hasnt been a single Semester throughout my Engineering(Info. Sci.).......that I wished to study from day1 of the Semester....but wtz the thrill in finshing in time.....Suspence n adventure is the spice of life ! ! ....

...those late night chai's, the stinking xerox books, huge lab manuals, irritating programs, frustrating teachers, poor jokes, painful birthday bums, lovely treats, awesome bunks, little fights, huge crushes,major obsessions.......were all part of my Engg. days.....miss all of them ! !

The funny part of growin up ...is that we all want to grow up fast n then we realise that we have grown enough....we wanna get back to our school days.....' Sad But True '

Am missing my all pals back in Blore ...Mysore is damn boring !! I miss the pollution n noise of Blore...those things really make me feel at home. I guess my Julie(my Yamaha Enticer Bike) also misses me...havent ridden her for quite sometime now ;-)

The maestro at work ! !

The soldier finally gave up his fight...n fell asleep in class yet another time.....the rest of the people follow his traits....

A brief insight ! !

Phew ! ! ...i finally discovered a place of my own on the web......wanted to always create a Blog.....so finally managed to put in a few things on my blog...Learnt about it from my pal Achut...hez the guy from Chennai.....all his accessories are from the US...hez the Videsibaba I know.........the guy whoz always sleeping in training class.....one more pal of mine whom I met here is Srikanth.....the Java guy ! ! .....hez always thinkin about Advanced Java n how to learn the technology fast.....has an amazing vocab of Tamil insults! ! .....Still gathering new friends......

(Left-Right )Achut(Videsibaba),Srikanth(Java guru),me

This is infact the first time im out of my home....never been for the past 22 long yrs..my parents sure miss me.....n my mom has no one to shout at.........
Oh oh ........have a test on Monday...Sheesh!! yet to start.........am too tired n sleepy for today...but still managed to update a lot of pics taken on my awesome NOKIA 3230 phone....the picture clarity rulez ! ! on my space at flickr's......
Am here in Mysore since August 1st...am basically here for the Training course on Java...Srikanth is my roomie here with me ...The sleepy Bum of the class, Achut stays in the next room.....both of us usually trying to compare our mobile phones....(Motorola E398 and Nokia 3230) with picture clarity...n stuff...actually...my phone(Nokia 3230) is better...well the war goes on...... I guess the whole day tomorrow will go away in trying to study Oracle...still can remember the days of Engineering, when we used to finish entire books overnight....