Happy New Year!

Hey Everyone
Here is wishing you the bubbliest, happiest New Year over and over
(speeish grins) I am thinking about the song:
The wheels of the bus goes round and round
My l'll bro AJ was the best in singing this song. Wishing you too the happiest New Year ever.

Happy Holidays

To all those who are actually going to take a nice vacation
To all those who promise themselves to work at home but land up taking a vacation
To all those who want to take a vacation, but land up working at home
To the rest of the world not having a long vacation but wished you did.
To the sweetest thing in my life too..

and why madras?

coz I simply can't seem to live without the
veyil, vathal, vadam, vambu
//sunshine, food, more food, chit-chat//

one world

the birth of ".eu" uniting all the countries in the European Union. I would love to let you guys read more, but the article is in french. But if you still can trace the root words..Enjoy!

when East meets the West

One tall non-fat extra hot cafe latte
one vanilla almond low fat biscotti
one sandisk Sansa player
one voice through the player
Don't bother me, I'm in bliss

what a way to make the east meet west:
Vishnu Sahasranamam with Latte through the morning chilly winds

Blogory

Wondering if I can start a story thread, leave it and let someone else pick it up in their blog..weave a network, take new roads (perhaps more than one at the same time!)..

Tais Toi!

On very important concept I need to learn: "How to make myself sound as though I am giving out all of the information, yet just tell them the power point truth?". I seem to be terrible at information filtering and handing. When my mouth opens to answer any question, it is just complete truth. All what I know comes tumbling all the way down. The point here is not being truthful or not. The point is being tactful. Maybe I need to practice, now and then. Test how people react to incomplete piece of information. The trick is to build a nice cocoon to nestle the listener and make him believe that this is the world. Why even I am thinking of this concept? One, I mostly surprise, shock or startle people by giving them news that isn't yet confirmed which lead to change in decisions, opinions. And guess what happens? the inconfirmed news goes on to be cancelled but the opinions people form of me remains and further affects their sets of action. I think it is called Tact..wonder if there are any classes around ..guess what? I just got my new laptop, off to play with my new toy. will be back!

Lake Tahoe

This is...

The reason I start this posting is that I really want to talk about my absolutely delightful trip to Lake Tahoe. This would make a better picture post, but I would like try to do justice through writing.
wait for more updates.Meanwhile, savor this

changing times

And here goes an open post on The Hindu . This was in the Metro Plus for Chennai. For all those who thought Madras was conservative, surprise!
I think I might have culture shock when I visit India the next time. I still have the impression that I won't wear jeans (or trousers of any kind), go jogging out on the roads, and see a boy friend-girl friend relationship out in public. Looks like things are really changing. Someone needs to update me on what is going on there to help me be better prepared.

Perfect?

Sometimes what seems perfect, so pristine and right just doesn't seem to stay that way. There is more stress in keeping it perfect. This is where a little of imperfectness adds beauty and charm. Just unplugged from my surroundings..am I?

More talking while driving

Check this out!
Seems you can avoid collision by communication to the driver of the car when he misses a car in his blind spot..wow! no more zooming and zooping around, your car would take control of itself and move itself to a better and safer spot..do they ever think about accidents in the kitchen (grins)

Belated Deepavali Greetings

Heres a slow greeting that took time to land up on this blog:
Happy (Festival of Lights) Deepavali!
May the festival of lights dispel all darkness of fear, anxiety, failure, worry and evil in your lives and fill it with light of happiness, success, joy and prosperity!

Cheers Always!

philanthropic Google

Google is being philanthropic.
I am quite impressed at the different dimensions they are channeling their resources into. They are funding research in Kenya ..so on and so forth. Why not set up funds for supporting natural disasters? We seem to have quite a few of them of late: Tsunami, Katrina and the recent earthquake in Pakistan! Would be really helpful, supportive and right initiative at this point..

Tasking

And clearly, I am a multitasker. Somehow with just one job to do at one time, I feel very incomplete. But one of my management profs once told me, at any point in time you can give 100%. So if you are doing 3 jobs at one time, it is never possible to give 100% to each. You would best get off by giving 100% in all and that is what humans do. Effectively, therefore, you give 30,40,30 or something to that effect to each job.
But here is my take, so what if the percentiles are like that. If I still manage to put my finger in this pie as well as that, I have my mind already clicking for both the issues and in the end, I feel more in control of the situation.
I tried having just a single process to work on..and I felt, well empty and got quickly bored of the process. I strongly believe multitasking keeps my life more interesting to live and gives me more things to think about and work on!

wow

Learning to be a consultant, I am swimming in a sea of abbreviations. I see all my managers, all kinds of managers use STO, SFO, OTRCE,...
anyway, here is my wow (for the non-consultants, this is words of wisdom) for the day:

In a job, never make yourself so indispensible that they can never do without you. It chokes your ability to grow.

Would put up another posting explaining this, if it is not clear right away!
till next time, stay safe :)

Boss

Howz that bosses know exactly when to come in and call you for a minute? Take these following instances where your boss says : "Can I see you for a minute"
1. You are just about to leave for a nice cuppa coffee/tea..boss walks in exactly and..
2. You are killing hungry, just got by pinged by the cutest guy in your team for lunch..boss walks in exactly and..
3. You had been working really hard for the past 3 hours. You decide to cool a little by networking..you push your chair to get up and leave..boss walks in exactly and..
4. You had been working really hard for the past 2 hours and decide to read some news. After grring, rumbling and grumbling, your laptop opens up news.google.com neatly....boss walks in exactly and..
5. You had been working really hard for the past 1 hour and relax by dialing a friend's number. Friend answers "hello! hey watz up..? free for a sexy salsa evening?"..boss walks in exactly and..
6. You need to check on your flight status. You manage your way past speech recognition system (oh my god! this deserves a whole new blog)..after all the Ms being understood as Us (haven't the faintest clue how that happens)..after all the "I'm sorry, I'm not able to understand you"..you wait in the queue for 15 mins..holding the phone with your neck, straining and chatting at the same time. Finally, you hear the click and hear "D#$%^ Airlines, how can I help you"..DARN IT..boss walks in exactly and..
7. Your friend had just sent you the closing line of the world's funniest joke on chat screen..boss walks in exactly and..
8. You still have a wrote of instances to write in this blog..boss walks in exactly and..

chasing storms

I have heard of people chasing storms and tornados with their wacky gadgets and cameras...and now look at this.
The poor victims of Katrina come to Houston to seek refuge and guess what happens-Rita..Damn! This world is sure unfair!

Time to task

I just realized that more than the time taken to complete a task, the time taken to pander to its dependencies delay it. I mean, take this morning for instance, I was setting right my space..I needed chai..so came into the kitchen to make some nice chai and guess what? I had undone dishes..well, so, had to do dishes..since I wanted to finish my dish washing once and for all, I had to clear last nite's left overs. Now while clearning the previous nite's left overs, I realized I had no space in my trash can, which means I had to throw my trash out. To throw my trash out, I needed to change into some decent clothes ( I couldn't run out in my nite pjs).And while I was thinking about where my clothes were, I realized I had to do laundry to find one decent wear. Ok, now laundry sounds fine,but then I needed..well you guessed it..quarters!! Ahem..hunt, hunt..no quarters. I had a $20 bill though. The only way I could get change without getting out of home..heheheheh(that is villanous laugh), order home delivery of food! (Wow! how cool am I??). So I just picked the phone, placed an order for chinese food with instructions to bring quarters. I don't even want to think what the guy who took my orders was wondering. Hopefully, I get my chai! :)

never have preferances

as a traveller. I am always smitten by the travel bug (what were you expecting?). I realized recently that as a traveller, one needs to take a vagabond cloak with her. Like in "Le Chocolat", one needs to go where the north wind blows.

It dawned on me that by having preferences towards one city, I am missing out on seeing the beauty of another one. Those who know me, know how fanatic I am about mes favoris. Each place is like a clear pearl, fresh cup of coffee..needs to be enjoyed for its own classic beauty. It would do great injustice to compare cities. See the city, live the life of the dailies in the cities, walk the streets, sense the sights and sounds and don't think of your favorite one. No two cities are alike, they shouldn't and needn't be. What different experience would I enjoy, if they were? And so, well, I need to look around more..come back home after every trip with a different color of sensation in my head..Wonder how different I would be as I sink my feet into the sands of another city :).

I still can't help it ;). Et Finalement, J'ai trouve mon cite aux Etats-Unix..les petites rues, les grands boulevards, les bisous, le vent, le sens, les mains :). Tu sais bien que je parle de toi..

apple and motorola

While I was driving yesterday, I was thinking about the possibility of integration cell phone and ipod. Guess what I found today. Next time such brainwave sweeps me over, I am going to call the next prospective angel investor I know!

work..else

Ananth : You'd better get back to work lady, otherwise you wouldn't have money for gas
Me: Yeah , true
(after two seconds of thinking)
Me: Funny part is, even if I work, I won't have enough money for gas.

ban?

I am still not surprised why many Indians who come to the States are much more disciplined than counterparts of their own age (some would sneer and call them prude). It is interesting how Universities in India can still go ahead and boldly issue bans on clothes and now.. cell phones!. I can't imagine such a statement released here...

due since quite sometime

got widgets?

if..

you were a cartoon, what would you be?

Lonely planet

has a wealth of knowledge of the entire world(I mean it literally). Wonder if it would be a good idea for them to foray into offering service, package tours and travels. Travel on a shoestring budget, backpacking, sleeping in dorms, walking around the city..raw and simple fun..would you be game for it?

Words of wisdom Part(forgot the number)

Carrie says:
Even though the guys who look great on paper swoon us and pamper us, we somehow end up with guys who ride motorbikes and don't even have a checking account.

Are women just cynical or sadistic enough to land up with men who mean detruit to them? Some have an opinion that women do that just to have something to talk about and crib to their friends..Shocking as it seems, it is sure an interesting point of view and I can see where that might come from, given the fact that we do talk a lot..a real lot and to some extent are considered nagging :).

change?

wanna know how much you have changed? Pluck yourself away from today, put yourself in your crowd (gang, group)of 5 years ago and look at yourself.
Realization: Dang!I do soooo little these days..is it laziness?

gosh!

is anyone not going to annoy me or bite me today??!!!

another crash..

in Peru. A minute of silent prayer for the souls..

do you remember the time..?

I distincly remember monsoon season (dont wonder if we ever had any in Madras..Darn Yes!WE sure did). Rain was always fun, splotch, splash, squish, sqwack...It was
times of paper boats, wet shoes, soggy socks. Unreasonable smiles and laughter, never ending squeals and chatter. It always filled me with a strange sense of bright happiness to see the sky cloudy and gloomy (hahaha, that really sounds strange in writing). AJ and myself had a fancy for rain. We used to play word games, trying to describe what the rain is actually doing..coming up with the craziest of things starting from laundrying the earth to overflow of tanks in heaven!

leaving this as a WIP

hit f5?

I always used to wonder if I can ever hit F5 for life..well, change the way I lived, the influences around me, go back in time, wish I was somewhere else doing something else..
I must admit, I am changing my thoughts. I was watching this newscast the other day about the lives of soldiers returning from battlefields and that made me feel small about myself. Now here are beings that fight actual wars, be around all the bloodshed, hear constant blasts, live through the death of a friend, more often than not- a gruesome one, suspect everyone as an enemy, be alert round the clock, miss home be it child birth or birthdays, fear death and yet face it, smell blood and yet live through it, help torn victims, keep hoping that the war would end;they would be sent back home happy and yet wake up every morning fully armed and ready to attack..When these guys come back home, how numbed do they feel? Could they start leading normal lives? Their social psyche would have been soo affected that normal lives might seem strange and untouching to them..still wonder why so many people need to be affected in so many different ways, so uncalled for..Am I thinking too much about wars?

I am usually 'CNNing' while rushing around trying to get to work on time. The thing that is bothering me of late is the immense amount of terrorist activities around. There hasn't been a single day that I haven't heard of a riot, a blast, a crash..may be it is just me or may be it is just living in the US, but so many deaths can get to you..Is there a need for so much of blood shed?A minute of prayer for all the souls that suffer the misdeeds of others, the souls who pay the price for the whims and fancies of some politicians, the innocent lives who face misfortune due to the fanatics and their beliefs..these things make one realize life is short, unpredictable..just need to be thankful for what I am , what I have and where I am..

what is happening?

Everyone I know seems to be doing 12 hour days at work..don't freak out, it is friday and I am still @ work!

Tu peur?

de quoi? Fears are of two types:
1. No matter who tells you what to convince you that there is no need to go through this emotion for the reason that you have in mind, you are still bloody scared.. you would never challenge it, allay it. Like my fear of ghosts, devils, paranormal elements.
2. It exists in your mind, lies quietly in your subconscious. You know that weak spot but you conscious does everything that you strong will wants to, to keep that fear from raising its ugly head. Now, there comes along a soul, whistling with his hands in his pockets(meant to show how casual this unaware being is), talks and bam! has started a lightning speed trail of thought that touches your spot in your subconscious. Unconsciously, you start fearing. Then comes along a whole plethora of things (buy one get gazillion free?), anxiety, tension, worries, nervousness, agitation, opportunity cost calculation(nah! kidding, was just testing if you were actually reading my blog:)) tudu tudu (after the rigmarole about "y..a, y..a", I choose not to hurt the psentiments of fans, and tada, my own convenience,well, lets get back to the point anyway)..
so yeah, after all those emotions, well, successfully, you fear again.
Now ,what would be interesting is the strategy adopted to allay these fears. As in case one, there is none. Interestingly, when one takes measures towards it, cases where the biggest nightmares have come true are the only cases that you would come across. This leads to strengthening your fear and
dang..another fear now, need to get back to work, will b back, je te promis!

mum's the word

Since early last week, I have been talking..a lot! Now, people who know me assume that I am one by nature, but trust me, this time beats the h$%^ out of all other times I have been talkative. Thatz prolly why I never came in to talk here. Beyond one point, I get a feeling that people hear me, but aren't listening to me. Negotiating, talking, dealing with people..oh my goodness! has been extremely tiring and draining. Makes me wonder, how did people carry out negotiations for months!!! Are they serious? Usually, when I have a problem, I think of it for a week, at the max, then its just the solution implementation. My philosophy has been, if u can't find a solution in one week, your mind is not trained to find a solution for it! A perfect catch 22, a philosophers (for some strange reason, can't remember the right spelling)problem..how do we resolve when the problem itself is a recursive loop? Every solution I give seems to be shot down, trashed, punched holes into..not that I mind it, but when no other obvious solution comes up, I guess to land up with one, I might have to go ahead with my own..my way or the high way :).

One more thing has been worrying me, all my conversation has been so much over the cell phone that I would be surprised if it hasn't had an effect on my brain. The other day, I absent mindedly was playing with my ears and I suddenly realized that they hurt badly and were red! I fear if it is going to get heated and get stuck to my ear. Anyone heard long term effects of cell phone utilization on human brain?

Well, in all, I am going to be silent for sometime. But guess what? I have a long meeting this evening, and I guess the last thing that my boss wants is me silent..so Hear me for one last time: Not that I want to be talking but even if I want to remain silent, look, no one else around me wants me that way..don't blame me, I am a benevolent person :)

singara chennai

I have always grown to believe the best place to live in the entire world is Madras(well, ok, now chennai). The only other place I would temporarily live is Paris, France. Even here, I am always looking for a city that gives the "Madras" feeling. I have found that only in Austin, TX. When I say "Madras" feeling, I don't mean tons of Indians, yapping around AND yada yada. I mean a city, neither too big that you are eternally lost (given how sharp I am with directions), nor too small that on a romantic drive, you are already out of city limits. A place that has a little of this, a little of that, a dash of east and west influence, a congregation of youthful color and elderly wisdom.

People have always scorned, scoffed at me when I have commented or mentioned that I am moving back to Madras in 4 to 5 years.This explains
ok boss calling, be back in a bit

people

normally meet in between work.
As a consultant, one works in between meetings!

isn't it strange?

that there isn't any coverage of the visit of our PM? None of the nationals here in the US seem to talk about it as much as I think it should. I mean, cmon! do they even realize how much they are dependent on India? When they can send ething offshore and cut costs, can't they pay attention when the most important decision maker of that country comes over? Have they any idea how much India can impact their economy by simple change to policies? and heck, MS was talking to Infosys..God save!

bad workman..

blames his tools? Coming to think of it, I don't quite agree with that saying. I find that:
1. a sharper pencil means more precise thoughts and writing
2. a finer pen gives better flow
A bad tool results in a so-so work, even if the workman is the best pro around.
ok, tons of work today..searching for my sharp tools..

butter fingers!

Been dropping everything since morning. I realize the more I try to be careful, the more buttery my fingers get. I have always annoyed my roomies while trying to be quiet in the morning. I would carefully remove the coffee mug from the cupboard and thatz exactly when it would hit more mugs and all of them would fall on the microwave. The microwave would have had a plate sitting on top of it, carefully balanced and with the force of the mugs falling, this plate would tilt over and land crash on the floor while at the same time, the cereal bowl in the microwave would have completed its tenure and would be screaming. Then, I face the glare from my half asleep, half awake, 1.25 drowsy eyed roomies..This morning, something different, I dropped my power cord on my feet (ouch!), dropped the soap while showering, dropped the towel into the dustbin(!), dropped my hotel card while entering the elevator (a flat one as flat as it can get to make picking it up quite an experience), dropped my sun glasses. Thanking the heavens for reaching work safely, I head out for my breakfast, smiling and nodding g'morns, stylishly picked up cereals, filled my cup with granola..and clash, clatter, platter,sppillll..the entire cafeteria was staring at me..hehehee, wonder what more I am going to drop for today..it has just started!

guess what I found?

While digging through my old files in my flash drive, see what I found:

"and there is one last hope. One last time when I meet him, I will see in his eyes the truth. Was it hatred or simple love that was so much responsible for everything that happened. Was it ego or confusion that can be blamed for every pause in his words, every silence in my response. Was I reading too much or missing too much? Why can't I simply put my pen down and call him a friend, dust my hands and forget this relationship?"

I am trying to think why I wrote this, which song inspired me or was it someone?...for now, I am just smiling at it :).

weekend whoosh

It seems like my flight landed in ATL about 30 mins ago. Got out and quickly picked my luggage, thatz all I seem to remember..and voila! it seems it is sunday today (or so they tell me) and in another few hours, I will again hear the announcement for my flight! Wow! what happened to this weekend..it jus seemed to whoosh by!

Am I reading too much?

I always felt some kind of link with France, with Paris, with French, the language, the people, food..and I get signs everywhere, I am not joking when I say this. Just few things that I remember (from the bunch of other signs that I got):
1. I accepted offer with a company that is headquartered in Paris, France. When asked for locational preference, guess what my choice was. My recruiter gave me a smug and asked me to try this preference in about a year. (Shh..I am still hoping)
2. I jump into the flight to land up in Dallas for my first day with the company. I was so lost in my thots I dint hear the gentleman next to me say something. Don't ask me why, but I still say "Pardon" instead of a normal "excuse me" or "I am sorry". No guesses..yes, he was french. Had worked for my company some years ago.
3. I take the cab to my first project, no guesses, to cut long story short..cab man french, family in france..talked abt just yeah..france
4. Scene cut to SFO. Looking for some place to eat on a strange saturday afternoon..couldn't find regular places to eat. Just stopped by a bakery, well yes, french:Boudin or Boudini. I was told that the girl behind the counter is a cute one, but nah, dint see her. Instead met this lady, well yes, from france. Pleasantaries..ah oui, en francais..eh bon, a happy meal for me.
5. Watching this TV series for the first time ever. Have hrd abt it a lot, never sat down and watched it. Dropped my bag, flicked the tv on and the story line is simple: Girl goes out with a boy who is an artist. No questions, simply strange..guy asks girl to move with him to Paris! Yes, Paris..describes Paris in detail..the petite avenues, grands boulevards, quiet/noisy cafes..She is confused..has her life in NYC. But what are we talking abt here..Paris! she has to say a yes! That makes it a nice serial, doesn't it? But hey! why screen this episode now?
But I guess, this are the things that I remember, besides scores of other signs, prolly too inane to mention them or so inane that I just see them and smile and forget..oh, like when I was travelling between NJ and NYC, I had french people around me, people reading 'Places to Visit in Paris', 'Quick book of French' and so on..
What is with me?

whack!wake up!

Yeah! thatz how I feel about life right now. Last one week was a roller coaster..crests and troughs, low/high points that seem to last forever..one tight slap! (like they say in MTV :))..like a rude awakening from a slumber..just learning, growing, beginning to feel that I am an adult or atleast growing to be one, trying to be one. I smile to myself at times. Hard to blv that stories you hear about and feel sorry for actually could happen to you! Just learning, just learning..gotta move on, no matter how it seems. Still wondering if whatever is happening is a fabric of dream or a drape of reality

so long..and why do I keep saying this again?

Hahahaha, I took an earlier flight out of ATL to reach my destination well in time before midnight, but guess what happened? We were sitting in the aircraft, for no specific reason till about 10.00 pm! But I guess everything happens for some other higher purpose, I would have missed my parents call, had I been on air :) (sounds cool eh?). While I was sitting idly, my brain ticked in this angle:
You know what would be a great idea? Teach airlines employees another language. While the world is going more global, it is short sightedness to expect all travellers to speak one language. The very essense of the word "traveller" wouild be lost in some sense. I know flight attendants and crew on international flights speak multiple languages, but there is sure a huge advantage if domestic carriers were also equipped with help in more than one. How to decide which language? Simple, stats. The obvious ones: Most spoken language among travellers, periods of travel, favorite destinations..yada yada..It is surprising how inspite of the big % of Spanish speakers in the US, the % of Spanish spoken by an average American is really small (just trying to sound hep, basically, Americans don't speak Spanish as much as they should). Start training crew on flight to famous tourist spots on a language highly spoken by travellers..
I know in India when one travels by simple-less punctual-Indian Railways, all announcements are made in three languages : the local, English and the most spoken (Hindi). Interesting that airlines haven't thought about this. I remember reading an article where some carrier saved millions of $ by removing one olive from the business class lunch (3 became 2). Make that one and teach a language :)

yet another set of pearls of wisdom

From G3 :
LOVE is like a CIGAR
It starts with a fire..... continues with
smoke.....and ends in ashes...
But dont worry - we are chain smokers

bulb: What about non smokers?

True love is like a pillow
u can hug when u r in trouble
u can cry on when u r in pain
u can embrace when u r happy
so when u need true love
spend Rs.50/
-Buy a pillow

bulb: isn't 50 bucks for a pillow expensive?

Puzzles

in life is about life and of life. Not a random rambling, my friend. Think about it. We are mostly at forks, deciding between the upteen roads that lay in front of us or wondering if we should ever pave a road by ourselves, look at the road less taken, guessing the answers to a lot of questions. For instance:"Will he find me attractive? Do I sound stupid? Did I give the right answer? Would this diet work? Would the stock index move in favor?
and..I need to run, be back!

absolutely no excuse

for not keying down all this while. Life is a roller coaster, and I am living by every single letter in that line. I guess I simply go my "Work expands and fills the time available". When I get more swamped with work, when there is abso no time, when there is a dying need for break, I will be back here!

stress controller

from roomie g3:
To Control Stress..the mantra: I AM
I = Ignore
A = Accept things that can't be changed
M = Move On..
Some of the best words I have ever heard!

La semaine commence

Some mornings are meant to go wrong. And interestingly, the few important mornings that a mere mortal would have, would indefinitely infinitely go wrong. As a part of my "Spice-Your-Life" plan, I managed to land myself with a job in a nice company. Little did I realize how this day would commence, giving a bright new hopeful week ahead of me.
As this morning cunningly dawned on me, I chirped up bright and sunny and Voila!4 hours later, I am sitting at a breakfast eatery oblivious to the peppy jazz resounding from speakers that I am still hunting for. I assure you, I definitely did not set out with this agenda in mind. Yes, you are right, I am supposed to be at !@#$%^&9 (my encryption to my work place) at my workdesk. I am definitely not lost, I refuse to admit. I am just misled by a trotting, petite, old lady. After walking about 2 miles in the scorching sun, tired but not famished, I ran into the eatery to hide from the blaze. Thatz where the savior of the day called me and offered to drive me to the office. Sincere thanks to him, I "picked up strings of life again" and stumbled into my office. God's grace, my HR was really more than understanding. But guess what? Phone lines are all down for the entire building and my passwords wouldn't work (You still think I am surprised?). Now I am poised like having a sprained neck and vigorously typing away..my remedy line has forewarned me about the line getting disconnected before they can actually fix my problem and has graciously asked me to try again, in case that happens..I can only hope tomorrow is better..looking forward to a warm, bright day again..ever hopeful!

Mr and Mrs.Smith

A hollywood movie with bollywood masala..One cannot help but like the lives of Jane and Jon. One begins to wonder if such a thing is possible to exist. Of course, Jane is smarter and sharper than Jon, probably bcoz Jon is so lost in Jane's charm and beauty (tsk..tsk..there is a better word for that), nevertheless, was a good movie to watch at 0030 hours, get lost on the way back and still laugh about the whole experience. wud pen more.
ciao!

new life

moving to another new phase of life. my new job is pretty interesting, lots of travel, lots of work, lots of people, lots of networking..and a very interesting company profile.
trust me, I am going to be spending 10 hours on just administrative work and there are soo many ifs and buts, dos and don'ts..wow!
still in orientation, my head has been talking to me, but just dint sit arnd to key it, will get back asap!
and no, I am still alive and kicking..actually, alive and coughing more than kicking

en espagnol

just realized I could well be
Amrutja

jejejeje (to b read as hehehehe in spanish)

super sooner?

Did you notice how many really young players seem to be doing well in the French Open. Steffi Graf was a phenomenon in early 80s when she was ranked in her early teens. I am surprised to see many teens in the final rounds of the women's tournament at Roland Garros. There is 17 year old Ana Ivanovic (I think), and then there is 15 year old Bulgarian Sesil Karatantcheva..all in the quarter and the semi final rounds of French Open!!! Of course, how can one forget Martina Hingis and the latest heart throb Maria Sharapova (they tell me she is over 6 feet!). Boris Becker was a big deal when he won, I don't remember which title (think it was Wimbledon) and he was 17. Nowadays, it seems like the slogan is pretty much, 'Catch them young'. Even the William sisters are not that old, but I am not sure when they started out. Personally, I have not liked their game a lot. It seems to lack the class and the style of Steffi Graf or the more recent belgian Henin-Hardenne. Well, the point is are we pushing ourselves too hard and too fast. How long can these girls who have already touching peaks last? Can anyone stay around and do as well as the ever green Martina Navratilova? I know the game of tennis has a lot of wear and tear (going less of wear now, aka Anna Kournikova, hehehe)..so, are we just pushing human abilities to a new peak?tring greater accuracy and perfectness?

and my fears...

Netherlands too turn down the EU constitution. Sometimes, I feel this is akin to the behavior of the stock market. A general pessimism permeates and pulls the index down. There needn't be any particular reason/incident for such a behavior.As soon as the French voted the EU constitution down, I was sure that the Dutch would do the same. What surprised me is the greater percentage of "NO" from the Dutch as against the French. It is akin to the group mentality where the Dutch may be simply decided to follow the suite of the French. Socialists seem to be shaking their fists..don't yet quite understand why. Time would answer many of my questions (of course, and many other's too).
a+

of chennai

strange that some news articles address the new French PM Dominique de Villepin as de Villepin..it is like Amrutha from chennai being addressed as Ms.from chennai :)

what I definitely wouldn't wear for an evening!

A 'non' to Liberte?

The French's reply to the EU constitution has been very disturbing. While the ROW cries out against the French, I really wonder why the French chose to behave the way they did. I am not sure if we can shake our fist against them as the NON was about 50 odd % which means the scales could have tilted the other way too, if more OUI people had turned up for voting. The response came as a pretty big surprise to me as when I was in France, I noticed how much interest an average French shows in politics. Last summer there were elections for EU heads, and the French showed good amount of enthusiasm for the same. I always felt France and Germany played very important roles in keeping the EU together and working towards a new super power. (Of course, Germany had trouble with keeping its inflation under control in the past and holding on to the Euro as their currency). What worries me now is the performance of the Euro, although reports say that the EMU (European Monetary Union) would function independent of EU. As we wait for the Dutch to reply to the EU constitution, I just hope that they too do not turn it down. I know that the French are not great propounders of globalization. While talking to them, it felt as though they were more anti-gross US brands, rather than globalization. EU would have been a brilliant reply to the otherwise super power. The recent performance of Euro against the Dollar was a good indication that the idea of EU was finally picking up momentum.

I was hoping that the EU idea would succeed(I am not saying that it has already failed, something that I personally dread) and tickle leaders of Asian countries to think of a coalition comme ca. The recent performance of China and India in the global market is one big reason for such a thought.
more on this soon..

Ooh la la Atlanta

A city of its own rules (esp. when it comes to driving), a city of small lights, even smaller lanes and the tiniest of all sign boards for driving (I notice the speed limits on roads are always hidden behind some branch of some peach tree).. a city of peachtree street, peachtree road, west peachtree street, west peachtree road, peachtree boulevard..and all being different! What have I been doing all these days? I am living this life of a virtual home maker or should I say, I have been living a virtual life of a home maker. A truly independent life is imminent (if I can use that word here). I start work in another 2 weeks and greatly looking forward to it. My cozy room houses a parapernalia of things now. Discovering more of myself and of the people around me, noticing the delicate details in lifestyles, not many smiles like in Texas, many more "How are you doing lady?" for which I return a petrubed stare or a fake, weak smile..at times I have gotten "Don't worry, I am not going to harm you(!!!!)" in return (yeah, right, that is reassuring). Been struggling with this wireless network at home, thinking about interesting things to do, getting back with my french classes (yippeee!I have a french as my prof), planning to shake a leg (or both) with salsa, merengue, bright clothes, hot summer. I never knew I was scared of living in a big city (ok, a big small city). An innocent soul landed in Atlanta on saturday, and yours truly tried playing host. One thing for sure, I definitely managed to scare him with my driving. In my defense, it is just a week since I moved to this city, just about four weeks since I am driving and when you land from SF, Cal..you sure do find my driving, half as exciting..as you guessed it right, most of the usual things with a woman driver did sure happen, confused signs, wrong turns, hestitated signals, completely lost, driving in circles! But again, like any woman driver, we managed to get to where we had to, and sure, here I am, at home..all fine :). will be back soon..with more slice of life a l' Atlanta..

et bon..

I finally managed to catch Alliance francaise d'atlanta. Going in a few mins for a test. Really kicked abt this french class, lets see how it works.
ps:was abt to write abt life here, but sorry, this excitment is on my head now! a+

weight and wine

no..not wine, I am not taking to it. But I decided to try and live the next 15 days like the French Women. No restrictions in eating, just cut the size of a serving and have only ONE serving. This way, I wouldn't be left with a heavy heart having to cross a chocolaterie without shelling a dollar, closing my eyes and running across an icecream shop, counting from 2000 on seeing a delicious pastry(duh! thatz the calories I am counting) and other pieces of encouraging acts to stay in line with the BMI of an athlete!

new found interest

in arabic music. sounds close to hindi music with stringed instruments dominating and voices very similar to a r rahman's.

in the 29th minute

of My Best Friend's Wedding, Julia Robert's mention. Gig'em!

new

city, car,room,roomates,curtains,scented candles,apron..tons to write..will be back after setting everything in place!

copy cats!

Can MS ever think of anything original?
check this out pah!

countdown begins

I leave this campus on saturday. My last few days and I suddenly see so much of world around me. I had to move out of my room and I am living out of a box now (well, almost). Absolutely no inclination to pack and get moving. It feels very strange..I had landed here in the US two years ago, confused about the amount of formalities involved (hadn't faced any of these in Europe), shocked at the attitude of a few at Indians (again, did not get to see that in Europe). At some level, I was afraid of surviving here. I still remember how boring and dull Houston Airport looked the day I landed. I had every vein in me screaming to turn around and fly back to India. I am glad in a small way that I did not listen to them. People have walked in and some have walked out of my life. And when our lives crossed, I saw something different in each one, a different shade of life, a new tune to hum..and not all tunes are sung to a good mood. This small town that protected me from the so called harsh world outside, let me be the princess of a small home, is suddenly letting go of me. Let's see here, I have five days and I want to make a difference in the way I live each of this five days..
will come back and show you a slice of my last days as a student..

rock paper and..

scissors! I am not sure if everyone enjoys the game so much as I do. Interestingly, there is a sure shot strategy to win that game. While rock feels the strongest, there are ways to get around it by using paper and thereby opting for scissors (in the sense move expecting your opponent to move in a particular direction). While three variables makes a simple equation, I wonder how the dynamics would change if we include fire and water balloon in this game (for the ignorant souls, watch F.R.I.E.N.D.S season 10). This theory could extend itself to nots and crosses, I guess. More of this is here:

last mile

turning in my last few exams, winding up courses.Running the last mile seems to be arduous and tiring.

clarity of thought

Mebbe I am being biased here or prejudiced. But I find an amazing level of clarity in the work of Germans. Their ideas are presented in an extremely lucid manner and their ideas flow seamlessly thorough their presentations. There is so much I have to learn from these guys!

does it ever happen?

that you laugh out (like that y! icon =)) ) on reading something as romantic as a vivid description of a kiss..a passionate one? I just did :S
ps:I am still laughing that I laughed... what did I have for dinner last night?!

you have passed

and the world believes that yours truly can drive. Well, don't laugh. I now have a document that confirms so.
I need to write about my friday's experience. coming up soon!

and I wish

Met someone else, took someother road, said someother words, hummed another tune..
[in mood for writing songs, I guess :) ]

outcast

I was looking at the pictures of my college posted by someone who visited the campus last month. Every picture had a memory. I could hear a million voices in my head, friends calling out to me, gatecalls, laccha sessions, papadi chat, peacocks crying(and trust me, they don't sound good in the least!)..memories, the word by itself feels small and incapable of describing these emotions.
I noticed changes..on campus. I feel jealous that I am not a part of it. It seems like my college has forgotten me. It has moved on and doesn't tell me how it is changing. It has new members in its family and is so much enjoying the relationship with them. I strangely felt hurt that I am not longer a part of it..those sky lawns no longer belong to me, the ic chai is no longer mine to make fun of(I used to ask for "garam pani" and still get it from the ic bhaiya with a smile!). A whiff of anger that I cannot walk down FDII corridors and jump off without using the stairs, can't use the qt to laze in the sun and get startled by the buffalo that lazily walks by to mow the lawns, can't complain abt the heat(in summer) and cold(in winter). I don't even seem to know that there is cappucino(!) in ANC, how the BITSConnect works, how the new library feels like to study in..It sure does anger me, how can I not know all this when even I belong to the family!
Well, yes I was there, but the WAS word seems so heavy now that I feel left out, like an outcast.

cluttered desk

and my boss...
all these days at work, I managed to finish the given task within the time alloted for it, get with my boss whenever I got done with a task and talk to him abt the next. Since a week now, I have this parapernalia of things sitting on my desk. Some of which don't actually need to be on my desk, some of which are my completed tasks and need to be moved to someone's desk, some of which I still don't know about. He stops by this morning and says: looks like you are working really hard, appreciate it.
huh?I am actually a little more free than usual :).
keep your desk cluttered, it shows people you are busy?

checked your msgs?

What do you typically do as soon as you reach your office desk in the morning? One of my friends opened my eyes to this:check this one out

ray of hope

find a reason to smile today: mine is gas prices are going down. God! is this country turning me into a capitalist?

strange world

if women are really that bad drivers, why are auto insurance rates for women lower than for men?

last couple of weeks

to live a student life, managing to submit assignments next morning after starting work just the previous night, like now :), sleeping thru' classes, blogging inbetween writing proposals due :)

48 hours

and still going strong. Closed my eyes for 7 hours in the past.. :). Will plough through this week and get back. Next week looks worse. But hey! I graduate in another 3 weeks! Finally getting my school bag off my shoulders and looking at myself in the mirror, I seem very different from what I remember seeing 17 years ago.

now you know why

Here is my reason of interest in the Pope, Christianity et al:
Controveries

Pope Benedict XVI

A new Pope has been elected by the cardinals. After two disappointing black smoke, the people of Vatican rejoice their new leader. Pope Benedict XVI is a german and somehow at this point all I can think about is about WWII, the Jews and the Germans..and here is a german, to lead the entire community of Christians, a religious head to the millions of followers all around the world, a hope to many and a strength to the others. I read he is a strict defender of Catholic orthodoxy. Now would he appeal for unity among the entire mankind while being strictly orthodox. He has called modern trends Godless, how would he keep faith among his followers when they are bathed in mordern trends and technologies? It is sure going to be quite a task.

Another wish

Happy SriRama Navami

In the Hindu Sampradhaya, Astami and Navami are actually considered inauspicious days. So, it seems these two days went to Maha Vishnu and cried out their woes-"Everyone in this universe considers us inauspicious. No one wants to start any new venture or make a new investment on our days. We feel neglected and dejected. After all, we also signify some days in the calendar. Please help us, O Protector of the Universe". Maha Vishnu smiled and granted a boon to each of these two days. And guess what?The Supreme Lord was born in two of his most prominent avatars on these two days: Janmaashtami and Ramanavami. Indeed, he listens to our prayers.

ps:Astami and Navami actually mean the 8th and the 9th day since the Lord goes to war with the evil forces. I am not sure why they were considered inauspicious the first place. But my mom always tells me to remember not to do anything new on these two days.hmm..intriguing

learning experience

Neiman Marcus was an eye opener. A true learning experience..We met the top guys in the company, the VP of Operations, IT, Systems..All of them, very learned, very experienced. The one thing in life is very clear, one never stops learning. It just hit me that even for them to be talking those jargons, those fundaes..they need to learn, to read and comprehend. True to the saying: Genius is the capacity to say complicated things in simple words. It is a never ending run, like on a treadmill. Run to stay in place.

its 5.30 in the morning

and I am running around to go on a field trip, 5.30 on a friday morning!
I know it is not as bad as Ross's position, but hey, still it is 5.30 in the morning on a freaking friday!!!

as we sit idle

my roomie & another friend of mine are talking about their life, love, relationships.. I suddenly realize that there are flavors, even in love. There are strawberries, vanilla, french vanilla, lemon..well, I would write more but...
ps:my other roomie is seriously working on her project on Oracle.

Wishing you..

Iniya Tamizh Puthandu Nalvazthukkal!

awaiting eyes

The waiter showed her the table. She sat down and ordered his favorite cup of tea and looked out of the big french windows, awaiting him. The shy and coy girl that she was, she surprised herself when she started thinking about him..so much. He wasn't exactly her knight in shining armor, her prince charming. But she was falling in love with him, she could feel herself blush whenever she remembered the way it all started..
Three months ago, when she joined this company, she felt like a little fish in a large pool of sharks. She was shy, but not dumb. She met him during the official lunch. He was heading the team in the other project, pretty big, pretty successful. His confidence instantly won her. She noticed how he looked at her and through time how he touched her in his own small gestures, sending her signs. The magical mixture of confidence and timidity in a man so powerful was irresistable. And finally, they spoke both through words and through silence. It was too good to be true, although he wasn't exactly like what she had wanted, it seemed almost like a fairy tale.
Like it was to happen, the dream came to an end, she was woken up, pretty roughly, a little rudely. He was there, with another girl, laughing, playing. As she walked up to him, he gave a wide grin. But the smile faded away from his copine's face. She gave a friendly smile and pretended to be just leaving.
She clung to her dream, she couldn't live in her reality. He had promised he would come, to see her at the coffee house where it had all started, at the seat where they had talked endlessly about everything from politics to philosophy. She just sat there, awaiting him..looking at every person passing through the door, searching every face on the streets. He would come, he would walk through the door and smile as he sat down. He would order his favorite cup of tea and get right ahead with a controversial discussion, tease her or just tell her his days events. She would wait, no matter how long it took her. Her eyes, they aren't tired of waiting..not yet..

and then there are smiles..

Knowing that no matter how the wind blows, there are still some flowers whose scents just don't dissolve away in the wind.
I can't help but smile, inspite of being called nagging :)

of my box of samosas

Herez what my friend has to say about my dream proposal with a box of samosas:

"but i guess if i had a box of them.. i would just eat it too much trouble to invite somebody else to share it with u :p and then u complicate life"

Hahahaha, Hmm, how come I never thought about that? what can I say? Guys of these days are pretty smart. Again, my friend, remember, gluttony is one of the seven deadly sins.

untitled

actually here to do some work. I realize after about two months that I haven't been efficient (or rather as efficient as I could have been) since sometime now. Sitting at home and hoping to work some how doesn't happen to me. Isn't work like a never ending task. Just as I finish one on my 'to-do' list, I seem to keep adding couple more! Work smarter, not harder..now how can that be done?
like I said, need to get back. I am in my 'efficiency' mood.
happy working to the ppl in time zones sane enough to work!

respect for time

Just how many times have you been frustrated with people not keeping up their time? I noticed a problem of another kind, I find people not respecting my time. Or simply "I was busy, Sorry". Well, hello, I am too. Doesn't it become a lot more simpler if all of us realized that everyone around us is probably as busy as us and give them their time and respect for it?

whatz with google news?

Noticing too much of news from Xinhuanet(english). Commie it is!

oh, wow, what a weekend

It was a crazy one. Just before hitting my bed and waking up to a new work week, I reflect on this weekend. What can I say?Well,I cleared two very big questions in my life, ran through a bunch of other questions. Suddenly, I get this feeling that I am growing up :). Probably my brain is growing from that of a 20 year old to actually what I am now (yeah, like any woman, I can't tell you how old I am!). How long would this relevation last?Good question :)

king of torts

this is exciting, just a couple of weeks after I finished the book entitled the above, I find this on news.google.com. Is there a King of Torts or a bunch of tort lawyers making bundles of green on this deal?

and some days...

I have been trying to get my driver's licence since about a week now. I started out on a venture on Wednesday morning. We booked a car with a car rental agency and waited for them to come and pick us up early wednesday morning. As luck would have it, they "couldn't see" our reservation. After a good wait of about 1 hour, we got a ride to the rental agency and to our horror, she showed us a Grand AM(!) to drive. Consolation=you have to pay only for a compact...errr.little did she know how good I am at driving a car as small as a citroen itself! We vigorously shook our heads against taking that and offered to wait for sometime.
The wait delayed on another 20 mins after which she found us a Chevy Malibu, but somewhere else and offered to drive us to that spot to pick it up. Meanwhile, one of my smart friends called up the driving licence office and found out that there were no slots for test. Dejected, we came back home. A bright idea struck me and with the help of my friend, I managed to reach another licence office in `h the afternoon. After a good wait of 1.5 hours, milady licence testing officer showed up after lunch. To cut short the description of my test..I failed. Actually, that is the longest description that I can give about my exam. I am probably the fatest person to fail in the history of driving licence test takers! But hey, blame that lady. She doesn't even smile, For Heaven's sake! and she talks to me as though I am a convict who needs to be straightened! How else can a frightened soul perform then?
It took me 24 hours to pick up threads of life again and venture out on another tryst to get my licence. Well, this time the story is longer. We drove out further away, hoping to get as far as we took from grumpy, stern, unfriendly licence test officers. We landed in a quaint little town of Navasota. I was thrilled as the office seemed empty, it was a bright friday morning, early 8.00 a.m, coffee smelt fresh and everything was crisp and clear. My spirits arose at the thought of being able to go back home as a licensed driver. My cheerful spirit began to rub off on the workers in that officers. I had a very interesting conversation about the remedies for weak hair, natural conditioners and shampoos, mom's recipe for a healthy hair with a jolly, plump lady sitting at one of the counters. She was filled with awe at the extent to which women take hair care seriously in India. I couldn't stop myself and went on with the description of shoeflowers, hibiscus(well, they are the same, aren't they?), gooseberries, lime, tamarind, took trouble to explain shikakai and the whole kit of hair care to this lady. Time slowly ticked and reached 9.30. I was getting impatient as the office was supposed to open at 9.00, but continued to talk to this curious woman in that quiet town. 9.45, slowly the door opens, another beaming lady in bright colors. She is all smiles, well, she would be. Infact, she should have been laughing at a fool like me. The computers were down! No test that day at that Center! You think I should have called and then gone? No, the trick is that that office is open ONLY on Fridays and we have to come in for appointments. Now you think I don't live in the US itself!!! Hell, no! I live in Texas!
But guess what? My hair care lady wouldn't see me this disappointed in life. She quickly gives me directions to reach Bryan DPS, painfully detailing every little road en route. If only I could have said "I AM FROM THERE, LADY!!!!". Ok, breathe , breathe..calmed myself down and quickly rushed to the DPS at Bryan.
Now, you must know the reputation of this (in)famous DPS. NO ONE, I repeat , No One gets a licence at the first try. You simply CANNOT drive right the first time with this office. YOU are a "dangerous" driver and that is why your licence is refused..as many as 6 times(I am not kidding, please ask the resident of #53). If not for his driving skill, this guy deserves a licence atleast for his persistence. Okay, safe driving is important. Thatz why I agreed to go and give it a shot at Bryan. Waiting, waiting and suddenly I see my grumpy lady from the `h driving office!Oh, quick, hide me..dint work. She had issues with us driving in the same rental car. I gave up, I was in no mood of arguing with her. Well, I need to be benevolent. So, waited for my friend to take the test on that car..he could and don't even get me started on this one.
Wait, wait..he was calling. Oh?huh?are you serious?wait..coming. And guess what? Our battery was down..I was in splits by now. The state trooper pitied us and jump started our car. I am sure the car was chuckling its belly away..she behaved pretty well on the quick drive. Left her running and while I checked for another slot for myself with the agent. Oh, yeah right, I forgot to tell you, she just told me that even my friend can't take the test in this car, as it misbehaved in the first place. Hmm..well, let me alteast get to my presentation. I was totally amazed at how calm I was during the entire ordeal. I actually started humming some of my favorite tunes.
After my presentation, I thot I would give one more shot at this thing. #l offered me a ride, but she had another appointment first. Okay, wait wait..more wait and oh no, slight delay. We still wanted to make it..drove drove, oh no, wrong turn, but okay, still persistent. Reached the office 5 mins late..greeted with "sorry, you have missed your appointment. I have no other open slot for today." By now, I had forgotten that I could have gotten upset at such situations. I took it in as normal as you kow, this writing and said, "can I call on monday and come back?". "No, come to our office, check, you may have a slot".
And what do you think?I would go on monday?

first rays of dusk

After more than three months, I am seeing the rays of dusk. I am usually in a class and never get to see the sun set. I have always enjoyed dawn and dusk. The first few rays of sunlight as they softly touch every blade of grass. And come dusk, the entire sky is painted orange, red, yellow, all colors splashed across the sky. I would miss all this so much once I get to work. Well, yeah, that is my career, my profession, looking forward to doing some exciting work, learning, (et oui, le $ aussi), mais, how much do I have to give up for that?
hmm..wonder how one would learn to draw the line..or as joey says,would I go so far away that the line would be a dot? :)

times ahead..

The Vatican now seems much more powerful that it ever did to me before. The entire process of electing a new Pope seems to be the culmination of various agendas, two of the most powerful ones being Religion and Politics. Being a religious head for over a billion faithful followers, influencing world leaders and their decisions, bringing down certain types of governments, holding a stand even if it meant danger..all under the umbrella of faith and religion. It is difficult to imagine how the religious leader shoulders such conflicting responsibilities which requires measures which sometimes might be condemned and critized by their his own followers.
Although human beings perish, their acts are scarred throughout the face of this earth and one cannot run and hide from these. Pope John Paul II has mentioned about how the acts of Christians in the past against Jewish need repentance in the present. It scares me how we are going to look like 1000 years from now. Inspite of the mistakes of WWI and WWII, we still had the Gulf War and made another mistake of even bigger magnitude two years ago. Would we continue to make such mistakes?
It seems as though there is a destructive interference at the point where religion and politics meet. The roads to be walked down seem more challenging and difficult

capitalism and monopoly

I had an arguement with one of my friends some time ago about capitalism and monopolistic markets. My theory (though I am not sure if there are papers that would prove this theory) is that capitalism encourages monopoly. The look I recieved from him was that of a completely shaken learned soul giving me the feeling that I made the gravest of mistakes that I possibly can for this life.
Just my train of thoughts:
Capitalism -> minimum interference from the government. Markets are mostly laissez-faire and information is freely available(well, ideally). There are equal opportunities available to every player in the market. In the real world, if one closely look at the governments in such countries, they find them interefering little with the markets. Thereby, players begin to grow or consolidate into big players. Governments do not hold a big stake in even the big industries and the players eventually evolve into a market leader and a follower. Now, if the market leader is much bigger than its follower, we have a monopoly. Since Europe is socialistic (and communistic, in a few places) cannot see to stand this result of capitalistic society, Microsoft is having trouble in EU and paying nearly 500 million euros.
In effect, wouldn't a capitalistic society encourage monopoly?

emails

Ever written a mail to yourself?Telling your heart what your mind speaks, resolving the conflict between the two, laughing over a joke about yourself told by yourself,simply enjoying being you?

samosas or roses

Still giggling at my own comment that I would rather accept the proposal of a guy with a box of samosas than a bunch of roses!

Sadness

on the loss of one of the world's greatest men, a pontiff, a true hope to world peace. The Pope was a hope to this world, a bearer of the torch to humanity and his demise is indeed a great loss to mankind.

lost!

a great blog, thanks to the error in engineering(??).
grace de www.blogger.com, merci!

break:brakes to a fast life

I keep waiting, for a break. Something new, different and exciting to happen. When I see people around me, a few of them have these amazing experiences to talk about. Like this friend of mine, who recently met a theif, well, atleast was trying to, till the end of his blog. His brush with contradictions in life, that shook his assumption about his life in general. I don't seem to have any such experiences. Of course, not that I want to be running behind some theif at midnight. I have enough of other things that I am currently running behind, time, being one of the chief ones.
But, yeah, never met this person who has completely jolted me from head to toe at the first meeting, never done anything out of the world crazy(besides bungee jumping), never taken a wild risk, never spent like there is no tomorrow, never stopped and introspected. But secretly, I keep preparing myself for such situations. What would I say if I meet this person who completely stuns me at the first meeting? How would I convince myself and others to take that wild risk?How much would I spend if I knew there is no tomorrow?
You are right,buddy. We are taking too many things in life for granted. Stop, listen and dance.

did I tell you?

about my trip to New York City?
Wow! Hailing from college station, Texas, NYC was universe different from my little land. I had a good day completely to myself. My cousin drove me up to the city and then went to win his daily bread :). I couldn't contain myself when I saw my favorite "Au Bon Pain" in the city. Sat through a good breakfast and sipped some delicious cappucino planning my rest of the day.
Then my time began. Now, whenever I was touring, I had the traits of a typical tourist. Had a camera around my neck, map in my hand, excitment in my eyes. I take the tours on those double decker buses, pick up all the guides, enter souvenir shops. Well, I was a damned tourist!
But heck no!Not in NYC. NYC was a city of business people, of capitalists, opportunities. Life in the city runs so fast that you can hear the buzz in your ears as you trudge through it. NYC gives you just a glimpse of faces, of people. I was running, jumping subways as if I had a destination and I had an urgent and important travail at the end of my journey. I carried my book (thanks to its hard bound, it was a grisham, for heaven's sake!). I walked through the streets, looked at my watch now and then to check on time from running away too fast. With all this tensed look and impatience, I somehow landed in WTC. And oh my god! It just stopped everything around me for couple of seconds. People were visiting the spot to see the WTC or now, the lack of it. There was some construction work going on. I found it difficult to imagine how it would have looked and felt like with those two tall structures admist all this humming and droning, murmurs that weren't caught, and yet the life that moved on.
There was this unsaid code in the city. Black coats, shawls, mufflers, some head cover, grim looks, worried looks, serious looks, black briefcase in one hand, something to read in the other, some jingling change in one pocket, silence in the subway. And then there were tourists, crowding near the maps, clicking every tall building, fumbling at the subway ticket reader, wondering which direction to go, always looking for something exciting, and spending hours in the souvenir shops. My God! do those shops mint money!?
Well, at the end of the day, I had to meet my brother near his office. To say that I got one of the best views of the city would be an understatement. It was beautiful, calming, and so quiet and peaceful. Here I was, standing on one edge of a city, filled with contradictions and controversies, enjoying every minute of existence.

Sulekha's India Smiles

The list of 60 short listed articles are rolling in 2 per day in Sulekha. I just started briefly looking at them. Suprisingly many of the authors have chosen the theme of a railway station, train, the journey. Well, having spent 20$% of my college life travelling in trains, it was amusing for me to try and connect to these articles. Sure, trains do offer a more colorful way of travel, better than even flying. Where else can one hear "chai chai" early in the morning at 4.00, get 10 bucks chocolate icecreams at 3.00 pm in the afternoon in under 3 secs (remember Nagpur station?), have a totally tasteless "pongal" (for the innocent, an Indian recipe made of rice and grams seasoned with black pepper)and even after completing it, assume it was upma(well, its another Indian snack). Where else can you get endless supply of munchies, sleep,eat,read,chat,play,stare all sitting at one spot. I wonder how many romances have bloomed over train journeys (I know a bunch that did during my college times). I can remember the endless anthakshiri, "literacy", books devored, blast of fresh air while standing near the door, the apple juice at delhi station that kept me alive. A train journey can sure paint thousand pictures of different moods, colors, people, language, cuisine (?). One of the things that make living in India a more interesting experience..

travel bug

spring break, was travelling. Visited my cousin in New Jersey, took a short trip to toronto :). Would be back at school tomorrow.
Never knew I would enjoy winter so much. Oh, canada! was beautiful, snowy whitey and cold. Do not miss the Niagara falls in winter. It is roaring white :).
more soon

The Call

Grr..some people!
Sitting at work, I am working against a deadline. My phone rang, and I noticed a 011 number. Thinking it might be mostly from home and something important, I answered my phone.
-Ms.Amrutha Ragavan?
--Yes
-I am calling from you XXX credit card company and I would like to talk to you about yuada..ayda..yaday..da.a.da.a.da (for approx 3 mins 12 sec)
--Err, what?
-Ms.Ragavan, do you want me to repeat it?
--(horrified) no no, is there a specific reason you are calling me?
-Well, Ms.Ragavan, we want you to be aware of our policies and that you can transfer..dada..dada..daad.(for another 3 mins)
--Well, great, but I am at work right now and I cannot take this call any longer
-It won't take another 10 secs and can I read to you(in more faster tone)dadaadada...dadadada..(another 5 mins)
--(after trying to interrupt him several times, but in vain, at the end)Well, I think I just told you, I am at WORK and I need to get BACK
-ok Ms. Ragavan, we would like to confirm your first name, last name..dadaad
--(already shades of orange turning to red)Yes please (well, I thot they do this at the BEGINING of the conversation!)
Confirmed my details and finally said
-Thank you Ms.Ragavan, I am going to mail you all the materials that we just talked (???dude, did I say anything beyond hmm,yes,ok?) about!!!!
--(grrr...grrowwwl)Yes, thank you
- You can call us at...
I couldn't take it anymore,
--THANKS, will find that from website, BYE

I don't understand if these guys are really trying to help me. The call costed me an unnecessary word from my boss :(

I-week Culturals

Friday saw a wonderful display of Talents from across the world! The programmes commenced with their dance. It was mindblowing. They had these little fans in hand that they flapped open and close so much in sunc and co-ordination. All of them had the grace of their martial arts counterparts, so lithe and graceful! I don't clearly remember the other programmes in the right order. A quick recollection of the rest:
Indonesia had a wonderful dress parade. The women had exquisite ornaments that they wore on their heads! I liked their talent show too, where they performed a small piece from the Ramayana. It was the part where the monkeys find Sita (the heroine of the story) and surround her to protect her. Now the beauty of the entire piece is that the only music was the cacophonous chatter that people chant on stage. There was rhythm that made hair rise and adrenaline rush. Turkey had live music! I don't remember if it was El Salvador or Peru that stunned everyone with their dress parade. I don't think we had any of the west european countries. Oh yes, African dress parade was fantastic too. One can easily see how dresses also are only slight modifications of one another across cultures. I was surprised to see that Africans have heavy head gear for women that resemble bonnets of the English. The african talent show was energy filled and pumped with enthusiasm. So many cultures, so many talents, so many people, such beauty in difference..it is just amazing.
Promise to post the pics asa I get them, you can too feast your eyes and experience a slice of what I did!
oh yes, Indian association:For the talent show, the theme was bride and her friends teasing her before her wedding..the colors, gaiety, festivity and all. For the dress parade, we showed the five elements of nature through colors and sarees. Sans doubt, won both the dress parade and the talent show!
till later!
ps: Happy Women's Day to all the lovely women out there!

Kid in a Candy Store

well, ok, woman in a chocolate shop :D. I got the speakers at my desk finally working! Listening to this minute: RaviKiran's Chitra veena recital..ahh, such a relief to have them finally working! Would save me from the monotony of work here at SAPO. Would be listening next minute to cheriefm.fr.
Vive La Musique!
ps:sudden interest in spanish music since last evening. Did you guys know that with a US visa one can visit Puerto Rico? Shoot, wish I had come to know of this before my spring break plans had finalized!

I-week

Sorry, couldn't pen as much as I wanted to. I had an exam yday (after giving which I realize I could have penned anyway) and been a little bz with this I-week prep.

Its International Week here in A&M. There are booths set up by different associations of students from different countries. We had the I-buffet on thursday. I-buffet is where different countries delight your taste buds with exotic cuisine from their region. India had Gobi Pakora, Dhokla and Gulab Jamoons. The experience was wonderful. Being a vegetarian, I was a little apprehensive about what I would get to eat, but I was surely in for a surprise. I tasted Turkish, Egyptian, Colombian, African, Isralien, Iranian, German cuisine..and all I can say is ..wow!

It is very strange, but a lot of cuisines are very similar. I found turkey and egyptian had same kind of dishes.We know of course, Indian, Bagladeshi, Srilankan, Pakistani are close. I was in for a surprise when a broken wheat dish in Turkish was called Pilav (and yes, tasted like pulav). A couple of years ago, I had made Kheer for my French friends. I was surprised to learn that there is a similar Egyptian dish, a french one and here at A&M one of my friends from Panama said that she tasted something similar in Spain! Man, payasam has sure travelled a long way. (And yes, Kir is a cocktail in france). Such similarities in cuisine give this strange feeling of oneness. It suddenly dawns on me that no matter where you come from, what your culture is, we all, after all belong to this one community-humans. And with all the people from over 70 countries, big and small, with all the different colors, races, languages ..all in one room conveying to each other one simple gesture: smile. It united all of us in that room. As people indulge in wars, bloodshed, not just against other countries but against their own people too sometimes, as people get into this regionalistic row (ref. my prev blog), we need to realize. All we have this is one little earth to live in (and trust me, every time I think of this, it scares me). This is our only place to live in (oh please, there just cannot be any life anywhere else), and it is in our hands to keep it safe. No ET will be as good as us. Lets not consciously do anything to harm this only place to live or better, lets consciously do something to make our lives better here at home sweet home.

At the end of all the eating, tasting and laughing, I was quietly bit by the travel bug again. I am now craving to visit South America. The colors, the people, their cuisine has completely captivated me now. I am trying to learn about their culture. It is interesting and the exciting part is when I find some similarities between our cultures.

Of language and region

This happened just the past sunday. I innocently went for a team meeting to one of my groupmates place. I have nothing against hindi speaking people. I know one cannot generalize and that generalizations might not hold for everyone. Well, let me narrow this general statement to this, the hindi speaking community here where I live have a strong attitude. It comes to be as a big surprise that these people find it shocking when someone doesn't understand or speak hindi. Coming off as strongly as "I do not consider South Indians as Indians at all" is a big jolt. I do not know whom to blame (or if there is someone to be blamed at all).
Herez both sides of the coin: People I know who do not speak hindi feel:
1. they are fine without knowing hindi
2. even when they try to learn and speak the language, their accent is ridiculed at, which pretty much takes the pleasure out of trying to learn a new language
3. There is not any enthusiasm from the other party to learn their language and they refuse to converse in any other language besides hindi inspite of the fact that it is not understood by all.
The people on the other side of the Tropic of Cancer feel:
1. hindi is the national language and is a MUST for every Indian
2. Since they speak hindi, there is no need for them to learn any other language
3. Only if they continue to speak in hindi even in the prescence of non hindi speaking folks would the nhsfolks make an effort to learn hindi.
I am surprised at the attitude of both the groups. Agreed, I can never take it when some dilty-dolt calls all South Indians as Non Indians (what a nerve!). I do not see the reason why everyone should learn Hindi by compulsion. Given that it is the language spoken by a good number of people in India, but is this the only reason to learn this language? Efforts to spead the word is having a negative effect (trust me, I have seen it in my college in India too!). At the same time, hindi could be learnt for the same reason stated above. In any case, a new language is a new tool for thinking. I wonder how Europe lives in harmony. Atleast in India, we still use English extensively..may be we need a little more lesson on Unity in Diversity.
Mera Desh Mahan
BabelFish
ps: I am learning a new language, I can tell these things help:
1.don't laugh at the accent of the learner. You might sound funnier when you speak their language
2.correct the mistakes, never ridicule it.
3.encourage them to speak in the new language (careful, dont force it!)

and moving onto the weather report

it is raining cats and dogs here in college station, err..wait, sorry, it is a beautiful day with bright sunshine and cool winds. Time to take your sunglasses out and enjoy the beautiful day. Oh kindly wait, from the reports that just came in, it is a windy day in our college station. Wind chill is causing temperatures to dip down to 52 F(okay, smile, but we are in texas!). The winds seem to be slowing but the skies are still cloudy and whoa! we are having a downpour all in a sudden..
seriously, this is exactly how it was the weekend that just passed by!

little miss muffet

Well, atleast she had a spider to come and disturb her while eating her curd. Nothing is here right now for me, no entertainment whatsoever. It is one of those times where one just sits in front of the screen or paper(during good ol' paper and pen times) and waits for the answer to take shape in front of their eyes. As if the answer to the problem is going to pop out and straight get channeled into their brains. It is one of those times where eyes just stare into eternity and brain is lying completely still, with not one thought to process.
bah! that was too much fundae for a simple word: bored

crystal ball

I received this link as a comment to my note on Google
A very interesting blog, gives a quick review of the start of Internet (yes! surprise!surprise, the WorldWideWeb was a European venture and not an American, like the row blvs).
Well,the point is, I happily read on till 2005. Then from somewhere within me, I felt a force that stopped me from reading on. I finally realized I am anti-crystal ball :). Huh??..yes!Well, it is not that I don't want to know what my future, just that I feel it would take out the thrill of existence. I would speculate, as an economist(not completely though), I would make my proves, predict market behavior, yada yada. But I would never want to know EXACTLY what would happen. The element of surprise/shock is lost, there is no incentive to live. Forgive me, I did not mean to sound as if the only incentive to live is to know what would happen tomorrow, but yes, the element of mystery is what makes life so interesting/boring. I wonder what would happen if we all knew EXACTLY what was going to happen. There would be no hope, then I guess no perseverance, either complete morality/immorality, no dilemmas, no counselors. Would there be the course optimization(because would we have alternatives?)
I am still intrigued by those who can predict future, sometimes look up on Y! astrology (well, true, they mostly talk abt topics that have binary results like money: u either make or loose, romance: u either have it or not). Even in this case, there is a percentage of failure, as whatever they have mentioned is a possibility and not a fact. But if future was EXACTLY known, dah, I wouldn't be writing this blog.
Often times when I wish I knew what would happen, may be I should remind myself how boring life would get if I already knew and saw my future.

Free Mojtaba and Arash Day

to know what and why:visit here
Je suis libre

misty days

Got an email this morning:
'Hey! it is snowing here, all white, felt like letting you know'.
A snowy day..all white and cold. Fluttering snowflakes, chilly winds, chocolat chaud.
I wasn't all that unlucky, nature had a pretty picture awaiting me as I got out of class:
It was a misty day..beautiful, soft and silky mist. The mist covered the green football fields, hid the clock tower, brought in dew drops, washed the sky, cheered some people, made some think, made me write :).
It was silky, white curtain. Behind this curtain was probably a shy girl, a playful boy, a peaceful old woman, a hurrying officer, a world in its own. Or probably it was a stage, filled with artists, waiting for the curtain to rise and enthrall the world with their performance.Or it was a boundary of a quite town, oblivious to the world. Or better it was a door on the pathway to neverland..

another cribbing s/w prof.

MS Access just messed my life big time! Deleted a record which has corrupted a table. I was warned against touching that table.
God Save me!
~A

name game

My friend (pointing to me)-"this is my friend"
Personne to be introduced - " Hi, I'm Catherine"
Me - "Amrutha,nice to meet you"
Catherine - "Nice to meet you, Rutha"
ME- "???"
ah ok, since 1.5 years now, Amrutha -> I'mRutha,
can't blv I lived with this name for 24 years and did not realize this.
:)

note on v day

And herez an interesting bit I found on the whole Vday Festivities: ancient pagan worshippers found this time of the year the beginning of spring and fertility. Donc, they celebrated it by cleaning their homes and doing things very similar to the ones we do for Pongal( a South Indian harvest festival).Pagan worshippers held women at very high esteem as she was revered to have the power to create a new life. During this period, some rituals were performed that was believed to make women more fertile. At the end of all the festivities, single women's names were all put together in an urn, picked by bachelors and marriages were conducted. Well, that does not exactly happen with Pongal, but I know a lot of weddings are conducted in the month of "Thayee". So, there is continued rendition that makes me believe Hinduism and Paganism are related.
hmm..interesting

grr..brr..texas

Now this is what I call unpredictable climate. Monday, it was hot..I tanned just playing tennis for about 45 mins!
today it is, well..brrr..whoever called it wind chill factor? I think it is wind kill factor, and in the howling winds, fell on ears as wind chill factor.

brush with past

Someone visited Pilani and has sent pictures. I can almost smell pilani in the air around me. I am flooded with pictures,faces,images from my past. It is such a rush... I can close my eyes and hear voices around me, calling me from times long gone by. So vivid, clear and calming. It feels like a home coming. An experience that has changed my life forever. A picture is not worth just a thousand words, a picture is an experience.

V Day

Another scrap on Valentine, another posting on a blog?Oh....Well, yes! Love is anyway one of the world's most harassed topics.
Being the faintest romantique, to me, there is hardly any mystery surrounding St.Valentine. Well, there he was a simple guy who decided that men were better off not being single. So when men had to go to war, he protested and encouraged them to show their love for their respective women. It seems it was quite sometime ago..guess about 1700 years ago.
Herez what I find funny with V-days:
1.Monday morning, oh Feb. 14th, I should tell him I love him? Haha haha..I do not need one special day to tell someone that I love them.
2.The zillions of bucks on roses, chocolates and pink colored things is just way too much. Ok, Feb 15th, where do I keep them?
3.United Colors of Valentine: We get color coded too! Oh, wear some color to let everyone know that you are available. You are committed, tell the whole world with this color. You are in a relationship but want to get out of it, wear some other color.. Err..excuse me?
Criticize me, may be I am getting old and find these things silly ( in fact, embarassing!), but I definitely don't see any sense in them.
Talking about theory of Silliness, I find can it to be of three types:
a. I can be silly because I am stupid
b. I can be silly on purpose and giggle about it (accepted, it is a l'll girlie)
c. I can be silly and don't know I am silly.
Now, Val day, it is the 3rd category.
But sure, it is party time for all those florists, chocolate makes, teddy bear makers, toys shops, masseuse..the heights was pendants of my school logo! Seriously what? Bad enough forgetting Val Day, and as if that wasn't all of it, imagine gifting/receiving a pendant with the school logo on it! God Bless the Capitalists! But hey look, I can see a way out, here's my penny for a thought:
1. Surprise her! We like surprises, a val day is anyway expected.
2. Make her feel wanted, don't get clingy and needy, but just make her feel important and a big part of your life
Bonne Chance a tous,a+

Google Inc.

Google seems to face stiff competition from Yahoo!, AOL and MSN. Especially with all the news about the new search engine from MSN and about Longhorn (the new OS from Microsoft) being tightly integrated with search capabilities, Google needs to be thinking of a good market positioning strategy. Turning into a full fledged marketing portal like MSN or Yahoo! would not be a good idea as it would greatly dilute the brand image that Google has built over 6 years of its existence.
I wonder if Google has thought about powering the travel sites and maps. I am still not sure about the technological implications, but so far, Google has done a very good job in relevance, speed and comprehensiveness. It shouldn't be a problem to extend it. Sometimes, I wonder if the company is getting too big to be nimble. It might be possible to work as induvidual business units, but there might be interdependencies. I like the creativity at Google, their different dimensions of search implementation. Would it be possible for Google to strike a deal with Yahoo! and power its search? Management gurus might drop me like a hot potato for this suggestion, but it sure looks like a good idea. Again, depends on how much Yahoo! makes from its search. Provide feedback on relevance and incorporate that in ranking a page. Again, ranking from experts, suggestions from them on a particular topic, especially in Google Answers might help.
Wonder what their next move might be?

blaming work

quite easy to do, ain't it?Why didn't you do this?-I was busy. Why didn't you come on time?-I was busy. Why didn't I blog today?-I was busy. Somehow, I keep reminding myself of my dad's words: " There is time for every single thing that you want to do in your life. You shouldn't be trying to find time to do things, you should Make time to do them". Wonder how it would be if we could actually transfer time from one day to another :). Probably possible in the parallel universe where another me is sitting and lazing below a huge oak tree, reading all the books that I want to read in this life! Well, got a long nite ahead, a case, test on tuesday and general readings :). So, stay tuned, more tomorrow morning(well, tomorrow morning here in CLL)..a+

random acts of kindness

okay, so there we were, having rented a car, learning to drive and we needed a patient teacher! My neighbors, Jimit, Sid and Uday had another roomie we did not know about all this while. S'apelled Troy (ok,that was franglais), this quiet american was bang different from most of the others who I had met or known. I usually thought that with Americans, one needed to fix appointments for everything(dint Ash also mention this in the Late Night show?). It was common among us to just get together one evening at someone's home, unannounced, sit and chatter and suddenly decide to take off for a movie or coffee. Somehow, I never imagined this to happen among the Americans. Most of the them seem to decide what to do, when. I have heard a zillion times, "ok, I will call you at this hour and then we can go and have some coffee maybe". Anyway, so the point is, I thought Americans never did random acts.
Troy, begged to differ. Friday evening, he was lazing and there we were, a bunch of enthued kids(ok, growing adults) with a car. Et, voila, he offered to teach us to drive. Now, the thing is all of us had a little of driving experience before and it needed immense amount of patience to sit with us. And he did! With each one of the 4 of us, sat through, explaining in a calm voice, even when we were driving rashly, turning at a speed of 60 mph, getting honked at on the highway. It would have been a good three hours he spent with us. We finally finished up with our work, then he took off. Although, he has never said anything to any of us as yet, I am sure and aware that we upset his schedule for yesterday.
Such random acts of kindness, doesn't it make the world so much more better place to live in.

quick smile

finally found one reason to be glad that I am hitting 25 in abt a year - car insurance and rental rates!

post script

just a note to my previous blog, it really has nothing to do with my life. just musings of a working brain. :)

je me souviens

We were a wonderful couple. Many of our friends were jealous of us. My man was perfect for me. It is strange, now, when I think of how it all started, I see myself now wishing that I was different or he was, or that we just hadn't decided to get together. I do not actually remember how we first met.

I am a free lance journalist and my job takes me everywhere in the world. It was on one such business trips that I met him, I think. Our flight was delayed and both were sitting next to each other and working for quite a long time without talking a word to each other. It is funny, but to us, our work was our life. I remember that is why I really started liking him. With him, I felt freedom, unstrung from the usual ropes of relationship..Never heard "you did not call me", "you did not mail me", "we aren't spending enough time together" in our relationship. Strange that I thought this was freedom..but now...

Caught in the web of work and rest, we missed to touch each other. Locked in the world of travails and tasks, we forgot those "wish you were here" calls, the little notes on the kitchen closets. As we unraveled the mazes of complexity at work life, our cozy home was becoming a house. We were falling apart without realizing it. I kept traveling and he, working. Now that it is all over, I feel empty. I miss him, but I can’t tell why. I miss him, but I can’t tell how. I was searching for reasons to hold on to him, for answers to all the questions that were never raised, for solutions to all our problems that did not exist between us.

I began to realize that we did not fight like normal couples did, we did not argue like them. I wasn’t envious of his pretty secretary; he wasn’t asking me questions about my life. We seem to just move on as two friends living together, oblivious to the existence of the other; like two roommates who completely compromised with each other. I wished so hard that were weren’t alike. I dreamt that we would suddenly find each other different, and start all over again. Differences that we can enjoy and learn from, diversity that would add spice to our lives, disparity that would color our lives. I wondered if he was going through the same thing as I, if he also did not know if we were right or wrong in making this bold move.

We parted ways not because we found a reason to; rather because we could not find a reason to walk together.

I think it is the people

It is Career Fair Spring 2005, here in Mays Business School. Scores of companies have put booths, company representatives walk in looking crisp early in the morning( as early as 7.00 am). Anxious students give their smartest look and put their best foot forward. I have enjoyed Career Fairs for 3 semesters now. My first two were not the best I could have had. So, I did something different last sem, hosted a company. It was a wonderful and different experience. Met the company representatives who seemed so warm and friendly. I was surprisingly silent at the breakfast (reminding myself of that one particular scene from F.R.I.E.N.D.S where we hear Ross' thoughts, just after he tried kissing his cousin :). I did not, definitely not that morning, get into any kind of situation like that, so just shut up). Met them a couple of times during the day, reminded them about the free massages (poor people, standing all day and talking to students!) yada yada..when I felt comfy, pulled out my resume. And the rest is fairy tale. This company was the most warm one I have ever known, it is probably their size I thought. Rigorous rounds of interviews, multiple formal dinners, great guidance and support from the people. Finally, made it! got the offer, but couldn't take it. This is where the twist is. I met this company reps today again, a semester later, at the career fair. This morning, I quickly stopped to say hi and they seemed busy. I knew they were probably not too happy. But just now, I stopped again, to meet them more leisurely, and wow!they were genuinely disappointed that I had turned down their offer. Karen, who was my guide and point of contact, meant it when she said she was disappointed. I could see it when I spoke to John. And these guys are pretty big in the IT dept! I felt a pinch of guilt, coz, the only difference the other offer made was better green bills. A little more of green bills. I am not sure if I would meet people like them, if I would be as happy as them to go to work, but I just hope it would be so. :). Karen says just when I said goodbye:"Anytime you are moving to Austin, just send me an email and we will see you again :)". John says: "Stay out of trouble, we will see you again, after may be two years!". Never did I expect this! With people like this, it is no wonder this company is ranked for the 6 consecutive time as one of the best employers to work for (Fortune 100). In all, I finally realized, it is not organization, its policies, its balance sheets, market cap...it is the people.

Preyanka Mani 

thanks pre dear

The pleasure of having a wonderful roomie, the warmth she gives when she smiles, her sweet demeanor, the wisps of vapor from the freshly made tea..thanks dear, going to study now. and I have miles of pages to go before I sleep. Thanks, Pre, you are an little angel

bossy people

Really puts me off when someone who is not a good leader, just cannot manage people from different cultures, is not professional tries to render a WRONG philosophy in life. Upset now, even after telling this girl a zillion times, guiding her , she doesn't just seem to get it! Grrr....some people!

whatz in a name?

Slaugher houses are also called "Plants"..what ironies in life

-source: my "interesting and delicious" slaughter house case due for class on tuesday.

R series in parallel?

Very strange thing happened yesterday. In our french class, each of us had to read an article in french and bring it to class. What I noted was that out of 20 of us, I can bet more than 11 had an article that was connected to religion in some way. Mostly, the topics revolved around iraq, iraqis, muslims, acts of extremism, pope's health! Really really surprising. I was so wronged in assuming that religion is not on top of the things for people. Of course, I did have questions for them once each one finished their summary. Any guesses on my article?..err..well, as usual, I never did my devoir :d
a+

soft song to myself

As I walked down my roads traversed gazillion times so far, I realized how beautiful a world we have built for ourselves. When you live in a university town like mine, sitting idle even is such an experience. Students, faces, the different colors, hands held, laughters, tension writ faces, wringing hands, interviews, campus shuttle, everyday BATTALION, colorful trees, the arrival of spring, classes, courses, scribbled notes, plans for weekends, home games, the huge gym facilities, movies, AggieNights, Chipotle, exchange students :).
It is a grand experience..one of my professors commented that he was in the profession as it keeps him young mixing and staying around youthful vigor. As it gets closer to my graduation, I wonder if I would ever miss these things, or would I have time to stop and think about them. It is a beautiful world, so far advanced and so full of emotions from the one that existed billions of years ago. Lost in thought, I boarded a bus, a friendly smile brought me back to the shuttle. It has been a long way..chennai, dusty rajasthan, college station. Wonder where the roads are going to take me next. Country roads, take me home..

R series

Religion:
During the usual exchange of emails with Vijay, I started thinking more about this concept that we all seem to have built around ourselves. My first claim (Prabhakar, thanks!): whether one is a believer or not, he is bound by religion. The very fact that he chooses to not believe in it, he proves that such a concept does exist and goes on to give the believer reasons justfying his belief(or rather disbelief). I was trying to gauge how much religion forms the basis of one's living. Do people act in a certain way because they belong to a certain religion or they belong to a religion and thereby act in a certain way. What I am trying to pick here is if religion is the cause or the effect of people's practices.

While there a group of us wondering why we are doing whatever we do in the name of rituals(and there are some who fail to find any compelling reason follow rituals at all), there are another group of ppl who don't even think about this "why" part. It doesn't seem too difficult to understand why as a brahman, one needs to wear the sacred thread. In my view, the sacred thread is a constant reminder to him that he belongs to this community and needs to follow a certain way of life. But as Vijay rightly pointed out,this is a constant reminder and do we need this constant reminder? well,Yes, like one tends to forget a language unless he continues speaking it, rituals can fail to pass through generations, unless it is practiced. A mon avis, Religion is a way of life, a faith/belief, habit. But key here is to remember that one cannot force a habit (ever tried giving up smoking or sticking to your New Year resolutions?). It is a personal choice. What has been rather depressing is that relief work for the tsunami affected areas have also been tainted with fanatic religious motives.

will continue later(rather late in the night/trop tot le matin)