Screwed

It was one of the most boring Saturdayz dat I ever had in Pune. More than boring, it was one of those days when everything around you goes wrong :(((( When I woke up around 8:30, I realized that two of my roomies had already gone to office. The rest of my roomies had planned to go to lonavla. Wasn't much interested in going to that boring place, I thought I would be better off staying back home. One good reason why you shouldn't take decisions when U r jus half awake [ or shud it be half asleep ] !! Anyways, after a long time, I heard the silence [ da poetic me;)] . I slowly crawled out of my blanket and ambled towards the wash basin [ yeah, therez something called as brushing .. huh ] .. Ha, a happy site.. There was one more person with me in the house. But was snoring himself to glory in the hall..! !! Anyways, not knowing what to do, I woke him up ;).. Obviously, the policy of "Yaam petra Imbam, Peruga Ivvaiyagam" !! "Machan, nobody at home except for us da" I shook him..
"de @#$%, let me sleep " ...
Hmm, wot next.. went to the kitchen to check out if therez anything to eat..!! Naaahh, as usual, there were only a few clothes that were hung for drying.. When I was browsing the kitchen, my eyes caught the sight of Gingely oil [ Nallennai, not sure what it is called in English ] .. I remembered the good old days of my childhood when my mom would insist on having an oil bath every saturday. Well I thot why not give it a try.. Took a hand full of oil and applied it onto my head. By this time, my soulmate roomie had woken up and was almost in the same dazed n confused state as mine.!!

Both of us, sorted out the plan for the day. Letz play carrom board for sometime. Then after having a bath, we would go for lunch n so on.. !! Tada!! I heard a heavy thunder and it started pouring down like as if a million Gods were pee'ing after a billion years.. And wot comes after is a very common sight in India [ don't even ask me whether I've seen it elsewhere in the world ;) ] .. Power Cut !!!!! Damn, this means, I can't go out anywhere for lunch [ mind you, there was no mention of breakfast, which means I'm starving :( ] plus I can't have a bath [ Hot water is a must ] !!

Well, after some rounds of boring carrom board [ the same thing used to be so much exciting when there were 6 people around you :( ] we decided to go out and grab a quick bite [ rain had stopped ] !! After some listless events, came back home to find that the power is back.. :)):)) ..
Hurray switched on the TV to catch some EPL action..!! Bang!! No other channel apart from one screwed up sun tv and some useless marati channels were available... Having nothing to do with marathi, I decided to watch something in Sun TV.!! Oh great, there's a rajinikanth movie.. :)):)) .. Am not at all a fan of this guy, but his movies are hilarious in their own way.. The things he does as style, the punch dialogues et all, throws me out of the couch !!

The scene: Our hero was entering a huge bungalow with a file in his hand..!!!!

Oh come on, how many movies will have the same plot ?? U can easily guess whatz the next scene.. There will be an old man with a shawl draped around him!! Lookin at this sight, U can easily come to a conclusion that this old man is filthy rich [ owns some factories ] and our hero will be the general manager, a confidant, a smart chap n whatever tag a person can be assosiated with.. This old man will be planning to retire and he wants to bequeath all his properties to this general manager!! Huh, it happens only in the movies.. Why don't we come across managers in our day to day lives who are so smart brainy n such a great decision makers ?? damn it !! Okie, coming back to the old man.. He should be having a damsel as his daughter and most of the time a motherless one.. This oldie would have spared the rod when his daughter was young and more likely she must be a tom boy!! [ In a good way, she is the heroine, mind you ] .. Grrr..!!! Datz it.. There will be some tussles between this hero n heroine and they'll finally fall in love.. From now on , how the story goes is upto the director.. In this movie, hero will become an accused in a murder case and the heroine will be the eye witness [ no guesses for the victim, itz the same old old man ] .. Now the hero must save his life and more importantly his lady love from the real villains !! And coming to the villains, since this is an 80s movie, the villains will wear bright coloured clothes, will have huge side burns, a dark mush and a mole on the right cheek!! [ or may be on the left depending upon how "different" the director wants the movie to be] !!!!!!!!! There will be a soft porn music video starring Jyothilakshmi, disco shanti, silk smitha and all the other sex bombs of my dad's adulthood days !! huh!! [ I still like silk smitha ;) ] !! Oh I forgot about our hero's first day in the jail. There ought to be a bad bad guy who'l dip his comb into our hero's glass of water.. After trying to elude the fight scene, finally the hero will thrash all the thugs and prove a point [ to who? i'm stil not sure.. but there must be a fight sequence in the jail
!! ] Then surprise , surprise!! Our hero meets his double!! Ayyyoo.. mudiyala [ pulikesi style'la] !! Im too bored to narrate it any longer !! Hmm.. the name of this movie is PokiriRaja and I don't know how different this is from RaajathiRaja!!

Huh.. After all this ordeal, I wasn't in a mood for anything else!! Had some chappathis [ can write one more blog on this chappathi torture ] and snored off !!

Lohagad - Click on it to make it big!! , I mean the Pics ;)

Lohagad

Lohagad

Lohagad

Oh Yeah, I've to blog !!

It's been quite sometime since I blogged. Not that I'm busy with work n stuff. But I'm seriously dearth of topics to write about. Everytime I think about something that I can write about, I won't be near a PC. And everytime I sit in front of this damn thing, the only things that run in my mind are the production abends, design docs and KTs. If you can't make out any of these jargons, don't even bother. PERIOD. Even after being in IT for a couple of years, I still couldn't figure out why and what the hell these things are. Ahh, and adding on this, there is always Orkut to eat up my time. It really takes a lot of hard work to reach 2.5 K scraps in a couple of months..!!

Okie, letz assume that I fight all these demons and finally decide to write something, there comes the ego. Pradeep, U have to write something that is really good. Much better than what every other person writes. There shudn't be a problem with your grammar. Wot will people think if you write a sentence that is awfully wrong??
By the time I find an answer to all these questions, I'll forget wot what was whole purpose of logging into blogger. Oh yeah, there's one more thing. I'm a scorp. So what ever I write it won't be a reflection of what I feel. Why should I write in the internet about how much I miss a friend, or how frustrated I'm with my life and so on!!! This is my life and it's only mine.

So if I have to write something, then I have think of a plot.It has to be fictitious, with good english, something different with a third eye perspective, and super duper interesting. My god, Gimme a break!! It took sometime for me to break open the shackles and come out of my own prison. I'm not in the market to compete with the browns, grishams and ludlums.

Why should wotever I write make sense? Why should people like wot i write ? [ Anyways, people hardly know that I blog and even if they know, they hardly read it ] What if my article doesn't have flowery words and great grammar??? Does it really bother me at the end of the day?? Naaahhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So this is the first in series of some stupid blogging!!

Aaaaazzzaaadddiii At Last !!

The Melancholy of My Life

If I am the sun, I bring no light,
If I am the star, I bring no shine,
If I am the sky, I bring no rain,
If I am the rainbow, I bring no colours,
If I am the mother, I bring no love,
If I am the child, I bring no smile,
If I am the grass, I bring no green,
If I am the Me, I bring no joy!

Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna

Tears for Joy to Tears for Remembrance,

Tears for someone, I doubt my endurance.

My eyes they see but I can't believe,

My heart is heavy as I turn back and leave.

Just want to run away, but nowhere to go,

All I have is a glimmer of hope!

Memories of yesterdays are shadows of past,

The tomorrow of future is overcast.

I cried for the secret, I cried for the moon,

I knew I would breakdown, but not too soon.

Longing for the sound of a faraway laughter,

Why isn't my life moving any faster ?

Da Senti Tag

In this fast world when people are busy running faster than the fastest person, these tag blogs are nice respite that allows us to stop and spend sometime about ourselves and others. I' ve been tagged by my roomie. If I make a journey back in time, these are the things that I really miss....

1. WINNING. Itz such a great feeling when you triumph amongst some of the best competitors. My college days provided so many such opportunities in the fields of my interest. Itz been long since I have heard thunderous clappings when I received the prizes on the stage. Girish, You are still the best partner I have ever got for any competition. Where ever we go, however great or small we become, I know that we can never forget CIT Harmony in our lives.

2. FAST BIKING. I no longer have the guts to risk my life and do some crazy stunts that I used to try during college days. Sorry if you don't understand this, only my friends know about it.

3. SWIMMING in kerala. The place where I was pushed off a ridge into a 12 feet deep pond when I had no idea of what swimming is all about. This is how everyone learns swimming in Mathur ( My native place in Kerala ). Hours n Hours of swimming in the morning till the sun reaches itz scorching high, only to make me come back in the evening and swim till it getz really dark and the water snakes surface their heads and scares me out of the pond. Well, I do have a 16 feet deep swimming pool near my house in Pune, but nothing can be compared to the Mathur Agraharam pond.

4. TABLE TENNIS. Half my life in college was spent in the TT room. When I got the call letter from my company, the first thing I enquired was whether it had a TT table and a good crowd. I really miss Shabri, Shiva, and Kamalakannan Sir ( U taught me how to be an ass kicker in TT ) in Pune. I guess nobody can replace them in my life. However great a TT player you may be, You can't be any of these people. But what I got here was just one "dabba" board with a million people fighting for the worst torn, worn out bats. Shit it was.. I had to be content with what I got. Finally, that dabba thing was also removed and that place was made in a work station. Thanks to the growth pain of my company. Waiting with crossed fingers that the new GDC should have better facilities than these.

5. MYSORE BUS JOURNEY. As a kid, I used to be overwhelmed by the journey to Mysore from Coimbatore. That was something I used to look forward to in every vacation. Majot part of the journey involves a ghat section where there are 27 really sharp and steep hair pin bends. It used to be so much fun created out of sheer fear that the bus might slip off and fall from the top sometime or the other. Sitting at a window seat after fighting with my idiot bro ;) and holding my mom's hands tightly and taking a look out of the window with my head out was the ultimate joy of my life. I still remember that it was my 1st standard summer vacation, there was an accident at the 11th hair pin bend and the buses cannot go any further than that. My amma, bro and I decided to take a walk like every other person did. That was my first "Mountain Trek". Some good-hearted uncle got me an ice cream on the way and I paid the consequnces for the next one week. Everytime I sneezed or shivered out of cold n fever I used to hear my mom repeatedly say "Nanu ninage munche ne helidde ice cream thinnabeda antha". But ma, naanu avathu ice cream thinle illa, navibbaru adarabagge mathadulthalle irallilla 20 varushada nanthara.

Apart from these, I do miss everything that a normal 23 year old who stays away from home for work will. Friends whom we sworn as partners for life, my Mom's cozy touches, fights with bro, night shows with dad without Mom's knowledge ( I doubt whether she knows it till now ), bascially I'm languishing about my childhood days. But practically speaking, I love Pune. I love every friend of mine here. I know I have been very very very very harsh on a lotta people. But only they could have put up with all my nonsense. Given a choice, I would live like this forever.

Cheers,

Prad

To keep the ball rolling, I've tagged Bala, Akila, Neema, and Chef

With a Photographer

It is so much fun to use a digi cam. We don't have to worry about wasting any film strips, don't have try tooo hard and focus using the lens, and it's very easy to upload the pics to the computer.

These are my experiments with a digi cam. I took these pics around my office campus as a part of the Earth Day celebrations. So I thot I'll brag about it ;) Enjoy !!

The Modest Me !!

Cheers,
Prad

BOOMERANG

It was a hot summer morning in Mumbai. I was staying at Poonam Nagar, near Andheri. The college where I had to give my interview is at Deonar, a far far place near SION Trombey road. I got up early in the morning and caught a local to Bandra and got a bus from there to this college. Thanks to my friend who accompanied me on the previous day. Otherwise, with the amount of my Hindi knowledge, it would have taken ages to find out where this college is. The interview time was given as 10 AM in the intimation letter. But they were calling people based on the order in which we submitted the detailed application form on the previous day. I was helplessly waiting in a look alike dormitory room to get the interview call. There were so many other anxious aspirants with notes, laptops and what not!! Among all the others in the room, there was one girl who grabbed my attention. I could easily make out from her gestures that she was awfully nervous. She had an A4 size sheet in her hand which had something written on both the sides. It is anybody’s guess that the sheet contains answers to some basic questions like Why MBA? Why HR?? and so on. It was very funny to look at this girl especially when she was drawing virtual images in the air while trying to answer to questions in her mind. I kept looking at her when she suddenly turned and caught me. Not knowing what to do, I gave her a smile. She smiled back and continued with her virtual interview. But the smile was still lingering in my thoughts.

A couple of hours passed without any incidents. I went out for lunch to the college canteen. I saw that girl sitting alone and watching the India England cricket match. I bought a veg thaali and sat on the same table as hers. She turned around and gave me another smile, a smile of recognition may be. This time, I got a chance to see her more closely. Her eyes were a shade of gray and dark rimmed glasses were just a compliment to her beautiful eyes. I started off with a casual conversation by asking her about the match. I was surprised to meet someone from the fairer sex who was so interested in cricket matches and has so much knowledge about the game. Unfortunately, India was on the losing side on that day and I would have preferred to go to the interview with a positive note.

We finished our lunches almost at the same time. She asked me whether we could watch TV for some more time and I obviously said a Yes. I hope I didn’t make it sound very desperate though. I felt something really strange happening inside. Usually, I don’t jump into conversations with people whom I don’t know. I have never felt at home in those situations. But to my own surprise, I was very very cozy and comfy with this girl. I was feeling nervous early on at the interview-waiting hall, but I seemed to be better in her company, I thought to myself. Words were coming out freely and I didn’t have to try and be casual.

“Sorry if I am making you stay here. I hope your interview is not anytime now. I was feeling very nervous early on. I am feeling better in your company ”, she broke the streams of thoughts that were rampaging inside my mind with her sweet voice. ( Was it mind reading?? )
“ It’s perfectly fine , (Why wouldn’t I be fine ;)) are you a Mumbai localite? ”

The conversation continued for sometime till when I got up to buy a couple of packets of Lays. I offered her one, and we started eating from that. Unintentionally, our hands touched each other’s for short periods when ever we tried to take some chips from the packet. Her warm and soft hands had a magical touch to it.

“Have you looked around the institute? Did you like it?” I asked, hinting her to join me for a walk.
“ Not yet, I was not given the proper time of my interview”
“ May be it’s a good idea to take a walk and see around the place where we might end up for the next two years” I said in a more mocking tone.
“Yeah right” she acknowledged with a smile.

We came out of the canteen and walked through a narrow path surrounded by lush green trees and lawn. The ambience was kinda hot and I presumed it to be the summer heat ;) There was nothing much to see except for a library, a ground and lots of trees. I came to know that she is originally from Delhi and she has settled in Mumbai. The reason why she was so nervous was that she has already wasted a year in preparing for these entrance exams and this was her final resort with no back ups. It was around 4 30 PM and we decided to go back to the interview hall and find out about the slots. Ours were at 5 in the evening and coincidently, we were given the same panel with she as the last person and me just before hers.

“How about Coffee?” I asked.

We went to the café near by for a quick cup. I realized that I wasn’t nervous or insecure about the interview anymore. I wasn’t even thinking about it. Things would have been different if I had to stay alone for the whole day waiting for the call.

“ I am not even thinking about the interview anymore” She said.
“Man, what’s happening. Is she a mind reader?” I thought to myself.
I just gave her a smile.
“ Things may have been different if I didn’t meet you today. I don’t feel nervous anymore” she continued.
I can’t take this anymore. May be is this what people call as meeting someone of your frequency?
I opted to just finish off the coffee and not think about anything. We went to the interview hall where people were waiting in their chair queues and occupied the last two seats.

I wasn’t speaking anything for sometime, as I had not recovered from the previous conversation. To my surprise, she held my hand in hers and asked whether I was getting nervous. I lamely nodded at her not knowing what to say. She got up from her seat and brought me a glass of water. This was heights. I wasn’t nervous by any stretch of imagination and I told her about the coincidence thing. She started laughing and said that the same thing happened to her as well. Looks like when she wanted to ask me out for a walk and coffee, I did exactly the same. Even the words I used were similar, especially being there for the next two years part. It was truly amazing that something like this could happen. We talked on things like partying in Mumbai and stuff till I got my turn for the interview. I saw her looking towards the garden fountain when I came out of the room. I went close to her and whispered in her ears that I’ll wait till she is done.

She completed her interview and came out with a very happy face. She told me that she had just given the best interview of her life and hugged me. She broke into tears right outside the panel.

When things eased out, we started walking towards the gate. We didn’t speak much. I was thinking on how to end this magical day. I wanted to stay in touch with this girl and find out something more. But another thought in me was cautioning to keep it slow. It was all happening too fast for me to believe it. I stopped and looked into her eyes. She looked at me with something running behind those eyes. I was wondering whether I could go ahead and ask for her number. In every other situation, I would have asked for it. But this one was different. I won’t say this is love, no way near a mere crush, not friendship. We were good companions to each other for the whole day. I was sure that she made a lot of difference on my day and I think I had done something similar on her too.

“ I have to go to Andheri from here and then go to Dadar and catch a bus to Pune” I made a blank statement.
“ Oh that must be pretty tiring” she replied as if she was expecting some other question from me. May be something like, what’s your phone number? Even I wanted to ask her number. Only once in a while you come across people with whom you can experience such surreal days. But I believe that Life is a Boomerang. When you throw the Boomerang at the right angle, you can be more than sure that it’ll come back to you. So far, I have thrown this boomerang of a relation at the right angle. I want to enjoy the thrill and suspense of finding out whether it’ll come back to me or not.

“It was great meeting you today. Hope we make it into this college” I said with a smile, shook hands with her and left for the bus stand.

I don’t know where she lives or what’s her number. I only know that she has come to this college for the interview. I am not sure whether we will get to meet again in our lives. Some of you might say that I have done the stupidest thing in my life. But according to me, I’m enjoying every moment of this suspense. The repeated questions whether I will get to see her again or not keeps ringing into my ears for which I’m still not able to find an answer. This uncertainty with the die-hard eagerness to see her again is what I’m enjoying the most. I have let go what I like. Let’s see whether it comes back to me.

Cheers,
Prad