Into Feb again

It seems like as times goes by, the interval between my posts keeps on increasing. Anyways, it feels good to be writing again. Life has moved on quite a brisk pace. I don't even remember the last time I blogged, need to check it online for now. Leaving that aside, Life is again stuck in a mechanical circle of work-home-work. It had been quite some time since I did something other than the usual eat-sleep-code routine. Thankfully, there was Vishwaroopam. Went with Sundar, Binu, Ash, Nyzam bhai and Nithin, our asst. director. Special thanks to Nits, since he was the one who got us all tickets inspite on the rush at the cinema complex. Well speaking of the complex, our minister, Ganesh Kumar, seems to have done quite a good job at rebuilding the old Kairali-Sree theatres into Kairali, Sree and Nila. The seating is good and the feel is also nice, albeit the cost of tickets is a bit on the higher end. But 80 bucks for watching a movie in a comfortable seat is worth it. Anyways, back to the movie. It's quite good on the technical side, the story keeps you engrossed, except for may be a few moments during the Afghanistan scenes, which seemed like dragging on a bit. Other than that, it seems quite worthy of the money. No comments on the controversy. Simply said, I would like to quote my self on this. "This is a case of religious constipation". How this quote is to be deciphered is upto you.

Other than that, we had a small GDG(Google Developer Group) meeting, the launch of the Trivandrum chapter in Jan. Yours sincerly had to present a topic before the audience and as usual, came up with a lot of bullshitting and some info. For those who know, you could rewind back to the moments when I bullshitted my way out during my seminar on "Blackberry". Anyways, got a cool GDG T-shirt, had a good lunch and learnt a few things about GDG, App Engine, App Scripts and so on. Well that was back in the start of Jan. By the end of Jan, it was again "Romans" the movie with Sundar. Oh, yes. There was the HacknightV2.0, which Adheesh and me contested to have some Pizzas and spend time in office AC. Thankfully, learnt something about Twitter bootstrap and Jinja templates.

Back to Feb, it's been monotonous till now, save Vishwaroopam. Hoping for a few exciting weeks at least in this month.


This is Jo signing off for now,


Adios

Blank

It's been a long time since I last posted. These past months have just whizzed by and I am still catching up with the changes. Well, topmost on the list, we have finally moved out of Kanimangalam. 4 years of enjoyment, happiness, friendship, love, grief, tension and what not.. Still remember the Paalukachu at Kanimangalam. Those times with the first 7 of Kani, Thomichan, Sakhav, Achar, Thampi, Jasim, Sheik and Sasi. Still remember, Suma and Pretty getting the salted drinks. Those chocolates as gift. Finally the photo session on the balcony. Sigh... Then the Mafia wars addiction, thanks to KK sir's Docomo stick. The exams, and finally end of 5 years of B.Tech life. The first job, QBurst.. The interview with Ansarji, and thrill of getting thru. Telling him that I would like to the next day instead of that day itself, because I had to celebrate the occasion. Don't know what made me say so that day. Pagalpanti.
Then the next 1.5 years as QA in the Clearspring team. The foodings, the outing, the release tensions. Long working hours before the day of release. Testing out on test, uat and prod. Then, shifting of Densil bhai to Kochi, me shifting to Forum support helping out Angel, then Angel moving to Infy while I switch to Python development. Those times in the PrivateFly cabin, then to the Plusnet cabin. The Tea team. In between, Meher and then someone else. Finally the shift to Vazhuthacad and so on till now...
Now, it's almost a week since the shift to Statue. New surroundings, coming in terms with the loss of Kanimangalam. Finding my feet, literally. Lots of plans for future. High expectations from myself. Don't know if this will work out or not. Hoping for the best. So that wraps up a small synopsis of Kani and afterwards.. Now to the present :P
The internal cricket tournament for QBurst was held this weekend. Went there as a reserve and had to get down in the field as the team strength was low. Too lazy to describe the tournament. For those interested in stats, have a look at http://2012.crikees.com. The rest can continue reading this post. Anyways, two days of playing took a toll on my body. A slight pain still remains on the back as a result of my lethargic fielding and batting. No, I don't bowl even though I am listed as a Bowler in the team description. Also, slept for quite a long time on both days as a result of the tiredness. Unlike the usual weekends, where I keep chatting on Y! messenger and keep reading/liking posts on FB. Hopefully, the body should be back to normal within 2~3 days and then the usually running around. The Avengers is back in Trivandrum theatres, this time in Sree Padamnabha, thanks to the requests posted on their FB wall. I think I should be going for it some time soon. Anyways, who knows what the future holds. Thinking of the future, my Bhootni may land in Trivandrum as a part of her job searching and parents' plan to settle down here in Trivandrum. Hopefully, I should be able to run off to Noida or Hyderabad, once this helluva degree is over, before they actually land here. That way, I am still free of settling down here while I also get to roam India. Plans, plans and plans... Everything is there in the mind, a vague mishmash of ideas, thoughts and dreams. Sigh...
Anyways, back to Statue. Living here as a PG, homely food, lavish single room, easy access to city. Even a Bar opposite the front gate, when I have finally left drinking. :P Hey Bhagwan, vichitre hai teri leela.. Sadly, the days are boring and so I usually look forward to Mondays now, OMG I just wrote the impossible.. I used to hate Mondays, even have a Tee questioning why Monday couldn't be returned back. :D Feeling sleepy for now and so stopping this post...
Until next time..
This is Jo signing off,
Adios

Start of the 26th

25 years of a lifetime, gone within the blink of an eye. Here I stand, feeling the weight of 26th year and with joy in my heart. A really surprizing start, I must say. A least expected token of love/respect from my roomies adn that makes the feeling special. Let's stop beating around the bush and start the entry. :D
Coming back late after work is the current obession for me. I have started to work late hours at office, just to keep count of "8 hours of actual work". That's just my justification for the process. Actually, there's a slight crunch in the deadlines, have been the laziest all through this year. Maybe, it's the excitement of celebrating the New Year with family and now the looming location change. We'll be moving to Vazthacaud, the "corporate headquarters" of QBurst Technologies, within a few weeks for continuing work on my current project. Seems like my laziness has passed on to my teammates, or is it me alone ? Not sure as to if I am the only one responsible for this deportation. Anyhow, leaving that behind for now. Will come back to discussing the pros and cons of moving on some other post, some other day. So I come back late on 23rd, around 11 PM, and least expecting anyone to remember my birthday. So after some freshening up, I sit on my lap to watch some movie. Made Binu copy up 2 Telugu films to watch, and they were so boring that I had to stop after 5 mins. Anyways, started watching some English movie as an antidote.
At 00:00 on 24th, the idiots in room wish me and bring in this

well, at least they could have not written my age on it. The icing was tictac tablets, courtesy Shekhar's imagination. Anyways, the cake and the tablets felt nice. Having the jab of cool mint in my mouth while the taste of plum lingers on, heavenly to say the least. The cake was cut and distributed for eating. Regarding the bumps, they postponed it till morning since not all of us were awake then. The good thing was, they forgot about it in the morning. :D
Early morning rise was impossible since I slept around 1. Yash called up at 1:05 and I was so fast asleep that I didn't hear the ring. Anyways, got up late at 7:30 and then the mad rush for the cab. Frankly, I should have called up "Idiot" to hold the cab up for me. But then, mind doesn't figure out the way until it is too late. So I miss the cab, now that's an awesome start to the new year, and so thought of paying a visit to my dearest BRO. Made my way to the Spencer's church and spent a few mins conversing with BRO, actually a one-way prayer for the things that I got and would be getting. Then, breakfast at Aruna's. Seems like the hotel has special place in my plan of things. Right from the days in college to the 1st day of the 26th year ;). After breakfast, a walk to PMG and then a bus cum auto to office. A few birthday messages in between, and oh, forgot to write. It was Mom's call that woke me up at 7:30. A wish for her dear nikkamma son and then over to Pop's for his share of wishes. What happened between me and Pop's is still hazy, however this was the first time that we were having an uneasy conversation on phone. God knows, what happened ? Must be the news that Sis cleared her 7th semester with 7.18 GPA. My dear Bhootni seems to be rocking in Bhilai. She's on the way to clear her degree before her Nikkamma brother does it. As if I cared about that, even though Mom and Dad do. Speaking of which, I didn't get through the 7th sem. Results came out a few days back, didn't have the courage to call Mom and say that I failed again. They still expect their son to perform like he did in his 10th and 12th. Leaving that academic crap behind, moving on to the office.
Reached before 9:30, I think. Got greeted by slaps on my back from the cabin mates and then the handshakes, in that order. Went out to fill up the water bottle. I get too damn thirsty sitting in that AC full time. On the way back, I am greeted again with hits, it's with bottles this time from my "Tea team". Came back to seat and started working, albeit for a short time. Well, how can someone be expected to work when it rains slaps on the back from time to time. The sample vediketts were just an aberration, something worse was in store for the evening.
I must say, this was the most surprizing birthday that I have ever celebrated. The "Tea Team" had already planned a cake facial, me being the unknowing victim. I was expecting a cake facial from my cabin mates, at the most. They called up on the pretext of having tea in the pantry. A little late by our usual timing but then better late than never. There was the cake waiting for me, to be cut, to be smeared and to plastered over my whole face. Well, cake facials can be borne without much hassle but what do I say about those birthday bumps. My back was sore with slaps and kicks by the time I was ready for cutting the cake. That too, this was only the 1st and there was another waiting for me after that. So after I cut the cake, instead of getting my lips onto it, I had my whole face touching the cake. aaah, the feel of icing on the face and eyes. Well the idiots even tried cramming it up my ears and neck and they were successful in that too. :P. A few clicks and then off to the wash room for the clean up. Had to spend around 15 mins just to get the cake out of my system. Back to office, like a wet cat with the hair still having the feel of icing on it. Thankffully, someone had turned off the AC and so I didn't have to shiver much. Next thing I knew was being dragged back to pantry for the 2nd edition of cake facial, this time my cabin mates. Thankfully, the celebrations have mellowed down.
Last time, I was manhandled by half the office guys. I was literally carried to the pantry back then. All the while being at the recieving end of the bumps. Anyways, this time the bumps were lesser but still painful for my now-fluffed-up bums. After that, the cake was cut. What was written on top of the cakes is out of bounds to be written here since that would take another round of posts to explain. :P. Anyways, the next facial was completed, harsher and more complete than the earlier one. This one took me around half-an-hour to clear up but thankfully, it was the last. Back to office and then a quick work to finish up a pending task. Not that it was completed by the time it was for me to leave. Anyways, pleaded JK to complete it for me while I ran for the cab, again. This time however, I could catch it. How I reached so early before time is anybody's guess because I was home by 7:20. Next in line was a treat for my roomies. Had to wait for Binu to reach back after office. The bugger had to drop in at his former office for something. So he had us waiting till 9 before we decided to make the move to Zamzam. Reached there, but not soon enough because the place was all choc-a-block with people. So had to settle for Noor Mahal instead. Binu reached by the time we were in front of the hotel. Now that's timing :D.
Dinner was a long affair lasting around an hour, thanx to the slow service there. Had some fun looking at the beauties in there, most of them with someone. :P. How come, the good ones seem to be booked. Anways, back home after the dinner and then a long sleep, I mean real long sleep. Got up at 11:30 in the afternoon yesterday. Well, it is Yesterday since I started writing this post. Thanks to Facebook for wasting the precious hours in between. :P. Woke up late in the afternoon, walked up to Kunnukuzhy in search of lunch only face failure. So walked further till MLA Veg Canteen for the lunch. Anyways, how to expect lunch at 2:30 in the afternoon. Luckily, we, Binu, Shekhar and me, didn't have to walk again. Had lunch and then a long walk back home under the hot sun. Sundar called up asking if we were at home. He came over in a jiffy, if an hour of waiting could be summerized as jiffy ;). Made plans to watch some movie. We were supposed to go for some Tamil film, changed mind at the last moment to watch Jodi Breakers, instead. Well, bad luck seemed to be in sync with us. Wanted to catch an auto to the theatre but no one was ready. Not sure why, so had to catch a bus. The film was supposed to start at 6:15 as per our calculations. We were already late by 2 mins. However, the timing shown was 6:30 when we reached the Theatre. Anjali was the place, SL theatres for the ignorant. Bought tickets and I had to wait while Sundar and Binu grabbed a quick puff or two. Checked weight and it showed 68.3, I think. Must have been my slippers to that extra 2-3kgs... Got in to watch the movie. Must say, it's a one time watch. Entertaining but it dragged a bit in between after the interval. Anyways, the climax was a quick roll-up leaving, at least me, a bit dissatisfied. Made my way back to Kani with Binu, bought few dosas for dinner in between.
Back at Kani, I had a quick dinner since I was famished by the end of the movie. Re-activated my Facebook profile, God know's for what reason. Had a long look at profile pictures of the beauties in my friends list. Then finished up this boring piece of a post and so ends my entry for now.
This is Jo signing off for now,
Adios.

Beginning of a return ?

Woh kehte hai na ki ek halki si hawa bhi kabhi phoolon ke barsaat laati hai.
Kaash yeh bhi unh phoolon jaisa hota, naazukh aur pyaari.

Still confused as to how to write down my "dil ki bhadass". Let's see kuch na kuch aa hi jaayega. Sometimes it takes the slightest of push to turn something tipsy-turvy. Well, subaah bas ek board dekh li aur gaya mera mood. Ek saffed board jis par uski company ka naam tha. Shayad woh uski company ka cab bhi nahi hoga, lekin kya kare kambhakt dil ko bas ek jhalak hi kaafi hoti hai. Aur ho gayi saari din ki tai tai phus. Na jaane kyun aaj bhi woh chehra aankhon ke saamne yunh hi aa jaata hai. Woh kehte hai na, dil ki lagi sabse zor ki lagti hai. Aaj to rone ka bhi mann kar raha hai aur hasne ka bhi. Yaadon ne to rula diya lekin brain to mazaak udda raha hai ki woh kaise abhi bhi tujhe aise touch kar sakti hai.
Is kashmokash mein to aaj saara din nikal gaya. Na thik se kaam kar paaya aur na thik se hass. Waise rona dohna bandh aur back to recollecting aaj ka din.
So another Monday comes by. Btw, I went to Mom's place this weekend after, I think around, 4~5 months. Ammachi seemed so happy to see her eldest grandson again and Maamu ki Jaan seemed his usual self. Waise, it was fun to travel in the bus from Trivandrum to Adoor. Seemed like the old days were back. Those 3 hours on Sat afternoon, magical moments that leave me wanting for more. Wind in my hair and the shaking of the KSRTC bus while keeping my nose inside some novel. Oh, this time it was JK's book for company. "Immortals of Meluha" by Amish Tripathi. Something based on Shiva, the trilogy is named as "Shiva trilogy". Turning one of the most eccentric Hindu Gods into a man of flesh and blood. Whose deeds led him to transform from an ordinary human to one of the Triune Gods. I may hurt some sentiments here with all this words, but then who cares what you think. This is my place of "F&**@*@&^" expression. Anyways, reached Adoor in like under 2.5 hours and then a bus to Mom's place, Chandanapally. A small walk home, under the moonlight... Sigh. Reached home, Ammachi was alone in the kitchen. Maamu was still at the library with his bunch of friends. Had a small chat with ammachi, then a quick dinner and after that back to Meluha. Sorry, the dinner wasn't quick enough since Bincy "aunty" and Sundar ji had to call up in between. Bincy "aunty" doesn't need to have anything in particular to call me up but Sundar was planning for another movie outing. First show of the "Second Show". Made plans to reach TVM before 6 so as to catch the movie and then back to Meluha(again).
Woke up late on Sunday, as usual, and no going to Church. Ammachi woke me up at 6 in the morning and yet I somehow excused my self from attending the Mass, half-awake. Seems like I argue better hald-awake. ;) Should try it out at office someday. Drooping head in the meeting and slurry speech. Would be one for the record books, or better videos. So back to Sunday, woke up at ~10:30 and straight to kitchen for the tea. Armed with tea and laptop, I walked into the Hall wanting to switch on the TV instead. Thought against it and started watching "It's kinda funny story" on laptop. Got bored and closed lap before switching on to Meluha. Finished up 75% by the time I had to leave for Trivandrum. A quick bath and then the rush to bus stop as usual. Speaking of the bus stop, standing there made me go on a flashback. I used spend my times in the bus-stop fighting with Spoon over SMSes while waiting for the bus to arrive. Thought of SMSing her but then hesitation. Woh kehte hai na, ki kaafi din ho gaye msg behjkar. Agar abhi bheja to kaisi lagegi, wagera wagera. So didn't msg her and spent the time doing nothing. Bus came after 20 mins of wait and then a quick drive to Adoor. Caught the first KSRTC bus to Trivandrum. It was mostly empty and so I sat on the seat opposite to the door. Got back to Meluha after paying for the ticket. Finished it up before reaching Kilimanoor, I think, and then the usual job :  mouth-watching.  In between Sundar called a few times to know where I had reached. Somehow reached the city. Called up Shekhar to transport a packet to Kani as I had to reach Ajanta for the show. After passing the Achar packet to Shekhu at PMG, I called up Sundar who said that there  was only 1 last balcony ticket which he took. Since he wasn't sure if I would reach on time, he didn't take the risk of getting two tickets. So I got down at next stop, near the Govt. Students' Hostel. Walked past the State Central Library and then a circuitous road back home. Dinner, a few chats and then a tight sleep.
Monday morning. Got up pretty early, by my standards, at ~6:45am. Next the daily activities and Run for the cab. Speaking of which, I think the cab seems to be growing smaller with every passing day. As the number of daily "regular" travelers are increasing, the size of cab seems to be decreasing. Anyhow, I managed a seat, thought of bringing out "The Fountainhead" for a quick read but gave up seeing the number of people already present. It seemed a bit of a choc-a-bloc. Reached office, and oh yes, saw Meher's company bus on the way. :P
The first mail I saw was from Arun chettan asking how we missed an important functionality for the last week's release. What a way to start off the perfect day. Anyways, replied the mail and went for breakfast. Wanted to bring back my appetite and so ordered 2 Aloo paranthas. Ate through them while sipping the rich Banglore coffee. Just thinking of it seems to make my tongue salivate. After that, back to office and a few goofing before lunch. Lunch and then back to office. The gloomy mood still stuck made work seem so boring. Thought of leaving early today and working the extra hours the next day. Anyhow, sat through till 6:15pm after which I couldn't bear the melancholy that had descended on me. Speaking of 6:15, it was the time I used to excuse my self for a water break and to watch her leave for the day.. Sigh. Ab to bas aahein barthe raho. A ride back home on JK's bike and dinner at KSRTC. That pretty much sums up for the weekends and today.

This is Jo signing off,
Adios

Another late posting...

Kabhi ye tanhayi poooche mujhse,
Kyun chodd gayi yun tumhe,
Aadhi raah par bin sahaare ke,
Kisi aur ke saath nibhane ko waade.

Just some of the random sections of words that crop of in my mind. I am hoping that at least this draft of mine sees light. There is so much to blog about, the past few months, the joy of achievement, the pain of loss, the anxiety of future. But for now, let's keep this straight at this day, or rather week. Well, Mondays aren't my forte. I, simply, am too lazy to do good on that day. Rather, I am unable to recollect something interesting that happened. ;)
Regarding Tuesday, had another "go-with-the-flow" day. But then today was thankfully different. Today's points to be noted include a bug that I passed onto live, a treat that wasn't as exciting as I hoped and finally, a long-awaited Kudos to a fellow project member. Starting with the good news, one of our Space astronauts finally got a Kudos,albeit a personal one. Ajith, the rock-star of our team, crunched down a logic flow that initially bubbled up as Out-of-Memory issue to one that was optimized to be completed with 12.42 secs. Got to hand it to that guy, he works harder than the rest of us, at least more than me, and parties even harder. Another form of Angel, except for maybe the color, naah definitely the color. Leaving the comparison aside, he's truly one of the cornerstones of our project.
Onto the next, the Bug. So finally, after wishing that I never release something that I don't test thoroughly into the live, I had to come crashing down on my bums. And boy, didn't that just hurt. Bloody Hell, the 2nd thing that I see in the morning mail is that concerning my bug. How fucked up could the start of a day get ? You see a kudos for a fellow team member and then a bloody slap on your self-esteem. I can't still believe how absent-minded I have become. Like needing someone to test my code before I send it out. As if I need to spoon-fed to produce decent code. I wouldn't say I give optimized, or even good, code but the least I could do was provide a bug free code, especially since I know the pain of seeing bugs, as my previous avatar as a QA engineer. Speaking of engineer, the season begins on 25th of this month. Applied for the leaves and hoping for the best. Even though clearing B.Tech completely remains a distant dream, I still am hopeful that I finish it up this time. Who the hell am I soaping up ? The reality is that I have double exam days as well consecutive ones. It will be a hard obstacle but I am under-prepared. This is where I feel like shouting at my Ma and Pa. For sending me here instead of letting me pursue my dream as journalist. Luckily, they are unaware of the fact that I am still mad at them, naah at my self for not being strong willed, for letting peer-pressure decide my way. Anyways, the day I finish this bloody fucked up degree, I am definitely gonna enroll for a MassCom degree. keeping my fingers crossed on that. Touchwood.
Back to bullet points. The party. There was party in the afternoon, as a part of some birthdays, a marriage, a car purchase and last, but not the least, the joy of having a newborn. Arun chettan's been blessed with a baby. Happened a month or two ago, not sure of the date, but my prayers with the young family that they see or feel no harm in these tender days. Anyways, regarding my expectations for the buffet, yes buffet at the Park, bloody double-crossing, miserly piece of shit-hole, the Park Rajdhani. I was hoping for a far better quality and variety in the food being served. How were we to know that they had taken off several chicken dishes from the menu. On top of that, I wasn't ready for a plunge in to the deprecated menu since my last tryst with Park. I had to spend a few days out of office, thanks to a bloody food poisoning, after that day. However, today seemed okay as far my stomach's response. I had to control myself, rather the menu did it for me, from over-consuming anything. Bon Appetite, I would have wished for myself and everyone, but naah, it wasn't supposed to be a good day for me.
Now finally, those lines that I scribbled at the top. I, I, I, I..... Bloody fucking I. Could I just stop being so self-centric ? naah.. This is the way that my mind and heart functions and to change this would be to kill myself. Anyways, I still miss her at times. So far from me, and yet this bloody idiotic piece of shit yearns for her. How is it that these thoughts come crashing back at me when I least need them ? Why isn't it easy as in the movies ? "Keep these beautiful moments with you. Learn from them and live with them." as in Vaarnam Aayiram. Bloody hell, those memories gnaw at my soul, how inept I was to loose a gem like her ? No matter how much I think of her as the "......." one, shit I can't find a bloody word to describe her act, it still boils down to the fact that I was unable to show what I felt. As if this is something new. Anyways, let's stop the cribbing for now. Until the next post on my Royaume de reves.
This is Jo signing off,
Adios..

The day called Yesterday

Kabhi ye tanhayi poooche mujhse,
Kyun chodd gayi yun tumhe,
Aadhi raah par bin sahaare ke,
Kisi aur ke saath nibhane ko waade.

Just some of the random sections of words that crop of in my mind. I am hoping that at least this draft of mine sees light. There is so much to blog about, the past few months, the joy of achievement, the pain of loss, the anxiety of future. But for now, let's keep this straight at this day, or rather week. Well, Mondays aren't my forte. I, simply, am too lazy to do good on that day. Rather, I am unable to recollect something interesting that happened. ;)
Regarding Tuesday, had another "go-with-the-flow" day. But then today was thankfully different. Today's points to be noted include a bug that I passed onto live, a treat that wasn't as exciting as I hoped and finally, a long-awaited Kudos to a fellow project member. Starting with the good news, one of our Space astronauts finally got a Kudos,albeit a personal one. Ajith, the rockstar of our team, crunched down a logic flow that intially bubbled up as Out-of-Memory issue to one that was optimized to be completed with 12.42 secs. Got to hand it to that guy, he works harder than the rest of us, atleast more than me, and parties even harder. Another form of Angel, except for maybe the color, naah definitely the color. Leaving the comparison aside, he's truly one of the cornerstones of our project.
Onto the next, the Bug. So finally, after wishing that I never release something that I don't test thoroughly into the live, I had to come crashing down on my bums. And boy, didn't that just hurt. Bloody Hell, the 2nd thing that I see in the morning mail is that concerning my bug. How fucked up could the start of a day get ? You see a kudos for a fellow team member and then a bloody slap on your self-esteem. I can't still believe how absent-minded I have become. Like needing someone to test my code before I send it out. As if I need to spoon-fed to produce decent code. I wouldn't say I give optimized, or even good, code but the least I could do was provide a bug free code, especially since I know the pain of seeing bugs, as my previous avatar as a QA engineer. Speaking of engineer, the season begins on 25th of this month. Applied for the leaves and hoping for the best. Even though clearing B.Tech completely remains a distant dream, I still am hopeful that I finish it up this time. Who the hell am I soaping up ? The reality is that I have double exam days as well consecutive ones. It will be a hard obstacle but I am under-prepared. This is where I feel like shouting at my Ma and Pa. For sending me here instead of letting me pursue my dream as journalist. Luckily, they are unaware of the fact that I am still mad at them, naah at my self for not being strong willed, for letting peer-pressure decide my way. Anyways, the day I finish this bloody fucked up degree, I am definitely gonna enroll for a MassCom degree. keeping my fingers crossed on that. Touchwood.
Back to bullet points. The party. There was party in the afternoon, as a part of some birthdays, a marriage, a car purchase and last, but not the least, the joy of having a newborn. Arun chettan's been blessed with a baby. Happened a month or two ago, not sure of the date, but my prayers with the young family that they see or feel no harm in these tender days. Anyways, regarding my expectations for the buffet, yes buffet at the Park, bloody double-crossing, miserly piece of shit-hole, the Park Rajdhani. I was hoping for a far better quality and variety in the food being served. How were we to know that they had taken off several chicken dishes from the menu. On top of that, I wasn't ready for a plunge in to the deprecated menu since my last tryst with Park. I had to spend a few days out of office, thanks to a bloody food poisoning, after that day. However, today seemed okay as far my stomach's response. I had to control myself, rather the menu did it for me, from over-consuming anything. Bon Appetite, I would have wished for myself and everyone, but naah, it wasn't supposed to be a good day for me.
Now finally, those lines that I scribbled at the top. I, I, I, I..... Bloody fucking I. Could I just stop being so self-centric ? naah.. This is the way that my mind and heart functions and to change this would be to kill myself. Anyways, I still miss her at times. So far from me, and yet this bloody idiotic piece of shit yearns for her. How is it that these thoughts come crashing back at me when I least need them ? Why isn't it easy as in the movies ? "Keep these beautiful moments with you. Learn from them and live with them." as in Vaarnam Aayiram. Bloody hell, those memories gnaw at my soul, how inept I was to loose a gem like her ? No matter how much I think of her as the "......." one, shit I can't find a bloody word to describe her act, it still boils down to the fact that I was unable to show what I felt. As if this is something new. Anyways, let's stop the cribbing for now. Until the next post on my Royume de Reaves.
This is Jo signing off,
Adios..

A late Diwali gift

Hiya peeps,
A chinna break from blogging, thanx to my laziness and tensions around ;)... Anyhow, now that I'm back to business, let me just jot down today's experiences. First of all, a million thanks to Karthik and Anooj for today's gift. We, guys/gals @ QBurst, have started a small social initiative called "It's My Duty". Just a small way to fulfil atleast some of our social responsibilties. Just to quote from the group's motto..

'Itsmyduty' is an initiative which is being launched by QBurst employees. The aim of 'ItsmyDuty' is to extend some help to the under-privileged people around us. This is not an NGO or any charitable trust. This is a group of young professionals, who wish to give something back to the society in the most simple and possible way.

Today was it's first Day of Action. Literally, that would be false as we have been going over this again and again for the last few weeks. Leaving that aside, the plan for today was to help out the folks @ Care Home(http://bit.ly/amM2Pv). Yesterday, a few of us went over there for the initial preparation of how we would be helping out. Reaching there, we came to know that most of the inmates get clothes and medicines on regular basis from social groups. They did tell us that some Infy people used to provide medicines and food on a regular basis. So for the time being, only thing that would have helped was a thook-paathram, a small can with cover. These people used to take plastic mugs to get tea. Imagine, you or me drinking tea from a plastic mug ? That's what those people live through at times.
Anyhow, so Anooj and Karthik went back and got those cans yesterday night itself. Well, I come into play only today. We had already planned to come here on Saturday and so early morning, I called up Matt, our own Mathew the Polapist, from my project team. He gave me the directions to the place. We were all supposed to reach there in between 10-10:30, but then how can anyone be on time. So by the time the whole team had assembled, it was past 11:30. In between, we had those cans wiped up and filled it with some sweets. Next in line was giving it to the folks @ Care Home. There are around 100 members there. A few of them were out when we reached. So we gathered up the cans and made our way to the main hall. The place seemed so out of life, all dark and deary. But the location is too good, away from the hustle-bustle of the city with only the occasional airplane landing and taking-off. So they, the people of Care Home, were all gathered and waiting for us. And we were waiting for a few more team members to arrive. After a few minutes, we decided against keeping the old folks from waiting. We all went in and there was a small prayer by one of the inmates. After that, they prayed for us too, thanking us for the initiative. Well frankly speaking, that just made the day for most of us. To receive blessings from elderly persons is one of the greatest gifts. Then we started distributing the cans among them, first among those present in the hall and then to those who couldn't get up and come there. Going through all those rooms was disturbing, to say the least. People with no hope left, bitter from the experience that the world has handed out to them.
In the words of Anoop Nair, "Ivarde makkale onnu kittiyirengil"...
So after spending roughly an hour with them, we all left for our respective homes. And here lies the synopsis of today ;)

An update to the post:
Here's the link for the snaps that we took on that day ;)
http://picasaweb.google.com/gullukhanasgar/Itsmyduty6112010

This is Jo signing off,
Adios for now

Back into Action......

The longest delay b/w posts ends today. Throwing off the laziness that has surrounded me, I hereby resume my blogging activities from today. Blah-blah-blah.. Had so many things to post about the last 2/3 months but I won't go into that. It has bogged me down till now, no more. The main aim behind this post today is to document the fact that I saw another of my seniors in Technopark.

About the day so far, nothing much expect that I am growing lazier as the days go by. Haven't yet transferred my this month's budget into my running account. Hoping to do that tomorow early morning. Got up late around 9, slept for another hour or so. Had a late breakfast and got ready for office. Reached office, did some catching up with yesterday's mail and stuff and before I knew, it was time for lunch. Went out with one of my team-mates, Angel. The place was actually a house where lunch is also served much like the Marakada b4 our college. Filled up my stomach to the max, so much that I couldn't stand straight. Came back to office, did some testing, prepared a few testcases and as time flew, it was time for the next break.

We usually have tea from the Food Court on the 7th floor. The whole team is around during those times, i.e the 5 of us. Arun chettan's missing in action bcoz of his reccent nose surgery. Poor guy, can't even breathe properly at present and so he's on leave for now. Anyways, we bought tea and Kappa for snacks. It's usually biscuits but today, I was still feeling damn hungry. Had a gr8 time there, eating, talking, making fun of each other and last, but not the least, looking at the beauties surrounding us. Frankly, the best of Trivandrum can be found, at Technopark or specifically, in the FoodCourt at lunch and snacks time. After a wonderful half an hour, we all came back to the office. Next in line was the remaining work to be done. Given the low amount of work for the last few days, it was child's play and then back to Kathis in office. How work and fun goes hand in hand can be learn't 1st hand at Qburst. Man, the culture here's just amazing. Frankly, the 1st place any newbie should work is QBurst, the pay may be a bit low at first but the learning curve's great.

Moving on to next phase, Dinner time. Usually I get out by 9:30 and it's hectic work till then. But today, given the low stress, I made my way to Bhavani, the opp. building for dinner. Chicken Noodles was the only thing left and amazingly, my stomach got filled with that. Came back home in company cab, and on the way to home, I was almost sure that today there would be a post no matte how late it gets. Well the post is almost over and the main info is still missing. :)

This happened while I was coming back from Bhavani to my office. After having the delicious dinner, me and Arun chettan, this is another Arun, G for prosterity sake, were coming back in the lift. From the floor below the canteen, a few girls got in, Infy I think. I didn't see any special beauty in between them until another one got in. At first, I wasn't sure whether it was her, and given my nature, I would stay mum rather ask her. But then, I knew it had to be her Linda Mary Joshep Stanley, I hope the name's in correct order, for the resemblance was far too much for her to be someone else. At that perfect instance, my tongue got stuck and I couldn't gather courage to ask whether it was her. Can't believe that I can't change for the better.

Anyway's she got out at bottom floor, came out of the building, turned left and I turned right. End of story for now.

Signing off for now...
Adios....

The week that was :(

A hectic week passes by and here I stand at the beginning of another. Nothing much to say about the last week, except for the fact that certain events, that would not be erased I hope, took place. 1st, Miss Small Wonder flew away to her new destination, NY. There goes a brilliant mind from our college into the arms of America. Hope it returns back to India, both personally and patriotically. I don't wanna comment about future events, so let's wait and watch while the drama unfolds. 2nd, Learn't much at office. Now that I'm in the Testing arena, have to pick up the basics as fast as possible. Got my exposure to both the automated and manual testing process. i do hope that my little programming skills come into play during the latter stages. 3rd, last two days showed what I'm gonna be missing from college. The college had it's Onam celebrations on the 28th of this month. My job timings didn't allow me to go for it. Well, you gain some, you loose some.

Later the next day, Ghosh, Sundar and Me went for Ritu,the movie. Ghosh had come over from university after meeting a few classmates. They had come to university for applying for the provisional certificates and stuff. I don't have to do any such thing, at least for now. Soon a plan was made for going to see Ritu. Called up Sundar who was also ready to come. Thus the three of us got out by 5:45, had tea from PMG and reached the hall, Kairali Sree, by 6:05. Bought the tickets for the show and got in. The main reasons why I decided to go were :
1. Some parts of the movie were shot at my office :).
2. It was an IT-based movie.
3. Ghosh was heaping praises about the story and picturization and blah blah blah....

When we sat inside the hall, there weren't much people around. Sundar was saying that this was supposed to happen as it would be dull, art type movie. Anyways, by the time the show started, the balcony, where we were sitting, was almost filled up. In between, there was a call from home. Egged by Sundar, I finally admitted to Mom that I was at a theater. She didn't know that I had this habit of frequent visitations to the theater. Now that she finally knows makes my heart feel light. About the movie now, it was good one, a message with a touch of sarcasm. The picturization, as Ghosh had said, was great and there were several moments which, personally, I could relate to. But a word of caution, it wouldn't be advisable for "conservative" families to go and watch the movie though. After the movie, Ghosh left for his home while me and Sundar made our way to Railway Station ATM. On the way, Sundar regaled his accounts of travel to Kashi and back and how, despite his brother's advise, he didn't take his ATM card. After getting the money, we left for home. We took a long cut via the alleys, as Sundar had to smoke. Speaking about smoking, it's been a long time since I last had booze. We reached Ayurveda College junction from where I took a bus and Sundar walked his way.

That's all for the week and this weekend. Got to log into Facebook, My Mafia's waiting for me...

Signing off,

Adios..

Into the current

So begins my life in the corporate world. It all began with a call from Fahad saying that there was a position open for a s/w tester at Qburst. It was an urgent that the position be filled as soon as possible. So he asked whether i was interested. And boy, wasn't I, a jobless, no complete degree fellow. So then he forwarded my resume to the HR. For the uninitiated, Fahad is currently employed at Qburst Technology Solutions. All this happened day before yesterday. The HR, Mr. Subin, called me up and we had a telcon, after which he told me to come over for the aptitude test and interview to be held the next day.

Yesterday, D-Day, I reached Leela Towers, that were the KD'puram branch is located at around 9:15, my bloody luck and laziness. Anyways, passed thru the aptitude and came up for the interview. A relatively less tense interview. God knows how I got thru, must be the timing of the call. Anyways, Came back to Kani by 11, and went out for shopping for today. A totally waste exercise. Me and Ajay went to buy shirts,pants and other stuff. But on reaching Big Bazaar, there wasn't one suitable dress for me, not one. So got a pack of socks from there.

Today, had to report by 10 to office for verification process. Got a bit late, anyways reached there, had the process completed and the detail information broadcast from the HR department. Got out from there by 12 and went to Ananthapuri Hotel for lunch. Came back to office within 20 min. Mine is at Technopark and so had to wait for company transportation. Met a few senior colleagues on the way to company. My first steps in the famed Technopark campus. A serene campus with a corporate touch to the surroundings. My office is in the Tejaswini building. Got a temporary visitor badge for entering the place. Anyways, got an Access card soon after. Had nothing to do basically, other than from checking out the application. The first stage of ST, exploration, was right before me and now I understand the significance of those moments. There was a thorough checking, from my side, of the app. But there were other team members, "Pullis", people far better than me. They were going thru their job, while helping me out to understand the basics of the application. So that was it as the 1st day of office. Had a small chat with my college guys in Qburst before they left for home. A tiny detail, Krishna Sharma is with me, the great "pulli" with me. Not the project, but the cabin. We share the cabin, two project teams,comprising of around 6-8 members per team. Another thing, I think there won't be range inside the office. So totally cut-off from the outside world while in office. Can't access Gmail and stuff, not for this month atleast. So most probably, this is gonna be the only medium of expression open for the time being..

Signing off for now,
Adios..