Life@2005

Life @ 2005 has been .....

Fun.
Challenging.
Rivetting.
Delightful.
Splendid.
Interesting.
Bright.
Relaxing.
Taxing.
Lively.
Exciting.
Dusky.
Demanding.
Disappointing.
Enterprising.
Stressing.
Filled with anticipation.
Jubilation.

A Roller coaster ride ... alright! It has ended just right, paving a way for a new year, a new beginning, the slate has been rubbed clean for the Graffiti of 2006 to be traced! Some impressions of the graffiti of 2005 are still on the slate though! :-)


Here is wishing all of you all a Happy and SCINTILLATING 2006!!! :-).

Okie ... Fine!

Well, I am no expert on Venusians. Er .... well, that's what one famous book calls them. Infact, I don't know them that well at all. But yeah, they can indeed communicate the same language you speak and yet communicate differently!

You dont believe me??! Okie Fine.

Just sample the different meanings this phrase, "Okie Fine" can imply, when used by them.

#1 . Martian not able to make it to a particular venue on time. Excerpt

Martian : Hey ...... I guess I won't be able to make it on time.
Venusian : Okie Fine.

( Implied meaning by the Venusian. "Damn! I'll ensure I shall ditch U next time!!").

#2 . Martian misses to pick a gift on some significant occassion (Risky one).

Martian : Oops , man ..... its your birthday today , right?! :O
Venusian : You forgot? Okie fine.

(Implied meaning ..... " Yeah right! I knew it ,U would do that! Sheesh, U are a #%#%". Addition of any more words with "Okie Fine" indicates criticality)

#3. Martian discussing a lot about his work.

Martian : Yeah, it started with some proposal and then after three conferece calls and some changes to the design , i was really going to clinch that deal.

Venusian : Okie fine (:-))

( The "Okie fine" with a smile is a very dicey situation.U have crossed the limits of her tolerance . Corrective action to be taken immediately. Change the topic).

#4 . Martian explains his side of the story.

Martian : U know what, U were wrong. I told you not to do that!
Venusian : Okie fine (:-()

(Implied meaning ........ "You're finished buddy!! Even if I am a fraction right ......next time round")

#5. A new wardrobe being chosen. Seven already scanned.

Martian : Hey can we pick this stuff?
Venusian : Hmm .... Okie ..... Fine!

(Implied meaning " I really think that is not the right choice. But U seem to be insisting!!! U are being so impatient that I am just accepting to "that" choice of urs! Sheesh how 'insensitive' :O )

So U see , the same phrase can induce different meanings when uttered by Venusians!

:-)

Go 'Fida' !!!!

Christmas, a festival of sharing. The carols, festivities, cakes and merriment ....ah ..... One can always sense Christmas in the "air"! ;-).

The Christmas tree, Santa Claus .. and people dressed in shades of red and white! The festival had finally arrived! One of the plans this weekend was reserved for meeting a few friends and catching a movie with them.

Garuda Mall. A new address , where 'Shopper's Stop'! ;-). The mall located off Magrath Road has been groomed keeping the urban buying spree in the background. Yes it has it all from multiplexes, food courts and a range of outlets covering apparels to footwear. Did U "SIGH!" and ask , "A typical mall??! ". Well .. yeah , thats what it is! :-)


Abishek Bacchan has been roped in to promote Ford Fiesta! The fan following that Abishek, seems to have garnered, owing to success of his flicks, seems to be IMMENSE. That brings us to the point of this post ..........

A car parked in the center of the mall. A large hoarding of Junior B. Two posters of Junior B, life size placed next to the car. Now is the contest. The compere announces that he is about to conduct a contest which has an "awesome" reward! One has to say "Go Fida" as many times possible,within a minute. One of "contestants" goes forward ... " Go Fida ..Go Fida . Go FidaGoFidaGoFida" ... he goes. At the end of a minute, the crowd wait with baited breath. Yes, our man has made it. He has recited "Go Fida" a 151 times. ( Somone actually counted it! Damn!). The compere announces, " Ah.. we have a winner. Your prize is , U Can picture Ur self with Abishek Bacchan's poster"!!!! Did you say WHAT???!!! ( Yes!! That was my reaction tooo!!! U are better off . I was at the venue!!) . The "winner" is overjoyed and goes ahead and pictures himself with the poster!! Well, ladies and gentlemen it was not just him, there were arleast 15 people I saw do that in about 2 hours I spent in the mall!

Well adoration to this extent ........ Abishek must be wondering!! Whether people go fida over Ford Fiesta or not, is debatable but they do "Go Fida' for sure!!!

Man .. what a prize!!!!

It happens only in Udupi ......

Weekend's are meant for relaxation, for letting yourself loose, to just unwind, to just enjoy......... Aaah! Thats exactly what it turned out to be. This weekend was a trip to Udupi. ( Well, a couple of posts are going to be dediacted to the entire trip ...... which is going to be in phases... So wait on ...)

Udupi, is a coastal town in Karnataka, a state in India. A small town, it is quite famous for Krishna temple and beaches. The beaches ...... ah ..... I guess it would quite unfair if I just mention it just here...... I think I would atleast require a post to describe its beauty.

My friend and I decided to take a stroll , to explore Udupi . The mornings are quite warm out here. A few minutes of walk and she spots the 'town bus'. These buses are suppossed to be quite nice to travel by and they boast of 'huge windows'. Well ..... thats what I was told! We jump into the bus that was all set to leave.

The 'conductor' is on his way to issue us a ticket ....

Me : Destination?
She : 2 stops from here?
Me : I tell him that ? Any place, landmark?
She : Hmm .... No 2 stops is fine ......
Me : 2 stops

The conductor issued the ticket and we hardly travelled about 500 metres. The bus had a flat tire. WOW! The bus was pulled over to the 'right' side of the road ensuring a small traffic jam. As for the compensation, SIGH! Apparently thats the minimum charge. :-). So, back to walking agin.

Tender coconuts ...... Well .... on a warm day, probably there is nothing that comes close to quenching your thirst, like them!!

Sandiges (Rice Flakes ) , Sonte Chips (Let me get the translation for that ... ), Nipput (Another spicy treat), Chakli and quite a few delicacies. Hmm ..... it was an eventful outing alright! :-)

It takes Two to Tango.

It has been two years since I joined this firm.

The journey has been fun. Away from the, realms of college's, 'easy going' life to this 'concrete' jungle's, 'professional' life, it has been quite a roller coaster ride.

( Well, my college would easily fall under the 'concrete' and 'jungle' definition quite comfortably. But U know .. what I mean right! :-))

Some of the salient features of this journey :

F.R.I.E.N.D.S : Yes, its suprising how 'work' brings in some 'life' ! At these stages, when people would be more focussed to build careers,family and all the rest that goes with it ............, it is suprising how U can form 'F.R.I.E.N.D.S' . Ah, what is it that makes them so special? Is it coz, they are 'good' , or coz they can smack Ur face with a specially made cake, or they are the happiest when U have achieved something, or the small gestures they involve in, that suprise you and keep that magic alive? Well .... a guess a lot more would go into this actually. Sometimes, I wonder ...how life would have been if I had not met them. Nope, reality is better!

Professionalism: Well, work ........ is a good teacher! Tact, Diplomacy, Assertiveness which were all just 'nouns' you used ... yeah practised them sometime too ... now seems to be the way of life!

Patience : Sometimes, you may just end up being a bit hasty. Patience is a virtue.

Achievement : Every day is a new day. Who ever said that 'work' is monotonous and not challenging is faking it. There are millions of things which you could change, improve and excel at. You don't have to wait for somone to throw you a challenge. Set up internal deadlines, challenges and indulge in some kind of 'reward' after reaching that 'milestone'! Believe in yourself, that itself should keep your motivation up! In the long run ... it pays!!

Sensitivity: The workplace, brings about people from varied backgrounds. Sensitivity is a cruical issue. One man's food is another's poison .. goes an age old proverb!


Yes, it definitely takes two to tango. The dance has been exciting by the way. Tired, did you ask? No way. I am loving it!!

Uss mein kya hai ?

Train journeys' often provide you with a lot of "food for thought". All the more if you are embarking on a long journey. On such journey's sometimes you aquiant yourself with some, you chat with a few and some transcend all these boundaries.


On such a trip, there was one of the tea vendors, who had , what I thought was a diffcult rally. He was trying to offer tea, and I politely refused.

Tea Vendor : Saaab, tea chahiye?
Me : Nahi.
Tea Vendor : Le lo bhaiyya ... Badiya Hoga!
Me : Nahi ... bhaiyya
Tea Vendor : Lelo Bhaiyya .. Uss mein kya hai??!

I was kind of taken aback. Uss mein kya hai??! Was he mocking at me??! Huh?! Anyways , he went away rallying again.

Sometimes, when we sit back and think a few issues we have encountered .... we regret as most issues would have been resolved if we had just thought, "Uss mein kya hain"!!!

On one such a trip, I came across ... a jewel. A rather, precious one! Some jewels transcend the "precious" tag with ease!!! Why are U looking so suprised? Ah ...... did U ask ... " Uss mein kya hai??!" "Uss mein bahut kuch hai , bahut kuch! " :-)

Jay's Cuisine

A few years back ..... was when I realized that I had an alternative career option as a "Chef" ! It all hapenned when a small group I was a part of, dared me to "cook". Ah .... that was the moment !

The dinner was suppossed to contain,
Starters - Tomato soup and Samosa (Don't give that puzzled look, the decision was unanimous on deciding that ;-))
Main course - roti's, paneer (masala Dry), veg biriyani, raitha and
Desserts - Cocunut Burfi ( Well .... that was something, which I was really confident I could pull it off and thats the reason it was chosen).

Yeah, so each one had his task cut out. We took a break and decided to meet in the evening with our delicacies. The dinner was on to be hosted at Sujee's terrace , which was being decked up for this evening!

Cocounut burfi. Well it all seemed very easy when I chose that. A quick check with my mom regarding the recipe .(:P, No! Thats not against the rules , I did "make" it on my own).

Requirements :
2 Medium sized Cocunuts ( Depends on Number of ppl U need to serve),
3 Bowls Sugar
Essence (Vanilla Flavoured) and
Culinary Skills. :-)

Mode : Grate the cocunuts, patiently. It is essential, U keep your cool. Cocunuts do not grate at the pace U want. Transfer the contents to a dish. Fry the cocunut gratings till they reach golden brown. Parallely, you could have a dish with sugar syrup being heated at medium flame. Once the gratings are fried, transfer them to the sugar syrup. Kindle. When, you feel that the contents are "mixed" properly (This comes out of EXPERIENCE, :D), then transfer the contents to a tray. Allow it to cool. Once it is cooled sufficiently, then cut them in the shape of rhombuses or ..... any shape U feel like. Ur Cocunut Burfi is ready!!

Serve : Serve with a small amount of fresh coconut gratings as topping!

Chef Jay now serves it to members at his home! People who look really shocked , suprised and scared that they were being used as "subjects" to experiment, smile on tasting it!!

Yeaaaaaah! I had completed my task. I had "COOKED" a dish all by myself and everyone at home relished it!!!!

It was indeed a "memorable" dinner. But if the folks who were a part of the dinner are reading this ......

Starters - Verdict - Good!

Sujee, how did ya manage to make a few samosas, round? Er .. What were they? Tasted good though!

Main course (Part I) - Verdict - Awesome!

Rahul - Great work indeed . BHM degree has not gone for a waste after all!

Main course (Part II) - Verdict - Average!

Raghu - Rice doused inb Soya Sauce??!

Desserts - Verdict - Awesome!

Well, I havent rigged the results! Try the dish the way I have mentioned and you get back to me! Well, if you have messed it up big time .. then you know whom to blame. Well, everyone can't have the culinary skills of Jay!

Did the simple recipe look, too robust ? Thats intentional! :p!

Mera naam .....

Some movies, transcend from just being frames on celluloid to capturing the imagination and emotions of its viewers. I remember one such movie, released in the year 1970, for which Raj Kapoor is remembered for even today. The movie I think was called ... "Mera Naam .....". Argh! I am not able to get the last word. What? What did you say? Really? SIGH! I don't think that is the last word. Wait let me think about it .........


Moving away from that topic, On stage and perfomances, there is one character who is much loved. Yeah, the "Clown" aka "Joker". In Circuses, he is somone who perfoms menial gimmicks and stunts to have the audience in peels of laughter. Some of the stunts what he performs maybe death defying and risky, yet the audience are never exposed to that stark side . The act normally ends with something funny and thus the audience can continue laughing! Also, the clown would be a jack of quite a few trades , that he would very well supplement for any other members weakness!


Medieval Europe, the royalty were entertained by a "jester". The jester would be witty (Touchstone .. in "As You like It". Is the name right? ;-)) and sharp and would engage the best minds in intellectual tiffs. The jokers, clowns or jesters , whatever we call them often end up showing one face to the world regardless of what they would be personally going through! The world always wants them to "entertain" and does not care about what "they" go through! They are supposed to "mask" out their "feelings" and just entertain! Brilliant ain't it!! Brilliant!!

Ah ....., I think I remember the movie name and ........ I guess you were right! The movie name is indeed, "Mera Naam Joker".

Hitchhiking on a Time Machine? Why?!!

A typical day,here, ends with folks wishing you 'Bon Voyage'. No .... not that we are embarking on some pioneering journey around the world. We are just leaving office to head back home. The traffic jams indeed make it a long journey back.

Someday your only respite is the local radio station, as most of your colleagues are fast asleep after their 'ordeal' . The programs being aired on radio sometimes wish you craving for more choice as monotony creeps in. As all these thoughts , keep running in the background, I notice the reflection of the clock. Time ...... seems to be moving back. (Yeah, U guessed it, I've had a tough day at work ;-). Okie stop that smile!! )

Well, I have heard some of them 'long' to go back to a certain time in their life where they consider themselves to have been 'very happy'! Well ... why would someone want to just go back to the time they were 'happy' and just stay there? In life we come across many experiences and not all of them render the same 'feeling'.Well, thats how the package is, and that's its beauty! Also, you attach a special significance to that 'time' because, you have probably faced not so 'happy' moments later. Well ... if you were in the same 'happy' time frame, would you still attach the same significance to 'that time'? Well, I guess one wouldn't. Also, you may encounter experiences in future which may teach you that your 'absolute' itself is 'relative'!! One would be able to appreciate events and experiences only when they are viewed in perspective.

You get one shot , one life and one oppurtunity to make a difference i.e to lead a life. Why would you want to keep going back to just a time frame? Why do you want to hitchhike on a time machine and go back to 'that time' ? Why??!

:-)

'Fan' brigade.

Madurai, a district in Tamil Nadu, in the southern part of India, popularly known for the Meenakshi temple. This temple is an architectural marvel, with sculptors speaking their hearts out through their creations ..er... should I say elimination ;-). Stone pillars , which emnate musical notes when incited, thousand pillars adorning the walkway, sculptures and a whole array of specialities make the visit to this place a visual treat which lingers around for a long time.

Well, apart from the temple ,Madurai, is popular for its "jasmine" flowers. Going by the name of, "Madurai Malli", the aroma of these flowers are suppossed to be an olfactory treat.

Yes, there is something more, what I encountered in Madurai too. The people are 'fanatic', (very strictly adhereing to the meaning of that word) about their film stars. You would have seen people adoring stars, here they 'worship' them.

Well, as luck would have it , my ticket on the train was waitlisted and I had to take the bus to reach an intermediate point. As i wanted to reach the destination as soon as possible I took the bus that was already leaving the bus stop. I had'nt noticed that the bus was a 'DVD coach' * . (:-(). The bus driver seemed to be throwing the bus around corners as though he were testing G Force endurances on human beings. The journey was suppossed to be for four hours, but i suspected that it would be much lesser.

I had taken the last but one seat and had almost comfortably settled. Probably it was around midnight when I heard a shre(eee)ik from a passenger behind me. I woke up startled and turned back. He seemed gleeful and happy. He was visibly excited and was cheering loudly. Confused I look ahead and I can see the reason. A movie, called 'Muthu' was being screened and the 'Super Star' , Rajinikanth was the hero in it. Our 'fan' was excited at the sight of his' star' on screen!!! For people who are not quite familiar, Rajinikanth, is the hero of the masses. He is a much celebrated and immensly popular STAR. Our 'fan' was joined by quite a few others who started whistling frantically and there seemed to be a brigade of them. One was apparently bragging as to how he was watching the movie for the fortieth time. If he were this excited for his fortieth .. I wonder ... !!! With such rampant enthuisam .. one can just amaze at the adoration these people have for their 'stars'.

At around 1 30 am ... one of the 'fan''s wakes me up. Puzzled I turn back , quite agitated.

(Translated, the conv was in Tamil)

'Fan' : Sir, could you move your head to the side sirrrr?!
Me : What?
'Fan' : I can't see Rajini properly !!
Me : U 've been watching this movie all this while , its 1 30 am , you wan't me to move so that U can 'see'??
'Fan' : I am a Rajini 'rasigan' (fan). Kindly adjust.

I am just dumbstruck. Amazed, suprised and confused at his 'adoration' I move towards the side.

'Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee' 'Wheeeeeeeeeeeee' ( He goes ....)

'Fan" : Thank U sirrr! U go to sleep!!

'Wheeeeeeeeeeeh'

I smiled back.

Yeah, right!! I am going to sleep!! :-)


* DVD coach (noun) : A state transport run bus, which takes pride in playing music and movies in full blast. I learnt about this definition , from my co passenger towards the end of the journey!

"Drawn" to a line!

A lecturer in the Mechanical Engineering department, is no mean achievment. You have to have been a seargent in Hitler's army in your previous stint on earth (and haven't lost those traits, yet) or University of Timbuctoo is working on you to just see the critical levels of stress that human beings can subject fellow human beings too. ( Actually not all of them fit under this description, but a "select" few , definitely do).

Machine Drawing. One of the finest subjects, I have come across. This subject , aids an "engineer" to communicate in the "langauge of mechanical engineers" i.e. Engineering Drawing. Material conventions, "Projections","Different Views" (jargon unavoidable), the subject was indeed interesting ...... until that day I came across Lect 1.

The assignment on "Universal Swivel Bearing", for the folks from other streams .. .. it is one of the difficult assignments, to complete with all the "conditions met" . I had reached home late, also Brazilian Grand Prix was being telecast. Leaving behind all that I worked on that assignment as I had heard a lot about "Lect1". The next day after 7 hours of painstaking efforts the previous night, i submitted the assignment to Lect1. With no comments, right away, from him on submission, I headed back. I was even wondering if people were spreading "malicious" rumours about him being "sadistic".

The class was about to be dismissed, when he called over my name. I headed to his desk, where he was "evaluating" my assignment. Excerpts from the interaction

Lect 1 : What's your name?
Me : X
Lect1 : How does it appear on the register?
Me : (!!) Er .... that would be X.S
Lect1 : But U have written X in this sheet.

( Unbelievable expression .. on my face .. No words to explain the reaction on my face )

Me : Er ....... ??!!
Lect1: Since you have not written your full name on the sheet I can't award you any marks for this sheet.
Me : What?

(As I watched in disbelief, the red pen went across the "white" sheet )

Lect1 : U get 0/ 10 for the sheet. ( Smiles)

( He looks at me and then gives a sinister grin and goes on to change 0/ 10 to ZERO/ 10.)