The Chocolate Run is an unusual occurance that happens quite frequently in my office.
I call it unusual, because I have not heard of similar things happening in any friend's office.
Once in every few days , we get a mail from our Resource manager / HR generalists about a bag or sometimes 2 bags of chocolates/sweets lying on their desk. We are to come grab as many as we can ASAP..
He He that's not exactly how these kind, well meaning ladies put it.
It's a practice to get chocolates when one comes back from onsite. Bringing chocolates back from onsite marks your entry into the upper echelons of the complicated and much misunderstood office social structure. Now you're known to be at least ankle deep in dollars.. while your contemporaries are neck deep in work and bull&*@%.
Well, in order to become socially accepted, the chocolates must be distributed.
So.. the normal course of events - Mail from resource manager , a mad rush to her desk, a barely dignified scuffle to grab as many as you can in both your hands, running back the desk, stocking the loot in the workstation and then run back again for a second round before they all run out. If you're lucky or extremely quick, by the time you reach your desk, you would still have a couple of chocolates left for yourself. Mostly , they are snatched away by the waiting and watching bystanders.
There are two kinds of people who participate in a chocolate run - Runners and Sitters. Sitters are the ones who are on the lookout - an email , or the crackle of packaging, or an unusually fruity smell - the sitters note them all. They then nudge the Runners into action. The Runner may run for various reasons, philanthropy and love for chocolates being the main ones. Some may simply be prompted by the fact that the sitter nudging them is their immediate reporting manager :P
There is also a third category - the ones who can't reach / don't care. They are the people sitting on the other extremity of the floor, or on a different floor altogether , or people who don't care to run the saccharine mile.
As I write this , I can see another run happening. The mail has come, the chairs are being pushed back.. and I must nudge the guy sitting next to me :) Cya
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Friends I Miss a Lot - 2
This one is for one of the longest and most eventful friendships in my life. To a person I have seen mature from a irresponsible brat, to a super responsible, level headed, determined, go-getter, from someone who slept on the day of the dreaded sessionals, to someone who stayed late in office to finish her teammates' work. From someone who would perpetually announce to the world how broke she is, to someone who can manage and run an entire house single handedly. And the ONLY person I have met, who has achieved EVERYTHING she has aimed at. Hats off to one of my Best Friends - and I Proudly mention her name - Pankhuri Patni.
The first memory I have of her is from my first day in college, an excessively fair, chubby little child, with Bloodshot eyes, walking off to the hospital inspite of the ragging threat Looming large on us .
While most of us were busy cowering behind our hostel room doors, this little braveheart had been 'Tried' and 'OK Tested' by the most terrifying seniors in all Seniordom. Then she shifted to my impeccably tidy room and life with her untidy mess (Read- Belongings)and changed them forever and for good.
I was a nervous, just out of convent school, super padhaku girl who didnt know a SINGLE swear word. Naturally, I used to shudder at her before exams when she calmly unfolded winnie-the pooh blanket and went off to sleep right before my hazy-with-sleep-from-mugging-up-environmentalstudies eyes at 9 PM SHARP. I would shake my head in dismay and look across the room at a person just as scared as me. Both of us would silently mouth the long boring environmental studies answers while our hearts wept for miss P.
First year passed by in a haze of BET lessons, Chemistry lessons and EVS lessons.. Lessons from me to Miss Patni. We progressed into second year of ECE where not trying to flunk took most of my time, the rest of it being taken up by my first experiences of Boy Trouble. Patni was by me through it all like a loyal little shadow, never silent like a shadow though. Her perspective on life and its various oddities could pull me out of the deepest rut I may have fallen into.
Then came third year and final, where we were recruited by the same bigshot company. From being my college friend Patni graduated to being my colleague. But some things did not change, including her sleeping off at 9 the night before an exam and so on.
We spent an eventful year in hyderabad as housemates. The highlights of the year were moving from one crappy place to another, getting our second hand furniture moved from one place to another, riding around in trucks with our luggage, trying to get used to the idea that we were no longer in manipal, and learning more about ourselves and each other. This was the big bad real world, where electrical appliances got damaged and had to be fixed and the fixes had to be paid for, where maids bunked every other day, leaving the kitchen looking like a crime scene, where income was always less than expenditure and where you always wondered how was one supposed to deal with all of it, and still work and survive.
Patni and me grew up together . And like a fledgeling that leaves the nest one day, she left the cocoon of comfort and went off to MICA to follow her passion - Creativity. She is one of the most creative people I know and the creativity manifests itself at the oddest of times, in clever little one liners.
Unfortunately, we didn't catch up before she left for college. I wish I had.
Well, there she is today, Kicking ASS like always, and this time it's even harder, because she is doing what she really wants.
So if there ever was a person for getting things done, while others were busy wondering how on earth was it ever going to get done with the dozing off by 9, It is Pankhuri Patni. Keep making us proud Girl !
The first memory I have of her is from my first day in college, an excessively fair, chubby little child, with Bloodshot eyes, walking off to the hospital inspite of the ragging threat Looming large on us .
While most of us were busy cowering behind our hostel room doors, this little braveheart had been 'Tried' and 'OK Tested' by the most terrifying seniors in all Seniordom. Then she shifted to my impeccably tidy room and life with her untidy mess (Read- Belongings)and changed them forever and for good.
I was a nervous, just out of convent school, super padhaku girl who didnt know a SINGLE swear word. Naturally, I used to shudder at her before exams when she calmly unfolded winnie-the pooh blanket and went off to sleep right before my hazy-with-sleep-from-mugging-up-environmentalstudies eyes at 9 PM SHARP. I would shake my head in dismay and look across the room at a person just as scared as me. Both of us would silently mouth the long boring environmental studies answers while our hearts wept for miss P.
First year passed by in a haze of BET lessons, Chemistry lessons and EVS lessons.. Lessons from me to Miss Patni. We progressed into second year of ECE where not trying to flunk took most of my time, the rest of it being taken up by my first experiences of Boy Trouble. Patni was by me through it all like a loyal little shadow, never silent like a shadow though. Her perspective on life and its various oddities could pull me out of the deepest rut I may have fallen into.
Then came third year and final, where we were recruited by the same bigshot company. From being my college friend Patni graduated to being my colleague. But some things did not change, including her sleeping off at 9 the night before an exam and so on.
We spent an eventful year in hyderabad as housemates. The highlights of the year were moving from one crappy place to another, getting our second hand furniture moved from one place to another, riding around in trucks with our luggage, trying to get used to the idea that we were no longer in manipal, and learning more about ourselves and each other. This was the big bad real world, where electrical appliances got damaged and had to be fixed and the fixes had to be paid for, where maids bunked every other day, leaving the kitchen looking like a crime scene, where income was always less than expenditure and where you always wondered how was one supposed to deal with all of it, and still work and survive.
Patni and me grew up together . And like a fledgeling that leaves the nest one day, she left the cocoon of comfort and went off to MICA to follow her passion - Creativity. She is one of the most creative people I know and the creativity manifests itself at the oddest of times, in clever little one liners.
Unfortunately, we didn't catch up before she left for college. I wish I had.
Well, there she is today, Kicking ASS like always, and this time it's even harder, because she is doing what she really wants.
So if there ever was a person for getting things done, while others were busy wondering how on earth was it ever going to get done with the dozing off by 9, It is Pankhuri Patni. Keep making us proud Girl !
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Friends I Miss a Lot - 1
Life isn't really the same again now that A is gone. Yes, My Friend and Bro, A has gone off to sacrifice himself at the hallowed alter of MBA in Finance. It is a dream come true for him, but those of us whom he has left behind really miss him.
I have known A closely for almost a year and a half now. We went to the same college, and back in college I knew him as the Geekiness Personified. A is your regular, decent, charming, as-good-as-they-come 10 pointer and much more than that
I discovered the latter when I began working with him in the same company after college. I came to know of his great sense of humour, his extremely colourful vocabulary,his adventurous streak, his 'cullinary' skills, his absulute devotion for his mother, his immense affection for his lady love, his loyalty to his close friends.. I really came to know and admire A a lot.
He would rise every morning with regularity that would shame an alarm clock, get ready, do his starting MBA prep for the day,and read the paper all this while his flatmates were exercising their muscles by hitting the snooze button on the alarm clock.Then he would arm himself to deal with the hostile corporate world, by taking in healthy breakfast in FIXED quantities. There are many stories around this , my favourite being the one where A clamours for oranges and claims "If i dont get vitamin C, I'll DIE".
While in office, he'd give his best to the work there, even though, he claimed he hated it. He was very good at it for somone who claims that.
After office , it was again his daily grind of MBA prep.
Somewhere in between all this, he'd always find time to drop by my desk with a cup of tea/coffee for a quick chat, or ping me on our internal messenger, send me invites to Toastmasters meetings or listen to me crib about work and agree wholeheartedly with me. He has helped me get through a lot of bad workdays.
And A in the Kitchen ! This bit deserves a separate blog post, but I will do as much Justice to it as I can. Back in our early days in Hyderabad, A, his flatmates V & SMA , and me used to cook together at their place. V and me were the operating chefs, A and SMA were the assistants. we knew it was time to start cooking when A began to get restless. A would then help us by chopping up tomatoes and onions along with SMA and abusing SMA to the maximum extent possible , just to amuse us.. Perodically, he'd warn us that the food was not going to be enough as he was very hungry and he had a lion's apetite. We knew him well enough not to believe him :)
I could keep on writing.. but this food talk has reminded me that its dinner time. If A is reading this,
You Rock Bro !
All the best in life.
I have known A closely for almost a year and a half now. We went to the same college, and back in college I knew him as the Geekiness Personified. A is your regular, decent, charming, as-good-as-they-come 10 pointer and much more than that
I discovered the latter when I began working with him in the same company after college. I came to know of his great sense of humour, his extremely colourful vocabulary,his adventurous streak, his 'cullinary' skills, his absulute devotion for his mother, his immense affection for his lady love, his loyalty to his close friends.. I really came to know and admire A a lot.
He would rise every morning with regularity that would shame an alarm clock, get ready, do his starting MBA prep for the day,and read the paper all this while his flatmates were exercising their muscles by hitting the snooze button on the alarm clock.Then he would arm himself to deal with the hostile corporate world, by taking in healthy breakfast in FIXED quantities. There are many stories around this , my favourite being the one where A clamours for oranges and claims "If i dont get vitamin C, I'll DIE".
While in office, he'd give his best to the work there, even though, he claimed he hated it. He was very good at it for somone who claims that.
After office , it was again his daily grind of MBA prep.
Somewhere in between all this, he'd always find time to drop by my desk with a cup of tea/coffee for a quick chat, or ping me on our internal messenger, send me invites to Toastmasters meetings or listen to me crib about work and agree wholeheartedly with me. He has helped me get through a lot of bad workdays.
And A in the Kitchen ! This bit deserves a separate blog post, but I will do as much Justice to it as I can. Back in our early days in Hyderabad, A, his flatmates V & SMA , and me used to cook together at their place. V and me were the operating chefs, A and SMA were the assistants. we knew it was time to start cooking when A began to get restless. A would then help us by chopping up tomatoes and onions along with SMA and abusing SMA to the maximum extent possible , just to amuse us.. Perodically, he'd warn us that the food was not going to be enough as he was very hungry and he had a lion's apetite. We knew him well enough not to believe him :)
I could keep on writing.. but this food talk has reminded me that its dinner time. If A is reading this,
You Rock Bro !
All the best in life.
Friday, January 8, 2010
Kitchen Comfort..
Most people I get along with really well are foodies. This claim will be substantiated by the fact that my most commented upon post, commented upon my some of my favourite people, is about food.
I am a foodie too, a claim which will be visibly substantiated once you meet me in person. For me , food takes the centrestage. If I happen to go to a restaurant I like, all I can talk about is the food, much to the annoyance of my companion, who has probably brought me here for some life changing conversation :P
Little surprise then, that when I did eventually pair up, I paired up with a Foodie. The Capital F is to emphasize the fact that he is a bigger foodie than I am. I think the day his love for me went from the level of a 4 storeyed building to the level of the Burj Khalifa , is the day I made 'Pakora' for him. The golden coloured batter covering a crispy onion ring, gently bobbing up and down in the oil in the hot 'Kadai', sent him into transports of delight yet unknown by me.
Ok, I'm not exaggerating, He nearly had tears in His eyes once he started wolfing them down. Yes, no slow savoury mouthfuls for Y. You know how much He likes the food by the speed at which He wolfs it down. :) "Ye bilkul mumma jaise bane hain !" , He all but sobbed.
Ok He is not a sob !! Its just that food brings out his noblest emotions. Since that day,He has appointed himself as the Procurement Manager for my humble kitchen.
I'm a lucky girl. And Y is a lucky guy. He is I think one of the few people who are everyday fed by Two Doting Women (Who actually like each other) . My new flatmate is an awesome cook too. I guess it runs in her genes, her father owns a restaurant. But she is skinny. This has made her the butt of jokes all her little life. "Never promote your dad's restaurant.. you'll put it out of business !!" So S is now happily settled here and the kitchen is her favourite part of the house. :)
As I embark on this long ful'FILLING' journey towards cullinary excellence in my little kitchen, I would once again like to pay Homage to Hari Bhai and Johnny , the urban legends who have greatly influenced me and thank my little foodie friend, who told me about them.
Till the next post.. cheers !!
I am a foodie too, a claim which will be visibly substantiated once you meet me in person. For me , food takes the centrestage. If I happen to go to a restaurant I like, all I can talk about is the food, much to the annoyance of my companion, who has probably brought me here for some life changing conversation :P
Little surprise then, that when I did eventually pair up, I paired up with a Foodie. The Capital F is to emphasize the fact that he is a bigger foodie than I am. I think the day his love for me went from the level of a 4 storeyed building to the level of the Burj Khalifa , is the day I made 'Pakora' for him. The golden coloured batter covering a crispy onion ring, gently bobbing up and down in the oil in the hot 'Kadai', sent him into transports of delight yet unknown by me.
Ok, I'm not exaggerating, He nearly had tears in His eyes once he started wolfing them down. Yes, no slow savoury mouthfuls for Y. You know how much He likes the food by the speed at which He wolfs it down. :) "Ye bilkul mumma jaise bane hain !" , He all but sobbed.
Ok He is not a sob !! Its just that food brings out his noblest emotions. Since that day,He has appointed himself as the Procurement Manager for my humble kitchen.
I'm a lucky girl. And Y is a lucky guy. He is I think one of the few people who are everyday fed by Two Doting Women (Who actually like each other) . My new flatmate is an awesome cook too. I guess it runs in her genes, her father owns a restaurant. But she is skinny. This has made her the butt of jokes all her little life. "Never promote your dad's restaurant.. you'll put it out of business !!" So S is now happily settled here and the kitchen is her favourite part of the house. :)
As I embark on this long ful'FILLING' journey towards cullinary excellence in my little kitchen, I would once again like to pay Homage to Hari Bhai and Johnny , the urban legends who have greatly influenced me and thank my little foodie friend, who told me about them.
Till the next post.. cheers !!
Thursday, January 7, 2010
New beginnings...
My friend.. very sadistically reminded me that he is stil having 'Canteen wala fun'..
What can I say other than the fact that I miss it like hell. No matter how much you try.. noone can have fun.. like real fun.. once they're out of college. Well.. I do not want to take credit away from my office.. who try to bring back the fainest imitaion of the Canteen fun into our lives. But how much fun can one have on a 'Fun Friday' ??
He he.. before I come across as obsessed with this word.. let me change the topic.. not so subtly.. I'd like to congratulate all my friends whose orkut and facebook profiles are already filled with congratulations on their wedding ,engagement and in some cases, honeymoon pics. May this year keep that lovely million dollar smile fixed to your face. :)
I'd also like to congratulate all those 'GRE Bashing' friends of mine who are putting up lovely snow pictures on their profiles.. Enjoy the fruits of your labour and while you're at it.. water the trees for more fruits in the future.
And I'd like to congratulate Amir Khan and Vidhu Vinod Chopra and team, for making the most enjoyable film of the year. For anyone who has not seen it yet.. do go see it.. and for everyone who has seen it or will see it. If you think that the film is promoting ragging, do contact the Maharashtra Government. The will definitely welcome you for a chai and chat.. Because I dont see any other way they can 'Act' without censure from intelligent and informed citizens from their own state..
On that 'award-ceremony announcement' note.. Cya..
What can I say other than the fact that I miss it like hell. No matter how much you try.. noone can have fun.. like real fun.. once they're out of college. Well.. I do not want to take credit away from my office.. who try to bring back the fainest imitaion of the Canteen fun into our lives. But how much fun can one have on a 'Fun Friday' ??
He he.. before I come across as obsessed with this word.. let me change the topic.. not so subtly.. I'd like to congratulate all my friends whose orkut and facebook profiles are already filled with congratulations on their wedding ,engagement and in some cases, honeymoon pics. May this year keep that lovely million dollar smile fixed to your face. :)
I'd also like to congratulate all those 'GRE Bashing' friends of mine who are putting up lovely snow pictures on their profiles.. Enjoy the fruits of your labour and while you're at it.. water the trees for more fruits in the future.
And I'd like to congratulate Amir Khan and Vidhu Vinod Chopra and team, for making the most enjoyable film of the year. For anyone who has not seen it yet.. do go see it.. and for everyone who has seen it or will see it. If you think that the film is promoting ragging, do contact the Maharashtra Government. The will definitely welcome you for a chai and chat.. Because I dont see any other way they can 'Act' without censure from intelligent and informed citizens from their own state..
On that 'award-ceremony announcement' note.. Cya..
Monday, November 30, 2009
Hello Again
I have been consumed by work. The company I work for , stresses a lot on some elusive concept called 'Work-Life balance'. I have seriously lost track of which is which. Is work = Life or is Life = Work? i felt i just could not go on without taking a few moments to think about. This is one equation everyone tells me I must Master.
Once upon a time, i was the typical engg college-having the time of my life in a heavenly place-give a damn abt the world kind of person. The change been gradual and i never knew when i changed. I've now become the typical B.E-recruited by a big brand-slogging to make myself known kinda person. 'Fun' times in office have replaced FUN time in classes, I miss the college canteen every time i enter the office cafeteria. But i'm still enjoying my life-work-or-whatever-you-will-call-it.
So i've come back to the old love of my life.. writing.. Hello again world.. you'll hear from me soon and often enough now..
Once upon a time, i was the typical engg college-having the time of my life in a heavenly place-give a damn abt the world kind of person. The change been gradual and i never knew when i changed. I've now become the typical B.E-recruited by a big brand-slogging to make myself known kinda person. 'Fun' times in office have replaced FUN time in classes, I miss the college canteen every time i enter the office cafeteria. But i'm still enjoying my life-work-or-whatever-you-will-call-it.
So i've come back to the old love of my life.. writing.. Hello again world.. you'll hear from me soon and often enough now..
Saturday, February 21, 2009
@ Home in Hyderabad
we're finally settled.. even though we still dont have a fridge and keep throwing food away every alternate day.. we have a place to call home.. its an amazing flat we have named 'The Disco House' . we have bright blue and yellow textured walls in some parts of the house .. and we have friends with ideal bouncer dimensions.. and we have music and lights.. so the disco house it has become.. :)
our landlord is called Chakradhar.. he is one of the most accomplished men i know.. he owns a grocery / vegetable shop, has rented out two flats with brilliantly coloured walls and also possesses unmatched plumbing and climbing skills.. he climbed up on my roommate's commode to fix her geyser.. what he doesnt possess is good sense and probably knowledge of english.. the lease has our names as MRS ketaki gupta Mrs sneha Dutta and mrs pankhuri patni.. but what the hell
The house has some more absurdities but we're taking everything in stride. It's a new life with the old people I love. And I hope we'll get through it.
our landlord is called Chakradhar.. he is one of the most accomplished men i know.. he owns a grocery / vegetable shop, has rented out two flats with brilliantly coloured walls and also possesses unmatched plumbing and climbing skills.. he climbed up on my roommate's commode to fix her geyser.. what he doesnt possess is good sense and probably knowledge of english.. the lease has our names as MRS ketaki gupta Mrs sneha Dutta and mrs pankhuri patni.. but what the hell
The house has some more absurdities but we're taking everything in stride. It's a new life with the old people I love. And I hope we'll get through it.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Palolem... :)
not many people i know can boast of having been intercepted by police in the middle of the night.. on a national highway
i can.. :P
it was this on time we made a last minute plan to go to Palolem, a.k.a south Goa and in snehaspeak- Non Party Goa
We began our journey well by getting on the wrong train, one that would take us to Madgaon and not Cancona..
we compensated for that by getting off at a station we knew from experience was an hour's drive from the Palolem beach.
Which in turn led to us getting off at the most incorrect of times, 2 a.m .. the Time of No Conveyence in Small Towns..
we were welcomed very enthusiastically by an Auto Manager, who after duly informing his driver "NAI,, Firang nai hain.." asked us for 2500 bucks
.. i leave u to imagine what we felt like.. not to mention we had very bravely come with only not warm clothes and it was chilly..
so we somehow managed to end up at the deserted bus stop.. as luck would have it, the only vehicle there was a fish delivery card.. stinking of.. yes u guessed it..
fish!!
the guy took our request for a ride seriously.. and scurried off to wash his filthy truck and make it a little more approachable..
well.. for a sheltered little child that i was.. this was the biggest adventure i had ever been in.. not that i have been in many..
crossing an interstate border in the middle of the night .. in a stinking fish delivery cart is not something i get to do everyday..
in spite of this tight little knot at the pit of my stomach which was causing me to remember Sai Baba every 5 minutes.. i was enjoying the ride..
the back of the cart was open.. and i could see the road as well as the sky.. i swear i have never seen so may stars..
it was a good thing i was thinking of Sai Baba every 5 minutes.. the police caught us at the border.. Technically , we were not doing anything wrong..
but i guess we looked like ppl who wore money necklaces.. the inspector duly demanded "ledijj ko leke kidhar jata hai?? "
our poor guys were both even tempered and mild..they politely and unsuccessfully tried to explain the situation to him.. we were stuck there..
but since 2 of us had parents in ministries.. we couldnt risk calls at home.. even though that would meet immediate release..
finally after threatening us for at least half an hour, writing down all our names and reg numbers at the back of a dilapidated notebook, and taking our
chief warden's number.. and unsuccessfully trying to cane our stupid looking driver.. he let us off.. it was more than evident that he was trying to
get us to warm his pockets... we had not taken greedy cops into account while fixing a budget for the trip..lol.. i dont know if we beggers even had a budget
it was 4 when we reached the beach.. and started hunting for a place to stay...
everything was pretty uneventful compared to this.. unless u consider sleeping off on a random verandah eventful..
my friends appreciated the happy hours and i think we rated almost all the firang females on the beach..
it was the best trip i had during my stay in manipal.. :)
oh and we broke the shower of our bathroom ..
i can.. :P
it was this on time we made a last minute plan to go to Palolem, a.k.a south Goa and in snehaspeak- Non Party Goa
We began our journey well by getting on the wrong train, one that would take us to Madgaon and not Cancona..
we compensated for that by getting off at a station we knew from experience was an hour's drive from the Palolem beach.
Which in turn led to us getting off at the most incorrect of times, 2 a.m .. the Time of No Conveyence in Small Towns..
we were welcomed very enthusiastically by an Auto Manager, who after duly informing his driver "NAI,, Firang nai hain.." asked us for 2500 bucks
.. i leave u to imagine what we felt like.. not to mention we had very bravely come with only not warm clothes and it was chilly..
so we somehow managed to end up at the deserted bus stop.. as luck would have it, the only vehicle there was a fish delivery card.. stinking of.. yes u guessed it..
fish!!
the guy took our request for a ride seriously.. and scurried off to wash his filthy truck and make it a little more approachable..
well.. for a sheltered little child that i was.. this was the biggest adventure i had ever been in.. not that i have been in many..
crossing an interstate border in the middle of the night .. in a stinking fish delivery cart is not something i get to do everyday..
in spite of this tight little knot at the pit of my stomach which was causing me to remember Sai Baba every 5 minutes.. i was enjoying the ride..
the back of the cart was open.. and i could see the road as well as the sky.. i swear i have never seen so may stars..
it was a good thing i was thinking of Sai Baba every 5 minutes.. the police caught us at the border.. Technically , we were not doing anything wrong..
but i guess we looked like ppl who wore money necklaces.. the inspector duly demanded "ledijj ko leke kidhar jata hai?? "
our poor guys were both even tempered and mild..they politely and unsuccessfully tried to explain the situation to him.. we were stuck there..
but since 2 of us had parents in ministries.. we couldnt risk calls at home.. even though that would meet immediate release..
finally after threatening us for at least half an hour, writing down all our names and reg numbers at the back of a dilapidated notebook, and taking our
chief warden's number.. and unsuccessfully trying to cane our stupid looking driver.. he let us off.. it was more than evident that he was trying to
get us to warm his pockets... we had not taken greedy cops into account while fixing a budget for the trip..lol.. i dont know if we beggers even had a budget
it was 4 when we reached the beach.. and started hunting for a place to stay...
everything was pretty uneventful compared to this.. unless u consider sleeping off on a random verandah eventful..
my friends appreciated the happy hours and i think we rated almost all the firang females on the beach..
it was the best trip i had during my stay in manipal.. :)
oh and we broke the shower of our bathroom ..
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Happy...
i've always wanted free time.. not that i'm particularly busy with anything, but i had always wanted days when i could wake up and while still snuggled in my blanket, look at the sky outside and wonder what i'd do with the day lying ahead of me..
i had always wanted the feeling of not having to hurry, having no particular place to go to, and choose where i wanted to be at a particular time.. and then be there..
i had wanted days where i can do completely crazy things without having to worry about things waiting for me afterwards..
i had wanted long walks in the cool breeze.. to look at fireflies in bushes and think that the sky had too many stars and some of them fell off.. to listen to crickets and find rhythm and music in their sounds..
i had wanted walks on the beach , writing my name on the sand.. looking out for blue balloons , seashells and tiny crabs scurrying around.. and funny though it may sound fill up a crab hole or two.. to stamp on the foam thrown upon the sand by the waves.. and look out for shapes in it..
i had wanted to look at the sky and find dogs and bunnies and monsters in the clouds.. running in and out of huge castles in weird shapes..
i had wanted to spalsh in puddles of rainwater..
but most of all i had wanted someone i could do all this with..
i've done each and every thing i just mentioned.. and i'm happy.. [:)]
i had always wanted the feeling of not having to hurry, having no particular place to go to, and choose where i wanted to be at a particular time.. and then be there..
i had wanted days where i can do completely crazy things without having to worry about things waiting for me afterwards..
i had wanted long walks in the cool breeze.. to look at fireflies in bushes and think that the sky had too many stars and some of them fell off.. to listen to crickets and find rhythm and music in their sounds..
i had wanted walks on the beach , writing my name on the sand.. looking out for blue balloons , seashells and tiny crabs scurrying around.. and funny though it may sound fill up a crab hole or two.. to stamp on the foam thrown upon the sand by the waves.. and look out for shapes in it..
i had wanted to look at the sky and find dogs and bunnies and monsters in the clouds.. running in and out of huge castles in weird shapes..
i had wanted to spalsh in puddles of rainwater..
but most of all i had wanted someone i could do all this with..
i've done each and every thing i just mentioned.. and i'm happy.. [:)]
Friday, June 8, 2007
Home and Hogging..
yes.. one of my very sweet friends who posted a comment about my last entry said i had food in my thoughts... when you live in a hostel.. you are a weirdass if food does not occupy an important place on your priority list.. well.. i know drink does.. no comment..
i am back home.. and guess what the first thing i ate was??? ok dont exert yourself.. masoor dal and hot steaming chawal... mmmmm... after months of bulletproof chapatis in the mess, your heart yearns for nothing more than these delightfully simple delicacies..
and i greedily look forward to two months of exaggerated and extended gluttony.. :)
and yes jd.. i guessed it was you... :)
i am back home.. and guess what the first thing i ate was??? ok dont exert yourself.. masoor dal and hot steaming chawal... mmmmm... after months of bulletproof chapatis in the mess, your heart yearns for nothing more than these delightfully simple delicacies..
and i greedily look forward to two months of exaggerated and extended gluttony.. :)
and yes jd.. i guessed it was you... :)
Monday, May 7, 2007
Hari Bhai and the Hot Dog Guy
Today we got a measly lil' sandwich for tea.. i dont know whats come over the mess management committee.. its messing up big time! there was once a time when i used to be proud of the generosity of my mess. but it seems those days are past. we have now progressed to the age of a-single-measly-little-sandwich-for-snack-and-off-you-go. :(
i unlike some of my other enterprising messmates, have not yet mastered the art of making the plate vanish from under the Akka's eye.. so i suffer in silence and dream of the legendary Hari Bhai and the Hot Dog Guy....
in a sleepy little marketplace of a sleepy little town called indore in madhya pradesh, there is a sleepy little shop, that wakes up at ten in the night.. and when it does.. boy.. what a roar u hear..
the owner of this shop is Hari Bhai and has been for more than 2 decades now.. stuffing an ever widening and ever increasing number of mouths with the most delicious sandwiches in the history of mankind,, no one has ever actually seen this magician.. its just the hand that delivers the sandwich to the waiting car outside that grabs your attention.. and such is the magic of his sandwiches that they can magically direct themselves to a tummy already filled with a five star five course dinner with amazing ease and accuracy.. and you'll still be drooling when your tummy shows the white flag.
there's another shop.. the size of a public bathroom (i know its a gross comparison.. blame the person who made it.. and trust me its not yours truly.. :P) in a place called CHAPPAN DUKAN (the 56 shops.. i wonder, if owing to its size, its even counted as one of them..) its the smallest shop in the territory and yet has the biggest business.. JOHNNY HOT DOG.. needless to say.. if you're as hungry as i am, you'll already be having visions of hotdogs with hands and feet dancing around in circles... ahem.. must stop.. i'm almost drooling over the keyboard..
well, i've never been to either of these shops. but i've spent many evenings of the last 2 years listening to the glorious tales of these great magicians.. of late, i've been thinking.. a trip to indore has become imminent.. :)
cheers to my little foodie friend who's regaled me with all these delicious tales for the past two years. she forbids me to mention her name here. but those of you who know me personally will know who i am talking about and will definitely some time or the other seen this little person's eyes go as big and round as saucers while her mouth is trying hard to accomplish the almost impossible feat of delivering the dialogue without letting the slurp get in the way.. :) may you remain sated and slurping for all times to come.. :P
and cheers to the hero's of the day.. Hari Bhai and Johnny.. you shine forth in the dark ages of the miserly messes and lead us hungry souls to ful"FILL"ment..
i unlike some of my other enterprising messmates, have not yet mastered the art of making the plate vanish from under the Akka's eye.. so i suffer in silence and dream of the legendary Hari Bhai and the Hot Dog Guy....
in a sleepy little marketplace of a sleepy little town called indore in madhya pradesh, there is a sleepy little shop, that wakes up at ten in the night.. and when it does.. boy.. what a roar u hear..
the owner of this shop is Hari Bhai and has been for more than 2 decades now.. stuffing an ever widening and ever increasing number of mouths with the most delicious sandwiches in the history of mankind,, no one has ever actually seen this magician.. its just the hand that delivers the sandwich to the waiting car outside that grabs your attention.. and such is the magic of his sandwiches that they can magically direct themselves to a tummy already filled with a five star five course dinner with amazing ease and accuracy.. and you'll still be drooling when your tummy shows the white flag.
there's another shop.. the size of a public bathroom (i know its a gross comparison.. blame the person who made it.. and trust me its not yours truly.. :P) in a place called CHAPPAN DUKAN (the 56 shops.. i wonder, if owing to its size, its even counted as one of them..) its the smallest shop in the territory and yet has the biggest business.. JOHNNY HOT DOG.. needless to say.. if you're as hungry as i am, you'll already be having visions of hotdogs with hands and feet dancing around in circles... ahem.. must stop.. i'm almost drooling over the keyboard..
well, i've never been to either of these shops. but i've spent many evenings of the last 2 years listening to the glorious tales of these great magicians.. of late, i've been thinking.. a trip to indore has become imminent.. :)
cheers to my little foodie friend who's regaled me with all these delicious tales for the past two years. she forbids me to mention her name here. but those of you who know me personally will know who i am talking about and will definitely some time or the other seen this little person's eyes go as big and round as saucers while her mouth is trying hard to accomplish the almost impossible feat of delivering the dialogue without letting the slurp get in the way.. :) may you remain sated and slurping for all times to come.. :P
and cheers to the hero's of the day.. Hari Bhai and Johnny.. you shine forth in the dark ages of the miserly messes and lead us hungry souls to ful"FILL"ment..
Friday, May 4, 2007
examine this..
temme something.. do you ever notice an ant's trajectory (dont know if its the right word..) as it walks from one end of your bed, or table or the floor of your room to the other? have u ever counted the number of lil' bugs under the tubelight on and around rainy days? have u ever noticed that your wall vibrates when the musically inclined peson in the room next to yours is indulging in his inclination? do you ever feel like counting the number of bikes that cross if your room faces the road.. do you ever have this sudden urge to arrange and leaf through some long forgotten pile of old magazines?
these are the things exams make me want to do..
i'm pretty sure its the same with many other people.. such urges surface violently from unknown corners of your heart, shatter the calm surface of your pool of concentration and leave you restless and helpless with a vengence..
have you ever noticed, the weather is at is breeziest, coolest and most enchanting best exactly the day before your most irritating paper? (any paper for that matter) and the day the exams get over, it goes back to its most sullen, hot and hateful self.. especially in the manipal even semester..
i wonder why it is so.. and trust me, wondering and discussing your mind's wanderings with friends is another divine way time flies.. :P
some of the most quality "bakar" happens during prep or exam times, bright ideas that never see the sunlight after the exams strut about in their moment of glory during such times..
the number of "i wish"s and "if only"s.. the maximum number of murders and dates and parties are planned during exam times..
and then we are cruelly brought back to earth..
exactly my case.. i better go study.. random variables are extending their tentacles across the room.., AAAARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH
these are the things exams make me want to do..
i'm pretty sure its the same with many other people.. such urges surface violently from unknown corners of your heart, shatter the calm surface of your pool of concentration and leave you restless and helpless with a vengence..
have you ever noticed, the weather is at is breeziest, coolest and most enchanting best exactly the day before your most irritating paper? (any paper for that matter) and the day the exams get over, it goes back to its most sullen, hot and hateful self.. especially in the manipal even semester..
i wonder why it is so.. and trust me, wondering and discussing your mind's wanderings with friends is another divine way time flies.. :P
some of the most quality "bakar" happens during prep or exam times, bright ideas that never see the sunlight after the exams strut about in their moment of glory during such times..
the number of "i wish"s and "if only"s.. the maximum number of murders and dates and parties are planned during exam times..
and then we are cruelly brought back to earth..
exactly my case.. i better go study.. random variables are extending their tentacles across the room.., AAAARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH
Thursday, May 3, 2007
questionable predictability and pissing off people
today class was simply pissing off... i'm normally happy to attend classes.. i know this categorises me as abnormal in more than one mind.. but yes.. i'm normally happy to attend classes. well considering the fact that i have nothing else to do back in my room, sitting in class and observing the antiquated antics of the ape(read student) and his ever failing trainer (dont read just guess) is always a better option..
but today class was simply pissing off.. contrary to my belief, 6 hours of sleep were not sufficient to keep me alert at 8. i was stupid with sleep during math class.. so stupid that i'd have made a 2+2=7 kinda mistake.. if only we were doing 2+2=7 kinda math... unfortunately, we are grappling with randomly irritating random variables.. and the theory of their probability.. they have succeded in confounding me in whicever dimension they are presented.. and i wont be mean if i state that their mean and variance are of no interest to me whatsoever except for the fact that if i pretend to listen, my teacher thinks i'm a good girl. normally i dont give a damn about these impressions, but i happen to think greatly about this particular teacher.. he is amazing.
well, the fact that sir was also in a grumpy mood was not helping matters. i somehow passed that period and fitfully dozed into the second hour, taken by our hod..
no offence meant, but this gentleman is currently the subject of an ongoing debate between my friends.. we cannot decide what he looks like... an irritated teddy bear.. or simply a large mean rat.. a walrus- some people helpfully chime in, hoping to distract us from our daily war of words.. personally, i dont care.. i keep switcing depending on how happy i am with his performance on a particular day..
today i felt like labelling him much worse than just a large mean rat when he walked off in the middle of class and in the middle of a lengthy problem .. then came a long break during which i roamed aroung in the library.. guess what.. there is a book called "getting straight A s " which instructs students to sit in the first row, take notes, and start studying one week before the exams.. talk about pointless books.. isnt this what we've been told in the major part of our educational endeavour?? why murder a poor innocent tree to tell us some more about it??
then came a surprisingly interesting class.. this teacher is a very well meaning gentleman whom most students shamelessly irritate.. the most violent form of punishment he has devised till date is making the offender sit in the first row..but again this time everyone except me was disinterested.. i had a tough time tryin to deciper his mumbles.. VHDL programming is fun.. but not if people are playing mindless vocabulary games right next to you.. and you cant blame them.. because normally u feel like doing the same in this particular class.. i frowned and fumed through one hour much to my friends' amusement..
lunch hour.....
well now i'm here.. i am not a nerd.. i like classes in a very normal dispassionate way ..maybe as a sedentary activity.. thats it.. but everything is incendiary when u are sleepy.. :(
i guess i better go sleep now since there is no second half..
god bless my cr..
p.s: i know this was completely pointless.. i am just doing this to induce sleep.
but today class was simply pissing off.. contrary to my belief, 6 hours of sleep were not sufficient to keep me alert at 8. i was stupid with sleep during math class.. so stupid that i'd have made a 2+2=7 kinda mistake.. if only we were doing 2+2=7 kinda math... unfortunately, we are grappling with randomly irritating random variables.. and the theory of their probability.. they have succeded in confounding me in whicever dimension they are presented.. and i wont be mean if i state that their mean and variance are of no interest to me whatsoever except for the fact that if i pretend to listen, my teacher thinks i'm a good girl. normally i dont give a damn about these impressions, but i happen to think greatly about this particular teacher.. he is amazing.
well, the fact that sir was also in a grumpy mood was not helping matters. i somehow passed that period and fitfully dozed into the second hour, taken by our hod..
no offence meant, but this gentleman is currently the subject of an ongoing debate between my friends.. we cannot decide what he looks like... an irritated teddy bear.. or simply a large mean rat.. a walrus- some people helpfully chime in, hoping to distract us from our daily war of words.. personally, i dont care.. i keep switcing depending on how happy i am with his performance on a particular day..
today i felt like labelling him much worse than just a large mean rat when he walked off in the middle of class and in the middle of a lengthy problem .. then came a long break during which i roamed aroung in the library.. guess what.. there is a book called "getting straight A s " which instructs students to sit in the first row, take notes, and start studying one week before the exams.. talk about pointless books.. isnt this what we've been told in the major part of our educational endeavour?? why murder a poor innocent tree to tell us some more about it??
then came a surprisingly interesting class.. this teacher is a very well meaning gentleman whom most students shamelessly irritate.. the most violent form of punishment he has devised till date is making the offender sit in the first row..but again this time everyone except me was disinterested.. i had a tough time tryin to deciper his mumbles.. VHDL programming is fun.. but not if people are playing mindless vocabulary games right next to you.. and you cant blame them.. because normally u feel like doing the same in this particular class.. i frowned and fumed through one hour much to my friends' amusement..
lunch hour.....
well now i'm here.. i am not a nerd.. i like classes in a very normal dispassionate way ..maybe as a sedentary activity.. thats it.. but everything is incendiary when u are sleepy.. :(
i guess i better go sleep now since there is no second half..
god bless my cr..
p.s: i know this was completely pointless.. i am just doing this to induce sleep.
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Orkutting Ordeals
The college has nothing better to do than block all possible ways of accessing orkut.. and we have nothing better to do than finding new ways of accessing it..
I mean.. come on .. whats the big deal with a social networking site? Are the authorities perturbed by the incidents that make it to the newspapers once in a while- instances of some hapless individual's account being hacked and used for unmentionable purposes? Or instances of shockingly inappropriate content being poured into impressionable minds?
If thats the case, what about our very own blessed LAN? its purpose is to provide us with a safe means of accessing the net and enable us to share useful or entertaining information with each other. Allow me to point out that the definition of useful and entertaining differs from person to person, which is the reason that some "entertaining" individuals of the boys' blocks have put porn into their shared folders. Some of them have even gone to the extent of putting it in the same folder as Tom and Jerry, where they serve to shock unsuspecting surfers like me for time durations varying from 3 seconds to i dont know when.. And did i forget to mention the viruses?
No offence to anyone, but the authorities either think the students are too innocent for such activities or that we are incapapble of handling the intellectual and emotional consequences of being exposed to such content. Then what may i ask is wrong with orkut?
It all boils sown to the fact that we as mature adults should be allowed to choose what we wish to get out of the internet. All of us are definitely aware of the risks of orkutting, so why not let us decide how far we want to go?
Its just amusing to observe that weed and porn , so abundantly available here, and definitely more dangerous than orkutting has failed to evoke the same reaction as the poor little networking site..
I mean.. come on .. whats the big deal with a social networking site? Are the authorities perturbed by the incidents that make it to the newspapers once in a while- instances of some hapless individual's account being hacked and used for unmentionable purposes? Or instances of shockingly inappropriate content being poured into impressionable minds?
If thats the case, what about our very own blessed LAN? its purpose is to provide us with a safe means of accessing the net and enable us to share useful or entertaining information with each other. Allow me to point out that the definition of useful and entertaining differs from person to person, which is the reason that some "entertaining" individuals of the boys' blocks have put porn into their shared folders. Some of them have even gone to the extent of putting it in the same folder as Tom and Jerry, where they serve to shock unsuspecting surfers like me for time durations varying from 3 seconds to i dont know when.. And did i forget to mention the viruses?
No offence to anyone, but the authorities either think the students are too innocent for such activities or that we are incapapble of handling the intellectual and emotional consequences of being exposed to such content. Then what may i ask is wrong with orkut?
It all boils sown to the fact that we as mature adults should be allowed to choose what we wish to get out of the internet. All of us are definitely aware of the risks of orkutting, so why not let us decide how far we want to go?
Its just amusing to observe that weed and porn , so abundantly available here, and definitely more dangerous than orkutting has failed to evoke the same reaction as the poor little networking site..
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
hello world...
i have a horrid lab endsem tomorrow... i know i'm going to mess it up.. i'm still happy because i know i wont be the only one messing up... lol.. there was a weird foreign word to describe this feeling.. cant recall it right now...
in any case..t hats how things are right now.. i thought i'd start a blog .. might be fun..
a sweet online friend of mine is eagerly waiting to spew venom on my first post.. will hand it over to him now..
see you around world.. :)
in any case..t hats how things are right now.. i thought i'd start a blog .. might be fun..
a sweet online friend of mine is eagerly waiting to spew venom on my first post.. will hand it over to him now..
see you around world.. :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)