Conversation with the Cab driver (CD) who dropped me at the airport from the Hotel
CD : Hey buddy, how are you doin today ?
ME : Am good, and how about you ?
CD : Am doin jus wonderful, thank you very much. Had a good time in Las Vegas?
ME : Of course. This place really rocks.
CD : Believe me, this is the fastest growing economy in the United States.
CD : 7000 people migrate from other states every month.
Me : Really?
CD : $1 billion a month is what they make on just the casinos. You can imagine.

And this went on for a while till the airport. We were talking about the places I saw and could have seen.

CD : You have to come back to Las Vegas and if you do here’s my number.
CD : You have a safe journey back to your country.
ME : Thank you very much.

Conversation with the Taxi driver (TD) who dropped me at home from the airport
TD : * Silence *
ME : * Silence *
TD : * Silence *
ME : * More silence *
TD : * Still Silence*

After some agonizing moments of silence, I opened up. Of course not to recreate my earlier conversation.

ME : Intha signala left (left in this signal)
ME : Inga Right (right here)
ME : Inga U-Turn yedhuthu nirithikonga (Take a U-Turn and stop)
ME : Ainoorukku change irruka? (Do you have change for 500?)

Fascinated I was by the cab drivers who knew everything about the city to be tourist guides themselves. And they always kept the conversation lively. And did not squirm if there was no tip. The concept of a yapping yapping cab driver sure was a new experience. A sea of difference for what I have been used to in Chennai.

Is that why we have oceans between countries ?

Wednesday, June 29, 2005

 

When I realized,
I say sidewalk instead of platform,
wallet instead of purse and,
cab instead of Taxi,
I knew I have arrived in the US of A.

When I realized,
I roll up my tongue to pronounce,
rigor, rare, rumor, razor, restore,
recur, refer and many more “r” words,
I knew I have arrived in the US of A.

When I realized,
I have beer before lunch,
and coke after that,
'coz water is a preserved natural resource,
I knew I have arrived in the US of A.

When I realized,
the one who just whisked past,
with a big smile and a “hey buddy how are you doing today?”,
is a total stranger,
I knew I have arrived in the US of A.

When I realized,
I was shedding in the restroom,
and resting in the bedroom,
I knew I have arrived in the US of A.

When I realized,
there are two major money-making machines,
one that went by the name of slots,
and the other by the name sluts,
I knew I have arrived in the US of A.

When I realized,
in the kinda dress that women wear,
the top went as low as it could,
and the bottom went as high as possible,
I knew I have arrived in the US of A.

When I realized,
the one staring at me just inches away,
as I get ready to enter the alien country,
is a big beautiful belly button,
I knew I have arrived in the US of A.

P.S. Picture courtesy : Circuit-technology

Tuesday, June 28, 2005

Hi, am a scribbling pad and I have been surviving here for a month now. Somu, my official scribbler is going on vacation for a week. He claims he will be busy and would not find time for any sort of kirukkal.

Apparently, while he was scrawling today, I did manage to have a word with him and he assures he would be back with loads and loads of stuffs to doodle on me.

I wanted to tell everyone that this is just a temporary respite. My experience with Somu tells me that he would live up to his promise.

So, until he is back, I would be an empty space of junk. Upon his return, he would fill me with words and turn me to garbage. Gleefully when I told him all of you would give me company during his absence, he turned a little sad. I asked him why and he said,

HE WOULD MISS YOU ALL!

Friday, June 17, 2005

 

...or should I say I have been tagged. What you see above is a section of my table. Apart from the books in the corner, there are few other carelessly strewn ones all across the room. That’s just to tell you I am not a big book buff, but I definitely like reading.

So here it is Aarthy tagger…
Anjali tagger, your questions have been answered too.

Total Number of Books I own
About 5. Naalum therinjuka naalu booku podhaadha ?

Total number of books given to others and never came back
Call me stingy, selfish or cheap, the answer is still NONE. I guess not giving knowing it would never come back, has more to do with my smartness than selfishness.

Total number of books flicked from others
I am more used to flicking pens. Currently using Yusuf’s pen. As for books, I ain’t a kleptomaniac.

Last Book I bought
Vairamuthu kavidhaigal
When I came back home, I realized the first 70 pages has only reviews and there are lot of poems am not able to understand :o(

Last Book I was gifted
Leave alone gifting, I don’t even rent. Is it not quite natural for others to reciprocate? The answer again is NONE.

Last Book I read
Da Vinci Code
Was a one night love affair. I held her in my hands all night and enjoyed her from page to page.

I am currently reading
GODFATHER
Am reading, reading and reading for a long time now. Godfather would have become Godgrandfather by now.

Five Books that mean a lot to me
1. Da vinci Code
2. Godfather
3. Angels and Daemons
4. The rule of four – Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason
5. Vairamuthu Kavidhaigal

Did I not tell you I own just 5? And so they mean a lot to me.

Just thought would add one more question to the list…

3 books I started reading, but never completed
1. The rule of four – Review paathu yemaandhutein
2. Jane Austin’s Pride and Prejudice – Hmmm never could go beyond few pages. The language just went over my head.
3. Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged – Simply loved the book. But somehow never went beyond 100 pages

This is for Anjali who has also booked me.. err tagged me.

Book that made zero sense to me
Hmmm... ahem... urghhh An Introduction to management Science, Quantitative approaches to decision making ... heh heh !

The most treasured book
The one minute manager. Pretty neat stuff if you can follow what is preached in the book.

Who am I gonna tag ?
Smyta – Tit for tat
Sangeetha – Eye for an eye
Akshay – Dude, I know you would have lots to write
Sonal – Whispering solitude, I know you have books for company.
Gangadhar – Sorry dude, I took the liberty to put you through this.
Anand – I know you hate it

There is no compulsion for the tagged to feel they have been tagged or for the untagged to feel not tagged. Please use your discretion to put these details in your blogspot.

Thursday, June 16, 2005

I was waiting in an auto for the signal to turn green, when I saw her in the car next to me. I kept staring at her. She was beauty personified. A PYT in flesh and blood. But this is not what that caught my attention.

I continued staring at her. Longing for her Kadai Kan Paarvi (glance), I somehow wanted our eyes to meet. I tried waving at her, I tried screaming, all in vain.

I was still staring at her. “Just once, look at me please!”, I would have pleaded had she been within earshot. From red to amber the lights turned, and just when we were to move ahead, she turned towards me. The moment I was waiting for arrived.

When she realized I have been gaping at her audaciously, she turned red in her eyes, mumbled something in rage and went back to looking the other side. I had no time to react.

Shamelessly, I kept staring at her. I somehow wanted to warn her of her dress that was trapped in the car door.

Sigh!! Good intentions are never appreciated.

P.S. Aarthy, the book tag is on it’s way. I promise that it would be up by tomorrow.

Wednesday, June 15, 2005

I have always felt that it is lot easier to appreciate someone at work. But when it comes to throwing a brickbat, it’s a different ball game altogether.

I should not be hurting the other guy’s feelings. I should put it in such a way that it would make him realize his shortcomings. I have to enthuse him to get going and work towards improvisation. I should not be pointing fingers or blaming him. I should make it look more like a pep talk than a complaining session. And I should lend a helping hand.

Every time I take someone into the conference room for a little chat, I have to keep all the above in mind. Since I cannot predict his reaction, I can never be prepared for such sessions too. Today was yet another day when I had to enlighten a colleague of mine on where he is falling short and why he should start putting in more effort.

Another day! Another colleague! Another session! And I only hope I don’t say things that end up making them feel sore.

Wednesday, June 15, 2005

Who was the first individual to land on moon ?
Neil Armstrong.
Who was the umpteenth individual to do that?
God knows.

Who was the first to popularize quick tales?
Ammani.
Who was the umpteenth to follow suit.
Maybe that’s good ol me.

Love Affair
He likes holding onto her while talking.
Once in a while he unintentionally smacks her.
He realized its time he got a hands free for his mobile phone.

Job Shift
After his 17 year stint in this organization, he was contemplating a change of job.
After all, he was given a pink slip today.

The naked truth
He was running around stark naked.
All the college going girls were watching him without a blink.
They simply adore this 2-year-old kid.

True Love
He always went to bed after she slept.
He did not want his snore to disturb her.

Tuesday, June 14, 2005

Needless to say, she t(oer)agz me and so this post. I call it bragging more so because this is about myself. I would also call it tagging ragging ;o)

Three Names I Go By :
Soms (Very few call me that)
Somu (Almost everyone calls me that)
Soma (people have stopped calling me that)

Three Screen Names :
Supersoma (My first ever screen name)
Netsup_somu (Official one. Netsup stands for network support)
Hi_there_howdy (Well, hi there, howdy?)

Three Physical Things You Like About Yourself:
Eyes (Illey na sight adikka mudiyaathey)
Legs (Not for any xxx appeal. Just that I hate being static)
Nails (well, why do you think I bite them so much)

Three Physical Things You Don’t Like About Yourself:
My Hair (So rough and never listens to my comb)
My tongue (It never knows when to keep quiet)
My Nose (My feet and nose have swapped their roles. While the former stinks, the latter runs)

Three Things That Scare Me :
Scary stuffs
Scary things and
Scary items

Three Things I Want To Do Badly Right Now:
Finish off my unfinished Godfather
Watch Friends (Borrwed some DVDs today)
Have my dinner (If I could upload audio, I would have posted a wav file of my stomach’s growl)

Three Careers I have considered/Am Considering Right Now:
Start a music band (I am learning Guitar just for this)
Teaching (I love the kind of audience that would pay me undivided attention)
Become a lyricist (Vairamuthu and Bryan Adams kalandhu seidha oru kalavai)

Three Places I Want To Go On A Vacation
Just three? Read my earlier post and you would realize I have seen just over three places in my life. Awww I wanna have more options here.

Three Kiddy Names I Like :
Shreya (niece)
Ajay (nephew)
Vikram (nephew)

Three Things To Do Before I Die :
Take one deep breath
Tell all my secret crushes that I loved them once
Bungee jumping

Total Number Of Films I Own On Dvd/Video:
Less than 10. I prefer borrowing and renting.

The last film I bought:
Look whose talking. Lol. Awesome movie. If only kids can talk, they would turn out to be more adorable, right ?

The last film I watched:
Thenali. Saw it yesterday.

Three Of Your Everyday Essentials:
Internet (Always need to be connected)
My Mobile (Always need to be networked)
AC (Can’t survive without it in Chennai)

Three Things You Are Wearing Right Now:
A wrist watch. Ooops. Just a watch. Lol !

Three People Who Have To Take This Quiz :
Just three again? Everyone is welcome to the world of bragging.

5 stupid things you did as a kid
I grew up physically. Wish I was still a kid.
I failed to grow up emotionally. People still ask me to grow up
Stole 50 paise for buying big fun

If you were granted 3 wishes..what would you ask for?
The most beautiful woman
A cruise in the Carribean with her
Three more wishes

Your most embarrassing moments…
My first proposal to a woman. It is embarrassing to go through a sense of rejection
When I went to college with a clean shaven, Salman khan look
When I was booed out of stage when I sang “Minnaley” during my 1st year in college

Name a celeb you have a crush on
Asin

On a deserted island, you would take Asin along?

Monday, June 13, 2005

 

End of a travel does not necessitate the beginning of another. But then, when I came back to work today, I had news waiting for me. I was born and brought up in Chennai and that’s where I have spent most of my 27 years of existence. Tirunelveli being my native place, I have been there couple of times.

Since I started working I managed to visit Delhi and Mumbai. And there you have, my travelogue. And that’s as elaborate as I can get. Today, for a frog in the well, news about an overseas travel came as a very very pleasant surprise. That meant my Visa which had been shelved for the last 6 months finds itself in limelight all of a sudden.

Sure am excited. I am going for a Cisco conference, and that means some ground work. I need to cover a Casino and the Grand Canyon in the 5 days I have. I need to make a shopping list for myself. My friends have already given me their’s and Vodka tops the list.

I have seen Sleepless in Seattle,
I have seen Philadelphia,
Now it’s time for Destination LAS VEGAS.
Only this time, it ain’t gonna be some Hollywood movie.

Phew ! Does leaving the country energize everyone like this?

Monday, June 13, 2005

 

Never knew a cricket match between us (MIITS – A team I am not part of) and Enterprise Solutions would force me into writing a post. Hmmmmm.

They were definitely the underdogs.
We were the favorites.

They started playing in the nets a week back.
We were prepared to play with no preparation.

They were saying, “It’s ok to lose”.
We were like, “Ha ha ha”

Defeat was written all over their body language.
We were all set to taste victory.

They were trouncing our bowlers.
We were happy to chase a big score.

And today,
They hit a massive 175 in 20 overs.
We were all out for 167.

We had good bowlers and batsmen.
They had the spirit, enthusiasm and fire in them.

My Contribution:
7 runs and a wicket.
My learnings:
Never underestimate your enemy.
Never be complacent.
Never brim with over confidence.

There is nothing that can inspire me more than my own words. I wrote this poem (Never say die) more than a year back, and I thought it fits today’s situation to a tee.

The first carving is never the sculpture in display.
The first draft is never the Novel published.
The first sketch is never the Painting that sold.
The first scribble is never the Poem in print.
The first brawl is never the battle won.
The first step is never the Everest conquered.
The first stride is never the Journey traveled.
The first effort is never the Mission accomplished.
The first attempt is never Triumph in hand.
Victory does not come at the very first go,
As someone said,
You have to fail your way to success.

P.S. Photo Courtesy : www.phys.unsw.edu.au

Sunday, June 12, 2005

 

One thing I have always believed I never believed in was superstition. Hooting of owls, black cat or walking under the ladder have always meant nothing to me. But, the day I left for Coimbatore I experienced a revelation, that was against my beliefs, my viewpoints, and myself. All this because of whatever that happened.

Just 5 minutes before I left home the power went off and I was like “oops, did it have to fail at this time?

Moments later I was climbing down the stairs in the dark. I slipped and fell off half way through and my luggage came tumbling after. And I was like “Is something wrong today?”

I went back inside, had a glass of water and sat down for about ten minutes. In my mind I was like “My time ain’t right. Something bad is gonna happen”

At the Coimbatore station, I misplaced my purse. After 15 mins of frantic search, I finally found it. And I was like “Is this the beginning of my misfortune?”

Despite my strong impression on the absence of the Supernatural, I was occupied by a sense of unease throughout the journey. Would the train derail, would the van crash onto the median, or would something happen to me? Questions of such nature kept echoing in the deepest corners of my mind.

Today, back in the comforts of my home, I realize am safe, am untouched by any evil force and that I am in my pristine state. “Events of such nature cannot predict future nor is it an indication of anything that is destined”, I reassure myself.

One concept, mixed feelings and all in two days. So, I am sitting here confused about the question am not able to answer even with an iota of confidence. Am I superstitious or am I not?

P.S. Cartoon courtesy by www.cartoonstock.com

Saturday, June 11, 2005

 

Am off to Coimbatore and Erode today. That means 120 candidates to interview in just about two days. Well, I have to do my preparations / gearing ups too.

1. Make a bank of unique questions. Cannot repeat any question. My interviewer back then was so repetitive that I answered all questions.

2. Figure out answers to few questions. Its been ages now and I wouldn’t even know if someone answered Nyquist’s theorem is about how every action has an equal and opposite reaction.

3. Make a note of funny responses to my questions. Just love the laughter it evokes when I narrate them to my friends. An example
Me : What’s your ambition in life?
He : I want to become the youngest CEO.
Me : Do you know the youngest CEO is a 17 year old from Bangalore?
He : ummm errr… I still want to become the youngest CEO.

4. Be conscious as to not create any impression of gender bias. The last 7 candidates I recruited were women. Not that I was biased, but somehow that impression was created.

5. Ensure I stick to the number limitation. Or it would turn out that every other person I meet at work would be a fresher, every other person I talk to would be a trainee, and every other person I mail to would just be out of college.

6. Guard my lap top while traveling. Two recent thefts were reported and I don’t want to work without pay for three months.

7. Rehearse the pre-placement talk multiple times. Considering am doing it for the first time in front of 1000 students, I don’t want to fumble, stumble, mumble, stammer, falter, or splutter.

Well, though I would make an attempt, not sure if I can post before Friday. But that just means, loads and loads to blog about after I come back :o)

P.S. Cartoon courtesy by www.bc.edu

Tuesday, June 07, 2005

This is more a continuation of my previous post, and hence posting it on the same day. It’s against my policy, nonetheless, I am a sweet guy and so fulfilling the request of a friend (read it as SMYTA).

What can I do in the direction towards a cleaner and safer environment? Here’s my list. Just ignore the latter part of most points. This is what best I can do, given my limitations.

** Plant one sapling a month. I need the press to be present and my picture in the front page.

** Postpone my buying a car. Continue to hitchhike, tag along, or use the public transport.

** Use a Zippo and abandon matchboxes. Trees are felled to make them in Sivakasi.

** Conserve water. Take a quick shower. I mean it.

** Educate a child on recycling, conservation, and zero waste. I have to think of a different bedtime story for Shreya.

On a lighter note,

** Continue thriving on non-veg. Allow vegetation to live long.

** Get a transfer to Delhi where everything runs on CNG

From a teeny tiny seed grows a mega mighty tree. I am planting my seed here.

But I hope it continues to grow
here (Neelima)
here (Ashish)
here (Murali)
and here (Sangeetha)

And everyone else who is here, get this onto your site too. Let the world know that you care, and you would show it too.

Pass it on. After all it’s for a noble cause.

Monday, June 06, 2005

 

I peep out of my drawing room window. I see a lady washing utensils, I hear a kid screaming, and I notice my neighbor staring back at me.

I wonder standing in my balcony. There is a dried up well, the backyard of a seemingly haunted house, and a high rise building on the rise.

I am back at my bedroom window. There is an open terrace, an abandoned table on it, and fleets of cars and buses passing by.

I give up. A lush green meadow, emerald patches everywhere, a growing tree, a blooming garden filled with budding roses, a grassy, picturesque landscape, or a scenic pasture, I was hoping to see. Have we not grown up listening to stories of windows that open to a panoramic view?

I go out for a walk. Flats on one side, independent houses on the other, hazy clouds (or was it all smoke?), polluted sky, no fresh air, scorching heat, no breeze to gently wipe the sweat off me. Well, that’s life for me in Chennai.

Ironically, today (5th June,2005) is World environment Day. The focus is on the urban environment with the theme of greening cities. Can we start with Chennai please?

Monday, June 06, 2005

Tears of joy and tears of sorrow I witnessed yesterday. Everytime we set our foot onto a college for recruitments, it happens. The freshers hunt for the forthcoming year started with an Engineering college in Chennai and am I really pepped up?

The magical moment of my selection 6 years back was recalled. Hope in my eyes, anxiety in my mind, and desperation in my actions. Everything flashed past.

Now, I see it in these prospective professionals. Some are brilliant, yet not so communicative. Some are unrestrained, yet not so technical. Given the limitations I need to work with, I can select only a few. And its indigestible to know my decisions can disappoint students.

Yesterday, it was just as emotional to the students as it always is, when the results were announced. I sparked a little smile when I walked past the ones selected, and managed a grim face and a good luck when I met the other ones.

Campuses normally paint a rosy picture. But to me it’s just the otherwise. Who am I to mar or make the career of an individual? I know it’s my job, but what authority do I have to deny a candidate from pursuing his dreams ? Such questions can prick a conscience.

Hmmm 15 more colleges to go. Sigh.

P.S. On a lighter note, the last candidate asked me how it feels to be on the other side of the table. And I said, “Back then, I had to know the answers. But today, it’s just enough I know the questions”. There are lot of funny questions and answers that emerge, maybe I shall post them all after I complete my round of 15.

Sunday, June 05, 2005

I love writing. But now, am under a self-imposed compulsion to write daily.

I like to be creative. But now, am awake at 1.30 am, trying to get not out of insomnia, but writer’s block.

I am aware of the happenings around me. But now, am consciously trying to see which ones I can convert to a blog post.

I used to write for myself. But now, am constantly refreshing the page for comments.

I read and respond to all the comments. But now, I find that eating into my working hours.

I like bloghopping just as much as channel browsing. But now, am invariably glued onto my monitor.

I was new to the world of blogging. But now, am just as addicted as a chain smoker.

Is blogging a boon or a bane? Did you have the same problems too when you started off?

Saturday, June 04, 2005

This happened during our last semester. Professor X was taking his first class for us on Management Science. Within minutes he opened an Excel file and started explaining how to solve a Linear Program. “Ummmm, Excuse me.. It’s been a while since most of us had a session in Mathematics, so could you explain Linear equations in the first place”, I ask him.

The question was comfortably ignored and by that time MS Excel displayed the solution. “So, could you please explain the logic behind how Excel arrived at the answer”, I ask him again. “You have Excel, follow the steps, why do you need the logic”, he responded.

One more question on Integer Programming from a different quarter and the problem was skillfully skipped. Was it a complicated problem or was he just not able to answer the question? We decided to lodge a complaint with the highest authority of the institute hoping that our feedbacks would be heeded to.

So the next day, we browsed through the College prospectus to trace down the Dean’s contact details. To our dismay, it read,

Professor X,
Dean,
PQR Institute of management.

Today, our second semester stared. Guess who is teaching us Operations Management ?

P.S. I write this with all due respect to the Prof. He is learned and his experience is my age. But this was truly our experience, and so the post

Friday, June 03, 2005

I met her when I was in my final year. It was a short meeting where I answered few questions and was generally rambling about myself. Exams arrived and so there was a long gap. We got back together immediately after my final year engineering exams. I liked her a lot, for, she was the first one to truly accept me for what I was.

There has been no looking back ever since. There was lot of love, loads of passion and bundles of commitment from my side. Relationships are built with no favors in return, but she reciprocated for every action, good or the otherwise, of mine – a reason I never looked at anyone or anything outside of this relationship.

She taught me the need to persevere. I have had my tough times with her, but I pulled on. She has had some bad times with me, but she decided to hold on to me. In our six years of journey together, I have grown mature and have learnt a lot about life and the challenges it poses.

June 1, 1999, when I started my professional association with Sify, I never knew I would come this far. We are entering into our 7th year together and it feels like it was just yesterday

Thursday, June 02, 2005

Day 1
I was getting back home from work in the Honda City. Though it is a second-hand car, I simply adore it for it’s lush interiors. The seat is at a lower level which I always found uncomfortable. Well, they never consulted me when buying.

Day 2
I reached home in the Maruti 800. It suits my really small frame and I feel less intimidated inside it. Still, the AC is not so powerful and there is no central locking. Well, did they ever ask me before placing an order? However, personally this is the car I have used the most.

Day 3
It was the day of Ford Ikon. I never liked it’s silver green color. Well, I had no say over it when it was bought. Nevertheless, I enjoy the drive for the sheer pleasure of the music that emanates from the Bose speakers and subwoofers.

Day 4
I was coming back in Sonata. Sitting by the driver’s seat, as this wonderful vehicle vroomed past the slow coaches, I felt like the little prince of the road. This is my favorite car and all for the “J” look it brings in my neighbor’s eyes when I disembark. One car I have no complaints about.

Today
I wonder for how long I can depend on my friends and colleagues to drop me back home. And I say to myself, “Soon I need to get a car of my own”.

Wednesday, June 01, 2005