”If love was shelter, I would walk in the rain”
The above line which I saw as someone’s status message in yahoo inspired the below lines. The thoughts expressed, though, are in total contrast to the source of inspiration.

If love was a deluge, I would want to get drenched.
If love was tsunami, I would want to get washed away.
If love was a whirlpool, I would want to get sucked in.
If love was Katrina, I would want to be swept away.
If love was an inferno, I would want to get burnt.
If love was a quake, I would want to get jolted.
If love was an accident, I would want to die.
And if love is reality, I would want to live.

Despite the form it takes, the feeling rocks.
But for now, love is just a history book,
that I really don’t want to read.

Friday, April 21, 2006

6.00 AM
7.00 AM
8.00 AM
9.00 AM
10.00 AM
.
.
.
10.00 PM
11.00 PM
Midnight

Ever since I talked about a new role, that's just how my everyday clock has been ticking. And now, am going to be officially away from town for another week, and I don't expect myself to be taking the time off to update my blog :o((((

From hardly working to working hard... Damn ! I never knew there was a sea of change :o((((

P.S. Maybe am exaggerating. Am just a lil held up at work though :o)

Thursday, March 09, 2006

Overheard this conversation while waiting for the elevator:

Guy: Hi, good morning, how are u doing?
Babe: Am fine thanks and you?
Guy: ** Extends his hand as if to shake hands with her **
Babe: ** Surprised and extends her hand too **
Guy: Today is my Birthday
Babe: Oh Many more happy returns of the day.

Remember she is a babe? And so most of our eyes (how shameless) were on her and so all our ears (close to 10 pairs) were glued onto this interesting conversation.

Guy: So when are you going to give me a treat?
Babe: Oh yeah. Am kind of busy today. Will let you know.

And she was only glad the elevator came down finally. They parted ways.

Overheard inside the elevator:

Babe: What’s wrong with him?
Her friend: Ha ha! I think he has something for you.
Babe: It’s his birthday and he is asking me for a treat.
Her friend: How shameless.

Well I only wished I were working in one of the top floors. I had to get down while they were still talking.

Well, maybe his intentions were genuine. But the ploy only turned out to be tactless. Hmm if only men can read the mind of a woman…

P.S.
After 4 long years, I have finally moved onto take over a different role at work. Know what that means?

New team.
More responsibilities.
Lots to do.
Less time.
New boss.
And the worst...
No more laptop.

Which means less time and limited resources to keep posting as often as I used to do :o((((

Sunday, February 26, 2006

I was on vacation.
I had gone to a different nation.

A nation where blog is an unknown concept.
A nation where the mind goes blank.
A nation where there is no inspiration.
A nation where motivation levels are low.
A nation where time moves at a slow pace.
A nation where friends cease to exist.
A nation where sleep is the order of the day.

Today, am back.
Back from my hiberNATION.

Saturday, February 18, 2006

“Today is my last day at work”, I went around extending my hand and telling everyone at work. In these 7 years of professional engagement with my current organization, I have never once been prompted to take this decision. In me, the feeling was mixed. But in others, I was surprised to see no emotion.

“Today is my last day at work”, I was telling my friend at work. “Oh yeah! Take care machi”, is all that he had to say. Does he really understand that am going to be away. After years of association, do we just end up becoming colleagues? Nothing more?

“Today is my last day at work”, I said to a colleague. “Good Somu, am happy for you”, she said. I even told this to the highest authority in my business unit and all he said was, “Why are you even telling me this?”

Have I not built relationships here for friends to miss my presence? Have I not contributed professionally to the cause of the organization for my management to feel the void? Maybe they realize I would be back in 20 days. After all, today is my last day at work before I go on vacation.

P.S. Booking tickets for Bangalore for this coming weekend and already made arrangements for the Bryan Adams show ;o)

Sunday, January 29, 2006

Running customers through our entire range of support tools is something I am designated to do. In one such demo exercise with a bunch of customers yesterday, I was encountering problems in navigating from one link to the other.

Not wanting to tell them that it is to do with backend issue, I just mentioned, “Sirs, am on wireless and the signal strength seems to be very poor”.

Convinced, the customers started walking out when one of my customer-friendly associates said, “Somu, I have a PC wired on the LAN. You can show it from there.” Little did he know that the problem was to do with backend and not my wireless LAN.

After 15 mins of embarrassment, I had to tell them what I wanted to avoid all along. “Sorry sirs. It is unfortunate that we are having back end issues now. I would love to walk across to the conference room sometime and show you the demo”.

Trust me. If you have been thinking “THINKING ON ONE’S FEET” is an individual trait, you are wrong. You might need others to shut their dim-witted mouths up for you to be successful in it.

Wednesday, January 25, 2006

It all started with having to drop my sister off at the MGM resorts yesterday. And on my way back at Mayajaal, I thought I would book tickets in advance for the evening. Having no concrete plans for the day and with everyone else being busy with their own work, I decided to chart out my own plan for the day.

Without delay, booked tickets for Aathi and watched it all by myself. End of it all, I was so happy, for, I did things I have never before done in life.

1. Watched a movie in the theatre all by myself.
2. Broke the mental block of having to drive through the ECR (This is primarily because of a nasty experience that I have had in ECR that costed a drunk by passer his life)
3. Crossed the 100 kM/Hr barrier (it sure is fun to see those vehicles disappear behind you)

Rest of the day saw me sleeping, window-shopping, and paying a visit to the good old Besi beach. In short, a wonderful day spent in the solitude of the best company I have ever had.

P.S. After Aathi, I would like to declare that am officially out of the Vijay fan club.

Monday, January 23, 2006

What happens when you have

A cold coffee
A devil’s own
A blue colored jazzy drink
A butter scotch ice cream
A black forest pastry ??????

You end up having a Happy Pongal.

Surprised?

Check out What happened on Jan 14th, 2006

Friday, January 20, 2006

** Based on a true story **

Time: 1930 hrs
Date: Jan 18, 2006

Much to his irritation, his mobile goes “Tring tring” just when he was about to leave home from office. Having battled with “Sir, you haven’t paid your bills” and “Do you need a credit card” calls all through the day, he was in no mood for anymore such trash. Being the sincere guy that he is, he could not ignore the fact that it could possibly be a customer of his. And so he picked up the call.

Caller: Is this Mr.So and So?
He: Yeah, this is very much he.
Caller: Am calling from XYZ bank.,
He: (As if he was waiting for this opportunity) Would you mind not calling me at such odd hours ? I am already on the verge of losing my patience.
Caller: But sir…
He: I absolutely have no need for credit cards, personal loans or any other shit you have to offer. So quit calling me again.
Caller: Am sorry sir. Your friend Jaikumar has given your name as reference for his personal loan application. So, this is just a formal enquiry.
He: Is it ? Geez Am so sorry. How can I help you?

And so the call finally ended.

At 2352 hrs, he is still wide-awake sincerely hoping that his friend gets the loan.

Wednesday, January 18, 2006

Never does she leave me,
notwithstanding my frantic attempts
to keep her in a safe distance.
She is all over me,
heedless to the utter disgust,
that I have developed in immense.

Though I despise her to the core,
I have had this live in relationship,
for more than a decade now.
Every night in my room,
before I catch up with forty winks,
hmm, to elaborate my etiquettes don't allow.

I might be her only Love,
but that's no reason
for me to be caught in her trap.
I cannot be married to her,
for the rest of my life,
fine if you brand me, a stone hearted chap.

Persistent, I can't let her get,
or allow her conquest of my life,
'coz I don't see it as a positive sign.
I desperately need to find a way,
to beat her to death,
this damn boredom of mine.

Tuesday, January 17, 2006

Everyone else : Ha ha ha
So me too : Ha ha ha
Everyone else : Clap clap clap
So me too : Clap clap clap

This happens every time I attempt something I do not understand. This time around it was a night show in Satyam – BLUFFMASTER. With the guy on my right happily sleeping (well he is worse than I am) and the one on my left thoroughly enjoying, I was left with no option but to interpret the movie in my own way. Luckily for me, I have this knack of enjoying movies no matter how crappy or incomprehensive they are.

After all this, there is just one question lingering in my mind.

How can a Hindi movie seem so much Greek and Latin to me?

Monday, January 16, 2006

Eating in Subway has become a routine for few of us at work. The quick service and the delicious sandwiches they have to offer are reasons why we sneak out for lunch there even on a working day. Overheard this conversation today at the Besant Nagar outlet between a customer (CU) and the subway guy (SW):

CU: Italian bread
SW: Veg or non veg ?
CU: Non veg, Chicken tikka
SW: Extra cheese?
CU: Sure. No tomatoes and olives
SW: Mint sauce?
CU: Sure.

After a while…

SW: May I vomit?
CU: urghhh no.
SW to the billing guy: One 6” Chicken Tikka, with extra cheese, without warming.

The rest of us: Ha ha ha ha ha !

Thursday, January 12, 2006

I know I have this habit of writing about every small meet that I attend. But everytime it gives me an oppurtunity to get to meet someone new that I can't help but write about them :o)

Not only were Upma, Vadai and Bhajji on the menu, but Nayantara and Narayana Moorthy were the chief guests of the teeny-weeny meet we had this weekend.



It was really nice of Ravi and Chitra to have invited us over to their place for supper last Saturday. Having been living in an apartment ever since I remember, it was quite natural for me to be surprised seeing a long standing independent house with a spacious courtyard right in the heart of the city.



DV made a special appearance and was keen on projecting himself as a kid-loving guy. The motive behind it is only known to the few who had gathered and maybe to few of his close friends too. Never knew making two fortnightly trips every year to Chennai from Quatar can have such serious objectives.



The rest of us were regulars.

Hari who was popularly known as Mister Hari on that day and the lady who has already broken her resolution by not talking much were the others who graced the occasion with their presence. Nayantara and Narayana Moorthy are Ravi’s cute kids :o) And ofcourse we missed Sophie who could not make it.



Thanks for the wonderful evening Ravi.

P.S. “I need to take this picture just to make her feel jealous”, DV was heard uttering these words as he clicked the below picture.

Tuesday, January 10, 2006

I mean no harm. I just wanna have a couple of drinks. Dance around for a while. Eat to my heart’s content. Spend some good time with friends. Probably network if there is an opportunity. And maybe at the end of it all, wish everyone a Happy New year. However undamaging my intent might be, the ban on me only seems unjustifiable.

And I just found out from here, that the synonym to a stag is a hart. Now you know why I call such parties HEARTLESS.

Friday, January 06, 2006

Dear 2006,

Free this world
from earthly quakes and seismic shakes,
from fiery volcanoes and blizzards of snow.

Free this world
from ruthless floods and brutal bloodsheds,
from dreadful droughts and awful blackouts.

Free this world,
from twister’s swoon and tornado’s doom,
from engulfing seas and merciless tsunamis.

Free this world,
from storms frightening and deathly lightening,
from raging fires and all of nature’s ire.

Looking forward to a disaster free year,
we welcome you.

HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!

P.S. Though this was written just after Tsunami, I was prompted to repost after reading one of Ramya's poems here.

Sunday, January 01, 2006

Feel liberated,
and break all barriers.

Take charge,
and be on top of this world.

Shelve your worries,
and pamper yourself with all you desire.

Dream your dreams,
and chase them to its fulfillment.

Embrace happiness,
and have a joyous celebration.

Feel special,
and special you are to all of us.

For, in every sense and every way,
EVERYDAY IS YOUR DAY !

Friday, December 30, 2005

Year-end pressures, escalations, backlogs and lotsa other things are eating into my time of late. Amidst all the chaos, I was given a task that I love doing – Write a motivating caption for the team circling around knowledge acquisition and make a poster out of it. After lot of discussions with the concerned, what you see here was the one that was finally approved.

Besides work, plan for the New year’s eve is going on in full swing. While we have our official party in Mayajaal tomorrow, we still haven’t planned on what we wanna do the next day. Just like everyone else, am hoping to start the year with a bang too.

Before I finish, here’s a New Year trivia.

How does a Chemistry professor wish everyone?
Wish you a Happy and Phosperous New Year.

Thursday, December 29, 2005

What was once a child's glee,
is now a parent's wail.
What was once a tourist spot,
is now a terror site.
What was once a thatched home,
is now barren space.
What were once peaceful waves,
are now horrific tsunamis.
What was once a soul with life,
is now a body dead.
What was once a lovely beach,
is now a burial ground.

You may have washed away lives,
of our near and dear,
our kith and kin,
you may have swept away our
homes and belonging.
But our hope is not dampened,
our determination not drenched,
our strength of mind not soaked,
we have pulled on,and survived.

Remember, you could only rise high to demolish storeys,
but not high enough to hit the stars,
THE REAL STARS, the SURVIVORS.

Written on 30th Dec, 2004
Pic courtesy

Monday, December 26, 2005

No racy tracks, no lousy dapaankuthus, no power packed lyrics, no solo Shankar Mahadeven intro, and no anything that Vijay is associated with. Surprising.

I don’t pen down reviews, for I feel that it ain’t my cup of tea. But was prompted to write this as there was an element that I have always been crazy about – VIJAY. Not meeting up with expectations normally lead to disappointments, but I was pleasantly surprised to see the usual Vijay ingredients missing in Aathi songs. While I would not debate the fact that he has given super hit songs, I personally feel that they do not appeal to all sections of the society. Would Aathi paint a different picture is to be waited and watched.

The prelude in "Olli Olli Udambae" sounds more like the one in "Ale ale" (boys), Karthik's voice reinforces it, and the words "Ale ale" in-between the song confirms it. Anuradha's voice that seemed irritating initially caught on me finally. A definitely inspired duet and a nice one to listen to.

"Lealakku Lealakku Leala" is an out and out folk song with the inclusion of english lyrics adding spice to it. I had an instant liking to this song sung by Kay Kay (Wow ! Wonderful diction for someone who does not speak Tamil) and Sujatha. Packed with subtle philosophies the song seems more situational than intentional.

"Thadakku Thadakku" is currently the song running on loop on my PC. A definite foot tapper where the pace of the beat (not a fast one though) is consistently maintained throughout the song. Sung by Hariharen and Sujatha

The voice that best fits melody is sadly the one that's least utilized these days."Athi Athikka" takes one back to good old days of SPB. I personally feel Sadhana Sargam is only adding blemish to the perfect rendering of the song by her male counterpart. Surprised to see a slow track in a Vijay album. My favourite among the lot.

I have nothing to talk about "Yeai Durra" sung by Tippu and Syndhavi. Just a cliched romantic dapaankuthu.

I sincerely feel this is a genuine attempt on Vijay's part to break free from his stereotyped portrayal on screen. Or at least that's how it seems for the time being. If his fans have been expecting a "Appadi podu" or a "Kodambakkam area", they are in for a big disappointment. Personally I like four of the five songs which is good for any album (that's my standard). Vidyasagar needs to be given all the credit.

Friday, December 23, 2005

The secret communion finally took place after several days of precision planning. Having members from diverse fields was unintentional, but that’s how it turned out when the famous five had their rendezvous. The man who calls himself “Who am I”, the economist, the cricketer and the graphics designer had already finished their coffee, when the protagonist made his entry. He always likes to make an entry.

When “Who am I” left the conclave citing reasons, the cricketer took the lead. His craving for sundal and mulagai bajji are unparalleled. And so the five, who were now reduced to four, followed suit and had their share of everything possible in the sands of the expansive beach. Rain may try to play spoil sport, but it can never dampen the spirits of four young and charming men, right? The meeting took it’s own turn and conversations on movies, Ilayaraja, marriage, cricket, higher studies could have been overheard had there been a bystander.

The sun had already descended down the faraway horizon and the rains didn’t seem like bidding farewell. And so the four moved in to the protagonist’s knight rider to take shelter and to carry on with their conversations. With hunger striking, they finally decided to taste Punjabi delicacies before they parted their own ways. The only agenda was to have a good time, and it sure did turn out to be 4 hours of matchless fun.

And so ended the story of the famous five (Naanyaar, Prabhu Karthik, Vatsan, Bharath, and Somu) who had a small yet a very memorable bloggers meet.

Wednesday, December 21, 2005