Missed on my CHOTA FHORTCUT

To quote Shahid Kapoor in Kaminey
"There are just two ways to success...FHORTCUT and CHOTA FHORTCUT"
I missed on my CHOTA FHORTCUT this weekend.

My frustration with my current employer is a known fact to my readers (anybody there btw???). But I wasn't ready for a change yet, it needs a lot of preparation before I actually jump to the pool. But I chanced on this requirement on Accent(Times Of India) for a walk-in for HP. I might give it a try I thought.But I wasn't ready. So be it...lets just find out where I stand.
Last Saturday, just when I was about to start, Db gave me this wonderful news that this drive was actually only for women who had 4-8 years of experience. Bingo!!! that's my CHOTA FHORTCUT. Since I believe women between 4-8 years of experience would be quite less in number, most of them looking for jobs after a break due to marriage or kids, mostly Aunties. So I stand a good chance since there would be hardly a 100 people. Ah!!! I wish I was a little prepared...but still there is a fairly good chance.

And I was right. There were maximum 70-80 people who turned up, most of them were Aunties who wanted to resume their careers after a break.
I had reached there by 10 am, but I was kept waiting till almost 3pm...while people who came after me had already finished and left. After continuous inquiry, it turned out that they had lost my resume.
Finally, my turn came around 3, after I gave them another copy of my resume. My tech round was quite good. I wonder, if I am actually good at my concepts or like the lucky JAMAL in Slumdog Millionaire, I was destined to be asked only those questions for whom I knew the answers...except one. For that one question caused all the unpleasant trouble. The interviewer was one lady (who had enough facial hair to be called a man, and looking at her face actually distracted me), she asked me to write a program. I used a logic which she wasn't expecting, I tried convincing her that it would give the same result and she looked convinced...at least that what I thought.
I was selected in the Tech round, and proceeded for the Managerial round...which again went very well and I was passed on to the HR for the rest of the formalities. By the time it was 5.30 pm, and I was the only person left. The HR lady approached me, and we started the discussion, if I was ready to relocate to Chennai and my current package etc. It was unbelievable, I could resign on the next Monday...I had already started to imagine my manager's expression when I would tell him that I quit. Yeeeeeeeeeee!!!!

Just then a man approached us, to say that he had some technical questions for me. But I already finished that round, but he insisted on one. And before I could even understand what was going on, the HR was gone and he was seated across the table taking another technical interview.
My mind went numb...so am I not resigning this Monday!!! He asked me a few questions and I could realize that I was too tired to think. He asked me to explain the same program which I had written for the other lady...he said the results would be the same but the performance would be bad...Ohh!!!...so I might have to bear my manager for some while now. He looked angry for some reason, he was hell bent to prove I wasn't good enough. I answered most of his questions, but each time he gave me the expression like he was sitting next to an idiot of the first order. What is he so mad about???...I still donno.

It was over...he asked me to leave.

I knew this was not right. It was less of a technical test and more of stress test. If I wasn't good enough they could have rejected me in the 1st round itself...or are the interviewers not good enough to judge people. Who makes them sit in the panel if they can't judge if the candidate is good. I wanted to turn back and give a piece of my mind to the HR, I had nothing to lose...but I felt tired and humiliated.
It was like smelling me the chocolate and taking it back.
This was my CHOTA FHORTCUT, and I just missed it by a thin line.
I wish I would have said "No...I donno how to do it" for that piece of code. I knew I would still have been selected, the rest of the interview was good. If not I wouldn't hurt so much, since I knew I wasn't prepared.

No worries...I know I am good at my work and there are sure better places to work, and bigger problems in life to worry about.
Like my Delhi trip this weekend, which is neither for MY business nor pleasure. Its more to try to straighten things for people who are family and who refuse to help themselves and have become the cause of worries for the rest of the family.
God help me help them...Amen to that.

Ah!!! Problems...do they have a tail???

The Tide

I am on a lot of caffeine now, empty stomach, a severe headache, with some moronic stuff to be completed while all I want to do now is to slip off home.
FUCK IT... I'M FRUSTRATED AND I REALLY NEED TO PUSH THOUGHT IT!!!

There is an underlying truth to frustration...there is something that seems wrong...something that you are driven nuts about because it is NOT happening, or IS happening...and you can do nothing about it while you can't also bear the pain of being a silent spectator and watch while the drama unfolds itself.

Why is it so difficult for some people to accept their failures gracefully? Why is ego so important? Why is it so important to be like somebody else? Why can't people look within themselves to find the happiness that they are actually looking for from other people?
Why is changing oneself so difficult? Are we locked into our persona...so much so that we can never break free from it and change ourselves.
Can we not realize that the glorified picture we have of ourselves is not correct, and instead of waiting around for things to change, we change nothing, that's foolish.

I am helpless, feeling like a loser that I can't help my own people, people who are all I have. I clearly see what's going wrong and who's going wrong...but I can hardly do anything about it. People who I love, who I care for, are in so much pain...it hurts. And I am not helping, I can''t.

Awhhh!!!...Honestly, it's one of those days that I could just scream...

My colleague was complaining me today that she has spotted this new guy in our team staring at her boobs. Needless to say she was very irritated with this regular practice of his, so much so that she now avoids meeting him and discuss work with him.

Accepted that men are programmed that way...but there has to be some decency at office.
Now, I remember the bollywood movies in the 80's would have the heroines with huge boobs and God knows what made them think that they ought to look conical in shape (and don't get me started of the kind of dresses that would had the boobs in a different and darker shade). Basically those are the kind of boobs that catch attention.
But this colleague of mine who is hardly 5 feet tall and looks more like a school girl who has lost her way and landed up at a office, and hardly any noticeable assets is quite not something to be stared at...unless the guy has challenged himself to check out her assets to find if she has any at all!!! Okay that was a PJ...at least that's what she told when I said the same thing to her.

Ok now...don't feel bad...I tell her. If you really wanna do something about it, stare at his crotch whenever he stares at your boobs (at least we used to do the same when at college...but well yes...office is different), still worse...raise an incident with the HR. And if nothing else we will screw up his appraisal for this.

WTF!!!

Finding a blog name for Db

Db wanted to start a blog for himself, not that he doesn't have one. But its not been put to good use...which he intends to now. So it was like turning a new leaf with a brand new blog name.

So we started looking for a good blog title for him.
We started with more relevant names like mydailybites, randommusings...and more, which were all taken.
Next he started playing with titles like jorukagulam, thehenpeckedhusband, mujhemeribiwisebachao...only to find that there were people who had already gone through the same misery long before Db realized his state...heh. After an year of marriage, what else is a blog good for if you cant pen your rants on your wife.
Lastly, we even tried all dirty slangs like sa*le, ter*maki, kuttakamina, bewda (and more which I have censored keeping in mind that my SIL has started reading my blog), but no luck.
And finally we tried, allcoolblogtitlesaretaken, cantfindatitle, cantfindanything and those was taken too. I totally sympathize with these guys, having realized what we went through to find a blog title for Db.

If you are still reading on and expecting that I am gonna pass on a link to Db's blog from mine, huh!!! forget it.
After 3 years of blogging and investing so much time, energy, imagination and internet bills on glorifying myself on my blog, you think I am gonna pass on my readers(hardly any though...sob) to read his blog and throw all my efforts to the drains.
Nopes!!!

The price of trusting a girl and her plans...

I had been so tired of saying alone this weekend. So I invited one of my friend home this Saturday. What I conveniently ignored is never to bank on a girls punctuality, her plans and her moods.

So, taking all at her face value, I was waiting for her, all set by 9.30 in the morning. She gives me a call around the same time to tell me that she is about to start from her home in another 10-15 minutes. Here I would like to mention that her home is good 20 kms away from mine. So there was no hope of her to join me for breakfast, so I was now expecting her by 11am, so that she could join me for lunch. But it was 12 noon already, and there was no signs for her. I called her, to find her still a good 10kms far from my residence. I gave her a piece of my mind and asked her to please make it fast since I was starving by then.
To divert my mind, I started watching Notting Hill on Star Movies, but that was not to be for long, since soon the power went off, and the security guards didn't bother to start the generator. It was 1 pm already.

Fuming by then, I decided to make a move and go to he Oasis center, which is the closest mall. I tried calling my friend, but it went unheard for. So I left her an SMS and started for the mall. I felt having lunch without her would e too rude, so I started killing time window shopping at Lifestyle...trying her mobile endlessly all the while in vain.
Finally she arrived around 1.45 pm...only to say that she was late because she wanted to pick a gift for me since she was coming my home for the first time...and apologized that she couldn't find me anything, so she bought me some pastries. Grr to that!!!...I would have been a lot happier if she would have come an hour early instead of getting those god damned pastries. Finally we finished lunch at the food court.

Now she wanted me to take her around the mall, since she was here for the first time. So we went around the gaming zone and lifestyle. She suddenly realized that the next day was Ganesh Chaturthi, and she is supposed to get some new stuff for her younger brother. She wanted to pick a T-shirt for him. Kool with me, since I believed picking one T-shirt (without hitting the trial room) should take 15 odd minutes (I could take less than that. No matter what I shop for, my shopping takes 15-20 minutes maximum...Yeah!!! I know Db is the lucky one). But now she was on a T-shirt hunt for almost over an hour, and I was left for an endless wait doing what...NOTHING (since I had already finished my share of window shopping, and anyway I can't even do that for more than a few minutes).

My blood pressure was shooting up to new heights that I never knew. I went up to her a a couple of times, telling her that she was ruining my weekend, but in vain. She ended up shopping for 3 T-shirts and two trousers for her brother since she was not sure if he would like her choice...so she bought more things, hoping he would at least like one of them (what a pathetic theory!!!).
Anyways it was 4 in the evening already, so we came home. I served her some cold coffee, and she was on her way in half an hour since I had to leave for my dance class.

So that's my sad story of a spoiled weekend. I bet I was happier when I was alone watching movies, painting, reading or for that matter sleeping. This is the price you pay for trusting a girl on her plans.

For people who don't know, I am a girl myself.
But may be when the God Almighty was manufacturing me, he forgot to plant the hormones in me, which makes a girl take half an hour in the bathroom ( I take hardly 5 min), take another 1 hour for make up, unpunctual (I am overtly punctual), make haywire plans (I am a big time planner) and shop like there is no tomorrow(I can't stay in a shop for more than 15 min). Yes, Yes, Yes...I know Db is the lucky one...is he listening BTW???

Not that I am without my flaws...but that may be some other time, another post.

I had a bad bad day today...

The day started well...I slept till almost 10 in he morning.
So had only half n hour to get ready for office. I decided to have the boiled egg, that I had kept in the fridge last night, for breakfast since that was the most quick option I could think of. But the egg was too cold, so I thought I could keep it in the microwave for a few seconds.
I put it in the microwave, and left it for 20 seconds.
Now a sudden loud sound of a blast caught my attention, only to find that the egg has exploded inside the microwave, creating one of the filthiest mess I have ever witnessed. Cleaning off that stuff took me 15 minutes.

Now I finally managed to start for office only to get trapped in one of the ugliest traffic jams.
Needless to say, I reached almost half an hour late to office, only to find my manager has come back from his long leave TODAY.

For lunch as we started, my brand new pair of shoes decided to ditch me, by quitting their heels. Now, I was absolutely handicapped, I couldn't even go to the loo without any footwear.
I took the footwear of one of my friends and got a new pair of new sandals(a temporary workaround) for myself from the national market.
Finally, when we could manage to start for lunch, there were brinjals in the lunch (not that its any better other days) which we unanimously despise...also the burgers in the coffee day express were done with. Since it was too late to go out for lunch, we managed with samosas for lunch.

It's certainly a bad day for me...but there are still a few hours before the day ends. Lets see what more awaits me.

A Wild thought...

One wishful thought that occurred to me last night after my manager kinda rejected my leave request for two days next month.

Hope I someday join as a manager to my manager, I am gonna screw up his life. I would not let him take even half a day off in a year, I will screw up his appraisal every time and make him do piles of work with a system slower than a snail. (Ah!!! The thought of it gives me immense pleasure)

Well...Db, the playing his usual Devil's Advocate, enlightened me that to get that kinda sadist pleasure, and join as a manager to a person 3 times more experienced than me, the minimum I need is an MBA degree from some likes of ISB, Hyderabad.

Hah!!! I don't mind trying that hard to get even with him.

Great!!! He goes...
You earn the lakhs and I am gonna leave my job and become a house husband.

Now that's some wilder thought...I must say.

Awaiting my independence day

Sounds like my frustration level is gradually rising...right!!!
So be it!!!

We had a so called independence day celebration at office today.
A so-called celebration inside the cafeteria, in a 800 sq ft area, where a total junta of odd 1000 people were expected to stand and watch the ongoing celebration, with people breathing over each others neck (literally), pushing each other with their sweating hands. Now that's some celebration!!!
A company which a respected brand over the globe, treats its employees like damned charity.

I am sick of these brands and big names. With my experience of over 4 years in this industry, I have worked with the biggest brand names you could think of, and eventually I realize that all that glitters is actually not gold. Big brands which show huge profits on their balance sheets, are also achieved by curbing the rights and privileges of people like us...starting with cutting on our paychecks, leaves to toilet tissues.

What stops me...you might ask!!!
The recession is one of the answers...also the fact that I need the money that comes from this job. I am desperate to leave this place ASAP, but I need to go through this till I have another offer in hand.
Hope that happens soon.

And yes, before I forget...HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY.

How time flies...

My friend L turned into a mother yesterday.
She was my first roommate at hotel...one of the first friends that I made during my graduation days.
Feels like yesterday, that we were standing in a queue at hostel waiting to be ragged by the seniors...doing all kida silly stuff which passed as ragging...laughing, crying, dancing, eating and again ragging the juniors together.

She is a the proud mother of a son today...the first mother in our group.
Congratulations dear...to this bright new chapter in life.

Lonely tonite

I am feeling lonely tonite.
Not sure if Db's absence is the only reason.
May be the anticipation of office tomorrow also plays a big part for it.
I am starting to hate my office already...my manager, the policies that this company claims.

Nothing helps...no amount of chocolate, colddrinks or chicken is helping.
Next weekend, I am gonna try wine.

I have started my dance lessons...
My entire body aches...but I hope I'll lose some kilos this time.

And finally, I managed to get the full version of Diner Dash, something I have been looking for since quite some time.
But as i played till the 18th level, I am already bored of it.
Geminis...I tell you!!! Its tough to be one.

Bad start of the day

A real bad one at that.
Disclaimer : Terribly frustrated rants ahead.

As soon as I reach office into the jam packed parking, I hurt my leg with an oddly parked bike. Damn they cant provide proper parking also!!! But there was more drama awaiting at the reception.
I was greeted by the HR lady at the reception with the information that I was not properly dressed according to the company policies. I wondered what was wrong with my dress, a jeans and a casual T-shirt and scandals. Apparently we are not supposed to wear round necks according to our company rules...as if we are those sex objects around, who need to hide their necks lest the rest of the hungry sharks (men) pounce on us. Earlier during the HR dress code information which was given to us on the floor meet, they had asked us to avoid wearing round necks although its actually not considered to be an offense.
Now here she was, eating her own words, asking me to register my employee id in the list of offenders, for which she was going to cut one of my casual leaves and also I go back home and change and come back. I told her if that was the case, I am not going to travel 30 kms to and fro to change a mere T-shirt and also if she is gonna cut a day of my leave balance, I return straight from here back home and actually take this day off.
Now that isn't permissible.
You have to go home and change and come back and lose a day of casual leave as well.
You can't have both the sides of the coin to your side.
I stared straight into her face, I said its your policy to cut a day off for so-called nondisciplinary actions, but I refuse to work on a day I am not gonna get paid for and you have no policy to stop me.
She agreed.
I decided to leave and inform my manager and client that she didn't let me in since I was wearing a round neck today.

Now when I see my manager, he gives me that why-are-you-here look. I told him the matter and said I was leaving.
He threw the words at me saying it was my fault for not being appropriately dressed and that I should have read the notice board.
I was like what notice board...there is notice on it.
He took me to the notice board to prove his point only to see there was none.
Ahem....

Manager :Well...you have to go home and change and come back. I am giving you two hours.
Me: I am sorry, I cant travel another 30 kms for such a petty stuff. If at all I am going home, for sure I will not come back.
Manager: In that case I will take strict action you. I will make sure they cut your salary or two days instead of one.

Now that pushed me to the edge. People who know me, know that I don't lose my temper easily, but when I do God-save-you. I hate it when people treat me like charity. I work much more than what I get paid for, and nobody is doing me a favor by giving me this job. I am here because I work and I am worth it. Still they expect us to become scientists, while the systems that they provide to employees are from the Mugle-Azam era, and run slower than snails.
And I have a question...if I am all that genius...why the eff* would I work here for peanuts...I would rather work for Google for a hefty package. Your expectations from your employees is sky high, while you cant even provide a pantry or toilet tissues in return. Damn the CMM Level 5!!!

All I wanted to say then was 'Eff* off' and leave... but this was office and we are professionals. I donno how controlled myself, I gave him a stare which could melt the Alps and just managed with...
'I am not going home and if I do I won't come back. You can suit yourself.'
I turned back and left without waiting for an answer.

As I came out from his cubicle, I felt like a wounded cobra, fuming with anger.
I started looking at the portal site for the RESIGN option, but I couldn't find it. Its not just for the today's episode, I am ever so frustrated with this company, its policies, its facilities, its expectations and the effing managers.

So I waited for my anger to ebb down, which it didn't. Washed my face, had some tea...didn't help. Spoke to Db, sent a mail to the HR sending me a copy of the dress code policy since I couldn't find it on the portal site.
My lead came, again in a round neck T-shirt but had escaped somehow. The manager came to us and warned her to be careful next time. He then turned to me, saying you were just unlucky, you are a thief only when you are caught...and smiled away to glory.

And just now I felt the pain in my leg and checked out that it was bleeding of the injury I got the first thing I entered the office premises today. I had totally forgotten about it amidst all this drama.

I don't have a title for this one...

Its 2.30 in the night now...I am just not sleepy and D is not around to force me to sleep with his usual 'Which part of NO do you not understand???'

I had a meeting this evening with my clients, to discuss the new project that my previous employer has lost to us. But my name was convieniently missed in the meeting request. I dont't mind...more so since this meeting was supposed to start at 8.30 pm and was expected to run for at least for a hour. So I decided not to be too generous to offer to be a part of the meeting was not invited to. Also since Db is out of the city now, I didn't have the nerve to drive back home so late.

Times have changed now.

I remember my days when I was new to Bangalore, I was working with my previous employer in a crappy project, an irritating moronic team lead, even more moronic manager and going through an ugly breakup. With my previous employer, working till 10-12 pm in the night was standard for a weekday and working on Saturday was taken for granted.

On one particular evening, it was almost 12 midnight by the time I finished my work...and when I called the security for a cab, he said that due to some technical difficulty they were not providing cab service for door step drop. I got so pissed off...I was new to Bangalore and wan't sure of my way back. I was scared to take an auto so late in the night. But I managed...and I managed every single day of my life on my own. Most of my life I had been single, and handled myself through every phase of my life...alone. This is something I have always been very proud of...the fact that I am an independent person.

But ever since my marraige to Db, I find myself dependent on him. I can't work late if he is not in town, I let him handle my phone bills and credit card bills, I am not sure when,how and where does he pay the electricity and internet bills.

I am not an independent person any more...not half what I had always been.

I donno what else to write...I am feeling aimless while typing, but I insist to continue...

I have the laptop on my lap, a book on Springs to my right which I was reading a few minutes back, and the TV is on infront of me...the movie Damini being telecasted...multitasking at its best...hai naa!!!

I was reading book called 'Spring in Action'. Its a nice book, covers most of the chapters in Springs and AOP. Planning to finish this one an one more by the end of next month and start appearing for interview after that...can't work under this sadist manager anymore.

I like this movie Damini...loved Sunny Deol in the movie...he had few of the most awesome dialogues that Indian movies would ever write, 'Yeh Dhai kilo ka haat...'. I relate to Meenakshi's character in a lot of ways...even I would have done the same...may be. This is something Db has always been worried about...the fact that I am an idealist.

This post is going no where...looks like I am blabbering now.

I think I should go to sleep now.

In less than twelve hours...

In less than twelve hours Db would be starting for his three months long assignment to pune.
I wanna be with him now for sometime, but damn this job, I can't move my a** from my chair...
So its gonna be a long long period of home alone, and back to single hood again.
And there is gonna be a lot of blogging, I mean real lot of it...

...in less than twelve hours.

Enormously irritated

Disclaimer : This post is going to be full of random ranting. So before you go ahead, you have been warned.

Every single time I have a meeting with my manager, I feel like throwing my resignation on his face right there. I mean, despite of the fact that they have screwed the ratings of 80% of the people in the account, slashed our salaries by 10% citing the aforementioned excuse, they still have the face to ask us to work harder for things which we are actually not supposed to do under any compulsion.
I mean I did not have a problem, if they had cut my package on the pretext of recession. I understand this is a tough time, but they slashed my salary by reducing my appraisal ratings, despite of the fact that I, and for that matter my entire team had a good customer satisfaction rating and also held decent certifications. Yet they screwed the ratings for all of us.

Now we have a meeting to ask us to have some kinda idea generation which would give a cost benefit to either my employer or my client...and this is a part of our goal settings, which would result to further cut down our ratings if we fail to do the same. I mean, if each one of us is supposed to come up with such ideas, wouldn't we all have scientists in our organization.
And if I forgot to mention, we also have to do two certifications in a year...one domain and one technical and take a few trainings and also gave a few of the same.

And then on a lighter note, he asks...so what is your motivation to work at office other than your salary (of course, that not a motivation, rather it's something that demotivates me), to which there was an uncomfortable silence.
So he adds, I want you guys to take initiative in making team activities, outings and doing social activities. Take some time out and volunteer for such activities, go and teach at orphanages and handicapped children on weekends, tree planting outings and stuff. This is also a part of your goal settings and if not complied to will result to reducing your appraisal ratings.

Fucker...!!! I whispered to myself.

I don't mind being a volunteer for team activities or social service, but that should be something I want to do myself and not compelled to do so as to secure my appraisal ratings...

I mean...Argh!!! I donno what else to say...I am just too pissed off.

Dirty mind at work

Is it just me me to observe that on the sponsors of the popular show Rakhi ka Swayamvar are I-pill contraceptive pills, condomns and revital.

What's the connection dude...!!!????

Singlehood days coming again

Yeah...yours truly is again going back to her single hood days for a while, starting next week, while Db would be away for a good 3 months.

Well...this time I am more determined than ever to utilize this time in a way better way than just sleeping, brushing, bathing, eating, office and streaming movies. I have already enrolled for Salsa lessons and also am looking forward to swimming lessons. And not to mention update myself with Springs, Hibernate and Spring webservices and Struts(hopefully) and start appearing for interviews by the time Db is back...and in the process might lose a few kilos ;)
Now Howzzzat!!!

Now that my parents are here for a week, I really would need those extra kilos to be shed off which my Mom has fed into me...while all the while she scared the living daylights out of Db by feeding him all vegetables known to human race(Db hates each single one of them) on the pretext of good health. Db was scandalized the day they arrived with a bag carrying at least 10 kilos of green vegetables which they carried all the way from Rourkela while traveling by train for two days...only to be fed to their dear DAMAD who cant stand the sight of them.
And don't get me started on the Saas Bahu serials (courtesy Ekta Kapoor), the torture that she puts him through, as if my Balika Vadhu was not enough (that's one serial I watch)...
My sympathies with him.
Tch Tch!!!

Irony...

My previous employer has lost a dear project to my current employer and I am here receiving KT from my old folks for the same.

And I still see the same problems prevailing there...
- overworked,
- sling the mud onto others to keep your back safe.
- I-give-a-damn attitude.

Somethings never change.

Sigh!!!

Sometimes I hate to be a part of a middle class family.

When I was younger, I remember my Father asked me once…so how much money is enough for you. To which I had replied that, I want enough money so that whenever I wanna buy something for myself I don’t have to think twice.

And I am proud to say I have reached there today.

Also I always wanted that I depend on no one, which is again something I take pride in. But yeah…I never considered that if you are independent yourself, you will always find people who are dependent on you…which is now, my problem.

I find people dependent on me…so much so that at times I can’t get what I want for myself. When I sit to prioritize things I find them at more dire situations than I am.

But what hurts me more when some of them don’t understand the responsibility of the money, the efforts and sacrifices you put in on them.

Being from a middle class family, I know the value of money, and I feel bad each time I have to shell out a few tens of thousands for people, more so when they don’t feel half the responsibility of the same. I want to save some money for myself, my future, a house, some property…despite the fact that I(rather WE) work our as* off for the same, I don’t seem to go any where close towards it.

Well!!! I had started this blog so as to keep a log of my feelings at various times and circumstances of my life and in a way it makes me happy that not many people read my blog...hence the post.

To conclude…if you would have invested 10000 rupees in Infosys shares in 1993 it would be equal to 2 crores today...

To quote Db’s words

काश यह मेरे बाप को पता होता !!! *Sigh!!!*

The Jamalghota Experience

My friend today was asking me for something that I could recommend her for constipation.
Like a flash in the pan, I say JAMALGHOTA.
'You must have heard this name in some bollywood movie, I am sure it doesn't work'...she said.
'It does...I know'.

This is an incident that happened 5 years and 10 kilos ago.
Gone are those days when I didn't have to think twice before savoring a delicacy...but Ah the irony of life, I didn't have 1/50th of the kind of money that I can spare today.

Me and my roomie LP were starving for some good food. My mess owner, lets call him Budha(that's exactly what we called him then) was very fond of both of us (still we called him Budha). We just happened to mention to him that we were craving for some good food and neither did we have money to afford it nor a boyfriend who could sponsor the same.
Budha senti ho gaya...
He mentioned this wedding reception that he was to attend the same evening at the Hotel Marriot and offered us to join him if we wished. That was most certainly an offer that we couldn't refuse and we hoped onto his car when he was about to start.
To our luck, the food at the reception was great to be an understatement. We hogged the food as if we had come from some famine affected area and haven't seen food since a couple of weeks. Of course we had no idea what table manners meant then.

But the trouble in paradise came when the food which looked so great and tasted even greater landed us constipated for two days. Finally we went to the Budha for rescue. He gave us some medicine which looked like Cadbury Gems which we were told was JamalGhota. We had heard about it in various bollywood movies and how you are supposed to run into the bathroom as if you have fire in your a*s after having it.
Since we had only one bathroom attached to our room, we asked SM in the adjacent room to keep her bathroom available since one of us would be hitting it in another ten minutes. And then we waited with bated breath for what looked like ages but nothing happened. We cursed our luck, cursed the all the Jamlghota makers on earth and all bollywood scriptwriters who made us believe it would work and went to sleep late in the night.

I looked at the watch, it was five in the morning. I could feel something building in my stomach. What's wrong with me...okay..flashback...good food, hotel Marriot, the reception, constipation, Jamalghota...Gawd is working. I ran to the bathroom, its locked from inside...I start banging, its LP inside...'how long will you take'...'I donno' she says 'my brakes are failed'...Damn her!!!
I ran to SM's room. They are all sleeping. I bang her door with all my worth, no response...I bang harder, now I hear some grumbling sounds, the sounds of being disturbed from sleep at five in the morning...but then what are friends for. I know they are all awake but just waiting for each other to open the door. So, finally I threatened to help myself right there in front of their door if they don't oblige...now that worked and the door finally opened to my rescue.

So that's how I know.

So much for a vegetarian meal

I have this friend at office who is pure vegetarian, who doesn't eat paneer and mushrooms either. I wonder what a pain it must be.I am a pure non-vegetarian...I love to dabaofy chicken at the buffet meals. Good food makes me really happy, works great as a mood enhancer.

But I donno what got into me to agree to a vegetarian buffet with my friend last friday...that too at Sukh Sagar of all places.

I could see it coming within a few hours post lunch, but I chose to ignore it. Then came Db's friend whom we met for dinner. I didn't have a proper dinner there but whatever I did,again vegetarian, added royally to my misery.
If you haven't figured it yet, I am living in and out of the bathroom since last two days. So much so that I am on leave from office for the same reason. So much for a vegetarian buffet lunch, I have never had half the trouble with dabaofying double the amount of chicken.

But I am quite better today. I could have managed office if I wouldn't burden my stomach too much. But Db wouldn't lemme go...and history has it that whenever I had defied him and gone for office, I have been in trouble.
Db went on to convince me to take a leave which I wasn't ready for. He tried to convince me with his logics.
-You are not well,take rest.
- What if you get the nature's call on the way to office...sheesh!!!
- There is anyway no work at office for you.
Didn't work.
And he gave his final stroke...
They screwed your appraisal and reduced your salary, and you still wanna work even while you are not well.
TUM CONVINCE HO GAYI YA MEIN AUR BOLUN.

He didn't have to...I was more than convinced.

I am feeling better

As a victim of low self confidence that I am, sometimes I am a little worried that I am not half a good wife that Db deserves.

But at times, I come accross some people who make me feel better...aahaa...a lot better.

One of Db's friends, N, was in town this week, so we went to meet him for dinner.

During a Casual conversation...

Me - So you are here for business.
N - Yeah.
Me - How long is your stay in Bangalore?
N - 5-6 days. I normally do not go for long trips, this time is the longest I had to stay.
Me - So your wife is putting up alone in Delhi?
N - Yeah. It wasn't possible to get her along in such short notice.
Me - Oh...Never mind. I am sure she would be enjoying the break. When Db was off to London for a month,I throughly enjoyed my time, though the third week got boring.
N - Oh is it.

He streached his hands to fetch his mobile...and handed over to me. It had a SMS from his wife which said 'What have you been doing, you haven't even messaged me once since morning.'
I gave him a smile. He said there is more and showed me the next message which said 'I don't need this favour from you...don't bother to call'.
Awhhhhhh...I said.
And then he went on to add...on the top of all, when I try calling her now her cell is switched off. He rests his case to a speechless me.

So I am a happy person now...a nagging wife is the last thing I am...is Db listening!!!!

Pissed off today

My lead, who also happens to be a good friend of mine, is the reason for my dissatisfaction today.

We were a team of 6 earlier, which has been reduced to 3, thanks to the slow down.

The other guy in the team is a person with almost double my professional experience…but my lead trusts me instead to work on urgent deliveries. The reason being…the senior guy is great technically, but he is too slow. The task that I would complete in a weeks time, he would take almost 3 weeks for the same…as I like to quote it…USSE SAFAI KI BEEMARI HAI. As for me I finish the entire functionality first and then go around looking for missing method comments or code clean up. He is a perfectionist that way, so he takes a real long time. Many a times we were on the verge of missing deadlines unless I wouldn’t have bailed him out.

But what upsets me, is the fact that she chooses to take him along for other things.

For example, our manager wanted a few people from our team to conduct the trainings for freshers, she choose him. Later I approached her saying, I was interested and she gracefully obliged. I did it to secure my appraisal ratings.

But later there were many such opportunities where she conveniently ignored me.

Also today, they are interviewing a few people for our team and I am conveniently not invited to the interview panel. Initially I dismissed these things on the pretext that why should I bother doing extra work when neither they me any extra penny for the same nor am I going to benefit from it in terms of knowledge or appraisals. But it’s slowly getting on my nerves.

All I want at the moment is, try and get off the hook of this company. I am really through this…the stringent appraisal procedures, the unfriendly managers and the tacky facilities (not to mention the absolutely inedible food...don't get me started on that) given to us as employees. The only thing that holds me back is my project, it uses all the latest technologies, the clients are coolest that I have ever dealt with and the office timings are just perfect.

But…I donno…let’s see.

BACK FROM SASURAL

I am back from my SASURAL this morning...The experience wasn't half as bad I thought it would be. I was pretty much at ease and everyone treated me in a very loving and caring way. The biggest compliment I received was I seemed less like a BAHU and more like a daughter to everyone...it can't get better than this!!! The only issue was the weather which was horrible, I kept sweating like a pig, which took away most of the fun in the trip. If they say Kashmir is the heaven on Earth, then for sure Andhra is the hell on earth during summers. It was sooooo bloody hot, I feel the temperature rising even while thinking about it.

With my in laws, I get to taste the flavor of joint families, a concept very alien to me since we are a nuclear family back home. I like the way elders invite you home and treat you, I like the lighthearted relationship the DEVARS and BHABHIS share, I like the way cousins care for each other, pull each others legs, exchange gifts on occasions and hang out at places...and yeah gamble. You heard that right, we had a game of cards with some similar aged cousins, which was a proper gambling and lasted almost till the middle of the night. Db lost a good 120 rupees I gained almost fifly.

I visited a place called GUPTESHWAR with my family, one of the oldest Shiva temples, which was a great experience. An entire post coming up on that soon.

And yeah...not without worries.
Db's native is a small town, and his relatives not very competent with the fast growing generation. But a few kids including Db, have managed to break free from the circle and have been able to make it big in the bigger cities.
But as they say Knowledge comes, but wisdom lingers...
Not everyone has the the ability to sail smooth when they take this huge leap from a small town to the fast moving metros...I see so many young people going in wrong directions and getting into things which they cannot handle, in the pretext of being a part of the smarter generation in question. Not that this is the first time that I see them, I have come across a lot of such people and also closely witnessed their plight when the time of self realization comes for them. That's the reason why I have always called them the confused generation.

And the worst part is, you can't do a thing to bail them out. Somehow they dismiss you as a older generation who don't understand their lifestyle, they have developed a mid-your-own-business kinda attitude and to make things worse then don't realize that what they are getting into and they might not be able to handle the consequences.
So you are left with nothing but just wait and watch till they realize their mistakes. And the person in question here is actually someone who might have to pay a hefty price for what she's got into...

I wish she comes out of things in the best possible way and with minimum damage done.
Yeah I do care for her and wish I could help her...but for that matter I have never been able to help anybody who was ever in her shoes...
**sigh**

ABOUT PERSPECTIVES

Last night, while we were returning from Oasis, I was telling Db, that the people who work in the office space of the same building must be real lucky, they would have no issues with the food. If you don't like the food at office, hop on to Polynation. So unlike our office where the food is inedible and you don't have any choice than reconciling to what is served to you.

Wait for this one now:
Db begs to differ. He says, if the husband works in here, he would have to buy vegetables from Spar on his way back everyday, which is scary. But scariest of all is, if the wife works in here, she would go for shopping everyday at Lifestyle and Max...
Now the second one is a blunder...ain't it????

Talk about individual perspective...

****************************************************************************************
Two posts in a day, she must be really sitting Welle...
Yes...you are right...So wot!!!???

HOLIDAY MOOD

A week long holiday coming for us ahead...
I have almost stopped working at office since two days, since I have already got into the holiday mood.
We are traveling to Db's place tomorrow. Well...this is not exactly the kinda break that I was looking for since some time...but I am happy with anything that keeps me away from office for a while.

Hmph...a long and tiring journey coming ahead. Almost 40 hours of traveling, wish our parents could stay closer to make the traveling part simpler for us.
But in a way it works fine for us, the farther the parents are, the least they interfere with your life.
The thought of my Mom breathing on my neck all the time, to keep the house sparkling clean, cook lavish food...not to eat out, and save money like a penny pincher, scares the daylights outta me.
Similar for my in laws, being overdressed and, with mangalsutra, toe-rings and wot-not and doing elaborate pooja-path...Nahinnnnnnnnnnnn...not my cup of tea.

So, this is convenient, and worth the pain. So lemme just brace myself for the journey tomorrow.
Will update some pics after I am back, in the typical Hindu Pativrata Stree(which I am...ahem!!! at heart I mean) avtar.

YOU KNOW YOU HAVE PUT ON

…when you take awfully long time to get ready for office.

I have been telling this to Db for quite some time that I feel I have lost some weight.
He replies in negative each time (he needs a lesson or two on how to pataofy your wife).

But last night while I was speaking to my Mom on the web cam (it’s like a godsend thing for parents who stay such long distance away), she was all so thrilled when she saw me…okay, I exaggerated, she just said that I look a lot better and seem to have lost a good amount of weight…okay some weight.
Ah…Moms I tell you, no one understands you better than them. That’s exactly what I wanted to hear from somebody.

But looks like my Mom wasn’t all that correct after all, I took equally awful amount of time to get ready for office today morning, trying my entire wardrobe to find something which fits me…boo hoo hoo!!!

THE CONFUSED GENERATION

Yeah!!! Confused...that's wot I call this generation.

Otherwise how do I explain why my friend got his so-called ex-girlfriend married to his elder brother...
Or why another one of my friend's wife chooses to continue her affair with her ex-boyfriend even after she is married to a descent family and a nice guy...and somehow his one affects me more than the first one.

I really feel like hitting her hard across her face...to call her all kinda names, she being the reason for the misery of the family so close to me.
But she doesn't deserve that.
More so, since she is a victim herself...victim of her own confusion.
I don't know what is she thinking while doing this, cheating her husband, cheating her boyfriend, or herself.
And who is the other guy kidding, romancing a now married woman.
I feel sad for the husband though, being cheated by his wife...

Forget conscience, do people not think about their own future before doing these things...
What is she up do...does she think sailing on two boats will take her anywhere at all???

I donno how to react...
I was very pissed up with the girl when I got to know about it...but now, after pondering over it for a while, all I feel for her is sympathy.

The problem is here...
These girls come from villages, from downright conservative families, where even the girls wearing pants (literally) is a taboo. Being brought up with these families, these girls leave home at at a very young age for studies and later leave to work at one of the metros or Bangalore or Pune. In an effort to be a part of the much forward culture and crowd there, they transform into confused individuals, not able to choose between the values given by their families and the culture that they are currently a part of, and hence get stuck in the middle of the evolution cycle.
Alas....there is nothing we can do about it???

My friend's life has turned into a living hell with her, and I donno how to bail him out of this. I feel so helpless, due to the sensitivity of the matter and also due to the fact that the law favors the women blindly on such matters.

Well...got to think of something and faster too.

MOBILE TESTING 1 2 3...

Testing to see if I can blog from my HTC.
My client has blocked the very little freedom that we had
by banning the news sites, trading sites, and of all other things, the
blogger too...

Now this is what I call 3rd degree torture.
Nevertheless there is always a way out, and thanks to Db for this one...
I always knew you are my little survival kit.

SATYAM BREAKS EVEN

Finally Satyam stock shows up green for us.
Today the Satyam has hit the upper circuit second time in a row...gaining over 10 percent the second time.

This was our loss percentage with Satyam dated 18th May 2009...

This is the one today...

And if experts are to be believed, the share value of Satyam is expected to go up to 100 soon.

Update 11th June :
Satyam breaks the upper circuit yet again...

I TURN A YEAR OLDER TODAY

A very happy b'day to me.

Though it doesn't feel the same now...as it did a few years back. I would stay awake till midnight for people to wish me, and I would be so disappointed if the no. of calls are less to my expectations. And contrary to that, last night when my brother called up to wish me, I was already snoring to glory.
I guess they are signs of getting old... **sigh**

Frankly, I don't want to get any older. It seems just yesterday when I was 17, the best period of my life, seventeen to twenty years of my age. The time I spent with my friends at hostel. I wouldn't count it as my happiest time, but yes it was the greatest learning phase of my life, learning with fun...and the time I made the best and strongest friends of my life.

The time wont come back and now I feel awkward every time
the children in my building call me Aunty( I d0n't feel like one),
my Mom asks me if I have finished cooking the meals(that's something Aunties ask each other),
every time I keep the Savitri upwaas (something like karwachauth),
When ever my SIL calls me Bhabhi(I am the youngest in my family, and there was hardly anyone who would even call me Didi),

Ah!!! How I wish birthdays would come and go by, but won't add to my age.

THE MOBILE HUNT

So, finally Db boiled down to buy me an high end mobile for my b’day.
Saturday morning, he shows me these wide ranges of high end touch screen mobiles in a real affordable range. It’s a surprise to find touch screen mobiles starting from 9.5K. After reading various reviews, we decided to go for one of the two models, the LG cookie and the Samsung Star.

After visiting a few mobile show rooms we almost decided on the Samsung Star which is a relatively new model, and was selling off real fast. At many stores, the last piece was just getting sold at the counter as soon as we reached there. We almost hunted 5-6 stores with no luck. At last we found it at a mobile store in the Forum Mall in Koramangala.

Okay finally, we grabbed the mobile, but just before we were going to bill it, we found that these guys didn’t give any memory card with it. Db wasn’t sure, since he remembered that E-Zone quoted a much lesser price with a 2 GB memory card, just that they were out of stock. So, he left me at the store and went out to call up and confirm with the E-zone people. Noticing that we were having second thoughts, the sales man approached me and agreed to give me the memory card as well.

While I was just waiting for Db at the store, another sales man from the same store approached me:

SM: Maa’m are you looking for that specific model.

Me: Yeah, kind of.

SM: Please come with me, I could show you some nice models in Nokia.

Having nothing to lose, I joined him

He started showing the 7610 supernova and Nokia 5730. But these were not quite the ones I was looking for, I wanted touch screen ones.

Me: No thanks, I was just looking for touch screen phones, in a range of 15K.

SM: Maa'm, Samsung is no brand at all, I tell you, its a total waste of money. You could go for Nokia instead.

Db entered at the same moment.

SM: Maa'm the Samsung touch screen would not last even three months. Take my word, you would regret going for the Samsung mobile.

He started giving some technical faults in the touch screen of the Samsung star. I looked at Db like a lost puppy...

Db: You wanna think about it??? Chalo, let's grab some food, you could take that time to rethink your decision, if you are confused.(To the SM) We will come back...

At KFC, I was still in a state of shock.

Me: I felt like he wanted me to leave the store without buying anything. The guy belonged to the same store, so why did he shoo me off??? I am having second thoughts about the Samsung hand set now, while the Nokia phones he showed me don't fit neither my requirements nor budget. They obviously lost business because of that guy. Do you think they would be on their way printing his termination letter!!!

Db: (He couldn't stop smiling) Yeah sure, But I don't really believe a word of what he said. He looked like a chirkoot to me, for sure he was hoping you would go for the Nokia model after all the brainwashing he did to you...so that he might get his commission, which obviously did not happen. Now, if you don't want the Samsung model at all, we could get the HTC model for you. That should be easy to decide.

So we went to another store and grabbed the HTC Touch Viva.

It's a whole new experience, with the 3G, Edge, Touch Flo technology, Wi-Fi enabled with windows 6.1 along with other features. And the best part is, now I can check my mails at office on my mobile, since web mail and other good and useful sites are all blocked by my client.

So, as they say, everything happens for good, I really thank my stars to have met that sales man, and I just hope he doesn't get fired for this.

PROGRAMMING HUMOUR

I found this on somebody's blog

Always code as if the person who ends up maintaining your code will be a violent psychopath who knows where you live.

When I googled it, some say its written by John F. Woods while others say its written by Martin Golding.
Though it doesn't matter to me who wrote it, what I wonder is, what would that guy have gone through to have come up with this!!!

*ROFL*

BEING POLITE DOESN'T WORK

The reality bites, to say that it doesn't work to be polite here.
Everyone here is in a mad run to nowhere, ready to stomp over the next person, and its a big pain in the neck to get things done.

There's always a incident or a bad experience that acts as trigger point for every post. For this one, its my house maid.
Because of the fact that I have never been rude to her, considered all her excuses, she's been taking me for a ride. I am so thoroughly disgusted with the fact that people don't value others who treat them well, you always have to be rude to get things done.

Considering the fact that I am quite incapable of being rude due to my low confidence, to the point that I don't even make my point said and heard at times, I presume that I am quite incapable of going to the managerial positions in my career.
But I believe one of my biggest strengths is, I know my weaknesses and have the balls to accept them and work towards them. I am gonna take this opportunity to handle my house maid as my first task to managing people. If I can get her straight, then for sure, I will work well as a manager.

ONE MONDAY MORNING...

This Monday morning as I switch on my system, it has a new wall paper on my desktop which has a polar bear sleeping in a ice field, with a flag in hand, which says ' @myEmployer It's Cooler now'.
Just when the AC is switched off to cut costs, and I have a loads of things to complete, neither is it half as cool nor I can sleep like the bear. Forget sleeping, I find the chairs at my workplace so very uncomfortable to sit.
I donno who comes up with these outrageously (intentionally or unintentionally) sarcastic statements.

MA NEW LOOK...

Got real tired of the old template...I guess that's how Geminis are, can't hold to one thing for long...
So changed to something I found more interesting...

Its 2 am already...I almost worked all day on boiling down to one template, finally done now. Hope its looks good...

Gotta go to sleep now, have a long day tomorrow with the fasting...
Not that i am complaining, I got four new Kurtas and a new Tee for this fasting day, So you see, at the end of the day it isn't a bad deal at all!!!
Hope I lose at least a few grams with all the fasting tomorrow...that would be the bonus. :)

Good Night
*Yawn*

ON A SHOPPING SPREE

Me and my team mate, decided to have lunch out today.
As she suggested, we went to Subway to have good food with the minimum calories (that's what I would love to believe). But Commercial street is not the place where you can just go fill your tummy and come back, especially if you are a woman who is not blind, and if you are carrying a credit card, and more so if the money you spend on that card gets billed to your husband, and even more so if you have a good excuse to buy them...

Fortunately and unfortunately (for us and our husbands respectively), the first two conditions were applicable to my friend and I satisfied the other two as well. So, there was no stopping at all...

We had our lunch at Subway, and then suddenly my friend remembers she had to pick some shoe from this shop. We picked it up, but while coming back we crossed so many shops which hung nice kurtas. The shopaholic self got better of us and we ended up shopping some kurtas.
Finally we got an auto and headed back to office, but mid way I found I had left my access card in one of the trial rooms. We rushed back to the shop only to come across some nice Tees. The shopaholic self got better of us again and we ended up shopping some Tees as well.

I am amazed at my capability to spend almost two thousand in less than 20 minutes (my friend spent a few more thousands in the same time).
Db had gifted me a complimentary credit card last year, which I could use and he gets billed for my expenses (some people have all the luck...I know!!!). For some reason he believed that I am not a high maintenance wife...I guess its time for him to revise his decisions.

THE OFFICE LOOKS SO MUCH MORE LIVELY

Of course, one reasoning is I am myself quite lively today . The weather was nice, and I thoroughly enjoyed my ride to office...also after a really long time, I have no mails(=no work) at office. So I can already visualize a day ahead, with lots of blog reading, checking out movie reviews, stock market and wot not.

The other reason is, a good lot of trainees have joined our office recently, and most of them from the same batch whom I trained on hibernate.

One of them has joined my team. Her credentials hasn’t been set yet, so she can’t access the client network (it’s a lousy process here).

She is slim and pretty (just as I used to be when I joined as a trainee...sob sob), wears matching studs and shoes with her dress, for sure runs to the rest room every hour to comb her hair back to shape(her hair is always so organized), doesn't have a single extra hair on her hands or her eye brows.

I am amused every time...

She comes to my desk, smiles clumsily and asks me if she can leave for the day (anyway she can’t do anything for the project yet...so, go ahead darling!!!),

When ever she takes a day off...the next day she gives me a 5 min long explanation on how she had a stomach upset due to water contamination(I didn't even ask for it…its okay baby!!!),

Asks me a lot of outrageously silly questions about the application(its unfair to get irritated with her, the poor thing has got no experience at work).

I find these guys at the cafeteria most of the time. The girls are all carefully dressed, carrying expensive mobile phones. They start giggling at the drop of a hat, I feel as if they are giggling at me once in a while, may be because I am hardly half as carefully dressed and I have no idea what shoes or studs would go with my dress, neither I have time nor the inclination for the same (Okay...lame excuse...accepted!!!).

The guys all wear the oh-I-am-the-stud-here attitude on their face...since they haven't grown their tummies yet. They come with spotless and flat ironed shirts and nice fit trousers...try a bit too hard to keep a professional look while dealing with other people at office (while the others have already lost that expression).

But overall, I find the atmosphere at office quite lively now. The trainees are hovering around the office most of the time, since there is not much work coming these days and also I believe most of them wouldn't have been allotted a system yet...And well, who minds some Hariyali in office, to see some hot chicks and studs at their best. Do we????

*wink*

THE WAIT CONTINUES POST ELECTION RESULTS

Carrying forward from my previous post, the elections backfired me. Though I am happy to have a stable government at this point of time, despite of the fact that Congress doesn't happen to be my favorite...but certainly its better than having the Left or the Commis having a major chunk of seats and poking their long, ridiculous and disturbing nose into the country affairs.

But the stock market has gone up like crazy...2100 points up in a day...i.e almost 18 percent!!! As I heard on CNBC, the fact that you don't have to see Karat's face anymore is worth 500 points up in the market.

All those stocks which were showing up in red since a long time in our portfolio, all went green yesterday. But pity we didn't even get a chance to sell them off, the market was open for hardly a minute yesterday...all our trade requests remained yawning in the queue all day.
Though today the market seems a lot more rational than yesterday, by now its hovering around 350 points up almost, and we are planning to sell off all our shares which have turned green after being in red for a real long time...

पर यह market निचे कब जाएगा यार ??? Damn!!!

AN ENDLESS WAIT

We are waiting for the market(Sensex) to go down, so that we can buy our favorite stocks.
But every time that it goes 200 points down in a day, the next day it goes up by 300 points...

The fact that the market is going up is doing no good for us. Raju has made sure to make Maa Behen of Satyam shares, the and no matter how well the Sensex does, we have no hopes left for them.

Even on every news channels, the so called market guru's seem to have no clue as to why the market is constantly going up. They expect it to fall down sharply sometime soon. They expected the same when the Infosys and TCS quarterly results were out, same when the stress results were out and again when the exit poll results were out...they expect the same when the global markets have gone down each day. But nothing could bring it down, irrespective of the fate of US markets or other Asian markets, the Indian markets have mostly gained. The US market has gone up by 30% in last 3 months, while for the Indian market its over 40%.

Its good news actually, in terms of the best interests of the economy of the country.
But for the sake of investors like us, I hope it goes down, just once, back to 10,000. Maa Kaasam!!! Investors like us will make sure it gets back to where it was and even more.

Hope the election results tomorrow gets us some good news.

MY LITTLE DRAMA

Yeah...I am quite a drama queen you know!!!

All I needed is a week off, to travel to Db's home back in Orissa. But managers are a tough nut to crack you see. Yeah I know, they are answerable to people above them when the billing is gonna slip for a week for one resource, but I really needed these leaves.

My SIL is back home for a couple of months, and with her around things get real smoother back at my in-laws place. She doesn't let any of the relatives lay hand on me, and the most important of all, I don't have to wear sarees...yipeeeeeee!!!
Yes, I have always maintained, she is the best SIL one could ask for, and I am the worst!!!

My manager was hell bent not to approve my leaves, since I took a week off in Feb for my brother's wedding. But I was not the ones who give up so easily.

Manager : You can't take leaves for a week on every quarter. You took a week off just the last quarter.
Me : That was to go to my home, this time I gotta go to my in-laws place.
Manager : (Irritated) This is not done. You can take 3 days leave maximum or go home in the next quarter.
Me : Three days wont help since it takes 4 days in traveling to and fro.
Manager : To what part in India does it take 2 days to reach??? I am sorry, can't approve your leaves.

Damn!!! I am losing...

Me : But by then the deliverables would be done. My leaves are placed at the safest time.
Manager : Its not about deliverables or deadlines, I can't let the billing slip for a week for a resource.

Still losing...

Me : But I wouldn't be taking any more long leaves in 2009. We are done with visiting both the families once in a year.
Manager : No!!!I am sure again you would feel like going home during Durga Puja.

Damn!!! These managers have answers to everything...gotta think of something fast.

Me : (With a poker face)I am sorry. I will have to be off whether you approve it or not. If it would have been my family, I would have stayed back, but you know how it is with the inLaws. They wouldn't be too happy if I said we can't go due to my job.

Manager : (Sympathetic) Hmm...Okay. But no more week long leaves for you this year.
Me : (with almost brimming eyes) unless heaven strikes...Thanks!!!

Ah!!! Victory at last, at the cost of some drama, its all worth it though...
Doesn't matter though, if he would be imagining me being tortured to death by MIL if I didn't get those leaves. मेरे बाप का क्या जाता है !!!
*wink*

CONFUSION OVER A B'DAY GIFT

This is not fair!!!
Its raining b'days for us. The 16th is Db's b'day and exactly after 24 days its mine. Its been simpler for Db, I have a very transparent face, he knows exactly what makes me happy or sad. Also, I have plenty of things on my wish list:

I wanna join swimming lessons.
I want to have a keyboard (musical keyboard).
I have been trying to make a new painting since a long time, my oil paints are finished and I am being so lazy to get a new pack.
My bean bag burst last week and ever since I have been wanting to buy another one.

So you see, Db has plenty of choices.

On the other hand, Db has been moving towards sainthood with a steady pace.
Talk about shopping, and he has plenty, talk about books, he hasn't got the time, talk about partying, he doesn't drive when he even sniffs alcohol (that's fair though), talk about good food, he says "Arrey Dal Roti bhi chalega".
He hates TV, doesn't like watching movies, isn't a great music lover, hasn't got any intrests other than the stock market and investment books.
I am totally blank, as in what the heck should I buy him that makes him happy.

Huh!!! Talk about people who are difficult to please!!! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!

NOK JHONK!!!

We met one of Db’s friend’s this weekend he is married for two months now.

They had the smitten looks in their eyes, the ones you find very normally in the newly married couples.

Me (to Db's Friend) : I don't see you online these days. I think earlier you'd be online almost all day earlier **wink**

Db’s friend: Yeah, that’s right!!! These days I hardly come online if I am not in office.

Db : Don’t worry, you’d be back in action in a year.

Me : #$%&*^$$*

Me (To Db’s friend’s wife, Ann) : So how is married life???

Ann : It’s been quite good.

Me : So you guys started fighting???

Ann : No, not yet. **blush**

Db’s friend : That’s because I don’t say anything, I agree to whatever she says. **Grin**

Ann (To me) : You really believe that???

Me : Of course no. Men just take pride in saying that, it’s always the other way round.

Db : You heard that joke??? Why do they say mother tongue and not father tongue…because the father hardly gets to speak!!!

Db and his friend: ROFL.

Me and Ann: Men will be men!!! **Frown**

Db : Life changes after marriage dude!!!

Me: Acha!!! Tell me how it changed for you. Earlier you would have to worry about your food and cleaning; now you have KANTA BAI (me) to manage all that stuff. The only change I feel is, marriage has made you lazier.

Db: Before my marriage, I used to watch at least two movies in a week at a multiplex. Now I don’t!!!

Me: Don’t lie!!! That’s because you don’t like watching movies anymore. It’s always me who insists on going to the theaters. It’s you who always say no, movies always irk you. Even last week, it was me who dragged you to the theater.

Db’s friend: Oh!!! Which movie was that???

Me: Tasveer 8 X10

Db: See, now you know my plight.

Db, Ann, Db’s friend: ROFL

Me: Grrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!

WORKING ON A SATURDAY

Damn!!!
At office on Saturday...I admit that an ex-employee of Cognizant shouldn't crib about it. At Cognizant, there was hardly any Saturday that I didn't work. But this the first time in last 1 year and 8 months that I am working on a weekend.

Oh well!!! You could cry fair on the fact that Thursday was an holiday due to elections, and we are compensating for the same. But before saying that just take a look out of the window. What an lousy weather!!!
With such weather, to work at office is the the last thing I want to do. The best thing I can think of is to lie on my bed with a hot cup of tea and watch some nice movie.

But here I am breaking my head with these damned ajax tags, which in turn also refuse to obey my commands. Even they want me to get the hell outta here and leave them alone.

Yawn!!!!!

ON RELATIONSHIPS...Err !! !NOT REALLY!!!

We had this discussion among frenz today...on this lesser known movie called 'Ankahee', starring Aftab and Esha Deol. Aftab falls into an extra marital affair with Esha who happens to be Miss World, and he claims innocence to his daughter on the pretext that being wooed by a Miss World got too tempting to resist.

Well...I'd say fair enough. If likes of Brad Pitt, or for that matter John Abraham are craving for my attention, it’s certainly a tough choice to make. And let’s face it that for men, the choice is easier to make.

But my dear friend begs to differ.
She says why does a man have to get attracted to other women. There is absolutely no reason why he should be going after another woman, since he gets all he wants at home. And since I don’t look at a man with tainted intensions, why should he?
He He He!!!...people are actually so naive is it!!!???

I remember, Db once mentioned this girl at his office who’d dress too provocatively. And every day during their status meetings, the guys found it really difficult to keep their eyes off her assets. He was worried she might notice him someday and report an incident. He was relaxed when the girl was shifted to another team.
So, Am I supposed to feel offended or insecure!!!???

Of course, No!!!
All men without exception do look at women, and with not very platonic feelings, and if a man claims that he doesn’t look at women, then either he is lying or he is gay. Period.
So if some likes of Miss World, or Universe, or may be some real hot chick is flirting with you, it’s certainly difficult to ignore her.

What I feel sad about, is women of this generation also believe in this concept of PATI PARMESHWAR. Men these days have much more exposure than it used to be in older times, and life now is too fast to think and judge. We all need our share of independence, and also, this present generation is not half as emotionally strong as our previous generations. Also keeping at par with changing times, even the men shouldn’t expect a hundred percent loyalist women.

I do not welcome adultery, nor do I ask people to sit and mourn if you discover one. But it shouldn’t come as a rude shock.
Give your spouse enough trust and freedom so that he doesn’t have to come back and lie to you. I believe, as long as your spouse feels his freedom, and can talk about anything under the sun, you maximize your chances of a loyal spouse.

MY FIRST TRAINING

Today was the first time I gave training to a bunch of freshers at office. Earlier the kind of sessions I had taken, were more to do with the application we developed, and we gave sessions on its development and usage, which is kinda simpler task. Giving trainings to freshers, on technical topics is another level of job altogether.
I volunteered for it. Not that I was interested in sharing my knowledge with the trainees...rather it was of a compulsion to secure my appraisal ratings.
Yes my dear friend, my company expects me to take 2 certifications (one technical and one domain) in a year, conduct 2 trainings, receive a few more, submit some learning assets to the company's internal portal site, create two reusable components in a year, not more than 1 unplanned leaves per quarter...and of course maximum customer satisfaction with zero slippage on deadlines...and more!!!

And we thought, Hitler was dead!!!

To safeguard my appraisal ratings, I took up this training on Hibernate. It went on pretty okay...the first five minutes I was a little nervous, but later I am sure the class got jumpy of me. I kept asking a lot of questions to the back benchers and the smiling faces. Very soon, there were no more smiling faces in the class room.

Well...overall it was a not-so-bad experience
At least I could get the fear out of me...

; )

I had a college get together today.

Met quite some old friends from college...few of them whom I was happy to meet, few of them I wasn't too happy to meet...few whom I met with a bear hug, few I greated with a smile and a few I shook hands with. It was a overall good experience...with one of them which was a really good one.

As a child, my Mom called me Baby.

When I reached my graduation, my immediate juniors called me Didi...while most of them either my age or even elder to me.

When I joined Cognizant as a trainee, for the first time, I was addressed as Maa'm.

Aur ab, building ke bacche mujhe Aunty bulate hain...I meet the kids in the building, and their parents prompt them...

'Beta...Aunty ko Hello bolo...'

Some part inside me goes...

'Argh !!!!Aunty kisko bola...Tu Aunty, Teri Ma Aunty, Tera sara khandaan Aunty...!!!'

Feels like a long time, a long way....the distance between Baby to Aunty!!!

But at the gettogether today, a friend of mine had got along her younger sister whom I had met long back when I was in college. She called me Didi.

After a really long time, had someone addressing me as Didi.

Achaa laga :)

SALE SALE SALE!!!

On Saturday, Db and me were walking down the brigade road. I was craving to do some good shopping, since I have been missing this action since a real long time. He finally gave up, and we started looking around all shops for something that might catch my attention.

Suddenly we saw some people making kinda announcements for some BLOCKBUSTER SALE...where in they were selling garments on weight...50 grams for 40 rupees I believe. Db wanted me to check out there...he believed, we might get good offers there. But I wasn't convinced...I maintained that it must be something like a cotton sale that we find every nook and corner of the city. But Db delivered his haloed logic...

'For sure the cost of storing these garments would be much higher than the loss if they sold it such dirt cheap. Say these guys produced these garments to export it to Walmart...which Walmart in turn is not buying due to the recession...then the producer has to arrange for storing these garments. Due to constant accumulation, storage starts becoming costlier or him. So he decides to sell the stuff at cheaper price to minimize his losses'

Hmm...It made sense though, as always.

So we went in with zero expectations. I couldn't believe myself on the kind of stuff they had. Each top which would have easily cost me 400-500 rupees at Westside or Shopper's Stop, came for some handy 40-50 rupees. I dumped most of them, since I believed I wouldn't fit into them. I just got one of them to used as a daily wear, mostly I picked up a skirt and a few short trousers for daily use.
When I started trying them one by one at home later in the night, I could clearly see that I had underestimated myself. The only Tee I had picked up, fitted me so well and looked nothing worse than the ones picked up from any of the renowned stores. I was all so excited, but disappointed too, I could have picked up more.
Db gives me that oh-you-are-incorrigible look and gets busy with his laptop.

The next day is Sunday, but Db is working today...he's got some urgent project delivery I believe. I didn't bother him in the morning, but all day all I have been thinking about is the BLOCKBUSTER SALE. I wanted to pick all Tees that I dumped the other day since now I know they would fit. Db comes back early in the evening, the sale is written all over my face and not to be forgotten, he can read some minds too...so we head to the sale again.

But to my utter frustration, the crowd is four times what it was the other day and I don't find any of my favorite garments any more. Arghhhh!!!

But I have my knight in shining armour by my side, he plunges into the crowd, and like a skillful diver comes out with all the collections I had missed out on.

And that makes me a proud owner of some 3 shorts, 1 skirt and 7 tees, which cost me all for just a thousand bucks, which could have easily cost me more than a 3-4 thousand at any branded showroom. Yipeeeee!!!
As much as I pat my back for being an intelligent shopper, Db deserves more than a mention for the hunt.

Thanks Love.