Wrong Number :)

Have you ever seen a mother getting crank calls :) generally young girls my age (hello i WILL not call myself a lady) will be the hitlist of bored guys who want to have some fun.

My mother was screaming wild at someone on the phone. I have had my turn of problems when i was in school. But i have never been at my mother's place for the past 7 years. So the call cannot be for me. I was surprised at how my mom was reacting to the phone call.

Ring Ring.
Mother: Hello.
Other end they say something.
Mother: yes.
Other end: ************
Mother: wrong number.
other end: ********
mother: no you have gotten one digit in the number wrong. it is not 6541. try 6514.
other: ***********
My mom slams the phone down.

Ring Ring.

Mother: Hello
Other end: *************
Mother: I am telling you to call 6514. It is wrong in the yellow pages. Please try the number that i have told you. (a bit irritated this time)
She slammed the phone again.

I was surprised and curious about the call. (After all i have had times when my mother had given me her piece of mind when i got crank calls - I would love to get back at her :D )
Me: who was that ma?
mother: nothing baby. dont bother.
me: oye. dont lie. i saw your reaction. which guy is trying to woo my mother.
mother: dont imagine too much. the yellow pages has a printing mistake. so anyone who wants to call 6514 calls our number.
(still that does not explain why she was taking pains to verify what the correct number is and tell the caller.)
me: so why are you even entertaining the caller and telling correct number. you can as well tell wrong number and hang up. and why so much of irritation?
mother: (thinking if she should tell me and a bit embarassed) the number for AIDS center has been given as our number wrongly. so i digged to find the correct number. after all may be the person who is calling is worried if they are having AIDS.
me: (laughing) oh so you are running a AIDS call center according to yellow pages. WOW :D
mother: its not so funny.

Ring Ring.
at this we both laughed.
mother: hello
other end: (i could understand the conversation now) is this the AIDS call center
mother: wrong number. try 6514. that is the correct number.
she kept the phone down.

my mother was doing what little help she could to lessen the embarassments and anxiousness of the caller.
after all she had the respnsibility and heart to make up for the telephone exchange's flaw. :)

GET UP. GOT WORK!!

Another routine day.
Alarm hissed: It is 7.30. Wake up.
me: (hitting the alarm hard in the head.) shut up
i pulled the blanket closer and tucked in even more cozily.
the bliss of an early morning sleep :) no words can describe it.
I opened just one eye and checked the blurred image of the clock to verify if it had become too late. It was 8 already.
My biological clock was ticking and screaming inside: GET UP. GOT WORK

I walked lazily to the bathroom and switched on the heater. Then went into the kitchen and checked out what can be cooked fast for the day. The only thing that flashed in front of my eyes was noodles. Am no exception to the IT guys routine and culture. left the noodles cooking in 'sim' and went to have my bath. by the time i come out, it should be cooked. dressed and hogged directly from the stove. locked the doors and went running to catch the bus.

Bangalore traffic can get really hectic. it will take 25 minutes to travel by bus a distance that would otherwise take 20 mins by foot. Surprised? No i have not got the numbers wrong. That is Blr in short for you. The usual 201. Its generally over-crowded and one cant even breathe normal air without CO2. You dont need to hold onto any railings in the bus because it will be so packed that you will be secure standing where you are. You cant even move your hands. The bus was moving inch by inch. Generally the other buses will have better looking hunks than in your own bus. so i bent down and peeped outside. I happened to read the advertisement on one of the buses. it read: "Itch ***. Itches and irritation caused due to sweat will be relived".
What an ad? I turned. Did i read it right? I looked again and read carefully. "Sweat will be relived" and not "relieved". :D
What an ad :)

My office had come.
Test Execution. Installation. Configuration. team meeting. Client meeting. Test reports. status reports. Checklist almost completed. EOB(end of business day) :)
EOW(end of week) :D
Fri nite: Movie. Food at Popsies with friends. We laughed our hearts out. Late night chats. Ipod singing pop/rock/rap/hip-hop songs to keep our moods alive. Slept at 3.

Mentally i prepared myself for the weekend.
Sleep till hearts content. Watch every show and movie on tv. Cook sumptuous and delicious food. Shopping in fabindia. Water world. Fun world. ragi guda temple. Forum. FUN FUN and more FUN.
song choice becomes melodies on sunday night :)

Fall asleep out of compulsion. Dreams of Installation and Servers.
Another routine day.
Alarm: It is 7.30. Wake up.
me: (hitting the alarm hard in the head.) shut up
i pulled the blanket closer and tucked in even more cozily.
the bliss of an early morning sleep :) no words can describe it.
I opened just one eye and checked the blurred image of the clock to verify if it had become too late. It was 8 already.
My biological clock was ticking and screaming inside: GET UP. GOT WORK

ECE C - en anbu samarpanangal

This is meant for ECE C alone. No one else will understand or cherish it anyways.

Entire univ is afraid of ECE. Entire ECE is scared of ECE C. Entire tanjore is afraid of Saravanan :D (ECE C thalai saravanan)

Carrier frequency (sapaatu carrier vachu) explain panina Amir sir
signals fundamentals la mudhiraiya(brand) padhicha Adhi sir
microcontroller um verupadayaama pathukita eeswaran sir
class la ilaama attendence kodukum maths varadharajan sir
rowdy ku rowdy nu 'paadiya' shunmugam sir
ooty la 'tasaku tasaku' pota nagarajan sir
selvamaana thanigai selvam sir
paasa MAZHAI pozhindha HOD
padma, jayabharathi, thaenmozhi ma'am's
electronics lab la, poi solum staff madiri ilaama, nijamaavae electronics therinja orae lab assistant govindarajan sir
fav students hyma/mei
sathya.. saravana (neenga ilaama class ae illa)
thamizh colorful assignments
thamizh puli saadham with vengaayam
nivarch :D
class la cricket vilayidinadhu
sedhir thaengaa udachadhu
idli sambar krithika ma'am kita kaeta jagajeevan
sevuthula otikita gokul
auxi papa -giri movie
vg and angeline
viva voce in Electronics labs
carpentry/foundry/ Engineering Drawing bragadeeswaran sir
enoda batchmate arumugha prabhu (lab note la ezhidhunadhuku thanks ra)
fav fun pairs - cvts, sathya/hyma, mei/waterhand, hyma/amsa,raMji,
maraka mudiyumaa.. Mr. Dharun Thiagarajan (enodu mostly otta patta nabar)
mahthidha -VG doggae unna manika mudiyaadhu
classukae varaadha thoongu moonji, coimbatore kadalai - lanka
cv,ramji,bharathi,jagajeevan,thennavan,amsa,ramalingam,parthasarathy
thriller_guys thuvangiya niju
coll la irukumbodhu contact ilaama ipo contact irukum ramaprasaad
naan nagarajan sir class la kathina "THOONGALAI!!!!"
bus tyre bursting noise of my sneeze :) (saravana, thumavae bayama iruku da-edhukulaam un gyabgam varuvadhu nu vevasthayae illa :D )
bangalore layae vaela paka poreinu theriyama blr ku I.V. vandhadhu
ooty la chemical factory IV ponadhu
farewell la mathavangal azha vakiravangalaam azhudhadhu
adhoda video vachu black mail pana mudiyaama thadutha maheshwaran(cd yae tholachitiyaa da?)
chandramukhi padam pathadhu :)
hmmm.... (biggggg peru mooochu)

all good things have to come to an end!! malarum ninaivugalodu,

nivi.. saravanan.. sathyan.. ungaluku enoda coll life samarpikirein :)

miss you.. ECE C

P.S: Vg's contribution:
namma nagaraj sir oda "what is amplifier " question.
arumugha prabhu voda 'what is loss' reply
namma amir sir od "valkai thathuvam-padichavan la nalla irukkanum nu illa,padikadhavan lam...."
namma padma madathoda urunda kannu..
namma kavitha madathoda "ok va pa"
namma varadharajan sir oda" purinjadhungala,ennanga suganya answer ennaga...ramgopal nenga sollunga.."

andha naal gyabgam..

can you find anything better?

warden screaming 'ENNA SATHAM'
midnight birthday celebrations
stealing an extra vada during breakfast
fighting for toilets/bathroom
coming early to the second hour of the day (going at the end of the first hour)
passing written chits teasing a classmate in the class
reading novels in the back bench
confusing the staff by asking controversial questions
requesting (actually screaming unanimously)for a free hour (every hour)
fighting for day-scholar's lunch box
treats for birthdays at bava kadai
proxy attendence
cutting class at 10.45am to catch the bus at 11.10 (11.10 breaks can make the gates crowded, hostel girls will escape the eyes of watchmen)
movie at shanthi/jupiter (tanjore theatres)
lunch at 2.30 at sathars
run to catch the local bus back to college at 4
hiding under the seats of the bus when the warden is out waiting to catch her bus to trichy
a victorious smile of evading the eyes of the warden and the watchmen
praying in the ganesh temple before exams (the temple becomes invisible on other days)
kadalai in the canteen (some choose the temple. to me temple was for praying, and praying only)
good morning sir/madam to any staff who catches you (maska. adhu namaku theriyum. avangaluku theriyumaa?)
6 o clock roll-call in hostel
7.30 kandraavi dinner (dhosas remind you of frisbee games)
dancing to the tunes of 'SIRIKI SIRICHU VANDHAA'
15 to 20 students in one room (sized for 4)
running like a mad to reach to the appropriate rooms when the warden comes on rounds
listening to walkman
copying assignments from hyma/mei/tamizhselvi(cvts!!)
mid night chats(usually nonsense)
forbidden mobile usage
enjoying the bliss of free unlimited sms
teasing the friends with boyfriends when they talk over the mobile
(sighing for not having one inwardly)
combined studies for exams and monthly tests
hating the study hols and longing for sem hols
the longest 8th Honours papers every sem (i used to be the only girl in entire hostel -idhu thaevaya?)
killing an already dead grandpa for the 10th time and asking for leave
the most distant cousin's marriage you would have least cared for becomes the closest cousin's marriage
standing in front of dean's room for permissions
enquiries for naughty deeds
strikes
south indian and north indian cold wars in boys hostel
viva voce before every experiment in electronics lab
7.5/50 in signals and systems (second mark in class - do you believe tat?)
the great adhi/ECE
playful HR classes
guys drooling for the first year girls
shoes and coat for the lab - i used to hate it
baba movie - the songs we sang teasing swaminathan
unselfish friends whose only expectation was friendship (hmm.. its hard to find such souls after college..)
a happy, peaceful and dream filled sleep
a hopeful wait for another happy day!!


i cant go on yaar. i miss it all :(

P.S: am so proud ... v re the only ones who still have contacts.. hostel life'in maasilla manigal :D

Selective Amnesia??

I used to think i was absent-minded. My friends always complain of my poor memory to keep track of minute details. Usually i may tend to forget silly matters, concerning my friends or me, equally. I believed that it was because i concentrate on other serious issues and tend to neglect simple matters and that they dont get registered properly. Only last week i realised the true status of my memory power.

My sister L had come to India with her husband and daughter(Adi). I wanted to buy Adi a gift from Landmark. So L, Adi, my friend N and me walked to Citi center from my home.

L: Hmm.. (Sigh) How long has it become already. Years since i walked last on this road. (Her face showed symptoms of recollecting the past and living it)

Me: (Surprised) Have you come here before?? Did you visit home last time you came here when i was away in Bangalore?

L: (shocked at my question) Oye.. I lived with you for one solid year. I did my DPM training in Chennai. and i lived with you then. Did you forget?

Me: (bewildered) Hey, dont kid me. Enough of bluffing and playing with me. I wont get fooled so easily. (Smiled a victory smile)

L: Hello. I am not lying. Babes, one day dont forget that i exist!! (there was sadness in her tone)

I was not sure if she was telling the truth. so changed the topic. I got Adi a dancing Barbie doll.

That night i spoke to my dad and mom.

Me: L was telling me that she stayed at our home for almost a year and did her DPM. Is that true?

Dad: Yes. (it was a 'as a matter of fact' tone) I used to drop her everyday to the bus stop, remember?

(i was screaming inside. 'NO I DONT REMEMBER. else why would i ask?')

Me: (trying to collect myself and recall any incident whatsoever. my mind is blank) Oh my God!!

Dad: She used to sleep with you in this very room. we used to sleep in the other room, remember? It was in your 10th std.

he gave a mini description of even the bed settings. I cant believe it. I dont remember an entire year of my life. Even if it had been childhood i could have forgiven myself. It was just 7 to 8 years back. And no recollection. TOTALLY.

What can i say? is this what people call selective amnesia??

I know what you are thinking now

Reader: Instead of writing a blog, go meet a doc. That way you will save two lives. One yours, another MINE!!

me: hee hee.. (smiling sheepishly as if caught red-handed)

macham :)

enaku engayo macham iruku..

manaivi amaivadhelaam iraivan thandha varam

manager amaivadhum kadavul thandha varam :)

enaku engayo macham iruku... ilanaa ipadi oru super manager??? iyyo kannu patura povudhu.. thapu thapu..

P.S: enadhu? macham na udanae edhayo edhir pathukitu dhaana idha padicheenga.. BULB a?? good good :D hee hee..

kavidhaigal...

ipadi naane publish panikitaa dhaan undu.. :)

kaadhal - sorgam naragam irandil ondru nichayam
sorgam - avan madiyil nee irundhaal
naragam - aval madiyil avan irundhaal !!

kadhal enbadhu kalyanam varai - idhu pazhamozhi
kaadhal enbadhu ninaivirukum varai - idhu pudhumozhi

enna kaadhal pathiyae irukae naa.. indha kaalathil idha pathi ezhudhinaa thaan elaarum ee nu padikuraanga..

enaku romba piditha varigal:
savukadi pata idathai neevida theriya kudhirai
kan moodi valiyay thaangum adhuvum oru sugam thaan endru
kadharida marukum kudhirai kal endru ninaika vaendaam
kadharida nagaikum ulagai andha kudhirai ariyum

enna nalla irukae nu paakureengala?? idhu enudhu ila.
The great Mr.Balakumaran dhu.. sututein.. hee hee :)

an unknown talent !!

People call me a jabber. I really cant stop talking. Just give me a topic and I will start off about it - from grass to hotels to wishes to nothingness!!

All my friends will look at me unbelievably and ask 'how can you manage to be a non-stop nonsense? wont your mouth ever pain? wont your thoughts ever get dry?' I used to think its a bad thing to talk so much. I have tried real hard to shut up, telling myself that empty vessels make most noise. Only today my view has changed.

I received an appreciation for the first time in my life from a very good friend of mine - Mr. Thiruvalluvan (not the original author of thirukural. spare me.)

He said:

'Nalu varthai sonnalum nachunu solrathu periya visayamilla

Narpathu varthai sonnalum vendanu verupa solla vaikama irrukarudhudhan periya matter.'

Hee hee.. T.rajendar/simbu style la.. Inimae yaar enkita enna sonaalum idha thaan sola parein.. thanks thiru :)

Is Raath Ki Subah Nahin...

July 14th, 2006. Bangalore is notorious for traffic. Rains can make it nastier.

My manager H, colleagues M, P and me. It was time for a combined treat - from P and me for his resignation and my confirmation. What contrasting reasons!!

7.15pm to 8.45pm: stuck in traffic

Bad start, not to mention the spoilt clothes in the muddy road

9.00pm: walked into Taika. Happy news - no entry fees (1 expense down).
Head-banging music- heavy metal, rock, hip-hop; dance floors; coffee in a disc (ever heard of it??- WE created OUR rules!!); The first to come and the last to leave!!

11.30pm: Dinner at Hotel Empire - The only place in bangalore near MG road to be open for food at that time of the night.

1.15am: Coffee at Leela Palace - a dream 7 star hotel for any bangalorian. Even the toilets had a superb interior decor - so beautiful that one could snore off happily. A coffee cost us 125Rs (Damn. I would have ate 3 times a day for 3 days with that money). I ordered for the only dessert, the ingredients of which was easy to decipher. Chocolate Pyramid with chocolate sticks, oranges and coriander. 250Rs. It was the smallest pyramid i have ever seen (1cm for all dimensions), sticks that dont taste like chocolate at all, 3 small slices of oranges(how generous with the numbers), 1 small coriander leaf. Complementary sauce. Dont imagine much. 3 dots of various sizes. (Each dot probably cost 20Rs to 30Rs). M and P literally made me lick even the last dot of sauce. We took photos all around the palace.

2:30am: A lazy walk at Ulsoor lake and Shanky tank.

We would have been the only crankpots to hire a cab and to make it follow us, while we walked dreamily on the roads. We sat in the center of the road and took photos. Imagine sitting there at 2.20pm!!

3.30am: Garma Garam Chai in the railway station!!

Dancing on the seaters, singing songs for an unknown travelling audience :) You gotta be kidding me!!

reached home at 4.30am and jumped the gates.

Is raath ki subah Nahin... A night to remember!!!

Credit in the cards???

I used to be a very ignorant girl - learnt about banks only after i came to college - learnt about a debit card during my college days - learnt that a debit card can be used to swipe only when i started to work.

My mom was always scared to introduce me to credit cards. She feared i may get into huge debts. But one fine day i had to get a credit card out of necessity-had to pay for my gmat. I got a second card, thinking, if at all i cannot pay the entire amount, I would use the second card to pay the first. And then the third came in.

I have 3 cards and use only 1.(lazy to drop cheques in other ATM's - what a reason?) and i pay the entire amount before the due date, fearing interests.

The only purpose of a credit card to me is that i dont have to pay immediately. It gives a virtual relief momentarily- a feeling of having loads of money to spend!! Virtual Money?? Who am i fooling ???

Credit cards are meant for those who know the tricks of using it. Not for sincere people like me.

Better still to use a debit card because you cannot over spend that way. Also you dont have to physically go and drop a cheque. :) Better still - DONT SPEND!!!

get over it...

Please forgive me for talking of work, work and nothing but work. Guess I have all the symptoms of a workaholic. Even this blogger.com reminds me of my work. Want to know why?Let me explain.

I have been trying to modify the settings/templates etc of the blog using the beta version. Once I save the settings, it shows 'saved'. The preview buttons show the modified blog page (which is as expected) But the 'view blog' button keeps showing much older settings.

Immediately my thoughts were : "i wonder who the hell tested this stuff before release".
The next thing on my mind was: "i wonder how i can log a complaint/defect".

God, will i ever get over it??

P.S(added on dec 13th): Today i was not able to REPRODUCE THE ISSUE (typical terms of a testing personnel). It may have been a temporary server problem yesterday.

(For those who are not familiar with the norms of the IT industry - the developers create a product. The testers (such as I) have to verify if it works fine. If we find a bug/defect, we report. Mostly, excuses will be given by dev/tes people equally. There lies the fun part. To every dev person a tes would be a dumb head and to every tes guy, the dev would be a moron)

A blind race....

When i was in 10th, my ambition was to become a doctor. My parents made me an engineer.
I chose electronics and communication because I hate computers.
I got placed in an IT service company as a testing personnel. Fate!! Am sitting in front of computers 13*5.
X is my client company; I requested to work for Y; They offered me Z; I stuck to X....... :)

Am so damn frustrated and hence planning on doing an MBA.

From doctor to engineer, from electronics to computers, from IT field to MBA, am simply running - like a wild and untamed horse.

I remember seeing Vivek in a movie. He would request a friend to drop him for an interview. Due to many track diversions they would end up in thirupathi.

End of the day - I dont know where I have been; I dont know what i have done; I dont know where this will lead me. One can call it the most irregular unplanned life. I did not vote for this. I had plans. I have ambitions. I have goals. But things are not so easy as they seem. Am running a blind race. I just dont know the beginning or the end or my competitors. But i still keep running. Do i have a choice?

inga oru peiya paathu bayandhu koyiluku pona.. anga rendu pei jingu jingu nu aadichaan.. :)

Isnt it ironic..

For the first time in 10 months my manager has sent an appreciation mail to my testing head and group head, saying that i have worked late to finish the task without any probing.

Please dont start asking for a treat. It is nothing to be celebrated.

I have always been too eager to do extra work. Throughout. From documentation to trainings to working 14*7 to initiating new methods and ideas to modify the existing system. Nothing was worth the mention to them (These are tasks i did out of interest. I have not mentioned my usual work) I slogged. Slogged till all my energy was drained. They sucked the maximum out of me for I was the only one who never cribbed about work. At a point, i was frustrated. A new task was assigned to me. It was not necessary that i had to do it. I REFUSED - not directly, but i put it across clearly that i was not happy with the work that was assigned. The manager pacified me and talked me into doing it. After all, it was just another task. No big deal.

This task that i had refused to do - a worthless deed according to me, gets mentioned. Appreciation was sent to group heads and business unit heads :) wow!!

You probably think i should be happy. That I should think "AT LAST MY WORK GETS MENTIONED!!!"

God dammit NO. That is not what I am thinking.

If i had refused every other task, would they have got a mention tooo :?)

Isnt it Ironic?????

Funny :)

P.S: This incident was meant as a joke and nothing personal. But to be honest I cannot find a better manager to work for. She is a very balanced person - 'work while you work and play while you play' kinds. Without her, my life in my currently employed company would probably be hell. This is not to maska panni and all. Am typing this because i felt guilty to even make fun of such a nice person and her good intentions to mention my hard work to the higher authorities. And hence all this blah blahs. Thank you boss.