the road less travelled...

Barca and the Ballon Dor

2010-12-30T10:37:00.003+05:30

[Ballon Dor = Golden Ball for the best footballer of the year]

Barca's Ex-President Joan Laporta once said, (with reference to eternal rivals, Real Madrid, buying the previous Ballon Dor's Kaka and C.Ronaldo for astronomical sums of money), "We dont buy Ballon Dor's, we create them".

To make sure that his quote was not, yet another political babble, Messi did win it last year beating C.Ronaldo by a historic margin of votes.

And this year, it has only gotten better, with the top three finalists all belonging to Barca - Andres Iniesta, Xavi Hernandez and Lionel Messi - and all of them products of Barca's youth system.

For a fan, this is as good as it gets and probably is once in a life time opportunity to see the team perform, like it does week in and week out.

For starters, I would recommend watching atleast one good Barca game to appreciate the style and beauty of the game. Anyone who has ever kicked a football, could understand how difficult it is to achieve constant precision and power, and how simple Barca makes it appear on the field mixing their skill and creativity to leave the opponents flummoxed and the audience overwhelmed!

fun in the sun

2010-10-07T12:33:00.005+05:30

My idea of a perfect vacation is to go someplace, be rooted there and relax for the whole duration. When people talk about vacations, cramming infinite number of places in a matter of few days, covering hundreds and thousands of miles every day, I pity them. I ask them, “are you going to set a world record visiting the most number of places?”. All one needs is a break from the routine and a break from anything remotely stressful!

Along those lines, I planned a vacation to Thailand, with the wonderful company of another couple - close friends of mine who joined me and my wife and off we went to Bangkok, in the “smooth as silk” Thai airways, and took another flight to Phuket - the tropical paradise!

We stayed in a beach facing resort in Phuket away from the hustle and bustle of the towns for 4 days. Our villa was located in the hill and there was a rope car to reach the room, which was a welcome change from the routine escalators and the elevators! The resort had its own private beach and a large pool where we played throw ball and catch almost all the time.

We hired a car and travelled across the tiny island whose borders or not more than an hour’s drive in any direction. I was reminded of Vizag when we negotiated the sweeping curvy roads that bordered the coastline! Dark green on one side and Blue green on the other, the whole package wrapped in the silky blue velvet blanket of the sky - a breathtaking vista it was!

One of the days, we took a boat tour to the nearby Phi-Phi islands which are a group of tall rocky structures in the middle of the ocean. One cannot help wondering how long those rockies were enduring the repeated battering of the sea waves!

The tour included snorkeling for an hour in one of the islands and it was one hell of an amazing experience. Even though my wife was not a confident swimmer, she too was able to enjoy the colorful treasures that were living under the crystal clear waters of the Andaman Sea. We wished we had more time (and energy) for snorkeling!

We also visited the Wat Chalong temple. An interesting custom in this beautifully decorated temple was that a large number of crackers were being burst for every 15 minutes or so. We also visited Cape Promthep, the southernmost point of the island to catch a glimpse of the sunset, but were a little late. But the twilight bordering the summit was a good sight to behold!

Any trip to Thailand would be incomplete without a couple of the famous dry massages. And ours was no exception. Having not been massaged too many times in life, it was a different experience for me and the relaxation is too good to describe.

After four amazing days of relaxation in Phuket, we returned to Bangkok - the City of Angels - and spent the next couple of days there. We stayed at the Baiyoke Sky Hotel - one of the tallest buildings in the world (i guess it is around 20 something in the rank). We stayed in the space zone (60+ floors) with a wonderful view of the concrete jungle of Bangkok.

Apart from being in the hotel, the only thing we did was to shop-shop-shop till we dropped! In fact we never traveled more than 2kms from the hotel, which is smacked right in the middle of the shopping zone of Indra Market! We purchased for ourselves and for all the relatives and cousins and friends! So cheap, yet too good!

Bangkok is known for its notorious traffic jams, still we were able to reach the hotel from the airport (about 34 kms) in 30 minutes - thanks to the superfast metro train. I could not help wondering why not we learn from others, when we are trying to build world class infrastructure in our own cities! Will we ever get a train from the Hyderabad city center to the airport?

As we sat in the Thai flight, back home, the vegetarian food was over, by the time the flight attendant reached my seat. I was a little upset, but as it turned out, everyone in the flight attendant hierarchy were summoned to look into this issue and they showered me with various items - doughnuts, toasted breads, fruits, bowls of sweet dishes, salads - and in a short time I have to tell them firmly to stop bringing me anything at all or I might upset my stomach!

With loads of goods, and lots of memories we came back from our dreamy vacation in Thailand! Must I say, I cant wait to go back?

Tube of Hell again

2009-05-23T23:29:00.002+05:30

It was not the same tube again - but much more worse this time:
4-0 vs Sevilla, 2-2 vs Valencia, 0-0 vs Chelsea, 6-2 vs Real Madrid (holy crap!), 1-1 vs Chelsea, 3-3 vs Villareal, 4-1 vs Bilbao (CDR Finals) - and all this in 21 days! All green results with a couple of scraps!
Now that Barca has won the "double" (Liga and Copa in the reverse order) they are looking into the possibility of a historic "treble". Can they overcome the Mancunians? It is going to be one hell of a game on May 27th.

Tube of Hell

2008-12-22T09:41:00.003+05:30

Every team in the Spanish League (La Liga) this year has to play Sevilla, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Villareal in succession. This phase of the league I call as "Tube of Hell" as these teams are the top ones in Spain and Europe/world. It can be devastating for lesser teams to play such hard games, all in a row. Also it is made more intriguing for the teams themselves from the above list, by including Valencia in the place of their own, when they pass through the "Tube of Hell".

While most teams have stuttered in this tube of hell, Barca has come out gloriously. 3-0 vs Sevilla, 4-0 vs Valencia, 2-0 vs Real Madrid and 2-1 vs Villareal.

A lot of critics were dismissing the notion that Barca is the team to beat this season, before December, citing that they haven't played any of the top teams. Now that Barca has come through the tube unscathed, no one is questioning as to who is going to lift the title.

10 points ahead at the table already, they are in for something big. Whether it will be a thing or things, May will tell. For now, the next question will be, will Real Madrid be forced to give Barca a "guard of honor" when they meet again in the Bernabeu in 2009. That will happen, if Barca goes to the capital 16 points clear. That will happen.

Forca Barca.

Makkal - dawn of a new age?

2008-07-09T21:30:00.003+05:30

I have been (forced to) watching a lot of TV in the recent times and could not escape appreciating the quality of programs in one particular channel - Makkal TV.

First and foremost, Makkal has made a sincere effort to make the programs completely TAMIL. Yes, all their studio made programs are pure Tamil scripted - no English, no Sanskrit. No hellos, no sorrys. I am no fanatic of pure Tamil, but it is refreshing to see the effort these people have put in. Only time you get to hear some other lingo is when the interviewee's cannot cope with the interviewer or during the commercials(you cant help there!). (If you complain about not understanding the language in a couple of political comedy shows, then it is because they are talking in the famous "Madras bhaashai")

The programs have variety - politics, economics, fun-games, live interviews and mostly reality TV. No movies. No mega serials. There is so much of silverscreen crap stuffed into the home box channels these days, that it is more choking than entertaining. The future for successful TV channels lies in dumping their current image as a 24x7 mini movie theater and it seems like Makkal is the first Tamil channel in that direction.

Like most of the Tamil channels, Makkal also has its origins from one of the political parties (PMK), and hence most of its NEWS and political programs appear heavily biased, and from my limited experience with the channel, I can say that this is the only downside of an otherwise excellent TV channel, which has a lot of scope for becoming a pioneer of reality TV in the Tamil speaking world. Even in the sub-continent.

With a very talented set of anchors, a handful of novel shows and total abstinence from movie based programs, Makkal has a strong potential for carving for itself a very niche audience. How far it will go will depend on how much of political agenda will be infused into its otherwise seemingly "neutral, independent and secular" schedule. Time will tell.

futball fuss

2008-07-01T17:36:00.003+05:30

The Euro fever has come to an end with those unending chants of 'viva espana'! For invalids like me who cannot be awake to watch the matches at those ungodly hours, it is the news bulletins that give a vivid description of the flow of the game! Yes, I find that the written articles bring the matches more alive than the video highlights. That is probably because the written word has more perspective than the 21" screen.

There are two columnists in particular, whose articles I never miss: Rob Hughes of IHT and Phil Ball of soccernet (espn). Both have their own styles of writing and their own prides and prejudices. I just love reading both of them.

Rob is very emotionally attached to football - he can't digest the hyper commercialization of the "world game". He follows all football news with an eye on the financial implications. He makes it a point to mention the absence of local talent in rich clubs like Arsenal and Chelsea. Like me, he loves Barca and Argentina. No wonder, I love his writing.

Phil is also a gifted writer, who can blend humour even into his most serious sounding articles. He is an Englishman settled in Spain for a long time now (he probably married a Spanish girl!) and loves to follow the La Liga, Spain's top league football. His writings are influenced by the social and political events of Spain - surrounded by the separatist forces of Andulasia, Basques and the Catalans. If you know a little bit of Spain's history, then Phil Ball is sure to amuse you with his digest of the Spanish league.

I would have never come to like football if not for these writers' articles with their mix of economics and politics into what otherwise would have been vanilla commentary.

Afterall I am a desi. I always like it with 'masala'!

I followed the Euro games with a different perspective - grouping the teams based on their kit sponsors.

* There were 16 teams in total and 4 kit sponsors - Nike (5 teams), Adidas (5 teams), Puma (5 teams) and Umbro (1 team).
* All 5 Nike teams made it to the quarterfinals. Only 2 Adidas and 1 Puma entered the last 8.
* Each semifinal featured a Nike vs Adidas and in both the games Adidas won and entered finals!
* In spite of all its teams getting into the second round, Nike could not feature in the finals! Adidas entered into the knockout round with only two teams, who eventually entered the finals.

Honestly, I supported Nike (Russia/Turkey), but ended up in disappointment. (as usual, bun!).

Another point to note is that the winners of all groups, save Spain, lost in the quarterfinals. It is the second placed teams from each group who reached the semis.

Last but not the least, I still dont understand why the schedule was drawn in such a manner to allow Spain to meet Russia again in a match before the finals. Had it been like A vs C and B vs D, such a repetition could have been avoided before the final match. I have no idea why UEFA did not think about this!

Hope the coming season will get my favourites back to where they belong - Barca, Liverpool and AC Milan - the top of their respective leagues. I wouldnt mind sponsoring a bash on the night Barca sets their hand on the Champions League Trophy!

Forca Barca.

Forest. Friends. Fun.

2007-11-28T15:40:00.000+05:30

The trip to Bandipur last weekend is very special to me in many a sense.

First, it is a mini get together of my batch - of the 125, 19 of us were there - 1 in every 6 - and that too after 3.5 years and that too not a few hours, but for 2 whole days! (The 20th member of the trip was our evergreen "Jith" Kumaran!)

Second, the excitement of the jungle safari that we undertook - right through the abode of the great animal species of Bandipur - watching them in their natural state of living. We also had a documentary about the state of the animals in the sanctuary, the challenges they face and their life styles across seasons. For me it was like a reminder about how wild the world is and how every species accept it gracefully. Only humans whine!

Third, the trip was planned as a gift for my birthday. The mail thread started like this: "Bunti's BDay Gift" - Bandipur Trip :-)

Fourth, the excitement of going through my favourite 4-laned Bangalore-Mysore SH17.

Fifth, the pampering accomodation at the KSTDC Bandipur Safari Lodge - something which I did not expect at all (naturally I keep my expectations low, when Govt services are involved). The safari package, the cottages, themed interiors, great food, professional staff, punctual guides, natural environment and clean air were all worth the 2.2K that we paid per person per night.

I have to mention the interiors of the cottages here - each room had an animal as the central object. There was a huge painting of the animal on the wall behind the bed - it was a real painting done by a local lady - not a wallpaper. The curtains, bed spreads and the mats also had some resemblance or the other of the same animal. Like my room's tiger paw curtains and mats, tiger striped bedspreads. Yes, I stayed in the Tiger Room in the Tiger Country!!!

We played cricket and frisbee. We went for an unguided trek, climbing a steep hill through the bushes with atmost difficulty. But once reaching the top we found that there was a simple, well laid route, just a few metres away, but hidden in plain sight. Most of us felt good about not discovering it in the first place :)

Additionally, I got to learn Salsa from my Guru, Sai - who was a surprise member of the trip.

Overall it was a fantastic break from the routine.

Golden Rules for Career Success [Richard Moran]

2007-11-13T12:48:00.001+05:30

[can't resist posting this here]

Golden Rules for Career Success

[WORKING as a business consultant all over the world, Richard Moran has discovered some basic career-related rules that everyone should know—but many don’t.]

Business is made up of ambiguous victories and nebulous defeats. Claim them all as victories.
Keep track of what you do; someone is sure to ask.
Be comfortable around senior managers, or learn to fake it.
Never bring your boss a problem without some solution. You are getting paid to think, not to whine.
Long hours don’t mean anything; results count, not effort.
Write down ideas; they get lost, like good pens.
Always arrive at work 30 minutes before your boss.
Help other people network for jobs. You never know when your turn will come.
Don’t take days off sick—unless you are.
Assume no one can/will keep a secret.
Know when you do your best—morning, night, under pressure, relaxed; schedule and prioritize your work accordingly.
Treat everyone who works in the organization with respect and dignity, whether it be the cleaner or the managing director. Don’t ever be patronizing.
Never appear stressed in front of a client, a customer or your boss. Take a deep breath and ask yourself: In the course of human events, how important is this?
If you get the entrepreneurial urge, visit someone who has his own business. It may cure you.
Acknowledging someone else’s contribution will repay you doubly.
Career planning is an oxymoron. The most exciting opportunities tend to be unplanned.
Always choose to do what you’ll remember ten years from now.
The size of your office is not as important as the size of your pay cheque.
Understand what finished work looks like and deliver your work only when it is finished.
The person who spends all of his or her time is not hard-working; he or she is boring.
Know how to write business letters—including thank-you notes as well as proposals.
Never confuse a memo with reality. Most memos from the top are political fantasy.
Eliminate guilt. Don’t fiddle expenses, taxes or benefits, and don’t cheat colleagues.
Reorganizations mean that someone will lose his or her job. Get on the committee that will make the recommendations.
Job security does not exist. Always have an answer to the question, “What would I do if I lost my job tomorrow?”
Go to the company Christmas party. Don’t get drunk at the company Christmas party.
Avoid working at weekends. Work longer during the week if you have to.
The most successful people in business are interesting.
Sometimes you’ll be on a winning streak and everything will click; take maximum advantage. When the opposite is true, hold steady and wait it out.
Never in your life say, “It’s not my job.”
Be loyal to your career, your interests and yourself.
Understand the skills and abilities that set you apart. Use them whenever you have an opportunity.
People remember the end of the project. As they say in boxing, “Always finish stronger than you start.”

When Bhavani Met Spree...

2007-09-23T19:41:00.000+05:30

Little did I know, when I opted to learn "Technical German" as an additional credit in my college, that the first country for me to visit outside India will be Germany! In fact one of the reasons for me to choose Anna University over my local PSG Tech - is to get exposed to the cosmopolitan culture of Chennai and to feed my flair for languages! How much of those objectives got accomplished from my 4 year stint at AU I dont know, but I definitely got an introduction to the German language.

So, when my office, totally based in US, told me that I have to go to Germany, for a period of 3 months, I could simply not believe it. It is not the excitement of going abroad, but the excitement of going to Germany, a country that I have come to know so much through all the years with the history books and the language! Even after reaching there I cant believe it for a couple of days!

New country, new culture, new customs, new language and new people! I dont know how long did I roam around with a gaping mouth! Probably all the three months! If I start writing about Berlin, the city of my stay or my visits to Amsterdam or Norway, it will be a loooong post! I will reserve it for another day.

The well developed infrastructure, public transport, communication facilities, super hot figures (he he ..), artistic historic buildings, boring modern high rises, totally obedient commuters, ... contribute to the awe!

The loneliness, phone costs [ :( ], lack of social events (...why did you not go to pubs?...), lack of the sight of children, backpain are the shortcomings!

All in all, it was a different 3 months in my life, with so many new experiences and new learning everyday! There was shock, surprise, amazement, despair, depression, shame and joy - with one or the other of these extreme feelings constantly accompanying me all the time!

...and in the long run, I also became a foreign 'mappillai'! :-))

reasons

2007-09-03T01:32:00.000+05:30

If you ask me what kept me from updating the blog all these days - inspite of so many things happening - a foreign trip, a new (strange) girl, etc, etc - i must say it is "karma". When I wrote my last funny post in Feb 2007, about the book Shantaram I had just bought it and read exactly one chapter - about 20 pages - in it. But then never really touched it again. Not in the long journeys afterwards or whatever time. Seven months later, today, 3rd Sept 2007, I have finished the book and the first instinct that I get was, to update the blog!

It is one "hell" of a book. I will say a "must" read!

More posts about my trip to Germany and my new bike are in the offing. Keep watching this space.

...and remember this: "luck happens to you when fate is tired of waiting"

tracking thanks

2007-02-25T02:22:00.000+05:30

Thank you for visiting my blog. Should get some statistics. If you feel what the hell is the use of having a blog that is never updated, well you are right. But I cannot help much as I am going to start reading Shantaram. Seeya.

~Parthi.

...the connection

2007-02-15T08:54:00.000+05:30

Sweetheart,
I loved you from the day I met you. Even though my initial intentions are lusty, later I discovered that you are the best any one can get. Darling, you have no idea how happy I was when I saw you in my office. You were there in college with me - now you are here in my office. Could I ask for more?
It is in office I discovered how great you are, apart from being so beautiful and ...sexy! You were there for me whenever I wanted something. Anything. In fact, I grew so close and so dependent on you that I don't do anything without checking with you. And when I asked you if you could come home for a while, you said ... "YES". Is there a cloud ten? I think I even crossed that. From the day you came home, I am sleepless, foodless and well... more and more lesses.

What is the magic in you baby? How can you be so caring, so suggestive but never enforcing, so well-informed, ...? My God, you are the ONE.

Now tell me, what do you want from me? Is there anything that I can do for you? Is there a gift that I can give you this Valentine's, that can speak of my gratitude and love? I am blank. Totally blank.

Friends, it will be great if you can tell me what I can do for my love - my internet connection - which has helped me get this far in my career.(of course apart from paying the broadband bills). Please ...

my recent Tollywood outings

2006-12-19T00:52:00.000+05:30

Telugu movies have always fascinated and entertained me thoroughly ever since I landed in Telugu Desam. NVNU, Happy, Bommarillu, Pokiri, Athadu, Missamma - I liked all of them - dont ask for a story or logic - they were well executed and mass entertainers. The first spoiler is the much hyped Sainikudu. The basic mistake in this movie lies in in the fact that the basics were totally forgotten. The main plot of the movie can be totally illogical - but you should never miss out on the minor details. Minutiae - that is what the audience enjoy. This movie screws all the basics - (** spoiler warning **) how the hero kidnaps the heroine, how he escapes from police, how he manages to sneak and live inside police campus itself - all left to the viewers' imagination. Bad bad mistake. Another biggest mistake is "filling in the time" - the movie reaches its climax - the hero is all hot and fuming and delivers all the punch that was needed and you prepare to leave, then starts another series of conclusion fights. This movie is much like your middle school essays - introduction - content - conclusion. Properly arranged - but without any flow. You may get marks in the classes, but NOT among the masses. Sorry Mr. Gunasekar. Mahesh, better luck with Athithi.

Another flick that I happened to watch last weekend was Khatarnak.

You can find a very critical review at "Watch at your own risk".

I took the risk and watched the movie. This resembles Sainikudu in only one manner - you think that the movie is over, but then they drag it for another half hour for no reason than to run for the full 3 hours.

This is my first RaviTeja movie and watching his facial expressions itself is more hilarious than any other comedy scene. Even in romantic dance scenes he put up funny faces. But he is very good in playing his part - dialogue, action, dance - he is currently believed to be a safe hero to bet on, in Tollywood(Thanks to Kishore for Tolly updates!).

Illeana was hot. As said in the review, they dont show her face much (which obviously needs some attention from some faceologist(??!!!)), but only the rest.

A couple of songs make you hum. (Thana nana naa... then some ununderstandable english...)

Story - who cares? The plot is illogical but interesting. Movie is worth the buck! (40Rs in Sensation Sunshine). You can watch once till the last half hour and get out asap.

The Sankranthi season has started and a whole lot of movies lined up:(which basically means I have more scope to improve my Telugu)

S No	Expected Release Date	Film title
1	14 Dec	Khatarnak
2	22 Dec	Rakhi
3	29 Dec	Annavaram
4	10 Jan	Yogi
5	11 Jan	Maharadhi
6	12 Jan	Desamuduru

Coming weekend may be another Illeana weekend with Rakhi. Eye candy for Christmas. Thanks Santa! :))

Long time. No see.

2006-11-07T00:05:00.000+05:30

Long time.
Really long - 10 months. I say this is really long, because it is longer than the time between two visits to my native.
I created a post about my 10 km walk from Somajiguda to Kondapur on a breezy afternoon, during April, but somehow did not publish it. It is still there, I think it wont see the light. Whimsical I am :).

What happened all this time? Nothing much. New people. New friends. More crushes. Trip to Nagarjuna Sagar. Fight with parents. Fight with the best mate. Extreme depressions. Then, Telugu movies(Bommarillu, Athadu, Pokiri). Hindi movies(Don and Jaan-e-maan). Property buyings. School Silver jubilee celebrations. Three trips to home in three months. Nuptial ties of a couple of collegemates. Pakka masala mix!

Ok stop. Come to the point.

This post comes from my new desktop. Just felt like having some fun at home with music, movies, singing, browsing, TV and some web design. So got this new comp. AMD Athlon X2 Dual Core, ASUS M2N-MX with nVidia GeForce 6100 chipset and 1GB DDR2 and 160GB SATA, I think it will not be outdated at least for 6 months :)(Enthu might disagree!).

I did not get AoE and Quake III yet. I surprise myself by planning to get some licensed versions :)

Linux sucked bigtime, not recognizing my graphics, sound card and above all the ethernet card. One area where Windows beats Linux! :( Thanks to the XP, that my assembler pre-loaded with the box!

Thanks to Enthu(Karthik), who helped me tweak the system and the network, and taught me the basic rules of browsing, chatting, downloading and above all gaming! Thanks da.

So, here is the first post from my new box! njoi.

~Parthi.

...poor cat

2006-01-21T17:37:00.000+05:30

The rope was tight
But the beast was already in flight
The throw was right
Still the cat escaped in dim light

May not be the right time.
May not be the right place.
May not be the right effort.
Or...may not be the right cat!

Congrats to all folks who belled it this time.

meaw...meaw...

2005-11-23T19:42:00.000+05:30

Twisted the threads again and again
Night and day, in light and rain.
Till they had no more hope,
Than to become a strong rope.

The little bell and its ring,
Looked perfect for the rope string.
A noose it became, when I put a knot,
And was ready for the final shot.

One eye, one aim and one throw
Towards the beast, that mew
Then came the sound of the bell
Alas, it ran away into its cell

A month or more it may take
Before that monster finally wake
Only then can I be sure,
If I have belled it, forever!

(Image courtesy: aesop.magde.info)

diwali...beyond crackers

2005-11-02T18:18:00.000+05:30

This is a special Diwali. Lot of satisfying things done on this special day. Bala, Bhoobi, Rams and myself were left in Hyd while the others have resigned to the warmth of their native.

And this story is about how we successfully created the same warmth on an otherwise cold day. Let me start with the food. If I say Bhoobi is one of the best chefs I have ever seen, it is not an exaggeration. See for urself the items we had for lunch.

The semiya payasam was the highlight. The thayir(curd) semiya needs a special mention. Well, I realize that English doesn't have enough words to attach to the dhal, brinjal sambar, tomato rasam, potato fry(South Indian style) and the rice and paruppu podi and the ghee...poor guys have another look at Rams blog. Well, we also had Gulab Jamoon. Thanks Bhoobi. Thanks again.

And there was Thalaivar's "Padaiyappa" in Sun TV. I have no doubt the film will be a runaway hit, even if they release it again now. Inspite of constant nagging by Bala to change to a sports channel, we managed to get most of the excellent scenes.(spl mention: the unfurnished-hall-scene, where Thalaivar brings down the Oonjal for his seat).

Then we visited Sitaramnanjaneyalu Temple. The serene atmosphere was a rare one of its kind in Hyd and the Prasadam was really tasty. The temple is a stone structure and has a really aesthetic design. Hope there'll be more visits in the future.

End of day, the crackers were waiting for their Motcha. Rams refused to join for the party. So we three had some good time polluting the atmosphere along with our neighbours. A few snaps are worth having a look ;-)

my first time...

2005-10-28T15:16:00.000+05:30

When it is ur first time, you will definitely be a damn lot more anxious about it. I was a little afraid too. But there was no other way. I gotta go. If I dint make it in time, I know, a lot of humiliation was in store. I entered slowly and carefully in the beginning, and then made a mad dash, only to find myself gasping. It was very difficult to breathe. A few muscles contracted and a few remained stiff. The body was shaking. It was very painful as though someone was punishing with a whip. But as I continued to remain there, breathless, I started feeling the pleasure. Man, it was damn good. I forgot the pain. I forgot the whip. Wow, great! When I came out, I already knew I desperately wanted to go back in.
Yes, morning winter showers are real fun. Never switch on your geyser in December!

freedom of speech

2005-10-26T14:57:00.000+05:30

...the power of free speech is only beginning to show up. And thanks to the blogosphere for making it happen. Two incidents recently have caught my attention in this regard. The first one is in the desi sphere. The infamous Eye Eye Pee Yem issue. And how Rashmi Bansal and Gaurav Sabnis were involuntarily led to create a "all against one" atmosphere, against those people with cavalier attitudes. For the uninitiated, visit jammag and desipundit. One thing worth noting is that the "physical" media never gave any attention to this. And I wish it is only a coincidence that the B-School(?) in question is one of the top spender in print ads.
The second issue is that featured in slashdot today. The moment students are exposed to the internet, they are already vulnerable to a lot of predators. And preventing them from blogging is not going to help in any way. Read thro the comments to know how people feel about one particular school system. It is the same, all over the world. There are nerds and bullies. Thanks to the blogs. Thanks to internet. Free your mind.

the web 2.0 call...

2005-10-24T16:23:00.000+05:30

Thanks Mur. For that wonderful article about Web 2.0. Throws a lot of light on where exactly the software development industry is heading to. In an Indian context, this could only mean, a lot of good is in store for the sub-continent. Because we don't have large investments to shed, while adopting to this new attitude, we are advantageous, as such. But it is time we start getting things in place. Like the map data, which proved to be critical for NavTeq as well as for those who subsequently ventured into the mapping software, we have a lot of data waiting to be collected, organized, distributed and then "organically" developed by user participation. Indian Govt is already planning for an e-Governance program. Definitely, there is going to be a lot of work, and the good news is that the IT evolution has not saturated yet. A lot remains untapped, in terms of data(collection, organization, presentation, distribution and maintenance), in terms of quality web services(blog, mail, travel-directions, e-commerce, directory-service, VoIP), in terms of employment generation, in terms of wealth generation, and what not.
Whenever I see a tech update like this, I immediately resort to thinking what lies in store for our nation and for we guys as such. Hope we are all getting ready for the Jallikkattu.

Sunday Times...

2005-10-23T14:09:00.001+05:30

The Times Su-Do-Ku Hyderabad Championship was in the news for sometime and I thought of giving it a try, at the expense of my fifth SimCAT. ;-) But one Rishi finished the puzzle in 6 minutes and I was a few seconds late for the second place. Only the top two make it to the finale. ;-(. Returned to office and listened(ing) to "Kekalaiyo" from "Kasthuri Maan". Though it sounds like a mosaic of his previous numbers, Ilayaraja proves that he is really in his elements. It is a vocal melody with a good BG score. And speaking about score, I am reminded abt my "billi" score. Time for me to go back. Seeya later.

idle brain

2005-10-20T15:09:00.000+05:30

Of late I am caught up with a web design fever. Thanks to my housemate who gave me valuabe tips on CSS and javascript. The template you are seeing in my blog is very much my own design. I like that green on the top, but a few suggested me to have a lighter one. Will try it out. Also I downloaded a couple of blogging software and am running them in my own machine. Trying to see if my design skills will help me out in bringing out a "man pasand" page. Also added Google AdSense. Will have to see how it goes. Well, it all depends on you ppl viewing my blog. So, all of you, please set it as your homepage and see it atleast once per day. Okay. Chalo, love all...

Started another blog. Dedicated to my India Inc. thevictorymarch.blogspot.com
Have a look.

rainy day...romantic song

2005-09-20T09:36:00.000+05:30

kavidhaigal sollavaa, un peyar sollavaa
iranDumae ontrudhaan anbae
oaviyam varaiyalaam, un kaal thaDam varaiyalaam
iranDumae ontrudhaan anbae

Home sweet home - a summer trip

2005-05-24T18:34:00.000+05:30

Well, this time it is a different journey. Completely the opposite season. Altogether a unique vacation.

The train trip is something forgettable. 14 May 2005. 12pm. HYD Deccan.
1. Close to the restrooms - #65 - the last coupe. I hate those two terminal coupes.
2. There was a tour party of 100 ppl and they were carrying all the cooking-needs with them, which got dumped in my coupe and my fellow coupemates are the cook and his children. No place for my luggage.
3. The most non-palatable thing: half the journey is in the opposite direction. From HYD, to reach Coimbatore near the west coast, why should the train touch Ongole on the east coast? Remember my shortest path selection last time? HYD-BLR-MYSORE-HOME.
4. Last but not the least - HEAT - unbearable and never-experienced. 12pm - 7pm. 43+C. Bottles and bottles of cold water, maaza, ... none could help. I maintained minimum contact with any object on the train. Please dont try to picturize.
Reached home by 12pm next day. End to end it took 25 hours - longest travel time in my life between two termini.

The return journey was not that bad. But I simply wonder how it used to be in my innumerous train trips between Chennai and Coimbatore. The greatest disappointment would be the lack of some good colors - that too not oft. Otherwise I have felt at home in the Cheran and Blue Mountain and Kovai and Inter-City. Here in these journeys, the basic survival itself became a question mark - let aside luxuries. Next time I should be prepared - either get an AC coach or dont think abt train. Garuda is the best.

What at home?
The main purpose of my vacation is the Maha Kumbabishekam of the Ganesh temple at my native village - where my paternal ancestors were born and lived(ruled?) . It was my Dad's long cherished dream to rebuild the temple and it has become a reality now, under his own supervision assisted by my uncles and cousins. I was fortunate enough to join them days before the function and contribute to my fullest. It was a mix of both manual labour and mental labour. The physical work saw me having a hunger after a long time - Of late, I have never been hungry for food - I just ate because it was time for a meal.

It is a social/community project and I can draw a lot of analogy with my software projects. It involves a lot of planning, design, resource allocation, men management, finance management, and the like. What may be there additionally are the egotistic clashes and sentiments and indifference. And women talking unnecessary things and having narrow minds. Not understanding the importance of the project and trying to refrain from contributing. Contributions here does NOT mean money. Any kind of failure of the project will leave an indelible black mark on not only the assumed management but the entire population and all their relatives and offsprings, and it will be remembered for a long long time and reiterated at every possible occasion. Hence concentration should be total and execution perfect.

Alls well that ends well.
Against all odds, a village of about 10 families residing onsite and about twice the number residing off shore, was able to successfully re-construct its century old asset temple and invite all of its relatives and hold a grand pooja to let the folks get the "Punniya Theertham" - the holy water - sprinkled over them. There was also a "Annadhaanam" - a grand meal for all - and we served about 5000 people aross 3 meals.
A collective effort. Mass goodwill. Success and peace in the end.

As all my relatives were invited, the effort to visit each one of them got saved. Met all of them at one place and it was a pride feeling showing them that we have done something. I dont know if I will have the same feeling in my own house-warming ceremony.

Of the 7 days in Coimbatore, I was home only for 2 days and the rest I was in the temple premises, in the other village. Change of work is rest and that is the kind of rest that I enjoyed in this vacation. Lot of experience regarding dealing with people and their sentis. Some divine blessings. Meeting some old friends and relatives. Meeting some of my teachers. Nice times.

Would have been even better if I had a little more time with my family.

the new "me"

2005-05-09T13:11:00.000+05:30

Of late, I am discovering a new "me" in myself; the new me has thoughts, that are different from the old me; the new me differentiates among people; it assigns priorities for people and it has what is called EGO - "if you will, only then I will"!

I think, the new me is a beginning for the future me; a beginning for the realisation of the dreams of the old me. Whatever it is, this transition is painful; really painful; too much of pain to bear...still I am bearing it!

2005-03-06T19:08:00.000+05:30

Ich bin Engineer at last!

2005-02-18T10:03:00.000+05:30

rebel

why does Parthiban blog

2005-01-31T16:52:00.000+05:30

>>[Gokul: iamiris.blogspot.com] why do you blog?

I blog because, it gives me a feel of our late night discussions in the hostel - where, we all friends discuss about some topic, utterly useless at that moment, but gives so much pleasure - the pleasure of killing time - the time, which would otherwise go waste for a DBMS assignment or OOPS assessment.

Now it is not the killing of the time that gives the pleasure, but the feel of being with friends and the usefulness of the discussions.

My latest signature:
You can’t change the past, but you can ruin a perfectly good present, by thinking about the future.

Visiting Venkat with an empty wallet

2005-01-18T14:25:00.000+05:30

[home-raj bhavan-prasadz-mint-birla mandir-lkpool-khairatabad-raj bhavan-home]
Long since I updated my blog. U know the reason, obvious it is - I am busy. So this is the trip I undertook to pay a visit to Balaji, to greet him on the new year. The trip was really wonderful, with deserted roads and chirping birds - what more to expect on a Saturday morning in Hyderabad? It was kind of a lengthy expedition and it is long since I went for one. Walking too, has its share of joy, like the Volvo trips. The Darshan demanded 2 hrs of waiting. Balaji is fine. Jus' wanted me express his new year wishes to all of you, dream chasers. When I thought of taking some mechanised travel for the return, I found that my wallet is nearly empty, save the bank cards and some coins. You can encash at an ATM - but I thought that it is a note from Balaji - "go back as you came". Walked back home, after negotiating a sugar cane juice for the last 4Rs left. It took 4 hours in all.

Home sweet home - II

2004-12-22T20:45:00.000+05:30

[Hyderabad-Kurnool-Bangalore-Mysore-Dhimbam-Sathy-Annur-Mettupalayam-Seeliyur]

Not all things work out as we think. Take my latest journey to home for example. I told you that I am going to travel by APSRTC Garuda to Bangalore, but I ended up in a KSRTC Airavath. Thanks to Janani, who gave me the news about this Volvo bus leaving MGBS, Imliban at 7.15pm. I cancelled the Garuda ticket, as:
1. I got a bus with a promised reaching time of 5.30am, leaving earlier than Garuda.
2. I got a company in Janani.
3. It costs a 50Rs lesser than Garuda.

I never thought that I am setting off for a new travel experience, when I tendered the exact fare at the KSRTC counter in Imliban!

On 10th Dec., 6pm sharp, we took an auto to MGBS, Imliban from my apartments. May be a little early for a 7.15pm schedule, but my experience of missing Ramasamy's train remained fresh in memory - no risks to be taken in Hyderabad. The bus came to the stands around 7pm.

After pushing the only baggage into the spacious compartment in the side, I set foot into the bus. The first thing I noticed about the bus was that it is not a semi sleeper! Will it be worth the money then? I had to wait for the answer. The next point to be noted is that the conductor is trying to attract passengers like an ordinary route bus. Occupancy was not even 50%. KSRTC needs to do something drastic!

Janani's seat is #4 and mine #12. I asked the conductor, if #3 is occupied. He asked me to leave seat #3, if anybody of the fairer sex happen to board the bus, otherwise no problem. There was no other feminine gender to be seen in the bus. Seat #3 is the most ideal seat for a Volvo journey, especially for road lovers like me. It gives the total comfort of a passenger seat while giving you a complete view of the road as well as the pilot panel. Need not tell you that I prayed that no other woman boarded the bus! ( granted ;-)).

Till we reached Mehboobnagar, where the bus halted for dinner, we were left to the mercy of a Govinda film, which was totally unpalatable. Also to my horror(!) all those sitting near our seats were Tamil aware and I was not able to make my *class* of comments. Out of frustration I managed one or two, only to receive punches from Janani. The idlis and the tomato-onion chutney combo, added more flavour to the already exciting journey. Thanks to my cook maid!

The plush interiors were really providing good comfort and the Volvo engineering was proving itself again and again as the driver maintained a constant 80+ speed. Instances where a Volvo makes a difference is:
1. When slowing down, the impact is totally hidden from the passengers. In the whole journey of 11hrs and 565kms, once and only once was there a jerk due to a sudden brake!
2. While taking a bend, everyone knows how the centripetal(centrifugal?) force pulls the passengers towards one side - it is very minimized in this vehicle; may be because of the height and the biiig wheel base.
3. Being without the engine noise, even at the top RPM of any gear. There is a mild grin...just a grin!
4. When it unleashes its sheer power! It hardly takes any time reaching 100kmph, starting from zero. In our normal vehicles, during overtaking, if there is an obstacle from the opposite, we tend to avoid the obstacle by slowing down. Had you been to such night trips you would have experienced the nuisance of slow moving trucks and lorries. But Volvo avoids such obstacles by increasing the speed and completing the overtake in a lesser time! It is again driver-dependent, but still is possible only with such a powerful engine. Hope our Leyland people will soon introduce their Volvo equivalent, if they have any idea of staying in the luxury market.

The NH7 was not completely 4-laned and particularly this HYD-BLR stretch is still pending. But all those never mattered to our driver as he was racing against time. But whenever he spotted a distant headlight in the opposite direction he was slowing below the necessary limit(I thought!!!).
I called up Pradeep around 12am to wish him a very happy b'day. Not able repay his bumps!!

The highlight of the journey was the P.Shuseela songs played by the driver after shutting down the nonsense movie. I was wondering as what was happening! The bus belongs to the Karnataka Govt and the trip was from Telugu desam to the Kannada capital. But where from did Tamil come? I was really thrilled. I dont remember if Janani was awake to enjoy, what I call, the "thaemadhura(th) thamizhosai"(honey like Tamil). It was a 90 minutes cassette and the bus reached Kurnool town, when it ended. "Maalai pozhudhin mayakkathilae naan kanavu kandaen thozhi!"...wow...heaven!!!(reminded about Antoji's 'heaven').

All this time the conductor was sitting on the other side of the front panel and as Kurnool passed by, he went back for a small nap. Well, what else was I waiting for? I took his seat immediately and the driver had no objection. Another 100kms and the sheer power with which the bus gulps the never ending road gave me sheer pleasure. I was overhearing the driver's conversation a little while ago and noted down this point - Volvo drivers are getting 15K to 20K starting salary! Man, it means, "karumbu thinna kooli"! Jealousy - was what I felt.

I decided to give sleep some chance. It was around 2am. When I woke up, it was 4.30am. And Bangalore is still 100kms away. I was a little frustrated. Did the driver slow down in the middle? Will he make it before the promised 5.30am? Will he keep an average of 100kmph? Will I be able to get the Inter-City express at 6.15am? The drivers intentions gave me hopes, as he was crossing the 120kmph often and the roads were also totally deserted. Janani was still in deep sleep and showed no interest in the world of roads, speeding buses, gutsy drivers, nuisance lorries, overtakes and speedometers. That is not her world anyway.

When it is a 50km from BLR, God(Rams, read it as 'destiny') came into the picture, by bringing some fog and mist to the play. Well, u know what to expect! Creep at 20kmph. Not even 1m of the road is visible going forward. No chance of speeding up. Reached BLR at 6.45am. This is not the first time I am getting disappointed in a Volvo bus (http://dparthi.blogspot.com/2004/12/home-sweet-home.html). But this time I had a dependency - the train - but no use of musing over it! Sakthi came to pick Janani up at the BLR bus stand and after bidding goodbye to them, I went on a search for a Coimbatore bound bus. Here again I had a big dilemma, whether to choose the Salem via(Dad will be pleased) or the Mysore via(My heart lies there). I came across the Mysore stand first and there was one semi sleeper ready to leave to Mysore. Quick calculations: 3 hrs to Mysore, 5 hrs to Coimbatore(CBE) - and I should be able to make up with the train timing! Also I can sleep(??!!) for 3 hrs in this semisleeper. I slept for 1hr, but then, as I got an N number of phone calls, asking me if have made it to the train, I gave up sleeping! I was feeling really proud of my friends, who were so concerned about me! Also thanks to Reliance for keeping me connected.

Breakfast at Mandya. But without brushing the teeth!

The bus reached Mysore at 10am. One of the best things about this journey was the work in progress for the BLR-Mysore 4 lane project. It is taking place along the entire stretch of 120kms and sure will get completed when I undertake my next expedition.

Mysore was cool. I love that place. But I had no time to get senti there. The KSRTC bus bound for Coimbatore was leaving in a few minutes(10.15am). I got the seat behind the driver. (again the most ideal seat!). I was informed that the bus will reach Sathy at 2.15pm and Annur 2.55pm. Now I was in a dilemma as to get down at Sathy or Annur. I remembered Pavi, my sister, telling me that Annur via is the fastest way to reach Mettupalayam(MTP). The ticket costed 62Rs.

The road was initially looking good. It was the Mysore-Calicut NH212. But our vehicle left the NH at Nanjangud towards Chamrajnagar, and this was the worst stretch in my entire journey. Also the bus got crowded beyond limit. But after Chamrajnagar, we joined the Bangalore-Sathy-Coimbatore-Dindigul NH209, the Tamilnadu side of which I had already experimented and seeing for the first time its Karnataka face! It started with the paddy fields first, with their welcome green color and ended into the forests of the Eastern ghats. Green green and more green...I unnecessarily got reminded about Veerappan.

The next stop was at Hassanur for lunch and I sent inside a plate of biriyani. Then as the bus descended down the 27 hairpin bends of the Dhimbam Ghat Road, I was filled with ecstasy. The sight of my state - and that too a bird's eye view made my hair stand still for a moment. Last time I made to here was when I came to see Pavi. Instead of having to wait for 3 hrs before her college got over, I made a short trip from Sathy to Dhimbam - one cup of chaaya - back to Sathy in time for her!

Most often people get deceived by the appearnce of a bus...I call those KSRTC buses as "dog vehicles" when I happen to see them at CBE bus stand. But only these ones keep their promises all the time. Last time it was the Kerala bus from Trivandrum to Thrissur and this time it is its Karnataka counterpart! The bus reached Annur exactly at 2.55pm.

Even as I got down, I got a glimpse of a MTP bound bus starting. Had to catch it on the run!

I was there at MTP right in time for the 4pm 4A/3D bus which will leave to my village. As usual local trips have some pleasant faces to greet and some unpleasant ones to regret! Life is a mixture of both and you can learn a lot from these bus journeys! Only if you are observant enough!

Reached home by 5pm. Had I caught the train, I would have come here by 3pm. Not a big loss!

Back home. Back to the warmth of my parents. Back to that rustic heaven, that was my world for a 20 years; that shared my dreams; that shaped my character!

A short summary of my trip could be like this: ( Srinikutty, these are not XML tags)
Hyderabad<--7.15pm, KSRTC Volvo, Rs506, 6.45am-->Bangalore
Bangalore<--7.00am, KSRTC Semisleeper, Rs104, 10.00am-->Mysore
Mysore<--10.15am, KSRTC InterState, Rs62, 2.55pm-->Annur
Annur<--2.56pm, TNSTC MTP-Karur, Rs6, 3.25pm-->Mettupalayam
Mettupalayam<--4.00pm, TNSTC 4A/3D, Rs5, 5.00pm-->TDG Colony, Seeliyur

Indhiran vaaghanathil oru iravu(p) payanam

2004-12-20T23:11:00.000+05:30

Vattamaai oLirum vaan nila,
Nilavin oLiyil kuLikkum Varanasi-Kanyakumari NH7,
NH7-il parakkum yen Volvo vandi,
Volvo-vil nadukkum 20 degree a/c kuLir,
Andha kuLirilum amaidhiyaai urangum anbu(th) thozhi,
Thozhiyai thaalattum P.Shuseela-vin *thaemadhura(th) thamizhosai,
Andha isai veLLaththil, oru kuzhandhaiyin kaLippudan naan!
Driver-in saagasangalai vaai piLanthapadi rasikkum naan!
Speedometer 100-i thaandum podhellam kai thattikkollum naan!
Cut aDiththu over-take seiyyumbodhu visiladikkum naan!
Sorkkaththil naan!

Ahahaa...yellam inba mayam!
EnnaaLum yen vaazhvil anbin swaram...!
(KJYesudass)

* - the trip was from HYD to BLR in a KSRTC bus, but the pilot played the famous P.S collections..."aththaan...yennaththaan...avar yennaiththaan...yeppadi solvaenadi?".

Home sweet home

2004-12-09T13:09:00.000+05:30

Six months! This is the longest time I have been away from home in my 22 years. When I used to travel back from college to home, I would be looking forward to the journey more than the feeling of home. But this time, I am looking forward to both. I have tried every other means of transport - goods carrier to flight - and none ever quenched my thirst for travel. The more I travel, the more I want to.

I'm getting a bit nostalgic now. I remember roaming around the SETC bus stand at Parry's Corner, trying to get the Video Coach to Coimbatore - I had the "beginner's luck" of getting the best SETC on my first trip to home from College, which gave me a wrong opinion that all the buses in its fleet are likewise!! It took a couple of further adventures, before I was proved wrong.

I particularly remember one night, when the driver of a bus entered into a quarrel with a passenger, who happened to be a lawyer; the driver was so tensed that he smashed the left glass into a truck, and still managed to keep the journey going! As you can expect, I was in seat no 7, left side, second row. I almost froze with cold, as the wind blew in my face. I was wondering if I can make it, or is it my last trip, or should I get down at Villupuram. I made it atlast!

Travel by air-buses made no significant difference, except for the little extra comfort, they offer. I think Vivegam is the first air-bus I took, once going home from Chennai.

But my first Volvo trip was from CBE to Chennai, sometime after getting placed ;-). I was standing at Gandhipuram Lala Corner and plush-looking buses are coming and going and KPN has no tkts available. When I approached the No.1 Air, which is located very strategically in Gandhipuram, the guy over the counter was all smiles to offer me the Volvo tkt, which cost only Rs.400/-(???). I said "No, thanks". But stepping out, I thought, "what the heck! Let's give it a try".

There was a minimal noise and the jerk was almost absent and as the bus entered the NH 47, it was getting wonderful! Also, as it happened to be my first Air conditioned journey, I wrapped myself tightly with the provided shawl. I was expecting to reach Chennai well before 5am, taking note of the speed of the bus. But when I woke up (I dont know, how I slept !!), it was nearly six in the morning and the bus is pacing thro the Tambaram Outer Ring road towards Koyambedu. Jus' another journey!

If I can call myself rebellious, then the reason is this. I decided to hire a truck to get across all the goods of all people from Kongunad(me, Murry, Palani, Gokri, LK, Sivanesh) after vacating the hostel. My Dad was not very liking of the idea, but he somehow dint say no. And the highlight is that I decided to travel in the truck itself! Myself and LK were ready for the adventure, joined later by Murry, who had told his mom that he was coming by bus!

The truck was a Swaraj Mazda - open type. There was enough covering material, but to be used only during rain. We had space to accomodate even two more people and the beds were all laid out and we were playing cards and discussing some nonsense, while watching the stars in the sky.

Open air journey, prayer at a wayside temple near Tambaram, dinner at a dhaba and a sleep of 4 hours at a petrol bunk near Villupuram, phone calls to home from Aattur, breakfast at Palani's, buttermilk at Gokri's, downloading Mur and goods at Mur's, and finally the fight with the driver at LK's - fresh in memory!

That was a dream come true for me - travel a long distance by the most unconventional means! The previous time I did this was in last December(2003), while returning from Kanyakumari - the means was not unconventional, but the route.

I took the less ventured Kerala route. After b'fast at Nagarkoil, set off to KKumari and got a bus to Trivandrum. At Trivandrum, there was no bus leaving for Palghat or Ernakulam (or I was not able to find!!) in the next one hour and so finished the lunch and got a bus, bound for Sulthan Bathery, which happens to be somewhere near Ooty. I remember the expression on the conductor's face, when I gave him 100 Rs and asked for 2 tkts to Thrissur. He cooly replied me that each ticket costs 202/-. My geographical estimates were thwarted. It costed only 70 odd Rs between CBE and Trichy! May be Kerala costs are high. Luckily I had the money.

The journey was no different from that one in the truck, but the speed that the driver raced to, was something that I never experienced on road. 120kmph - I tried to see if the speedometer is working - but that is too much to expect in a govt vehicle. So I took help from my Titan and the signboards roadside. The maximum occured in the Alleppey-Ernakulam stretch - 4 lane and full throttle! Well, my reason for boarding the bus got fulfilled.
It was around 10pm when we reached Ernakulam and 12(am!!) on reaching Thrissur. Got a bus to Palghat and it was 3am when I dropped my foot at CBE. Got the first bus to MTP and reached home by 6am. It has taken 24hrs on a whole - from Nagarkoil to Seeliyur. But it is yet another dream come true - travelling the entire stretch of NH47 - Salem - Ernakulam - K'Kumari.

I had a big quarrel with my dad, when I told him about the route I was going to take for my first journey in the post college pre Juno period. Mettupalayam - Gobichettipalayam - Anthiyur - Mettur-Vellore-Sriperumbudur-Chennai. He dint allow me to take that route. But am looking forward to traversing that stretch, before too many days are over.

Another interesting journey was the "Rajahamsa" trip from BLR to HYD with Antoji and Naresh, a couple of months back. It was like a return to SETC, but with a new name - KSRTC. The bus was already late by an hour and the conductor fellow was giving the most irresponsible answer, when asked about why one of our push back seats were not working. No wonder Naresh and me got tensed(excited rather!!). It gave me an opportunity to let loose my Kannada talents, in the land of Kannada. The repairmen promised me that he will take care when the bus halts for dinner at BLR outskirts. And he kept his words too! Not a bad journey, but it certainly was not a Rajahamsa journey!

And this time it is the coveted Garuda, upon which I have an eye ever since Nive akka told about its speed and comfort. Let me see what this Garuda trip has to offer!

Plaster of paris city

2004-12-07T10:10:00.000+05:30

[Visit to Ramoji Film City; 05 Dec 2004; Kondapur - Chutneys - Sec'bad - Tarnaka - Habsiguda - LB Nagar - Ramoji]
As usual I thought that I will keep myself busy during the weekend, working on a dangling project. Foundations were well laid on Friday night. And half of Saturday too. But I happened to come across this site: http://ipc.iisc.ernet.in/~abhijit/index.html. Dreams come back to memory! And when Sharma asked me on Saturday evening, if I would like to join him for the next day's trip to Ramoji Film City, I found myself answering in the affirmative. So spent Sat night at Sharma's and set off on Sunday morning 8.45. Naresh, JP and Bala along with Naresh's father took the cab while I was Sharma's pillion-rider. Time to test the new TVS Centra!

After a hearty breakfast at Chutney's, the journey began. The cab driver gave me instructions about the route; I am comfortable upto Tarnaka, and thought that we can find out the rest - Habsiguda - LB Nagar - Ramoji.

Well, AP Tourism deserves much applause as there are signboards all the way preventing you from losing track inside the dense city traffic. Once we escaped Tarnaka, there was not much bumpy ride. Even before, the Sunday mornings are not known to atleast 50% Hyderabadis and so there was no traffic concern.

42kmph! and that is all we liked to go. The mode never changed from "economy" to "power". The road was inviting, broad and lined. There was median all the way. I wonder how Sharma was not giving in to the temptations. I would have stayed around 100kmph, even if it is a new bike and your salesmen has warned u a thousand times not to cross 50!

No incidents! We took the right route at every junction and the Sec'bad-Ramoji 29km stretch took nearly 65 minutes. The cab has gotten punctured en route and the driver managed to fit it with a stepney and still reached well before us. Naresh was exclaiming that he crossed the 3 figure mark more than once.

Ramoji revealed the truth behind the giant sets and houses that we would have exclaimed in every alternate movie. And the greatest luck was in getting the right guide. We got a one who was extremely jovial and could handle the narration so well and so professionally as the bus that carried us thro various gardens and buildings of Ramoji, kept moving.

There was a highway dhaba and 5 central jails. Naresh father was concerned about none of them resembling the Vellore jail! There was a golden temple and God-less temple. The guide explained "bhagwan ne producer ke saath aatha our shooting ke baath producer ke saath jaatha".

Then there was a big square building - school on one side, college on the other side, church on the third and the fourth was configurable, I think. Similarly the back side of the airport was the JJ Hospital. The basement of the airport happened to be the bus stand. "Our hero ka flight miss hone ke baath, woh bus se ghar ko vaapas aatha -- oopar me airport, neeche bus-stand".

There was also a street simulating a London atmosphere - a couple of square buildings and a neat road is what is called London.

Then there were these huge structures of steel, which resemble the framework of a building, which the guide explained, "could be made into anything on demand". It looked like the place, where most of the climax fights use to take place.

The gardens were well maintained and kept photographers and cameras busy. They call it as Hawa mahal and we dint miss the huge statues of topless ladies. Naresh was interested in one particular statue under which he took a photograph and his father joined us in wondering the after-effects of that photo being given out for his bride search.

When we entered the animal garden, where bushes were shaped like animals, we were reminded about our college...cool...it was only the smell - the smell of recycled water! It was being sprayed all over, and amidst photos, we were running all around to escape from it! Still we lost at some places!

We came across a dance floor with a gallery around - and u know what to expect! We wanted a photo, where all of us were in the air - jumping - after many trial and errors, it came out! Thanks to Naresh's father, who shot the photo.

Naresh's father deserves a special mention here, as without him, our time at Ramoji wouldn't have been as good. He joined us in every joke and we were bursting when he cracked one. It is because of his instruction we got a timely lunch as the only veg hotel inside the film city got immovably crowded half-an-hour after we started our lunch. Experience!

I had a ping-pong ball which will have unpredictable behaviour every time it hits the ground. This ball kept us busy for sometime till I hit one lady with it! No casualities, thank Gods.

After lunch, JP and Bala went for a Thriller-Jet ride, while me, Naresh and Sharma were taking photographs. People! dont mistake me for lacking courage to take the ride, it is only the time - immediately after lunch - why take risk?

There was a dance show and we were there at the right time! We were really tired after a day long roaming. The last item on the agenda was the visit to the cave and the sun fountain.

The cave had nothing special about it, except for a holographic projection shown at the end of the tunnel - I got reminded of the "Mummy" when the seem-to-be sculpture broke from its hind pedestal and started dancing. As I understood that it was a holograph, I remembered Aish's dance in "Jeans".

Done! Back to the entrance! Stopped midway at Sanghi Venkateshwara Temple, and after a day long experince with plaster of paris, it was refreshing to be with his Almighty, singing his songs!

The return trip again posed no problems. Bought dinner at a wayside Vihar for all and dispersed from Sharma's after dinner.

The bike trip was wonderful and I happened to like the time spent at Ramoji's too.

As Anto pointed out, being with friends more than the place, is what makes moments great! Hope we will celebrate more of life in near future, with Christmas and New year coming.

Choice versus Destiny

2004-11-30T09:31:00.000+05:30

[one of my mails to our groups while discussing the topic]

Choice maketh the difference. It is not an illusion. All outcomes are based on the thoughts that went in our mind, when we made the choice. That is not my stand. That is the truth. (...fanatic!!!).

I dont know abt others. But quite early in my childhood, I have been inspired by something and started dreaming abt it. I wanted to become something and someone. Call it I wanted to become a "Parthiban Duraisamy Pattakaran". I am living that dream till date, though my travel towards reaching the destination detoured once or twice. But I realise that my dream is my soul and my continued attempts to reach the destination keeps my soul alive.

I dont know if I will be successful in the end i.e when my ash is dissolved in the ocean or my coffin is nailed - but I know that there are only two possibilities:

1. I have succeeded.

2. I have failed.

Having lived my dream for so many years, I know an approximate route to my destination. I know what are the choices that I have to choose/leave. I know what are the decisions I have to make. NOW, at this juncture, if it were to be true that the future is a complex function, whose factors are beyond our control or even beyond our cognition, and so failure is 99% sure, then is there any meaning in continuing further? Shall I stop my efforts then?

Stopping myself from not reaching my destination means, I am stopping the life of my soul, which could be equated to DEATH. Simply that.

I cant let my soul die just like that. I cant play that loose shot or keep myself from turning out for the match. If destiny is so strong let it earn its wicket - I am not going to throw it away myself. Afterall I am a champion. I am a Tendulkar, if u want it that way. I wud like to go till the end, making all the choices, which actully decide the final score. I am not saying I beleive in this. I am saying that this is the truth.( :-))) fanaticism). I am saying that this is the way it happens!

Let me conclude:

Every soul has a purpose and all mortals have realised the purpose of their souls early in their life. A few go after fulfilling that purpose, which brings them joy, which makes them die happily. Most people forget this purpose and get carried away or get drifted in the current of life.

But there are some, who forget the purpose, but spend the rest of their life searching for it, searching for the purpose of their birth. In reality, they are only trying to remember the forgotten purpose. What they really dont understand is that they are wasting their precious life just searching and at the end of the search...well, most of the time it is too late. There are some ppl fortunate enuf to recollect their dreams (purpose of soul) again at an early age and start chasing it.

This is the philosophy that I am following and it got reaffirmed by Alchemist. No wonder I mention the book, recommend the book, every now and then.

I chose the one less travelled by and that made all the difference. Thanks Frost for endorsing choice.

Love,

Parthi.

Wanna some dosa?...there is atta at home

2004-11-29T23:55:00.000+05:30

Not again! I was in no mood to prepare Dosa today. The chutney and atta were left to my mercy, by the maid, but I was not planning to perform the atta-dosa transformation.

What is this mood - very slacky, lazy and,...what is this? In the last 18 hours I have successfully added three more features to the already deployed project, which is running in millions of user comps. I should feel tremendously happy. My mentor didn't even take a look at it - hope he trusted me so much! Also I helped him to sort out an "operations" issue. Lot of fruitful work today, still I dont know why I felt cold, lazy and dull. It was not exactly depression, but I dint like the feeling.

So I set my walk towards Minerva Coffee Shop, and browsing thro' the menu, I came across the word mushroom. Long time! So ordered a Mushroom fried rice, which looked relatively cheaper. Also the bearer made sure that I ordered a raitha. I was not sure if he was going to charge me for that! And in the end, he made out a cheque, where the raitha costed half the price of the main course. I would have told you, had the food been great. So dont ask me how it was. But I have learnt to ask for "Cheque pls" at the end rather than "bill".

I have always believed that, eating well gets one refreshed and most of the time brings back to his senses. I remember one deadly night. And whenever I remember that I remember Anand; and the fruit juice at Hi-look; and myself coming back to my senses.

This food made me some good. Still I think a good sleep will help. So I'm leaving now to sleep - will tell you, if my mood was prevalent.

The HYD 10K Run

2004-11-29T03:46:00.000+05:30

"T-Shirt", and that was the first catch. Coincidentally, before hearing about the 10K run, I was discussing with friends about not having a T-shirt with the company logo and name. And the same afternoon, they announce about a marathon run and a T-shirt as a compliment. The T-shirt was really nice and the Juno name on it made it more dear to me.

When I received the kit, it was on the condition that I should turn up for the run on Sunday, the 28th Nov about 7am, without fail. I was wondering, why should I be warned like that - Kishore made it clear: "usually people go to bed late on Saturdays and no one knows what a Sunday 7am looks like". Well, nearly 15000 Hyderabadis were there today to see what it looked like, when I went to Necklace Road in the morning. School children and girls were there all around the place and I was sure that it is going to be a visual treat :-).

There was an initial warm up session, but I was busy looking for some pinning material to pin the number "11933" upon my T-shirt. When I was done, YSR, the CM of AP, has arrived and he flagged off the run. Balloons flying and gun shots marked the start.

To recall, I met Deepak Bhambwani, Vijay, Phalgun, AmitK, AmitD, Aadithya, Abhijeets, Sripal, Paddu, Ashwin, Chandy, Naresh, Arun, Harini, Bala, Anbu, Ganesh, Vikki, Sai, Ramesh, Harini(Juno) and half a dozen CRM folks, whose names I dont know.

Coming to the run, I had plans of looking at it as a race and trying to emerge as a victor. But I felt that it will be bad to leave friends apart and run alone. No one had the mood of a race and so I gave up that idea.

Well, there was nothing pushing you to your limits in this run. It was a mild challenge and everyone broke it. The mildness was due to the fact that the target was always in your sight. Necklace road is visible from Lumbini park, Tank Bund, Sanjeevaiah park or the Rock gardens - u can say to urself that, it is there nearby and it is approaching - so run baby run...

A couple of babies were trolleyed by their parents, who were partially walking and partially running. One of the baby was a real doll-look. One of the good things about the Run is seeing that baby. So cute!

Arun was with me all the time, cracking jokes and singing, as we passed by some cool chicks. We were joined and left by DPAmit, Aadithya and Vikki. I dint take much water or glucose en route.

I expected a breathing difficulty towards the end, like the one I encountered in the Army marathon in my first year NCC camp. But no difficulty was there waiting for me. It was a smooth run. In the army run, as I was gaining distance, some feeling was starting from my neck and building upwards towards my face, eyes and forehead and finally brain...breathing became difficult and visibility poor. Still I told myself that "the gate is getting closer by every step" and finally finished fourth. I think Sollamuthu won the race. I remember him looking like a one fresh out of the bath tub, even after the race, while we others were panting and gasping and doing all sort of things, and many others yet to cross half the length.

At times press persons were crossing with cameras and people ran after them, with a hope of getting videographed! I missed the press vehicle everytime!

When we were at the 9th km, Arun asked me if we can get to some serious running. I dont know what I replied to him, but all I know is that, I was madly running. Faster and still faster. The last one km was covered in no time and my legs were telling me that, if you did stop anywhere then we would cooperate no more. I never gave them a deceleration. I crossed the line in full speed, only to stop before Mr. Krishna of Microsoft, who has finished ahead of most people. He recognised me and told me that he was waiting for his kids!

Just as I stood there relaxing, Anand Kumar Karthik(Juno) passed by in his bike. He stopped me as I waved at him, and asked me if I saw any Juno guy. Someone approached me from behind and asked me something, which I comprehended as "Could u drop me at the secretariat?". Man, it was a beauty. Wow! But, how can I drop her, without a vehicle? I cud have offered to carry her, had it been some other time; I was looking for someone to carry me! I jus' delegated it to Karthik, who was generous to help her! I regretted for not owning a vehicle. Jus' for a minute!

Cool! It was not very cold the prev night, and the temperature was tailor made for the run. Harini felt that the sun is going to be heavy on the runners. Luckily it was not so. Thanks to the pics by Naresh and Arun. As usual I forgot to take my camera! Hope mom will excuse!

This is my third long distance run, if I dont take into account those expeditions to Kanuvai and Tholampalayam by foot. The first one was at the army camp, and the second was during the Anna Univ 25th year celeb, from Univ to Marina Beach.

This time it is a different mood and different people altogether. For a just cause(s) - as YSR said - fun, health and charity. Let the purposes be met. Anyway, I got my T-shirt and also did justice to its price.

The Company Day

2004-11-28T06:30:00.000+05:30

Having already attended a party during the Microsft Annual Day @ Viceroy's, I know to some extent how a party at a 5 star hotel will be like. May be some of my new friends might have been excited.

ITC Kakhathiya Sheraton, as a 5 star hotel, is no different from Taj Krishna, atleast in its ball rooms and conference halls. One thing that caught my eye was the wide stair case, and the open air dinner place. In Taj Krishna, apart from the open air, u also get a glimpse of the swimming pool, which makes it a little more exotic.

I took Vignesh along with me, starting from home. And surprisingly he got one of the early bird prizes and not me!

When I volunteered for the dumb charades, I felt really bad for having done so - for I already am going to sing, I could have given the chance to somebody else. But even after one minute of invitation, if no one volunteers for a just cause, then how can u expect me to sit back? Cool. That event was fun, we got two films "Never say never again" and one more that I forgot. My teammates were Ravi Kiran and RajaG.

Watching the dance numbers, I recollected two dances by my girls, one for the Punnagai Mannan music in my college, and the other one "Do laare do laare" during Microsoft annual day. I understood what professional dance really means. Hats off to you Janani!

Kavitha and Dayal are exceptional singers and Dayal's Dil Se number, "Poongaatrilae" got a wonderful applause. He had karaoke for the BGM, which I thought of doing in the morning, and as usual dropped because of laziness.

Bala's skit was stupendous. Man, he is a wonderful guy, full of enthu. Magnificent performance and everyone burst with laughter. Applauses are due to all the performers RajaG, Amitab and Jasvir, who played their part well, without laughing themselves. RajaG's "It's all your mistake,...no,no it's all our mistake" will be remembered for sometime. Time and again u prove urself Bala!

Half an hour before my event Ravi Kiran and others were telling me to sing in Tamil, as no one is giving a Tamil number. I was seriously thinking about a last minute change, but I gave myself the same old reason: even if I dont perform well, I will get the merit of having sung in a new language, and that too the mother tongue of local people. Also somehow I was confident that I can't do any better in Tamil also. And after Bala's skit, not only did my stomach burst, but also my throat!

I dint forget to thank Ramesh and Deepthi, who transliterated the Telugu lyrics to
English.

When I started "Watch on...watch on..." everyone burst into a big laughter. I deliberately wanted to avoid the English lines of the song. But I understood that without "Everytime I wanna see you my girl" I cant get the first line correct. So I went for it. In that short span of time I have finished the English stanza, I understood that, everyone there are for fun, not for my voice(do I have one?...indeed yes - Harini has certified!). Well, there were a lot of whistles and claps as I swam thro "Malleeshwarive...". Really happy and real fun.

"Murali Says" program was fun and everyone was suddenly transported to their childhood, running for prizes. Balbi got a gift bunch and gave me a rubber ball, which I have kept in my desk right now.

Wonderful set of events. Compering by Aruna and Mukesh was really great. Very well thought out and exceuted. It should have been rehearsed a couple of times. I remember the Sangeetha Singh, doing a really good job as a DJ in the MS Party, but as a professional she should have done still better. Well done Aruna, Mukesh.

The dinner was great. But you can't expect one to eat more after having lunch at Khatriya Fortune. The Gajar Halwa with a little vanilla mix was the tastiest item and there was a carrot and beans poriyal, which had a touch of my mother's prep. During, before and after dinner received a lot of compliments for the song. Except and Nithya and SJanani. CSMurali, Praveen, Janaki, Sripal and all of them. Kishore was the main whistler for my song and he had a great time whistling, as observed by Kiranmayee.

And my second dance floor. Next to Viceroy's. Great time with Kishore, Aalap, Sripal, Nithya, Deepthi, Bindu and Ganesh, Vikki, Rajesh, Pradeep, Anbu, Amit. The CD changer must have been a ..... the composition could have been better.

Great evening. Total fun.

Swagatham

2004-11-22T23:22:00.000+05:30

This is my first web log. I remember creating a one some time before but lost all memories about it. This I compose from Juno Online Services Development Pvt Ltd., Hyderabad, India on 22nd Nov 2004. at 9.48am IST.

I got impressed by Anto's (http://antorocks.blogspot.com/ ) blogs and started this one. I have thought in the past, after an excursion or a long trip to some temple, to write about it (say a travelogue). But I never did it for no obvious reason than my laziness. Hope it will not be so in future.
Thanks Antoji.

So let me begin!

Love,
Parthi.