Today is my last day in Mumbai..:) I watched a movie "I See you" for the last time @ my favorite In-orbit mall. There are some things I will surely miss about mumbai..the crowds, the malls, the local trains and of course the babes..:)

In the evening I had my last darshan @ the Siddhi Vinayak temple, Dadar. I hope the New Year begins on a new note not only for me but also for countless other people across the world.

Time to wrap up now as I have an early morning flight to catch @ 7:20 a.m. So it's time to say bye to Mumbai and Bangalore here I come..:)

Yesterday i.e Friday was my last working day and after sending a farewell e-mail to my colleagues and superiors, I personally shook hands with some of them. However before that I had a lot of running around to do..to get the final relieving letter.

In between I got a shock when I saw my final settlement amount. The company had deducted approximately INR 10000 from my salary towards training cost. Adding insult to injury my pay was calculated only for 29 days. I thought that was a huge financial blow coz I didn't expect it. I can understand if the company had deducted somewhere around 5000..but deducting 10000 bucks didn't make sense.

But to be fair, I should have seen it coming when someone leaves the company after being for just 3 months. I began to sulk, then I realized that there's nothing I can do about it.

In the evening I had an appointment with the dentist, however I was kept waiting. I was happy when I got the scaling done coz one of my teeth was giving trouble. It cost me a neat 450 bucks. It was the first time I paid for my treatment and felt the pinch coz normally my dentist (none other than my kid brother..:)) did it for free.

It was a relaxed Saturday morning as I had a sound sleep yesterday night. I didn't have much to do today. I watched a movie on TV "13 going on 30" starring Jennifer garner and a good looking guy as hero( I don't know the name..:)). It had a nice story line as the title suggests. By the time, I began watching the movie I had missed a huge portion of the movie, still I could make sense of the climax.

Just got some of my passport size pics taken and must say it has come out well..:)

We had a rocking party y'day night and thankfully our christmas carol went fine barring a few hiccups. I had to rush to the party as I was a bit late. I had called up the cargo movers and was waiting for them to transport my luggage and a carton box containing some books, kitchen utensils etc.

I couldn't believe my eyes and had a quick rewind down the memory lane. It was on June 5th 2005 that I had arrived in Mumbai with a big luggage and a small hand baggage.

And now after 18 months, the luggage pieces have doubled to 2 + another big carton box with my stuff. I was relieved now that I had taken care of the extra luggage coz on board the flight you're allowed a max of 30 kilos. Above 15 kilos you're charged @ INR 70 per kilo. My only concern now is that the consignment should reach its destination safely.

Now for the party..it was good fun with all the employees, their wives and kids being present.The best highlight of the show was a bollywood dance item which had a medley of songs and the climax was the song "Signal, pyar ka signal" from the movie "Bhagam Bhaag". I loved the desert with Malai Kulfi and Gajar ka halwa..for the first time I let the good times roll as I savored the sweetmeat. I was stuffed and decided to take the walk home which immensely helped me to burn off the excess calories.

There was no hangover for me from the party last night, the reason being I reached home around 10:30 p.m in the night and thankfully I don't consume alcohol. In Hrithik Roshan's word's "I believe nothing is bad in moderation but things like smoking and drinking are difficult to moderate".

My flat-mate and I had a nice conversation after a long time, probably the reason being its my last few days in Mumbai. He must be relieved that his bug-bear is leaving..just kidding..:)

Anyways it was the middle of the night and I was blissfully enjoying my sleep when a sudden scream jolted me out of my bed. It was my flat-mate who was screaming "Ashith, please help me..these mosquitoes are making my life miserable. Do you have anything to protect me against the mosquitoes". I was a bit stumped and it took some time for me to recover. He said me "sorry for waking you up". I told him that I don't think there are any mosquitoes(BTW I light a tortoise mosquito coil every night before I hit the sack..:)).

In the morning, I gently told my flat-mate that the mattress he was sleeping was dusty and the real culprits might well have been the bedbugs. In other words I could see it coming coz my flat-mate used to always lie nearly naked on his bed with all the bedsheet rolled up. He admitted that probably the fact that he was sleeping without the bedsheet on, might be the reason for the rashes he has suffered.

As I was going to work on thursday morning, a familiar sight greets me that of the makeshift homes on the pavements with people going about with their daily chores. It really strikes you that there is not much space in mumbai and obviously even the pavements have become extinct with pedestrians being forced to walk on the roads @ a great risk to their lives and limbs.

It's another story that the people living in the temporary shelters live in apalling conditions along with their children and more often defecate in the open. The other thought in my mind was that the water supply will be restored today morning after the dry day y'day.

At work, there are a few tasks remaining to complete my handover formalities which included getting signatures from my Project Manager.

It was snack time and I had my favorite Neer dosa with coconut chutney. As the day draws to a close there's a tinge of sadness and hope. Sad coz tomorrow i.e Friday will be my last working day with the organization and hope coz I think everything happens for good and I can start my new year on a fresh note..:)

It was a very lazy Tuesday morning after a long weekend..:) I was shocked to see my watch..it was already 8 a.m and I was running way behind schedule.I quickly finished my morning chores before rushing to office.

BTW I had gone for shopping yesterday. I had to purchase a red t-shirt for the christmas carol we will be singing. As I reached In-orbit mall, I could see a huge bill-board of Saif Ali Khan wearing a bright red full-sleve Provogue t-shirt. I thought to myself that the shirt looks pretty cool and wanted to grab one soon.

The entrance of the mall was chock-a-block with shoppers..I haven't seen such a huge crowd @ the mall in any of my previous visits. It looked more like a crowded market place.

At shoppers stop I asked the sales rep to show me the same t-shirt (which featured saif)..When I saw the price-tag my jaws dropped and my eyes popped..it was INR 1596. I thought it was pretty outrageous and the t-shirt didn't seem to be worth the price.

I asked the sales rep whether I could get anything cheaper than that. He showed me the next aisle. Thankfully I could find what I was looking for..not only did it look fabulous it also came @ a decent price tag of INR 295. The sales rep asked me whether I want to look @ some more stuff however thankfully I resisted the urge to splurge..:)

Sometimes I wonder that with so much of decorations, bright neon lights etc..a person needs to have a lot of courage to resist the temptation of doing impulse buying. I had done that earlier and didn't want to go through a similar experience when you end up buying stuff you just don't need. On the way home, I also brought a big luggage(which I badly needed..:)) to pack my stuff.


Work @ office today was pretty cool. We had a final rehearsal for the christmas carol wearing the santa cap..:) Hopefully things should work out fine tomorrow..:)

Jai Gurudev!!

It was good fun on Sunday evening when I attended the Yuvaratri celebrations. One of the best moments was when the comedian Naveen Prabhakar of "The Great Indian Laughter Challenge" arrived @ the show.

The audience which was a bit restive had a good time laughing @ his jokes. Other highlights of the show was Suneeta Rao who sang the hit number "Pari Hoon Main" and performances by singers Udit Narain, Sanjay Maroo.

I couldn't stay till long as squatting on the uneven ground made it a bit tougher for my back and left the venue around 8:35 p.m. This time it was early bed-time for me..:)

Nothing unusual for a saturday morning except that I slept till late in the morning and then I had to attend an interview, however couldn't make it..coz I was feeling quite lazy. Missed having my favorite scrambled eggs as it was too late by then.

Post-Lunch I had a nice nap as the weather was quite pleasant and couldn't resist the temptation of just lying down on my bed. I am not an avid TV watcher and even if I do watch TV, I restrict it to a few reality shows or my favorite comedy soaps.

I missed out 15 mins of my favorite comedy show "Friends" and was feeling about it. Anywayz it was worth watching it for the remaining duration. I followed it up with a reality drama series "Vanished without a trace". The story revolves around a typical american small family of a husband, wife and their adorable daughter.

One day, both the husband and his daughter disappear leaving his wife distraught. That brings into picture the FBI which has a special cell dedicated to missing persons. How the story evolves with its twists and turns and comes to a logical conclusion made riveting viewing.

The one thing which stands out is the professionalism displayed by the sleuths who do their job quite well. They are calm and composed when dealing with the victim and their hysteric outbursts, however they don't hesitate in asking tough questions. The ultimate aim is to bring closure to the case which may or may not be achieved.

Gotta go now as I need to catch up with some old friends of mine..:)

I didn't have a proper sleep y'day night and in the morning was feeling a bit
groggy. Bleary eyed, I pulled myself out of the bed and was relieved only after splashing my face with water..:)

My flatmate Rahul will leave for his native place and so will a couple of other guys. I have bought a Cadbury's Bournvita Jar y'day which has a new flavor "5 star magic". When I put 2 heaped tbsp of bournvita, 1 tbsp of sugar and added some milk to it and began to stir the milk, the aroma was too good that it literally gave me a high. It tastes so yummy that I have become a fan and I am sure that my mornings will never be the same again..:)

It was a lazy morning @ work. I spent some time browsing news from around the globe. One of my colleagues Monika was going on a vacation so I had to take up her assignment. Monika looked tense as she was scared that she will miss her train.
Anyways I assured her that everything will be fine. I hope that she did catch her train in time.

In the evening we once again practiced the christmas carols and it seems to be getting better every time. The moving spirit behind the christmas carols is Neela Joseph. I must say, she really has a good sense of humour. It's really fun to be with her as you can never expect a dull moment. Being a mom of 2 kids and handling office + home, she comes across as a person who has taken humour as the best medicine to handle any sort of stress. That's one thing I really admire in her. Humour is something which is missing from most workplaces and of course to put it bluntly in our everyday lives.

While returning from office, I went to Reliance Web World, Andheri-Kurla road to get a "Yuvratri pass" for one of my friends. Yuva Ratri is the festival for the youth to be held @ K J Somaiya grounds, Sion where apart from guruji Sri Sri Ravishankar, a lot of celebrities like Diya Mirza, Akshay Kumar etc and of course the younger generation are going to come together on 24th December.

As I was waiting for the customer service rep, one of the customer's notebook(laptop)fell on the floor with a thud. I thought the notebook was a gone case however miraculously except for a small broken piece it seemed to have survived the fall. The customer who had a tense look on his face seemed relaxed..I too was happy that nothing happened to the notebook..:)

As usual when I was having my favorite "Amul cool" milk, there was this old lady who bought stuff from the shop and forget her 100 rupee note @ the counter. The shop-keeper asked me whether it was mine, I replied in the negative and he quickly told me to give the money to the old lady. I ran as quickly as I could and gently tapped the old lady's shoulder and gave her the money. She was very happy and said "Thank You". I told her to thank the shop-keeper and not me..:)

I normally write my blog from the "Sify Cyber cafe", however due to some work going on, there was no power supply. One part of me was telling me to take it easy and other one was insisting that I write my blog. I am glad I chose the latter though I had to walk some distance to get to the next cybercafe.

It's going to be 3 days of vacation and I hope to have a good time..:)

My day got off to a flying start today. I completed my assignment and my Project Leader was happy with my work. I also completed one of the presentations I was working on. When I was done with it, it didn't sink in for some time that I actually completed it..:)

I e-mailed my presentation to my Asst. Training Manager Vaishali requesting her to give me a suitable time slot for my presentation.

Post-Lunch one of my Project Manager's called me to his cabin. I was a bit surprised however I knew what the matter was about. He asked me as to why I am leaving..whether I am unhappy with the job, profile or the fact that my trip abroad got postponed. I told him that I had no grievances and just wanted to be with my family. For sometime he did try to convince me however I politely said there is no change in my stand.

After the meeting was over he told me to wait coz the Delivery Head (who is in charge of the entire projects) wanted to meet me. I was not much surprised this time..:) The man had a great sense of humour. He had a good experience having worked for top companies out of which he worked for 7 years in the United States. By coincidence he has also worked for my previous company..:)

He was aggressively trying to convince me to stay back atleast for a period of 6 months. I appreciated his gesture and said that there is no going back. Still he wanted me to come up with my decision tomorrow.

In the evening I had a good time rehearsing the christmas carols. The song which I most enjoyed singing was "We wish you a merry christmas" and "The Reindeer Song".

I am tired and hungry now and can't wait to grab a quick bite..:)

I felt a bit sad today coz I wasn't able to finish my assigment and my Project Leader was not happy with it. Obviously I am to be blamed for the whole mess and I didn't give it my 100%.

My PL has given me another assignment. I really had to wrack my brains to finish the assignment. I have to send it to him for a review.

In the evening when it was snack time, I had neer dosa( rice pancake) and coconut chutney (south indian speciality from Mangalore),it was yummy..:) The last time I had neer dosa was when I visited home. Neer dosa is my personal favorite coz its not only healthy but tasty too. Making neer dosa is an art in itself unlike masala dosa which is a bit greasy.

We are going to have a christmas party on 27th @ Kohinoor hotel, Mumbai. So today we had a small meeting @ 6:15 to decide what songs are to be sung for the christmas carol. Personally I am a bit apprehensive about singing..:) Anywayz I'll give it my best shot as this is my last party with the organization.

I am tired @ the end of the day and barely managing to keep my eyes open. Hoping to catch up on a good night's sleep..:)

For the past few days there has been little conversation with my flatmate. I am not sure what's the reason..however we both mind our own business without exchanging pleasantries.

I have got this new flat-mate chintu who has been staying with us for more than a month. After a long time I have seen someone who shares the same concern like me about cleanliness and hygiene. Y'day night he brought his PC from Pune(where he studied earlier) and was quite overjoyed when he finished setting it up. He also bought a workstation to house the PC.

My day @ work today went off quite smoothly. I finished the assignment given to me and I am currently working on a new one. My hand-over formalities are almost complete. Early in the morning we had a Ganesh Puja. They had installed a wooden ganesh sculpture right in the middle of the office. I must say it really was a divine experience. The elephant headed god happens to be my favorite god as well..:) I am just fascinated by him and also have a miniature ganesha right in front of my flat monitor.

One of my colleague who reported to me earlier came upto me and asked me whether I had resigned. I replied in the affirmative..she asked me where are you joining? I said I'll tell you later. She just smiled and said I know you're not going to tell me however I do know it will be something better.

In the evening when I was coming back from work, I saw a auto which was a converted goods carrier stuck in the middle of the road and holding up traffic. Two men were struggling to get the auto to the side of the road. I lent a helping hand and thankfully we bought the auto safely to the edge of the road. I felt happy that I did something good..:)

Time to wrap-up for the day..:)

It was a nice and pleasant Monday morning. I wasn't grumbling at all and was keen to look forward to the day.

As for work @ office, I must say today was neither boring nor very interesting..it was just about okay. Post-Lunch my Project Manager had assigned me some work. I also gave a Knowledge Transfer(KT) session to my Project Leader Sunil and couple of my colleagues. I was very passionate about the prototype application that I had developed which I consider as my "baby..:)".

I explained to them the intricacies of how the application was developed etc. I have packed in a small polythene bag some almonds and cashews when I left for work in the morning. It came handy as I was able to satisfy my hunger pangs when it was snack time. At the time of writing this blog, I must say my energy levels are high and I am still feeling fresh @ the end of the day.

In an interesting development, one of my colleagues Kalvinder wanted to know about the diet I was having, so that she can cut down on the flab. She is not so much on the heavier side but needs to reduce a little bit and I have no doubt she will have a fabulous figure..:) I told her that I'll get the details tomorrow.

I left early from work @ 6:30 p.m and hope to catch up on some reading before having my dinner..:)

I couldn't make it in time to write my blog for Saturday. The events are still fresh in my mind. I got up a bit early @ 8:30 a.m(that's early for me on a Saturday..:))

There were several tasks to do for the day. I had to meet up with my friend Priya from New Zealand, also had a meeting with the HR manager of my new company. Things went a bit haywire as suddenly some of the pest control guys landed @ our flat.

They started drilling holes in the corner of the rooms and then filled it up with a white liquid. We were told that these were permanent measures to get rid of the white ants. The drilling made all the rooms messy with the floors sprinkled with dust. I had to hurry up as I was already behind schedule.

I prioritised my tasks. So met the HR guy first and then met Priya @ In-orbit mall, Malad(E). I had to apologize to her coz I was one hour behind schedule. She was very happy to see me after a gap of 2 years. Last time we met was in New Zealand.

She had a list of things to shop for. We went to the Cross-word store where we browsed through the books section. While Priya was busy I helped myself to some of the books in the Travel section. There was this picture book by Raghu Rai. You can say its more of a coffee table book with nothing but pictures in it. Going through the book, I realised what makes Raghu Rai one of the biggest names in photography.

The pictures were so realistic and startling, it traversed the length and breadth of India. It really strikes you that there's so much beauty in India with all its poverty. After I finished reading the book, I felt as if I have just completed a journey across India.

Then I went over to the Health & Fitness section and my eyes fell on the books regarding the much taboo topic "Sex". One book which aroused my curiosity was "How to enjoy Life without having sex". That was something which goes against the grain of what many people think..that sex is something which needs to be enjoyed and is a part and parcel of any relationship.

Anyways I read a couple of chapters in the book and found some of them quite hilarious. Now I glanced on another book..I cant'remember the title however it was something like "How to make Love..." There was a chapter on the positions one can choose when making love as per kamasutra. I was amazed when I flipped through the pages, there were so many positions to choose from while making love. All the while when I was browsing through the book I was quite conscious of people moving around me and so tried to keep a low profile.

After we were done with the shopping, Priya and I went to watch a movie "Babul". I was not happy with the choice coz I had read the review and it wasn't too great. However we had no options left as Priya had watched some of the movies I wanted to watch and it was the same with her. As we entered the hall, I could see that more than half of the seats were empty which was a bit of surprise. I never expected the movie to be packed to capacity however I didn't expect such a poor response as well.

Anywayz the first half of the movie takes a lot of time building up the romance between Salman(screen name: Avinash) and Rani(screen name: Malavika). The story picks up from the second half after Amitabh wants to get Malavika remarried to John Abraham(screen name:oops..I forgot the screen name). I was so moved by some of the scenes that I began to weep. Priya who was sitting beside me could only laugh seeing me cry. I responded by saying "Real men don't cry..right".

There are some redeeming scenes in the movie like Amitabh coming face to face with a furious Om Puri who plays his elder brother. Om Puri is quite belligerent and one thinks there is going to be a show-down. However Amitabh despite the provocation keeps his cool and makes his point. He doesn't backtrack and with all humility conveys his message to his brother. Rani as usual excels. John and Salman are average. Rajpal Yadav provides some comic relief. Sarika plays a cameo and she leaves a mark.

However the real stars of the movie are Amitabh and Hema Malini, their chemistry still crackles and it lights up the screen. By the time the curtains came down, my hanky was totally drenched. I was struggling to hold up my tears as priya watched me with amusement. I wasn't ashamed @ all that I was crying, it felt good that I cried after a long time and the emotions were so strong that it tugged @ my heart strings.

Priya and her family are staying in Mumbai @ kandivili with some of her relatives. For the first time she had the first-hand experience of travelling by a crowded local train. I wanted to escort her back and then leave. However I ended up having dinner @ her place. I was quite overwhelmed by the hospitality. There was samosas, soup, alu bondas, raitha etc..my diet plans really went for a toss..:)

When I was finished I was really stuffed..and my main worry was to get back home. It was around 10 p.m and the heavy dinner made me even more drowsy. Thankfully I reached home just before midnight. It was really a long day..:)

Coming back to Sunday morning..it was quite a lazy start. I ironed my clothes, read the newspapers, had a chat with my flatmate. Rahul is going to give his last exam and I wished him all the best.

I have these food coupons from Accor and the expiry date was December 2006. In the evening I quickly made a dash to the supermarket and brought a pack of apricots, cashews and almonds.That will keep me going atleast for a couple of weeks..:)

One of the things I enjoy doing is polishing my shoes and cleaning the loo. It makes me more humble and rooted to the ground.

It's the end of another weekend and the beginning of a new week ahead. As the countdown starts with each passing day for my stay in Mumbai, I become more nostalgic..:)

When I opened my eyes in the morning I was very excited as it was a Friday..and thanked god, that it really was a Friday..:)

In the office there was not much work to do as I was waiting for my Project Leader Sunil to review the assignments I had completed, however Sunil was quite busy as he had some other pressing assignments.

Birthday celebrations were held today @ our office and it was quite a hilarious affair. The Birthday bunnies and the newcomers were asked to choose their partners. One of them sat in the chair and the other stood behind them. The one standing behind must peel the banana and feed it into his/her partner's mouth. The partner sitting in the chair must not touch the banana with his/her hands.

Whoever consumed the maximum bananas will win the prize. So the prize went to Ashish and Mahesh. It was quite fun to watch how fast Ashish was taking the peels off and the ferocity with which Mahesh devoured the bananas. All of us kept cheering them and had a hearty laugh..:)

In the evening I had a conversation with Vaishali, our Asst.Training Manager. I am interested in giving a presentation on using a certain technology when developing programs in .NET applications. I felt that I can share my knowledge with others and the other reason is I love to teach..:) Vaishali was quite receptive about the idea and told me to send my presentation so that she can review it. My presentation is not yet ready however I am hopeful that I can prepare it in stipulated time.

There is this lady whom I have seen a couple of times @ the cybercafe. When I saw her for the first time, I was awestruck. She was very pretty, fair, not quite tall and had a flawless complexion. Her face and especially her eyes was something which stands out in a crowd. I used to glance @ her and she did the same.

So this time when I saw her @ the cybercafe, I mustered the courage to strike a conversation when she was getting her CV printed. It seems like she was looking for a change of job. BTW she works as an air-hostess for Air-India. I told her that I have seen her a couple of times and just wanted to know her name and she replied that she too has seen me and wanted to know what's my name and where do I stay.

I am not bothered that we may or may not meet up in the future, however
I am happy that I could fulfil my desire of striking up a conversation with Angelina(yes, that's her name..:))


It's time to wrap up and I look forward to an exciting weekend..:)

I didn't have a good sleep on Wednesday night courtesy my flat-mate who comes quite late in the night and as usual switches on the light and compounding the misery further talks loudly on his cellphone.

I was so pissed off that I felt like flying of the handle, however I told myself that I need to keep my calm and it shall pass,
thankfully that's exactly what happened.

The weather now-a-days is more pleasant. When my flat-mate woke up,I gave him a piece of my mind and he didnt seem to be too pleased. My day @ office went quite slow today, I had completed my assignments and now need a review to be done.

We have this office-assistant Mangesh who is not only polite but also keeps himself wellgroomed. He always has a genuine smile on his face..:) I said genuine coz today, smile is something which comes @ a premium...even if some people smile, they have an ulterior motive like expecting something in return or maybe it didn't spring from the bottom of their heart.

I was tired y'day and tired today as well. I need to take a warm shower and then have my supper before hitting the sack.

The chilly breeze blowing in from the window only made me cozy up in the bed. When I opened my eyes I really felt all pumped up and energetic. All through the morning I could still feel the slight nip in the air and the gentle breeze kissing my cheeks.

I haven't felt like this for a long time and that too in Mumbai which has a very insipid and humid weather(I hate to say this, however it's true).

As usual I was busy @ work and time just flew. I have got stuck a bit on my assignments. Hope to resolve it tomorrow. I have a new friend now for my stroll during lunch time. She is one of my colleagues..:)

On my way home, I saw this girl who was wearing a tank top and a skirt. She had shoulder length hair and was quite tall. I must say, she was looking very pretty.It was a visual treat for my tired eyes..:)

It was back to Monday morning and I had a early start for the day. It was a day of hectic work as I was on my toes all day long.

One of my friends has come down from New Zealand and it was nice talking to her. I hope to meet up with her sometime. She was suffering from jet-lag which is obvious as it was a tedious 20 hours of journey time.

My day was quite productive and my new assignment started on a jittery note, however as the day came to a close, things fell in place..:) Getting an auto proved to be quite tough on my way home..however thankfully I didn't have to wait for much time.

It's time to wrap up now and have my dinner before going to bed.

I had my favourite scrambled eggs for breakfast in the morning..:) I couldn't iron all my clothes y'day night so finished it off today.

In the evening I went to In-orbit mall (Malad). There were a lot of movies playing @ FAME adlabs, however my choice narrowed down to "The Prestige" and "Dhoom 2". No prizes for guessing which one I chose..:)

I chose to watch "The Prestige". I knew "Dhoom2" would be the typical bollywood story, however after reading the review of "The Prestige" it really piqued my interest. I must say I wasn't disappointed.

The story revolves around 2 brilliant magicians who can stoop to any level to get even with their rival. Bolton(Christian Bale) and Aignor(Hugh Jackman) not only look good on the screen but also really get into the skin of their characters. Scarlett Johansson plays the assistant(you can say she is the "eye candy"...:)).

The twist in the tale comes in the climax..Don't worry I won't reveal anything about it..:) The movie holds the audience interest from the beginning till the end. I was left scratching my head @ the end of the movie trying to unravel the climax, I must confess I could understand only a part of it. The other half still continues to intrigue me..:)

It was sort of an early and I must say quite a heavy dinner for me. I normally prefer a light dinner so just wanted to try something different today. I am wiser from my experience and won't experiment again..:)

It's time to say "good night" and I look forward to a fabulous week ahead..:)

For a Saturday morning the fact that I was through with all my morning chores and ready by 8:30 a.m was a revelation. I mean I surprised myself..and the reality is I had no other option if I had to reach the interview venue on time.

Yesterday night(Friday) was a bit of a shocker for me. I received a call on my mobile and the caller asked me "So you're going for an interview tomorrow". I was a bit stumped coz I didn't know who the caller was. The biggest shock was that she was one of my office colleagues. Though we both work in the same office it's just the past 2 weeks we started to know each other better.

I was scratching my head as to how my office colleague read my blog. I have never mentioned anything about it, to my colleagues. The only exception is my flatmate Rahul. Anywayz it took time for the reality to sink in. The realization dawned on me that these are the perils of being on the worldwideweb..:)

Coming back to this colleague of mine, she was pissed off with me and accused me of being a person with a split personality. The reason was she had asked me a couple of times whether I have put in my papers, however I flatly denied it. When she read my blog, she was visibly hurt that I had lied to her.

I tried to convince her that I keep my personal and professional life different. Even when someone puts in their papers most of them don't reveal it to anyone till the last day..except maybe a couple of close friends or colleagues. The reason being you never know when things can take a turn for the worse..and the worst nightmare..people asking persistent questions like.."where are you going", "which company are you joining", "what is the pay package".

My colleague wanted to know the reasons for putting in my papers, however I just said as a policy "I don't comment on my blog". I did tell her that I'll get back to her once I join the new organization. Anyways all those words didn't cut any ice with her. After reading today's blog, I am not sure about my colleague's reaction.

However, one thing is clear in my mind that I write this blog for my personal satisfaction. I won't buckle under pressure and change my writing style or the content just because some people take offence. Personally the intention is not to hurt anyone, if people still feel aggrieved I can't help it.

Fast-Forward to today's events as I was already running late, I had to skip my favourite scrambled eggs for breakfast. I took a auto-rickshaw to Santacruz. The building where the company was housed is named "Windsor". It was an imposing structure with a glass facade, the lobby was quite spacious and there were not many people around. It felt like I was in a skyscraper in any other western city.

The interview was an hour behind schedule due to the delayed arrival of the interviewers. My interview lasted for an hour..I could say that if it was a score of 100..my rating would have been 75. However I think that wasn't good enough and I didn't make the cut. It was quite an irony that till the other day I was taking interviews and rejected a few candidates and now it's my turn. True, "What goes round, comes round". The saving grace was that when I asked the HR to tell me how did it go..she was quite forthright.

I was happy for not being kept in a state of suspended animation..:) Post-interview I took a train to Andheri station.The return journey was quite cheap..:) Trust me, travelling in a local train on the weekends is such a pleasure compared to the nightmare one endures on weekdays.

After having my lunch, I couldn't resist the temptation to lay my hands on a Amul Butterscotch Cornetto, and I savoured every moment of it. Some times "guilty pleasures are to be welcomed"..:)

It's now 8:30 p.m and I need to get my clothes ironed before having my supper and hitting the sack.:)

My morning started on a very colorful note..:) I saw this lady..she wore a green saree with a matching blouse..however when I looked closer it was a guy...I mean in our society..we call them "Eunuchs" however that's considered rude. Politically right way to address them is "Crossdressers".

However the "crossdresser" wasn't looking bad @ all. He was quite impressive with the lipstick and the powder smeared on his face. They would easily give the real women a run for their money..jst kidding..:)

My office work was going good, infact better than the previous day. After some teething troubles I have finished my assignment. In our reception area, they have kept a X-mas tree with all the decorations like candystick, small gift boxes, berries etc..must say it's a festive like atmosphere. The decorative lights are like the icing on the cake..:)

It's a great start to my weekend. I have a interview coming up tomorrow(Saturday) morning and then need to catch up on a movie..:)

I was feeling quite better in the morning and raring to go to work. For the past couple of days, the excitement has been building up.

I was excited that today I'll surely gain a lot of valuable knowledge and regain the technical edge which I was missing since the past few months. I must say I wasn't disappointed coz I exceeded my own expectations.

When I left home, after working till late night, I was more than a happy man. My PL spoke about my resignation and said, he was sad that I am leaving.

I was feeling a bit low today especially in the post-Lunch session. However the pace of my work picked up in the post-Lunch session. I could finish the work on a couple of things which was initially looking like a daunting task.

For the first time I had bhel puri which infact surprised one of my colleagues..It was sweet revenge for her as she taunted me for having junk food. Anyways it was all in the right spirit. I must say I really enjoyed the bhel puri though I wouldn't like it to become an addiction.

At the end of the day, my Project Leader was quite happy with the progress of my work. I hope to maintain the same pace of work tomorrow if not better it..:)

I had a great day today. Great coz I was able to finish my work on time and the end result was too good, thanks to some valuable inputs from my Project Leader Sunil.

When I sent my document to Sunil for a review, he was never harsh on me, however he gently told me, how it(document) would look better if certain sections in the document were edited/deleted. It was also a test whether I could take constructive criticism, and I must say it really helped me give the finishing touches to the document.

In the evening, I left a bit early coz I wanted to meet my cousin from the U.S. I hadn't met him since the last 10 years. I was waiting for a BEST bus to take me to Andheri(E) station. However luckily for me I noticed my previous company(Deloitte) bus and my colleagues helped me get into it.

I was quite happy to meet a few of them and they were also surprised to see me..:)
I had a good conversation with my cousin's. I also met my cousin brother's wife who is an American and her son (he was too cute:))

Before leaving, I hugged my cousin Smita..I didn't know why..or how I did it..it was a spontaneous gesture..:) She had a wide smile on her face. The moon was again quite spectacular silhoutted against the hazy sky..:)

It's time for my supper and then hit the sack..:)

Missed writing my blog for Sunday. It was a gr8 sunday to wake upto. After a long time I had scrambled eggs and bread for breakfast. Believe me, it tastes great when you cook it yourself..:)

One of the problems of losing weight especially when you lose inches of your waist, most of the clothes you're wearing need to undergo an alteration. It happened in my case..with the waist length of my trousers measuring @ 34 inches and my waist which now stands @ 32. So the first thing I did was to visit the tailor and get the clothes altered. Thankfully, I can breathe a bit easy now..:)

My flat mate was surprised to see his bed kept nice and tidy and asked me whether the maid did it, I replied I did it..:) For a moment he was a bit shocked and surprised and then said "Thank You". I gently told him that its good to know that someone is well groomed when they go to office, however you also need to take good care of your home. It seems he has taken the advice seriously. He now keeps his bed neat and tidy.

The update for today i.e Monday is that I have finally made up my mind. I was a bit nervous when my Project Manager told me to meet him. He asked me about my decision. I said there's no change in my decision. His face turned a bit pale.

He told me to give him a hardcopy which I eventually I did after signing it. Thereafter it took some time for me to come to terms with reality. I am not sure whether it's eventually going to be a right or a wrong decision however I am glad I did what I felt was right under the circumstances.

Today I took around 5 interviews. For the first time I felt a bit sad when I wrote in the "Remarks" column that I am rejecting a candidate. Infact I ended up rejecting 3 of the candidates. I was more forthright with the last candidate when I told him upfront that he needs to improve and I can't consider him for the position right now, instead of the classic HR mantra.."We Will get back to you" which effectively means they won't.

It was a long day today. In the evening we had birthday celebrations of a couple of our colleagues, one of whom was my Project Manager. I have finished my assigned work,
however it now seems there are some changes to be done.

After shutting down my PC and on my way back home, I looked up @ the moon against a clear sky. It was a full moon and she was looking quite pretty. It was quite soothing to my eyes after a hard day's work..:)

Saturday morning's are something which I often look forward to..:) Guys in the software industry and others working for MNC's are truly lucky for they get Sat & Sun off.

I got off to a lazy start and then ironed my clothes for the next week. I also cleaned up my room. My flat-mate who shares my bed-room dresses impeccably when going to the office, however that's not the case with his bed. It's in such a sorry state. The funny thing is his clothes are not on...when he goes to bed and he is quite happy to sleep in only his undergarments, I was not amused at all. I wanted to tell him, however I thought may be that's his way of going to bed..:)

Even more funny, is he roams around the flat wearing only his undergarments.
He doesn't even have a stunning body which girls can die for..probably it's his paunch which is the star attraction..:)

Anywayz enough about the undergarment story..:) I watched the movie "Casino Royale". I must say that makers of the movie did a good job. There was a lot of criticism when Craig was chosen as the 007 in place of Pierce Brosnan. However all the fears seem to be misplaced, coz Craig though not as suave and stylish as Pierce Brosnan has done a pretty good job if not better than Brosnan.

However bond beauties like Catherine Munro and Eva Green really enlivened the screen. Catherine looked stunning with her long dark hair, curvaceous figure and flawless complexion and Eva Green was not bad either..Must say it was a real feast for the eyes..:)

The scene between Craig and Catherine was really erotic. Judie Dench as Madam "M" still looks hot inspite of her age. No wonder Craig said in an article that he finds her eyes arresting inspite of being surrounded by pretty ladies.

The actions scenes especially the one @ the beginning of the movie where Bond chases a suspected criminal in Africa was shot & executed very well. There was a small trailer of Spiderman-3 and I eagerly look forward to it next year.

I watched the movie @ PVR cinemas, Nirmal Lifestyles, Mulund and must say it was a great experience. The seats were not only cushy and comfortable but also were sliding. The one thing which played a spoiler in the whole movie was the couples sitting beside me. Both the couples seemed to be cozying upto each other kissing, smooching, hugging and god knows what..:)

Time to go home now and catch up on my dinner.

My cellphone beeped in the morning. My eyes lit up when I saw that it was an SMS from my bank. I was really happy to know that my pay was credited to my account. Sometimes it really doesn't hurt to have some cash in your pocket..:)

Today was a day of dramatic events. Dramatic coz after much dilly-dallying I clicked on the send button in the e-mail to send across my resignation. Which as expected resulted a flurry of activities.

When I was having my lunch, my Project Manager came upto me and said that he wanted to talk to me after my lunch. Post-Lunch, I had my usual stroll. However this time, I was plagued by thoughts and some deep soul-searching about the decision I took and the questions I have to face from my Project Manager. Believe me..it's quite tough to put in your papers just after a couple of months.

My Project Manager was very curious to know as to what prompted me to put in my papers. He said that he understand that there might be some communication gap. He also assured me that my on-site chances are still good. However I told him politely that I didn't have any problems as such. My only priority was to go home to be with my family. He has given me time till Monday to think again. Let's see.

I took 3 interviews today. Couple of them were girls. The first one was quite good looking, however fortunately for her (unfortunately for me..:)) she was married. Her forehead bore the red crimson. However the fact that they were girls didn't deter me from asking some tough questions. In the end all the three were selected.


I went home a bit late as I had some pending work to do. Still thinking as to what to do..Hope I can catch a good night's sleep..:)

I had quite a productive day today. I could make sense of all the documents I had received once I had a telecon with my onsite Project Manager.

My Project Leader was also there to assist me so it was a smooth ride. After the meeting I seriously started concentrating on my work and let my creative juices flow..:)

In the Lunch time, I was @ my usual pastime sitting near the lawn. This time I could see so many butterflies in different sizes and colours hovering around the flowers. It was quite a spectacle indeed and a great stress-buster.

We were asked to leave home early in the evening due to disturbances in the city probably linked to the desecration of Dr.Ambedkar's statue. Sometimes that makes me wonder as to what makes us (Indians) so emotional that we resort to violence over such flimsy grounds.

Anywayz time to wrap for the day and prepare for tomorrow..:)

Today time just flew. I was just like a rudderless ship for more than half a day. It means, I was confused as to what were my priorities for the day.

Only during the latter half of the day, things were gradually falling into place. I got some work to do after a telecon with one of our Project Manager who is onsite.

However seeing the e-mail attachment which the PM had sent,had me puzzled. I now need to figure out as to what needs to be done.

I stayed back a bit late and took all the work related documents home so that I can go through it.

I got up today morning to a gloomy start. Gloomy because the night before I received a call from my Project Manager saying that my U.K trip has been postponed. Now I am not sure if the trip is still on, my heart sank when I heard the news.

I sat brooding in front of the mirror with the face in my cupped hands. I felt a bit better when I talked to my family. They were also disappointed however they told me to take it in my stride.

In the morning, I read an article in the newspaper about a senior leader of the opposition in U.K lambasting the elite of the british & american industry for their patronising attitude of India. He told the audience that to think India & China will do only menial jobs like BPO, coding etc..while the U.S and Britain will move up the value chain is wishful thinking.

He was speaking about his first-hand experience in India after meeting Ratan Tata, Anand Mahindra and other industry captains. He was quite effusive in his praise of an India which had a lot ambition, driving hard to succeed which he felt was lacking in his country and the U.S. It came as a pleasant surprise to the people in the audience and even to me..coz historically the whites always considered asian people as inferior and fit to do only lowly paid jobs. Even then it takes a lot of courage to call a spade, a spade..:)

The other section which caught my eye was regarding Aishwarya Rai & Abhishek Bachchan.
There was a lot of mystery whether they got married/engaged etc. The one thing I was really curious was this Manglik factor. Ash is a Manglik and Abhishek isn't.

So I asked my flatmate as to what's the fuss all about. He cited an example of his cousin who had married a Non-manglik and suffered a miscarriage. However I told him, it might be just a coincidence. He agreed, however he said that people prefer to play it safe if they believe in astrology..hmmmm

I reached office in time and had some quality study time. My Project Manager ensured that he had lots of work for me. I had a good lunch today. I enjoyed reading a technical book today after a long time and must say I thoroughly enjoyed it besides gaining valuable knowledge.

Today I left office sharply @ 6 p.m. It's time to go home now and wrap-up the day..:)

My flight on Sunday night was late by 1 hour and by the time I went to bed it was 12 a.m. On the way to catch my flight I was a bit tense whether I will make in time, thankfully I made it..:)

Today even though I got up a bit early, I ended up reaching office late, as I had to get all the documents ready. The one thing which gave me anxious moments was Form 16(a must for salaried individuals). I reached my old office and made copies of my original documents, I also got some letters from my company and the HR staff(Reema and Ravi) were quite helpful. The only documentation missing is my bank statement for a period of 1 year which I am hoping and praying to get it by tomorrow.

That will mean I will have to go to the British Embassy on wednesday morning. When I reached my new office, it was almost 3:30 p.m. I went through my project documentation and then realized that it was time to go home.

Gotta go home now, as I need to do some ironing..:)

From the moment I reached home, I have been chided by Pramoda(my mom) and others that I don't look the same. I look more like a sick patient partly the reason being, I have lost weight. They blamed all this on my new found craze for dieting.

I took pains to emphasize that I have been eating quality food and just cut down on the greasy stuff. But my family especially Pramoda couldn't stop comparing me when I returned from New Zealand and now. She felt that I looked good when I was chubby rather than slimming down.

Pramoda works hard @ home. She is the first one to rise early from bed and do all the household work even @ her age. Her boundless energy amazes me. She has refused to keep a maid even though we kept requesting her.

When you're with loved ones, it feels good to be pampered..:) We had plans for watching the movie "Dhoom2" however it didn't materialize. It's Sunday evening now and I couldn't help thinking how time just flew after spending a good time with my family, I'll have to get ready by 7:30 p.m to catch a bus to the city. My flight is scheduled for departure @ 21:15 p.m

My work permit for U.K has come and if everything goes well including getting my visa stamped I will probably meet up with my family only after 5 months.

For now, it's time to say bye to Hyderabad..:)

I couldn't write my blog for y'day as I was totally freaked out by the time I reached Hyderabad Airport. The flight was delayed by an hour due to the work being undertaken on the runway. The flight was scheduled for departure @ 7:20 p.m, however it took off only @ around 9:20 p.m and I was quite hungry.


The flight was a bit pleasant as I met a fashion designer and another guy who works for Airtel. He had a blackberry device in his hand. I was curious about it and got all the details.

My brother was waiting to receive me @ the airport. Poor Akki(that's what I call him), was waiting for the past 2 hours. I apologized for the delay. One thing I am really scared of when riding pillion on my brother's bike is that he drives a bit rashly. I kept chiding him all the way to drive safely and not to overrun the traffic signals. Obviously my advice fell on deaf ears..:)

I gave Pramoda(my mum, I call her by name) a warm hug once,I reached home. She was overjoyed on seeing me and so was my sis.

Today, I had an appointment with my dentist, who was none other than my sweet old kid brother Akki..:) By the time, I had all the scaling and cleaning done of my teeth, it was nearly 4 p.m. I have braces fixed..so it needs regular maintenance and check-up.

Planning to watch a movie with my family tomorrow. Now it's time to hit the sack..:)

Today the day went on quite fine. I have been assigned to a new project which will hopefully take me onsite. let's see..:)

I finally got my access card today, however I did have a lot of running to do from pillar to post. I am a bit relieved now as I needn't wait for someone else to open the door for me.

We had chinese for lunch, the fried rice seemed to be too oily and not cooked properly..if given a chance, I wanted to avoid it..however I had no other option besides, I was also quite hungry.

By the time I left office, I was quite tired. Gotta go home and pack my bags coz tomorrow I am going to my home sweet home in Hyderabad.

Here's wishing me good night and sweet dreams..:)

The sky was slightly overcast when I got up today morning. It was like a bit of haze has enveloped the city. After a long time, the weather which is normally sultry turned out to be quite pleasant.

There was not much activity to do..and I must say it was a bit boring. We have this coffee/tea vending machine in the office and god, the tea ( if you can call it “tea”..:)) tastes like yuck. So I decided to venture out for the cutting tea(Mumbai slang for half a cup of tea).

Thankfully, I found it @ one of the tea-stalls closer to my office. When I sipped the tea, it really felt good..:) Now I have decided that the tea-stall
is where I would love to have my tea..:)

In the lunch time I was bored, so called up a friend of mine. Her name is Seema, she is one of my ex-colleagues @ Deloitte, Mumbai. Calling her is like inviting trouble. Don’t get me wrong..it means getting into trouble in a good sense. She wanted me to visit the “Dhyan Shibir” presided by Sri Ravishankar (the one from Art of Living (AOL) course fame) @ Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC), kurla. I am not sure whether I will be able to visit it, however she insisted that I come..:)

In the evening I had a chat with Anil who works for Wipro, Bangalore. He is one of my ex-colleagues from the days when I initially started of my career.
It felt good speaking to him after a long time.

Y’day night I had a chat with my sister(Shital) on the phone, she was very happy that her presentation went quite well. She had a video conference with her bosses in the U.S and she was pretty nervous.

I gave her a few tips and told her to just relax. She was thanking
me for my help, however I told her that it was she who was in the line of fire and deserves the credit. It was a big morale booster for her and should stand her in good stead for the future presentations.

Time to go home now, as another day comes to an end. I was not @ all productive today and I need to rectify the situation atleast from now on.

Compliments are something which can make any one happy.
So when my flat-mate who was keenly observing my diet said "You really take good care of your health", I was a bit pleasantly surprised.

I am not sure if it was a genuine compliment, however with a smile on my face I said "Thank You".

On my way to the office, where there is a flyover under construction there was poor dog trying to cross the road. It was in a way flustered that the steady stream of vehicles never seemed to stop.

That made me realize we human beings don't care about other people..forget about animals. Anyway it also brought to my mind the top news story in today's newspaper about Rahul Mahajan and his wife Shweta Singh. Rahul was obviously in the news for the wrong reasons i.e for wife-bashing.

Domestic violence is something most woman goes through. Men don't understand that god has made them strong not with the intention of beating up woman but for fulfilling their duties. To abuse your physical power by beating up the fairer sex was surely not what he( god )had in mind. Today, the day went on quite smoothly.

In the lunch time, when I was in the lawn, I noticed a couple of butterflies
hovering around the yellow flowers in the garden.
It was really a visual treat to watch. The butterfly wings had an amazing range of colours just like an artist's palette.

I am off to home now and hope to have a good night's sleep..:)

I could barely sleep y'day night. As usual my flatmate turned up late in the night.

My timing has improved since the past few days. I mean, I am finishing my morning chores well before time. Today on my to-do list was to go to my old office and also get my documents scanned.

Scanning the docs was such a nightmare. I saved all the scanned documents into a pdf file. The file size came to a whopping 3 MB. Now the problem was I couldn't send it as an e-mail attachment. Finally I did get around the problem by keeping it in a shared folder.

Once I was done, I left for my new office. My workstation now looks cool with a flat TFT monitor. I pinned my name tag on the pin-up board. I always desired a flat monitor as I found it sexy..:)

Y'day night, I had a conversation with Agni(my ex-flat mate) who now works for Infosys, Bangalore. I was happy to know that he was doing well. He had purchased a bike and also a house. It was quite an interesting conversation when we spoke on a variety of topics, from climate in Bangalore, the crowd, happening places etc.

Agni said that he does miss the social life in Mumbai which is far more vibrant than Bangalore. So coming back to today..Like a good student I worked on the couple of follow-up assignments post training. It feels really good..:) The coolest part is for the first time there was no restricted access to the net..I am not sure how long it will last though..

Time to say "Sayanora"..:)

Life can sometimes be very boring and lonely when people stay away from their loved ones. I am saying this because I felt the same today.

Many people chose to leave their hometown, be it a city or a village and migrate to other cities to earn their livelihood. I was reading an article in the newspaper today about a bright youngster from XLRI Bajaj, Jamshedpur who committed suicide in his hostel room. What makes it even more sad was, just a couple of days before, he had secured a lucrative job from a consultancy firm and even celebrated the offer, however his friends said he was suffering from depression.

I could empathize with him coz there have been times when I too felt depressed. Even the fact that you're having a good job or earning pretty well can't make up for it.


Well today I spent most of the time @ home and @ the cybercafe checking out my mails. I had a splitting head-ache in the evening and only after drinking a cup of tea, I felt better..:)

As I opened my eyes in the morning I realized that I was already late. The very fact that I will be going to office on a weekend made me a bit unhappy.
However I also knew deep within, that I need to get myself going.

It's been a hectic week, however now I cherish it even more coz it forced me to push harder. I also gained a very good knowledge about the databases and hopefully this will be pretty useful for me in the future.

We had an exit test and I was a bit nervous when it came to the assignments. The Trainer was not impressed coz I tried out the programs for which he had already given the code, however I didn't try out anything new i.e my own programs. The exit test went well and hopefully I'll clear the exams.

We had a small ice-cream party from the amount collected from the late-comers which came upto INR 300. It was time to wind up and everyone gave their feedback by filling up the forms. We also thanked the Trainer and the Training Manager for taking the pains to teach us everything(including the advanced topics).

I had to stay back a bit late as I had to format my CV as per the prescribed format given by the company. Most of the PC's of our team have been shifted to the new office and hopefully we will start working out from there. The wait seems to be over..:)

It's the end of another long day and I do deserve a well needed rest..:) Let me see how my Sunday goes..:)

I did get up early today morning but was disappointed that I couldn't stock up my fruits the previous night and had to do without it in the morning.

There was a lot of things explained in today's training session. We couldn't take the test today as most people wanted more time. So I need to write the test tomorrow. Never thought I'll be working on the weekend.

It was quite a humourous session today..with even the Trainer who is normally serious breaking into a smile. Our name tags have arrived and today I gotta know
where my seating arrangement was in the new office. The only source of disappointment is that only module\Project Leaders have been provided with a telephone extension and the other team members don't have it.

Y'day night I watched "Mission Kashmir" on cable TV. It happens to be one of my favourite movies. The performances are first-rate and the songs are good as well. Hrithik(Screen Name:Altaf), Sanjay(Screen Name:Inayat Khan), Preity(Screen Name:Sufia Pervez), Sonali Kulkarni(Screen Name:Neelima) excel in their roles. There's this noteworthy scene where Inayat Khan's wife Neelima who is Altaf's foster mom, tells Altaf that between humanity and destruction(if that's the right word) it's upto him to decide whose side is he on. So please think before you pull the trigger. If it was any other bollywood movie, the mom would have beseeched her son to pardon her husband and his dad.

However there was no such thing here..she doesn't plead for her husband's life. The movie strictly doesn't preach and it shows the hard hitting stuff. Every scene is gripping especially Jackie Shroff(I forgot his screen name:)) as the dreaded terrorist. One also shouldn't forget the climax of the movie which is too good with the action scenes shot quite well. The sets which look authentic gives one the illusion that the climax has been shot in kashmir..however the fact(even i was shocked to know) is that the sets were recreated in Film City, Mumbai. I could understand the reason why they did it.

Time to go now..as I am really hungry and need to grab a bite..:)

Y'day night I had a new flat mate. Well to those who don't know I stay as a paying guest(also popular by the acronym "PG") in a flat. Hold your breath, before coming to any conclusion I am not staying with any family which provides me breakfast, lunch & dinner.

Infact everyone of my flat mates is a paying guest. In addition to the room rental, we also foot the wage bill of the maid, electricity bill, cable bill, the newspaper bill and ofcourse food. Must say it's a pretty expensive affair.

Okay..so that was a brief background about my flat..now coming back to my new flatmate.I had a smile on my face when I shook hands with him however deep down within I had a sense of discomfort and probably he could sense it. Discomfort in the sense I had begun to enjoy my privacy and my worst fear was it's all gone now. I had 2 beds in my room and 2 cupboards.

A normal person would required a single cupboard however for a person like me who just splurges on clothes, a single cupboard wouldn't suffice. I ended up stocking the other cupboard..and now it's going to be quite a pain shifting things out. As for the bed..firstly it didn't have a bedsheet and then there was this whole pile of newspapers which got accumulated. Call it providence or anything else..I had just cleared the whole mess on the second bed and even put my own bedsheet on it and never in my wildest dreams did I thought, it will be like a perfect welcome to my new flatmate...grrrrrrr(it means I am angry..:))

My new flatmate's name was Ketan and he works for guess what..I couldn't believe it..Naukri.com,the job portal. Incidentally I have my CV uploaded on the same website. On coming to know that he works for the job portal, it immediately reminded me of the "Hari Sadu" ad of Naukri. I couldn't resist the urge to ask him whether Naukri.com treat it's employees well..he replied in the affirmative..you would have realized the context in which I asked the question..:)

I had a good conversation with my flatmate and he seemed to be a nice guy. However my worst nightmare came true when he came back @ 1 a.m in the night and switched the light on..I was enjoying a sound sleep and that one act of switching on the light really ruined the sleep. I guess he did it twice. To further compound my misery he left a dim light on. I was really pissed off. I woke up and wanted to ask him whether he really needed the light..however he was fast asleep. I switched off the light and went to bed clearly an unhappy soul.

Thereafter I tried everything to go back to sleep. I tossed and turned in bed however to no avail and then the alarm rang..it was already 6 a.m. My sleep was already ruined so I thought..what's the point, let me get up early atleast today.

Everything went well, in the context I finished my morning routine well before time.
So far so good..however when I got down the auto-rickshaw, I realized I lost my ID & swipe card. I was sure, I would I have left it in the auto. My only hope is some good samaritan will return it back to me..anyways that's a long shot.

I reported the loss of my ID card to my office admin staff and need to go through the procedural formalities all over again. The training session started to get a bit boring coz I guess the trainer seemed to lack a sense of humour and keep his audience engrossed. Few people(including me) took liberties to keep coming in and out of the session.

Our Training manager visited us for the feedback and told us that our Trainer was visibly hurt on people not paying attention or spending more time outside. He explained to us his personal experience as a trainer and also reminded us to put ourself in the Trainer's shoes and asked us, how will we feel if someone leaves the Training Room when we are presenting a particular topic.

His passionate appeal seemed to strike a chord among the audience and the people were more attentive now. Sajid(our Training Manager) also fervently made an appeal to us to finish our assignments even if we had to stay late. He said that the company had invested so much of time, money and resources. He had to personally fight for the machines to be allocated so that the trainees can benefit. For me..even though it was a bit emotional..I felt he was right.

We all(except for a couple of people) sat dedicated to solve the problem questions till 8 p.m. By the time I had come out of the training session, I was physically and mentally exhausted. BTW I had got a job offer from a top IT MNC in Bangalore, however i was torn by a dilemma when I came to know that I'll be getting a good opportunity with my present company. So I am just thinking what to do.

I have to wrap up now as it's already too late and I need to have my dinner. It's going to another long day tomorrow when we are going to have an exit test. All the best to me..:)

It's been a very hectic day today however the day started on a very positive note.
I learnt a lot of stuff from today's training session.

I reached home around 7:30 in the evening coz we had to complete our lab assignments. Saw a cute kitten in the garden today..it's been a long time I have seen one in this city. It was really cute..:)

Got to wrap up for the day..as today has been really tiring. Need to go to office quite early tomorrow morning as there are a lot of pending assignments to complete. BTW the loos in the washroom are now working..:)

Most people in Mumbai have this despicable act of spitting on the road, corner of a staircase in fact anywhere & everywhere. So when I got up this morning to get a packet of milk and saw this young woman spitting without reason, I wanted to tell her to stop it, however I didn't do it only to chide myself later for not doing it.

I wouldn't want to go back to the time I got up..because you guessed it right..I hit the snooze button again..:) BTW the guy with the novel..I got his name..it was Vivek.
As usual we exchanged pleasantries in the morning and he was back with his favourite past-time..your guess is as good as mine..:)

The classes got off to an early start and it was time for lunch. The veg gravy was a bit spicy for my comfort. I also noticed that the flush in our toilet was not working. Our Training manager wanted to know from us whether we are enjoying our training session so far. That brought forward a slew of grievances from the audience ranging from pace of the topics delivered, food @ the pantry, to the loos in the washroom, the last one was raised by me..:)) He brought in the Facilities manager(he is the one who takes care of our cafeteria, washrooms, seating arrangement, transport etc..)

When I tried to explain the problem about the loos not being flushed properly..I didn't know how to put it across..I was so embarrassed..rest of the people were laughing their butts out enjoying my discomfort. Finally I managed to get the word "Motion Sensors" were not working..:) We have an elevator however I always prefer the stairs. When I reached the class in the morning which is on the 3rd floor I found the entrance door locked..thankfully when I knocked on the door the security guard was kind enough to let me in. I told the facilites manager to keep doors to the stair-case open who was a bit surprised by my request.

He looked puzzled and asked me whether I needed the stairs for going up and down or...All the people burst into laughter. He was actually referring to people who smoke standing/sitting on the stair-case..which is true in most of the buildings.


Post Lunch, I received a call from one of my superiors. This was about an opportunity. If everything goes well, it will be a dream come true for me..:) I don't want to disclose anything now as it's not final yet.

It was the end of another long day for me and time to wrap up couple of assignments for the day before....:)

I have this notorious habit of keeping my alarm @ 6 a.m and when the alarm starts to ring..hit the snooze button. 6 a.m is the time for me to get up(which infact I don't..:)) on my weekdays. Every night before hitting the sack I have this resolution, that I am going to strictly get up @ 6 a.m ..however what happens the next morning is altogether a different story..:)

I had my usual breakfast and my time-management was really sloppy. I rushed quickly to my favourite hotel for my breakfast. BTW the hotel's name is Geeta Bhavan. I don't have much except for a steaming idli with sambar and coconut chutney.

I needn't tell the waiter about my order..the way he looks @ me and smiles..its all implicit..meaning he understands my staple diet every morning. I have been a regular now since the past few days and the same will be the case till I change my job or relocate somewhere else.

Every morning I come across the same familiar faces..one is an elderly gentleman who is bald except for the borderline hair which has been neatly dyed jet black(no offence meant to the gentleman) and there's this guy who always has a novel in his hand everytime he has his breakfast.

Whenever we look @ each other we smile..and that's about it. It was a surprise for me when I found the guy without this novel. That prompted me to ask him..what happened to his book..he just smiled..:) He introduced himself as oops..(I forgot his name)...however I do remember he works for an e-learning company NIIT.

I was looking @ my watch anxiously..I had to be there for the training atleast by 9:35 a.m. I was looking for an auto to take me to my destination. This is one of the biggest banes of every morning. All the autos were full and thankfully I managed to get into one.

Thank God!! I was there for my training on time..however it got off to a late start..say 10:30 a.m. As a developer, I always felt that writing complex queries
to retrieve data from the back-end was my achilles heel. I was familiar with SQL-server database, however Oracle was something which I had to regain my touch after a long time. This training will hopefully set that right, though a lot depends on me.

The new office building is named "Akruti Centre Point". It stands out from the crowd due to its curved glass dome like structure from the front. Everything has been designed spaciously. There is a beautifully manicured lawn in the front with some flowers planted as well. A small pathway in the lawn makes it perfect for a stroll after lunch or in the evening.

The training went on well and I did learn and unlearn quite a few things from today's class. Daily, while going home I go to the bakery and have my favorite "Amul Cool" toned milk..:)

There was this old lady in the bakery..who managed to walk very slowly. She had some provisions with her. I wondered whether she needed any help. She was waving her hand @ the auto drivers passing by..however it was dark and people could barely see her hand. I went upto her and asked whether she needed an auto..she replied in the affirmative. I waved my hand @ a auto-rickshaw and requested him to take the lady home. The lady was quite happy and said the words "Thank You". Seeing her eyes lit up..made me feel happy..:)

It's been a long day and I now need to catch up with my assignments and listen to some music before hitting the sack..:)

It was a pleasant morning when I got up. Not unlike yesterday. Today I had to make it for an interview which was scheduled for 11 a.m. However the Indian Standard Time(IST) is always running late and I made it 30 mins behind schedule..:)

I cleared the first couple of rounds however I faltered in the final round. When I came out from the interview it was already 2 p.m. I decided to go to R-Mall in Mulund coz its been a long time since I visited the place.

I was feeling very hungry. I checked out some of the moves playing @ Fame Adlabs in the mall. I wanted to see "The Departed" however couldn't make it, as it was 3:15 in my watch and the movie had started @ 2:45 p.m. I had tandoori roti and palak paneer for lunch and believe me I felt relieved when I was able to satiate my hunger.

One of my friends Jinal from the Art of Living (AOL) course stays in Mulund and she was ready to give me company. We moved around the mall a bit and then visited the "Pop & Tates" restaurant. We ordered a Brownie with chocolate sauce. It was Jinal's choice and I thought to give it a try. As the waiter poured the chocolate sauce onto the icecream and the cake below it..the sauce was boiling.I could gauge
the intensity of the heat emanating from the pan and rightly kept a safe distance.

When I took a scoop of the ice-cream it was sheer delight. It gave me a high..almost like I was on drugs..:) I was so greedy that I unashamedly took Jinal's share too. Poor Jinal could only cringe and chide me..:)

After savoring the Ice-cream I and Jinal went to the lake @ Thane. We just sat and looked @ the people boating in the lake. It was a calm, beautiful and serene experience.

Jinal was kind enough to escort me to the bus stop. She got down @ her bus stop. I was happy that I got a direct bus to take me home. I had a sound sleep in the bus and barely managed to keep my eyes open. The pleasant breeze which was slightly cold and kissed my cheek only added to my comfort.

Thankfully I did get up before approaching my stop. I had my dinner and I am now ready to hit the sack..Must get ready for the long working week tomorrow..:)

I had a sound sleep on Friday night..much to my horror when I opened my eyes in the morning it was 9 a.m. I never realized that I slept so long..:)

Anyway there was some house cleaning to be done today. After that, I had to catch up with a friend in Santacruz. The other night I kept looking @ some of the photographs which I had taken when I was in New Zealand. It invoked some pleasant memories..I went down the memory lane. The reality now seems to hit me hard. Anyway I thought, this is life and we need to move on.

I hailed a auto-rickshaw from Marol ( the place where I stay) to Santacruz station. Thank god it was a saturday, otherwise the road is normally choked with traffic on weekdays. It was a pleasant ride with roads nearly deserted..then suddenly the auto-rickshaw's pace seemed to slow down a bit. I wondered whether there's an engine trouble. The driver seemed to be looking @ his rear-view mirror. I was praying that the auto shouldn't stop anywhere in between. Just then another auto came parallel to our auto and there was this pretty blonde with her sunglasses on.

The twist in the story is the auto picked up speed..the driver intensely looking @ the foreigner. I understood the whole point. Probably the driver wanted to catch a glimpse of the pretty foreigner and he slowed down..I smiled to myself..after all everyone is human right..:)

I came home after I had lunch with my friend. The auto fare was a bit expensive @ INR 61 however the return train journey was not only cheaper but also faster.

There's not much activity left for the day as I checked all the mails @ the cybercafe. I had given some of my old snaps for processing. I got them scanned and uploaded one of the pics on orkut.

Looking forward to my Sunday..:)

The first thing I do after getting up and finishing my yoga exercises is to savor the fruits. Today I felt really good after tasting the orange I brought from the fruit vendor. Not only was it bigger in size but also tasty and juicy..mmmmm. Same goes with the apple. For a long time I had to do with the bitter oranges however I somehow tolerated it..Hope from on, things will only get better..:)

I called up my flat-mate Rahul and wished him all the best for his CAT exams. He was quite overwhelmed by the gesture. Today, I had a pre-test for SQL before the PL/SQL training program..which went fine.

We will be having training conducted @ our new office on PL/SQL. We were supposed to move out the whole application development team to the new office next week, however it has now been postponed by a week.

Phew..today was a long day with nothing much to do. I was just waiting for the clock to strike 6 and then get home.

BTW I had the glass panel placed on the bracket. It really looks gr8. There has been a change of plans and instead of the fish tank,I have now mounted my new small speakers. I plug into the small speakers with my I-pod and listen to the music everyday. Believe me..it sounds terrific..:)

I am looking forward to the weekend and let's see how it goes.

I got off to a bad start today morning. I had a nightmare which made me wake up @ 4 a.m in the morning. I dreamt of my younger brother being swallowed by a huge snake something like a Anaconda. It first picks him up and throws him to the ground so that my brother loses his consciousness and, then the snake could swallow him..which is a bit strange because in reality the anaconda can swallow its prey alive.

When this whole thing is happening I can only watch, cry and do nothing about it. I suddenly opened my eyes..however the impact was psychologically so deep, it took time for me..to realize that it was just a dream. Thank God!!

After I finished my morning ablutions and got ready for office, I always have to negotiate the road crossing which is a bit tricky. Tricky in the sense..the traffic is heavy that you fear losing your life and limb. I got on to the road divider and walked gingerly towards the end of the divider and in a hurry crossed the road. I thanked my lucky stars that I survived for another day..:)

As I was crossing the road, I saw this girl she was wearing a red kurta top and black trousers. She had streaked her hair with a tinge of ..can't remember the color.
She was pretty..however she seemed to suffer from a skin disease..I guess "Albinism" is the word. So I thought to myself Life is strange..no one is perfect. She still looked pretty even though most of her skin had peeled off.

At work, it was a bit slow coz I was expecting one of my team members to guide me regarding the rest of the coding to be done for my webpage. However he was not available today. We have only 2 hours of net access and that's when everyone eagerly waits to check their e-mails. It was lunch break and there was this topic of healthy food which came up. I am a health freak(not the extreme one..:)) and keep doling advice for free. One of my colleagues couldn't take it anymore and told me to stay away from her coz I used to always find fault with her food..:) The fact is..she was a bit on the heavier side and I genuinely wanted to help her.

In the evening, it was time to go back home. I remembered that I had to get my glass panel from the glass dealer. I have fixed a bracket on the wall in my room. The finishing touch was to add a glass panel which can hold a Fish Tank.

As I come to the end of today's blog the only thing which comes to my mind is..before I started writing it is ..whether I will be able to do it coz I was really tired and wanted to go home. I am glad I have done it..:)

My first blog..:)

Today is a red letter day for me..as I have created my online diary or as per popular terminology a "blog". I used to maintain a hard copy..6 years ago and that still makes me nostalgic.

I hope to pen down my thoughts from now on in this online dairy..oops I mean blog. So here's wishing all the best to me..Happy Blogging..:)