After yesterday's incident I began thinking whether it was wrong on my part to have reacted angrily rather than analyze things with a calm mind.

Anyways today, I drove my car to work again, however this time I was honking as soon as I saw a two-wheeler or an auto either in front of my car or on the left-hand side. I didn't want to take chances after what happened yesterday.

I went to the Concorde Motors showroom to get an assessment of how much the damage would cost me. The person in charge of the car body repair section told me that as both the front & rear doors had a dent, it would cost me in the range of INR 5000. Now that's more severe than I had thought. As it has a metallic paint coating there's a lot of process involved which may take upto 4 days.

I told him about the Insurance cover and he gave me a claim form to fill up so that I can get the damages covered by the Insurance company. I called up the helpline number of the Insurance Company and had a claim number generated. Tomorrow the surveyors from Insurance company will assess the damage and will let me know how much cost would they be covering.

It really helps to have an Insurance cover in times like these, and I hope that both my bumper and the door will be repaired and restored to it's original pristine condition..:)

It was really a bad day for me today. A motorcyclist banged into the door of my car causing a dent. When I told him to stop, he just sped away. I didn't give up, I followed him and caught up with him. To my utter surprise, the auto-drivers who were nowhere @ the time of the accident gathered and started blaming me. I told them to come to the police station. One guy went to the extent of standing in front of my car and asking me to get out of the car.

My fuse literally blew up. I yelled @ him and told him to get out of the way. It was a nightmare for me, as when I was about to park my car another scooterist came and hit my car. I was stumped as I had switched on the indicator and slowed down and to any motorist from behind it would have been clear that I was taking a turn. Thankfully this time it was not a major dent.

I hate the 2 wheeler riders, especially when they don't have the discipline or traffic sense.

Friday, I was back to work as I felt a slight improvement in my health. I was running late so I drove to work and had to stay late. On my way back home, it was raining pretty badly, the time was 9:45 p.m and the traffic got reduced to a crawl. At a traffic intersection, there was a hold-up which lasted upto 15 mins.

It then started raining even more heavily and I had difficulty navigating traffic due to poor visibility which was caused due to the mist formation on my windshield. My only cause of concern was that I haven't had my dinner and by the time I reached home whether the restaurants would be open. This is one thing which I badly miss in Bangalore. In Mumbai you can find restaurants open till late in the night. So whenever I used to return home late from work I had no problem in finding food..:)

Much to my relief there was a restaurant open (I am a regular visitor there) and the staff were quite courteous to let me have dinner even as they were winding down for the day. It was Abhishek and Aishwarya's wedding today and I wish them all the best in their career and personal life. Hopefully, atleast now people will be spared the saturation coverage in the media when there are so many serious issues to be covered.

Saturday was pretty much cool, as I had recovered completely and it felt good to be "normal" :) Getting sick when you're staying alone can really be hard on you. You miss the company of your family. If it was home, mom would have made me breakfast, served me a hot cup of tea, put her hand on my forehead and give me a warm hug :) These may be small things in our lives for which we have no time in our busy schedule, however they do matter. Someone was right when they said "Money can buy you all the comforts, but it can't buy you love"

It was the routine of finishing my laundry and cleaning the house. In the evening, I went to my friend Agni's house. From there we went to the Forum mall as I wanted to check out some digital cameras. After checking out the camera and it's price, I was in a dilemma whether to purchase it or not. In the end I didn't go for it as I needed time to think.

We planned to watch the movie "Namastey London" which was unfortunately housefull. For dinner, we decided to try out a new cuisine @ the food court and went to the sea-food section. The menu varied from squids, fishfingers to prawns.

Agni opted for the prawn fried rice while I decided to check out the combination of singapore chilly prawns and fried rice. When the food was served to us, we got a shock looking @ the quantity. It was 80 bucks each and all I got was a small scoop of rice and prawns.

We looked @ each other and thought of ourselves as Jack-asses in a cartoon :) The food was ok and not so bad as we thought except for the price factor which prompted Agni to comment "Sometimes you pay more to get less" :) Now comes the best part and that was when we had ice-cream for dessert. It was an italian ice-cream gelato which is quite the in-thing now-a-days. The high point of this ice-cream is that it's water based in comparison to other milk based ice-creams. It also has a lesser fat content @ 5% when compared to 18% in other ice-creams. The good thing is you get to taste a sample of different flavours. I opted for "Dolce latte" which tasted really yummy. The only downside is the price which is 65 bucks for a scoop, however it's worth it :)

Sunday, so far has been a pretty lazy day and I am chilling out. Just a small thing remaining, that's to iron my clothes for the working week ahead :)

The first thing in the morning I did was to visit the physician. He gave me a prescription for medicines and advised me a day's rest. I tried going to work but then couldn't make it. It was really pretty bad and I didn't want to make it worse by sitting in an airconditioned environment and lastly spreading my viral infection to other people.

It was a beautiful weather in the evening as it rained once again, however I couldn't enjoy it because of my illness. For most part of the day, I did nothing except to lie down and sleep.

I hope and pray that it shall pass and I get better atleast by tomorrow.

It's every aspiring immigrant's dream. Some call it as the land of milk and honey. To other's it's the path to prosperity and a good life. I am talking about the United States.

However reading today's newspaper, the impression you get is that the grass is always greener on the other side. The shootings @ the prestigious Virgina Tech institution by a lone gunman (he was also a student) who shot dead 32 people and injuring others before shooting himself was not only tragic for the innocent lives lost but also focuses on the gun culture in the U.S. This is not the first time it has happened and may not be the last time either. It just begs the question as to why people who are frustrated or depressed want to kill others who may not have anything to do them. It's doubly tragic when those killed are young people who had bright dreams of their future and some who have come half-way from across the world like the promising Indian student Minal Panchal who was from Mumbai.

My cold has become worse, and I am running a slight temperature. The first-aid box in my office had come handy and I consumed a tablet "Sinarest" for cold and fever. When you feel unwell, you just can't summon the strength to do even the basic tasks. I just can't wait to get home and crash into the bed.

A 10 degree dip in temperature at a time when the mercury has been rising should have come as a welcome relief. However, it may not be so good for the body if the fall in temperature is quite drastic.

I can tell this from my experience. From the past couple of days, I wasn't able to sleep properly due to irritation in my throat. It was really bad and the first thing I did after waking up was to gargle with salt water. The relief was minimal.

When I was reading today's newspaper, my worst fears came true. What I was experiencing was a viral fever. It starts with a sore throat and then progresses to cold, cough and mild fever lasting for atleast 3 days. I visited the local pharmacist and purchased a cough syrup Benadryl along with tablets for cough and cold.

It did give me a bit of relief, however the cough syrup made me feel drowsy :) At work, when I was having my evening snacks, the weather was really beautiful. There was a nip in the air and cool breeze blowing across. The software problem still hasn't been fixed yet :)

Last weekend ended on a high note. I and Agni watched "Bheja Fry" @ Innovative Multiplex. It was a laugh riot all the way from the beginning till the end. My jaw began to ache as I couldn't stop laughing. Similar was the situation with my friend Agni and the rest of the audience.

Vinay Pathak stole the show and other(s) chipped in as well. Rajat Kapoor, Sarika (looking fabulous), Milind Soman everyone acted well.

It's the beginning of a working week and when I got a licenced copy of the software program after a long wait, my joy was short-lived as it turned out to be a damp squib. Anyways now I have a different assignment and I am hoping that atleast this will pull me through..:)

It was a Friday morning and what better way to break the monotony than by slipping into casuals :) Yesterday on my home it didn't rain, to be more precise it poured. I escaped by the skin of my teeth without getting completely drenched. There was thunder accompanied by lightning and strong gusts of wind. It seemed like special effects straight out of a Ramsay movie :)

It was nice and sunny today, however looking @ the weather forecast I wanted to carry an umbrella, but forgot it @ the last moment :)

At work, unfortunately the software which was being downloaded had some glitches and so couldn't be installed. I continued with my learning sessions and @ the end of the day, I must say I am quite satisfied.:)

As I am about to log off from my PC there is a huge relief that the weekend is here..:)

Y'day on my way back there was a brief spell of shower(s), and it brought a big smile on my face. It's been so hot for the past few days that it felt good to smell the earth when the rain drops struck the ground.

The effect of y'day night's shower was visible in the morning when I went to work. It was sunny, however the dry weather was missing. As I sat down to have fruits for my snack in the evening, the weather which was sunny gave way to an overcast sky and the bird(s) in the sky had their own rhythm.

Today was late Dr.RajKumar's (Kannada film actor) 1st death anniversary. There were melodious songs from his hit movies playing on the FM radio. One of them was "Sadananda", I can't make much of the lyrics, however I have heard this song earlier. It's quite melodious and has a life of it's own :)

Tomorrow is a Friday and the last working day of the week..:)

At work today, I was expecting my software to be ready however there is still a bit of delay and I am hopefully expecting it to be done atleast by tomorrow.

It was a very productive day as I could cover a lot of training sessions. I don't know why I am suffering from hunger pangs today. Can't wait to get back home and have a good dinner..:)

Sometimes you get up in the morning and as you start doing your usual morning chores, suddenly you feel that something is missing. You start thinking and questioning about the very rationale of your existence, what I am doing or how boring to do the same thing every morning.

On Tuesday morning, I was going through the same emotions. But then I thought this is what people irrespective of their geographical location do and as long as mankind exists unless something drastic happens this is how we are going to lead the rest of our lives.

When I was sitting in the public transport bus on way to work, there is this lady who came and handed over a pamphlet. On the top of the pamphlet was printed all the religious places of worship. Below that was the written text in various languages like Telugu, Kannada, Urdu and English.

It was a request for donations for a person who has lost his legs, a women who needs to get married etc. There was also the denomination of currencies mentioned. The minimum was Rs.2/. Right @ the bottom was an instruction which requests the reader to return the pamphlet.

As is our instinct my hand reached for my wallet, however then it struck me that how do I know whether it's genuine or not. When the lady approached me I returned the pamphlet, she began to search for the money and then asked me. I politely declined. It's not that I don't give alms to beggars, however my priority is the aged and the infirm, those who can't eke a decent living.

At office, it was business as usual. A minor breakthrough was that, I can now download the trial or evaluation copy of the software program. That should hopefully be done by tomorrow.

Sunday was a day when I completed my remaning household chores like sweeping and mopping the floor. This time it was a far more time consuming and laborious process as I had to dust the fan's and the loft. The fan blade's are the first one's to catch a lot of dust depending on how frequently it's used.

In the evening I and Agni (my friend) went to watch the movie "The Namesake" @ Innovative Multiplex. It was a straight road from Agni's residence and for the first time I cruised @ a speed of above 60 kmph in the 4th gear. My normal range of speed would barely cross 40 kms and the gear would ideally be stuck in the 2nd and rarely goes into the 3rd gear.

It was an empty and wide stretch of road and as I stepped on the gas, it pumped my adrenaline and set the pulse racing. It made me feel really good. For the first time I could break the shackles of city traffic..:)

The "NameSake" was quite a good movie to watch and is based on a similar novel by award winning other Jumpa Lahiri. Creditable performances by Tabu (screen name: Ashima Ganguli) and Irrfan Khan (screen name: Ashok Ganguli) apart from the younger actors Kal Penn (screen name: Nikhil Ganguli) and Zuleikha Robinson. Director Mira Nair has always done good cinema and this should be add one more feather to her cap.

The story line is not too melodramatic and put across in a simple way.

Past few days, today being no exception my morning chores have changed a bit. Changed in the sense, I do my usual pranayams/breathing exercises and later have fruits. Apart from that I get some tiffin in the morning for my dad and make him a hot cup of bournvita.

Today when I read the morning newspaper, there was a sad story of a techie who went missing yesterday and whose body was subsequently recovered today. His name was Manoj and his native place is in Himachal Pradesh. Manoj was working as a Software Engineer for EMC Square, Bangalore.

He had made friends with one Syed who worked as an attender with an IT firm. They had gone for a picnic spot along with 2 of syed's friends who later crushed his head with a stone. Manoj's relatives got suspicious when they called up Syed who told them that Manoj had gone for his friend Anand's birthday party. His colleagues revealed that there was no one by the name Anand.

The cops found cash missing from the wallet of Manoj and the credit card transactions totalling 30000. The credit card trail was enough to catch Syed and 2 of his friends. I was a bit shocked reading this article as it was the 5th such case wherein a techie was murdered for gain. Many IT professionals migrate to cities like Bangalore but staying away from family, friends coupled with boredom and work stress takes it's toll. It can become a trap for them to make friendships with strangers and in some cases it can be fatal as is the case above.

Being a techie myself, I understand the hazards involved. We are in a economy where the IT revolution has only sharpened the digital divide further between the have's and have-nots. So it's better to have a low profile than flash your expensive gadgets such as cellphones and notebooks/laptops in front of people. This was also an advice given by the Investigating Officer to software professionals.

Watching T.V especially news channels like CNN-IBN can sometimes be boring. The past few days has seen the same news about Cricket, BCCI, players etc. It seems like the media has discovered a goldmine in the aftermath of India's debacle in the world cup.

I had a nice nap in the afternoon and then had lunch with my dad. I'll be dropping my dad in the evening to the Central Bus Station. His bus leaves @ 7 p.m

It was a lazy friday morning for me as I got up @ 9 a.m. I had some plans to make use of the long weekend, unfortunately things didn't work out. I was thinking on going for a long drive to "Kemmanagundi", a scenic retreat which is 250 kms from Bangalore.

I finished my laundry, car cleaning today and only the house cleaning part remans which I'll be doing tomorrow

My dad is in town and will be leaving tomorrow evening. We had a pleasant dinner today evening after a long time..:)

I am feeling a bit better today after what I went through yesterday. Things aren't so bad as they seem. However the hot & dry weather continues to take its toll.

Everytime I get down the BMTC (Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation) bus and walk towards my office the sight of the tender coconut vendors sitting in the shade gladdens my heart. Sipping the sweet tender coconut water under an unforgiving sun is soothing. It refreshes and rejuvenates not only your mind but most importantly, the body. It's one thing which I really love about Bangalore city. You have coconut vendors sitting @ most important junctions.

It's the end of the day and I am pretty tired. Tomorrow will be the last working day for this week and yipee it's going to be a long weekend as Friday is a holiday.

Today nothing went as expected. My mood was off as a two-wheeler just scraped against the bumper of my car. Without a warning he just took a right turn and it totally pissed me off. I could feel that my car hit the 2 wheeler, thankfully nothing happened to them and they sped away. Only after parking my car did I realize the extent of damage. It had beautiful body colored bumpers and now it's not a pretty sight.

I felt sad for my car, coincidentally today is exactly 1 month since I bought the car. What an irony.

I normally don't take my car to work on the weekdays due to the crazy traffic. It's always a pleasure to drive on the weekends. However today, I had to pick up my dad and so I thought that was the most convenient thing to do. The heat has begun to take its toll. I am feeling a bit dizzy and longing to get back home and hit the sack.

At work, I am still working on my practice sessions till the software issue is resolved.

I was late for my appointment today and even though I did get the medical report, however I missed my consultation with the physician. I need to probably come back next week.

The medical reports suggest that my heart beat is normal, no blood sugar or traces of RBC's (Red Blood Corpuscles) in my urine test, normal cholesterol levels and the most important thing, my total haemoglobin count which is well within the range.

Not much to be done today except mopping the floor and I watched the movie "Taxi No. 9211" on Star TV. It's a remake of an English movie but the story was nicely improvised in the Indian context. It was a short movie the duration of which was under 2 hours. The editing is crisp and you empathize with the characters in the story. Of course there are lessons to be learnt. This is the 3rd time, I have watched the movie..:)

It was an April Fools day and I managed to find 4 Bakras..:) The excuse was "I slipped in the bathroom and broke my arm. I just came from the hospital and my arm is in the cast." All my friends fell for it and it was quite hilarious to observe their reaction, once they knew they had become a Bakra..:)

Time to get ready for the working week ahead.:)