An amazing day today… no emergencies to talk about. things happening in the manner planned, people looking generally relaxed. Everything where it should properly be… my boss in his cubicle, my PM on leave, the cash in the bank, and the beer in the fridge. What more can a man ask for…

There is something absolutely divine about a lethargic day at office.. especially if yesterday had been the day when God looked at you in the morning and smirked to himself… “Lets play around a bit with the laddie shall we”

So Yesterday… I got up late (Vestige of Sunday Night at Escape).. missed the office bus and coughed up a substantial amount to the autowalla who conveniently did not have any change… Was late for a meeting, and ended up messing up a client invoice. Had three deliverables with due dates mentions as “ASAP” (How I hate that acronym)…. and to top it all, the coffee vending machine decided to do a ‘Titanic’….

By evening I had a headache… but had to take a session on something as useless as ‘Software Quality Assurance’ for my team…. they slept in the chairs while i yakked away… absolute torture for both the sides i guess..

Understandably… when I returned to my lonely abode I was pretty irritable… and then… my fiancee called. To say the least, I was not at my civil best with her… and so ended up spending the next one hour trying to somehow apologise.

Had it not been for my Rum and Apple Juice.. I would have been dead today…

But today…. ah today is one of those perfect days when you feel like smiling at everyone… even at the chowkidar of your society who promptly locks the gate every night at Eleven… and raises a huge hullabaloo when you come back from some midnight excursion… Sigh… Its a wonderful world…

A long long time back… when I had been in school… there had been this band called ‘Silk Route’. And their first album…’Boondein’ was pure magic. Finally, we thought … we have an Indian band worth the name. Me and my friends sang its songs on stage…. and togther dreamt of the cold waters of the mountain rivers kissing the verdant banks. Another album later… Silk Route seemed to have disappeared. I still see them… sometimes… on some obscure award ceremony or the other. They had been good. Now we have Rabbi…’Bulla ki jana’. Hope this one stays…

It is fascinating the way music can bring back memories… ‘Pehla Nasha’ will always remain the first song I sang to someone…. or that lullaby from ‘Masoom’ will forever be sung by my mother. ‘Summer of 69’ shall always be the song which would ignite every dying party at Symbi…

Govinda’s ‘meri pant bhi…’ was the one i danced to when they ragged me in college.. .. and ‘Sunaina’ by Yeshudas, was the song the busdriver played again and again on that long ago trip to Nainital…

Somethings never change, whatever be the city or however old you might become…. Thank God !

Over the ages, if you mull through the annuls of human history; human civilisation has enforced some rights of iniitiation for a boy\ girl entering adulthood. The prehistoric ages had the sons being instructed by ‘Gurus’ in the deepest forests before they returned to a life of luxury in the cities. The Medieval ages had the young men shedding blood in the battle fields of conquests and crusades. Now, they hunt for a house.

A man is not a man enough till he masters the skills needed for an elaborate, long drawn out and eventually fruitful house hunt. It needs the patience of a seaman and the guile of a raconteur.

I, being a veteran of several such expeditions, can well provide a list of my own Do’s and Don’ts when you want a house on rent:

1) Have a bath, shave and put on your most modest and decent attire. No one wants a flashy, illkempt, bade baap ka bigda beta as a tenant… more so if the land lord has some girls around the house.

2) Be civil, polite and learn how to smile while the potential house owner launches off on a never ending tirade against the last occupant of the house who never paid the rent on time. In fact, if you are a group of guys planning to stay togther, let the most seedha saadha amongst you do the talking.

3) Be ready for the most unexpected and personal of questions… “Are you a vegetarian?”, “Why do you want to stay alone?”, “What is your salary?”, “What is your caste?”, “Are you a devout Hindu?”, “Do you drink?”, “When will you get married?”, “How many guests do you expect for a visit?”,”Do you think Netaji died in that plane crash in Japan?”…… phew !!

4) Carry identification of some sort… cards , licenses whatever.

5) Appear to be a family sort of a man… it really really helps. Drop glowing references to your parents and your concern for them whenever and wherever you can…”I hope you have a backup generator for the elevator… My father is an arthritic you see……..” “Is there and satsang society in this building? My mother is a very devout person”…

6) Wear confortable shoes… you will need to do a lot of walking.

7) Things to watch out for: leaky bathrooms, telltale marks on the door left after the last time a desperate tenant clung to the door before being hauled out of the house… and the like.

Anyway, the kind of house you get depends a lot on your luck. All the above becomes null and void the moment you land a decent place. Pay your deposit and be happy. But remember, that luck always favors the brave….

Generous amounts of rice, glistening with a smooth coating of oil… slivers of black mushroom, juicy and fragrant, chunks of diced chicken and celery…. all steamed together in a column of woody bamboo…. the result? Bamboo rice…..A smooth smoky taste that takes you straight to a gourmet’s paradise.

Caeser is dead ! Long live Caeser !!

People, Nanking has been dethroned as the reigning favorite from my list of Chinese eateries. Welcome, “The Chinese Pavillion”… a small restaurent tucked away in a basement at Panjagutta. A bit difficult to locate… its easy for you to pass by without even realising the what delicacies lie hidden just a stairwell away.

The first thing that strikes you when you enter the restaurant… is the easy ambiance. Lighting is neither dull nor garishly bright… just the right amount of cheerful brightness for an enjoyable meal. The sitting arrangements are adequate for a small group to retain their own space.
But perhaps, it is the service that sets this place apart from the rest. Attentive, quick and unobtrusive…. a combination that is well, pretty hard to find.

I have been to “The Chinese Pavillion” twice… whithin a space of less than a week. Most of their dishes are great…. but honestly, the ‘Bamboo rice’ has to be eaten to be believed.

The prices are reasonable and the portions adequate. At the end of the meal, you feel… fulfilled.
And yes, the “Honey Noodles with Icecream” is all that a dessert should be.. rich, small and quickly finished.
So here is a toast.. to a place that makes eating out a Real Joy !!

Comments from the past:
Porttuguese Man-Of-War
15 Dec 2004, 5:48pm

CP is my favorite, too! Join the club!

tabrez
15 Dec 2004, 8:32pm

Will second that!

Phone calls.. probably the most potent weapon when it comes to relationships. Phone calls can be pretty long you know. When you are growing up, probably 16 or some equally inconsequentially sentimental age, phone calls can last through the night. The fear of an impending exam, or the small euphoria of juvenile love talk…. it really ‘connects’.
Anyway, when I was a teenager then we did not have the ubiquitous cell phone around. So there were, lying snuggled beneath layers of blankets (in our respective homes) on cold December nights.. with the curly telephone cords hunched around our necks; speaking in conspiratorial whispers… just the delicious fear of being found talking on the sly so late at night was all the thrill we needed.

Then, I suppose we grew up. After a point of time, phone calls turned into minor battles of the ego… “Why is that it is always ME who calls?? Don’t you even care for me”…. Somehow, a phone call became a direct measure your affection. In fact, somehow I always feel that my first heart break had simply been because I had been too lazy to call her up as frequently as I should have….

Then, We move on with life. Find new things to do, make new friends, have a new crush. And then suddenly you fall in love again. A long distance one this time. “You lying here… and She lying there” as croons Bryan Adams… Now! the phone calls and emails become indispensable. replying by rote to emails… asking for the well being of each other… and making that weekly STD call so eagerly anticipated and planned for become integral parts of your life. You master saying the most within the least amount of time ….. STD had not been cheap you see.

So far apart, your relationship takes on a Magical aura of almost mythical proportions. You revel in your intimacy without actully meeting each other, each nursing an increasing magical ideal of the other.

Then one day, you land up in the same city. With your hearts singing and cheeks aflame you hook up for a coffee date. Only to find yourself sitting face to face with a person you really do not know so well. The phone calls and emails …. have only managed to fixate you on the image of the person and not the person as a whole…. from then onwards…. your relationship drifts apart.

Hey, I have nothing against people hooking up on the phone…. I myself wooed the girl I am getting married to via SMS’s !! It took a couple of thousands messages and a fantastic typing speed to get her into the marrying frame of mind. But a job well done I guess… Anyway, she now complains that I do not send her as many messages as I used to… hmmmm

Anyway, talking is important… more so on the phone 😉

Prolonged silences on either end of the phone run the risk of the following:

1)You are simply not interested and have probably fallen asleep watching ‘Baywatch’ rather than listening to the blabber on the phone.

2) You have taken offence over some matter close to your heart and are maintaing a dignified silence while reigning in your seething emotions.

3)You have so fallen in love with the voice on the phone that at the moment you are gambolling with its owner in La La Land

4)You are busy making out with someone else and have forgotten to say the mandatory ‘Hmm’ every ten seconds.

So … making phone calls should not become your calling in life, unless obviously you work for a call center (yech.. sometimes even I hate my jokes). Baki Baad mein

Comments from the past !
dialz blancs
15 Dec 2004, 8:37pm

i see light at the end of the tunnel.

Crozzwinz
18 Mar 2005, 2:51pm

Hey… Sad that u r taken. being a girl, i love the way u look at life…

Ashish
23 Mar 2005, 1:46pm

Hmm.. guess what I am sad too 😉
And its not about how I look at life. I have simply recorded what I felt.. thats the way it is

anisha
27 Mar 2005, 7:48pm

its good to hear but its bad on the other way

So its final… clear as shining star on a summer night, as inevitable as a daydream… marriage. six months from now I will let go of the only way of life i have known till now. and suddenly…. its a pretty sobering thought.
Marriage, does that take away your license to have fun at the drop of a hat. Or does it make you more….. responsible. Or does it guarantee you a constant companion for the rest of your life; whether you like it or not I might add.
So does the notion of waking up in a room clutterred with beer bottles, ash trays, used paper plates and empty savory bowls suddenly become unaccpetable overnight. Or does a night with the guys and the bottle become a taboo. Whatever… the point is like that people do get married … and some of them seem to really enjoy it as well. So here is hoping that I manage to land up among those lucky ones… Amen !!

Ok ok ok… maybe I come from a generation which considered it intellectually inferior to watch too many movies. But come on… there are too many good movies floating around to escape having some favorites!
well I love those old musicals…. of the genre of “The Sound of Music” and “My Fair Lady” or maybe “Casablanca”.
Another movie.. made sometime in the 1970s called “Hello Dolly” is also one of the movies that I have probably watched a zillion times.
Talking about movies.. any movie with Julia Roberts is always a sure hit with me. Agreed though that she is not the best actress around but she definitely is the most charming. “My Best Friends Wedding”, “Mona Lisa Smile” and of course ” Pretty Woman”. There is something infectious about the way she laughs…. reminds me so much of someone I know (guess its an open secret who)….
They once made a movie call…. “Thoda Sa Roomani ho Jaye”…. most people will not recall the movie.. well it had been an atempted musical from NFDC. Had an excellent sequence with Nana Patekar… when he describes the rhymes and reasons for ‘Water’
Descriptions… words .. probably leave the most lasting of memories on my mind. The way Higgins describes the English language in “My Fair Lady” or Mel Gibsons ending sequence in “The Patriot”….
Well here is an opinion for whatever its worth… Heroes seem great on screen because whatever they say with passion seems to be heard by ever character around them with considerable belief and respect. While when we say the right, logical, rational things… no one really bothers around us. So, the guy on the screen inspires and awe… though honestly.. I am yet to meet many people who can make me feel similarly in real life………
But there had been one…. We used to call him ‘Baap’ at SCMHRD

This one goes a bit away from the run-of-the-mill stuff I generally write over here. Its been 4 months since I joined my current project. Perhaps it needs to be mentioned that it is also my first…
So there I was, hesitantly setting up my desktop. a bit wary of asking favors from strangers. then suddenly out pops a face from behind my Cubicle wall. A round face, round specs and a long long braid …..and a bindi firmly afixed in the center of her forehead.
“Ashish, will you please join us for our project party today?”
Madhumita, our track lead… the backup project manager and the uncrowned Quality queen for our division. And thus, I too joined a score of other people working with and under Madhumita. Over a period of time… I learnt whatever I know about my job till date from her. Admired and took inspiration from the quality and quantity of her work. And now that she resigns from our company and moves ahead with her life…. I wish her all the best and say a heartfelt “Thank You Madhumita”!!

Been a long long time since I wrote something here. Anyway, had all the reasons in the world to actually just go off on a trip to nowhere. Got engaged, to a Tamil Iyengar Brahmin who refuses to accept an MCP for a husband and smiles indulgently at my many faults. I shudder to imagine what evangelistic thoughts race through her mind whenever I am in the middle of describing a night with the bottle. It is a bit funny though, she used to find the things i said in my druken stupor endearing when i was a college guy in dirty jeans. Maybe thats acceptable for a guy who is broke most of the times… not one who is supposed to be on the verge of becoming a family man.
Talking about family, i am reminded of my workplace. Seeeeeeeee !!!! 6 months into a job and the phrase family connects to the office of all places. Generally, its a fairly routine place to be (my office)…….. but sometimes it can be a lot of fun. Like today, when we are having a ball because the clients’ server crashed.

In fact, crashing systems make a lot of business sense for the company as well. I present my case hence forth:

1) Crashing servers lead to project delays, in a time & material project this translates into the client being billed for one more working day per person. That gives you a whopping incremental amount for your revenure at no extra cost.

2) The company gets to show off its disaster recovery system to perfection to the client. Otherwise it only remains a lifeless piece of information on paper waiting for a tropical storm to destroy all buildings in the developed world… or maybe a neuclear holocaust or two.

3) The employee morale gets a major boost. trust me , no-one is happier than an IT guy when servers are crashing on the client’s end.

4) The case study to be prepared for the given contract becomes a lot more interesting to read. Anecdotes can actually be even more priceless than the end product itself… “The Area Sales Manager for XYZ accessed his system on the D-Day to find all his data erased !!! However, we (The Company) took just an hour to restore the system. the needed data was delivered and the meeting was saved!!! Yet another moment of client-company bon homie; Yippeeeee!!!

Yeah, i guess sometimes my derision with IT shows through. Anyway, staying alone can actually result in some unforseen problems all around. My maid refuses to to cope with the odd hours i keep and threatens to quit every second day. The dhobi takes my clothes and conviniently forgets about my very existance till the next weekend. I guess that is more troublesome to the people around me… who wants to sit next to a guy wearing the same set of clothes for the entire week!!

Had been on a trip to delhi for Diwali. Had an interesting journey. Had been travelling in a second class sleeper coach… AP Express. The train was supposed to start from Hyd at 6:30 in the morning… that meant I had to wake up at the unearthly hour of 5:00 AM. It also happened to be one of those painfully rare mornings when i saw the sunrise at Hyd.
Once i reached the Secunderabad Railway station, triumphant and proud of my early arrival, my enthu was dampened somewhat by the annoucement sayig that the AP Express was delayed by 30 minutes!! They say, “Punctuality is at best a lonely pleasure’, and i So totally agree with them.
Anyway, the train was full of the regular culprits one finds presnt in train compartments in any part of the country. My immediate neighbour was a middle aged lady from Kerela… Elizabeth Kurien. “Call me Mona, that is my pen name’ She charmingly introduced herself while i did the yournger-polite-guy-sorts duty of pushing her bags (Three) and a bedroll (One) under the berths. “Pen-name” ?? I said. So i had a man of letters with me (Or should that be a ‘woman’ never heard of that phrase). Unfortunately i made the mistake of vocing my doubt… the next thing i knew . Mona was handing me a bunch of small booklets; … “Its a long journey, you can enjoy my shers on the way!! And there i was, stuck in the middle of some sentimental trash feauturing heaving bosoms and unshed tears… and a chase maternal woman offering to share her food with me… alonwith all her unread repertoire. Mona came across as a failry lonely soul. A rich businessman for a husband who by her own accounts is hardly ever at home.. and a married son settled abroad. i have a her phone number with me, and a promise to call her up once i return to Hyderbad. Guess neither matters.

Current Mood: Happy
Current Music: Circle of Life