Simple things that can change ….

….the world around us. Wow…. Now thatz the start of a serious n boring post.

The society is messed up. No one cares for anyone. Everyone are selfish. No one feels the responisibility..Perfect.. you are absolutely right. Now… Do you ever question urself, “Am I a responsible citizen?” Don’t luk at me seriously.. it holds gud for me aswell. When I say responsible that doesn’t mean that u shud become an IAS or IPS officer and serve the society or join the army and fight for the country.

I’ll just try to quote some situations which we might come across hell lot of times in our day 2 day life, where a simple responsible act from us makes the world around a better place to live.

ATMs, Ticket reservation counters, Billing in malls..etc.,.. yup.. I’m talking abt following the queue. Everyone are busy and have some or other urgent work. But if you don’t follow the line it will become more confusing and irritating. If someone tries to break the line, say them softly to not to do that. If he/she doesn’t listen, raise ur voice and I bet at least 2 other people will join u. That will make things easier. Well, at ATMs I feel like changing the notice from “Only one person allowed at a time” to “Only one human being allowed at a time”

Have you ever seen these things in public places which say… “Use Me” ? thatz right…. Dustbins. Have u ever used them? Atleast have u ever felt like using them? You are sitting in a park with ur gal. She asks for coffee, you run all the way and bring it. You pay 10 bucks for it , have 5 sips of it and y can’t u take just 2 steps and throw the cup in dustbin. Now don’t ask me , “Will I reach the dustbin in 2 steps in every park?”:-) This is our world guys. Therez nothing wrong in keeping it clean.

How many of you switch the mobile phones to silent mode at places like cinema Halls and Temples? Plz raise ur hands…one..two..three.. wow almost everyone. Hey Naresh and Raveendra(names not changed :-)) raise ur hands properly. “Why should I keep it in silent mode?” Ofcourse Sir.. ur mobile ur wish. But you have no rights to disturb the people around u.

The one I’m going to mention is very common in Hyderabad. You are in the middle of a traffic jam and you are very well aware that in no way you are going to move unless the traffic is cleared. But still some guys blow horn continuously. Is it necessary? Just think once. Next time, tell ur boy friend not to do that :-). As we are talking abt traffic I’ll mention one more thing. Please don’t jump signals though I’m not the right person to say this coz I myself did that more than once. Yes.. at times there may b very little traffic and still the signals are ON. In such situations, go for it but be 110% sure that no other vehicle comes across ur way...may b in the next 10 seconds or more.

Finally, I’m no one to compel u to follow these things and if u r already implementing I would be more than happy. Still there are so many examples like using the footover bridge instead of running across the roads, using the indicators of our vehicles properly and so on.. But if I continue typing down like this my laptop will commit suicide. By the way, to follow these things therz no need to learn the so called corporate etiquette or be aware of the words like civic sense, social responsibility.. blah blah blah. We just need a little bit of common sense.

So Close yet So Far Away

Warning: After reading this post don’t ask me ” y the hell have u written such a long post?” I tried my best to edit it.By the way this is one more version of my previous post.

Have you ever had a weekend when you felt that you are the happiest person in the world.

On the other side…

Have u ever had a weekend when you felt like you were so close to her yet so far away.

The above lines explain the two extremes of my feelings when she came here on 12^th and 13^th of July 2008.

Hmmm.. it took one and half years of arguments and two months of silence to bring her here, though I was aware that itz too difficult for her to come alone, just to see me and … only me.

Finally the day has come. Itz always a nice feeling when you know that the gal u luv the most is coming to see you.. just you. I donno y guys get too tensed when a gal is coming to see them, changing the shirt twice and washing the face thrice. Nonsense.. I’m not that type. oops.. where is the T-shirt that she said she liked in one of my pics? Oh! Here it is. So, what was I saying? :-)

The first place I took her was to the company where I work. Yeah.. I know .. itz not quite a romantic place to take such a beautiful gal but you can’t find a lonely place, to talk, than a software company on weekends. I showed her my cubicle, wandered round the office , had a chat for some time and came out. We went to Spicy Venue, a decent restaurant to have lunch.

As the sun started settling down we reached EatStreet. This was the last place we visited together when she was here 2 years ago. This is a place where you find hell lot of food and donno what to eat. Then we sat on the park just beside EatStreet where a number of fortune tellers irritated us to listen to what they say, which we never did. If it was my friend Kiran(name changed on request.. actual name is Naresh Kumar Kareti… not karate.. Kareti,works for TCS Chennai :-)), he would have told their own fortune :-) . Then we had a walk across the necklace road and drove back to her hostel.

Next morning we went to Birla Mandir. If I remember right, the last time I went there was with her and I never visited it in the last 2 years… reason.. I donno. Next place.. ADLABS..the new multiplex in Hyderabad and the movie..”Jaane Tu Ya Jaane na”. I felt she would njoy watching it…. with me. Did you.. my sweet lil kid ?.Hmmm.. wish to have the same climax for my story aswell :-). Ufff… hungry….there you go.. Minerva Coffee Shop.. one of the best vegetarian restaurants in Hyderabad.

Now the interesting part, we had to catch a bus to Banglore at 5:50pm. We reached there by 5:15 and were waiting. 5:30.. 6:00.. 6:15. Good news… the bus got cancelled and no alternate one arranged. I swear, I felt sorry for myself coz if she doesn’t reach Banglore by 8:30AM Monday, she’ll just kill me :-) . Fortunately, we had seats in KSRTC bus and I was relieved. The only thing I remember in our journey was, me resting on her and holding her hand tightly or the other way round. Thatz when I felt I was so close to her yet so far away :-( .

Now, after reading this post don’t ask me whether we are friends or lovers. Shez my lover and unfortunately I’m still her friend :-(.

Have u ever had a weekend....

... when the gal, for whom u were waiting for more than a year , has come to see u and … only u.

Have u ever had a weekend when the gal u luv the most, got on ur bike for the first time.

Have u ever had a weekend when you spent two full days with ‘her’….just with her, roaming around the city.

Have u ever had a weekend when you had lunch with her in one of the best vegetarian restaurants in the city.

Have u ever had a weekend when you saw a movie with her, and the characters in the movie are sooo close to both of u that you identify urself with them.

Have u ever had a weekend when you extended your weekend till Monday, just for the sake of travelling with her.

Have u ever had a weekend when you reserved the bus tickets and the bus got cancelled and you have to bare with the serious looks of her as she needs to report in the office at any cost on Monday :-) .

Have u ever had a weekend when you travelled with your loved one for more than 500kms, resting on her and holding her hand tightly throughout the journey.

Have u ever had a weekend when you went to LandMark in The Forum(bglr), picked up the books, The Doomsday Conspiracy(Sidney Sheldon) and Hotel(Arthur Hailey), and while paying the bill came to know that you lost your ATM card :-) .

Have you ever had a weekend when you felt that you are the happiest person in the world.

After all these… finally,

Have u ever had a weekend when you felt like you were so close to her but still so far away :-( .

Hmmm… quite an eventful weekend and my most memorable one, by all means, till date.

Dear sweet lil kid,my mind tells me not to see you again unless I can see you all the time because it hurts too much to say goodbye

Me, My Bike and 10,000KMs

Rs.72000/- ….. 150CC….270kgs… Ebony Black…. Bajaj Pulsar DTSi…. AP9 BH 6466. Thatz my first possession. Proudly celebrated itz first birthday on April 11^th 2008. Coincidentally, I travelled 10,000kms on my bike.

It was kind of a mixed journey with two minor accidents and more than two signal jumpings :-) . All this happened to be in Hyderabad. Therz a hard and fast rule with Hyderabad Traffic Police. Wear Helmet and they never check whether u have a license or don’t even bother if u robbed the bike. But…. but….but… this rule doesn’t apply in month endings :-). Though u wear a helmet and have all the papers, they’ll check for some or other violation of rule. A stylish number plate, half painted headlight, no rear view mirrors.. can be anything.. If nothing works finally they decide that itz a ‘No Parking’ zone and write a receipt for that. Hmmm…very strict.

It was my dream to have my own bike. Yamaha YBX was my first love. But when I saw Pulsar I decided to get that beast. I call it a beast coz in no way it suits my physique. One more obvious reason, my Lucky likes it a lot(I donno y I keep referring her in all my posts… hmmm.. tough to forget the one u luv the most). Anyways, finally when I felt I’m sound enough to buy the bike, I just went to the showroom , completed the formalities and got the keys in my hand. But I swear, I was really afraid when I thought of Hyderabad Traffic. Thanks to Moinu who helped me in getting used to the bike and to the traffic.

In this one year I became more n more comfortable with my bike, touched a maximum speed of 92 KMPH. Four galz got on my bike… two of them got married :-( . But my bike is still waiting for the gal who really matters the most..pcch..poor bike :-( .

I’m reaaaaaaaaaally tired of routine office work. Need a break. Wishing to go for a long drive with my Lucky. Hoping to happen it soon.

“How hard can you play when no one is watching(Sunil's quote)”. This has nothing to do with this post. Just felt like finishing the post with a nice quote.

I lost the battle

Finally, I give up. I lost the battle of love. I tried every sensible way to convince her. I tried to prove that I was much more stubborn and serious in her matter than what she thinks, but was all in vain. I never regret for loving her. Shez the ever best thing happened to me in my life. She still feels that we can be good friends for a lifetime, which I believe is a bit difficult. Hmmm… it takes time to cope up with this situation.

While I was surfing the net, I just came across this saying…. a timely one….

“The friendship between a man and a woman which does not lead to marriage or desire for marriage may be a life long experience of the greatest value to themselves and to all their circle of acquaintance and of activity; but for this type of friendship both a rare man and a rare woman are needed. Perhaps it should be added that either the man or the woman thus deeply bound in lifelong friendship who seeks marriage must find a still rarer man or woman to wed, to make such a three cornered comradeship a permanent success.”

I hope I would find such a rarer woman in my life.

Itz more than 10 years when we first met. I really had a marvelous time with her all these days. I’m sure she feels the same way (Am I right, my sweet little kid…?). Practically, we can’t go together for a long time in the future. But I would cherish every little moment I had with her.

Thank you, my sweet little kid, for all the experiences, for all the support and for....... everything. Wishing we could be together for as long as possible.

Hmmm... a very serious post .. right? What to do... at times u have to be serious about certain things, especially when it involves ur life in it.

Thanks for reading. By the way, I’m looking for a girlfriend. Interested gals can rush in with their resumes. Freshers are preferred :-) .

Jab I Met

Warning:This is a long post.. don't curse me if you feel bored by reading this :-) .

27^th Jan 2008 …Sunday…Bangalore (Bengalur.. to bring some Indianness to it..), my sister and her family were flying back to US after a 2 month visit to India . Those two months were really wonderful ,playing with my nephew, answering his silly questions and enjoying his every little act. Hmmm… itz really hard to give a sendoff .After wishing adieu to them I hurried to Koramangala to catch a bus to Hyderabad . Thanks to Vamsi who reserved the ticket. As usual the bus was punctually late. (Sorry vamsi.. I used ur dialogue :-) ) .

The final boarding point was Kalaspalyam. As a change from my regular journeys, two beautiful girls got on to the bus. One was married ( don’t ask me, “how you know that”?) and the other appeared to be a college student. Though they were strangers till then, they started talking like they know each other for a long time. The only reason was, both of them were Bengali. The married girl works for SBI as manager, and her husband for HDFC. Shez traveling to Hyderabad to attend a meeting. How do I know all these things….. coz my seat was just behind theirs :-) . That doesn’t mean that I was hearing their conversation… It is like.. they were shouting so loud that their conversation was directly downloaded into my ear and saved in my brain :-).

One more techie (works for HCL) was sitting by my side. He started conversation with me and we were sharing our ideas on the IT field. Of course, he was much more experienced than me. As I was a bit bored, I started listening to music. After some time I noticed that the married gal (Do I need to call her a lady ?.. naa.. shez veeeeeeeery young.) was feeling sick and was about to vomit . The other gal ran to the conductor, brought a cover and helped her. Then she made her feel a bit relaxed and comforted her.

I was back into my music until the bus halted at a hotel for dinner. I saw the two girls in the hotel. Generally I never talk much and with gals… hmm I don’t even dare to open my mouth L. But that day, I don’t know y I felt like asking the sick girl about howz she feeling. I asked her and she replied, “I’m feeling better, Thank you.”. We were back into the bus.

Till then I haven’t talked with the other gal. As far as I know there are two ways in starting a conversation with a co passenger. One, by asking if they like music and the other, if they like reading novels . Fortunately, I saw the gal reading the novel, “The Monk Who Sold his Ferrari” by Robin Sharma. As I was aware of Robin Sharma’s other works, it became easy for me to start the conversation. Believe me, within half an hour, she was talking to me as if we were friends for life. The conversation that started at around 10:30pm lasted upto 3AM and obviously I was just a listener for most of the time :-) . She was talking about her family, her interests. She was shouting ,laughing,enjoying every little moment. I felt as if she was the most happiest person in the world. For a moment I thought she must be a 21 year old child. She told me about Food Technology (the degree shez pursuing), her class room moments, about how she hangout with her friends. Shez quite a character and very open minded. Itz really hard to find such characters these days. It was one of the most memorable journeys in my life(Of course, the best one will always be the journey I made the other way..from Hyd to Bglr with my lucky :-) ).

I donno when we fell asleep. We reached Hyderabad at around 6:30AM. Her boarding point was prior to mine. We wished goodbye to each other and she got down the bus. I wish I could meet her again. But how :-( .What if, in the middle of our journey she missed her mobile and I dialed her number to trace it. Yes, the same thing happened :-) . Two days later I called her again and shez doing well.

Does the title “Jab I Met” is anyway related to this blog.? Yes it is. Itz the apt title (stock dialogue of our tollywood directors :-)) for this blog. If the director of “Jab We Met” has seen this gal, I’m sure he should have taken the inspiration to mould Kareena’s character in that movie. FYI, in no way I suite the character of Shahid Kapoor. Thatz y I used the title “Jab I Met” :-) .

By the way her name is Chandralekha. Friends call her Riya.

16th Nov 2006

Nov 16^th 2006… A little guy (not so little actually, appears to b little) with a clean shave and a neat dress walked out of a hostel in Ameerpet (I don’t know y it is called ‘Ameer’pet,it never appears to b so rich to me). One more thing, if u want to find ur lost friend whoz in search of a job just stand at Maithrivanam , Ameerpet. I bet u’ll definitely catch him there.

Aaah… back to the little guy…he took an auto (not to mention, a share auto) to HitechCity . Yes you guessed it right, he was on for an interview in a MNC. It was his 16^th attempt and has a habit of missing out in the final round. He reached the interview location, completed the formalities and entered into the company. Itz a very beautiful building (every damn company appears to be biiiiiig and beautiful until u get a job and work for that same company).Nearly 100 candidates were ready to take up the challenge. FYI: Every candidate, other than us, appears to be much brilliant.

Getting into the interview process, first round, as usual is a written test. It lasted for an hour and the HR guy informed that the results would be announced at 2pm. Our little guy went back to hostel and revised C-programs for Fibonacci series, Searching and Sorting, and String reversal (any fresher attending an interview keeps these programs handy). Finally he got a call saying you have cleared the written test and get back to the company as soon as possible. By the time he reached there the other candidates were still waiting for the results. The HR guy asked our little guy and one more gal (I keep forgetting these gals names :-) ) to stay back.

Second round was a technical round. While the lil guy was waiting for his turn the gal walked out of the company. The technical round lasted for almost 40mnts. By the time he finished that round, he was lost in an infinite for loop :( . The HR guy brought him back to the real world and asked him to get ready for the third round (a HR round). The HR round was bit of a relief since all of them were stock questions . (Tell abt urself..strengths..weaknesses..longterm goal ..blah blah blah..). After 30 minutes , the interviewer gave a form and asked to fill it out. By this time our lil guy was almost sure that he is through the selection process.

Then the HR guy and the interviewer came and congratulated him and said that you are the only guy selected today and will receive the offer letter as soon as possible. The package would be abc000(Itz confidential ;-) ).By that time, our lil guy was on top of the world(though he knows that hez not the first guy to get a job in his friend circle.)

What else…as usual first call to parents and second call to girl friend.

One year passed, 16^th Nov 2007. Our little fellow is writing this blog. In this one year of Software life he has learnt one important thing.

“Never say that your product has a bug. Though it is bug, you call it a known issue and you can handle that in the next release”.

Guys , get back to work.