Will be away for a while!!!

Hi folks, just wanted to get in a quick post before I completely go AWOL. I will be back probably next week or on the 17th. These 18days are going to eventful..we have a lot of things planned with the family and all :)..so, take care and see you folks on the 17th.

Neon Signs

Glimmering in the moonlit night,
it was one of them signs towed
at the back of a truck, bright
like Gen.hookers gals...always, bright.

I scraped at my window, to see
If the light would brighten the
damply room. Was it heresy?
What it clearly read? Too artsy?

Perhaps, I needed cleaner windows
mine were hardly, like ghostly
canvases which took the artists' blows
and were left bland and callous.

I could hear the neighbours cot
creaking, his gelded weight
burdening it. The floor rot
with him acting up the colt.

I stepped into the night
and my drunk heart was singin
a medley to the moonlight
the sign still flashed birght.

The muted moans next door
were killed by the neon buzz
that lit up the ground floor
and then died at my door.
----------------------------
~Hemanth

The disappearing act!

In my usual style, I have gone completely underground for the past two weeks. I usually do this when I am taking a vacation. But, this time the reasons where a little different (although; vacation was also involved). 

Oct 5 - Oct 10

 The whole week was a mess, hectic and mind numbing. From Monday to Friday, I was busy supporting my current project 24/7 while, transitioning the work to a new vendor (I was supposed to join a new project from Oct-13; because of a screw up). On Friday, I came to know that my current PM screwed up big time and landed me in a gigantic fix. I have been working 24/7 for about a month and he promised me a vacation for 15 days. But, he told my HR that I was available to get scheduled to a new project from 12-Oct. I gave him a big piece of my mind and began negotiations with the NEW PM to get Monday and Tuesday off. I got Monday *whatever, the fuck!*. 

So, the weekend 11,12 and 13 where going to be my vacation days after toiling for 30days working almost 24/7. 

Oct 10 - Oct 13

Vacation time!!! No connectivity :) 

I was travelling to Hyderabad and I have found the reason why I am so scared of travelling. 

There was a female in the bus, who got a cute labrador puppy and since; the buses here don't allow pets she got into an argument with the driver. After, 15minutes the driver gave up and asked her to sit in the last seat of the volvo bus and not let the puppy bark or make weird noices. Well, I am not sure if she had any control on what the pup would do.

The bus, stopped one and a half hour into the journey near a roadside dhaba to facilitate the drivers late dinner and some of the passengers also wanted to get out and stretch their limbs. There was a small girl, who was sitting outside the dhaba along with an old man who was asking for alms. I was silently watching her from the corner of my eye as I lit a cigarette. After getting some beedi in the cigarette shop next to the dhaba, she started asking for alms. 

The lady with the pup, just shooed her away;and went inside to get some warm milk for the pup. Not many bothered to tell her that they did not have any change because they were gobbling down dosas. I was rather upset so, called the small girl and gave a 5 coin. I was half-hoping she would hide it somewhere and get herself some candy or atleast keep it with her. But, she just went straight to the old man and gave him the coin along with the beedis. I hit myself real hard on the head. 

I was, sitting in the bus thinking about this for a couple of hours and then it hit me; the reason, why I hate travelling so much: "Our lives are like sandboxes, secured from outside influences. We are lucky in many ways and when we see or experience something like the above it disturbs our reality making us feel very uncomfortable. And, India has so many such experiences to offer." I am not being anything here, it was the only explanation that let me sleep that night.

The experience from the previous night was tucked away in a corner of my brain, as my attention was drawn to delicious hyderabadi biryani next afternoon, night and on sunday as well.

Reached Bangalore, afternoon of 13th and was running here and there to get some paperwork out of my way.

Oct 14 - Oct 17

Back to homebase, starting off a new project. Need to get knowledge and settle into the groove. Had, to read a bunch of documentation about the new project. Understanding the team hierarchy. Probing people, to get a feel of ground zero and the work environment. Another chess game! begins :)

Donuts! for Chrome?? :-O

Was on my Orkut account, and I noticed the message in the redbox. Now, where will I get these donuts???

ps: I drew that redbox and the horns on my pic. Just to scare a few folks and make them spill their morning coffee :)

Smoking ban! Oh Really????

So much talk in the media about smoking ban. If I wasn't already smoking, I would have lit up one just to check how smoking feels and why the media is making such a big fuss about it.

Here is a word for the media, "Stop!" and more-over, it is not a ban in the true sense of the word. Imagine this, you can't smoke in office buildings, public places like theaters, bars and shopping complexes but; you can smoke in public parks and on the road. There is something wrong here and doesn't this bother people?  

If you really wan't be cynical and say 'Phbtttt! ban, shwan; nothing is gonna happen' go ahead and say it.  Because, all that has changed in this ban is; the location where people smoke. As far as bangalore is concerned, there is not a shortage of parks (Can't say the same about roads). The only, thing good that is coming out of this ban is that the bars won't be filled with smog during Happy Hours. I don't frequent the good 'ol watering holes as much as I did so, big deal-don't care.  On the downside, your early morning jogs won't be as refreshing.

The truth is, this ban is half-hearted at best. The government wants revenues from tobacco but, they need to keep the mouths of the anti-smoking groups and NGO's shut and prevent them from spreading awareness. Next time these guys speak up, the government is going to say, 'We banned smoking! didn't we? What more, do you guys want?'.

If there are two things, any government won't ban completely they are tobacco and liquor. So, stop showing me Mr.Ramadoss on the screen,  he hasn't done anything great. He just got some cheap publicity by getting his face verbally slapped by SRK and Buddahdeb. 

Tagged-Addictions

Been tagged by pinku. I am supposed, to give a list of my top 5 addictions. Wow! 5?? By the way, who decides on the number? Anywhoooo....here you go:

Cigarettes take the top spot. This is the biggest addiction of my life. I wake up, I smoke, I eat, I smoke, I smoke and I goto sleep. I tried to stop smoking cigarettes by telling myself; I just didn't want to smoke. But, I didn't believe myself and I am still trying to quit.

Tea, takes the second spot. I wake up, groggy eyed every morning and torture myself to 5 minutes of walk to get to the roadside bakery for a nice refreshing drink of tea. After, that I am official awake. Otherwise, you can find me snapping away at people in the office all day long :)

I am addicted to Junk food. You show me a place which serves a decent burger, fries and a good soda - I am following you there :-D. I make excuses to eat junk food. My mom hates it and I loooooovvvveeee it.

I am addicted to gaming. I spend atlest 1,000/- every month buying a new game. The past few days, I have been exploring the 'spore' universe. I usually spend about 3hours a day playing these games and usually, these 3hrs cuts into my sleep time.


Whats a life without love? I am hopelessly romantic. Find, the allure of love irresistable.


Thanks for reading!!

Passing the baton:
Keshi, if you feel like it- do the tag :)

The moribund reality...

India today, has a horrible and an ignominiously swollen belly. It carries in this shameful womb a national catastrophe (if things are left the way they are), of this I cannot believe anybody still cherishes the smallest doubt… Every reprehensible issue remains something other. The very fact that it remains shrouded in silence is uncanny enough. What more (proof), do the intellectuals and the common folk of this country need? Can this nation, stop fiddling and wake up to this macabre reality? Can it, face the ghoulish nature of its misled children without fidgeting? Can it? Will it? Oh! What a shame!!!

It is already uncanny when among a great host of the blind some few who have the use of their eyes must live with sealed lips. But it becomes sheer horror, so it seems to me, when everybody knows (what is wrong) but is bound to silence, while we read the truth from each other in eyes that stare or else shun a meeting.

India ... today, clung round by demons, a hand over one eye, with the other staring into horrors, down she flings from despair to despair. When will she reach the bottom of the abyss? When, out of uttermost hopelessness --- a miracle beyond the power of belief --- will the light of hope dawn? A lonely man folds his hands and speaks: ``God be merciful to thy poor soul, my friend, my Motherland!''


Disclaimer: I found this on the source page listed below. I felt, what was provided there had a bearing of truth and appealed to the current deplorable state of affairs present here. I take, no claim to have written this on my own. All, I did was provide a view point.

Source: Don Knuth - Infrequently asked questions, Original text from Thomas Mann, Dr. Faustus (1947, written in 1945) [excerpts from chapter 33 and the epilogue].