this morning went to brahmotsavam festival at Sri Ranganatha temple, pomona village, with my friend in his car. on the way back, o.c-vahanam was not available, and i had to take the public transportation.
used a cab service to get myself dropped at the nearest train station. being so accustomed to the plastic in the city, i carry no more than 20/30 bucks on me. the cab driver took 20 of these.
about four minutes was left for the arrival of the train. the sunday schedule - one train every hour.
i rushed to the touch screen enabled ticket vending machine. i gave all the inputs it requested for, and to my shock found that the credit option was disabled. i gave benefit of doubt to software, and started from scratch again. but the same result.
it was not a bug but a feature !
i counted the few dollars left in my wallet, added all the coins i had, but could not make the amount the machine demanded.
being sunday, the ticket office was closed. no help was anywhere near in the two-track-no-high-raise-platform-station that befitted the description of the malgudi railway station. as i was thanking my stars, the train pulled in.
30 seconds lay between me catching the train, and a one hour wait on the malgudi station.
i went to the conductor who descended from one of the coaches. "hi, i only have credit card. the vending machine does not accept credit card".
"that is fine. just get the ticket", replied the conductor.
"no, sir. the machine does not take credit card".
"use cash", promptly came the reply.
like a school boy who forgot to do his homework, i said, "i don't have enough cash on me!".
the conductor looked at me up and down once, and said, "i can't do nothing. speak to the chief!". saying so, the he pointed in the direction of a train car at the front.
i ran up the station platform to the chief conductor, an elderly gentleman, and explained the situation to him.
the chief said, "get into the train, we shall see."
i was relieved.
after the train started moving, the chief approached me and said, "it is seven dollars for your ticket sir".
"can i pay by card ?!", i asked, very well knowing the answer.
"how much cash do you have?"
"three dollars".
the chief smirked, gave me a free ticket, and said, "carry few dollars, it is valid where ever you go!".
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Thursday, June 11, 2009
snip vs swoosh
during childhood days at madras or madurai, the cut was always a summer cut, a 10 minute comb-scissor play of "snip, snip, snip", and i was released from the throne.
the longest part of the sunday ritual was the wait to ascend the throne. this wait sometimes could be up to an hour, but was painless as the time was well spent glancing dailies and weeklies - "dina malar, dina thanthi, saavi, kumudham, anandha vikatan", listening to 60s/70s tamil hit songs on the grandpa-radio, and the repartee that ensued amongst the sunday idlers.
every customer, acquaintance or stranger, was welcomed with "annae, vaanga annae (brother, welcome brother)", by the barber/s. "ukkarunga (please sit!). edho pathu nimisham (just 10 minutes)".
the just arrived customer joins the bench of customers, some probably doing their third just-10-minutes wait. the bench eventually starts discussing movies, roads, water supply problems, news, sports, what-not, and of course politics.
like time, the plank on the wall that says, "arasiyal pesadheergal! (please don't discuss politics)", is not respected.
at the end of the entertaining & g.k. enriching wait and the hair cut, a mere ten rupee note exchanged hands.
in the US, there is no wait to get to the not-so-royal-throne. and i am required to give specifications for the cut with numbers- "3 on the side, 4 on top".
"swoosh, swoosh", and within a span of 4 minutes a clean job is done. fifteen dollars leaves the wallet.
the other day, i decided to break the convention.
"hi! can you please use scissors ?" as not much of the black substance was left on the top, i added, "just cut a little from the sides, and leave the rest in tact".
my barber started scissoring very slowly. he went on-and-on, artistically. i felt as if I had asked a maths phd to recite the multiplication tables.
after about one hour of effort, and a little over a small amount of strands cut, the customary, "how does it look"- look was given to me. the work was neat, very neat indeed.
i heartily thanked him, pitied and tipped him heavy.
the longest part of the sunday ritual was the wait to ascend the throne. this wait sometimes could be up to an hour, but was painless as the time was well spent glancing dailies and weeklies - "dina malar, dina thanthi, saavi, kumudham, anandha vikatan", listening to 60s/70s tamil hit songs on the grandpa-radio, and the repartee that ensued amongst the sunday idlers.
every customer, acquaintance or stranger, was welcomed with "annae, vaanga annae (brother, welcome brother)", by the barber/s. "ukkarunga (please sit!). edho pathu nimisham (just 10 minutes)".
the just arrived customer joins the bench of customers, some probably doing their third just-10-minutes wait. the bench eventually starts discussing movies, roads, water supply problems, news, sports, what-not, and of course politics.
like time, the plank on the wall that says, "arasiyal pesadheergal! (please don't discuss politics)", is not respected.
at the end of the entertaining & g.k. enriching wait and the hair cut, a mere ten rupee note exchanged hands.
in the US, there is no wait to get to the not-so-royal-throne. and i am required to give specifications for the cut with numbers- "3 on the side, 4 on top".
"swoosh, swoosh", and within a span of 4 minutes a clean job is done. fifteen dollars leaves the wallet.
the other day, i decided to break the convention.
"hi! can you please use scissors ?" as not much of the black substance was left on the top, i added, "just cut a little from the sides, and leave the rest in tact".
my barber started scissoring very slowly. he went on-and-on, artistically. i felt as if I had asked a maths phd to recite the multiplication tables.
after about one hour of effort, and a little over a small amount of strands cut, the customary, "how does it look"- look was given to me. the work was neat, very neat indeed.
i heartily thanked him, pitied and tipped him heavy.
Monday, April 13, 2009
kalakal kaapi
well, it's been an year since the d'kation (decoction) extraction began!
started off with a travelogue, strolled on to a political view, threw in a few anecdotes, couple of movie reviews, so-called-poems - picking up kaapi-likers on the way, and an year is gone.
hey kaapi-drinkers - you have been my inspiration to continue my hobby. thank you all!
well again, this aandu-vizha-post (anniversary post) i like to dedicate to my soon-to-be-life-partner - kala. (the reason why march was blog deprived ;-)
here is the attempt-at-a-poem that i wrote for her on valentine's day!
a single no more on valentine,
dusted and sold rights of 'koi humdum na raha' pristine,
profit boom reports phone company on magazine,
i don't know why i wrote that line!
see everywhere my angel divine,
imagine like had caffeine-cocain combine,
making me do things asinine,
can obtain shoreline in dark mine or ravine,
when i have you, my valentine.
started off with a travelogue, strolled on to a political view, threw in a few anecdotes, couple of movie reviews, so-called-poems - picking up kaapi-likers on the way, and an year is gone.
hey kaapi-drinkers - you have been my inspiration to continue my hobby. thank you all!
well again, this aandu-vizha-post (anniversary post) i like to dedicate to my soon-to-be-life-partner - kala. (the reason why march was blog deprived ;-)
here is the attempt-at-a-poem that i wrote for her on valentine's day!
a single no more on valentine,
dusted and sold rights of 'koi humdum na raha' pristine,
profit boom reports phone company on magazine,
i don't know why i wrote that line!
see everywhere my angel divine,
imagine like had caffeine-cocain combine,
making me do things asinine,
can obtain shoreline in dark mine or ravine,
when i have you, my valentine.
Monday, February 16, 2009
my dear army officer
my thatha (grandpa, mom's dad) - a perfection demanding, brisk walking, british english speaking, melody songs loving, hindu crossword cracking, arithmetic wizard. but the icing - a very very short tempered man.
to give you an essence of the shortness - when he is tempered, a crying child in the next house will freeze, put a finger on its mouth, and put one on its mother's.
as a kid, i admired him for his knowledge, but avoided the army officer. i had to keep my radar sharp, lest i would have to undergo a smartness and sharpness check by the officer, which i used to fail consistently.
periodically, he would set a trap for the evasive kid, capture me, make me sit, and teach me wren-yuck-martin. those doses of grammar sucked, and the homework he gave, zapped my energy. even multiple cups of maltova was not enough to re-energize. (amma should have given me coffee then!)
i rejoiced when my parents moved to madras, away from thatha's 'guantanamo bay' - madurai. thatha-payrun (grandson) meet ups reduced, and even when we did meet up, grammar was not on the agenda.
years have rolled.
now, when i turn back, i notice that the little impeccable qualities, crossword solving prowess and peter-english that i possess have their dues to the seed implanted by my dear army officer.
today is his thithi (death anniversary - 9th). in his remembrance, i raise a cup of coffee to him, without any sugar in it, the way he used to drink it.
why is it that the scent of a person is more palpable when he/she is not around ?
i miss you thatha.
to give you an essence of the shortness - when he is tempered, a crying child in the next house will freeze, put a finger on its mouth, and put one on its mother's.
as a kid, i admired him for his knowledge, but avoided the army officer. i had to keep my radar sharp, lest i would have to undergo a smartness and sharpness check by the officer, which i used to fail consistently.
periodically, he would set a trap for the evasive kid, capture me, make me sit, and teach me wren-yuck-martin. those doses of grammar sucked, and the homework he gave, zapped my energy. even multiple cups of maltova was not enough to re-energize. (amma should have given me coffee then!)
i rejoiced when my parents moved to madras, away from thatha's 'guantanamo bay' - madurai. thatha-payrun (grandson) meet ups reduced, and even when we did meet up, grammar was not on the agenda.
years have rolled.
now, when i turn back, i notice that the little impeccable qualities, crossword solving prowess and peter-english that i possess have their dues to the seed implanted by my dear army officer.
today is his thithi (death anniversary - 9th). in his remembrance, i raise a cup of coffee to him, without any sugar in it, the way he used to drink it.
why is it that the scent of a person is more palpable when he/she is not around ?
i miss you thatha.
Monday, February 2, 2009
cow can fly
"c..o..w...cow, c..a...n...can, f....l...y...fly", actor1 reads out from a hand written notebook.
"cow can fly", repeats actor2, a second grade school student.
"wait a second! cow can fly? no it cannot be", said actor1.
actor2 gives a look of an inverted exclamation mark.
actor1 confidently says, "this is wrong kanna (dear). there must be something else here as 'cow cannot fly'."
"no!! cow can fly. my teacher told me."
"cow cannot fly. you might have noted down incorrectly", kindly said actor1.
an offended actor2 objects, "no....cow can fly. my teacher told me so."
"cow does not have wings. it cannot fly. let us rub this...", said a bit less kinder actor1.
"NO....cow can fly..... my teacher told me so. do not rub it", says actor2, and grabs the rubbing hand of actor1.
"ella pa (no dear)....let us change this."
actor2, now an angry actor who is almost in tears - "don't.... rub..... my..... teacher told me", and starts crying.
actor1 continues rubbing the almost indelible pencil writing about cow's flight.
the crying actor2 presses hard on actor1's hand, and pleads, "no. my teacher will scold me, don't rub."
actor3 intervenes. "amma, leave it. let the cow fly today." the actor turns to the kid, "dei! ask your teacher tomorrow and correct it. if your teacher still says 'cow can fly', let us all go to her house and watch the cow take off."
actor2, the little-dear-incorrigible brother of mine, was relieved and was all smiles.
"cow can fly", repeats actor2, a second grade school student.
"wait a second! cow can fly? no it cannot be", said actor1.
actor2 gives a look of an inverted exclamation mark.
actor1 confidently says, "this is wrong kanna (dear). there must be something else here as 'cow cannot fly'."
"no!! cow can fly. my teacher told me."
"cow cannot fly. you might have noted down incorrectly", kindly said actor1.
an offended actor2 objects, "no....cow can fly. my teacher told me so."
"cow does not have wings. it cannot fly. let us rub this...", said a bit less kinder actor1.
"NO....cow can fly..... my teacher told me so. do not rub it", says actor2, and grabs the rubbing hand of actor1.
"ella pa (no dear)....let us change this."
actor2, now an angry actor who is almost in tears - "don't.... rub..... my..... teacher told me", and starts crying.
actor1 continues rubbing the almost indelible pencil writing about cow's flight.
the crying actor2 presses hard on actor1's hand, and pleads, "no. my teacher will scold me, don't rub."
actor3 intervenes. "amma, leave it. let the cow fly today." the actor turns to the kid, "dei! ask your teacher tomorrow and correct it. if your teacher still says 'cow can fly', let us all go to her house and watch the cow take off."
actor2, the little-dear-incorrigible brother of mine, was relieved and was all smiles.
Monday, January 26, 2009
SALE! SALE!! SALE !!! Everything Must Go!
over the last few years, i have seen the caption put up as a sign outside a good number of shops in new york downtown. i thought it was a strategy employed by a shop to push its products. once the sale is done, the shop would either rename or relocate.
the same sign met my eyes outside a circuit city outlet. this time, for a change, i did believe the shop's outcry. circuit city, the number two electronics seller chain, has been short circuited.
yesterday, me and my friends, on our way back from a drive to point pleasant beach, decided to stop over at the outlet. heavy crowd and light discounts (10-15%) were omnipresent in the shop. tvs and monitors were selling like hot cakes.
a 60 year old business being shutdown in this fashion was a bit saddening. i felt for the employees who seemed to be engaged in hara-kiri.
PS: money savers, you might want to check circuit city stores in a week or two for better discounts.
UPDATE : jan 31 - got the battered flier from the battered company. check out the store if interested.
the same sign met my eyes outside a circuit city outlet. this time, for a change, i did believe the shop's outcry. circuit city, the number two electronics seller chain, has been short circuited.
yesterday, me and my friends, on our way back from a drive to point pleasant beach, decided to stop over at the outlet. heavy crowd and light discounts (10-15%) were omnipresent in the shop. tvs and monitors were selling like hot cakes.
a 60 year old business being shutdown in this fashion was a bit saddening. i felt for the employees who seemed to be engaged in hara-kiri.
PS: money savers, you might want to check circuit city stores in a week or two for better discounts.
UPDATE : jan 31 - got the battered flier from the battered company. check out the store if interested.
Monday, January 12, 2009
six two
in india, one is blessed to have the option to outsource certain mundane, trivial chores. ironing of clothes is one of these. damn! how much i miss it.
when I was in hyderabad, I used to walk to the ironing lady's shop, that was couple of streets away from my home, to drop clothes. the following day i collected the clothes minus the wrinkles.
on my first visit to this shop, I was unwelcome-d by a 5 year old kid who was standing at the shop's threshold. upon seeing me, he ran into the shop, stood at a distance, and stared. i gave him a smile, and a wink. no change of expression on his face and he continued to stare.
the kid welcomed me the same way on my next visit. my broken telegu, like "ikkada ra…" (come here), peter-english-hi, didn't help.
on the third visit, he garnered some guts ( I dunno from where!), and walked up to me. i smiled. his stare had now metamorphosed into an awe.
the kid set his head in a pendulum motion, and starting at my knee began to raster scan me. as his eyes reached mine, he stopped, sighed, and exclaimed, "enthaa...bedha manishi!". (what a big human!)
Sunday, December 28, 2008
iGhajini
either i have a memory loss or ghajini is the first hindi movie to be named after a villain. probably the director named it so because the villain had a better phone - the iphone.
only if 'air voice' had a tie-up with 'iphone', aamir's post knock-out-punch life would have been much less painful and less stressful. iphone would have been his savior, and one stop shop remedy for his 'short term memory loss'.
instead of scribbling all over his body, aamir would need just one tatoo - "check iphone - password 0007."
the manager knocks on the door, and would say, "hello sir! i am your manager. please check your facebook."
also, the free cool apps would have attempted to improve aamir's memory power, and make him less impatient. games like 'labyrinth lite' would have held him to his seat at the medical college auditorium, while the movie audience could have heart-fully savored the-hot-but-cannot-act jiah khan in the 'latoo' song.
google maps would have rendered the street view of mumbai. aamir could have done better things, like dance to another number, instead of mapping out mumbai on his wall.
sanjay singhania could have gone green, and in lieu of writing those bulky diaries, he could have blogged, from his iphone, at ihatesrk.blogspot.com .
hey murugadoss, had you directed iGhajini, steve jobs would have definitely bought the overseas rights, and dubbed the movie in english.
memento chritopher nolan's understand did not folks who - would have made fresh memories of 'short term memory loss', and iphone sales would have sky rocketed.
only if 'air voice' had a tie-up with 'iphone', aamir's post knock-out-punch life would have been much less painful and less stressful. iphone would have been his savior, and one stop shop remedy for his 'short term memory loss'.
instead of scribbling all over his body, aamir would need just one tatoo - "check iphone - password 0007."
the manager knocks on the door, and would say, "hello sir! i am your manager. please check your facebook."
also, the free cool apps would have attempted to improve aamir's memory power, and make him less impatient. games like 'labyrinth lite' would have held him to his seat at the medical college auditorium, while the movie audience could have heart-fully savored the-hot-but-cannot-act jiah khan in the 'latoo' song.
google maps would have rendered the street view of mumbai. aamir could have done better things, like dance to another number, instead of mapping out mumbai on his wall.
sanjay singhania could have gone green, and in lieu of writing those bulky diaries, he could have blogged, from his iphone, at ihatesrk.blogspot.com .
hey murugadoss, had you directed iGhajini, steve jobs would have definitely bought the overseas rights, and dubbed the movie in english.
memento chritopher nolan's understand did not folks who - would have made fresh memories of 'short term memory loss', and iphone sales would have sky rocketed.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
all's well that ends well
sometimes...it is good to fail.
my failure to get into "the daily show" the last time, got me tickets to watch the live recording of today's show from the vip stand.
in fact, i had two extra vip tickets that i offered to few of my friends. none of them took it. some were not ready to leave work early, some had prior appointments, while a couple of them asked, "who is jon stewart?".
the show was hilarious, and jon stewart is a rock star. his wit, humor and presence of mind is just 'out of the world'. before the recording started, he took few questions from the audience.
someone asked, "can i get to intern on your crew?".
the host replied, "sorry. i don't know anyone on the show. anyways, don't take up internship here. they won't pay you, and you will be sodomized, like in the white house."
damn the show director, the camera does not cover the audience. so, hear me laugh in tonight's edition of "the daily show". if you miss it on comedy central, you can catch it tomorrow on http://www.hulu.com.
my failure to get into "the daily show" the last time, got me tickets to watch the live recording of today's show from the vip stand.
in fact, i had two extra vip tickets that i offered to few of my friends. none of them took it. some were not ready to leave work early, some had prior appointments, while a couple of them asked, "who is jon stewart?".
the show was hilarious, and jon stewart is a rock star. his wit, humor and presence of mind is just 'out of the world'. before the recording started, he took few questions from the audience.
someone asked, "can i get to intern on your crew?".
the host replied, "sorry. i don't know anyone on the show. anyways, don't take up internship here. they won't pay you, and you will be sodomized, like in the white house."
damn the show director, the camera does not cover the audience. so, hear me laugh in tonight's edition of "the daily show". if you miss it on comedy central, you can catch it tomorrow on http://www.hulu.com.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Gunda
I had wanted to pen this anecdote for a long time. My company magazine's group members asked me for a write up on Thanksgiving, and I decided it is time to pen the long pending thingie. Here it goes -
Thanksgiving , though a gerund, must be practiced in life as a present continous verb. One must be thanks-giving throughout the year, and throughout one's life - even for the small things that gives happiness, joy and comfort. Enjoy an early morning walk, a sunrise, a full moon over the brooklyn bridge, a view of new york's night skyline.
One of the things that I am thankful for is the wealth of friends that I have. Here is a glimpse of the wealth that I possess.
Circa 2000. Yours truly will be graduating from college in about a month, and my first job at Wilco was waiting for me.
At this time, I was invited to Hyderabad for a "One day tour of Wilco". Wilco had sent over first class train ticket for the event.
As I was prepping for the trip, my friend Gunda (we call him Gunda, which means fatso in tamil), said, "I will give you company on the trip. We can checkout Hyderabad after your Wilco tour."
I was thrilled, and nodded.
Gunda purchased sleeper class tickets for the trip on the same train that I was taking. On the day of travel, when we reached the station, we saw that the first class coach was just about a mile away from Gunda's sleeper coach.
In true camaraderie spirit, I dumped my luggage in the first class, and joined Gunda in his coach. The train pulled out of the station at 4:30 PM.
At around 7:00 PM, the train pulled into the first station from the array of stations it had to stop before reaching Hyderabad.
I said to Gunda, "Let me go to my compartment. Lest, the efficient Ticket Checker would sell off my berth for some pocket money."
"What about dinner? ", blurted out Gunda. His first love in life was always food.
"In about an hour food will be served on the train. You take the food, and come over to the first class coach. Let us have dinner together. Since there is no throughway to the first class from the sleeper class coaches, wait for the next station. It should be coming around 8:15pm, I guess.", thus I instructed.
He was vigorously nodding.
After a brisk mile walk on the platform, I got into my coach, and was happy to figure out that my seat was not siphoned off.
At 8:00, food was served. I was waiting for the train to pull into a station so that Gunda can join me.
It was 8:30, and there was no drop in the pace of the train. But hunger was pacing up. The station, that I thought would be arriving at 8:15pm, either didn't exist or the train driver decided to skip the stop.
9:00 pm, and there was no sight of any station. I gave in to hunger.
I was getting ready to hit the sack, and the train pulled into a station. The grandfather clock on the station wall was displaying to the world that it was quarter past 10. I got down from the train to stretch myself.
"Gunda must be fast asleep", I thought. "Its no use walking a mile to confirm this!"
After the grandfather clock's longer hand traversed 12 degrees, the train signalled that it was bored of the station, and would like to move on.
Hearing the cry, I was about to hop onto the train. At this moment, I noticed that someone was jostling his way through the crowd on the platform. He was moving in a funny fashion. He was holding out his hands, in a curved shape, and was balancing something between his two palms.
The figure, as it drew closer, surprised me. It turned out to be Gunda.
Gunda was huffing and puffing as he approached. I was more shocked to see the thing he was holding between his hands.
He gave a wide grin, put one leg on the coach's stairway, turned and said, "Come lets eat."
My heart sank.
Thanksgiving , though a gerund, must be practiced in life as a present continous verb. One must be thanks-giving throughout the year, and throughout one's life - even for the small things that gives happiness, joy and comfort. Enjoy an early morning walk, a sunrise, a full moon over the brooklyn bridge, a view of new york's night skyline.
One of the things that I am thankful for is the wealth of friends that I have. Here is a glimpse of the wealth that I possess.
Circa 2000. Yours truly will be graduating from college in about a month, and my first job at Wilco was waiting for me.
At this time, I was invited to Hyderabad for a "One day tour of Wilco". Wilco had sent over first class train ticket for the event.
As I was prepping for the trip, my friend Gunda (we call him Gunda, which means fatso in tamil), said, "I will give you company on the trip. We can checkout Hyderabad after your Wilco tour."
I was thrilled, and nodded.
Gunda purchased sleeper class tickets for the trip on the same train that I was taking. On the day of travel, when we reached the station, we saw that the first class coach was just about a mile away from Gunda's sleeper coach.
In true camaraderie spirit, I dumped my luggage in the first class, and joined Gunda in his coach. The train pulled out of the station at 4:30 PM.
At around 7:00 PM, the train pulled into the first station from the array of stations it had to stop before reaching Hyderabad.
I said to Gunda, "Let me go to my compartment. Lest, the efficient Ticket Checker would sell off my berth for some pocket money."
"What about dinner? ", blurted out Gunda. His first love in life was always food.
"In about an hour food will be served on the train. You take the food, and come over to the first class coach. Let us have dinner together. Since there is no throughway to the first class from the sleeper class coaches, wait for the next station. It should be coming around 8:15pm, I guess.", thus I instructed.
He was vigorously nodding.
After a brisk mile walk on the platform, I got into my coach, and was happy to figure out that my seat was not siphoned off.
At 8:00, food was served. I was waiting for the train to pull into a station so that Gunda can join me.
It was 8:30, and there was no drop in the pace of the train. But hunger was pacing up. The station, that I thought would be arriving at 8:15pm, either didn't exist or the train driver decided to skip the stop.
9:00 pm, and there was no sight of any station. I gave in to hunger.
I was getting ready to hit the sack, and the train pulled into a station. The grandfather clock on the station wall was displaying to the world that it was quarter past 10. I got down from the train to stretch myself.
"Gunda must be fast asleep", I thought. "Its no use walking a mile to confirm this!"
After the grandfather clock's longer hand traversed 12 degrees, the train signalled that it was bored of the station, and would like to move on.
Hearing the cry, I was about to hop onto the train. At this moment, I noticed that someone was jostling his way through the crowd on the platform. He was moving in a funny fashion. He was holding out his hands, in a curved shape, and was balancing something between his two palms.
The figure, as it drew closer, surprised me. It turned out to be Gunda.
Gunda was huffing and puffing as he approached. I was more shocked to see the thing he was holding between his hands.
He gave a wide grin, put one leg on the coach's stairway, turned and said, "Come lets eat."
My heart sank.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
sad moments
the market conditions, the unpredictability, the layoffs ... it sucks!
"... hum sab tho rangmanch ki katputhilyan hi jinki dor uparwaale ki ungliyon me bandhi hi. kab kaun kaise utega, yeh koi nahi batha saktha hi...."
family, friends and time should help!
"... hum sab tho rangmanch ki katputhilyan hi jinki dor uparwaale ki ungliyon me bandhi hi. kab kaun kaise utega, yeh koi nahi batha saktha hi...."
family, friends and time should help!
Friday, October 17, 2008
lunch conundrum
how much ever advancements man has made, come lunch time, he gets down to the age old act of food gathering. i don't carry lunch to work, and every day I try to resolve the conundrum - 'where do i go?'
where do i go?
the question i know,
the answer i don't,
where do i go?
where do i go?
let me first hit the road,
decide on the go,
where do i go?
where do i go?
not this one - had here just yesterday,
that place done on friday,
where do i go?
where do i go?
at last, as usual, arbitrarily choose one from the finite set,
now at the very least a place less, tomorrow when i think,
where do i go ?
where do i go?
the question i know,
the answer i don't,
where do i go?
where do i go?
let me first hit the road,
decide on the go,
where do i go?
where do i go?
not this one - had here just yesterday,
that place done on friday,
where do i go?
where do i go?
at last, as usual, arbitrarily choose one from the finite set,
now at the very least a place less, tomorrow when i think,
where do i go ?
Thursday, October 9, 2008
i am still here ...
my little blog fan base made me happy by inquiring about the absence of yours truly from the blog-o-sphere.
folks,
a project with crazy deadlines has kept me away from madraskaapi for almost a month now.
and to top that, the financial market is giving a roller coaster ride to one and many. the ride is more thrilling, scary and unpredictable than any hollywood movie released thus far.
governments across the world are working long hours, and on weekends, and coming up with EBFs (emergency bug fixes) or band-aids every other day. but the indexes have not seized their downward trend.
ask a software engineer, his/her panacea would be - let's restart/bounce the indexes.
latest fix - the governments in the western european countries, and the US government have started taking big stakes in banks, thus, nationalizing them. in other words - governments are going the socialist way. nehru mama would be having a hearty laugh up in the heavens, and would be saying to rajaji "naan appave sonen ella…!" (I told you…!).
in all this melee, I carved out a few hours to go to a live recording of Jon Stewart's "the Daily show". i had booked the tickets online (they are free) about 3 months back.
the ticket said, the shows are always overbooked. so, turn up at least by 4:00 pm. it also said, the gates will open at 5:15 pm, and the recording would start around 5:30 pm, and complete by 7:30 pm.
turned up at the gates at 4:00 pm, and at 5:10 pm the organizers approached us and said, "sorry! better luck next time."
as we started to drag ourselves towards a subway station, a organizer shouted out, "they are looking for audiences for 'the colbert report'. its just 2 blocks away!". the "the daily show" throw away crowd started walking towards the coal-bear guy.
few of the folks got lucky. i being unlucky that day, continued to be unlucky, and took a bus home after a 3 hour stand-up exercise.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
game, set, match - roddick
my teammate called in sick yesterday, and gave me his two tickets to the US open round 4 game between roddick and gonzalez. i thanked the virus (hope my teammate doesn't read this blog!), my stars, and cursed myself for not taking any action even after the maria maria incident.
the atmosphere at the flushing meadows was reminiscent of a mela. well lit stadium under a clear night sky, XXXXXXXL tv screens outside the courts, beautiful fountains, confused staff, delayed schedule were all part of it.
hundreds of people were court hopping to catch glimpse of games that were simultaneously in progress. in transit, one could pick food and drinks from one of the many food stalls that were put up. desi food was being served at new delhi masala ishtall. the long queues at the stalls didn't daunt the food lovers.
the tickets, 60$ a piece, were for the seats in what i would call a vertigo-zone, where neither a tennis ball nor a tv camera could reach. but watching the game live on the center court (arthur ashe stadium), with all the fan fare, was exciting.
the desi couple (dc) sitting next to me, and the referee of the game added humorous touch to the evening.
the dc were giving running commentary about the types, make, intricacies of kati rolls that they were hogging. while roddick was firing aces at 130 miles per hour, the dc were going strong at 6 rolls per set. when the last set was underway, the dc ran out of rolls. after some heated discussion, they left the court, never to return.
"thank you", "silence please", "....sh..shshsh...sh..", "gracias" - few of weapons employed by the referee to silence the crowd. worst, when roddick was serving at 6-2, 6-4, 5-1, and the crowd was going berserk, the referee yelled 'just one more game'! gonzalez must sue him for match fixing.
gosh! "game, set, match - roddick", was declared within 90 minutes of the start of the show. had the 11th seeded gonzalez played like a 11th seed or roddick played a bit like the 11th seed, the match would have been a better paisa vasool. but, as always, there is next time.
the atmosphere at the flushing meadows was reminiscent of a mela. well lit stadium under a clear night sky, XXXXXXXL tv screens outside the courts, beautiful fountains, confused staff, delayed schedule were all part of it.
hundreds of people were court hopping to catch glimpse of games that were simultaneously in progress. in transit, one could pick food and drinks from one of the many food stalls that were put up. desi food was being served at new delhi masala ishtall. the long queues at the stalls didn't daunt the food lovers.
the tickets, 60$ a piece, were for the seats in what i would call a vertigo-zone, where neither a tennis ball nor a tv camera could reach. but watching the game live on the center court (arthur ashe stadium), with all the fan fare, was exciting.
the desi couple (dc) sitting next to me, and the referee of the game added humorous touch to the evening.
the dc were giving running commentary about the types, make, intricacies of kati rolls that they were hogging. while roddick was firing aces at 130 miles per hour, the dc were going strong at 6 rolls per set. when the last set was underway, the dc ran out of rolls. after some heated discussion, they left the court, never to return.
"thank you", "silence please", "....sh..shshsh...sh..", "gracias" - few of weapons employed by the referee to silence the crowd. worst, when roddick was serving at 6-2, 6-4, 5-1, and the crowd was going berserk, the referee yelled 'just one more game'! gonzalez must sue him for match fixing.
gosh! "game, set, match - roddick", was declared within 90 minutes of the start of the show. had the 11th seeded gonzalez played like a 11th seed or roddick played a bit like the 11th seed, the match would have been a better paisa vasool. but, as always, there is next time.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
wednesday
foreword : read the following lines slowly. if you are in a hurry, come back later and read the blog.
the beauty. have i seen her somewhere?
why is she approaching me? was my stare obvious?
will the.. she inquired something !
am i drunk? what did she say?
concentrate.
more of listening, less of staring...
she has a beautiful nose - long, slender, pointed.
stop. listen.
she is silent. i guess its my turn to speak.
i am sorry...what ?
what... what what ?
oh boy. she is loud.
i thought ...wait. am i thinking or am i speaking.
i thought you asked something. i spoke.
her hazel eyes!
idiot. keep listening lest you want to miss her.
no.
oops! sorry. btw, what time is it ?
why the hell did i ask that question ?
7:00 am.
oh shit! now i remember. she is miss.wednesday.
i have a 8 o'clock to go to. wake up!
i hate early morning meetings.
the beauty. have i seen her somewhere?
why is she approaching me? was my stare obvious?
will the.. she inquired something !
am i drunk? what did she say?
concentrate.
more of listening, less of staring...
she has a beautiful nose - long, slender, pointed.
stop. listen.
she is silent. i guess its my turn to speak.
i am sorry...what ?
what... what what ?
oh boy. she is loud.
i thought ...wait. am i thinking or am i speaking.
i thought you asked something. i spoke.
her hazel eyes!
idiot. keep listening lest you want to miss her.
no.
oops! sorry. btw, what time is it ?
why the hell did i ask that question ?
7:00 am.
oh shit! now i remember. she is miss.wednesday.
i have a 8 o'clock to go to. wake up!
i hate early morning meetings.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
maria maria
maria sharapova was here at south seaport at tennis ball's throw distance from my work place. the tennis star was here to launch a diamond studded cannon camera that is worth $10000.
got to drool at the her from a close span of 10 ft.
damn! i did not have a camera with me, and could manage couple of low resolution shots with the phone camera. i must start having a camera at my workplace.
got to drool at the her from a close span of 10 ft.
damn! i did not have a camera with me, and could manage couple of low resolution shots with the phone camera. i must start having a camera at my workplace.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
how good is a bum ?
the other day, my counterpart in a downstream system was explaining a new requirement to me over phone, "assume i am a bum, i should have access to ... ."
i put the phone on mute, and started laughing.
that day i came to know of the fact that a business-unit-manager, in short, is a bum.
i wondered what sort of jokes/humor would be passed around by the sub-ordinates and the superiors about the bums. my mind raced, and came up with a few funny sequences. here is one of them!
a business-unit-manager calls up support team, and says "hi! i am a bum, and i am not able to see the trade."
the smart support guy, who knows that manager does not have permissions to see the trade, replies, "of course! you will not be able to."
"why?"
"because you are a bum."
i put the phone on mute, and started laughing.
that day i came to know of the fact that a business-unit-manager, in short, is a bum.
i wondered what sort of jokes/humor would be passed around by the sub-ordinates and the superiors about the bums. my mind raced, and came up with a few funny sequences. here is one of them!
a business-unit-manager calls up support team, and says "hi! i am a bum, and i am not able to see the trade."
the smart support guy, who knows that manager does not have permissions to see the trade, replies, "of course! you will not be able to."
"why?"
"because you are a bum."
Monday, July 28, 2008
a mastercard weekend
toll on garden state parra-slow-way [very slow way] - 2 $ 70 cents
go-karting at mayville - 35 $
30 minute jet ski @ wildwood beach - 65 $
weekend rentals to dollar-rent-a-car for a dabba car that even a dollar store parking lot would reject undoubtedly - 200 $
a krishnamurthy, the care taker at econo lodge in marmora, welcoming us with a 'vaango, payanam eppadi irundadhu ?' [welcome, how was your trip] - 250 $
the group coming to consensus on a restaurant to have food - chanceless
driving home safely from cape may, on garden state parkway, in the thunderstorm with visibility of just about 10 feet - priceless
go-karting at mayville - 35 $
30 minute jet ski @ wildwood beach - 65 $
weekend rentals to dollar-rent-a-car for a dabba car that even a dollar store parking lot would reject undoubtedly - 200 $
a krishnamurthy, the care taker at econo lodge in marmora, welcoming us with a 'vaango, payanam eppadi irundadhu ?' [welcome, how was your trip] - 250 $
the group coming to consensus on a restaurant to have food - chanceless
driving home safely from cape may, on garden state parkway, in the thunderstorm with visibility of just about 10 feet - priceless
Monday, July 7, 2008
karthik is my name!
when my parents christened me karthik, they had thought it was a unique name. coincidentally, this unique thought occurred to quite a good number of parents in the late 70s and the early 80s. end result, scores of karthiks were released into this world.
whatever school i attended, coaching class i went to, there was a minimum of two karthiks on the roll-call. the max number was at my college that had 4 karthiks in the class. i did not dare to take the count across the 2000 batch, or across my college. definitely karthik would have made it to the podium at the most-common-name-contest.
class was divided into groups of 4 or 5 to do experiments in the labs. my group consisted of karthik, karthik, karthik and kiran.
even though karthik's spelling varied from karthik to kaarthik to karthick to kartic, the name was pronounced one and the same. in order to distinguish the beings, some characteristic or the other was used to qualify the karthiks. for eg - nettai (tall), bodhai (drug- the guy was always in a trance), dumm (cigarette), delhi, current.
year 2008. i am attending evening accounting classes at new york university. the strength of the class is 20, and the only other desi in the class is also named karthik. now what are the odds?
whatever school i attended, coaching class i went to, there was a minimum of two karthiks on the roll-call. the max number was at my college that had 4 karthiks in the class. i did not dare to take the count across the 2000 batch, or across my college. definitely karthik would have made it to the podium at the most-common-name-contest.
class was divided into groups of 4 or 5 to do experiments in the labs. my group consisted of karthik, karthik, karthik and kiran.
even though karthik's spelling varied from karthik to kaarthik to karthick to kartic, the name was pronounced one and the same. in order to distinguish the beings, some characteristic or the other was used to qualify the karthiks. for eg - nettai (tall), bodhai (drug- the guy was always in a trance), dumm (cigarette), delhi, current.
year 2008. i am attending evening accounting classes at new york university. the strength of the class is 20, and the only other desi in the class is also named karthik. now what are the odds?
Monday, June 16, 2008
dasavatharam review-ed
a genuine effort from kollywood at something big and different.
+ kamal's multiple roles and voice modulations. the characters of fletcher - the ex-cia agent, balram naidu and boovaragan have been very well done.
+ racy screenplay. please leave your brains at home though!
+ immense effort has been put into making the sets and the visual effects.
- bad graphics.
catch the movie at a good theater so that the decently made graphics does not get degraded any further!
trivia : ten avatars - rangarajan nambi, govindrajan naicker, president bush, fletcher, japanese kung-fu master, balram naidu, avtaar singh, krishnaveni paati (grandma), vincent boovaragan, khalif ulla.
+ kamal's multiple roles and voice modulations. the characters of fletcher - the ex-cia agent, balram naidu and boovaragan have been very well done.
+ racy screenplay. please leave your brains at home though!
+ immense effort has been put into making the sets and the visual effects.
- bad graphics.
catch the movie at a good theater so that the decently made graphics does not get degraded any further!
trivia : ten avatars - rangarajan nambi, govindrajan naicker, president bush, fletcher, japanese kung-fu master, balram naidu, avtaar singh, krishnaveni paati (grandma), vincent boovaragan, khalif ulla.
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