Trapped... Oops! Tagged

‘Just a mother of two’ asked anyone who read her blog to continue the tag. So here I go. BTW, this is the first tag, I am attempting in my blogolife

1. What curse word do you use the most? – kOppu

2. Do you own an iPod? – No and I don’t want to. I hate the earphones.

3. What person do you talk to on the phone the most? – My wife (at present)

4. Do you still remember the first person you kissed? – Oh yes. Now stop right there.

5. Do you remember where you were on 11/9/01? – Yes, I was at my home in Marthandam, TamilNadu, wondering what do I do to complete the Power Electronics Engineering Assignment.

6. What was the last movie you watched? – ‘Pattanapravesham’ (Malayalam). Actually, parts of the movie, not entire one. The entire one was ‘ Theeratha Vilayattu Pillai’ (Tamil). No wait, I watched that out of desperation and not that I am a die hard fan of Tamil movies.

7. Has anyone ever called you lazy? – Yes, I have called that myself, several times.

8. Do you ever take medication to help you fall asleep? – No

9. Has anyone told you a secret this week? - Err… No

10. What is the first thing you notice about the opposite sex? – Won’t say ;-)

11. What are you looking forward to? – a chance to do what I love

12. Do you own any band t-shirts? – NOOOOO. I hate it.

13. What will you be doing in one hour? – Reading another set of blogs

14. Is anyone in love with you? – Ofcourse. Lots.

15. Last time you cried? – Don’t remember

16. Are you on a desktop computer or a laptop? - Desktop

17. Are you currently wanting any piercings or tattoos? - No

18. Would you ever date anyone covered in tattoos? – I don’t mind

19. What were you doing before this? – Having Curd Rice and Pickle

20. When is the last time you slept on the floor? - Yesterday

21. How many hours of sleep do you need to function? – 8 hours. No compromise

22. Do you eat breakfast daily? – Yes, I do.

Now no escaping. You continue.

Great Job!

Although a bit late, I chanced upon this interview of Steve Jobs. A whole lot of insight. Regarding primary education; his early days in Apple; how he penetrated into the Big Blue dominated market; how he started the NeXT, Pixar; why WWW is here to stay; of death being the greatest invention; on being an entrepreneur.

I have listened to Steve on the TED website, regarding the ‘Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish’ concept etc, but this is a very descriptive one and an equally amazing one. It is worth a read, and a re-read a hundred times. Don’t just read, imbibe.

It’s excellent !

My Key bored

As always while I was whiling away my time at office browsing through odd blogs and websites, suddenly my keyboard stopped functioning. I infact did not have know when it stopped working, until I tried Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V option (obviously trying to copy and paste something from a blog, sorry not plagiarism, just a decode business). Alas!, the keyboard went into a sleep mode and refused to paste the contents into MS Word, blank document.

Well, as any other person, I tried hitting the keys hard, trying various combination keys, typing out asdf etc, but no way. I thought now I have to seek the help of professionals to get it working or may be replace the keyboard. I checked with my colleague, what was the number of the technical support team, which he shared. There goes, I started trying and trying and trying.. No luck. I felt like a housewife making frantic calls to ‘Dial A Song’ programme in Kiran TV.

Armed with my engineering degree, I thought I will check out the issue. I heard from experts that most of the issues with the computer get solved if it is restarted. So I did. I restarted the computer, and it did restart too. But no, the little LED on my keyboard still didn’t glow up. Instead I got a message on my screen that ‘Keyboard not detected, Press F1 to continue’. “Err.. well may be the computer is a super genius and only the F1 key might work”, I thought, and gently pressed the F1. Hell.. nothing happened.

So there again, I started making calls to the help desk, where no one bothered to take my call or all what I got it an engaged tone (which sent shrills down my cochlea). So I decided to go and meet them, salute them and plead for help. I climbed the stairs and went to the floor above mine and met those revered people. There were about four of them, and I wondered why no one bothered to take my call. I did not make a fuss out of it. I politely informed them that my keyboard is not working. One fellow (who turned out to be a helpful chap later) asked what my cubicle number was. Well, does the cubicles have numbers here..while was I feigning to recollect, another guy announced that it was ‘5’. Oh my ! I never knew I was this famous, that people even noticed what my cubicle number was. I wanted to ask if he knew my bank account number as well. But as the person who required help, I thanked him and turned to my savior. He asked me to go back, while he would come to my seat in some time. When I was about to leave, he called me back and asked me to raise a ‘call’ (A call is a service request an employee is supposed to raise to get a problem resolved. It helps in better tracking.). ‘ May be I haven’t really heard what he said’ I thought and asked ‘What?’. He repeated. Well it is my keyboard which is not working, and please beg your pardon dear highness, I will not be able to type out a ‘call’ without my keyboard being functional. He quickly understood my dilemma and said ‘Ok, Ok. Need not raise the call, I will come’. I thanked him and went back to my cubicle number 5.

He came in few minutes as promised carrying a keyboard along, in case my present one needs to be replaced. He did what I did, tried hitting odd keys and pulling the cord etc, and then he read out the instruction which was still on my monitor ‘ Keyboard not detected; press F1 to continue’ He tried hitting it too, as if he has some magical touch and the computer would recognize his touch. But boy, it worked !

It took 9 seconds for me to close my mouth which was wide open in bewilderment and embarrassment and mixed feeling of lot other emotions.

It was a loose contact and he just touched the cable and lo! It worked!!

Do you know any place where I can surrender my engineering degree and get back 4 years of my life?

INR gets a new avatar

Folks, our keyboards might have a new key soon - a symbol representing the Indian Currency. The cabinet has decided to finalise a symbol today, which would now on be the official representation of the Indian Rupee or INR. They have shortlisted five symbols which is more or less similar to those of $ or €. View them here.

Does dollar hear its deathbell in the near future? Well may be.

Thanks Kiruba for indicating.

My two nights with Sofiya

Ok, now that I have grabbed the attention, let me clarify, before your thoughts go wild. Sofiya is the name of the AC VOLVO bus plying from Bangalore to Trivandrum and back. I usually take this bus for my travel because of few reasons. It starts at 6.30 pm, which mean I need not have to apply for a half day leave to catch the bus. They give free water and food and a pillow. The bus pass through Sreekariyam, so that I can get down at Sreekariyam, once I board the bus from Madiwala. They show Mallu movies (comedy, most of the time) and play beautiful songs.
First Night:
This weekend, the movie was Robinhood – although it was not a comedy movie when originally released, it turned out to be a comedy movie. First ROFL event was when Jayasurya appeared as the Asst Police Commissioner. Oh ! It was hilarious. Whenever I see Jayasurya, I can only relate him as a ‘mandabuddhi’ - no offence meant, I feel I can appreciate his acting skills when he does ‘mandabuddhi’ type of roles. For such person the police dress did not suit at all in the first place, and when portrayed as ACP, it was too much to control. I get pissed off when someone uses wrong words or grammar. Twice in the move (the well educated) Prithviraj used the words ‘mediums’ and ‘medias’ – both are wrong. The character of Samvritha Sunil was unnecessary, and the producer could have saved some money eliminating her from the movie. The way the electromagnetic signals transmit from the ATM to the small ‘chiratta’ like dish antenna, placed inside a cab was hilarious. Prithviraj is shown as the Entrance Coaching Centre tutor, but he lives in a posh apartment which in Kochi and by today’s standards do have a minimum monthly rent of Rs 20000. Wonder which is that coaching center which pays him that much.
Ok, now for the most funny part. The ATM did not have camera, until Narein (the detective) comes up with the brilliant idea that placing a camera would be helpful in identifying the robber. Reminds me of the scene in ‘Pattana Pravesam’ where Sreenivasan asks the police if they have a photograph of the person who did the crime, so that it would be easier for them to identify the criminal. Narein played his role well as a detective, but his portrayal of being a ‘vaayunokki’, didn’t suit him. All said and done, I couldn’t help but appreciate Biju Menon’s character in the movie. He was an excellent choice for the character – otherwise usually done by Rizabava or Siddique. Biju Menon looked a tailor made fit for the role and played it very well, with all the proud and pomp it demands. Appreciate the choice and the outcome.
Movie was interrupted at some place when we halted for dinner. The guys in the bus would hand over a Rs 50 food coupon in exchange of which we could have dinner. Now, that is a nice gesture. A guy who was having a ‘Masala Dosa’ along with me was wondering does one masala dosa cost Rs 50. I said ‘No, the coupon is worth Rs 50 and you can have anything as long as it is within Rs 50’. They guy ordered for another plate of Masala Dosa. :)
Somewhere the bus got delayed, blame it on the road condition or occasional drizzle, the bus reached Sreekariyam only at about 8.30 am
Second Night:
Boarded the bus from Kazhakuttom. They played beautiful songs
‘ Aathamaavil mutti vilichathu pole..’
‘Olichirikkan Vallikudil..’
and few other nostalgic melodies. It was so good, especially for a person like me who always board the bus with a heavy heart. The movie this time was ‘Thommanum Makkalum’. I remember watching this movie at some theater in Kochi on the same day when India was playing against Australia in a one day cricket match at a stadium nearby. The movie is a good watch especially while on the move. The dinner was at a place called Ootupura at Haripad. The waiters were running around to fetch orders and the food was tasty too.
Sofiya then went on non-stop, to reach Bangalore on the dot which was promised. I got down at Silk Board when it was 6 AM. Did I say, PERFECT !!
Thank you Sofiya, for giving me two memorable nights with you. I enjoyed, although you were a bit costly ;-)

Let the game begin!

Ajay was bashing the media for not reporting the inauguration of the Technocity with the importance it deserves. I echo him completely. I checked the websites of the Malayalam dailies and hardly found any news item on Technocity inauguration. This is a major phase in the IT world of Kerala, and has the potential to change the image of Trivandrum, not to mention the revenue it brings in and the job market it opens up. Well..on second thoughts may be all is for good, because most of the projects which were hyped up have not moved an inch further, post inauguration.

When the first phase is getting ready, the think tanks need to device a clear strategy of marketing the project to get the buildings occupied.

Let the game begin !

What 2 mins of idle time can do to you..

I am a thought
Your formed me
And made me run
With no rest

I am making rounds
In between your ears
Oh when will you let me out
So that I can enter more ears

You are my father
But what use am I
If I don’t serve the purpose
For which you created me

So let me out
Let me go
And trigger the process
Of making my siblings

I cant be alone
For I am scared.
I need company
To travel new heights

A year or is it an year? !!

It’s been really long. An year past by. Did something happen during this year?
Yes .. yes
I changed jobs..I came to a new location.
But now I hate both.
I learnt that boredom is directly proportional to the size of the organization.
I learnt that I can cook and eat it too ! and SURVIVE too !!
I learnt that ..
No, I don’t intend to write a poem.
I would like to remain jobless for few weeks. Just for the heck of it, to be myself, to know what on earth keeps the world busy, to watch the cat which runs around the courtyard, to watch the squirrel.. oh wait wait.. the poet in me is waking up. Stop right there…
It is exactly 8 minutes back, I discovered that I can publish my posts from office. He he, don’t tell anyone. Now that I got a door open, I can let my thoughts flow freely and fingers hit the keyboard on its own. Lemme see how long can I sustain.