The blogger's block...

What does it take to write a blog post ?
Internet connection and two hands to type.... and Ahem brain directing those hands, isn't it?
The last part is still not working and not able to dish out a post even after thinking hazaar times to write something. Probably I have nothing much say anymore or I have found other ways to went out my frustration ;-).
Yeah there is the husband to take all the crap coming from me and not even blink... which makes me bug him even more. Little brain you see.. it goes blank when it has to think about topics to write here. Gone are those days, when I used think of a whole blog post during my rides to-and-fro office, what a creative time that was!!! But these Pune roads won't let me think of anything else than curses. These bikers are worst in the world.
Talking of Pune, the is city still far from being being my home. I live and enjoy here alright... but I am still an outsider. Can't think of a single Puneri person I have befriended with or typical places I have frequented to. Still part of the band wagon flocking to fancy restaurants on weekends and minding only a small friends' circle. No I don't shop at Lakshmi Road/Tulashi Baug, hardly been to Camp/MG Road, don't eat at Vaishali/Rupali not even Janasewa and don't know where Parvati is... so not Punekar, isn't it?
I have been living next to FC for almost two years and never been to world famous "tekadi". Don't ask me for directions on Pune roads... though I can still tell you about Bangalore city bus routes :-).
And so my life goes on. The office-work and home-work have been keeping me busy...  Let's see when I get some interesting topic to talk about .... :-)

His friends...

Whenever any of my close friends decided to get married, there was a part of me which used hate that idea. Marriage would mean sharing the friend with his better half which most of the time means not having the friend at all or getting a new package deal of sorts. However good the spouses were/are, I would feel the distance, being intruded by someone. I never liked them knowing our secretes or gossips.
However selfish it may sound... I admit that I did feel like this most of the times.

Now that I am married, mostly hang out with my husband's friends... given lack of my "own" friend circle and the fact that they are really interesting people to hang out with.
... I wonder at times, do they feel the same way .... :-)

Once upon a time …

Once upon a time this blog used be active… there used to be at least one post a week. It used to change color every now and then just like its blogger it liked to show off. Change and activity were the buzz words. Some people used to drop by and actually read it. It was all happy to get that attention. Those were the glory days and all of a sudden it became silent one day. For no apparent reason, it stopped update….

*Krrrrrrrr kch*

Stop Stop Stop

Before someone starts writing obituary for my blog, I am back. At least to show that this blog is not totally abandoned (*applause applause*)! Sigh, it feels like eternity since I have blogged. Every time I comeback after a break I promise myself that I won’t let it happen again and as obvious next break just gets longer. As usual there is office work to blame. But I am really amazed where the time is going. I mean I am not working 24x7. These days I am trying more and more to make life organized and regularized. I get up at midnight i.e. 6:30 am, reach office at dawn i.e. 8:30am and I come back from office by afternoon 6pm, I hardly stay back late, I don’t work on weekends (Errrr… except few recent weekends). Still I don’t find time to blog. Forget blogging, I don’t even find time to do usual stuff on weekends. I don’t feel like I have taken a good rest for a while. Some thing or other comes up and time is just flies away. I don’t know when was the last time when I slept till late morning on weekends or just lazed around whole day.

Being bored seems to be constant state and work is the main reason (as usual !). I donno when was the last time when I got up in the morning really looking forward to go to work. Someone once told me that the day you feel like not going to work you should recognize it as a signal to change the work place. I am not in favor of jumping work places frequently like the current trend is. The people I work with are really good but then that’s not the only thing you see sometimes it gets really frustrating that I feel like leaving everything and running away.

Well, it is not as frustrating as watching the political drama in Karnataka or even worse the over-hyped-so-called-classic movie ‘Saawariya’. I want to lock both HD Deve Gowda and Sanjaya Leela Bhansali in a room and let them torture each other. Spare us from those stupid dramas people! One runs government in sleep and other makes movies in sleep. I mean, what is happening to political will power of this state? Don’t they understand they are making fun of themselves and the whole country? I think Bangalore politics is watched more closely in the western world than even Delhi politics. And these people behave worse even than vamps of those saans-bahu soaps!

Only phrase that can describe ‘Saawariya’ is ‘barbad movie’ !

It’s time to go. See you soon!

Why wouldn’t I drive to work?

The office is shifted and I am traveling to office by bus again. I have to rush for but by 7:40am and back home by 6:30pm. The office is not that far and I could have easily taken my Dio Baby. (I had decided to name my vehicle something when I was planning to get it. I got vehicle number containing ‘EW’ so I started calling it ‘EW Baby’. Shirsha thinks the vehicle name resembles Sunny Deol so calls it ‘Sunny Deol Bike’! ) It is really hectic to get up that early in the morning after you have got used to waking up by 8:30-9am. I can still go back to my previous routine if I want to but I have lot of reasons for that.

First is that I am getting organized again. I have my cloths ironed and kept aside, veggies cut on previous night. And I get ready in the morning within 40 mins! It’s a welcome change to my otherwise lazy life you see. Some people say it is like going back to school but I say its discipline!

I am also one of those extra environment conscious people. I am one of those who would walk short distances and take BMTC bus instead of auto and preach others to do the same. Sometimes I feel guilty of buying vehicle and adding to the pollution. One of the reasons for me not buying car is that it drinks way too much petrol than a bike. Now that I already have company bus running why should I add more? The bus is enough to do that, isn’t it ?

I also hate to drive on Bangalore roads. It’s more of crawling than driving. My bike being little taller for my height it is nightmare for me. By the time I reach the destination I am so frustrated that there is no energy left to work. I never used to drive on weekends. Now I can save my driving time and energy to do stuff like reading, completing my unfinished sleep, or just watching the traffic. This one of the things I missed most while driving. I have knack for reading every poster and name plate that is displayed on the road. (That is why I know so many roads/areas in Bangalore). There were many times when I was distracted in reading the hoardings that I almost hit a vehicle or side walk. I should wait for real accident, you see!

Also I have reason to get out of office early.

Three movies, a concert and Rum Ice Roy

It’s been a long time since I have written a post about ‘how my weekend was?’ There were lame weekends or I was just lazy to write about them (Lazy is synonymous to me!) Weekends come and go away before I recount anyy details about it. This weekend was no different apart from the ‘Aerosmith’ concert that I have written about in previous post. Three rock-concerts old and I couldn’t be happier. DNA people please get ‘U2’ and ‘Linkin Park’ to Bangalore before I get old to jump in the concerts or lose interest in Rock music (who knows!). On the second thought, I wouldn’t mind listening to ‘GnR’, ‘Goo Goo Dolls’, ‘Metallica’ and ‘Bon Jovi’ live :-) (Human mind is greedy you see)

Though the weekend went insignificantly there was happening week for a change! Three movies watched in a week. It’s been a while since I watched movies during weekdays though my office is in the heart of the city and there are at least 3 theatres within 10 mins reach from here. It is always laziness plus too much of work and I can’t sit at a place for such a long time ;-). This week was definite change with three movies being watched.

Shrek 3:- For a change my company did this good deed of giving away free tickets for the movie it has provided technology for. How proud I feel to tell this!! If you are animation fan and you happen to watch Shrek series you will definitely appreciate the animation created by DreamWorks and rendered on servers provided by my dear company. Rendering for animation of this kind requires high end servers and we provide them! Moral of the story is, there was a contest to win free tickets for the movie and a colleague of mine got 4 tickets to the show in PVR cinema Europa screen. Can you beat that? First day show tickets that too in the most hep theatre of Bangalore! How can I miss such a golden chance? The tickets were collected bunking group wide meeting! The story is not that great, they have tried to add too much of senti-aap touch and made Shrek behave more human like. I adored him more in first two parts. But the animation is awesome! The new character Arthur looks damn cute!

Life… in a Metro :- ‘I didn’t like the movie because it is too realistic’ was the first review I got in this movie and it made more that curious to watch it. It was running houseful for a while and finally we managed to get tickets for Wed 10 pm show. Getting ticket episode itself will make topic for another post! The movie is too realistic for sure. It feels like we are peeping into our neighbor’s life and sometimes our own too! The stories of love, betrayal, infidelity run parallel crossing each other every now and then. The movie handles a good topic but does not disturb you or make you think about the degrading morality in our modern lives. In the end, it goes the ‘happily ever after’ way. What disturbed me more was the writer didn’t allow the married women (Shilpa), to follow her heart and go against her cheating husband. Instead she became typical ‘Bhartiya Naari’ who sacrifices her love and self-respect for the sake of family. What nonsense!!! Do watch it for Irrfan Khan. He is not used much but he sure makes his presence felt in the movie.
I was telling my mother about this movie. I said I don’t think you would like to watch this movie; it would shatter the typical Indian mind like it did for my friend. She plainly says, ‘you know what these things have been there in our society since long. Aren’t there stories of infidelity even in our purana’s? It’s just that these days we have advanced media so the things are being discussed openly and women are getting strong to oppose/expose them’. Mom, you surprise me as always!

Cheeni Kum :- I liked this one more from previous two. Nice subject, good direction and cinematography and amazing actors made the movie worth watching. One dialogue that I remember right now is when Amitabh is trying to convince Tabu’s father about their relationship. He says “Why should you have problem when you daughter is not marrying someone younger than her?” It is generally said that women mature before guys do. They should marry guys at least couple of years older than them so they are on same page. We Indians go little overboard in this theory and consider it immoral when a woman marries a man younger than her. I say why we should have problem in that if two people are ready to spend their lives with each other and fine with the age difference. On the other hand, there are lot of girls who search for security, comfort in their husbands just like they received from their fathers. Just as a guy likes to compare his wife with his mother and expect her to cook, care like his mother did what is wrong if a girl searches for her father in terms of maturity and understanding.
What is your take on this?

And I should not forget to mention ‘Rum Ice Roy’, you are right it is name of ice cream which has rum in it and lot of rum for that matter. Sunday night was ‘Corner House’ time after a long time. I thought of trying this one as name sounded interesting and hoping it will have unrecognizable traces of liquor. But my-o-my, it lives up its name, had the rum taste for real (Don’t ask me how I know taste of Rum ;-))

… I am too bored with work today, hence all this blabbering!

Life in a ... Metro

Watched Life in a .... Metro yesterday, night show after long long time. Its a nice movie. Will write the review aram se. For the time being here is my favorite piece of conversation from the movie

Monty - Irrfan Khan
Shruti - Konkona Sen

Both of them are relaxing by sea shore, after finishing shaadi-shopping for Monty. (These might not be the exact words used by the characters... )

Monty: Chalo meri to shaadi ho jayegi do dino me. Ab tum bhi shaadi kar lo
Shruti: Haa kar lungi lekin meri pasand ka ladka to milna chahiye. Ab tak aisa koi mila nahi jisase mai shaadi karu
Monty: Accha yeh batao tumhe kaisa ladka chahiye
Shruti: You know smart, understanding, caring, loving. Thoda sensitive ho, fun loving ho...
Monty: To tumhe aisa ladka nahi mila nahi aaj tak
Shruti: Nahi yaar. Aise ladake milate nahi aaj kal. Kismae yeh baat acchi to woh kharab hai.
Monty: Pata hai mera ek dost hai usane na 5 saal pahale ek car kharidi hai lekin aaj tak bahar nahi nikali. Waise ki waisi padi hai garage me. Batoao kyu?
Shruti: Ummm... kyunki wo tumhra dost hai. Tumhare jaisa hi pagal hoga
Monty: Are nahi. Pata hai wo kya kahata hai...?? Mai tab tak car nahi chalaunga jab tak shahar ke saare signal green nahi ho jaate
Shruti: Lekin wo jab tak car bahar nahi nikalega use pata kaise chalega ke signal green hai ke nahi
Monty: Wahi to mai tumhe bol raha huu Shruti, take out the car, take your chance !

Interesting no !

Irrfan Khan is amazing. I can watch movie again just for him.

More coming up on my life in this soon-to-be Metro and fear of commitment.

I am back … finally !

It’s been almost a month that I have written anything. I can give hundreds of reasons for the disappearance. Of course laziness tops the list (I know I know, this will be reason for any of the things that I don’t do or even I do :-D). Then I had my family around for a while. It’s terrible to adjust for few days after they are gone. Mom is not there to bug me in the morning to get up, cook nice food in the evening or there is no sis to fight with. I realized that it’s been almost 3 years that I have stayed under same roof with my sis... talk about pains of staying away from home :-(. I so much miss fighting with her and playing AoM (Age of Mythology for the uninitiated). It was lying around on my lappy for a while but I didn’t touch it until she came. Its fun playing those games with her, fighting for control, planning strategies and calling each other by names in the game. We used to play demos of AoE on home computer for whole days but couldn’t spend that much time here :-(. Every time I switched on lappy to write something, we would end up starting the game and playing it for hours.

Then there was the Blah blog to write for. Now I have become comfortable writing there and it’s fun to write with so many different people. I met all the fellow Blahgers (that’s what we call ourselves) from Bangalore, this weekend and it was helluva fun. I never thought I will even open my mouth in front of complete strangers and ended up spending almost spending 2 hours of animated conversation. All of us are coming from different cultures and different professions. There were people not only from different part of the country but different parts of the word. Now I think that was something great. Checkout for the snaps and account of the meet here. The meet was held at a place called BrewHaHa. This place is as interesting as its name. It’s a coffee shop place gaming joint. I never got time to check out the games but I am sure gonna make more trips there. Now that my favorite coffee shop ‘Inch’ is closed for a reason unknown :-(.

There are so many things to write about… the monsoon showers Bangalore is blessed with, Mumbai-Pune express highway drive and the vada-paav, Two amazing books that I read ‘Shantaram’ and ‘The Namesake’ and the sweet movie ‘Cheeni Kum’. Read review on Blah here (Yes I wrote it … It is called shameless promotion of your writing :-D). Will return before people start thinking that this blog is shutting down.

Curse my laziness and hectic work schedule if I don’t return soon !!!

PS1 :-> Right now, I am very sad because after getting tickets for the ‘Aerosmith’ show, the friend accompanying me has decided to give more preference to work :-(. Gwwwwad... please send me friends who like Rock music (none of the existing ones like it :-( )and like to attend the live show and will come with me. I don’t want to miss the show !!!

PS2 :-> Now I am gonna be 'Aunty' officially. In next couple of months a tiny member is gonna arrive in my family... Yoooo !!!

Google acts cranky !!!

Have you ever used Google reader, the new crawler from Google which manages your subscription to blogs and news sites etc? With this you don’t need to remember/bookmark all your favorite blog sites, news sites and check for updates all the time. The dear reader does the job for you. All you need to give all the links you love, to it and sit back and relax. It will frequently check for updates and get them at your page-step. Nice utility I must say, glorified version of RSS reader I believe. Now being the ‘Google worshipper’, it is my first duty to utilize whatever they bring on. I use gmail, even though I know they might be indexing my mails for their commercial purpose. I am frequent to orkut, though it makes my personal life public, I am still sticking to Blogger despite people trying to influnce me a lot about wordpress… and of course the one and only Google search is life line of we softies. There is… No... there was almost a blind trust that whatever it says has to be correct until the reader gave me wrong entries.

This Sunday morning I open my reader page with much enthu to catch updates on all ma favorite blogs. I see whole 6 entries for a blog that I love reading and which hasn’t been updated for a while. I get very happy and read through the entries. The gal was whining about getting old and matrimonial ads and all. Wait a sec… didn’t she just get married couple of months ago. Is she writing about someone else? I recheck again… am I reading other gal’s blog who is at same state. Nope… It’s the first gal who got married. I check the date updated. Its today morning 10am time. There is one Friday the 13th post which makes me believe that these have to be recent posts (Last Friday was Friday the 13th …the evil day; if you didn’t notice :-) ). So I open the blog to see what going wrong and bingo ! Looks like the reader played April fool prank. They threw last year's 6 posts at me!

Beware people, there is a bug in reader… don’t trust it blindly :-D !!! Tomorrow it will give you news from yesteryears and you might not bother to check the actual info. Imagine you reading about blasts in Bombay and frantically calling all you relatives/friends to check on them when nothing has happened. Google can have that kinda influence you see!

Talking of April fool pranks; none can beat Googlies to come up with intelligent ideas. You all must remember the lunar jobs they were offering couple of years ago. This year there was TiSP(BETA)... hilarious concept. The way have explained almost makes you believe that such things can be true. Read more about it here

Weird ... !!!

Its 2 o’clock and I suddenly remember that I need to catch a train at 3. I need to go somewhere for very urgent work and I cannot miss the train in any case. The train-station is around half an hour drive from my place so I have half an hour more to get ready. Suddenly I realized I haven’t packed my bag yet… I don’t even have a bag with me. I search frantically in the neighborhood for a bag. A friend come to rescue and lends me her bag. I pray mom is not around cause she absolutely hates my last minute running around. She calls it “tahan lagali ki vihir khodane” (Digging well only when I am thirsty). Then I realize my cloths are not washed at all. Mom comes to rescue and puts them in washing machine without saying a bit. My heart beat starts racing and I get hysteric looking for my stuff. Interestingly I still of some more time to go. I start searching for iron (what the hell has happened to me since when have I started caring about all this stuff. I am getting late!!!) Mom gives me the cold look and helps me pack. I am frantically running around and I realize that there is just 10 minutes before the train leaves. I take the first vehicle and rush towards the station. There is huge traffic jam and it feels like ages before I reach the station. I am almost in tears; my heart is racing at Olympic speed. When station is near, I jump out of the vehicle and start running towards the platform. My train has given whistle and started to move. I run for the love of my life, my legs don’t seem like moving at all, my throat is dry. I am panting, sweating and dragging my luggage. The train seems unending and it is still there when I reach the platform. The train looks little weird. It has huge doors like Mumbai locals and berths like sleeper coach. I am about to throw myself inside the train when the doorbell rings and I need to answer it.

You got it right… It was just a dream. I only wish my life was so dramatic :-). This is one of the dreams I get very often, sometimes there is a train to catch, or a bus or a flight or a exam to appear for. And I get it when I am about to do one of these. Today’s occasion was a test at office for which I had reach really really early (8:30am is dawn for me :-) ). I find it weird to get same dream again and again. I think it’s more due to fear of getting late for anything or just my love for dramatic things :-), But my heartbeat is increased considerably whenever I wake up from the dream.

I am tagged...

Shirsha has tagged me! And I am prompt to finish it quickly :-)

Favorite Colors: Sky blue, light yellow sometimes bright colors
Favorite Food: Chats (pani puri), Marathi food. Other than that Italian, Mexican, North Indian… anything veggie, spicy
Favorite Month: No preference. May mebbe… thats the summer holiday time and has my b’day too !!!
Favorite Songs: Mera Kuch Saamaan, Everything I do, When you say nothing at all will do anytime. Other than that choice depends on mood from Jagjeet to Metalica… I am huge music buff
Favorite Movies: Dil Chahata hai, Animation movies and RomComs like When Harry Met Sally, You have got mail, Notting Hill
Favorite Book: In Marathi all PL Deshpande books. ‘Love story’ and ‘The Fountainhead’ in English
Favorite Sport: Kabbadi :D
Favorite Season: Rainy season
Favorite Day Of the week: Wednesday
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: Most of them (including mint too!!!) and I have started liking chocolate a lot these days
Favorite Time of Day: Dusk

8 CURRENTS:
Current Mood: Its Monday again … *sigh*
Current Taste: Bakhar Wadi that my romie got from Mumabi... yum !
Current Clothes: Pajamas
Current Desktop: Ocean Blue
Current Toe nail Color: Colorless
Current Time: 7.22 PM IST
Current Surroundings: My room
Current Thoughts: zzZZzzzz

6 FIRSTS:
First Best Friend: Don’t remember
First Screen Name: Ashley
First Pet: N/A
First Piercing: Ears
First Album: Don’t remember
First Movie: 'Annadi' thats the first movie I remember watching in theater

6 LASTS:
Last Cigarette: When someone around me smokes :-D
Last Taste: Parathas we gobbled on at 'Boby da Dhaba' in Ulsoor ...
Last Movie Seen: The Angrez… too hilarious
Last Phone Call: To mom
Last Book Read: Shantaram

Have You Ever Broken the Law: Traffic Signals … many times even on phoren grounds
Have You Ever Been Arrested: Not yet
Have You Ever Been on TV: Yeah … when we were watching uncle’s marriage CD
Have You Ever Lied: Yup!
Have You Ever Kissed Someone You Didn't Know: Naah

5 THINGS:
Thing You're Wearing: Pajamas
Thing You've Done Today: Wake up late, dozed in office though meetings, came back early and now waiting for office servers to come up and blogging
Thing You Can Hear Right Now: “Paint my love” MLTR
Thing You Can't Live Without: Do water, air etc count ?
Thing You Do When You're Bored: Read, Listen to music, Watch TV, sleep, go out, bug friends

4 PLACES YOU'VE BEEN TODAY:
Home, Office, Southie eatery near office, bad bad Airport road and MG Road traffic

3 PEOPLE YOU CAN TELL ANYTHING TO:
Mom and couple of friends.

2 CHOICES:
Want to see mom and sis desperately
Never give up on anything in life

1 THING YOU WANT TO DO BEFORE YOU DIE: Travel all over India

And I tag Apoorv :-)

The 99th Post

Its going to be a log weekend (Monday is Bangalore Bandh :-() and I am sitting at home on the Sunday evening. There are lots of thoughts crowding in my head and I am not able to think straight… I had a not so good start of the weekend. I need to write something… it always helps to disintegrate my thoughts. What should I write about? Was talking to my friend about it and she suggested why not write an autobiography… Ahh… now that’s interesting! I asked her, ‘name a single great thing that I have done that will make others read my autobiography’. ‘Why do have to be great to write it and why do you want others to read it? Do you always write for others?’ She asks me. That’s true, I don’t write for others… neither to please anyone nor to hurt anyone, till now I haven’t written anything ‘politically correct’. This blog has always been like reflection of my most dear thoughts which I generally feel very awkward to talk. I have been writing about stuff without caring for who reads it or not … and believe it or not, putting down thoughts on paper (webpage that is :-)) makes a lot of difference to whole thought process… and has helped me to get out of the bad phase of life when I started blogging. And this happens to be my 99th post. Yayy!!!

Let me write about some random thoughts I have been having this weekend. I was thinking what I want to do now. I am neither depressed nor sad… but in a reflecting mood (I guess I do lot of thinking every weekend :D). But for the first time in last eight years I am missing home. I am missing dad. I wish I would get to see him at least once and tell how much I love him. I never said that to him when I had a chance. I want to go back and be a good girl I used to be, responsible and sensible. Yeah… I was like that . These two years in Bangalore have been totally insane for me. I have done the most bizarre things. Interestingly every city/town I have stayed in has brought drastically different changes in me… I will write about them some other time!
Yesterday my roomie got idea of opening a hair salon in front of Barista on MG road looking at the different hair styles of guys there. And I got mehandi (Henna) done on my hand sitting on the footpath :D. I just looove the mehandi smell. We didn’t cook anything again this weekend and gobbled on free food at two friends’ place. I bunked guitar class again… finally my guitar teacher called me up asking whether I want to attend the class or not :-). I plan to practice tomorrow and attend the class next weekend… of course, only if my laziness permits. And tomorrow I need to do some office work which I have been postponing for weeks!
Will write more later !

Customer Service … Now and Then

Its amazing how the call-centre service is “evolved” over recent times

Earlier the calls used to be like this (when they were new and we were also new to it)

Caller: Hello, Can I take to miss Ashlesha?
Me: Yes. Speaking
Caller: Good afternoon ma’am. This is ABC speaking from XYZ bank. Can get few minutes of your precious time?
Me: Time for?
Caller: I would like to tell you about this very interesting Credit card our company has to offer you since you are working for PQR company. Can I talk to you?
Me: Yeah please go ahead
Caller: Blah blah blah.(10-15 minutes of convincing) So… it is very good offer ma’am. So can I send my customer executive to you today?
Me: Okie.

And we doomed ourselves with lot of credit cards!

Then came next change

Caller: Hello.
Me: Hello ?
Caller: Good evening.. err good morning sir … err ma’am
Me: Good afternoon!
Caller: Err… Good afternoon ma’am. I am calling from XYZ bank
Me: Yes ?
Caller: This is regarding personal loan.
Me: Well I am not interested. Thank you. (I do say that !)
Caller: Ok ma’am. Can I know the reason ma’am? This is very interesting offer.
Me: (meri marzi !!!) I am not interested... isn’t that enough?
Caller: Ok ma’am. Can you give any references?
Me: No
Though sometimes we give number of our colleagues to bug them :D!

Current trend

Caller: Hello. This is ABC calling from XYZ bank. It is regarding personal loan (In a single breath)
Me: Not interested
Caller: ok (Like he/she knew the answer already)

After some time they will play records of this like they used have poll campaign during the days of “India Shining”, when the dear PM would call and talk to you!

I must post something on Monday :-) !

Some time pass…

- If you are 'Indian Ocean' fan (it’s a music band for those who don't know :-)), you can download their music for free here http://www.indianoceanmusic.com/.
Listen to it … they are amazing!

- New blogger version is totally template unfriendly. I cannot put new template because it cries for some
XML parsing mismatch... though it works fine with the older version. I want my flexibility of changing template back!
Hellooo Googlie ppl are you reading?

- ‘Radio Indigo’ plays some nice music. ‘FM Rainbow’ tries to hog all the FM bandwidth around its area. So whenever I am listening to radio and nearing office I need to listen to mix of English + kannada songs :-(.

- I am getting sore fingers while practicing guitar. I am skipping guitar classes again :-D.

- New IE7 is launched. It looks exactly like FireFox (damn those copiers!!!), works pathetic. It hangs miserably whenever I try to open Google reader. Totally off my list of browsers. Try Opera… its cool.

- Popular rock band ‘Iron maiden’ will be performing live in Bangalore next month (17th March to be precise) !!!

- Bangalore people need no reason to put up riots. Like today there might be trouble due to Cauvery verdict. People … grow up!!! Earning your daily bread-butter is important than anything else.

- I hate filling up timesheets.

- My office network is terribly slow these days :-(

- Mondays are boring and lazy as usual :-

Customer Service :-)

Yesterday I got this call

Caller: Hello, can I talk to Miss Aaaasheeeleshaa (they do that to my name most of the time L)
Me: Yeah... speaking.
Caller: Hello maam, this is xxxx calling from Airtel. It is regarding the query you had placed with us for broadband connection.
(This was places couple of weeks ago I guess)
Me: Yes ?
Caller: I am sorry to inform you maam that the connection is not available in your area.
Me: Oh but it is already installed at my home.
Caller: (In little shocked voice)Err… what??? (Gathering himself together)When did you get the connection?
Me: I got it last friday.
Caller: Maam, are you sure that is an Airtel connection?
Me: That’s what the installation guy told me. I have the receipt and all too!
Caller: Err… but our records show that the connection is not available in your area.
Me: But I have it !!
Caller: (After a long pause and a bit of thinking) Thank you for choosing Airtel, maam. Sorry for this call and the wrong information.

I didn’t tell him that we had given wrong address :-D !!!

I just can’t resist posting this. This is an account of lunch time conversation I had with 3 of my colleagues… 2 guys and a girl.

We were trying out a new caterer in the canteen.
Me: The food is good but not worth 30 rupees… is it?
Guy1: Yeah, I will give more quantity and variety if I start my service.
Me: That’s good idea. From tomorrow, I will get tiffin for you people if you pay me 45 rupees per day
Guy2: 45 rupees!!! That’s too much.
Me: I will get more variety and that will be nice home cooked food served hot and fresh.
Guy2: Hmm… sounds good idea. I will be your first customer.
Guy1: Hey that’s not fair. I started with the idea. I will get better food in 40 rupees.
Me: I will get food everyday :D
Guy1: So will I.
Me: First you should come to office everyday :P.
Guy1: (To Guy2) I will get south Indian food just the way you like it
Me: I will get north Indian and south India food. More choices!!
Guy1: I will get ‘satwik’ food for you
Me: He will buy food from somewhere or make his mother cook and give you. I will be cooking myself.
Guy1: No no no. I will also be cooking myself.
Me: We have never seen you getting tiffin for yourself
Giy1: But now on I will cook.
Guy2: Hey don’t fight. Both of you get samples of the food. I will taste and decide.
Me: Hey you have already got samples from my tiffin-box.
Guy2: Yeah. That’s true. (To Guy1) She is better cook anytime.
Me: (to Guy1) :P
Guy1: What about weekends? I will provide food on weekends also. You can come to my place and have it anytime.
Me: You anyways come to the company club to play on Saturdays. So I will provide lunch as well as breakfast.
(My company’s sports club is near to my house)
Guy2: What about Sundays? I can’t come all the way other end of the city or I will have to shift to that part of the city.
Me: You will anyway have to do shift when our office moves to new location. So that’s another advantage for you. This guy won’t be changing his location.
The girl, who was listening to our conversation all this time, suddenly spoke up.
Girl: (to me and Guy1) I have a better suggestion. Why don’t you two get married? This way the shifting and weekend food problem will be solved.

The only reaction three of us could manage was “Duh?”

(I should mention that she was the only married person among 4 of us)

Tell me people, do they always marry cooks?

Some enlightenment on me … :-)

1. Yourself: Very straight-forward, Die-hard dreamer, highly emotional and practical at the same time, sometimes confused, Infused with unlimited energy and always in search of something new… still exploring myself :-)

2. Your boyfriend/spouse: None

3. Your hair: Shoulder length, jet black, soft and most beautiful

4. Your mother: She is more of a friend than mom. I inherit the love for reading and art from her. I can talk to her about anything and everything. Though she gets heart attack with half of the things I say/do but always there to support me through all the stupidity.

5. Your father: I am daddy’s girl. With him, I could get away with everything I wanted. He was my source of inspiration, pillar of strength… centre of my world, taught me to always believe in my dreams. He is my guiding spirit. I miss him very very very much :-(

6. Your sibling: Only sister. She is my baby. Mom says I prayed hard to get a sister and not a brother. Loveliest sister one could get. We can’t stay without fighting for a single hour :-).

7. Your favorite item: My Lappy

8. Your dream last night: Kidnapping Abhishek Bacchan

9. Your favorite drink: Nimbu Sharbat

10. Your dream car: Open top Ferrari

11. The room you are in: Office

12. Your ex: :-(

13. Your fear: Heartbreak, failures

14. What do you want to be in 10 years?: Rich :-D

15. Who you hung out with last night ?: Hitchhiker’s Guide to Galaxy

16. What you're not?: Artificial, sweet/goody-goody .

17. Muffins: Blueberry and chocolate chip

18. One of your wish list items: iPhone, Beach house, biiig car …too many to mention :-D

19. Time: I always end up wasting it on unnecessary things!!!

20. The last thing you did: Cursed half-dozen people loudly in my mother-tongue on the way to office

21. What are you wearing? Jeans and Tee… All my chappals/sandals are broken… I have left with nothing but sneakers :-(. I need new chappals !!!

22. Your favorite weather: Drizzling rain n cool breeze at dusk and I am sitting in a meadow

23. Your favorite book: The Fountainhead, Love Story

24. The last thing you ate: Roti with honey

25. Your life: Fast flowing, twisting and jumping like a mountain stream

26. Your mood: Happy

27. Your best friend: Lost somewhere :-(

28. What are you thinking about right now?: A trip to Pondicherry.

29. Your car: Happy with my Dio for now :-)

30. What are you doing at the moment?: Pretending to work and dozing in my chair :-D

31. Your summer: By sea shore and not too hot

32. Your relationship status: Single

33. What is on your TV?: F.R.I.E.N.D.S/Travel n living/Music channels

34. What is the weather like?: Warm

35. When is the last time you laughed?: All the time. Smile is the permanent shape of my lips :-)


Complete it yourself, if you want to.

A day in life of Software Engineer

What does a software engineer do when he looses his mental balance ... :-D


Myfriend ( 3:58:46 PM): u there
Me (4:03:06 PM): bol
Myfriend (4:03:26 PM): nthg
Myfriend (4:03:51 PM): u seem to b 2 busy
Me (4:03:58 PM): yup
Myfriend (4:04:40 PM): but one shud not forget his friends when somebody is budy
Myfriend (4:04:40 PM): sorry busy
Myfriend (4:04:54 PM): its okie
Me ( 4:04:57 PM): have u forgotten anybody ?
Myfriend (4:04:59 PM): today ur busy
Myfriend (4:05:07 PM): 2morrrow i'll be busy
Myfriend (4:05:24 PM): n dayafter 2morrow S can b busy
Me (4:05:32 PM): so ?
Myfriend (4:05:52 PM): n then somebosy else can be busy
Myfriend (4:06:06 PM): n this busyness we'll go on and on
Me (4:06:27 PM): funde mat mar jyada ....
Myfriend (4:06:41 PM): but don't let this busyness shud come in between two ppl
Myfriend (4:06:55 PM): this busyness is nthg but only an evil
Me (4:07:00 PM): chup kar
Myfriend (4:07:08 PM): which has come to separate two individuals
Me ( 4:07:14 PM): kaam nahi hai kya tuze koi ?
Myfriend ( 4:07:19 PM): its a virus
Myfriend ( 4:07:29 PM): Really ashli its a virus
Me ( 4:07:34 PM): boore mat kar yaar
Myfriend (4:07:38 PM): today I'm telling u
Myfriend ( 4:07:47 PM): but tomorrow nobody will tell u
Myfriend ( 4:08:04 PM): N u'll be entrapped in this virus
Myfriend ( 4:08:19 PM): The "BUSY VIRUS"
Myfriend ( 4:08:38 PM): n u'll remain busy forever
Myfriend ( 4:08:48 PM): n u'll forget e'one whose around u
Myfriend ( 4:08:58 PM): n u'll be busy
Myfriend ( 4:09:05 PM): busy busy busy
Myfriend ( 4:09:27 PM): this virus has many forms
Myfriend ( 4:09:30 PM): like
Myfriend ( 4:09:37 PM): busy eating
Myfriend ( 4:09:40 PM): busy sleeping
Myfriend ( 4:09:45 PM): busy working
Myfriend ( 4:09:49 PM): busy flirting
Myfriend ( 4:09:57 PM): n u'll always be busy
Me ( 4:10:02 PM): :-)
Myfriend ( 4:10:21 PM): Oracle thinks I'm the one who can save u from this busy virus
Myfriend ( 4:11:20 PM): Ashli come out of this Busy Virus
Myfriend ( 4:11:29 PM): Uninstalll it from ur life
Myfriend ( 4:11:36 PM): urs Neo
Me ( 4:23:43 PM):
Myfriend ( 5:20:27 PM): u there
Me ( 5:20:32 PM): bl
Myfriend ( 5:20:49 PM): bl?
Myfriend ( 5:21:18 PM): speak to me in Hindi aur Eng ?
Myfriend ( 5:21:34 PM): Hope ur tongue is not busy
Myfriend ( 5:22:37 PM): SO ur busy
Myfriend ( 5:23:02 PM): ur Ignoring somebody who had been with u from last 6 years
Myfriend ( 5:23:19 PM): yes u will ignore him n u shud also becoz ur "BUSY"
Myfriend ( 5:23:40 PM): ur not lliving ur life but ur living for "BUSY VIRUS"
Myfriend ( 5:24:56 PM): It cud also be possible that u migt not be reading all this becoz ur eyes r busy
Myfriend ( 5:25:51 PM): but I with the human soul n not effected by the "Virus" pray to God give that person back with whom I spent 6 years
Myfriend ( 5:26:39 PM): I'm serching somebosy who is bugged by "BUSY VIRUS"
Myfriend ( 5:27:29 PM): I still wonder how that Busy world looks like
Myfriend ( 5:27:58 PM): Nobody talking to each other ..no interaction but just busy
Myfriend ( 5:28:43 PM): Hey u there
Myfriend ( 5:28:50 PM): u there.....
Myfriend ( 5:28:57 PM): plzz reply
Myfriend ( 5:31:52 PM): my Ashli..give our ashli back u virus
Me ( 5:33:02 PM): i think u have been hit by "time pass virus" than me being affected by "busy virus"
Me ( 5:33:30 PM): yaar mai apane desk pe nahi thi
Myfriend ( 5:34:30 PM): yeh I conquered that "busy Virus"
Myfriend ( 5:34:36 PM): Our Ashli is Freed
Myfriend ( 5:34:42 PM): Haleluya
Myfriend ( 5:35:09 PM): r u free ?
Me ( 5:35:39 PM): bol
Myfriend ( 5:35:59 PM): so now ur bugged by "Free virus"
Myfriend ( 5:36:17 PM): This virus let ur life totaaly waste
Myfriend ( 5:36:31 PM): god has sent u to do sthg
Myfriend ( 5:36:50 PM): but this "Free virus" will not let u do the same
Myfriend ( 5:37:10 PM): U have a brain but it will not break
Myfriend ( 5:37:22 PM): its like u have a Merc but u' won't use it
Myfriend ( 5:37:51 PM): u'll end up wasting ur life
Myfriend ( 5:38:10 PM): Ashli I'm telling u...run away from this Virus
Myfriend ( 5:38:47 PM): If u want to save ur life n fulfill the dreams which u c in ur eyes there is only one sol
Myfriend ( 5:39:00 PM): I'm telling u only one sol
Myfriend ( 5:39:08 PM): n that is
Myfriend ( 5:39:12 PM): n that is
Me ( 5:39:23 PM): what ?
Myfriend ( 5:39:47 PM): Take Bus n immediately come to "218 1st Main 5th cross 1st floor " house
Me ( 5:39:59 PM):
Myfriend ( 5:40:12 PM): there u'll fine the Gr8 gods messenger "NEo"
Myfriend ( 5:40:27 PM): he can only save u from this Virus
Myfriend ( 5:40:32 PM): he's a gods child
Myfriend ( 5:40:57 PM): don't think ashli ..just get up n go to Neo
Myfriend ( 5:41:21 PM): get up ashli
Myfriend ( 5:41:24 PM): getup
Myfriend ( 5:41:28 PM): I can c ur still sitting
Myfriend ( 5:41:49 PM): becoz ur brain is bugged by Free Virus
Myfriend ( 5:41:55 PM): ur gone
Myfriend ( 5:42:28 PM): u'll be free ...free forever
Me ( 5:42:38 PM):
Me ( 5:43:04 PM): release ab tak aayaa nahi kya ?
Myfriend ( 5:43:28 PM): nahi
Me ( 5:43:36 PM): tabhi mai sochu