Adieu Jazz...

It was Friday afternoon and I get call on my extension from one of my very nice friend from China... Jassica...
She asked me if we can meet at food court...I was almost done with my work, so I said why not... So, I was on my way to food court and met Jassica and her friend in Food court near the juice parlor... They were waiting for me at Juice junction... after some normal talk Jassica said, it was her last day at Mangalore Infosys... Oh god... It was almost and half month and they are leaving for home, Shanghai... I really dont know how time passed... I was so unhappy that they were leaving... Since time they were in Mangalore, i had promised them to take around places in Mangalore and I couldnt keep to the promise... I feel sooooo bad...!!

They spoke to me about the time they spent at Mangalore and at Infy... I couldnt resist showing my feelings towards them and said "I really dont know how time passed by... I still feel like u came yesterday and I have some time to spend with you people.. How I wish you were here for some more time..."
What I feel most wonderful thing about my Chinese friends is they never show unhappy expression... They are Always cheerful may what come is what I came to know about them... I am gonna miss them a lot...

And yes, they had bought a present for me.. Yes, a beautiful 'Opera face' printed Bottle opener.. Here is how it looks like:

MCPD... Investigating absconding case...!!

"Is Mr Suraj at home..? We are from .........................”.

Sunday morning, rather noon; it was half past eleven when I opened my eyes. It was one more weekend in Mangalore when I was alone at home. I brushed my teeth and was lazing on the bed in our drawing room. Switched on TV and was watching repeat telecast of a reality show. TING TONG... Someone was at the door. I got up and while moving towards the door, I was guessing who might be there at this time... Cable bill... nah, we have already paid it... Paper bill, might be, but the guy usually comes early morning... Was it Maid servant? Nah, she has keys with her... Neeraj? Uh ha, it wasn’t yet morning for him. Then who was it..?

I opened the door and saw 2 people standing. They looked at me and one of them asked "Are you Mr.Suraj"..? I thought it may be someone sent by Suraj's father to pick his bike. But why will he ask for Suraj...? I gently said, "No, I am his room-mate"...
The same guy asked me again, "Where is Mr.Suraj"...?
I replied, "He is currently in U.S.A. Last Friday he took a flight to Houston and he is there for an assignment".
The two guys looked at each other and gave a disappointed look. The expression on their face was a bit strange. I was a bit surprised by their reaction. Something was fishy. I thought its better if I would ask who they were before I disclosed any information to them. I asked one of the guys, "Where are you people from and why are you asking for all this information". Both of them stared at me, one of them replied, "We are from Urwa police station and investigating on a case".
Bullshit, what has Suraj done before he left? Is it something serious? Since elections are near, may be the local police are just verifying how many people reside in the flat. But no, it was something different which I never could have guessed.

"Can you come to Police station with me now, we wanted some information about Mr.Suraj", one of the guy asked me. It was hardly 15 minutes since I was out of bed. I said I can’t come with them right now and it will take me at least of 1/2 hr. They took my number and asked me to be in at the station on time. They left and I closed the door.

I looked at myself in the mirror. I realized it was a week since I shaved. I was looking like a criminal with long hair, beard (rugged look) and glasses with black frame on my eyes. Since I was not sure why I was asked to come to Police station, I thought it would be better if I was clean shaved. At least I shouldn’t look like Suspect. :p I took a bath and went to police station by 12.30P.M. I always hate to go to Hospital and Police station. Especially the ambience in police station is what irritates me. And as far as hospital is considered, I don’t remember a singe instance when I have not fainted. Leave it, I don’t want to talk about that now... :p

I was escorted by a police constable from Lobby to the place where the person was sitting who was going to interrogate me. Now, before he asked me any questions, I asked him to brief me about the case and also why was I called here. He was very soft spoken (usually u don’t find such person in Police department). He told me the whole story.

When Suraj left Mangalore, he had booked a cab to drop him till Airport. Unfortunately, the Cab and driver both were reported absconding. The Cab owner had complained in the nearest police station and police had started investigating about the person. Now the question that came in my mind was why the hell they were asking for Suraj? Driver just picked Suraj from Home and dropped him at Bajpe Airport. When I asked this question to the guy interrogating me, he told me about the procedure they follow when such absconding case is registered. What they do is, they track all the activities related to the person. They start investigating about his activities 4 to 5 hours before he was reported missing and when they tracked the details of the incoming calls on drivers mobile, they found that Suraj had called him at around 6.51 PM on 18th (the day Suraj left Mangalore). That cop showed me the drivers photograph and asked if I recognize him. When saw the Pic, and recognized him. I could remember what the driver was wearing, the cab, and everything when we were standing in our apartment seeing off Suraj. Everything was as clear as if I was taken back into flashback!!

I told him everything as it was.He asked me a few more questions, noted down my number and then I was asked to come back in the evening. It wasn’t anything serious... Just a part of investigation and all I had to provide them is some information. I was fine with it. I came back home and told Suraj the whole story. Even he was surprised/shocked that all this happened.

So I visited the Police station all the three days and was asked the same set of questions. And today, the same guy requested me to inform him if I get any more information about the driver or the Cab. Yeppieee... No more going to police station... :)

Gosh..!! Never call a cab driver from your cell phone; No matter how far you have to go to find a phone booth. You never know what mess U will get into. Thankfully this isn’t a big one... Ha ha ha ha... Just kidding..!!

**By MCPD I meant Mangalore City Police Department... :p

A walk to remember...!!

Love is like the wind. You cannot see it but you can always feel it. The punchline from movie 'A Walk to remember', based on the romance novel by Nicholas Sparks. I dont know how you guys will feel about this movie, but this movie really touched my heart... The guy in the movie shares true love with the girl, but a heart breaking secret lies between the couple... The movie runs at slow pace but it has a real nice end...
The most catchy line in the movie was when Landon Carter(Shane West) tells Jamie's(Mandy Moore's) father that he is sorry he could not grant Jamie's wish to witness "a miracle" before she died. Her father says, "She did. It was you."
A very nice and touchy movie, typically a romantic drama and I loved watching it.

New Year..? EVERYDAY....is NEW

Nothing is different today, than yesterday, except for the fact that we ALL are marking a new calendar and calling today, NEW. Another year is starting and another one has ended. It is time to reflect on our past and make new hopes for the future. Some of us will make resolutions and others will just keep on doing what we are doing. Whatever it is that you decide to do, I hope that 2008 will be filled with good health, prosperity, love, and new horizons. It has been a year with lots of up’s and down in everyone’s life. We always remember the good things at the end and that is the way we it has to be.

It was Friday evening, and as it’s the end of the week I was on my way back home at around 7.30. On the way back to my room, I was thinking of how to celebrate on the New Year (NY) eve. Bhim had called me on Thursday and had asked me to come to Bangalore. He too was coming to Bangalore to celebrate as he feels much at home in Bangalore (BTM to be specific). Till Thursday end of day I was in the mood to be in Bangalore on 31st. Since I didn’t get leave on Monday I had to drop the plan. But guess what I didn’t get to regret for dropping the plan. On Saturday Vikram called in the evening and asked me if they can come to Mangalore to celebrate NY. I said “WOW” and asked them to drop in and stop pooling any more ideas for NY.

It was Sunday morning around 8.00 AM; Anand called me and said they are in Mangalore. As typical Hubli guys, they were in a hotel having cup of Tea. Finally at around 8.30, I heard people talking in Hubli-Dharwad Kannada in high pitch in our apartment. Who else, it was Anand, Bhimanna, Pavan, Vikram and Vinay. I was more than happy to see all of them in Mangalore. Though I couldn’t give a perfect red carpet welcome, the red colored door mat was always there. He he he. Sorry for that PJ, I know it was really pathetic.

Saturday night I was searching for the places to visit over the internet. I found out few places but didn’t finalize anything. Since we didn’t have much time and wanted to have fun and enjoy every moment, we decided to go to Bekal Fort. 80KM from Mangalore is this beautiful fort on the sea shore in Kerala. Bekal fort, the largest and the best-preserved fort in Kerala, lies 16 Kms south of Kasaragod on the national highway at the northern tip of the state. The fort, a circular imposing structure of laterite rising 130 ft. above sea level, stands on a 35 acre headland that runs into the Arabian sea. This fort is more than 300 years old and is believed to have been built in the 1650's by Sivappa Naik of the Ikkeri dynasty. We were 7 including me and my roommate Pranav. Somehow we got one more bike and were all set to leave at around 11. As everyone was hungry, we had our late breakfast at “Utsav” and were back in an hour, picked our bag and were off to Bekal Fort.

It was warm and sunny day, just the right amount of breeze, and bikes in right hands; perfect for a long ride… It took almost 2 hours to reach Bekal Fort. We parked our bikes, paid the entry fees and went in. Since I had been to this place before, I was the one who was guiding all of us to right spots. We took lot of snaps (I know everyone has changed their orkut Pic after this trip). It was really getting warm and everyone was thirsty it was time for a nice Lemon Soda. We felt better, and we went to the beach outside the fort and took some snaps. I could see and hear the violent waves making roaring sound when they hit the rocks. It was amazing to watch. The beach was a bit rough and we decided not to get into water. We went a bit further and found some shade under a rock. We took rest for some time and had wafers and cake. Now it was time to go back all the way till the entrance. Everyone was tired and sweating and wanted to take bath. We washed our face, went back to parking place, exchanged bikes and we were on the move.

On the way back, we stopped at a place near to Kumbla. “Back waters of Arabian sea”. Though we couldn’t get into water, it was a nice place to visit. It was around 6 and we wanted to be on the beach to see the sunset. We rushed towards Kumbla and went to the nearest beach. We were just in time and didn’t miss the sunset. It was nice to see the sunset and took lot of pics. After a long photo session, we decided to get into water though we didn’t carry any spare clothes. It was nice to watch everyone freak out and having fun. Since it was getting dark, we decided to get back to Mangalore and it took almost 1 and half hours. It was yet another amazing bike trip for me.

After coming back to room, it was time for some booze. We got some beer and hard drinks at home and the party went long till 3.00 AM. (Not getting into details of this session).

Monday morning. I was tired after trip and was in no mood to go to office. But I had to, so I took a bath and went to office. By 12.45 everyone was ready and hungry and we had a good South Indian Lunch at “Janata deluxe”. After heavy lunch Anand, Bhimanna, Pavan, Vikram and Vinay had decided to go to Udupi. All Roads in Udipi lead to the large open square in the city centre where the krishna Temple is located. This is the focal point of all activity, spirtual and commercial, in this pilgrim town. The famous 13th - century Vaishnava teacher, Madhava, is believed to have founded the temple by installing an image of Krishna he had rescued from a shipwreck. Parked outside the temple are the festival chariots with dome - like towers made of bamboo and covered with colourful textiles. The distance between from Mangalore to Udipi is 58 km (36 miles). And then, go to Malpe beach situated 66 kms north of Mangalore, near Manipal. The peaceful surroundings, makes this beach a favourite holiday spot. The uninhibited St. Mary's Island, just a boat ride away has a beach and an impressive geological formation of basalt rock pillars into the sea. I was sad that I couldn’t go with them.

Monday evening I finished off my work for the day and came back home with my roomi Suraj. We decided to go to Pub nearby as soon as these people come back. It was 8.30 when these guys returned from Udupi. They took bath and were all set to celebrate NY at the Pub “Froth on Top”. Spent some good time there and at the tick of 12 midnight, it was time for some dancing, shouting and excitement. We enjoyed the fireworks and wished everyone a bright and happy New Year.

The enjoyment continued till 1 AM at the PUB. I paid the bill and on the way back home, we took a diversion and went to Sultan Battery, a place on the river bank where we could find some peace. It is a watch tower constructed by Tipu Sultan and is situated 4 km from the City. Built in black stones, it gives the impression of a miniature fortress with its arrangements for mounting cannons all-round. It’s one of my favorite places in Mangalore and I love this place at night. We were talking about all the good times that we spent. It was almost 2 AM when we decided to get back to the room. Eveyone was tired and we slept as soon as we reaced home.
1st Jan 2008. It was time for me to say bye to Anand, Bhim, Pavan, Vikram and Vinay. We had lunch at a Dhaba near to my place and went to bus stand with luggage. They were off to Bangalore at 2 PM. I wished these 2 days of total fun never ended.
Anyways, Happy new year to everyone and guys (Anand, Bhim, Pavan, Vikram, Vinay, Suraj, Pranav), you ROCK...!!

Run (out of) The Business...

Finally the day has arrived when I am getting out of business. It’s time to say bye to Alliance Maintenance. Confused…?

It’s been almost 1.5 years since I am working for same client, doing almost same kind of work. Nothing seems to be changing; even the cubicle. People around me kept changing. Every time when I start feeling that I got good friends, they go out of project, or they quit. They either get a transfer or move out into some other project. People now recognize me as one of the oldest person in the project although I am just 24.

Few days’ back my fellow colleague came to my desk, saw me working hard to fix a UI related issue. Initially I didn’t notice him, but after a few minutes I turned around and saw him staring me with sympathy. He had seen me working hard on every issue that came up. We started chatting. After 10-15 min of general discussion about movies, weekend, Bangalore and other stuff, a question suddenly popped up… “Isn’t it boring to be in the same project doing same kind of work for more than a year? Don’t we need a change?”…
Interacting with other colleagues, I found out that it was not ‘only me’ who was fed-up with the application, everybody was. Everybody had complaints. I could see few of them complaining about the application code being vast. Every time they tried to dig into the code for a new change request, it seemed to be totally new application. I didn’t feel they were telling something new coz I have been playing with this code for past 2 years and believe me I have just covered 75% of it.
During coffee break at around 11 AM, I usually read news paper with coffee. I took a magazine instead. I was turning pages coz there wasn’t anything interesting. I kept on turning pages, and suddenly I stopped at the astrology section. For my sun sign, it said “This is an excellent time to make a change which will benefit your career, getting together with colleagues, or getting to know your superiors on a more personal, friendly basis is quite likely at this time.” That sounds positive; I wished something similar to happen today!!
It was 4 PM and my Manager came to my desk and asked if we can talk for few minutes. I thought it might be related to some new process being introduced in project and he wanted me to take it up. We went to a meeting room and the conversation started. There were few general questions about my health, work and other general stuff. The conversation went on for some time. Now it was time to get to the point. He asked me if I was interested to move into another project which is supposed to start in a week or so. It is supposed to be a one man at offshore handling everything and my manager will be at onsite. Suddenly I remembered the magazine stuff. The predictions were correct. And main thing, I am getting out of the project.

Yippee…!!

Now it’s time to face some new challenges and this is the first time I am reporting to someone with whom I won’t be interacting Face to Face. Hope this turns out to be Lucky project for me in terms of growth, opportunities and career perspective.

Tears and Rain...

8 AM, Friday it isnt bright outside. I walk towards balcony and I see no Sun. The sky is covered with clouds. I said to myself, "It’s not going to be warm today, Hope it rains". It was getting late for office so I took shower and dressed up. Amit's mom had prepared nice Vermicelli sweet dish. I had some and came to office. I checked my mailbox and went to Food court to have breakfast. Unfortunately there was nothing left in Food court. Went to juice counter and had Apple milk shake. I came back to my desk and got busy with work and while I write this blog I am creating a transaction and waiting for server to respond. Grrrrrr.... What a Friday...!! /*Angry*/

Although Friday is supposed to be bright and happy-happy Day for everyone, it was a happy-sad day for me. Amit and Jude are traveling abroad today. Both were excited about onsite travel. After lunch at home, it was time to say bye to Amit and Jude.

We Wished them Happy and safe Journey... Saying Bye to both of them, tears rolled out of my eyes... :'(

I will miss them...!! :(

Dawn or Dusk...?

I get out of my bed, look around... where is Amit gone...? I Come out of my room, and I realize I can ask Suraj where is Amit's gone. I start moving towards Suraj's room, I open the door to find the room empty. Where is everybody gone..? I pick my cell, search for Suraj's number and try calling. "This number has been temporarily disconnected, please check the number you have dialed" is what I hear from the other side. Where is everybody gone...? Suddenly there is a knock at the door; I can hear someone trying to open the lock... A sigh of relief...? People are back...? Who might be at the door..? Lot of questions running in my mind... The door opens... Zombie enters the house, no expressions on its face removes his shoes and walks till his bed. Zombie Changes his clothes and goes to sleep. I get a bit scared. I get confused whether its dawn or dusk. Few minutes back I remember myself getting out of bed and now I see a Zombie enters my house and goes to bed. I open the window shutter in my room, to confirm that its morning. As I open the window shutter, light falls on my face and i try to run. The light rays get wrapped around me. As I try to run, something hits my head hard. "aaahhh, what is that". I see a big wall in front of my eyes. I try to move, but I am not able to... Suddenly someone sprinkles water droplets on my face. I try to look at the person but the bright light behind him stops me from doing that. I try harder and now I can see his face. Wait.... This is Amit... Where did he come from...? I look around to find myself wrapped in the blanket, bright light falling on my eyes thru the window. Then Amit says "Pappu... Uth ja saale... Office nahi jaana aaj...?"…

By the way, the Zombie character was played by my roomi “Samrat” :)

Pursuit of Happiness

"Chak de" has very diversified meaning. It is used to pick up something from down and said "Chak de", meaning "Lift up". So why not use these words in our life when we are feeling down or under depression? Why not say "Chak De" to mean "Lift up” your spirits".

It doesn't matter who you are or what you do there are times when you feel down and discouraged. These aren't times that you like but nevertheless you have them. The important thing here is that you learn how to not let feeling down control or dictate the outcome that you are working towards. Its tough to get out of this, but there are two possible options. Let the feeling haunt you; wait until that feeling goes off. I know this is tough but usually people prefer this option when they do not want to share their feelings. And the other option, don’t let the feeling stay; forget about what’s happening and say "Chak de"...!! :)

While emotional variety can spice up your life, hopefully you’ll agree that remaining stuck in a prolonged negative emotional state is something to be avoided. So if you find yourself in one of these states, what can you do to boost your motivation and keep it high?
To start with, surround yourself with people who are an encouragement to you. Notice I didn’t say to surround yourself with people who will encourage you. Although this can be a good thing for you, sometimes it’s not even necessary to have people encourage you. Talk to them, not necessarily about the reason why you are feeling down, but it can be as simple as saying a Hi or Hello. Start a conversation, talk about the good times spent with them, crack a few jokes (PJ's in my case), also you can do some leg pulling... :) If you are comfortable with that person, ask them for an advice. Now, doesn’t that sound interesting? Don’t you think this will bring a smile on your face? Out of my experience, this is the best thing you can do to change your mood.
There were times when I used to feel down when something goes against me or doesn’t happen my way. It used to be difficult to get out of such feeling. So, it’s always better to get a proper perspective. A lot of the times, the reason we are feeling down isn’t really a valid reason. Sometimes what you need to do is step back and get a proper perspective on the situation. Your mind can be your worst enemy sometimes. Instead of letting your thoughts take control and warp your perceptions, use your mind to see the truth. Most of the time you will see that it’s not as big a deal as you originally thought it was.
If you are feeling down because you keep failing in life, try going to volunteer at a physical rehabilitation location. Oops, this one sounds a bit weird, but trust me; it works. It won’t take long to see people with bigger problems then you working hard to succeed. Just being around these people could be all the encouragement you need. If you start comparing them with yourself, you will have 1000 reasons to be happy.

We don’t have a problem remembering our failures. It’s easy to remember when we screw up or embarrass ourselves or let someone down. But how often do we remember the good things we’ve accomplished. How often do we remember when we’ve helped someone or accomplished a goal or made someone’s day that much easier. The usual answer is we don’t take the time to remember those days when everything goes right. We tend to focus way too much on our screw ups. Put yourself in a state where you feel positive and generate positive results; don’t overstrain yourself to the point where you’re feeling great about mediocre results. "The pursuit of happiness is a most ridiculous phrase; if you pursue happiness you'll never find it."