Happy New Year!!

Happy new year to one and all!!

Hope this new year brings with it loads of happiness and success to everyone..
A week has past already and i cant believe how fast the time is running..

 

The new look :D

Doesnt my blog look AWESOME now.. or maybe, its just, like Barney Stinson wud put it, LEGEN… wait for it… pause.. DARY !!

 

In retrospect ..

Yikesss .. I just realised that my blog is all pink  .  I lost touch with blogging.. cant remember the last time i blogged..

The year just zoomed past.. and 2009 is just around the corner.. Ohh.. and I have spent 1 year and 6 months in Hyd and wow ! I have 1.5 years of work experience now B-)..

Life was miserable in April.. that was the thorny phase.. I lost my precious phone.. boohoo .. my first purchase with my first salary.. lost loads of money to #$%$^$@$# swindlers.. (just had a recent encounter with ICICI credit card dept .. they strike when you least expect !! Beware of their resplendent offers and discounts .. )

Work was hectic from April.. and I took a necessary break from it.. and paid a short visit to Kerala in June for my parents’ 30th wedding anniversary ( I took them out to lunch at Leela Palace, Kovalam )..and my cousin’s wedding.. and found a marriage proposal awaiting me at home.. I met Mr. RB in July… got promoted in personal (my wedding got fixed and I became the future Mrs Boston.. thats wht my teammates call me .. well Im not too proud of becoming of an NRI,  and guys around me are now convinced that all girls prefer NRIs .. groan!! ) and professional life  in August.. …

Celebrated another Onam at home with my family.. met my sis and bro-in-law after a whole year.. even tho it never struck me till I met them at the airport ..  Long live Gtalk !!

I started preparing for GRE and TOEFL.. since I hoped to pursue my MS next fall.. Then started the few wretched weeks of bootcamp ..  wake up at 5, study, go to work, come home at 6pm, study, sleep… I was shut in my room on weekends.. no movies, no trips to the city.. and even then I cud hardly find time to study, since I had to cook .. in the end, I gave up cleaning my room, to find some time to study.. .. (a lil word of advice to those who wish to study, while working and living alone.. either get a maid to cook for u, clean ur room and wash your clothes.. else make ur roommates do it.. ) In those days, I just wanted to get those tests over with.. and finally once I gave them .. everyone said that I cud have performed much better with a lil more prep, however a huge part of me was just glad that they were over..

The applications.. oh god.. SOP, recos.. and the string of “if only”s ..  if only I had studied better, I wud have had a queue of teachers just waitin to give me recos.. if only I had concentrated on my studies in college .. I had no option but to stop the incessant complaints one day since there was no one I cud pester … my best friend got irritated ..and I dint wanna worry my family ) hmm, then I just looked back at my life.. I have been so unlucky all my life, yet in an uncanny way, things always work out for me..  Im  so happy where I am now.. there is a God after all..

Hmm.. so back to applications, well .. thanks to the laudable efforts put in by my sis, bro-in-law and bro-in-laws bro , I managed to get most of it done..

I got engaged on Nov 30th..  sigh, it was so perfect !! .. in pink .. which brings me back to my blog, god I have to change the theme ..

You know, Im actually looking forward to 2009.. my new life in the US.. im thrilled, and a bit nervous ( I have freaked out majorly once or twice, but well isnt that natural ..) .. and I just cant wait to take the bend on the road ahead..

 

A few of my favourite things… !!!

Yest evening in office, as I watched the little raindroplets splashing against the window glass, my mind raced to a blissful state… and I paused a moment to ponder over those little things in life that make me happy no matter how Im feeling…

My new apartment is on the 5th floor.. and there is an awesome view from the balcony.. For the past one week, Hyd has been blessed with cold winds in the evenings, announcing the forthcoming monsoons .. I cant even express what it feels like sitting in the balcony, listening to the sweet melodies from my comp, relaxing in my reclining chair, sipping hot tea and just glancing at the star-studded skies and the multicoloured lights from the buildings below and afar, my hair dancing with the cool breeze.

Hmmm… another fave thing of mine wud be the cool winds near the fountain at my office , which welcomes me every morning, when Im tired and sweating from walking in the hot sun..

Icecreamm…. whatever the season, whatever the hour.. there is nothing that delights me more than icecream , sweet and sour.. hehe,of course no icecream is sour… but i just had a quick impulse to make it rhyme.. yours truly happens to be a hopeless poet

Hmm.. lying cuddled in my bed under my thick woolen blanket, hugging my stuffed toy.. no matter what the time is.. I love being lazy.. who doesnt

Recently, I have taken a liking towards cooking.. There cant be anything that is so satisfying that tasting what you have made.. as long as it tastes good

Well, reading good books is also somewhere at the top of the list..

Last but definitely my most favourite thing .. spending time with my family and friends..

Since I have put so much thought into my fave things.. I think I should mention what I hate most..

• people who criticise me (destructive  criticism, not something meant for my good )to my face, and behind my back ..
• people bossing me around
• hypocrats
• pessimists who keep on complaining about everything in their life..( I seriously dont understand these people, y cant they see everything in a positive manner… sometimes, I believe it is just to gain attention that they have to keep on doing so.. It can just get on ur nerves.. stay away from some people.. or just ignore them, like I do ) ..
• weirdos, who are just set out to irritate the rest of the world.. no matter what they do, they do it so that the other person suffers ..
• indecent people, who ditch their friends when they need them the most….
• people who are not true to their word, who dont respect their work nor the people around them..
• people who use you to their benefit, but turn the other way if you ask them for something..
• the list continues….

Hmm.. now I myself sound like a pessimist dont I.. well, bear with it folks.. this is the only place where I can vent my anger at the world.. .. Hmm I dont say that Im an angel.. I also have bad qualities.. but at least i dont do anything to hurt someone or something that awakens your guilty conscience. Well , there I go.. I started with my fave things and ended with complaints..

I just cant help it.. Its my twelfth month in the wide,bad world and I believe I have already come across the worst kinda people.. and still, there is a huge bend in the road ahead.. and I wonder what awaits me there !!!!!

 

Just another day!

So much for my previous blog saying ill start blogging again .. Im blogging now after three months …

Well, my life has changed so much after my previous blog.. Sometimes i wonder…”life was just so perfect 3 months back , then… i just woke up!!”  …

I realised then that life is never perfect.. it has its share of ups and downs.. so when you start feeling content with the way the traffic is moving.. beware, you might just step into a open manhole .. hehe, watch your step, man … Jokes apart, I did infact step right into a manhole.. that too so deep that no one could hear my calls for help..

One thing that I learnt is never to trust anybody… no matter how close you are to them.. Very few people are sincere, the others are simply selfish, greedy, arrogant or ignorant … Stop a moment, think which category you fall under.. Well, I admit Im not perfect either… But have you ever intentionally hurt anyone by being selfish, greedy, arrogant or ignorant. .. That is when we need to look deep within ourselves.. If you think you have, dont worry.. there is still time, take that mobile of urs.. make a call to the person whom you have hurt, say you are truly sorry.. Well, if you can do that..then I believe you are a not bad person.. I feel its ok if you did something wrong, but learn to accept your mistake.. and make amends..

Hmm.. back to what I was telling.. yeah, so I realised that there are very few people who are actually good.. I remember those incidents that happened during the last 3 months.. I had to shift my house, was robbed out of lots of money, realised how greedy,selfish and heartless people can become .. All that I could live through.. I just kept believing that the dark clouds will move over to give space for the light to pierce into my life … But, I was wrong.. the dark clouds stayed and led to a huge downpour.. I lost my phone, an inestimably precious segment of my life … I trusted the world blindly, and a greedy fellow walked away with it..

All around me people mocked me saying I was careless, but I knew I wasnt.. i had taken such good care of it.. .. but alas, the pain lasted for a whole week , when i waited and waited thinking the person who took it might have a change of heart and return it.. knowing that the value it held in my life was something more than the money it cost.. but well, who was I kidding ? ..

Anyways I got a new phone .. life does go on.. I got a ladder and stepped out of the manhole.. thanks to those few dear souls, who have stood by me through thick and thin.. who managed to identify my calls for help amidst the noisy traffic and who found a ladder for me and pulled me to safety..

Life has undergone a drastic change… Im getting used to my new home.. Work has been at its peak for a long time now .. hence all the weekends, I go on my shopping spree to relieve myself of the stress and tension.. i have once again started reading books.. I used to be an avid reader, now back to that old habit once again ..

Summer in hyd is horrible.. Now that I live close to office, I walk to office everyday, armed with an umbrella, my new shades, a scarf to protect m hair from the dust  and thick layers of sunscreen.. Its a torture to walk in the hot sun actually and the strong winds that trigger mild sandstorms just adds salt to the wound.. but some sights and sounds just make my day .. the best of all being Pug trotting by me every morning .. (a dog which looks exactly like the one in the Vodafone ad, and whose morning walk coincides with my walk to office.. Its just so adorable.. ) just seeing the cutie brings a smile on my face .. Then of course the summer sights - blooming flowers , multi-coloured butterflies, light blue skies with white clouds .. etc etc …

Oops.. just realised that I have been rambling on and on and on.. like my roommate tells me.. I have a habit of thinking aloud.. Well, I think I should pen my thoughts here, rather than share it with her all the time

So folks .. Im grateful to you for patiently listening to my incessant blabbering .. and hope that you would stop by once in a while to check on me …

catch ya later, fellas..

 

Back after a break!!

Its been 2 months since my last blog.. I have been extremely busy, people… Dumped with work on weekdays and shopping till i dropped dead on weekends.. thats how life has been.. But even then, I love my life..

Now have been jobless for 2 days now.. thought ill get back to blogging .. So then sit back,relax and enjoy my tales.. ..

 

Flying home!

A month ago, when I came home, I wanted to writing about my trip.. but I got caught up with my work. So this time when I came home for Christmas , I decided to blog about both my trips when Im at home.
Last month my Kerala visit was for the purpose of attending my best friend’s wedding. My flight from Hyderabad was scheduled to take off early morning , so I had to leave home before sunrise. I took the MMTS(metro train) to the airport, hence got a golden oppurtunity to witness the beautiful sunrise on a cold November morning.

The early morning sky

The sun peeping from amidst the trees at me on my way to the airport.
The MMTS ensured that I reached the airport way ahead of time and I took the flight to Banglore. On reaching the Blore airport, I had just half an hour to board the next flight. However the rules of the airport made it most inconvenient for stoppage passengers. I was asked to leave the airport through the exit arrivals terminal and re-enter the airport at the entrance in the departures terminal. I was new to Banglore and its airport and I stood clueless in front of the airport, wondering where the departure terminal was. Once I was inside, I ruffled through the crowd to find the security check, coz thankfully I had the boarding pass to the next flight. The security check turned out to be another nightmare. I had to wait over 15 minutes in the long queue and to top it all,when I reached the head of the queue, I was made to stand aside coz the ladies’ security check was crowded. (Well, there was just one checking area for ladies and 3 for gentlemen… So much for equality!! ) Another ten minutes went waiting for the section to be free, but alas, a lady fainted and all the officials ran around to find a doctor for her. Well, it was past boarding time when I finally managed to locate the gate. Now coming to the point, I had never seen a propeller flight before, which is why I took a snap of it.

Now talking about the flight I took to Kerala last week. My flight to Bangalore got delayed by 1.5 hours,which meant that I would miss my connection flight. The Jet Airways crew is very efficient and extremely cordial. They put me on a flight to Mumbai from where I could get the connection flight to my destination. I had no regrets about this trip even though it meant I would reach my home late. The reason for my glee was coz this airbus had in-flight entertainment, which I never knew any Indian flight had (I ve seen it only in Singapore airlines flights). I have to mention another reason why I like Jet airways – the food is awesome! Mumbai airport had me trying to locate the departure terminal, but I had no problem finding it because I dint ve to leave the airport, there was a way to the departures from the arrivals within the airport itself. The flight from Mumbai was breathtaking. We flew above the blue sea which seemed frozen and the green strip of land that it caressed.The view was splendid that I dint notice the time fly away.

The frozen sea, the green land and a small river with its meanders.

Beginning of the sky or the end of the Arabian Sea?

 

Keep us happy, get more work done !

What motivates people to work hard? What is it that employees want? Is it a hike in pay, or good cafeteria and pantry, or indoor and outdoor game courts?

One month back, work had turned real hectic, that I had to put in more working hours. The whole team was waiting for the hectic period to get over, and of course, for the team treat . Finally the hectic period passed, and manager went to US for our product demo. When he got back, I dint get my anticipated treat. Instead, I was given a bag and a pack of chocolates. There was nothing exceptional about that gift, but I felt a thrill, coz then I realised that my hard work had paid off. Well, maybe a treat wouldnt have given this special feeling.

This made me think, what do employees expect from their bosses in return for their hard work.

I guess what employees need is appreciation of their work. Occassional “good work”, “great job” will leave us craving for more praises and hence incite us to work harder. For those employees who dont deserve praise, a few words of advise wont hurt either. Employers might think that having gyms, and indoor games might reduce the efficiency of employees. Nope . Everyone needs to take time off work once in a while, and playing will help in relaxing. Of course, quality of food in the pantry and cafeteria matters too. I get hungry when I work a lot, and relaxing for me means having a snack :) . An employer who takes care of every need of the employee will definitely get the employee to work harder. Of course, I feel that challenging work and cooperative teammates also make us put in more effort. Work environment is a significant factor,but ehmm..lets not forget another important factor, a hike in paypacket .

 

My prized possession

My Sony Ericsson k790i.
My first expenditure with my first salary.
I have yearned for a cool phone ever since I saw my sister’s and bro-in-law’s phone.
I wanted an N-series phone, but they told me that SE phones had Cybershot camera which was far better than the one with Nokia and the music player was good too.
Thank God I listened to them.
My phone is awesome, the photos I take with it are as clear as if it were from a digicam and Im addicted to the fm and the music player too.The camera is amazing, that I am tempted to capture almost everything that happens around me.
Visit official site of k790i

I love my phone