Monday, December 29, 2003

Time for final placements!

It's that time of the year. No one seems to be interested in the falling leaves or the gentle breeze! A little drizzle is given a disdainful glance as if to say "Now, look at what you have done. My neatly pressed clothes...." SMS? "Woof always wasting my time"(the very thing that you used to look forward to every second of the day) Friends? "Come on yaar, you know what’s happening in my life yet you want me to..?"

The canteen is also conspicuously empty. "We know why" (smugly)...the crowd is somewhere else ;) After all the New Year is fast approaching and it wouldn't seem right if you haven't found "The One" by then! This is your last chance to prove whether you belong to those elite crowd which glides by easily in life or the unfortunate ones always caught in thunderstorms.

"You either have it in you or you don’t so don’t go hoping for miracles.....You are not going to be rewarded properly? So what? Accept the proposal anyway! It will look bad on the records if you are the only one left unmarried at the end of the day...you are not going to be living with this one throughout your life...there is always divorce.... Come on...sign the contract!! NOW"...so says the placement officer!

So all the bachelors and spinsters out there, get set and be ready to marry your jobs. It’s the time for final placements!

Friday, December 26, 2003

Best Female IndiBlogger Award 2003

I'm the proud winner of the "Best Female IndiBlogger Award 2003" whether I deserve it or not! so here is my "Thank You" to all those who made this possible :)

When I was talking about this to one of my acquaintances, he had this to say about the 'deserving part'- "Hardly 10 people has visited the moon, half of them Americans yet the moon is the moon" - in so many words! I felt this deserved its place here! hehehe

Line of Control - Kargil

Am hardly back in Bangalore and what is the first thing I do? Go to College? Attend Classes? Muskafy lecturers for my internship? No to all the above! Its straight to "Line of Control-Kargil" - An amazing movie! When my friends shelled out double the ticket amount to get the tickets in black, I got very pissed off. After all I should not be paying so much for an opportunity to cry (Yes I'm that type- the one who cries whenever anyone cries on screen or when the villian takes the heroine or someone dies ;) ) for four hours but it was fully worth it! Hurray to JP Dutta........definetly worth watching!

Thursday, December 18, 2003

Dear old Chennai

Am in dear old Chennai at last!! This city is just amazing......every time I land up here, I get a new sense of purpose in life... a new mighty wave of energy...a new love for the world and its people ;) - Dont know whether its due to the place or the people but am so happy that I have a place on Earth that I can call home! And come back to recuperate from travelling around the globe in the years to come ;) !!!!!!

Tuesday, December 16, 2003

A bit of Poetry

I was looking through some of my old interests yesterday....Once upon a time I loved poetry and used to churn them out at an amazing rate..then suddenly life got too busy and so did I! The poem below was written on a nice afternoon when I was in my 10th standard but it sure doesn't seem like the words of a 10th std girl.....all the effects of reading M&B's after M&B's I guess ;)

Temptation on trial

Sailing in the ship of magic
I was caught in the web of a dangerous attraction
The voyage to enchantment began
Far into the shores of love

With the raging inferno of an uncontrollable passion
I set sail on the pounding waves
To travel far without any sense of direction
Lured only by the call of love like a siren

An attraction not allowed to rest
Kindling the embers of a fire which I couldn't control
So I burnt in the fire of love like a moth
Turning to ashes among the hisses and crackles

All expectations gone like a wisp of smoke
Except the determination to survive
Reborn as a phoenix from the golden dust
Regretting all that was forgotten in the heat of passion

The castle has disappeared so as the armor
Leaving bare and exposed my bleeding heart
A heart that has yearned for love far into nights
Left to lie unnoticed like a crushed flower after a sweeping storm

My mind now yearns not for love but vengeful retribution
But the memories are too strong and too sweet
Too much for my tender heart to consider
Anything less than a passionate reunion

So I wander , I wander along the shores
With a expectant heart and hopeful eyes
Looking to the beautiful sea for the storm
The storm of love that has left me abandoned like a wrecked ship.

Monday, December 15, 2003

The IndiBlog Awards

I dont believe this...I happened to be browsing Anand's site when I came across the IndiBlog Awards for 'showcasing the excellence in the Indian Blogosphere'! Lo and behold, what do I find there? My blog is one of the seven blogs nominated for best female Indiblogger! Wow..thanks to Kumaraguru (best designed IndiBlog) ;) Vote for him guys!!!

Saturday, December 13, 2003

The most beautiful bunch of flowers

Today my bank account plunged deeply towards zero balance but the time I spent with my friends was worth it! I got the most beautiful bunch of flowers from a friend...am so touched! I wish I could preserve them forever but sadly I cannot! Atleast take a photograph of it but my roll just got over! And the chocolates were the best...I dont want to eat them at all... they look so good in their box! I want to keep everything forever to remember this day and the people I was with ...and this is in total contradiction to what I believe ...nothing is permament!

Friday, December 12, 2003

Happy Birthday to me!!

Twenty-two years back, a little baby was born in the labour room of the Ayanavaram Railway Hospital at exactly 4:31 PM on a beautiful Sunday. Just an hour before that, her mother was watching the Indian team playing the world cup cricket and didn’t have a clue that one hour later, the restless bundle in her tummy will become a squirming pack in her hands! But fate had decreed that this particular baby be born on that particular day- the 13th of December, a day considered unauspicious and unlucky most often than not. History records has it that, the first thing the baby did after landing on Earth, was make her mother shed a few tears. No one knows whether those were joyful or otherwise but the mother later confirmed that they were indeed otherwise- it seems the parents were expecting a smart boy after their first cute daughter! After all, it was more than two decades back and the trend then was to have one girl and one boy…! This was supposed to be their last baby- the second and the last- the chances of propagating the gene line of the father was forever lost on that day!

The little kid was longer than she was fat, fairer than she was pink and had big staring eyes than round ones! She looked like a miniature adult and didn’t have any of those cuteness associated with babies! She was taken home straight to her dear grandma and up she grew, quitely, shyly and intensly! She never knew any of the things that she takes it for granted today.

That she has got the best parents she can ever get…the best sister she can ever have… the greatest life anyone can wish for…the best friend who was born exatcly two hours before her…great pals who are great people…She also didn’t know that she would be sitting before the comp and typing all this today!!!!

Happy Birthday to me!! ;) And to Lakshmi too
(Wow! I have a good autobiography in the making….)

Thursday, December 4, 2003

Summer project

Welll......its time for me to start searching for a summer project! We have got four months to do an internship and I have already started scouting around for potential companies that would be willing to hire me! And before that I have to make sure my HR knowledge is up to date and project myself as a true HR ;)

Dilemma...

1)Should I go for a company that would provide me with a good stipend?

Or

2) Should I concentrate only on the reputation of the company and not their compensation?(essentially give four months of my time for free!)

The former appears very attractive to me!!!

Sunday, November 30, 2003

The Highway Man

I loved The Highway Man by Alfred Noyes too......

Beautiful Poems......

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

- Robert Frost


IF

IF you can keep your head when all about you

Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,

But make allowance for their doubting too;

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,

Or being hated, don't give way to hating,

And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;

If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster

And treat those two impostors just the same;

If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken

Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,

And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings

And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,

And lose, and start again at your beginnings

And never breathe a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

To serve your turn long after they are gone,

And so hold on when there is nothing in you

Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

' Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,

if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,

If all men count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,

Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,

And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!

-Rudyard Kipling

In A Disused Graveyard

The living come with grassy tread

To read the gravestones on the hill;

The graveyard draws the living still,

But never anymore the dead.

The verses in it say and say:

"The ones who living come today

To read the stones and go away

Tomorrow dead will come to stay."

So sure of death the marbles rhyme,

Yet can't help marking all the time

How no one dead will seem to come.

What is it men are shrinking from?

It would be easy to be clever

And tell the stones: Men hate to die

And have stopped dying now forever.

I think they would believe the lie.

-Robert Frost

Wednesday, November 26, 2003

A prize from Coimbatore

I did come back with a prize from Coimbatore- but it reduced to a measely amount of money since it was a team game and had to share it with the other members who played the game!! Now...its on to " I need to study for the fast approaching exams" mood........

Anger is not so good

Anger is not so good for your health! Neither is frustration but these are two such emotions which always seem to be just around the corner. I wonder if it is possible, or if someone has lived with out these two relationship destroyers!! When anger takes over, and that too when you are the kind of person who tries to control everything including emotions like I am, well....you would definetly have a hard time dealing with the bottled pressure.....they just wait to get out- one form or another...usually after about a month, I will start a "huge no holds barred" crying project!! And god of gods, will it be relieving or what?!!!!!

I do miss my parents- my best stress relievers! Mom.......your child is suffering here.....

Tuesday, November 18, 2003

Coimbatore, Here I Come........

My next trip on "Visiting all the small Indian cities" agenda is to great Kovai, situated at the foot hills of the Nilgiris and the city of Kongunadu. And this time too, like last, is not for pleasure but for brand building......my humble efforts to spread the name of my college far and wide ;)

The purpose? Yet another management fest! I think by the end of my MBA, I would hopefully have seen all the good cities of India, with no money spent on my part. Infact, this time I am definetly expecting some rich goodies as prize and going with this specific mission in mind! After all I have promised my friends that I will be giving them a "Lets celebrate December and the year end" treat and desperately need a source of fund!

Sunday, November 9, 2003

Sights and sounds from Orissa

We went to the famous Lingaraj Temple today! I have been wanting to see this place ever since I heard that this is the one true remaining essence of Orissan architecture and it didn't disappoint me at all!! The main temple is surrounded by lots of small ones inside and the towers were magnificent. One of the strange things about this temple is that, the main lord who is supposed to be Siva, is not actually Lord Siva but is half Vishnu and half Siva - Harihara Linga. This is because when the temple was constructed way back in the 11th century, the Jagannath craze had spread itself and the Svayambhu linga that was to be the main diety came to be known as Harihara! The temple is supposed to be offlimits to non-hindus but hey whatthehell....I asked my islam friend who had accompanied me on the trip to pretend to be a Hindu! I quite seriously find this a total nonsense...even back home in Triplicane, Chennai in the Parthasarathy Temple, non-hindus are allowed inside the temple..only not inside the main sannadi! And according to me, that is one of best temples in the world..I have got a personal attachment to it you see! After all I grew up on the four streets and the Iyengar environment surrounding the temple!

We also took lots of photographs! On the way back, we decided to take a bus and was it an experience or what? The conducter was quite pissed off when we told him we wanted to alight well before the place we took the ticket to and any near bus stand! The reason being that my eyes caught a "East-North craft sale cum exhibition" poster on the way!! ;) Had a great time shopping- Infact I have really spent lots of money on stuff I dont think I will need anytime in the near future!! I bought all of them with my future house in mind...after all the present value of the future worth of these goods will be really less than what I will be paying for them if I get them when I do get my own apartment!! Hehehe...and the selfish goose that I am, I didn't get even a single thing for anyone else back home in Chennai or Bangalore! So to wipe off that last minute guilt, I have comforted myself and decided to sacrifice a few of the stuff that I got for my Mom, Sister and Father!

God save me!

Thursday, November 6, 2003

Blogging from Bhubaneshwar

Hi all!!! Am blogging from Bhubaneshwar, the temple city and the once capital city of the Kalinga empire and nothing is different!!!!!! Haven't had the chance of seeing the place yet!!

My hopes of visiting Puri Jagannath is dashed...My partner said a strict no because one of the students here warned her about going alone and the menace of young girls getting caught by the villainous guides ........ I was hoping so much to visit Puri and Konark but :( ..never mind!!

Monday, November 3, 2003

My HR paper got selected! Yay!

A year back, I didn't know that a place other than Chennai and Tamilnadu existed! Save for the fleeting trips to Andhra, Goa and Karnataka!!!! Today, barely five months after moving to bangalore my life has become one adventurous journey- I got the opportunity to visit Indore and guess what? Am leaving for Bhubaneshwar tomorrow!!

Yes! Yes! Remember that I talked about writing a HR paper for XIMB? Well....it got selected and we (my partner and me!) have been invited to do a presentation on the topic- "Human Capital Accounting" - still cant believe it!

And the last two days were wonderful- IIM B's annual culturals Vista was the place to be, and I made sure I never stepped out of the campus the whole of last two days ;) The place was so lively, so teeming with life.......wow!!!

Wednesday, October 29, 2003

A chance at playing interviewer

Today I got a chance at playing the interviewer in a mock interview session in our Organizational Behaviour class! I convinced the other panel members who were selected with me to interview the candidate, the scapegoat!, for the 'HR Personnal' position .........At the end of it, I felt quite satisfied with my performance! But this is what some of my classmates had to say on that....

"Extremely aggressive, intimidating, rude and interfering!"

"Perfect, great professional!"

Now.. which one should I believe? Me? Aggressive? The person who could have been described as a quite mouse a few years back? Oh God what has B-School done to me? ;)

Friday, October 24, 2003

Chennai, my chennai

The time is 9:30 AM on October 23 2003- I enter the exam hall with a long face on the last day of exams........."Hey what happened" I remember someone asking me......it seemed like the whole day is meant to become gloomy...

"Everyone is going home for Diwali but me? I am struck in this dumb cold Bangalore!" was my instant reply.... Its almost 10 and the time has come to start writing fundas and stories in my marketing paper......

Boss (aka Bhaskaran!!) enters and this great idea strikes me....

"Hey Bos... have you got a reserved ticket for Chennai or...?"

"Nope man! every train is booked fulll.... am going to try my luck with the unreserved compartment again this time... why you thinking of coming....?? :) "

"YES, YES, YES......"

And here I am in great Chennai at last though I did get caught for that remark about Bangalore from a couple of friends over there!! but.........I really love this city and what it represents ! Nothing can beat it.....

Wednesday, October 22, 2003

Worms in dairy milk? Yuck!

My favorite chocolate has been alleged to have worms in it! And I just got to know about this a few days back- badly out of the scene with all these exams!

The first news about this appeared in Rediff.com according to Google and since then, there has been a lot of controversy over it. The company has been ordered to stop sales and lots of stock have been siezed by the FDA. The Food and Drug Administration has also decided to prosecute Cadbury India Ltd over this while Cadbury is firmly denying anything wrong with its production process!! The company has put the blame on retailers and stockists for maintaining the chocolates under unhygienic conditions.

The company has also issued a press release saying that it would change its packaging to either a heat-sealed or a ‘flow pack’ method that offers high level of resistance to infestation from improper storage.

Have a look at this- the bars have been photographed with the worms! I CANT BELIEVE THIS! Now what do I eat when I am feeling down? My God...this is really horrible and to think about the damage done to the company? Boggles my mind!

YOU'VE BEEN AN MBA FOR TOO LONG WHEN...

1. You ask the waiter what the restaurant's core competencies are.

2. You decide to re-org your family into a "team-based organization."

3. You refer to dating as test marketing.

4. You can spell "paradigm."

5. You actually know what a paradigm is.

6. You understand your airline's fare structure.

7. You write executive summaries on your love letters.

8. Your Valentine's Day cards have bullet points.

9. You think that it's actually efficient to write a ten page presentation with six other people you don't know.

10. You celebrate your wedding anniversary by conducting a performance review.

11. You believe you never have any problems in your life, just "issues" and "improvement opportunities".

12. You end every argument by saying "let's talk about this off-line".

13. You can explain to somebody the difference between re-engineering, down-sizing, right-sizing, and firing peoples asses.

14. You actually believe your explanation in number

15. You talk to the waiter about process flow when dinner arrives late.

16. You start to feel sorry for Dilbert's boss.

17. You account for your tuition as a capital expenditure instead of an expense.

18. You insist that you do some more market research before your spouse produces another child.

19. At your last family reunion, you wanted to have an emergency meeting about their brand equity.

20. Your "deliverable" for Sunday evening is clean laundry and paid bills.

21. You use the term "value-added" without falling down laughing.

22. You ask the car salesman if the car comes with a whiteboard and Internet connection.

23. You give constructive feedback to your dog.

24. You give your girlfriend a golden handshake on the way out !

Monday, October 20, 2003

Why are exams important?

Why do people study so much for exams? It has always amazed me that people are willing to put up that get of effort, sacrifice going out, talking, chatting....all for one silly examination that too, with someone else judging them! Yet they end of being unsatisfied with the result.....

I could never understand why exams are important! thats why I used to hate them...forcing me to study when I dont want too!! But as I grew up and attended more and more of the stressful event, the high of the stress got to me and I began to enjoy it! I used to wait for the day just before the exams, sometimes mere hours before it, to start studying...and it was so stressful and frustrating and well....utterly nightmarish!! Though curses and swearing were frequent, the entire process was kind of enjoyable too...and surprise of surprises I ended up getting pretty good marks even if I say so..ok only decent marks at times but I was always happy with being an average scorer and when at times, I ended up getting top marks, wow my joy knew no bounds!!

So..what am trying to tell you all here is that I am a really lucky person..what I study comes.....What I think important is important and know what? I still hate exams!!!!!! ;)

Monday, October 13, 2003

Somethings wrong!

I dont believe this...if you had seen my website a few minutes back, you would understand! My whole blogger code got corrupted somehow- and here I am with incomplete template! Fortunately I had saved the entire code just a few days back and Thank God for that!

My first paper on HR

There is so much to do and so much more to learn in this world.....so many new people to meet...so many things to talk with people you already know....so much to think about.......lots and lots to contemplate......and no time at all! Wish we had a live in campus with a 24 hour lab, library and entertainment room! Can then do all that I want to do at any time of day I feel like...Hmmmmmmmmm!!

Going to be quite busy the next few days- I am planning to write a paper..my first paper on HR in my life and I feel its going to be really important- have to make a difference somewhere...atleast in my own mind! Wish me luck!

Thursday, October 9, 2003

Silence in my head

"I have the excuse of a change in my hormone level....but what about you?"

Feeling sad...depressed...the weight of the whole world is upon me....anything is preferable to this silence in my head..........PMS is one unhappy time of the month for me........!!!

And try reading this..really scary!!

Wednesday, October 8, 2003

Frds bday

Today is one of my friend's birthday- an Oct 8 Libran Vijay who also goes by the name VJ. It was really a great day- all the people at class were excited over it- they got a huge cake and it was party all the way! Then Vijay took some of us to a resturant and we had a big feast......hmm.....Loved it! FYI, VJ also took some people to a late night movie yesterday- Anger Management- Yours truly could not go because she is not allowed to by her house mates! I do miss the after light fun in the college.................:(

Monday, October 6, 2003

The Naked Ape

When I first read "The Naked Ape" by Desmond Morris, I was so very impressed with the author for his indepth coverage and research into the topic. And at that time, my interest in Zoology was at an all time high and I was looking into specializing at something- Anthropology presented itself as one of the tempting choices after I read this book. Did you know that this book was written by this author in just four short weeks? Amazing! The book is a startling revelation of human behaviour at its most primal......and details how human beings are just another species of animals! And the other book "The Human Zoo" promises to be even better.............am desperately scouting around for it......know any Indian website from where I can order it?

And before I forget, Friends of mine, if any one of you are reading this at the moment, which I doubt, Please remember that I would love to get either of the above books as my birthday gift ;) After all, its not very far off and you lazy bums have to start planning what to give m e right away.... :) :)

Hmmm

This is way too cooooool..............and so true too!! hhehe!!

I do love Chennai

The trip to Chennai over the hols was one whirlwind affair! I do love Chennai..............

Strange!

When you are looking for a job, you dont find the right one but when you are not- you are flooded with loads of offers....Strange!

Tuesday, September 30, 2003

Onam celebration today

All the malayalis in my college have got together and have arranged an Onam celebration today. I must really marvel at the atmosphere determinded students can create overnight ... I was welcomed to coll today by a white-saree clad lady and was promptly given chandanam and kumkum- everywhere I see, there are beautiful rangolis made out of colorful flowers decorating the campus. All the malayali guys have come in the traditional dhoti and its so nice to see people greeting everyone cheerfully! And the cultural programmes are yet to come. This afternoon is going to be one big entertaining session.........

Monday, September 29, 2003

Indore

It feels like a long long time since I have sat down to blog! First of all, let me start of by saying that "I have finally seen him" is a post written just out of sheer boredom and could mean anything from "I have seen my favorite author at last" to "I spotted the cutest looking monkey ever".....................Get my point? Hahaha.............................

And before I forget.....the trip to Indore was wonderful and the one week spent on train was at best can be described as the "single most lively week of my life!" For the first time in my life, I was forced to sleep on the platform - all because our connecting train from Itarsi to Chennai was at 7:15 AM and we reached the Itarsi station from Indore at 1:15 AM !!! Was it a humbling experience or what?

And Indore? Best for its food stalls- you get all kinds of delicious chaats and mouth watering sweets right on the roads- just cant resist any of them! And the clothes are really really cheap over there! Otherwise it seemed like just another small city.

Every new person you meet, every new place you see.......has the potential of teaching you something about life- in that way I learnt a lot on this trip!

Tuesday, September 23, 2003

Sunday, September 21, 2003

Loneliness...thy name is terror

I keep running, running and running.....and I run harder and faster still after every time I stop to catch my breath...and When I do stop to do so, which is rarely, I dare not look back lest I find that it has caught up with me. Wherever I go, whoever I am with...it is sure to show its face at some time or other......Lord! Is there no way I can escape from this beast? Earlier from the times I used to remember I used to relish it....even willingly go to it....but nowadays its getting more and more threatning to see even a glimpse of it.....the only thing that I am relying on to save me from this torture is my inner steel of strength. But how long will that last me? It is sure to catch me,mind and soul, one day and when that day comes I can only hope that I had come to accept the inevitable.....................


Loneliness...thy name is terror

Friday, September 12, 2003

Finally getting a mobile

When did what you ever plan go according to plan? hmm? Rarely! Today is the last date for applying to the IOB IPO and though I have the money all ready...my DMAT account is not open yet!! Damn!! Anyway I am comforting myself with the fact that my parents have finally agreed to get me a mobile!

Am off to Indore tommorow! Chennai is so so nice and I hate going back to Bangalore- mind you I just hate going back ... not Bangalore itself- after all has got its own merits ;)

Friday, September 5, 2003

Chennai...........Watch out!!!

Am off to Chennai today after two long months!!! Wow am I going to have fun or what? And this time I will make sure I get my new college friends to meet my old buddies to make one big network of pals! ;) But I got a huge list of things to do in the coming days- just to remind myself- here they are

1) The first thing to do after landing in Chennai is to get the IOB IPO offer prospectus - this will be the first time am investing in the equity market and am doing this at a time when my bank balance is looking pale and paler by the day!! So hoping against hope that I should get alloted!! Do offer a prayer for me...!

2) Write the paper on "HR as a Strategy" for Kirloskar and "Line managers as HR managers" for IIM-B!! When am I going to find the time?- that too with no computer at home in Chennai!

3) Prepare for the competition am going to in Indore- its pure Finance and as everyone already knows, I am really really bad at number-crunching- have to prove HR people can be great strategists too! (coincidentally the same as the topic I have choosen to write a paper on!!)

4) Meet all my friends and spend atleast 2 hours of quality time with each of them!!

5) Pamper my neice and nephew to the core in the next one week!!

6) Share my mind with my parents who have started to think they are a newly married couple with no commitments and no second kid!!!Hehehe Mom and Pop...... here I come- the brat to create choas in the family in the coming week.......

Chennai...........Watch out!!!

Virus!

Oh my god!!! Some damn virus is making use of my yahoo id to send itself to everyone- I just got to know this when I got a mail that bounced back saying the address the mail I sent to was not valid! And I never sent any such mail- the attachment was something similar to what I had been getting in the past few days (Infact my inbox gets clogged with more than 5 mails with viruses of this type daily.) The file name that was attached goes something like wicked_scr.scr with the mail subject as 'Re: Thank you!!!'



How do I stop this??? Help please!

Dishonesty and treachery

My friend just lost her mobile phone today- we were writing our exams inside the hall and her bag, inside which she had kept the cell, was kept outside just like in any other exam! And there were loads of other bags with it!! The difference this time is that no money was taken from the bag- only the mobile!

When my friend came out after the exams, she was aghast to find the bag missing and was searching for it desperately- it was finally found in a non-descript place near the toilets!! We initially thought some one was playing a prank but.........

Its really pathetic when you note to what extent people will go to steal- and that too in an educational institute....It really horrifies me to think about the dishonesty and treachery that abound in this world!! Why?

And one thing that made me think about this event in greater depth is the importance we attach to physical possessions.........if something dear to our heart goes missing we are affected by it- this should not happen - after all they are but lifeless things with no real value..................yep saying this is very easy but to actually not have any attachment is quite difficult.

Wednesday, September 3, 2003

An extraordinary amount of Luck

We have always believed that we have been blessed with an extraordinary amount of Luck courtesy of being born as Jupiter children!! But this article seems to think differently and I agree!!! Hehehehe

By the way the "we" is you and me!!- this is for Luxmi!! ;)

Chakravyuha

ICFAI Business School, Bangalore is going to conduct a business quiz for corporates called "Chakravyuha" on the 27th of September. The prizes at stake are Rs.30000 and Rs.20000 and a whole lot of other goodies. If any of you would like to participate, please contact me at vaiju_13 at yahoo dot com. The quiz will be conducted by Giri Balasubramaniam of the "Pickbrain" fame.

Ok.....I have been wanting to do that for quite some time now- get the publicity over with as far as my website goes! This is the first time I am involved in organising a big event of this magnitude and it really thrills me to contact people and talk to them about it!! Day by day, my choice of human resource management as a profession is gaining a dear place in my heart and I am sure I will just love my work!! :) :)

Monday, September 1, 2003

Sweet

Hey read this guys...this is so ....sweet (cant find any other word!!)

A long time ago, before the world was created and humans set foot on it for the first time, virtues and vices floated around and were bored, not knowing what to do. One day, all the vices and virtues were gathered together and were more bored than ever. Suddenly, Ingenious came up with an idea: "Let's play hide and seek!" All of them liked the idea and immediately Madness shouted: "I want to count, I want to count!" And since nobody was crazy enough to want to seek Madness, all the others agreed.

Madness leaned against a tree and started to count: "One, two, three..."

As Madness counted, the vices and virtues went hiding. Tenderness hung itself on the horn of the moon...Treason hid in a pile of garbage...Fondness curled up between the clouds...and Passion went to the centre of the earth.... Lie said that it would hide under a stone, but hid at the bottom of the lake... whilst Avarice entered a sack that he ended up breaking.

And Madness continued to count: .... "seventy nine, eighty, eighty one..."

By this time, all the vices and virtues were already hidden - except Love. For undecided as Love is, he could not decide where to hide. And this should not surprise us, because we all know how difficult it is to hide Love.

Madness: "...ninety five, ninety six, ninety seven..."

Just when Madness got to one hundred.........Love jumped into a rose bush where he hid.

And Madness turned around and shouted: "I'm coming, I'm coming!"

As Madness turned around, Laziness was the first to be found, because Laziness had no energy to hide. Then he spotted Tenderness in the horn of the moon, Lie at the bottom of the lake and Passion at the centre of the earth. One by one, Madness found them all - except Love. Madness was getting desperate, unable to find Love. Envious of Love, Envy whispered to Madness: "You only need to find Love and Love is hiding in the rose bush." Madness grabbed a wooden pitch fork and stabbed wildly at the rosebush. Madness stabbed and stabbed until a heartbreaking cry made him stop.

Love appeared from the rose bush, covering his face with his hands. Between his fingers ran two trickles of blood from his eyes. Madness, so anxious to find Love, had stabbed out Love's eyes with a pitch fork. "What have I done! What have I done!" Madness shouted. "I have left you blind! How can I repair it?" And Love answered: "You cannot repair my eyes. But if you want to do something for me, you can be my guide."

And so it came about that from that day on, Love is blind and is always accompanied with Madness.

:) :) :)

Friday, August 29, 2003

Exam Fever

Am so frightened!! All the topics seem very new ..........and there is no time to learn them from scratch either!!! The only thing that keeps me going is " Everything is difficult before it becomes easy."

So long guys....the next update will be on Sep 5

Tuesday, August 26, 2003

The exams are around the corner

How did I realise this just now? Well ......because the hysteria and panic has already set in...in the form of emotional outbursts from one high strung lady in my class....I just wish my brain realises this fast enough!

It just seems like yesterday that I joined MBA and my first term is coming to an end already! So many anxieties, so many wishes, so many dreams, so many apprehensions.....the list will go on. When I made the decision to pursue higher studies, especially a masters in business administration in human resources, I didn't have many supporters.... no one believed MBA, that too in HR would help me much! Neither did I....It was just a means of getting back to college life ....But it has been one beautiful journey in the last few months......I loved it.

Have made connections with some wonderful people.... going to miss them really when my next term starts with a new set of classmates!!

PS:By the way I replaced my previous post with 'error publishing' because it indeed was! I was made to understand it was too private when one of the close friends of the topic under discussion blurted it out before the flame of my light!! Sorry Master......Cant let you see it.........
Having a crush!




"You have lost one or two screws!" was a comment given by one of my of classmates to me today!



And it is true ... atleast at times- all this because I have started the 'fall in love, get out' process all over again in my life! OK.. not love but my new crush has entered my life and let me tell you its utterly magnificently horrible. My hormones are going havoc and I have no way to control it.



I feel euphoric one moment and ridiculously miserable the next! I see him, talk to him- the sky is brighter, the world is wonderful, I am happy, My life is full...... and I dont see him? Well......everything becomes dulll.....boring... and what not?!!!



Oh my god, Why is this happening to me? Is there no immunity against this? I am so afraid that I will do something really stupid like ...like .....settle down!



God Please Save Me!



PS: There is a great chance that the subject of this topic will get to see this post and I dont even care! Am I pathetic or what?

Saturday, August 23, 2003

Quantitative methods

Today, I was exclusively selected for receiving 'motivational advice' in my Quantitative methods class! The first question of the day was also asked to me and subsequently the professor decided that I needed extra coaching and off it went.........questions and more unanswerable questions- I looked like a complete fool sitting there wearing an expression of mixed embarrasment (obviously beacuse everyone knew the answer to those questions except me!) and earnestness!(obviuosly because I wanted to pretend that I knew them too only that I cant remember it right at that moment!) When one of classmates tried to rescue me by answering the question herself, she was told in no strict terms to keep quite and that the question was addressed to me for a specific reason- in the prof's words "I need her to start thinking analytically........"!! Hehehehe as if he can do that!!!!

There is a reason why I am not excellent in Maths and that is not because I am not intelligent.......I just had this startling cataclysmic thought this morning- the reason I am not able to digest this so called beautiful subject is because I simply can not understand what I am not able to visualize! And I absolutely wont agree with anyone who says otherwise...........

Friday, August 22, 2003

Thursday, August 21, 2003

A chance

Today is going to be one of those best days I think! Right in the morning, one of my most boring classes got cancelled and on top of that what do I find when I open my mail box? Well... needless to say it must have been something that made me extremely happy!

As a future HR manager, I know that it is very important for employees to feel apprecaited and recieve praise from their managers often. I have also experienced this when I was a working as a Web Researcher with String Information Services. The term "Job Satisfaction" gets a whole new meaning when you really like the people you work with and look up to them. Fortunately, String was one such place where I could get all these and more- I did so many things that I had thought I could never do in my life -taking responsibility, finishing something much ahead of time, finding something difficult to find........the list could go on.

However much you read about those great entrepreneurs or about talented driven individuals, the impact would be far more when you get an opportunity to interact with these people face to face. Consciously or unconsciously, some of their attitude will rub off on you and you find you are a much better and informed person at the end of it. Well, I got this chance and would be forvever thankful to those that made this possible.

Monday, August 18, 2003

My guy, where are you?

Why am I always looking for "my guy" in all the guys I meet??? Has my biological clock started ticking desperately already? Hmm bad state of affairs indeed (pardon the pun!)

Saturday, August 16, 2003

Nandi hills

Am off to Nandi Hills for a weekend getaway tomorrow! It is a 1,478 m high hill, named after the bull of Lord Shiva and is also called Nandigiri or Nandidurga. The hill is the originating point for many rivers in Karnataka and was Tipu Sultan's favorite summer retreat. The forest surrounding the hills is supposed to abound with wildlife- let me see if I can spot any :)

The King Cobra

The King Cobra, the largest venomous snake in world, earned its name or rather title because of its sheer deadliness and ability to rear up and look a human straight in his eye. This creature, around which many myths and beliefs revolve, can live upto 20 years and keeps growing in size every year! It is most famous for its false eyespots on the hood which it uses when threatened or on an attack. Contrary to belief, snakes can not hear sound, that is they are deaf and can only feel vibrations.



One of the most fascinating habit of the King Cobra is its preference for other snakes as prey more than any other animal and King Cobras are the only snakes to build nests for laying eggs!

Do check out this amazing interactive site put up by National Geographic for more information on the King of Snakes.

Kind Cobra?

I have got a strong fascination to learn more and more about the King Cobra suddenly. Let me enlighten you guys ............

Thursday, August 14, 2003

Party time!

I am all ready for the party...... hey guys here I come.......

Snake, snake

From the time I moved into the IIM campus, my chithi has been enlightening me with stories about what hapenned in the campus in the past to what is expected to happen every month. One of the most interesting anecdotes she tells me is about spotting snakes! So yours truly, who happens to be a true adventure seeking soul at heart, always wanted to sight one for herself and voila! got the great opportunity at 8:30 PM yesterday.

My uncle had just stepped out of the house for a walk and the next moment we hear him calling us to come out and have a look at something really wonderful!!! (for those of you who haven't had the oppo to visit the IIM-B campus- the area is full of thick vegetation ok not thick but covered with trees for sure atleast!!!) What do we see? A big King Cobra in all its splendour!!! Wow was I excited or what? Hearing all the commotion, the good snake that it was, it quickly slithered away and hid in the water pipe refusing to give an appearance to all the late entrants!! But we knew and that was enough!! The security guards were called and the people from the house on top (where the water pipe leads!!!) were also warned. By the time, the snake decided to show itself, around 10 people had gathered, waiting with bated breath to spot it!!!


Some wanted to kill it (there are 15 young kids on the block and none of them are used to palying indoors!) and some just plain wanted to get rid of it !! And there I was, watching and praying for the snake to disappear unharmed!! My unlce was also a strong supporter and didnt want the cobra killed!!! Finally we managed to get hold of a snake catcher who looked like he had jumped staright from an Ali Baba movie!!! After watching his struggle to catch the slippery cobra, we called the forest department official and an animal rescue activist. It had gone 11 at night by then!!! We had three solid hours of entertainment!!!! And to the relief of us all, the animal activist managed to catch it and off it went to a forest!!!!!!

It was wonderful watching the antics of the beautiful King Cobra. If only I had little less desires and lots more guts- I would have caught it myslef ;)

Wednesday, August 13, 2003

Tuesday, August 12, 2003

Moving to Bangalore

Shifting to Bangalore was one of the best things that could have happened to me- it opened my eyes to so many new people and places - not necessarily in Bangalore but ironically in the town I left behind! Chennai seemed like such a different city when I went back after a month and the people seemed to have changed too!! When I got the first letter from home (written in my fathers scribbly handwriting!) I felt so melancholic and so sad but ecstatically happy too at the same time. This was the first time I received a written proof of my parents love and it is wonderful to know there are two people in this world who would do anything for you.

When my friend Lakshmi used to talk about her responsibility to her parents, her duties as a first kid I could never understand. Ya, making your parents happy is important but should it come above your own personal choices and happiness? - was not at all sure about it then but so so sure now. As the much pampered, second and last daughter in my family, growing up was one smooth sailing! No strict rules or discipline- no decision taken out of my hand unlike my poor elder sis! I was more of a pet that needed loving than a daughter who needed guidance. I was left to fly wherever I wanted, I was left to choose whatever I wanted- from my dresses to schools to jobs to career to what not!

After spending more than four years swinging like a wild monkey from tree to tree, I came to the conclusion that my life needed some handling and thus the major tantrums and fights- to go back to college, a new place, to more freedom and independence! Only now I realise all those hurtful words that I uttered to my parents, all those wild fights & arguments that I got into was all against myself and my parents were supposed to be but mere spectators and definitely not the fighting boards!

I could not resist writing back a big mail to my parents (leaving my exam marks to follow right at the end of the letter of course! ;) ) When I read back the whole letter written while on an emotional high, I was so surprised to find that I sounded so much like a big woman than their small shy daughter. The kid is long gone or is so deeply buried inside the grown up Vaijayanthi , even I have difficulty seeing her at times! Wonder whether my parents miss their sweet second child?

Monday, August 11, 2003

I miss him

One of the most regular visitors to my site is missing and I miss him!! I wonder where Mr. Crawl is.......................?

Here we go around the Mulberry Bush

I recently purchased a cassette of nursery rhymes for my neice. After an hour of continously listening to it, I suddenly realised that I do not know any rhyme fully- either that or the rhymes have changed drastically from 18 years ago! Whew.....

I have decided my favorite is going to be "Here we go around the Mulberry Bush......."

Sunday, August 10, 2003

Run in the Rain

A little girl had been shopping with her Mom in a Shopping Complex. She must have been 6 years old, with beautiful face, an image of innocence. It was pouring outside. The kind of rain that gushes over the top of rain gutters, so much in a hurry to hit the earth that it has no time to flow down the spout. We all stood just inside the door of the Complex. People waited, some patiently, others irritated because nature messed up their hurried day.

One man who is always mesmerized by rainfall, got lost in the sound and sight of the heavens washing away the dirt and dust of the world. Memories of running, splashing so carefree as a child come pouring in as a welcome reprieve from the worries of his day. The little voice was so sweet as it broke the hypnotic trance we were all caught in "Mom, let's run through the rain," she said. "What?" Mom asked. "Let 's run through the rain!" She repeated. "No, honey. We'll wait until it slows down a bit," Mom replied. This young child waited about another minute and repeated: "Mom, let's run through the rain," "We'll get soaked if we do," Mom said. "No, we won't, Mom. That's not what you said this morning," the young girl said as she tugged at her Mom's arm. "This morning? When did I say we could run through the rain and not get wet?" "Don't you remember? When you were talking to Daddy about his cancer, you said, 'If God can get us through this, he can get us through anything!"

The entire crowd stopped dead silent. Nothing could be heard, swear you couldn't hear anything but the rain. All stood silently. No one came or left in the next few minutes. Mom paused and thought for a moment about what she would say. Now some would laugh it off and scold her for being silly. Some might even ignore what was said. But this was a moment of affirmation in a young child's life.

A time when innocent trust can be nurtured so that it will bloom into faith."Honey, you are absolutely right. Let's run through the rain. If GOD let's us get wet, well may be we just needed washing,” Mom said. Then off they ran. All stood watching, smiling and laughing as they darted past the cars and yes, through the puddles. They held their hopping bags over their heads just in case. They got soaked. But they were followed by a few who screamed and laughed like children all the way to their cars. And yes, the man also did. He ran. He got wet. He needed washing.

Circumstances or people can take away material possessions, they can take away money, and they can take away our health. But no one can ever take away our precious memories. So, don't forget to make time and take the opportunities to make memories everyday. To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose underheaven.

source: email

Saturday, August 9, 2003

My first booze party in Bangalore

The seniors have finally decided on a date to host the welcome party for us- it will be on Aug 14- a free booze and dance party!!! The guys cant wait and the girls are going mad too!!! Whew whats going to happen?

This will be my first booze party in Bangalore- looking forward to it!!!!

Wednesday, August 6, 2003

You're a visionary in many people's eyes :P

"You're a visionary in many people's eyes — able to think outside of the box to come up with your own solutions. You're creative not necessarily in the artistic sense, but because you can expand your mind to do things differently from others. It might take a while for colleagues to recognize and reward for your entrepreneurial spirit and abilities. That could be because they envy you, or because they find your ideas slightly rebellious — willing to go against the current. All in all, you make it hard for people to pigeon hole you. That is why you, more than others, need a job that allows you to play to your strengths, break out of the mold, and truly excel."

This is what emode had to say about me- What wonderful writers they have with them- and a good marketing team too..........

I am heavily fully mentally pregnant

I feel like sitting down and crying. Want to cry so much that it hurts to supress the emotions inside my mind- I dont have a private place to do what I want to do the most in this world!!!

Can't fathom why I have become so in the past few months - the tears are never too far away. I just have to think about something I feel strongly about and they are ready to pour!

God! My hormones are playing a havoc on me- the only explanation I can come up with for this kind of behaviour is that "I am heavily fully mentally pregnant!"

After thought: Dont ask me the delivery date or for that matter what I am carrying- but it is sure to come out screaming one fine morning!

An assignment in my Marketing course

Got to develop a new product and market it- an assignment in my Marketing course. During the brain storming session, we came up with this really innovative product- Dream Catcher- this would be a chip that can be worn by a person while sleeping to capture the brain signals generated during a dream and later intepreted using an EEG scanner. Thought we had dreamt up this idea- on researching for this I found that people have already tested this!!!!!!

A story by a friend

Hey here is the link to the wonderful story written by Hema Sarathy- Dont forget to leave your comments!!

Tuesday, August 5, 2003

Kudos to Hema Sarathy

Some people are so wonderfully creative- I never realised that I was surrounded by people with such great potential. Its so true what they say- "you never realise the goodness of things till you miss them" and believe me there is no limit to what you can miss in this world.

I just read a story written by Hema Sarathy, the sister of my best friend Lakshmi Sarathy and also a friend - I dont really know why but this sweet kid always had the ability to make me shed a few tears..................If only God can create more people like her for this earth......

Sunday, August 3, 2003

Happy Friendship Day

The day is promising to be really nice- we are all planning to go to MG Road and have fun!! And this will be my first time out with all my Bangalore friends as a group!! I also got a beautiful greeting card and a friendship band from my friends- Divya, Vijay and Bhaskar- Makes me feel so nice and not miss all that I would have done if I had been in Chennai. We had so fun last year and all the years in College! I was so lucky to have found people who think like me in undergraduate college and well......I will always miss those days! I guess all of them would have got together and will be having fun in the beach if I know them!!

Happy Friendship Day to you guys!!! Friends make everything special in life dont they? : > )

Friday, August 1, 2003

One never grows up at heart!!

My presentation on vector and parallel processor went really well........the prof was very happy with our group and the amount of research we had done and told us all that it was very good!! Reminds of those days in school when I used to immediately look into my classwork notebooks as soon as I get it back from correction for a "Good or Neat" comment by the teacher!!

One never grows up at heart!!

Thursday, July 31, 2003

Guys!

The guys in my class went totally crazy today!! They asked or rather threw out all the girls out of the class for conducting a survey on who the best girl in class is- on whatever parameters they could come up with. All this because some of us girls talked about the most handsome guys in class! We had to stand out for 10 long minutes to know the results and what do we find upon entering the class? A table on the board with parameters (Cute, Censored 1, Censored 2, S/H and B/B) and names of some of the girls in different places - I, II, III and the guys looking like cheshire cats. Yours truly was awarded the II position in the censored 1 category and ofcourse was very excited!!

So I grilled all the guys as much as I can to know the real parameter of this category ("these were concealed/censored because the girls could get majorly hurt"- quote guys!) - but to no avail. The other categories were first revealed to us as cute, censored1, censored2, strong & healthy and beauty with brains. Was disappointed that I didnt make to the other three or atleast B/B but really thankful now! B/B was actually best bhakra for all times!!

And censored 1 was not really what I wanted it to be ;) - it is somethig like "most crankiest girl in the class" - this is ofcourse pure guess work by me based on the girl in position I but.......! Uh!! Guys are so stupid!!! They cant recognize a good thing when they see one!

Tuesday, July 29, 2003

More like a Nightmare

I am going to be involved in one of the biggest event Bangalore is going to see in the corporate world- Of course I got very excited becasue I have decided to be fully involved in the preparation of communication materials from brochures, invitation, etc and have taken charge!! And natuarally this went to my head and in the meeting yesterday, I didn't bother to introduce myself to the crowd. The result? At the end of the meeting, one of the females sincerely turned to me to tell her ideas..."Sapna, I think...." Got so pissed off.... I mean I look like no Sapna, believe me... so asked her "Do I look like a Sapna to you?". One of the guys in the back promptly replied "More like a Nightmare!"

I completely wholeheardtedly agree!

Sunday, July 27, 2003

God save me from ditching partners!

I have got so many assignments/projects to submit next week that I am going bonkers!! Though I had a nice time yesterday dragging my guy friend around for lunch and shopping, I have nothing to do today except come to the college lab to work on my assignments. One such assignment that is driving me nuts now is on an IT topic- "Vector Processors and Parallel Processors".

I absolutely do not know anything at all about technology and here I am, ditched by my team mates to work on this project all alone by myself. On top of all this, we have to submit a paper on this not just a ppt!!! And the information on the web about these seem either very complex for me to understand or very very simple like just the definitions!!!

God save me from ditching partners!

Saturday, July 26, 2003

Online volunteering

If you would like to devote your services to the United Nations Volunteer Services but cant be present onsite- here is some thing you can do online for the world- NetAid. You can devote any kind of online service to poor people and nations all around the world- just sitting at home. NetAid helps by connecting people who would like to "do more" to support the poor in developing countries, with groups and projects in the developing world. Two flagship programs of NetAid are NetAid World Schoolhouse and NetAid Online Volunteering



Let us join the fight against poverty!

I was greatly disappointed today!

I was talking to my friend yesterday and came to know that the UN conducts the"National Competitive Recruitment examination" for entry level jobs (P2) and that positions for Human Resource Management have been advertised this year. So I got very excited and went to check the UN website immediately. Though there were vacancies for HR work in New York and other cities around the world and is open to anyone, I was not eligible for the simple fact that India was not among the nationalities that are participating in the NCRE 2004. I could not believe my eyes when I did not find India's name in the list- searched and serached again! Alas! I did not qualify to apply this year and was asked to check back next year!

This is because the UN is mandated by the various resolutions of the UN General Assembly to increase the number of professional staff from countries that are not represented or are not adequately represented in the UN Secretariat. Therefore, the programme is open to these priority member states of which India is not one!! Guess too many people from India are already working with the UN!!!

Friday, July 25, 2003

From a Frog to......

Each day I can feel myself growing different as a person (not just in my width though that too to my ever increasing worry!) When I came across this pharse "We did not change as we grew older; we just became more clearly ourselves" while preparing the internal newsletter for my office, it just struck me as really true. Maybe because I could identify with it. Reflecting back, I can say I do not much like the person that I was when I was young. I was not the kid that talked and talked .... and I was definetly not the kid everyone adored but I was everything a parent would never want in thier wonderful child- Quiet, Silent, Dreamy, Shy and lets not forget Average- average in everything!!! I still remember the first prize I got - for a drawing competition. It was such a surprise to my parents, more so to me. No one in my school thought that I deserved attention and when I got the prize, I could see no one was willing to believe it- that too when their favorites managed to defy attention! This happened in my 4th standard and that was the day my destiny was set I think. I continued to be a quiet person till I finished my 10 standard- my friend still refers to me as "the quiet little poet!" when she refers to those times!!

My 11 and 12th class was my formative years- I was famous or rather notorious for being a rebel in my class- I was the girl who gave a leave letter stating that she had overslept and hence absent the previous day! The teacher could not believe her eyes!! I was the girl who came to tests without studying and still managed to get decent marks!!

College life was wonderful- it made me what I am today but the transformation still continues- it will continue till I die I think.

Today I am rather proud of the person that I have become though there are lots of areas that I would like to work on. I have also learnt, especially over the past few days, that it is very important for a person to speak out to establish her identity. Do not wait for people to come and talk to you- but take the intiative- everyone is interseting- you just need to talk to them to find it out. And as my Marketing Prof told us- "marketing drives the world- from your personal life to professional". So I have decided to bring all that was dormant inside me so far to the surface!! Somehow though I am just not able to overcome my observing habits- its really annoying at times when I feel myself growing silent and start to take things inside me!!

I guess if I continue in this path of progress- I can easily become a good HR person as one classmate of mine put it! ;)

Thursday, July 24, 2003

Simply wonderful- A Diary entry from Rediff.com

Broken Bangles

"This is an old page from the diary of my mind; so old it begins to crumble every time I touch it.

It was my fifth year in school. I was in charge of law and order in my class when the teacher was away -- a nine-year-old policeman with the title of class leader, a wooden ruler my main law enforcement equipment.

I must admit no one was actually afraid of me. But they were of my ruler. With it in hand, the law and order always remained under control......."

More.....

Manager: Know Thyself

Here is a really nice article I came across in the HR forum-

Manager: Know Thyself

The best managers use their unique talents to get the most out of their employees

Who was your best boss ever?

Maybe it was that manager who cared about your development. Or maybe it was someone who inspired you with her vision. Perhaps it was that hardworking, tenacious drill sergeant type who pushed you to your limits. Whatever you remember, you’re likely to describe that manager in terms of his or her talents -- those recurring patterns of thought, feeling, and behavior that can be productively applied. Managers who use their greatest talents leave an indelible impression on their organizations and the people who have the privilege of working for them.

So, what talents would the perfect manager have? Would she have exceptional Individualization -- the uncanny ability to see the unique qualities of each person? Would she possess great Woo -- the instinctive capacity to win others over? Or would she be a take-charge person whose Command talents naturally cause people to defer to her the moment she enters a room?

According to Gallup, the best managers may be particularly talented in all of these themes -- or in none of them. The fact is, there is no perfect manager and no ideal set of “management talents.” The best managers succeed because they have an acute awareness of their own talents, they understand how to use those talents intentionally to motivate and develop their direct reports, and they maximize others’ performance by helping them identify their greatest talents and turn them into strengths.

Acute awareness- The road to becoming an effective manager starts with an awareness of one’s own talents.

More......

Wednesday, July 23, 2003

Your feedback would be most wlecome!

Hey guys! Do go and check out my poem which was selected as 'today's feature poem' in Indolink.com- this is the second time am recieving such a honour. While you are at that, you can also check all my other works at Zatang

Your feedback would be most wlecome!

By the way I am still searching..... ;)

Here's to a wonderful life for u all!

"You feel more like sparkling, and spreading the word about the many facets of golden experience that you have!"

Going to Chennai was such a rejuvenating experience for me! It had almost become like visiting a sacred place! The things time can do to change your perception of places and people is simply amazing!

I made it a point to meet all my friends this time and had a gala time. Makes me realise how important people are and how important it is to live life fully while you can!

Here's to a wonderful life for u all!

Thursday, July 17, 2003

My exams are almost over

My exams are almost over. I am so looking forward to going tommorow!! Seems that all the people back home are very busy including my parents.

When I think about this more in detail, it seems to me that people are not really that important- as in a particular individual is not- as long as you are together it is fun and wonderful but once the time comes for one of you to move out, well.... you miss each other initially but .........

Monday, July 14, 2003

My exams have started

Woooof... my exams have started!! And I have done Economics really badly- God I can only ask that others have done worse so that I can atleast get a B grade. Thank goodness, they have relative grading in my institute!!

Am going back home this weekend- just cant wait for it!! Hurray!!!

Saturday, July 12, 2003

Imp

At this juncture in my life- I would like to make note of all the important things that has affected my life so far and that includes some of the most wonderful people on this earth!

Here is my very own type of ode to all of them

Great people in my life- Lakshmi, Priyamvatha, Sowmya, Preethy

Dear people in my life- Mom, Pop, Grandpa

People to whom I would give my life- My niece, Sister and my nephew

People I respect- My bro-in-law, Tanya, Kaneez

People I am indebted to- Lakshmi's parents, Karthik Karunakaran, Prashant Kothari

People I thought I knew- Prasanaa, Madhavan

People I care enough to mention- Sriram, Hema, Sangeetha, Meera, Sumathi, Sathya, Jayasree, Saumya, Radha, Veena, Kanaka

New people in my life- list to come.....

Most unforgettable incidents- The birth of my niece and nephew, The Beach, NIIT life, High school period and College life!!

Monday, July 7, 2003

Um, a date

A senior guy just asked me out (well hinted is more like it) on local network (ie sent me a message online to my comp!!) and I do not know whether to accept or not!! Oh my God!! And he looks good too!! Jessssssss help me out here!

Saturday, July 5, 2003

Animal Personality

This is my Animal Personality- It is amazing and very true too ;)


Otter

What Is Your Animal Personality?

brought to you by Quizilla

What is marketing?

You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and say, "I am very rich. Marry me!"That's Direct Marketing

You're at a party with a bunch of friends and see a gorgeous girl. One of your friends goes up to her and pointing at you says, "He's very rich. Marry him." That's Advertising.

You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and get her telephone number. The next day you call and say, "Hi, I'm very rich. Marry me." That's Telemarketing.

You're at a party and see a gorgeous girl. You get up and straighten your tie; you walk up to her and pour her a drink. You open the door for her, pick up her bag after she drops it, offer her a ride, and then say, "By the way, I'm very rich "Will you marry me?" That's Public Relations.
You're at a party and see a gorgeous girl. She walks up to you and says, "You are very rich..." That's Brand Recognition.

You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and say, "I'm rich. Marry me" She gives you a nice hard slap on your face.

That's Customer Feedback

Art of Living

I am planning to attend the Art of Living workshop sometime this month. I hav heard so much about this and have always wanted to see what it was all about and now I have got a chance to experience it for myself!!

Friday, July 4, 2003

How life changes!!

Exactly a year ago, I didn't know what to do with my life. I didn't know what to do or how to do it .......that period of my life was so well...life-changing. All my friends had already decided what they wanted from life and there I was without even knowing what I was going to do the next day. Though I had applied for MSc Environmental science and MSc Zoology I wasn't really sure about taking either of them. In those days my passion was environment, animals, nature.......still is- I would have loved to become a Zoo Keeper- thats why I did Zoology!! But look at me now- sitting in a college doing MBA of all things- so very far from whatever I have thought ever!! And now my friend Lakshmi is at this beautiful stage and I could sense and see the struggle she is undergoing!- the only thing is that I could not be there for her like she was there for me then!!

How life changes!!
Life is beautiful indeed!

Thursday, July 3, 2003

CANDIDATE TYPES- CREATIVITY IN HR

Hey here is something wonderful I just read. HR Professionals generally have a tough time categorising people into different personality types after being with a candidate for just a few minutes. But there are lots of creative juices flowing in the HR field and here is a list of different character types based on candidate behaviour-

Butterfly - a candidate with a colourful work history, who changes organizations every 6 months.

Chewing gum - this type clings tightly to the current assignment despite having good offers from other companies. More out of nervousness than loyalty.

Border problem - one who announces he is leaving for a better offer, but instead of leaving, tries to get a better deal in the current company.

Tourist - asks about holidays, Saturday's work timings, travel allowance etc more than job description and growth.

Radar operator - is always looking for something better, no matter how good things are within the current Organization.

Morph artist - this kind of candidate can have his/her resume itself change quite unrecognizably, the next time s/he approaches you.

Godfather - negotiates a salary package so hard that the HR person is nearly willing to part with a fraction of his/her own salary.

Ghost - joins the new company but disappears in two days, because that even better offer clicked.

Secret agent - hates to give information about himself. May have missing fingernails from being made to talk at earlier interviews.

Phone book - name dropper, knows everybody in the phone book, unfortunately none of them know him.

Rescheduler - will call before the interview and reschedule to buy more time. Excuses he gives include rescheduling funerals and weddings just to see you.

Children and how they can tell us apart

I do not know how many of you have noticed this but it is so very obvious to me. I am talking about young children and how they recognize instantly whether you are a male or female. I mean the first time a child meets someone, it instinctively knows which sex the other person is and addresses them appropriately. Believe me when I say this is not the way adults recognize, which is ofcourse purily based on visual reception. I guess children have some inbuilt recognition mechanism. Having been around many young children (my dear niece and sweet nephew and others..) I have observed this many times- Especially when I wear unisex clothes like Pants and shirt, they r clearly able to distinguish me as a female and call me 'akka' ! I do not know of any thoeries relating to this in Biology or any other related subject so the credit for discovering this concept first shall go to me. And I will name it Sex recognition concept -like revenue recognition concept in Accounting ;) or may be VJ's theory of sex recognition in young children.

Tuesday, July 1, 2003

Online now icon, how?

I want to know how to add the "Online now" icon to my web page- both for Yahoo and Hotmail- have been searching but its not turning up the desired results!!

Saturday, June 28, 2003

A colorful creature




This is how I see myself- a colorful creature that looks awed by the world surrounding it! Comical and serious at the same time, always looking, always looking .......

Thursday, June 26, 2003

Silence

Its supposed to be "I will not blog for the next two days!"

Addicted to blogging

Hey! I just realised that am slowly becoming addicted to blogging! Oh my God! How awful... am continously making changes to my page... thinking of something to write in it all my waking time..... or checking my visitor statistics.......or if something interesting happens or if I read something nice, the first thing I think about is "I should blog this". Instead of being an end of the day activity, blogging seems to be taking up attention in my mind the full day! I have to do something about this- I shall not blog for the next two days!! And am going to stick to it- guys see you all two days later :(

My commenting system :(

My commenting system seems to be having some problems- am going to change it soon! Will be sad to lose the few comments that I got!! :(

Damn! dont notice it!

We had a special session on communication today morning and the guest lecturer asked us all to speak for three minutes on a topic. I was the first one to volunteer..... and thought I could do a gr8 job.......... had a nice time speaking in front of the class though. I guess if I practice some more , I will definetly become a good speaker!! But the lecturer was too alert and keen for my good- she found out that I had problems with artiulating the letter- "H" !! Just like my friend Lux used to comment on those bygone days!! :(

Maths!

I got my next test marks- this time it is the dreaded Maths but its not being considered for internal evaluation!! This test was conduted to guage our level of comfort in the great subject and those of us who dont get above the cutoff get to attend special classes in Maths, which will be taken by the seniors. I told my maths sir (from the back fo the class ofcourse!) a million times that I will directly attend the sessions without wasting paper and other resources!! But to no avail...... I had to write the test.

No marks for guessing how many marks I got- 4.8 out of 30

Wednesday, June 25, 2003

Internal marks

I got my first internal marks in Economics for this term. I had got a beautiful score of 5 out of 10!! Way to go Vaiju!! And if I keep on like this, I will definetly lose my scholarship!! No problem! I shall join the group of Internet beggars for some money!

PS: One of my friends need to get a job- she is an electronics engineer who has also done her NIIT. She is open to working in call centers- so guys let me know if there are any openings out there mail me to vaiju_13 at yahoo dot com

Monday, June 23, 2003

The seven spiritual laws of success

I read this wonderful book "The seven spiritual laws of success" by Deepak Chopra. It talks about seven principles/steps one should follow to achieve everything that they want. I found lots of stuff in the book that strongly resonated with me so much so that I almost wrote down the entire book. I have always wondered why I could not have any fixed goal or aim and why there was always a glimmer of uncertainty in my life. Deepak Chopra has explained it beautifully in a few words and The wisdom of uncertainty poem you see in my website is courtesy of his book. In the coming days, I shall try to share some of its significant thoughts. Meanwhile do enjoy this-

You are what your deep, driving desire is
As your desire is, so is your will
As your will is, so is your deed
As your deed is, so is your destiny

The Labours of Friendship

I just heard my friend lux has got a job with Allsec in Chennai and that she has decided to settle down in the great city of Chennai itself!! And there goes our plan to set up a house in Bangalore with just the two of us! At this point, when everything has become clear for both of us (me doing two years of MBA and dear lux starting her career), I would love to go on a writing tour of our relationship. Because it almost seems like the end of the most beautiful phase in our relationship - not the end of the relationship itself... but..... being realistic, I dont think I will ever have such a ... well words are difying me ..... relationship in my life again!! To sum up a long story that altered destiny into a short one....... here is the story of Lakshmi and Vaij (thats how I prefer to call her and thats how she prefers to call me)

It all began in the summer of 1996 when the two girls were put in the same class by the school authorities.... the second girl (which is me) started noticing the first and was much impressed. So at the end of that school year, she took pains to write and post a 'how are you' vacation letter to the first girl (that is Lakshmi) who incidentally stays just in the next street. Everyone in the first girl's house including the subject herself was now impressed with this young writer who has taken the initiative to establish a friendship and even to this day, yours truly gets praised often on that note. When the school reopened, though the second girl was too egoistic to admit that she wanted a relationship outside her family, somehow managed to sit dierctly behind the second.......the plant then bore some leaves, then some buds, then some flowers and then some fruits...... Our association was one of destiny- to this day both of us realise it and feel thankful.... We share the same birthday (I was born two hours behind Ms. Lux who was in too much of a hurry to see the world to wait for me! - and she is supposed to be the more stubborn and the least impulsive of the both of us!!!) and we even share a name too!!! To continue, our friendship got stronger and stronger over college and now it has come to that stage where both of us have reaped full benefits of this tasty fruit!! the time has come to part atleast in the physical world.......and here we are separated by the impulses of time and a distance of 250 K M.

It was so much fun and so much learning- I can not do any justice even if I try to write for hours together on this..... the only thing I can say is Thanks Lakshmi and Thank you God!!

Thursday, June 19, 2003

new features to my blog

I am trying to add some new features to my blog- but its really frustrating when the connection here is slow and I need to publish and view my changes each time!! I guess the new blogger interface would be really usefull on this regard!

Wednesday, June 18, 2003

A dull blog? no?

We have a quiz on the stock market today at 6:30 !! Five of the participating team gets to participate in a district/national level quiz that would be conducted by Indian Express. I have decided to take my chance though I do not know the ABCD of the stock market. I believe luck would always favour me- sort of a guardian angel that is always around me giving me strength and happiness!! :) And since we are supposed to participate only as a team of 2, I had a hard time finding a partner. I finally found one just when I was becoming desperate and decided to give up!! Hope we win!!! After all, for the past one hour I have been very sincere in researching online on what the stock market is all about!!!!

I guess, my site has slowly started to resemble the dull blog!! God! Make something extra ordinarily interesting (good kind of interesting) happen in life so that I can blog about it ; ) (This is my new way of asking things from God- you know giving my blog as an excuse hahaha!!!)

Tuesday, June 17, 2003

The Best movie

I went to my first night show movie!!! It was very exciting for all of us!!!! And the movie was great too- Nala Damayati happens to be The Best movie I've watched in the last few months! Hurray to Kamal and Madhavan!

Am back from Chennai!

Am back from Chennai! This weekend was one of the best I've ever had though defintely not THE BEST. This was my first time travelling alone and it was a nice experience to travel in the unreserved compartment. I met this nice young girl from Bangalore who was also travelling alone to her patti's house in Chennai. We had a great time chatting with each other and the others who sat besides us!! I can now understand why people in India are described as a friendly lot! The irony of the whole thing was that I didnt know where I was going- I didnt have the address of my parents' house! They had shifted places after I came to Ban and I just knew the general location!! Had a hard time finding the place at 10 in the night~~ Was so angry with my parents for having not given me the house address. They didnt have any contact number nearby either for me to inform them I was coming! Talk about surprises!!!! They sure got one on Friday night in the form of their screaming and crying daughter! I was so mad, man so mad- should blame it all on pms!

Thursday, June 12, 2003

Chennai for this weekend

Am going to go back to Chennai for this weekend. I just cant wait!!!!!! :)

What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity

What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity.
They are but trifles, to be sure, but, scattered along life's pathway,
The good they do is inconceivable.

Wednesday, June 11, 2003

Differentiation and Integration

I thought I had escaped from Differentiation and Integration after Class 12 !!! God! Does this world really need such stuff...??? There are so many animals and plants which go extinct. Why cant these too??!!!!!

Tuesday, June 10, 2003

I'd rather be a sparrow than a snail

I started on my HR reading up today and my very first book had this wonderful thing to say- Enjoy!

I'd rather be a sparrow than a snail
Yes, I would. If I could, I surely would
I'd rather be a hammer than a nail. Yes, I would.
Away, I'd rather sail away like a swan that's here now and then gone..........


From the song "El Condor Pasa" by Paul Simmon & Garfunkel

The author of the article goes on to say that this song above perfectly illustrates the attitude and outlook of the youngsters today.

They want to make a difference in this world. And they want to do it right now and fast! They have no patience like the snail and they always want to be the driving hammer rather than the nail that takes the beating! And if something doesn't go according to their liking, say in their place of work- what do u think they do? Well they sail away like the Swan of course which was here then and gone now!!!



Another thing that I also learnt today is that managing the manager in an organization is more important than anything else. How , you ask? Well, 90% of the top achievers in a company leave not because they are dissatisfied with their paycheck or their compensation but because of the attitude of their immediate supervisors. That is why organizations today need to recognize that employee turnover is all about talent loss and that loyalty is not the tenure of its employees but their contributions to the work!!



OHMYGOD!!! I DONT BELIEVE THIS- I HAVE ACTUALLY STARTED SPROUTING THE MANAGEMENT JARGON!!! GOD SAVE ME!!!

miss u loads

I just read this very moving mail from my friend lux and do u what know what almost moved me to tears? her exact sentence- "miss u loads...bcos nobody here wants to jus talk and talk and walk and walk like we used to...." Wish I could be there for everybody in this world!

Monday, June 9, 2003

Quantitative Methods. Yeeks

I had a class in Quantitative Methods this morning.....During the course of it, the professor came up with this question - "What is the term u use to denote the extent to which you can use a product- say a light bulb or a rocket?" Each of us tried to come up with some answers. My class has a majority of engineers and am a Zoology graduate. They came up with the right answer of course which happens to be Reliability! And my answer was life time or life expectancy!! No points for guessing....Goes to show how truly zoological I am!!!

Looking back

I was supposed to post this by Saturday but Blogger.com didn't agree!!

07 Saturday, 2003

I am finally here!! Wow... I am going to blog again!! I was wondering if I will ever get an opportunity to put my thoughts into words!!! Fyi, you r finally reading the blog of a going-to-be Human Resource professional (I dont like the word- manager- its too... hmm... well.. common for my liking!! ;) ) Yes- I have finally realised what I want to do in life and have also paid the price (am talking about the fees I have paid to enroll in the MBA HRM program) So to come back or rather to go ahead with more......

It will be exactly one week tommorow since I have shifted to the city of Bangalore. My life is going to revolve around this city atleast for the next three years- am going to miss Chennai so much!! As far as I have seen, Bangalore is just another city!! Its got only what Chennai has got too- except for the beach which is a big negative point against it as far as I am concerned- those early morning walks with Lakshmi that I used to take- wow we had a great time!! And the weather is great!! Believe it or not the day I came from Chennai to Ban, I had this big area of sun rashes all over my shoulders and neck- (each day that I went out in Chennai was agony and if I started to sweat which is inevitable in Chennai, well.. no need to ask!) and was having a tough time and what happens- it almost disappears the very next day!! and it was raining in Ban!! It was like a climate shock for me- from the very hot land of Chennai to the cold or rather cool lands of Ban!!!

The first day of my post graduate college was okay- I had got this very nice dark blue sleeveless dress and was wearing it and I thought I looked pretty good in it 'if I may say so at the cost of not sounding modest' (that was the exact words of Finance prof Gopal !!) and what do I find? No one absolutely no one is looking at me!!! Oh my god!!! Ok so everyone is busy submitting their registration form I understand but guys I have dressed up. Admittedly am no femme fatale but still.... one comfort was this nice smiling guy who looked exactly like the boy we used to "sight" in Chennai!! I was very happy but I havent been able to bond with him over the last few days but not for want of effort (I mean just smiling- am not exactly what u would call an aggressive female!) The first class was Financial Accounting and I found it very interesting ( I am going to become a big investor one of these days- so I am happy with learning it though I am having problems with the rules of debit and credit.) The rest of the classes were pretty ok!! I was called upon to give a presentation for three minutes on the very first day on anything under the sun and what do u think I did- I talked about blogging ofcourse!! hahahaha and I didnt miss the opportunity to let the mostly unexperienced fellows sitting before me know that I already have some work ex as a reporter and web researcher!! had many looking at me with respect in their eyes afterwards atleast the guys!! hehehe!!!

The rest as they say is history- the days are slowly merging into one another- a pattern is evolving- am fixing a daily schedule!!! Once I settle in, I shall embark on the path of becoming an opportunist!

Saturday, May 31, 2003

Bangalore!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Will see you all from Bangalore guys!! Am so sad at leaving!!! : == (

Am going to fly the nest

For the past few days I have been really busy organizing stuff and generally feeling the euphoria of a much awaited journey coming up!! To think that at last am going to fly the nest... is well ...to say the least - cataclymastic (if there is such a word!) Yes guys- this Chennai gal is going to become a Bangalorean!! Haha! Have been wanting to shift to Ban from last year but now that I am going to, I want to stay. I am going miss Chennai so much- I am a Sun, Sand, Sea and Serendipity kind of person and can't really stand the sight of endless expanse of green lawns! Yuck!!! I am going to miss all my friends- they say that you dont really know the worth of things until you lose them and guess what am going to lose all! But it is quite heartening to hear few of my friends already sprouting "Am going to miss you" lines. Makes life worthwhile - Thx God for making me the kind of person I am ; )

Thursday, May 22, 2003

my little family

This is my little family. After hesitating for a long time, I have finally come to the decision to make this information public!


Thursday, May 15, 2003

Poor joke!

A bus station is where a bus stops. A train station is where train stops. On my desk, I have a work station... What more can I say ...?

Monday, May 12, 2003

Pickup lines for ya

I do not check in for a few days and gosh what happens... my traffic seems to have almost tripled!! All thanks to Anita , the the godmother of bloggers in India. Hey that was not my title to her guys, rather what Kiruba called her at the National Symposium on Blogging held at Anna University last month. Anyway, thanks Anita, for adding me to the Indian Bloggers list - You made my day :)

As for the reason why I have been absconding for the last few days is that, a little unplanned out of the town trip came up all of a sudden and being the fun loving sagi I am , I couldn't resist going! ;). I've got plenty of things to say.. dont know where to begin! Meanwhile here is some very interesting forward that I read in my friend's Inbox (thats right not my inbox- I have her password-planning to change it too! ;) )

Few tips to propose (try them at your own risk!!!!)

1. (Walk up behind girl and point fingers shaped like gun into her back) -"You're under arrest!" (For what?) "For stealing my heart."

2. Hi, my name is Chance, Do I have one?

3. Are your legs tired? ( girl: Why?) because you have been running through my mind all day!

4. "I lost my phone number, can I borrow yours?"

5. Can you give me directions to your heart? I've seemed to have lost myself in your eyes

6. (Take a look at the tag on the girls shirt, jacket, etc.) She would say,"What are you doing" respond,"Oh, just checking to see if

you were made in Heaven."

7. (Pick up a flower and walk over to girl.) "I was just showing this flower how beautiful you are."
8. Is it hot in here or is it just you?

9. Walk up to a guy and say: "Are you from Greece?" "No" he answers. "Oh, I thought all the gods were from Greece"

10. I could be born in your eye, run down your cheek, and die on your lips.

11. Did you know they changed the alphabet? They put U and I together.

12. Are you lost? 'cause it's so strange to see an angel so far from heaven.

13. Do you believe in love at first sight, or do I have to walk by you again?

14. What's that in your eye? Oh...it's a sparkle.

15. Do you have a map? I just got lost in your eyes.

16. You can forget about going to heaven because it's sin to look that good.

17. If I had eleven roses and you, I'd have a dozen.

Wednesday, May 7, 2003

This is horrible....

This is horrible.... I haven't updated my blog in the past three days.. What can I say guys?? The guy I hired the comp from came up with a very valid reason to tear the modem away from my comp!! No Modem-No blogging :( . I had so much to say, write when I thought about my blog today morn but there is just no inspiration/comfort in this dreary place of a net center!! I need that modem back at home!!

Wednesday, April 30, 2003

life's like that!

Am back from a two day trip to Bangalore which was relatively very uneventful except for the fact that I was made to realise time and over again that I have choosen a very second grade institute to continue my education!! No problem, I say.. life's like that! :)

And yes ofcourse, as per the explicit instructions left by my friend Luxmi, I will blog all about my experiences in Bangalore... nope let me start right from when the train started from Chennai.... It would make a really funny piece.... do wait for my update on that.

Coming up shortly VJ and her trip to the elite city- to be released on May 02, 2003 or sooner

Thursday, April 24, 2003

Yamaha Dragster

After Yamaha Libero, it seems like the company, Yamaha Motor India, is all set to launch a new bike in the Indian market. And this is not going to be any new bike but Yamaha Dragster which will be priced at a whooping 6 lakh! and thats is not all guys... its going to have a 1100 cc engine which is more than that of the cars, Santro and Zen! Amazing isn't it?and "The move is intended to spruce up the company’s brand image" qoutes a news release! For those of you interested, the biggest motorcycle in India, Bullet 500 cc, has only a 24 hp engine.

Wednesday, April 23, 2003

When things do not happen, make them happen

"When things do not happen, make them happen"- I was quite surprised to hear someone say this to me. Usually it is me who thinks along these lines and I do make sure my life is full at all times. But it seems as if nothing is happening and nothing is destined to happen either!!! I can not really balme it on the exams though I do miss them! I have a out of city trip coming right up in a couple of days and am not even a pinch excited about it! I'm in a void and nothing seems to distrub it!! And to imagine am going to sit at home the whole month of May, to say at the least it's very frightening :( Its not like I dont have things to do... I have got plenty but.......... Thinking about this and other similar phases like this in my life in the past, a picture of myself has slowly materialised in my mind. I am an addict- addicted to going out all the time! Can't bear to stay at home- can't endure life without having atleast two stimulating conversations with someone I like a day........ Wow even my writing has started reflecting the dullness prevalent in my life--- I have done something that will change all these though or atleast I hope it will... it is what I usually do when I get totally frustrated with myself- I got rid of it all!!!

No inspiration

I do not have any inspiration whatsoever - will not post for a few days!! :(

Tuesday, April 22, 2003

Monday, April 21, 2003

My site has got indexed!!!

Am so happy- My site has got indexed by Google, MSN, DMOZ and a whole lot of other search engines! Wow! Good news indeed!! I discovered this quite accidentally today when I was checking out my website traffic statistics and came across this visitor who had come to my site after searching for Women Chennai friends! Can't believe I turned up for such keywords... seems like I am looking out for more friends... No, not true! Don’t believe it!! :) (This is because of my article on having women friends by the way!) Hahaha...I would much rather prefer to make friends in the offline world! I have also been getting some new visitors to my site (thanks to my self-advertising mail to all my friends!!) before which I had only one dedicated visitor- none other than beloved friend luxmi !! Now what’s left is for you guys to do a search on any major search engine for me and visit my website and shower me with compliments! Am waiting guys!

Once again- don't forget my pathetic attempt at adding some user interaction- the "Comments" or the "Sign My Guestbook" feature!

Saturday, April 19, 2003

Again, new site design

Hey guys! Tell me how my new site design looks..?? Am very proud of it !! The amount of satisfaction a creative output gives you is immense, believe me! :)

Thursday, April 17, 2003

Having Women Friends

Men are hunters and Women are nurturers. Men go out into the fields and bring you the rice. Women sit at home and cook it for him.

But that is not what this article is going to be about- not the Mars Venus syndrome though I do have the compelling urge to write more on that. No, What am going to concentrate more on here is the quintessential thing that we all need- Friends- in particular female friends. I happened to come across an article on the net that was discussing exactly this and it made me sit up and think. Are girl friends as necessary for one as it was portrayed? Can I do without my girl friends? Why has it become so important for me to pick up the phone and call my girl friend atleast once in a while - even just to say a “Hi!” Why…? So many questions. I finally understood that the answer lies in a combination of biology, psychology, chemistry, anthropology, and of course friendshipology.

Having spent most of my formative years (high school, college…) in a predominantly women environment, I think I am qualified to write on this female bonding phenomenon. I have very strong bonds to three to four females including my best friends and my sister. I know the degree of my dependence on them- I can go without calling any of them for any period of time, I can put all of them completely out of my mind….. and I can just live through my entire life without having another girl friend but it wouldn’t be what exactly I call living!!

A day, two, three… at the most five- I can not stop myself from thinking of them for any reason. Its like I’m addicted to a drug, I go into withdrawal- I stare at the ceiling, I just sleep if I get bored, My entire productivity gets affected….nothing seems lively anymore……..its like I have lost my “boyfriend” or something!!

Delving into the depths of the female bonding mystery, we all know women are the comfort-providers. From our moms to sisters to friends- they have always been there just waiting to pick you up when you fall (It’s a little different with guys –they wait to catch you when you fall- thus not allowing to fall at all ! J ) and they will continue to be there but why? Because they are biologically programmed to seek and give comfort in times of stress. Its in their genes to view everything in this world as their small child at one point of time or another.

A clinical study says that when women are stressed, they bond and when men are stressed they withdraw!! Speaking from actual experience, having female friends that you can count greatly enhances your life. You know there is someone just a phone call away to hear the nonsense that you sprout from time to time. You know this person is not going to be bored (maybe irritated but not bored) if you talk about the things that your “boyfriend” told you even if you happen to be repeating it for the hundredth time! You know nothing that happens to you is going to be unbearable cos your female friends will always be there to share it with you! Women who have close female friends can cope with life better than those who don’t.

I have seen women who are forever frustrated with life, who always complain…… all these women have one thing in common- they don’t have a close female friend they talk to frequently. Of course, there is no way I can relate this bullheadedness to be unhappy to not having close female friends but it does seem to have a connection however remote it is!!

This article is turning out to be entirely pro-female friends so just to burst the bubble here are some anti- facts-

1) Women friends are and can be jealous or envious of everything that you have and they don’t- boyfriends, your new diamond earring, your brother, you name it!!!

2) Women pals, though are the most reliable emotionally, are totally unreliable when it comes to other things. They ditch you at the most unexpected moments- like when you need them to come to an interview with you and they peter out saying they have a function to attend….

3) You cant and are not allowed to look at their husbands, brothers and fathers!!Even though these guys maybe so your type!

4) Women friends have mothers and sometimes sisters. And these people don’t like you being friends!!

5) Women friends come with their own baggage! Maybe heavier than your own.

6) Women friends are possessive- not about you (you too) but with all their belongings. So better return their necklace the very next day after you use it!

7) Women pals can be nagging!! They wont allow you to sleep on a sunny afternoon, they wont allow you to dream about your guy…… they just want to go out!!

8) Women friends want and expect you to go shopping with them!

9) They may be more attractive and look better than you at times and grab all the male attention! Shit!

10) They will be your conscience- even if you don’t want to have one!

With due regards to all my female friends

:)