The Chemistry That Was!

If you are reading this chemistry series for the first time and even otherwise, since it was quite sometime since the last post, do read the previous posts “Chemistry!”, “The Chemistry”, and “The Chemistry That _________!” in that order. :)

Bhaskar
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The Chemistry That Was!

Somehow the entire weekend was going too slow for me.. even though I spent the most of my time with my dear friends in Chennai, still I was very restless. I was cursing myself for not taking her mobile number or atleast some contact number in Chennai. ‘But then, she would have given me if there was one, wouldn’t she?’ ‘I didn’t see any mobile with her’ ‘How can she give her contact number in Chennai to someone who she has just met on the train and even if he is from the same office?’ That’s how my mind was trying to console me…

Finally the appointed time arrived and I had actually reached the Chennai central railway station much earlier.. more than an hour earlier (which was very much against my values and principles of JIT (Just-In-Time), but then there were always exceptions to the rule!) I even bought two tickets on Tatkal (for the funda behind this, pls refer the previous episode ;) and had stocked myself with a 500ml bottle of Sprite and 2 bars of Nut ‘n Treat (her fav as I had found out during the small(!) talk on the fateful Friday).

So, there I am... beside the electronic weighing machine (there was only one those days) close to the main entrance of the railway station. Five mins.. ten mins.. time seemed to be ticking off like on a time bomb, but she was nowhere to be seen. Was she another late lathief*? Well, I was already standing on my toes… it was just another ten mins before the train would depart. And I was getting torn apart… it was like a choice between the devil and the deep blue sea.. well, not exactly.. but then I didn’t have the time to think of a better one. I had to decide and decide fast.. what if she didn’t turn up.. what if she turned up at the last minute.. what if she turned up JIT and miss me since I would have already moved to the train and she wouldn’t know where to find me.. the money I had spent and which would go waste was the least on my mind that time.

Slowly I was moving towards my train and by the time I reached my berth I was comfortably numb. The disappointment was just too much to take. At the same time, I was worried and concerned about her. ‘what happened to her?’ ‘did she meet with an accident or what?’ those were the little voices at the back of my head…

I lost track of time as I was moving in and out of my sleep. And in that state of semi-consciousness I went about the routine of alighting at the Bangalore City, catching the pre-paid auto, reaching home, sleeping for a couple of hours more, finally getting up and reaching office on the bright Monday morning. And of course, the first thing I did on reaching office was to find out if Deepa was in. I went up to the receptionist and asked for her with the tech support team. And the answer I got had me seeing-stars-in-stark-daylight. There was no person by that name in the team!!

My first perceptible thought was that it should be some mistake but then she confirmed with one of the team members. There was no Deepa in the team and there was only one Deepa in the whole office.. Deepa Nagesh, married, project manager, semiconductors group. Definitely not her….

What kind of a cruel prank could this be?? How can she lie to me and that too get away with that???? I’ve heard of glib liars but that was the first time I met someone in reality... my gawd.. did I have to meet someone like that at all? how did she know certain details about me and my office? Was she actually from my office but with a different real name? My mind was whacking me with questions…

By the end of the day, I had resigned myself to the fate. Still unable to accept the disappointment I put on my crib-shoes and turned to my faithful companion.. the yahoo messenger…randomly cribbing with whoever I could find online.. one of them was my long-time online friend, someone whose pen name was Saki and who had refused to give her real identity. After a couple of mins into the chat, she messaged back to say “Bhaskar, I have a confession to make”, “no, actually many confessions”. I visualized some bulb switching on and glowing somewhere.. “Saki, pls give me some good news” “Ok.. let me put it this way.. Bhaskar, I’m romantically attracted to you!!”

Concluded
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*late lathief – I don’t know how this term originated but then it is used to denote the chronic late comers

Rock a Doodle Doo :)

welllll... guys.. How are you doin'?

Am settling down in cozy bangalore and my material.. cargo hasnt reached yet. Those GATI guys are taking a longer time than what they promised. Let me sue them...

Heh.. Had an interview with the most profitable PC company (in fact, only two in the whole branded PC world are profitable, it seems) just on the day I landed here and now the next level guy from the US is going to call me for a telephonic interview.. hopefully tonight itself. It'll be nice if this works out... I can stay here itself :)

And then, I heard abt one of our guys being offered the post of Country Manager by Wockhardt. Hmm.. the rocking continues... !!

Chow!
Bhaskar
PS: yes.. yes.. I'll post the concluding part of the 'chemistry'.. soon.. as soon as I'm done with this tele stuff.. :)

I Rocks!!!

Wow!! It feeels really good that everyone of my mates is placed by Day Zero itself!!! Feels good is an understatement.. Man.... IIM Indore Rocks!!!!!!!!

Placement Process wrapped up on Day Zero with many good companies having to return empty-handed. With about 1.8 jobs per person and companies like Deutsche Bank coming first time on campus and fighting it out for our Topper among others definitely bodes well for I!

Kudos to the Placom, you guys are amazing. Now... You only have your own record to beat :)
200% percent placement within Day Zero for a 100% bigger batch. You dare?????!!!!!!

Bhaskar
Covansys Chennai, Here I come ;)

The Chemistry that ...!

To understand the situation and to recall to mind, read the previous posts “Chemistry!” and “The Chemistry!”, in that order.

Bhaskar
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(cont.. )

Gathering my wits and realizing that if not anything, atleast I wouldn’t be facing any chappal slaps, I decided to speak to her. Well, it is not every other day that one gets to meet such a lovely girl and that too under such a circumstance, you see! Though I had absolutely no idea what I was going to talk, her captivating eyes and the dimpled chin gave me a sense of purpose like never before :)

I went to her side and said a simple ‘hi!’. She reciprocated the monosyllable with a grin and sat up thereby making space for me to sit. Easing into position, I asked her:
“why were you staring at me?!”

“staring? may be.. but, dont tell me that you haven’t seen me earlier!!”

I wasn’t sure of that, but then..

“well... i would never say to a girl your age that I haven’t seen you..
just that i dont remember where!” ;)

“oh comon... we work in the same office.”

“Duh! ... “
Oh.. that explains it...
Our group had moved in from Unit 4 to the new campus “Millennia” only that Monday. But then, how could I have missed noticing HER in the office? May be I was a bit too distracted by the settling-down issues and the urgent customer escalation that I had to handle as soon as we got the things working in the new building.

By now the guy in the adjacent berth (who was trying his Romeo antics earlier) was looking at us but we were beyond concern and didn’t bother with such insignificant things ;)

We were talking for quite sometime and during the conversation, found out that her name was Deepa and that she was with the tech support group. She hailed from Indore and she was of the living-with-friends-in-Bangalore-due-to-job kind. She was visiting a relative in Chennai and she was also returning back to Bangalore on the Sunday night but had planned to return by bus as she couldn’t get a reservation in the trains.

I also didn’t have any reservation but then, from my frequent visits, I had cultivated the friendship of some TTEs* and got to know that typically a few Tatkal** tickets are unused and can be purchased about an hour before the train’s departure from the TTE room at the Chennai Central Railway station. Now here was another chance to impress her and how can I miss that ?!! She did seem to be happy to travel by train but tried to give some excuse. Using a bit of my charm and after some convincing, she agreed. Even if we don’t get the train tickets, later we could always board one of the numerous tourist buses starting right in front of the railway station.

By then, it was already 12.30pm. We worked out the details of our rendezvous for the Sunday night, exchanged ‘good night’s and ‘sweet dream’s and parted. What with the excitement of meeting her again on Sunday, it was not until another hour that I could actually sleep.

(To be concluded)
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TTE* - Traveling Ticket Examiner

Tatkal** - Special railway reservation available one day prior to the date of travel at some extra cost

Hey!

Hey!

Have my final placements and stuff going on now and hence, I'm taking some time in posting here. I didnt want to leave the story hanging but then I've ended up doing that. Sorry!
Lemme try and post it tomorrow..

Ba'bye,
Bhaskar

The Chemistry!

Happy V’Day Dudes and Dudettes!!

If you have just wandered to this page.. I suggest you read the previous post “chemistry!” before reading this.

Have (safe) fun! as always ;)
Bhaskar

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The Chemistry! cont..

I was amazed at my own luck that lovely Friday night. I had gotten this ticket out of the blue. Actually, I was traveling on someone else’s ticket. It was a sudden decision to go to Chennai and I contacted our local travel desk.. Bala.

Bala is my friend working in the same office (yes, the same building.. Millennia.. next to Ulsoor lake) who used to travel almost every weekend to Chennai. And he was also a very friendly and cheerful guy. Thus, he soon became the friendly neighborhood travel agent for our circle of friends and close acquaintances – the weekend traveling bachelors. He had even created a yahoo group for the purpose. Anyone who has a reserved ticket to / from Chennai and is thinking of canceling the ticket would contact him. He, in turn, would inform the others thro’ the yahoo group. And usually, there would be no need to cancel the ticket :) (There would invariably be one or two people traveling by bus and any day, train is preferable)

On Friday morning I decided that I had to go to Chennai that evening itself and contacted Bala. As luck would have it, just then somebody had informed Bala about an unused ticket. That is how I had landed my ticket that fateful Friday night.

And now I’m sitting in the adjacent coupe to this dream-like girl! From experience I knew that once contact has been established, one should appear a bit aloof. It should seem as if we are doing something else quite casually and at the same time we should be vigilant for the opportune time to strike a conversation. It is all about confidence and belief!!

Now that she was talking to some bloke half-heartedly (you can know that, cant you?!), I tried reading a couple of pages from the novel. Soon she ended the chatting and took out a blanket and stuff and also the latest issue of the ‘India Today’ and settled into a comfortable reclining position. As usual, in my attempt at reading, I got thinking about a conversation I had had the previous week with one of my close friends. We were talking about girls and ‘sight seeing’ and how at times they also ogle at you. One thing got to the other and he said that he would wink at any good looking girl who is ogling at him.

This went on for sometime and then, she put her magazine down and was looking directly at me. It seemed as if she was trying to make up her mind on something.. whether to make the first move or not?? I didn’t know. But, that moment I gathered some courage and gave her a *wink*!

Even to this day I don’t know why I did that. Anyway, she stopped whatever that she was thinking and was looking at me. She kinda surveyed the scene and the next moment, she winked back!! Man….I was shocked to say the least :)

I froze that moment and I had absolutely no clue what was to follow… but for that, you will have to wait too ;)

Chemistry!

It has been a overdose of senti for the past few days.. its time for some light romance.
Its V-day eve folks! What better way to welcome St.Valentine than a love story!!

I’m sure it would resemble your own love story at some point or the other. Cos this is the ultimate love story! Any resemblance is unintentional though very welcome ;)

Love stories come out so well in the first person. That why I’ve chosen to write it in the first person. Let me give the disclaimer here.. This is not my own love story… definitely not in its entirety!

Bhaskar
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Chemistry

It was one lovely Friday night in a strangely not-so-packed Chennai Mail. I donno how I got to think about that day now. Something reminded me of our rendezvous on the train from Bangalore to Chennai.

That’s when I saw her (rather noticed her) for the first time. I noticed this girl who I thought was inadvertently staring at me. She was sitting in the side lower berth in the adjacent coupe. I was just about settling into the lower berth facing her side. I immediately opened my bag and took out my friend, philosopher and guide at such moments - a novel. It didn’t matter which novel, it was comforting none-the-less.

Slowly, I took another look at her. She was now talking to some guy.. must be just another guy, trying his Romeo antics! Little did he know that she was MY Juliet ;)

Something about her caught my gaze. She was very attractive and looked strangely familiar. Poring into my novel I got thinking: ‘Who does she remind me of?’ It was then that I realized that she reminds me of my adolescent Crush, Drew Barrymore! That enlightenment had my heart pumping even faster.

I looked at her again to confirm her resemblance. That very moment she also glanced at me as she paused between her speeches. Our eyes met! It was a little more than a fraction of a second but it was definite. We both acknowledged each other’s gaze. That look was worth a million dollars.

But then, I shouldn’t have winked at her.. more about that soon!

Is this the end?

Is it really getting over? Am I going to move out of this hill-top abode in 10 days?
Will I no longer have these blokes for company while I watch movies on my comp? no more sponsored snacks during those intervals? no more late evening (00:30 hrs!) chai sessions?
such parties no more? no more SPAM-SPAM mails? no more waterfights? no more birthday bumps? no more 24 hrs online in yahoo?

Catching up..

igqfo9vllkoiqldflvmlwbabaabvklwvmkivsmpy8763m2710dnsdmashre...
long time.. no 'c' !!

Lots of things have been happening here at the campus (the happ hip hep! place). Well.. I can talk about some and I cant talk about some of the stuff 'cos its not the time yet to reveal them.

We had a machao farewell party a couple of days back. It was as much fun as it was nostalgic. The skit woven together with the various unique events and memories of the year attributable primarily to us, the passing-out batch and the typical MBA-ishtyle PowerPoint presentation capturing us and some of those very events in a light photographic vein were the highlights of the show.

And y'day we passed on the strategies and the technical know-how of '101 ways to DO a water-fight' to the ascending batch. No.. we actually gave a practical demo of the same. The list of dedications included chyawanprash, shampoos, shaving creams, hair gels, and what not. Though we have had many such fights earlier, this completed the knowledge transfer process.

And then, of course, our own private movie theatre has been working overnight. Saw 'good will hunting' today.. just finished watching that :) another recent show was 'the butterfly effect' well...both are very good movies.. if you havnt heard of the former, then you prob. aren't a movie material. This movie was nominated for 9 Oscars and finally managed to grab two.

The butterfly effect (2004) is a kind of techy movie but really well-taken. The concept is derived from chaos theory. It says "A butterfly flapping its wings here in your garden can cause a tornado in California." That’s how interrelated the events in real life can be. In the movie, the hero takes a couple of steps which have far-reaching effects. He then goes back in time and tries doing those steps differently so that the end result is to his liking. Engrossing movie.. recommended to be watched in a group.

Till next time,
Bhaskar a.k.a. Joey Tribbs

S.U.P.W. No. 3

Dear Fans..
This would be the final piece (for now.. atleast till our dear SKK lets loose his creative humour for us again..) of the series Selected Useless Poetic Works by SKK.
Here you are..
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From the poet’s desk.....

This particular poem is quite unlike my other ventures.... it is written as a song to be sung by a group of (specified) people. By singing the poem aloud, one can appreciate and depreciate the very meaning of these lines.
Well...yes...this poem doesn't talk about the socio-economic issues... One can store some water in a water bottle... but just because one can (as well) store alcohol in it doesn't make it an alcohol bottle. Very similarly just because you have done some work, you can't be called a worker...and along the same lines, just because you have cooked some food, you can't be called a cooker. Life is very similar to a pressure cooker..... (Not necessarily a person who cooks under pressure)....
In all, I would like to say this...Thillaalangadi is not just a poem or a song... it is A POEM AND A SONG.....please note the difference. It is a way of life.
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"THILLAALANGADI": emotional outbursts of a 3-year old

How still the bell bottoms in staples.com stand....
Still swollen in one eye...
After last night's fight...
They leap upon their webbed feet....these frogs...
Their age hence is measured in LEAP YEARS.

(Repeat “How still” three times: to be sung strictly by chorus group consisting of two males and three females (age no bar) whose 2 premolar and 2 molar teeth are missing)

Could mortals sip wine....?
The under-developed fright....
Of a delivered kite...
Q would crumble even though light.

(repeat "Could mortals" three times: to be sung by 3 years, 2 months and 11 day- old boys and girls totaling 7 in number (any combination except that there has to be at least one representative from each group) )

Who has not found heaven??? hell no...
Well....well...well...so???
Come on guys...grow...grow....
There you see.... a crow…crow....
Oh...oh....
It is MARTIN CROWE.

(Repeat "Who has not" three times: to be sung by old divorcees who have retired from service from a central government company)

Maxima and minima may come and go....
But optima are there forever to show....
I missed a tiny fly...and...
Even today, this makes me cry.

(Repeat "Maxima and”: to be sung by the tallest boy in the group who has secured 73% or above in his UKG half-yearly exams but failed in SSLC in the first attempt but was state first in the second attempt. In case of more than one eligible candidate, there should be a lottery to decide the winner)
THE WINNER THEN SINGS ALOUD THE ENTIRE POEM...BUT WITH TABLA, BUL-BUL TARA, MOHURSING AND IF POSSIBLE, SARANGI AS ACCOMPANIMENTS.

- GREAT POET SKK
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Summary (Poet’s version)

Emotional fall-out…..what a word even though this has nothing to do with the present discussion!!! Supremacy over souvenirs can be achieved if and only if idiosyncrasy and inundations are dealt with. Inoculations are not a way of life…rather innovations are.

“I missed a tiny fly”….this means that the poet missed a plane sometime in his youth and to this day, he still feels bad about it. Time has flown by…it seems time has leapt in chunks of four years rather than one….hence, the term leap years has been used. The reason frog is used is that frog, being an amphibian (Bufomelano stictus) can live in water and on land… likewise, one should learn to live in sad as well as happy times.

What is the need to take to alcohol just because one has had a failed relationship? Did Einstein think that General or the Special Theory of Relativity has something to do with being related? Blood is thicker than water….but wine is thinner that the blood drawn from a goat whose medulla oblongata is oblong. Hence, one should never ever give in to fright. The letter Q stands for Quiescent…meaning still…..If one is afraid, everything will come to a stand still.

Everybody has found a way to eternal bliss....but due to the vagaries of Nature, Science, Cell and Biochemistry, he/she has lost it. So, one has to have the insatiable quest for excellence. The poet stresses that the socio-economic conditions in South Somalia can never influence the driving test results in North Pondy Bazaar. Hence, always, go for it….never give up.
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Reviews
[we had to restrict (with obvious regret) ourselves to only a few of the well-known critics/poets.. -Bhaskar]

DAILY JALSAA
Stupendous.....marvelous.....this is not a poem...this is a way of life.....in fact, it should be classified as the FIFTH VEDA after AYURVEDA, RIG VEDA, YAJUR VEDA and SAMA VEDA.
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DAILY REEL
We have run out of words trying to describe this work of art.....in fact, we have not started printing tomorrow's edition because we are at a loss for words....
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GAPSAA TIMES
we believe that the poet tried to reinvent the wheel from the point of view of a three year old.....one might think there is no reference to the invention of the wheel.....JUST BECAUSE THIS POEM DOES NOT TALK ABOUT CALCULATOR AND COMPUTER DOESN'T MEAN THAT THESE DON'T EXIST. One has to draw inferences from the obvious and not so obvious hints....
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Let me tell you...I’m not very emotional when it comes to poems...but I had to cry...the poem demanded it.....
- author of the famous book "SEVEN WAYS TO COUNT TILL SEVEN"
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I don't think I’m even qualified to talk about SKK.... from now on, I won't write poems till SKK asks me to..... this is a solemn "promise, colgate, close-up and vicco vajdradanthi".
- William Keats

Kunguma Kunguma Kunguma Kunguma Kunguma Poove

"Kunguma Poovay Konjum Puraavay
Kunguma Poovay Konju Puraavay
Thangamay Unnai Kandadhum Inbam Pongudhu Thannalay"

meaning... (kind of.. ;)
"My Kunguma flower.. My Sweetie Pigeon..
My dear Goldie, soon as i see You.. Joy overflows!!"


To get the entire lyrics of the song (tamil in english;), check this..
http://www.mohankumars.com/lyrics/index.php?m=s&lid=798

To listen to the song, click here..
http://www.dhool.com/cgi-bin/stream.pl?url=http://www.dhool.com/sotd/kungumapoove.rm



I am Happy!

Well.. today was my last class and my last case analysis and presentation.. for times to come..
It was a good finish to my two-year post-graduate pit stop... with the Business2Business marketing class. The visiting prof (Mr. Mohan Kuruvilla) was amazing.. Made us think out of the box and filled the class with a lot of practical insights and his personal experiences in B2B situations. I would not forget the way he changed the landscape of the cases..

Adios!

PS: Will be in indore only for another 15 odd days...
troubling the not-so-lucky mates while they attend their classes