Reallusion !

great poem.. donno who wrote it... or which computer wrote it..
But can you see its uniqueness???!!!
-Bhaskar

'Illusion is itself reality', Yeah!
that was what I thought, and,
reality engulfs illusion.
Happy felt I that I knew, Smiled I.

there was, of course, doubt. No clarity was there,
but, I learnt, I laughed, I cried, as
'the years' passed by life, t'seemed.
One million questions asked I, but, was I answered?

........I continue to dream, and,
dream to continue, I.......

Answered I was, but, I asked questions, million one!
T'seemed life bypassed 'the years' as cried I,
laughed I, learnt I, but, there was clarity.
No doubt, of course, was there. I smiled.

Knew I, that I felt happy.
Illusion engulfs reality.
And thought I, what was that?
yeah! reality itself is illusion.

Tirumala - Tirupati

Hmmm.. I was at Tirumala – Tirupati last week. Had taken a couple of days off from work and was there to attend some puja ‘Vasanthotsavam’ my parents and relatives had booked for us. We were some 11 people who arrived in 3 groups at Tirupati and got together there before again splitting into 3 groups on our way up the hill.

Let me explain.. I and my cousins had initially planned to walk the stairs up the hill. It’s a 3hr climb and I have done that some 4 -5 times in my life. (I must’ve visited Tirumala some 10 -15 times.. earlier, we used to visit the temple almost every year.) But this time, just a couple of days before the ascent, my left knee was paining a bit.. I’d probably hurt myself in the gym.. and hence, I decided to take the bus uphill. Thus got the 3-way split - there was one group that visiting some temples in Tirupati (downhill).. and me going up by bus and my cousins walking up.

Anyways.. now I am at the richest temple in India and probably the world too. And what do I see? Money.. commercialism.. Indians are very creative when it comes to making small-time money. There were soooooo many jeeps manning the roads and offering rides across the hill-station to the pilgrims. Tirumala has some ‘free’ buses but I’m sure these guys have some kinda deal with the bus drivers.. and I guess Murphy’s law will also aid the jeepers.

There’s a facility to transport the luggage for the pilgrims walking up the hill. Though this facility is supposed to be “free”, again the operators and enablers request you for ‘something’.

The accommodation on the hill is at very nominal rates… very good cottages for just Rs.100 per day. But the caretaker requests you for money supposedly for cleaning the room after you vacate.

And so on…

Even, Cool drinks are at a premium – Rs.7 Coke is available for Rs. 9

Somehow, the whole trip for me was a reminder of the state of India… diversities and contrasts. For example, they give anyone free food at the temple. Still there are beggers around..

Note: Tirupati ‘laddus’ are world-famous - atleast among the Indian diaspora. But they are also in short-supply. Its so difficult to buy them at the designated counters these days..

Am Back..

Just to let the world know that I'm back... in India..
well.. I never got out of India.. but then.. never mind..!!

Sweet Child O' Mine

She's got a smile that it seems to me
Reminds me of childhood memories
Where everything
Was as fresh as the bright blue sky
Now and then when I see her face
She takes me away to that
special place
And if I stared too long
I'd probably break down and cry

Sweet child o' mine
Sweet love of mine

She's got eyes of the bluest skies
As if they thought of rain
I hate to look into those eyes
And see an ounce of pain
Her hair reminds me
of a warm safe place
Where as a child I'd hide
And pray for the thunder
And the rain
To quietly pass me by

Sweet child o' mine
Sweet love of mine

Where do we go
Where do we go now
Where do we go
Sweet child o' mine




Amazing song... I just love it..

"Sweet Child O' Mine" Copyright Guns N' Roses 1988
From the album "Appetite For Destruction" Released November 30th 1988

Happy New Year!

Well.. It's Tamil New Year Day today.. As Also Vishu - Mallu New Year day... As also Baisakhi - Punjabi New Year Day..

Happy New Year to y'all !!

And we also have our superstar's movie being released today.. Chandramukhi!

What do I write?

What do I write? I don’t know… there are so many things around.. that I don’t know what to write! Hmm… let me talk abt accents.. that is something I get to hear often given the BPO setup that I’m in. my gawd! What accents.. at times I just cant bear to listen to all those crap.. the put-on kinds. But there are some who have actually imbibed the accent - probably given their continuous interaction with the Americans.. its interesting to hear them and notice the subtle ways in which they differ from the rest. But I think I need a lot of practice on enunciations. I hear myself a lot these days too.. all my conference calls with my US counterpart are recorded for documentation purposes. And it sounds horrible at times.. i’m someone who didn’t bother with my accent or enunciations.. the focus was on speaking and conveying.. may be that comes with the kind-of monotonous madras tamil that I speak. (all the properly enunciated tamil seems too ancient.. Sangha Thamizh) I do understand the importance now. Anyway, better late than never..

Recognition ;)

Life is full of funny incidents. Yesterday was one such day for me. Well.. let me tell you what happened.. and you decide for yourself..

Dell provides door-to-door pick-up to all its employees. Yesterday they changed the cabs along the different routes. The new cab driver called me up, took directions and with some difficulty, reached my home. We were to pick-up another gal on the way to office. The driver requested me to call her and get the directions to her place. She lived at a place called Jayamahal. I spoke to her and took the directions and earnestly lost the way. (see.. it was her fault.. she didn't know how to lead anyone to her house properly!) One wrong turn and we landed in front of the Cantonment railway station. I called her up again, told her our location and got the new route from that place (there are a lot of one-ways in Bangalore, in case you don't know) and again lost our way ;) (I told you na.. she just didn't know how to guide someone to her house.. once a bad navigator, always a bad navigator!).

Ab kya karen.. had her call me and took real-time directions (running commentary types) and finally reached her place. She looked Hep with bandana and all.. but then you know na.. most of these BPO gals are like that.. stylish, sexy, accentuated et al. So, she got into the cab and spoke just a few words and then turned the other side. Well, she had been standing on the road for quite sometime waiting for us to arrive. So, I thought she's probably cursing me under the breadth or something.. she didn't want me to know and hence, turned the other side :) After sometime, I recalled that the group that she was working with was very much similar to my own.. in that.. both weren't part of the typical call-center operations and there were only a few such groups in Dell. I was curious and asked her about her floor and she said 'ground floor'.

Hmm…I was even more surprised now 'cos I was also in the ground floor. Our floor is usually filled with call operations and the babes start pouring in only by 6pm. At 2pm, there are hardly two gals. One of them is quite good-looking, dresses pretty well (no.. not the lack-of-it kinds ;), sexy and all that and I have been 'eye'ing her at times when I pass that corner! Oh my gawd! I realized that it's the same gal in the cab right beside me!!! I didn't know I was so bad at recognizing people.. gals in particular :) She might have recognized me.. no wonder she was looking the other way! God knows what she must have been thinking.. 'sight adikkaradhum adichitti ippa theriyadha maari nadikkaraan paaru..!!'.. 'line bhi maartha hai aur ab achcha bachcha jaise act kartha hai!!' or something to that effect.. my gawd! I had a tough time controlling my laughter. Once I reached my cubicle, I just burst out laughing and all my cub-mates were wondering "what's gone wrong with him?!" :)

Bhaskar

Angel Falls

Angel Falls.. what a name.. like a paradox.. Truth fails..
But it actually the name of a waterfalls in South America.. Venezuela.. Ammmmmazing place.. I saw it on the AXN over the weekend.. some program by the name "Hollywood's best Stunt scenes". It seems the stunt guys had a free fall of about 15secs in the air before opening their parachutes.

I would love to see the place.. stand on the edge.. and look down the entire length.. Dont know if I would dare the free fall though.. THAT depends.. ;)

http://www.venezuelatuya.com/gransabana/saltoangeleng.htm
http://gosouthamerica.about.com/library/weekly/nangel.htm

In my childhood (when I was abt 3yrs old!), my parents took me to Vizag to one of my relatives' place. He was working for HPCL and they had this wonderful quarters - British style bungalow- on top of a hill facing the sea. We could see the ships docked at the harbour. There was a big tree.. dont remember which one.. just on the edge. And that had a swing on it. And I remember the swing that took one far away.. into the free air.. crossing the edge.. Man.. That was amazing!

I've had quite many dreams in my life related to that particular setting ever since.. I dont know whats the significance.. do you?

Bhaskar

"A Small Step for Man.. !

But a Giant Step for Mankind.."
Thus spoke Armstrong..
And the purists were enraged.. 'cos of the grammatical error..
But then.. what the hell!

YEAH!! I've gone 'B' :)
Got my broadband finally!!

Bhaskar