A quick Recap...

A quick recap of Year 2006. Some achivements, some events, some failures, it was a right mix I should say.

January:

• The Homecoming. I at last got to get a mvoe from Mumbai to Bangalore. Joined HP Office, (on deputation from TCS) and started working on Storage Technologies Lab.
• We bought a Maruti Omni - White - LPG/ Petrol.
• Discussion of booking a flat - an ill fated decision? Only time will answer.

February:

• Bought a new bike. Bajaj Discover. I have completed 7621 Kms as on date. A lot of travel indeed!!
• Booked aflat at Ittina Mahavir, for which little progress has happened.

March - April:

• Visited Mumbai for my uncles first death Anniversary - I performed all the rituals with utmost faith.
• Visited my Wadala Peiyamma, not knowing that I wouldnt visit her again.

May - June:

• Work..Work..Work. At office.
• Travelled to Pondy after a Long time. It was a nice memorable visit. Always its great to go to the place in which you were born and lived for initial 22 years.

July:

• Travelled to Trichy, Thanjavur along with family, inthe Omni for Priya's marriage. Had a nice trip and brought along something that my brother would never forget - Horoscope of Vidhya, now my "manni".

August:

• Official Visit, I should say, for my brother to see Vidhya - We went to Raju - Sumuka's house at Electronic City to see Vidhya and her family.
• Travelled to Chennai - Muthuamma, my beloved gramdma's first death anniversary.

September:

• My brother's engagement. It was the first huge event for some time in our family. And more important for me - as I had to manage the show. Sept 3rd, sunday - Early morning Pooja and Yagnas, follwed bythe engagement - A Great event.
• Travelled to Periyakulam - vidhya's native. A wonderful small town, very pleasant, very scenic. Ramesh and Vidhya's Marriage date was fixed as November 12th.
• I started to look for a change in job. Posted my resume in websites and started sniffing at jobs seriously.
• Attended IBM interview, but turned out to be a flop, as the requirement totally did not match.

October:

• Attended EMC, Mindtree interviews. Got offers in both. A result which I never expected to occur so soon.
• Arrangements for marriage started in flow. Distribution of Invitations, Booking of Reception Hall, Shopping etc etc.

November:

• Ramesh's Marriage, Reception in Bangalore. A great event again in our family, unforgettable.
• Got the offer letter from EMC, dated Nov 13th, my birthday on the 14th.
• Resigned TCS on Nov 15th 2006.

December:

• Last few days in HP and TCS.
• Pechu, as she is fondly known as, Periyammas sudden and tragic demise.
• Amma's Cardiac issues and hospitalisation.
• Dec 22nd - Last working day in HP and TCS. A very warm farewell from HP, which I would not forget.

And now...Its exactly 11:59 as I type this...A Great End to an Eventful Year.

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2007.

Count down has begun...

The count down has begun. The New Year 2007 is just an hour away. New Year...New Resolutions.. New Hopes...New Dreams...Let me Wish Myself and All the readers of this blog a VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR 2007.

After a lot of inactivity, I have given a new life to this blog and I hope to keep it alive through the years. As I type this, I am hearing sounds of crackers being bursted in the neighbourhood. The celebration has indeed started...So lets enjoy it.

I am not the only one!!

Huh! I am ashamed that I have done this umpti number of times now. I recently read the Post "Memoirs of Mistakes" by Nil, but I just cannot apply that here. I know I am not doing what I promised to myself.

All said, I also realised that it was not only me, along with me were most of my friends too, sailing in the same boat of long inactivity. Hopefully the coming new year brings in the much needed interest and enthusiasm in all of us so that we continue what we have not been doing for long now.

A Word is mightier than a...

With the Da Vinci code, being the latest in the list of movies that are made out of literary best sellers, I thought, is it ever possible to depict and showcase a literary work so perfectly in a movie. According to me, how much ever one tries to make a visual out of words, it is just impossible to reach hundred percent. Through words one can describe the scene in a much powerful manner than showing the same visually. No matter how well the actor expresses the feel. Right from the God Father, the Harry Potter series, I have always felt that the book is much better than the celluloid. That’s the scope and challenge, a moviemaker gets from such literary works. Be it the use of extensive visual effects and 3D graphics in Harry Potter or the screenplay of God Father, or the gigantic settings in the Lord of the Rings, moviemakers have done it all to bring out the same essence of the book. One good try that is worth mentioning here is the picturization used in ‘Virumaandi’ to show the difference in Viewpoint when two people narrate an occurrence of the past. (Needless to state, I am a huge fan of Kamal Hassan.) But through words, one could have put forth it very easily.
Giving life to words on a paper is not a simple task, and that too showing a 592 page story in lesser than 100 minutes is not a joke. Salutes to Ron Howard. The effort should always be appreciated and I do it. And the biggest advantage with movies is the reach and spread that the creation gets among the public, that is the only sense, in which the silver screen beats the pen and paper hands down.

The Da Vinci Code

The movie “Da Vinci Code” was supposed to be released last week. Being one the readers of the book I know the exact contents of the book. Even though it is a work of pure fiction and even though Dan Brown makes it very clear in the very first page, one would, in the grip of the story, might momentarily believe it’s real. I did. This is more so in the case of Da Vinci, because of the usage of some real organizations and poeple (Opus Dei, The Priory of Sion), setting (the Louvre) etc.. But its only until we come out of the grip of the read, to realize it’s nothing more than an amazing piece of fiction.

Now, with the completion of the movie, I was eager to watch how well Ron Howard has managed to recreate the words in the form of visuals. But then arrives the controversy. I just could not imagine what is this fuss all about? And this being debated more in India, probably shows, how conservatives we are still. It’s not only about Christianity, but the same controversy and the hunger strikes were there when the films like Water, Fire and Kamasutra were made. My view point is, are the sentiments of people here in India are so vulnerable that a single movie can change the belief that we all have grown along with, all these years? It’s really sad. Yes, I agree that we have our own values, culture and tradition and I also firmly believe that our culture is our Identity in this world and is the Differentiator to the outside world. At the same time, we should not oppose an art work that throws a different view. And that too, when it’s a work of fiction! Hopefully things will change soon, for the better.

Music is magic

As I type this post, I am listening to one of the magic works of A R Rahman, the tracks of RDB. Music is magic. The captivation it has among people is amazing. It’s not who the creator of the music is, but it’s about how captivating and enthralling it is to you.
As a true music lover I listen to all kinds of music which I feel good and suits my taste. I mostly like soft music, and Rahman has given a lot of that in this piece. Particularly the tracks “Tu bin bataye” and “Luka Chupi” are extremely good. The Guitar that goes along in Luka Chuppi is amazing. The sound of the string is really pleasant to the ears. When one observes closely, one can listen the triggering of the strings crystal clear. This along with the voice of Lata Mangeshkar and Rahman himself is pure magic. To top it all, the song ends with the rendering of the swaram. Being a Hindustaani semi classical, I would rate this one as one among the top songs that has come out of A R Rahman. I just cannot think of any other word than Magic to describe this work. As I have always felt the more and more I hear some songs, more and more I like them. I listen the background music which goes along with the song throughout. I feel that is the difference between music makers like Illayaraaja, Rahman and others. A soft piano that goes along has not been mastered by many except these two great masters.  Music to me is all about experimentation and these two great men never stop doing it. Listen and observe to enjoy yourself.

Encounter with Fire

Date: April 4th, 2006

I had a close encounter with fire. That is when I realized the power of nature. I was performing the Navagraha Homam after my uncle’s “Aata thevasam” (First Death anniversary). When fed with the right fuel, ghee and pieces of wood (samith), the force of fire increased. The very sight of the fire rising up was great indeed. I tell you Fire is beautiful. I thought to myself, human beings are also a form of nature. One, when fed with the right fuel of knowledge, can prosper in life. I pray that everyone in this world gets the right measure of the right fuel so as to prosper well in life.

Its all in the mind – Continued…

Well, a few weeks back, I had posted how I felt when I was driving the PY registration bike in Bangalore. My eyes kept on searching in every nook and corner of the roads for policemen.
Now, we have paid the required Karnataka Road tax for that bike. And when I am driving the same bike now through the roads of Bangalore, I just do not think about the PY registration and my eyes no more searches for the conmen and my hands do not maneuver the bike to hide behind the larger vehicles. It is indeed all in the mind!!

Oh! This one is mine!!

I just remembered I have a web log!!! So here I am back, awake from a loong sleep.

I had so many things to post but I posted none of them. so now I thought I shall just pump things in here soon.

Its all in the mind.

That day I had given my new bike for the first service. Hence I had to go to the office in the old bike. The problem with the old one is that its in Pondicherry registration and I have not paid the Karnataka Road tax so that I can drive it. One attracts heavy fine if not followed the rules.

And here I go, driving, with my heart panting as if I have done something terribly wrong. To my bad luck, its one of such days where in each and every nook and corner there is a policeman standing with the Receipt book of his. Huh! A left turn and there he is. I quickly look for the truck going past me and cruise behind it so that the police man doesn't watch me. Oops, Just when 'I' was about to cross the signal, it turns red. And there I have to stop. Now, heart pumps even faster. The man overseeing the traffic can see me clearly and more clearly, the number plate in my bike. I make frantic efforts to turn the handle bar to an angle from which he cannot see it, and was acting to be very casual. The count down is ticking 85, oops that's nearly one and a half minute. It was like an hour and half for me. And at last it turns green and allows me to go past the Stop line. I feel as if I just cleared the tenth standard. To reach office, I still had to clear the higher secondary and then 8 semesters in college. Yeah! That's exactly the number of traffic signals that I need to cross through daily. At last, I somehow manage, thanks to the heavy bangalore traffic, I always had some vehicle to hide behind, and reach Lavelle Road, the one in which my office is located. Just a turn left and within 60 meters, I could reach the office parking lot. And there I see our man, sitting pretty in his Pulsar!, that too right in front of the two wheeler park entrance of my office. Carefully observing, I realized that he was there to drop someone. My heart beat slows down as I got nearer and nearer. Huh!!

I was thinking about this even today. I pass through the same set of traffic signals daily. And there is absolutely no doubt that policeman need to be there at all signals and junctions to maneuver this kind of traffic. But still, when I travel in the new bike, with all required documents intact, I don't worry about all this. The reason for all these feelings and thoughts was because, I was more aware of the fact that I am doing something which is wrong and against the law. Don't we get the same feeling when we tell someone a lie? Its exactly the same thing when one falters against the moral law. It just keeps pricking for a long time.

Its all in the mind.

Argument - Self thoughts

Argument is something which I hate. I just dont want to be in there, when there is an argument. I hate to be in either side of an argument. People express thier views. I also have something to say on it. But I do not do it. Except when there is an absolute need for it. Yes I do put my views across, but I feel I do not always.

In some occassions I just keep mum when someone talks, as if I accept each and evrything that the opposite says. I am not an introvert by any means. But still why? But I also realise that I need some time to think before I can talk. Also it could be because of the fact that I do not like to hurt anyone because I say something which someone does not agree, particularly if that someone is very much elder to me.

So is this something I need to change myself?

'Discover'ing Bangalore

I just changed and got myself a new bike with an endeavor to discover the unseen places in Bangalore. And aptly my bike has been named ‘Discover’. I got it on the 17th of this month, and have already done nearly 400 Kms. Enjoying every moment of it.


With so many options available these days, selecting one is very difficult. And what a coincidence, my discovery has matched with thatof experts ;-). This has been adjudged as the "Indigenous Design of the Year 2005" by OVERDRIVE and has also been awarded the "Best Bike of the Year 2005". And its living up to it.

I really couldn’t pick up any photograph of ‘my’ bike, but managed to pick up one from the Bajaj Site matching the color of mine. Doesn’t it look good??? Hopefully I should get the original portrait of the same soon enough to my photoblog http://mageshg.myphotoalbum.com.

Going the HP way...

Well a few days back I was feeling very much bored and didn’t have any work to do at office. Now it’s just the opposite. Life is just rocking. It’s a nice experience for me to work in HP facilities and environment. Its much different from TCS and it’s a great learning experience. Work is going very fast, lots to learn. The Storage domain and the technology is new to me and I have a lot to gear up to. Last two weeks saw the bringing up of all our storage arrays ourselves. Right from stacking up the disk enclosures,  to piling in the disks to the bays, to powering up the Controllers, to connecting to host machines and management stations, to cabling and configuring the fiber switches, we had to start from the scratch and build. At last, along with a lot of lessons and best practices, we brought all things into place by last Friday. This was not enough though. We also had to attend to various training sessions conducted by the Storage experts who have solely come to India for this purpose. I am riding along this huge tide of work, happily and things shaping up in the positive, probably first time in my work life. Hopefully I would get hold of this path.

Idle mind

Idle mind is devils abode, they say. I do not know how much it is true. But I know being idle is one of the most difficult things in life. I am experiencing this hell for the past few weeks in office. Coming to office only to check mails, chat with friends, have lunch, take tea breaks…done…end of day, travel back home. But one cannot complain about this life as well. Hopefully this state quickly passes away.

The Homecoming

Lots of things have happened in the past months, laziness crept in and I didn’t make any efforts to blog. A fresh month is approaching and as a genuine software engineer, thought of making my processes right. Had to wipe out the old blemishes, hence this blog summarizing what had happened during the last two months.

By the mid of December, It was almost certain that I will be transferred down to Bangalore and eventually it did happen, not fully though. It was mutually agreed that I would be on deputation for six months and will be transferred after that.

I was in a confused state as I had offers from Sonata Software for a Tandem developer job with Dell. With lots of uncertainties within, I was not sure if I should take it up or not. The package was good but the pink slip was in the waiting one year down the line. (It was a one year fixed-time employment). Moreover it was in the technology which might hamper my career growth. It was not worth enough to risk ones job/ career, hence decided against it. In the meantime, got some interviews arranged with HP by TCS and cleared it with ease. In fact it was a No interview. Anyways as the technology of Storage was very good I didn’t even spare to think to accept the project. But at that time nothing was spoken of my transfer. This is one of the most frustrating, boring and difficult phase in ones professional life – a change in job/ role/ location/ project. Uh!! Uncertainties to the max and with all these I am sure one cannot concentrate on anything and work upon. I was like a nomad in office, roaming all places in the floor; reaching office by 11.00 AM and leaving early. And at last it all came to an end. Things were getting postponed but I was happy in a way that it was going to happen. The move out of Mumbai, I knew would not be that easy. I had a nice establishment there and moving out everything would be a huge task. In the idle time of this transition phase, I planned to send my entire collection home through courier. I was surprised that it weighed only 50 Kgs. my two year collection of all kinds of books. Then I took up and completed the big exercise of change of communication address. This again was a huge task. I have 3 magazine subscriptions, 3 bank accounts, my great IGNOU MBA program (its in a messed up state, I am ashamed of myself), a few other financial relationships etc. As I had the Christmas week off, with the D-Day (joining date with TCS HP- Bangalore) not being finalized, I decided that I should make use of the time and make a short trip to Bangalore. I shifted half of my things through train and left the rest for the final fly down. It was a nice short trip and I enjoyed the New Year in the place where probably I am destined to live the rest of my life. When I reached Mumbai back on the 3rd of Jan, nothing much had changed. Then the news of the “Jan 6th Training” in TCS Bangalore reached and I felt as if I had just seen the last lap flag in a Formula one race. Within a day everything was done; my deputation letter came to my table, and my flight tickets to Bangalore reached my office reception. Bid good bye to all and started to Bangalore on the wee hours of 6th January. If I had been there in Mumbai for a few more days till the 12th, I would have completed the magical time of 2 years. Carrying loads of “The-Great-Mumbai-Experience”, I boarded that flight. The day went well and by evening I was at home. I reported in TCS ITPL for a short training and I were to report in HP Lavelle Road office on 9th January. So that was the big story of my home coming.    

Rebirth

Uh!! After all, what Nilava told has come true! Yet another long break. To err is me, To Forgive is me…I, Me, Myself!! Here I am, born again in this Bloggers Park!