Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Happy New Years......Hope something better comes up this time around..
In 2008,sun rose for me spreading with it,rays of hopes and aspirations.There were places I wanted to reach,targets I wanted to acheive,dreams which I aspired for. But now as the sun sets, I stand empty handed and lost, with not even my shadow beside me.
It had been a yr of setbacks where my life has moved at snails pace, When time seemed to have stood still only to be fast forwarded all of a sudden to remind you that another 365 days of ones life has been withered away doing nothing.
Well before I turn this entry of mine into a malayalam serial by continuing on with my stories of pity,disappointments and failures.I guess I shall try to include some of the incidents which were the highlights for me of 08.
Highlights -
Sadly from a personal point of view, I cant even think of a single high spot worth mentioning.
All I can come up with is -
i)From zero Knowledge of things happening around me, CAT helped me out in keeping touch with events happening across the globe, my love for reading multiplied and I started Blogging.
ii)Got myself a second hand bike and a new Dell XPS laptop.
From a broader point of view
-Never felt more patriotic or more raged and concerned about my nation than those 48hrs of Mayhem in Mumbai. Just felt jealous and proud of those commando's who were giving it their all for the nation.That is the kind of death any noble man should aspire for.
-Some of the speeches made by Obama and the confidence he transpired on millions was just jaw-dropping stuff.
-Good to get more than 2 litres of petrol again for 100 rs after seeing the highs of 55 rs/litre.
- Bush ducking away from shoes just as well as he does from controversies was indeed worth a laugh.
- It was great to see the Aussies being battered black and blue by the SA and India.How an empire has fallen.
- Great to see Sachin silence his greatest critics with an exquisite 100 while chasing in the 4th innings to back up couple of match winning displays in the finals of V.B Series.
-Federer coming back in style out of his slump to win the U.S Open.
-Reds for the first time in my memory topping the table come January and looking more than good for the title.This is especially sweet as bitter rivals Man Utld are just 1 trophy behind Liverpool in the overhaul title Haul.
-Aamir Khan with his Ghajini showed why he is the Ace Khan pushing SRK's RNBJ out of the Limelight.
Apart from these highlights which were scarce and few in between, last yr was a learning curve for me. Ironically, I feel I have learned more over the last yr than I ever did with my education in college or School.
Lessons Learnt in no particular order-
2008 in many ways has been an yr in which I had to come to terms with many harsh realities. For one, I realised that its pretty difficult to live ones life doing some crap no matter how much they pay you.And when this pay is also pretty bleak, the situation becomes sickening.
Resolution - Rather than complaining about the mess, try to find out how to make the best of the situation. Find alternatives and learn to ride the tough times.
Secondly, I learned or rather realised its always better to give\do things expecting nothing in return so as not to end up feeling hurt in the end.
Resolution - Though a hard one to put into practice, hopefully I would be able implement them come 2009, so as to avoid further damage and grief.
Third, Health is wealth. Frequent back pains and couple of lengthy spells of fever helped me realise just how good it feels to be healthy.
Resolution - Involve in more physical activity and exercise regularly.Eat healthy.Give your body No.1 Priority.
Fourth, The fact that my cell was showing greater battery life made me realise how rarely I use my cells these days and also how good it used to feel when I had to charge it once every 2 days.
Resolution - No matter whether the battery life is good or not, just keep it for charging once every 2 days(just kidding). Keep in better touch with your friends and near ones. They are the ones who give a purpose to your lives. Life without them is meaningless
Fifth - Don't put too much pressure on yourself by taking up anything as life and death situations.CAT will be a stark reminder for me for this.I put too much pressure on myself and then buckled.
Resolution - Learn from my mistakes and try to maintain a cool head.Nothing in the world should be felt too big to lose sleep over.Another tough 1 up my sleeve.
To put it simply, 2008 has been the toughest yr of my life yet.But I think it has helped me in becoming more mature, helped me in looking at life from a whole new angle,impressed upon me the immense possibilities that life has in offer and made me realise that life is no fool's game.
I hope the experiences of 08 has put me in good stead to take up the awaiting challenges of 09 - To give me the courage to dream again and give me the necessary strength and guidance t0 make my dreams come true so that come 2010,it wont be the void of my failure that fills me,rather a sense of accomplishment.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
I'm in LOVE......
When my friends told me Love never comes for free...I never believed them..I never trusted them..I thought why should it be like that?? If the Love is true, should money be a consideration at all...But then I have learned it the hard way that...yes..money does matter,no matter how true the love is...I did have had to pay a price for this...But boy oh boy, is it not worth it...the feeling of being in Love..
This feeling or sensation or whatever you may call it, started poisoning my mind kinda couple of months back...I came to know about her through my friends...I had heard she was good..but boy,I never knew she was this good...the moment i set my eyes on her..I knew I had to have her..She was perfect in every sense of the word...She was good looking, smart and carried off herself admirably...
I didn know how to contact her..thats when my friend gave me her number..I didn't had to give 2 thoughts about it..I immediately dialled that number..It was her friend or contact person who took the call..It didn matter to me..I told whoever it was that I wanted her..that I wanted her badly...She told me that she is not that easy to get and a small infatuation aint good enough for me to have her..But I was desperate..I told her I was pretty damn serious about this...In fact I had even discussed about this to my dad and mom..Though they had apprehensions about it in the begining, I was successful in convincing them..After conveying this to her friend and letting her know how badly i needed her..She agreed to bring her over to me, though I had to pay a heavy price for it....
Though it was just 2 days back that we met...it almost feels like a lifetime..I can still recollect the emotions which was running through my mind when both our eyes met for the first time..I just kept on staring at her..I completely lost track of time...Then I somehow took the courage to touch her..I feared she might react apprehensively..but she didnt..I could feel the warmth radiating from her..I then knew she was mine..Just mine..
Now, every morning, when I'm in office, the only thing which worries me is whether she is home safe..In fact I started getting so crazy that I started locking her up now...When I'm back, the only thing which I do is to stare at her..feel her...I'm learning more about her each day...The chemistry between us is just getting better each passing day..
Now as i undress her and press my fingers against her body...I just cant think of a world without her...My new Dell XPS
Friday, October 10, 2008
???Life???
Man VS Wild - The Ultimate Challenge - Survival in Chennai
Last night as I was surfing through the channels, I came across one interesting Adventure show in Discovery Channel.It was about survival.How to survive even if you find yourself stranded all alone in the middle of Sahara or Artic one fine morning.In this particular episode,Bear Grylls,who is the presenter of the show ended up being in patagonia ( which is a place in Southern America Located between Argentina and Chile, it comprises the Andes mountains to the west and south, and plateaux and low plains to the east).One would have to ask that guy itself how he got stranded there of all the places.Anyway that is not the point.As this place is almost bare of vegetation,this guy shows you how to survive for days by making maximum use of the available resources like digging inside a camels intestine for water,eating its testicles to make up for lost proteins and using its skin as protection to avoid freezing to death at night.In the end he does make it out of there using these strategies and more.Despite seeing his adaptability and courage to fight it out.I really do have doubts whether he would have survived here in Chennai working for an IT Firm.It certainly is starting to freek me out.I then started wondering whether or not to send a video of my life in chennai to Bear and to ask him - Patagonia cant be worse than this - can it be???
Surely not!!!! My battle for Survival starts right from the morning.Unlike Bear,my enemy is not mere Serpants or Wild Boars.Rather its of the more deadlier variety - my Alarm Clock.Gone are the days when I used to love the music of Pirates of carribean.Ever since it became my alarm tone,that is one music I cant stand.The war wages on for half an Hr with me Snoozing it only for it to fight back after every 5 mn.Conceding defeat and thinking about the face of TL with a pink slip in her hand,I draw up enough energy and start getting ready.After taking bath,I put on a pair of my new Jockey Inners,not that I'm that rich to thrash the cash on new Inners everyday,just that I'm too tired to wash them leaving me with no other option.It is in times like these,that one really wish one was married :) .Anyways.Then I put on a pair of already worn out formals and makes it brand new with just a press of my Axe Deo.Using the same strategy on my 3 weeks worn out socks,I'm all ready for the challenges ahead.
With one Kick of my Hero Honda Passion,I'm off along the ECR(Eastern Coastal Road) on a 11km journey to my office.Its almost 9.30 by the time I reach office.With less than 15 mn for the call with my On-Shore counterparts,I glance through the 120 pg document from which I was supposed to ask them some queries.Though I cant make the head or tail of it,I decide to question the validity of an innocuous looking statement among the thousands of statements given there not having a clue whether what I'm going to ask is Stupid or not.So finally at the fag end of the call,when my peer enquired whether I need any clarifications with regards to the new initiative,I trying to sound confident,flings that question against my Onshore counterparts.The reply was Instant "Come on,tell me Unni,What does that mean...Go through the entire documents again and give us the answer tomorrow" BOOM.vella aavishyavum undairunno.angane pavanayi shavamayi.Why the hell cant I shut my bloody mouth.That is that.
Now that its 10.30,it is time for the hunt to begin.Time for me to have my breakfast.Weighing up all the available options on the way to the Cafeteria including Onaka Vada,Bread Sandwich,dry chappathi,Oily poori and pongal,I settle on Masala Dosa and a glass of Boost (Yummy,The only good thing I have the whole day and of course there is also the juice).Now after trying to convince myself that I had a satisfying breakfast,I head back to my cubicle to start working or rather finger Excersising. My work basically comprises a routine step which you have to get good at,if you dream of reaching the higher echelons of your IT Firm.
This basically comprises of placing the thumb of your left hand on the left ALT Key,little finger on the left CTRL Key,ring finger on the Tab key,middle finger on the key C and your fore finger on key V.Also place two fingers of your right hand hand,one on Enter Key and the other on Print Screen Key.Once this is done,think of the person whom you hate most in this world and take all that anger against those 7 innocent keys.Once you master this art,you can proudly call yourself a SOFTWARE ENGINEER and thus begins your ALL EXCITING career in IT .
By 1.30,once the skin at the end of my fingers have got worn out,its time for me to have my so called Lunch.Two options lie in front of me -
1.Walk down to the cafeteria,make a random pick of the caterers,make a random pick of your main course and stuff it down my throat as retribution for all the sins I have committed.
2.Take the long walk to Thampuran (kerala restaurant) near our office to get a plate of good Kerala meals,risking myself of dehydration from the Chennai heat and of Unconsciousness from the Toxic smell ,which is so,so Unique of chennai.
But,With no Thampurati to come along with me to Thampuran,I decide to peg away my sins.Todays Main course consists of Chappathi and Channa Masala. A good look at the chappathi makes me wonder whether they made it so as to be consumed or to be used as paper weight.As for Channa Masala,It might be better than testicles,but then,that aint saying much,is it.To take the sour taste off my mouth, I have one glass of carrot juice and head back to my cubicle for furhter misery.
Mom - No 5 star hotel can come near the delicacies you prepare.
Now, with still 3 hrs to grudge out. I take my place in front of the metal box. With the work kinda done,I surf through thehindu.com for the rest of the day, keeping constant vigil over my AM's and TL's by keeping my fingers firmly on the ALT+TAB keys as I have already been warned by my AM once not to read Hindu and all in office :(
As the clock ticks towards 5.30 , its time for me to make the Great Escape.After ensuring that the AM's and TL's are not watching and confirming that the area is clear. Its time for me to make my dash through the corridor,down the stairs and out into the outside world.Breath of fresh Air atlast.
Its almost 6.15 and I'm home already. If it had been couple of weeks back,I would have had CAT - my passport from this frustrating life - to keep myself pre-occupied throughout the night .But having screwed that up and another year of toil and frustration in front of me,I try to find means to spend the rest of the day.
Having washed myself and getting an apple to bite, I settle down on Khaled Hossenis Kite Runner to relax my mind and traverse through the rest of the night.At 9.30, Our flat bell rings and dinner packed and parceled from kerala mess is ready to be gobbled down. If we take out of the eqution the fact that 3/4th of sambar is water and that we have the same uperi 7 days a week,the food is kinda Ok..Atleast the best thing available.After stuffing down most of it, i rest back on Khaleid Hosseini.When time ticks midnight, its time for me to cuddle back on to my bed with my brain shooting thousands of questions at me.Is this the kinda life I wanna lead on??How to escape from this mess??What to do with this life??What is my passion that I should pursue??What bloody thing should I do??With question marks written all over my life and all over my mind.I slowly glide away into slumber hoping my alarm clock wont wake me up any time soon..........
To put it short Bear, I would rather be in your shoes than mine...Anyways,looking forward to see you in action next week...
Friday, September 12, 2008
Come On.. Liverpool
So in the absence of Torres,in almost all likeliness,it would be Robbie Keane heading the line for Liverpool,Unless ofcourse,Rafael Benetiz has some other plans like pushing him to left wing or to even left back for some god-known reasons.The stupidity of this ploy was very much evident last week against Villa where he was hardly noticeable at the left sided position for the entire first half and the only time he got a chance to maurder around near the penalty box,he showed what he is capable of.But hopefully with the signing of Albert Riera,one can see Robbie in his rightful positon.In case torres cant start,I expect Benetiz to start with a lone striker though i hope he plays with two - (Keane & Babbel/Ngog) and take the attack to Manchester from the begining itself.
Another noticeable aspect of last weeks frustrating tame draw against Villa was Liverpools lack of ambition and drive.It was like they were happy in settling for a draw and if they could nick it in the end,it would be an added bonus.Not something a die hard liverpool supporter like me want to see.This is what the absence of Stevie G does to this team.Without him,there is no spark from the midfield to drive the game forward and strikers are forced more nd more to come deeper inside to see more of the ball.So the chances are that Mascherano will partner Alonso in the center of the midfield with Riera down the Left and Kuyt on the Right.With that midfield four,I see absolutely nothing going forward.Hopefully Riera will prove to be more of a conventional winger than the likes of Yossi and Babbel who likes cutting inside and thereby becoming easily predictable.I'm eagerly waiting to see how Riera will shape up and whether he can provide the width liverpool had been badly looking for,ever since i can remember.
Many have been criticizing Kuyt for his dismal performances down the right.But i don think thats fair at all.It is Rafa who should be blamed.When the transfer window opened,there were three places where Liverpool needed strengthening - One more world class striker and two Wingers ( 1 Left\ Right )But Benetiz spend most of the time and energy trying to recruit one Mr.Barry to an already overpacked Liverpool Midfield.If Benetiz had gone chasing behind Barry after securing a good winger as well,his motive could have been understood.But that not being the case,I feel he got his priorities wrong.Kuyt must be appreciated for his effort and his work rate which he has been putting despite playing him out of his position.I dono what is it with Rafael Benetiz that he doesnt like his best players to play in their preffered position whether it be Stevie G,Robbie Keane or Dirk Kuyt.
I expect the back four to be same as usual with Carra,Skrtel,Dosseina and Arbeloa though ideally i would prefer to see Aurelio in place of Dosseina.What I heard when Dosseina was signed was that,he was an attacking wing back.But after watching him over the Last 3 matches,he resembles another Riise.Also hope Benetiz asks Arbeloa to get more into the game going forward thereby giving kuyt the much needed support.All the goals conceded by Liverpool against Man.utd over the preious recent encounters have been through setplays.I'm sure Benetiz would have worked hard on that with his boys and would want to ensure that they don concede a goal like that today.Reina would also be keen to make amends for his shoddy display agains the champions last time at Anfield.
All said and done,I expect Man utd to nick it again this time coz they have some amazing talent going forward and I don think Liverpool are ready yet.Irrespective of whether we lose or win,I just hope to see Rafa asking his boys to display an attacking style of football,playing without fear,playing for the crowd,the Liverpool way.
Oh boy,its almost time and the excitement is really starting to get to me.All I wanna do now is Switch on the tele and Listen to Andy Gray scream
TTTTTTTOOOOOOORRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSS......
You Will Never Walk Alone
Unni
Epilogue
Pure Salvation...Nothing in the world could have been more sweeter than watching this display of Liverpool where they ouplayed and outgunned the Manures..For once,I felt Ferguson got his tactics wrong with his 4-3-3 formation where Rooney was forced to play through the sidelines and thereby hardly posing a threat.Having said that,I expect them to come back stronger after this reversal.Liverpool on the other hand was a breath of fresh air playing with flair and panache,tht too in the absence of Torres and Gerrard.Riera did catch my eye and he does posses the skills to get past players and deliver useful crosses..And Of course,Alonso..he was simply superb..after being pushed around by Rafa in the summer and to produce a performance of such magnitude speaks volume of this players capabilities..Mascherano also showed another side of his game going forward..Overall,it was one aggressive and flambouyant display from Rafa's men raising hopes and igniting dreams tht atlast this would be the year when we recapture the glory of the past.I know I might be getting carried away because of just one win over their fiercest rivals.But then after such a disply,who can blame me for getting carried away.Though Im still not sure Rafa is the man for the job to take Liverpool to title No.19..I certainly do hope he comes up with more such displays to prove me wrong...More of the same please...Rafa..
You'll Never Walk Alone..
An Overjoyed Liverpool Fan
Monday, July 7, 2008
ATDIML - Episode 2
pretty bad mood.Wat will i do??Is this indeed the end??Standing alone in the long corridor,i don find anyone in sight.I pray"God..help me"and .. ya you guessed it,there comes my buddy,out of one corner,just in time,in his typical ezhuthukaran look with long hairs nd a chavara bag which is so long that its almost dangling near his knees..
Now the shoving and pushing starts in front of the door,and as usual i outmuscle him and he crash bangs into the class. I follow him innocently and as expected,our entry is followed by fits of laughter(triggered by hari,kad and mansoor).ASM comes up with yet another tragic,emotional story as the reason for his lateness and as expected,she replies with her usual disdain and wry sly mathi mathi...poi iri.. which is followed by another uproar of HAHAHA HAHAHA.Now With all the benches occupied,we make our way to the last bench of the 1st row behind the gals only to find that,it is half covered in pigeon $#!%.Anyways,we take our place there having truimphed in securing precious 2hrs attendance.
Prameela Mam is busy delivering a lecture on a very important topic which is bound to come for the university exams and we don have any pen and paper with us.Butluckily Chandana,k.Anu and that slim gal from Andaman(if anyone remembers)are sitting in front of us and they show mercy to give us a pen and paper and in no time we are busy jotting down the numbers,drawing lines and columns,thinking up different possible permutations and combinations and finally we are all set....for the game of Bingo.Furhter in front of us is the most feared threesome in GEC history,Lakshmi,Minu and K.Pooja.Urban Legend is that,there isnt a single person in GEC who has been spared from their gossips.And in the first bench is Saghav Anu,Gisa and the Only gal in GEC history to pay condonation,Ambili.
Next to us,sweating all over and flirting with the gals is kad.To the left of him is Pari,who seems all tensed,guess someone commented something abt his hair.Next to them,are Hari and Mans launching rockets to the ceiling and Singing.That comprises
the last bench of middle row.In front of them is my best buddy,Aparna who still seems upset with me after yesterdays fight.phew.sorry yaar.Next to her is our topper,Nisha in her typical thattu dress alongside kanchana.Sitting in front of them is Parvathy,my lab mate prescribing to Angela the recipe of thairu shadam while Prathiba is sitting with a mechanical text book in hand.And in the firstst bench is Kunhu with a huge arsenal of pens,pencils,scales and rubbers.Alongside her is Pinky and Anjana.
Hey hold on,Just as soon as i start having a look at the gals,Amit starts peeping into my paper to win that game of bingo.Ivane kondu thottu.But despite his best efforts,i come up with a brilliant call in the 9th move and end up the winner :)
Back to gals,in the 1st bench of the 3rd row is the bubbly 3,keeru,Aishu and Ammu.Beauty Queen is busy SMSing her latest crush while Aish is nodding her head at 120 osc/mn to get the teacher in her good books,though she isnt understanding a
thing(after all i will have to explain everything to them later on)while Ammu is busy planning her next overseas trip.Behind them is India's only Olympic medal hope Anju,beside divya hostel roomate Merin and V.Pooja.In the third bench is Local
busy writing his records which were supposed to be submitted 2 weeks back.Next to him are the Bhujji's Emil and Ajit deep in thought.Further behind is Jiji sitting with his head held high taking in all the air his fragile body could.Next to him
is Gipson tightly hugged by his best buddy Dileep.
And in the corner bench of the farthest row,there seems to be a heated argument going on between Jinx on one side and Chalu,Jai and Sendil on the other (no surprises,Mamookas movie Black jst flopped).Next to them sitting unperturbed is glittering Glitto flexing his muscles.Further in front is our star dancer Jithu shaking the bench with his wave move while Chull,Ansar and Jithin narrowly holds on trembling along in the same bench.By the way Noufal and Vappi didn turn up for class and went for tour thinking there was university exam that day.And in the first bench of the farthest row is Nair having an animated conversation with..with...with..himself???
What happened to our Rep??has the three yrs of education taken its toll on that young man or is there some other reason for such drastic turn of events.....
Answer to this and much much more in the next episode of ATDIML..
Till then..Adios Amigo...
Monday, June 30, 2008
2003 - 2007 A College Story
A Typical Day In My Life or in Karan Johar style ATDIML - Episode 1
In this story,there are NO Heroes,NO Heroines and NO villains...jst loads nd loads of weird characters who were meant to be friends..
It is 23/01/2006 and we are going directly to the location where the story starts(My house)...
So here we go...
Time is 8.15 -
amma:mone enikku
me: zzzzzzzz ya zzzzzzzzzz
8.30 -amma: Unnniii enichille???
me: ya zzzzzzzzzzzzzz
8.45 -mom: Unniiiiiiiiii manushyanmare kollaruthu ketto..vilichu vilichu mathiyayi
me: iiiooooo enichu enichu {phew}
nd with tht,yet another day begins in my life-
With jst 15 mn to go nd no hopes of making it for the 1st hr in time,i rush through my morning routines....
its almost 9 nd i jst had my bath..phew..ente karyam pokka...i put whatever i get my hands on and rush...but before i can get out of my house,mom comes running behind shouting...
hey u cant leave without having ur breakfast..I shout back "no time amma" but she is adamant that i cant leave empty stomach..So with a stomach full of fried bananas,1 ounce nellikka juice and 2 glasses of milk,im almost ready 4 college...that is ALMOST
but i havent cleared the final litmus test yet - my DAD
Its 9.15 and i innocently walk towards my scooter obviously praying that dad dont see me..But alas,i aint tht lucky today...
Achan:when is ur class??
me:9.30{fingers crossed}
Achan:wats the problem with u??cant u reach ur classes atleast 5 mn before time??
me:I will reach der in time{again fingers crossed}
Trying to forget the guilt of having to lie and asking god to forgive me,im off at 150km/hr in my street hawk(which some people jealously called the ambulance/white pulsar)
and in no time,i have reached my college,just half an hr late...nd the day has only begun...
PS: sorry Mom for all the troubles and sorry Dad for being late :)
To be continued....
In the next episode,the story takes a plunging twist as Unni finds himself deserted outside the classroom.What will happen to him,will he live to give the attendance or will he be thrusted to perils of condonation.
watch out for the next episode..coming shortly,in my blog itself..
till then cheers nd thanks for reading through all this crap :)
Thursday, June 26, 2008
My College Life - A poem
Exactly after 22 years,4 months and 22 days, I decided to write a poem...
I dedicate this to all my friends who made my college life memorable and unforgettable..
This is my first ever poem,so bear through it..cheers..
I took my first step in a strange new land
with just a book in my hand
The place was teeming with people i never knew
i wondered how i would get my next four years through.
Once the "im ____" and "im from _____" was done
the party had already begun
Days rolled on,but dono when
i started realising that i never had this much fun.
Memories of graphics classes are many
all thanks to our sir Shulapani
Played cricket matches aplenty
winning 16 in a row still remains in GEC History.
We also used to play a game meant for 6
name of the game was 56
We used to play it 9 to 6
but that was back then in 2006.
Then there were the series exams and university
for which chits and bandages,came in more handy
When d results are announced finally
gals ask how much while boys ask how many??
Lab exams were another torture
as we didn know the diff b/w ammeter nd wattmeter
Taking the viva was like walking into a nazi chamber
where v have committed many a blunder.
Myriad 3.50 rs were puffed up at the apoopan's kada
next to wimbis where we usually had our vada
Around 4,we wait near the ATM darwaza
in anticipation of the gals from the Vimala.
Final year tour was funny
where we ran short of money
coz of our supervisor Mani's
love for Mcdowell Honey.
Though now in office with a code to review
its just the memories that i wanna brew
With nothing to do but a gum to chew
i realise now how fast my four years flew