Thursday, March 30, 2006
Sea Face
I think i should temporarily rename this blog to Sea Face. At least while I enjoy the sea here in Bombay...
I dont know what it is, but there is something about this place that somehow soothes the mind. The serenity of the place.. its just wonderful. The lapping of the waves on the shore somehow resonate with the mind and whatever u feel is just absorbed by the sea.
This is what I really miss in Bangalore. The freedom of the open sea. Surrounded by land on all sides, gives me the feeling of being trapped. Locked in tight with nowhere to go. You know that whichever direction you look, its all mud.
Why? I guess I have been luck enough to see what the sea can do. Her fury, her calmness. Her mood swings. The ability to drown out anything when needed. Nothing on land is comparable. NOTHING!
And so i sit by the sea every evening, whenever I can, and just admire the view.
I dont know what it is, but there is something about this place that somehow soothes the mind. The serenity of the place.. its just wonderful. The lapping of the waves on the shore somehow resonate with the mind and whatever u feel is just absorbed by the sea.
This is what I really miss in Bangalore. The freedom of the open sea. Surrounded by land on all sides, gives me the feeling of being trapped. Locked in tight with nowhere to go. You know that whichever direction you look, its all mud.
Why? I guess I have been luck enough to see what the sea can do. Her fury, her calmness. Her mood swings. The ability to drown out anything when needed. Nothing on land is comparable. NOTHING!
And so i sit by the sea every evening, whenever I can, and just admire the view.
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
One and a half hours
Time to fly from Banagalore to Bombay: 1.5 hours
Time in taxi from Bombay Airport to Home: 1.5 hours!
The mystery that is travel in India.. go figure. :-)
This is my story....
Left home on wall street at 0730 hrs yesterday morning.. (thanks to G for the ride to the airport)
Walked in.. went though the routine, and sat down with my book. (Simoqin Prophecies). Lovely book.. thank R for recommending.
At 0830 realised that there still was no announcement for my flight departing at 0835! Asked someone if i missed the announcement. :-)
Hadn't. Continued Reading.
0835. Boarding announced. But not at gate 1, at gate 3. Rush to the overbridge and board the Indian aircraft! Stunned at its size...
An Airbus A300. As i trekked to my seat, I wondered how many people flew to Bombay on tuesday mornings! To give u the scale of the aircraft, the configuration of the plane was 2-4-2. (For the uninitiated, thats 2 window seats, aisle, 4 seats, aisle, 2 window seats)
Now u understand!
Snuggled up with my book.. occasionally looking out the window.
Take off at 0900.. land at 1030!
Half an hour late.. but thats OK.
1040. In taxi. Start drive to town. Encountered traffic near Bandra. And thats where i saw why i missed bombay so much!
Stuck in a traffic jam, and everyone waited patiently.. no horns blaring etc. Now thats called discipline. And thats why i did not realise i spent an hour and a half in the cab till i got off.
Trust me, in bangalore, u realise when u spend 10 mintues in traffic! :)
Before anyone plans to make me disappear on my return..i'l shut up for now!
Time in taxi from Bombay Airport to Home: 1.5 hours!
The mystery that is travel in India.. go figure. :-)
This is my story....
Left home on wall street at 0730 hrs yesterday morning.. (thanks to G for the ride to the airport)
Walked in.. went though the routine, and sat down with my book. (Simoqin Prophecies). Lovely book.. thank R for recommending.
At 0830 realised that there still was no announcement for my flight departing at 0835! Asked someone if i missed the announcement. :-)
Hadn't. Continued Reading.
0835. Boarding announced. But not at gate 1, at gate 3. Rush to the overbridge and board the Indian aircraft! Stunned at its size...
An Airbus A300. As i trekked to my seat, I wondered how many people flew to Bombay on tuesday mornings! To give u the scale of the aircraft, the configuration of the plane was 2-4-2. (For the uninitiated, thats 2 window seats, aisle, 4 seats, aisle, 2 window seats)
Now u understand!
Snuggled up with my book.. occasionally looking out the window.
Take off at 0900.. land at 1030!
Half an hour late.. but thats OK.
1040. In taxi. Start drive to town. Encountered traffic near Bandra. And thats where i saw why i missed bombay so much!
Stuck in a traffic jam, and everyone waited patiently.. no horns blaring etc. Now thats called discipline. And thats why i did not realise i spent an hour and a half in the cab till i got off.
Trust me, in bangalore, u realise when u spend 10 mintues in traffic! :)
Before anyone plans to make me disappear on my return..i'l shut up for now!
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Quote of the Day
An infrastructure maintenance guy at our office came running to see if any of the wireless equipment at work were on. If they were, we ought to inform the Information and Security Manager.
And this is because, get this:"We proudly tell all our clients that there is no wireless connectivity at any of our offices." (He said this with a straight face. He actually believed it!)
By the way, I work at a technical consulting firm. (or something to that effect)
And this is because, get this:"We proudly tell all our clients that there is no wireless connectivity at any of our offices." (He said this with a straight face. He actually believed it!)
By the way, I work at a technical consulting firm. (or something to that effect)
Sunday, March 19, 2006
Peeved, Electricity leaves Wall Street
Our bureau
Wall Street, March 19
Wall Street, March 19
Facing tremendoues Resistance, Volt and his companion Ampere, decided to part ways with Wall Street today. This meant that the residents of the area had to make do without the presence of Electricity for a parts of their day.
As we write this report, talks are under way to ensure that no further discomfort is felt, after all citizens lives are at stake here.
We spoke to Z, a citizen of Wall Street earlier today. "This is ridiculous. Why must they do such stuff on weekends, when everyone is home from work? Must we really be made to feel the pinch? And talk about timing, today there is an F-1 race as well. Thankfully I managed to see the last lap. But i still missed all the fun. Cant they do somethign about this? Really beginning to feel this place is devolving into a village. Its no wonder they call this place the IT Village!"
It is still unclear what caused the split. Sources close to all parties are extremely tight-lipped causing speculation that this may not be the last of the issue. In fact, this is not the first time that such an incident has occurred. Only last week, Electricity was not permitted to enter the area. The only difference is that last time around such an event was announced before hand, to ensure that nobody is overly inconvenienced.
The crisis for the day seemed to be over just after lunch when normalcy was restored. This however, was more of a temporary reprieve, as thigns fell into disarray soon after. Now for the fourth time this day, Electricity has ventured to foray into the area of Wall Street.
At the time of going to press, the situation seems to have returned to, as Z would say, a normal city form.
Friday, March 17, 2006
One comes... another goes
More good byes. Thats one problem with staying at Wall Street. You get to see everyone off. Whats the problem with that, you may ask?
Its not a formal send off, its just the last time u know u will see that person for a long time. Have done it regularly since at least May last year.
First, a room-mate IBS moved out. Initially went far away.. then came closer. In the city still, but havent seen him for a long time. Not since AM left.
Then NiG flew out. (she tried the first time at least, and then finally the second attempt saw her leave the city).
Then there was SHn. He went, he came, he went again!
Then a former room-mate M. (well he took a train, but still)
Then we had AH, who just came back.
Then another room-mate AM.
Then H.
Then SP.
And yesterday AG.
Too many I must say. And these are the ones i saw off. There were some I missed too (K, MD, DH for example)!!
Anyway.. good for them.. nice to have so many friends from here who are now out somewhere.. most of them being in another country, as the nature of the job needs. Means I can get lots of gifts and chocolates!! :-D
See now I'm just being greedy.....
Its not a formal send off, its just the last time u know u will see that person for a long time. Have done it regularly since at least May last year.
First, a room-mate IBS moved out. Initially went far away.. then came closer. In the city still, but havent seen him for a long time. Not since AM left.
Then NiG flew out. (she tried the first time at least, and then finally the second attempt saw her leave the city).
Then there was SHn. He went, he came, he went again!
Then a former room-mate M. (well he took a train, but still)
Then we had AH, who just came back.
Then another room-mate AM.
Then H.
Then SP.
And yesterday AG.
Too many I must say. And these are the ones i saw off. There were some I missed too (K, MD, DH for example)!!
Anyway.. good for them.. nice to have so many friends from here who are now out somewhere.. most of them being in another country, as the nature of the job needs. Means I can get lots of gifts and chocolates!! :-D
See now I'm just being greedy.....
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Wall Street Surprise
Normal day today. Except maybe for it being the festival of colours across the country, and this city was operational! :-(
So spent another lethargic day there and then headed home. But i digress thats not what i am writing about. Just thought i'd set the mood.
Anyway, so MS decides to throw a party at our place for our "trekking gang" as we seem to call each other. (Introductions: MS, MD, MA, SB, N)
After a lot of hemming and hawing R and I agree to the usage of our place for this get-together.
Evening around 1930 MD calls from SB's cell. Come to Gonghura's, a restaurant just off Wall Street. Me change to outgoing clothes, and head off..
Sit down at the table with MS, MD, MA, and SB. We all waiting for R and N. Speak to R, he is held up at work, and regrettably cant make it. MS receives a call from N, and she goes to direct her to the table.
Next thing we know, AH walks in the door, screaming "SURPRISE!!!!" I think MS has recorded the looks on all our faces at that instant! :-) Someday I'l show u guys. To put it in context, AH has just spent 8 months in Arizona, and had snet a mail 2 days ago saying she would be there for another 3-4 months at least.
So there we are listening to the foreign return girl lugging her bottle of mineral water, and complaining abt the pollution in nemma bangaluru ;-) Kidding...
Then as N walked in, and she appeared the most shocked of all. She just stared open mouthed for about a second before she screamed!!
All in all a memorable dinner..
Thanks MS for organising the event. :-)
So spent another lethargic day there and then headed home. But i digress thats not what i am writing about. Just thought i'd set the mood.
Anyway, so MS decides to throw a party at our place for our "trekking gang" as we seem to call each other. (Introductions: MS, MD, MA, SB, N)
After a lot of hemming and hawing R and I agree to the usage of our place for this get-together.
Evening around 1930 MD calls from SB's cell. Come to Gonghura's, a restaurant just off Wall Street. Me change to outgoing clothes, and head off..
Sit down at the table with MS, MD, MA, and SB. We all waiting for R and N. Speak to R, he is held up at work, and regrettably cant make it. MS receives a call from N, and she goes to direct her to the table.
Next thing we know, AH walks in the door, screaming "SURPRISE!!!!" I think MS has recorded the looks on all our faces at that instant! :-) Someday I'l show u guys. To put it in context, AH has just spent 8 months in Arizona, and had snet a mail 2 days ago saying she would be there for another 3-4 months at least.
So there we are listening to the foreign return girl lugging her bottle of mineral water, and complaining abt the pollution in nemma bangaluru ;-) Kidding...
Then as N walked in, and she appeared the most shocked of all. She just stared open mouthed for about a second before she screamed!!
All in all a memorable dinner..
Thanks MS for organising the event. :-)
I won! I won!
Before u begin to wonder, this is completely unrelated to Wall Street :-)
Just an online competition I won... 3rd place mind u. And here's the proof:
Have a look at what it was all about here.
Now I await the virtual gift voucher!
Just an online competition I won... 3rd place mind u. And here's the proof:
Now I await the virtual gift voucher!
Monday, March 13, 2006
Birthday Time
Yesterday marked the birthday of yet another member of Wall Street. N turned the ripe old age of ... well, she'l kill me if i told u! :-)
And what a busy girl she is! Even her room-mates feel she was on the phone so much that they could not really celebrate her bday at the appropriate hour. (everyone knows that the best time is midnight the day ur bday starts)
Nonetheless, some fun we did have. R and I went over there at abt 2200 hrs last night and enjoyed some cake.. and made her face enjoy it as well.
Looks delicious doesnt it?
Happy Birthday to N, once again!
And what a busy girl she is! Even her room-mates feel she was on the phone so much that they could not really celebrate her bday at the appropriate hour. (everyone knows that the best time is midnight the day ur bday starts)
Nonetheless, some fun we did have. R and I went over there at abt 2200 hrs last night and enjoyed some cake.. and made her face enjoy it as well.
Happy Birthday to N, once again!
Wall Street's Back (alright)
Everybody
Rock your body
Everybody
Rock your body right
Wall Street's back alright
Now throw your hands up in the air
And wave 'em around like you just don't care
If you wanna party let me hear you yell
'Cause we've got it goin' on again
You heard right! Wall Street is on-line again!
Rock your body
Everybody
Rock your body right
Wall Street's back alright
Now throw your hands up in the air
And wave 'em around like you just don't care
If you wanna party let me hear you yell
'Cause we've got it goin' on again
You heard right! Wall Street is on-line again!
Sunday, March 12, 2006
The Eye Blinked
That's right. Our eye blinked. (refer previous post)
Apparently R, G and I panicked a little too soon. It seems A did open up his computer that morning, which is how the RAM got placed in the wrong direction.
What a collective sigh of relief we all breathed saturday morning, when we did hear about this from A.
Current Status: The PC is still on the blink. :-(
Apparently R, G and I panicked a little too soon. It seems A did open up his computer that morning, which is how the RAM got placed in the wrong direction.
What a collective sigh of relief we all breathed saturday morning, when we did hear about this from A.
Current Status: The PC is still on the blink. :-(
Thursday, March 09, 2006
Ghost in the Machine
All the hoopla about getting the net at home, well, it turned out to be short-lived. Reached home yesterday evening, aftr a hard day at work, and switched on the computer....
But it refused to turn on.... :-(
Unplugged and replugged the entire apparatus..
still no luck...
Panic.. what happened.. why ....
Call A. Ask him if it worked in the morning when he used it. Answer : NO.
But it worked at seven when i used it before leaving for work. It did have a problem shutting down, but R took care of that... ;-)
A suggests I open it up and have a look...
Now I, although an engineer, am a novice when it comes to internals of computers. So I call up R, and ask him how good he is with this stuff. He claims full proficiency, having done stuff to his comp back in his college days.
R reaches home, and opens up the PC. He gives the novice a guided tour.
This is the CPU, this is the heat sink, this is the fan.. This is the RAM. Expletives... oh crap.. the RAM is in the wrong way!!!!! How the @#!$ can the comp work with the RAM in the wrong way. Its not possible! But it worked in the morning. And then it did not work at 11 when A wanted to use it. How did the RAM get in the wrong way? Frightening stuff!!
We replace the RAM the right way around, and then switch on the comp. It boots!! Yipee....
But wait.. the monitor is not detecting it! Shit.. neither is the keyboard! Frantically we press CAPS LOCK, NUM LOCK, SCROLL LOCK, to see the LEDs glow. No luck!
:-(
But now we have bigger problems on our hands...How did the RAM invert? It cant possibly just hop to it and say "now I wanna see how it feels in this direction." Evrything else at home seems in place. No locks broken, no missing gadgetry...
Whats going on? How can or did this happen?
Even with our eye constantly watching?!
But it refused to turn on.... :-(
Unplugged and replugged the entire apparatus..
still no luck...
Panic.. what happened.. why ....
Call A. Ask him if it worked in the morning when he used it. Answer : NO.
But it worked at seven when i used it before leaving for work. It did have a problem shutting down, but R took care of that... ;-)
A suggests I open it up and have a look...
Now I, although an engineer, am a novice when it comes to internals of computers. So I call up R, and ask him how good he is with this stuff. He claims full proficiency, having done stuff to his comp back in his college days.
R reaches home, and opens up the PC. He gives the novice a guided tour.
This is the CPU, this is the heat sink, this is the fan.. This is the RAM. Expletives... oh crap.. the RAM is in the wrong way!!!!! How the @#!$ can the comp work with the RAM in the wrong way. Its not possible! But it worked in the morning. And then it did not work at 11 when A wanted to use it. How did the RAM get in the wrong way? Frightening stuff!!
We replace the RAM the right way around, and then switch on the comp. It boots!! Yipee....
But wait.. the monitor is not detecting it! Shit.. neither is the keyboard! Frantically we press CAPS LOCK, NUM LOCK, SCROLL LOCK, to see the LEDs glow. No luck!
:-(
But now we have bigger problems on our hands...How did the RAM invert? It cant possibly just hop to it and say "now I wanna see how it feels in this direction." Evrything else at home seems in place. No locks broken, no missing gadgetry...
Whats going on? How can or did this happen?
Even with our eye constantly watching?!
Wall Street Goes Off-Line
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
Wall Street is now Online
Yes its true.... Yesterday, we got the Internet guys to come and set up the DSL to the house.
And what a long process it was. They started at around noon, when they called R at work, and asked his permission to drill a hole in our wall. He borrowed a friends bike, and rode home, to meet the landlady, and obtain such permission.
A and R then watched them a bit as they proceeded to dig up the roads around wall street. Thankfully they left Wall Street untouched :-)
I cam home at 1800, and watched them install the router to the house. At 2045, the guy came to set up the internal wiring. He left at 2230! After which R and I went cyber-happy!
Downloaded my favourite browser... and some of its extensions.. downloaded the various messengers.. and set them up with our headset and mic... And then R managed to talk to ppl!
I tried too, but some ppl like NG were very busy in a meeting of sorts!
So now Wall Street has ushered in the era of broadband.. The irony of it, however, is that the broadband cable runs through the sewers!!
And what a long process it was. They started at around noon, when they called R at work, and asked his permission to drill a hole in our wall. He borrowed a friends bike, and rode home, to meet the landlady, and obtain such permission.
A and R then watched them a bit as they proceeded to dig up the roads around wall street. Thankfully they left Wall Street untouched :-)
I cam home at 1800, and watched them install the router to the house. At 2045, the guy came to set up the internal wiring. He left at 2230! After which R and I went cyber-happy!
Downloaded my favourite browser... and some of its extensions.. downloaded the various messengers.. and set them up with our headset and mic... And then R managed to talk to ppl!
I tried too, but some ppl like NG were very busy in a meeting of sorts!
So now Wall Street has ushered in the era of broadband.. The irony of it, however, is that the broadband cable runs through the sewers!!
Monday, March 06, 2006
Cook out
Its dinner time, and I'm hungry.. What do I do?
Fed up of ordering out, I decided to cook myself a meal. Thats right, a nice sumptuous meal to be cooked by me, for me.
Dont worry, I had done it before. Many times. Just never on my own and without instructions from mom.
Yesterday I did it with both conditions failed.
R was supposed to come and assist, but he got held up, so it was all me!
And my mom was out when I called for assitance, so had to make do with a few helpful tips from my sis, and a lot of memory. Oh and yes, a lot of mockery from my sis as well... but hey, thats normal! :-)
So what did I cook?
Bhindi-Aalloo! (Thats Okra with potatoes for the non-Hindi speakers out there)
Went to the grocery shop looking for something to prepare. The Bhindi was the only thing that looked fresh, so I decided, what the heck, lets go with that. Bought half a kg of it, and some potatoes. Headed home to fire up the kitchen.
I wont go into the steps I took to prepare the meal. Needless to say it turned out good. Enjoyed eating it with bread. Hold your horses! Bread u ask? Well, I cant go about and cook chapattis as well, now can I. Give me time, and I'll get there... And then you shall all be cordially invited to dinner!
Fed up of ordering out, I decided to cook myself a meal. Thats right, a nice sumptuous meal to be cooked by me, for me.
Dont worry, I had done it before. Many times. Just never on my own and without instructions from mom.
Yesterday I did it with both conditions failed.
R was supposed to come and assist, but he got held up, so it was all me!
And my mom was out when I called for assitance, so had to make do with a few helpful tips from my sis, and a lot of memory. Oh and yes, a lot of mockery from my sis as well... but hey, thats normal! :-)
So what did I cook?
Bhindi-Aalloo! (Thats Okra with potatoes for the non-Hindi speakers out there)
Went to the grocery shop looking for something to prepare. The Bhindi was the only thing that looked fresh, so I decided, what the heck, lets go with that. Bought half a kg of it, and some potatoes. Headed home to fire up the kitchen.
I wont go into the steps I took to prepare the meal. Needless to say it turned out good. Enjoyed eating it with bread. Hold your horses! Bread u ask? Well, I cant go about and cook chapattis as well, now can I. Give me time, and I'll get there... And then you shall all be cordially invited to dinner!
