My Best Friend's Wedding !!!

He was all set , all prepared, waited for this moment for so many years since he had met her in his brother's wedding...
to make her his own.... to embrace her as she was always his... to finally tie the knot of marriage and take oaths for a life time....
How they had planned things together, how they had stayed inseparable when they were convincing their families... how their bonding grew...
how he knew what relation they share from the very first moment of seeing her....and how they both evolved to be better persons together... how they were destined to be together.... it was not a mystery to any.....
But as the moment was approaching.... there was something amiss...
with all the eagerness for the Day , the final moment it was clearly written on his face how tensed he was... a new life with new responsibilities and new relations....
i had read somewhere as how everything every moment is life is so different from the other , no two cloud formations are ever the same, no two moments are exactly the same and how newness in life adds to the pleasure of enjoying the moment....
With all the prior planning and preparations and discussions there was nothing really which they didnt know or didnt expect... but the tension building up was really new, not expected and never experienced kind...
and that was what was adding newness to the whole thing.... making the moment unforgetable for both....
Wish them a very happy married life.....

Inevitable Meetings !!!

Meetings : How do they make u feel.....
Does it make u feel as if u r so important handling some critical things.... u can be the show stopper in a fashion show.... something like that....
or ...
its like u r just dragged into them without your wish and u have no escape other than attending them.. even if they make u sleepy...

but u know in such meetings where u r a mere listener they are blessings in disguise....
how ?
ya i know people don't understand it...
so lemme explain...

such meetings give u enough time and space for yourself... just yourself...
where u can be just U... feel true....
isn't that great .... when we keep complaining of work.. life... time and space crunch....
u can really really feel free to disconnect some one's call or keep ur cell switched off according to ur wish.. and people complain .. u can say the truth ... u were in a meeting and couldn't take up the call... ( i know its half the truth.... actually you would be avoiding them.. but then saying the complete truth and spoiling a relation.. or telling a lie to make up a relation.... isn't it better u speak the half truth.... sounds cool huh !!! i know ... ^_^)

but then u know sometimes these meetings really get boring....
so to spice up ur life u should have some interesting things to do....
i know people will ask now .. like what...
so i have some handy tips to save u from falling asleep.. (made the list from my own experience.. hope my manager doesn't know my blog address..gee )

cough and sneeze.. that gives u jolts to make u stay awake
get a big mug full of coffee whenever u enter a meeting room irrespective of the time of the day and the weather outside...
Pass on quick chits and sms to friends who can be trusted...
Get a paper pen and try jotting down points....
Write a blog like i have written "Inevitable meetings"
Try a bit of sketching.. draw a sketch of the person giving the presentation.... (b'coz while u observe them for the sketch ur look will make them feel as if u r really interested in what they r saying and u look enthusiastic about the whole thing)

and after doing all these, if u still feel sleepy.. then...
Don't forget ur specs.. they save u from getting caught when u r sleeping....
or
Try nodding to the points they r highlighting and in between the nods try to take a real quick nap ...

Happy Sleeping :)

Beauty !!!

Beauty... a topic we talk next to life
for some its life .. yes its true, i have met some of the lot in my small life also...
so many wise talks we hear about beauty ... 'beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder' , 'true beauty is the beauty of the inner self' ; but i do have a doubt that how many of these kind are alive today...
in a general perception ,what i have seen is, think of the inner self later first look at the skin colour...
beauty in India ;what i have seen , is just skin deep. A fair lady is termed b'ful invariably compared to a dark skinned...
to be b'ful u have to first satisfy the condition of being fair skinned...

many a times people perceive beauty without a great complexion just like they have seen a flower exactly with the fragnance of rose which can meserize you if u close your eyes but which cannot be a rose as they dont find it that beautiful........

i guess things are changing now a days but m sure the rate of change tends to be very slow...
lets see what will become history and what will always remain as the present....

Being Talkative and Introvert !!!

He is talkative, she is so silent....
She is an introvert !!
My boss is an extrovert ...
my neighbour is talkative and nosy...
She seems intorvert but she is not... get to know her and then u would find she is such a chatterbox....

how many such combinations we know ???
many isint....
some introvert , some extrovert...
some are silent yet not submissive...
some talkative and aggressive....
Goshhhhhhhhh
I wonder many a times how God was able to make everyone so distinctly different....
we meet different people with different set of attributes, all having different character set....

but how would i define myself...
yes m a chatter box... no doubt...
i love to voice my opinion about any damm subject...
but at the same time m a intovert....
not possible u think .. right...
not an issue...
but m the live example...
that means its possible....
once a frn of mine almost got an heart attack when i said m so silent.....
but ya i am....
i speak a lot but i dont speak it all...
there are many topics a person might not be comfortable discussing ....
i might like to voice my opinion about something or somebody but i might not be able to give words to my emotions.... possible... isint.....
so that makes me introvert yet talkative......
so now.. all those who might get an attack when i say i am 'silent type person' understand what i mean......
what i speak is just the tip of the iceberg.....
plz dont faint now....

Travelling alone !!!

Travelling alone; people have different perspective for it..
For some its boring, for some its tiring, for some its like nightmares and they dont want to talk about it even ^_^, for some its unavoidable, a requirement - there is no other option than that,

but for the people like me its a kinda fun...
Sounds strange isint...

Its actually a patience test for a talkative person like me , gee, coz i hardly talk to strangers; but when i have a equally talkative person as my fellow passenger , God save the rest ...
Mostly when i travel alone i become a good listener a keen observer, and that is when travellign alone becomes fun....
U get to see differnt peopel around u, u watch them, their reactions on various topics, u try to imagine their profession , their reason of travelling, the region they might belong, the language they msut be speaking, and then u notice and keep noticing the variety the world possesses...

Try it ... believe me its fun....

Who will cry when u die ???

Death - something inevitable, a subject of mystery, a subject most discussed about, a topic most researched about yet the most feared...
What happens after death...its the most wondered about topic.

But after all these questions do we care to think who will cry when we die....
What will people discuss about us think about us... good, bad, evil, or simply nothing....
How many souls have we actually touched in our journey of life where we have left a print of the self, the individual being ???

Everyone means something or everything to someone ..
Every death causes someone remember someone so fondly that it sets a smile on the persons face yet fills the eyes with tears and makes a scar on the tender heart...A pleasant memory filled with unbearable pain...

But how many such someone(s) do we have ???

Being Vocal !!!

Since morning i am thinking of only one thing.....
Is it easy to be Vocal.... may be Yes for some and may be No for some.....
for some its just easy like breathing and for some its like a herculean task...
but where do i fall.... in which category.....may be a combination of both....

with all these questions coming to mind my thoughts kept on drifting more and more deeper into them....
one thing i have noticed for all the categories of people ..... expressing and vocalising anger and distaste is easy for all compared to love and affection ...
commenting is easier then complementing....
but y so....
when we know that our anger will definitely ruin some one's precious moment we still go with our words bubbling with anger frustration just like that.... we don't even hesitate to speak them and we never give a thought before speaking...
but when it comes to love... we know it would make some one's day... still we think and rethink rehearse and rephrase our words....

why doing a good thing always so difficult than picking up the bad path...

The language of Love !!!

How important is language ....
How much importance do we give to language....

for me it means a lot... common language not only gives a common platform to interact.. but it gives u so many common topics to post your views...common cuisine... common traditions.. common dressing... common festivals... common beliefs... and many more.....

and for a person like me who is pathetic at learning new languages ... and takes an enormous amount of time in making new friends it becomes lil difficult to start bonding when language becomes a barrier.....

but is there a language for Love too ??? or like any other language LOVE is a language in itself...

it needs no speech or is it understood by all ???
a warm smile... a big hug... eyes full of patience... glow on the face... hands reached out for the other... a calm soul... a free mind... are they the speech of love ???

I got my answers to the question and i could understand it when Karuna, a 4 yrs old kid whom i was meeting for the first time, reached out for my hand cuddling in my arms with a smile ; when i felt the warmth of her breath on my neck and we communicated through silence .... making my soul free of the tight knots..... and making me a part of the endless.....

VastuSastra !!!

VastuSastra - Its an old scientific technique used for architecture and construction.

It is believed that without human interference the Five elements - Earth Fire Water Sky and Air are in perfect harmony with each other. But with human infiltration and construction the balance gets changed.Vastusastra is the science which deals with restoring the balance of the five elements even if some external factor is working on it.

Few handy tips :

1. Prefer a east / north facing plot over a south / west facing one.

2. Prefer a plot of rectangular shape with the north - south side longer than the east - west side.

3. The ratio of north - south side to that of the east - west side should not be more than 2.0

4. If the plot is not a perfect rectangular then go for a plot with north - east side projected. Other projections are not allowed.

5. If a plot has no right angled corners , Prefer a Goumukha plot (plot whose entrance is small and the size increase as u enter the plot) for residential purpose and Singhmukha (just the opposite of Goumukha, with wider entrance and narrower inside) for business purpose.

6. The slope of the plot should be always towards north-east corner i.e. high on south-west corner and height should decrease towards north-east corner.

7. A plot with 2 sides with road is a good plot and a plot with 3 sides road is a very good plot.

8. The entrance of the house should be towards north and east. If north east corner cannot be made as entrance , then south east or north west should be chosen, but never south west.

9. For smaller plots preference for direction should be ENWS (east, north, west , south) . But for bigger plots the preference of direction should be NEWS. i.e. for a smaller plot if north - east cannot be a entrance then the next preference should be given to south - east corner than to north - west and vice-versa for bigger plots.

10. Swastik , Om , Rangoli should be present at the entrance , they are said to get rid of the evil entering the house.

11. Kuldevata , Pratiharis well dressed and decorated ,picture of Cow with calf well fed and decorated with flower garlands should be present near main entrance.

12. There should be a puja room in every house. The ideal location is the north - east corner of the building or north- east corner of any room.

13. Clock should never be placed on southern wall.

14. pictures of ancestors should be placed on south - western walls.

15. South - west side should be preferred for bedrooms.

16. ideal place for master bedroom is south - west corner.

17. north - west , south - east corner should never have master bedroom. north - west corner is for guest-bedrooms south - east is for heating equipments and kitchen.

18. north - west corners of the building / individual rooms are ideal location for toilets.

19. north - east side is for entrance, it should be devoid of all kinds of clutter, toilets, heating devices and electrical devices.

20. person cooking the food in the kitchen and person offering puja should face the east / north direction.

21. Heavy furniture should be placed in the south west corner.

22. Bed should be placed in such a way that while sleeping one should sleep with head towards South or East.

23. the south - west corner should be closed , with no openings at all.

24. north - east is the water element , should be left open(hence good for entrance).

25. South - east is fire element , hence the kitchen.

26. South - west is Earth element , so no heating device or clutters or toilets. Earth element is for strength , so master bedroom should be there giving strength to the relationship between the husband and wife

27. center of any building is for Space / Sky element . it gives emotional balance if left open or maintained less clumsy.

28. north and east have air element,so should have maximum openings (windows, balconies) opening to the two directions.

29. Kitchen should be designed according to one's use, keeping in mind the 3 basic functions we perform in kitchen - Storage, Cooking, Washing.

30. The floor of kitchen should be hard and strong, should not be slippery. It should have marble or Kotah stone but not tiles.

Due to space crunch and increase in the real estate value Vastusastra also gives u certain reliefs.Its not always necessary to have the full house according to vastu , but make sure every room should be vastu complaint.

The year that was - 2008 !!!

2008....
a fair share of good happy moments with a unfair share of harsh truth...this is 2008 for me...

every year the Manorama year book lists a series of events for the year....
this time i will list my year book here....

Jan 2008 -
Return trip from Ooty, wonderful memories with some small moments of outburst of anger....
Lots of money spent on Credit card bills- thanks to my b'day ^_^.
Nagarjuna Sagar Dam visit with Shrubbu's family (in laws).

Feb 2008 -
Sumi's marriage which i was not able to attend and regret till today...
Visited home after 8 months or so....was getting desperate but finally..Was my 1st holiday from Oracle, since i joined in 07.
A great trip to Ghatagaon Tarini Mandir with family... truly unwinding from my tiring 8 months work...
Samy's birthday

Mar 2008 -
Wishes to Mom-Dad on 26Th Marriage Anniversary... both kids couldn't make for it... but wishes are always there.....
KK's show in Infy and my revisit...
Holi celebrated with friends , roomies and roomie's parents

Apr 2008 -
Pondichery trip with roomies and roomie's parents....great place... though tough for pure vegetarians like me -_^.
Priyank's n Reena's marriage , my excuse for Delhi visit ..had a great time with my sis.
completed my new yr resolution of visiting Amritsar and paying my regards there.
April also saw Papa's visit to Hyderabad....

May 2008 -
Kept my profile low for the summers in Hyd are really really hot
Shrubbu's birthday

June 2008 -
2ND visit to home for the year...was so happy i could make it...

July 2008 -
Dad's birthday.... May God blesses you with lots of happiness
My first blog
Go+ Training in ICRISAT... bumped into some wonderful people....

Aug 2008 -
Mom's birthday..Sumi's first attempt in baking a cake for mom...

Sept 2008 -
3rd visit to home for Dusshera....had a great time with family ...it was after yearssssssssss we all were there for the Bhai Juntia and Durga Asthami

Oct 2008 -
Had a wonderful get-together with college gang in Mysore, revisited Infy Mysore and spent a day in there... ahhh... i love the place the people the feeling ..
Celebrated Diwali with roomies and roomie's parents ...
also my First outing from Oracle ^_^ .
Got my first Promotion too .........cheeseeeeeeeeee

Nov 2008 -
Faced the very truth of our existence in an never ever imagined way....
Memories Harsh to remember, Hard to Forget, Pricks the heart, yet Resist to cry lest the tears would wash the memories away....

Dec 2008 -
Frightened to move away from 2008 , not ready to move to 2009 and beyond...
But Time stops for NONE.....
My first attempt in a blogging contest...
Christmas and New year decorations and celebrations at office and neighbour's home ^_^.
Nidhi's, Udit's and Uncle's birthday ..happy birthday to them....
31st night at a friends place with good food and friends...

and Wishes for a Peaceful new year

Soft Skill Training Takeaway !!!

In the last few days I have attended two soft skills trainings - Assertiveness Skills and Interpersonal Skills.
I would like to give a brief summary of the sessions in a combined form - my learnings and my take away points from them.

To start with a few self assessment handouts were given which were really helpful to know the Self; our Working Style, our Social Style - our willingness / reluctance to a given situation, the Personal Audit - verbal and written communication styles and our preference.I learnt which quadrant I fall into in the Johari Window and the combination of Responsiveness and Assertiveness I possess.

There were lots of role-plays with different real life scenarios and following them were discussions with the other participants present.This helped in knowing the different perspectives of different people.
We even got to see the clippings from the movie "Happy Gilmore" ; how being passive and aggressive never turns out to be beneficial to the self and the people around and how when changed, assertiveness helps to make the same situation suitable and favorable to all.

Learnt about the 3V's (Vocal, Visual and Verbal) of communication.

The other important part of the sessions were about building relations, working with team and feedbacks (giving and receiving).

These were the Key points for self assessment and the areas to work with, rest being just theory.

What do we mean by Interpersonal Skills?
The skills we need to deal with different persons.

Why do we need interpersonal skills ?
for effective communication - listening and probing.
for working well in groups maintaining a healthy working environment.
should be easy in giving and taking feedbacks.

Benefits of learning the skills?
Helps in personal and professional fronts.
Share work , work in teams comfortably.
helps to know about other persons' nature of working.

Different types of people
Passive ,
Aggressive,
Assertive,
Passive-Aggressive.

Define Assertiveness .
Definition from our group after a discussion - Putting across your point in an acceptable and factual manner by also listening to the other person and being responsive and not reactive.
Definition given by trainer - assertiveness is standing up for yourself in a way that doesn't violate the rights of the other person. Its a direct, honest and appropriate expression of your feelings and opinions.It is a Win Win situation for both.

How to Say "NO"?
Say a genuine no, don't cook up , don't walk around the point, approach it directly.
Say a reasoned NO or say a Rain checked/ Postponed NO.Types of communication.
External / Internal.
Formal / Informal.
Written / Oral - Verbal , Vocal and Visual

Verbal Communication - Through words and languages.
Visual Communication - Postures, Gestures, Movement, Facial Expressions, Eye Contact.
Vocal Communication - Voice Amplification, Tempo, Emphasis, Pitch, Tone,Pause and Silence.

Communication Techniques.

KISS - Keep it simple and short.

3T - Tell them what you will tell (give a hint of the message like a subject line) Tell them (Give the information) Tell them what you told ( repeat it, give importance to key points, summarize/ paraphrase, get a feedback through Q&A)

EDGE - Express emotions, Describe Situation, Give Consequences, Express Actions.

Effective Communication -
Effective communication is always a two way communication happening between sender and receiver through a common shared space.

Sender (with a intended thought) --> sends information/ shares thoughts by verbal or non-verbal communication techniques to --> Recipient (receives a thought) --> analyzes and sends a feedback to the sender for clarification --> sender clarifies.

Probing techniques.
Open ended questions.
Close ended questions.

How to give a feedback?
don't be judgmental while giving feedback.
Listen carefully for some concern.
Try to be empathetic.
Analise / Check for correct opinion.
And then give a Sandwich feedback - Good/Positive feedback followed by Negative points/Points to work upon and concluding with good points again for motivation.

Different Styles of Working.
Responsive Style ( Helps you decide the right and wrong) - Amicable and Analytical

Assertive Style (Helps you speak out right and wrong) - Driver and Expressive.

Marketing !!!

Whom can we say a good marketing professional....
One who believes in his product and then presents it to the customer or one who just concentrates on selling the product and markets it according to the customer needs....
Do we have to believe in something to make someone else believe it... or its just how we convince...
Is not believing in a thought or product that we are selling ethically wrong... should we feel morally bad about it...
or its like you are giving words to what the other person just wants to listen....

When it comes to products and goods we might decide whats just right or how we are (practical or emotional), but when it comes to selling ideas , or when someone asks for suggestions...how should we give the ideas to the person ..the way he /she is looking for or the way we feel like....

6th Sense !!!

Do you believe that apart from the 5 senses of Sight, Smell, Sound, Taste and Touch we have a 6Th sense also.... ?
I too wonder many a times.. if its true that we possess a 6Th sense or its just a co-incidence that we mistake as a sense...

When i was doing my engineering and was in my hostel for studies my ma and papa used to visit me every Saturday/Sunday and used to bring me home made food or snacks items for the week...
I didn't have a cell phone then and the hostel land line (for incoming only) used to be busy all the time (thanks to the love birds); but on those days when i felt like having something however common or however weird i used to find it in the box mom used to send me...
How did she knew it....

After my 10Th board exams and 12Th Board exams on the very day of results my sis used to tell Mom my exact percentage before we could put on the net on search my results...
How did she used to know it....

I my hostel my room was at such a place where the Common Land Phone's ring was audible... and the moments i used to feel that it should be a call from my Home.. i used to say the guard shout "Priyanka Panda Phone"....
How did i knew that....

Once during my engg days i had a dream about one of the guards dying of a heart attack... and the same night my friend saw a similar dream about the same hostel guard... and in the morning she got a news of her father admitted in hospital with his first stroke....
Doesnt it sound uncanny...

When my Nanaji expired me and my mom were sick for the whole night..
it was something uncanny about the situation....
how did we felt that....

When my Bade Mamaji passed away in the morning why had i dreamt of a beautiful path full of colours and fragrances feeling like paradise/heaven and me accompanying him until a guard came and didn't let me in saying "your time has not yet come"....
I could not make any analysis of the dream till i heard the news of his heart attack....
What would i term that....

then my recent experience....
for the past few days until 14Th Nov a thought came to my mind.. when did i feel crying for someones death.. ans too came.. 1st my pet's death and then my uncle's... but the thought never left me ...even if i tried a lot not to think in the line......it just came back to me every now and then and on 14Th Nov the children's day the youngest and cutest child of our family left us all in a tragic accident...
Was my 6Th sense making me mentally prepared for some incident...
How would i believe that...

and the most recently....
i saw a dream of getting an sudden unplanned foreign trip to my other office such that my dates for my trip planned with family was coinciding....and i saw myself very depressed and clueless...
the very evening nothing happened to me but my roomie returned from office and told of her sudden plans to client location when she was supposed to go home... and she was very fed up of saying NO to her boss....

The New Year of 2009

It was the afternoon on 28th Dec 2007.
I was hastily doing my work to finish up things early, actually as early as possible. It was a day for me to start my trip with 4 of my friends for welcoming the new year of 2008 in the lap of Nilgiris in the small cozy town of Ooty.
Spine chilling cold , freezing winds, excitement and enthusiasm was what we had anticipated during the full journey.

We started from Hyderabad by train reached Bangalore early in the morning, a quick breakfast and we headed for Mysore in our previously booked vehicle, stayed overnight at Mysore, visited the Chamundi hills to see the sun set in the horizon
and the twinkling lights of the city of Mysore below us after dusk.
Next day early morning we were all set to start for Ooty when we faced a flat tyre , but it was fixed in no time , and me and Samy swallowed one Stugil each to keep away the nauseatic feeling we might get while taking the hair pin bends on the way to Ooty.

WOW !!!
The route was mesmerising , chilly and warm at the same time, and at 4.00 pm we reached our destination after a short halt at the Piakara waterfalls where we grabbed a quick meal and relaxed for a while. Next morning when we went around Ooty seeing places we started with Dodebeta peak (the highest peak of the Nilgiris) and felt like staying there for eternity.

As night came and the silence of the valley prevalent than the noise of the vehicles which we are so used to (thanks to us all the city dwellers) and the jewelled sky shining brightly , beautifully and proudly made our lips curved upwards. I had not seen such a beautiful star studded sky after i had left my small town for my job.
It suddenly felt at home, reminding me of my old days of staying awake late in the night and gazing at stars and dreaming with eyes wide open...

And now (fingers crossed) its time to get the feeling the of 'Dezavu' when we take the same route visiting the same places...
Its the time when I can relive my dream of gazing the clear sky with tiny bulbs of God set on for welcoming the New Year 2009 while i will be huddled up in my sleeping bag in my cozy tent presented by 'Wildcraft' for my beautiful creation "The New Year of 2009" ; when i complete the 7 days trek from 'Bangalore to Ooty to Bangalore' , the 919 km fully covered by the 'Radio Indigo 91.9 FM' and 'Time Out Bengaluru', with 40 fellow trekkers on their bikes (bicycles) who are the 11 years old to the 50 years young, who are the city dwellers just like me , who come from small villages with big achievements, from big cities with sexy bikes, from the medicine specialists-docs to the documentary specialists-photographers, who will be well fed by the 'Nilgiris 1905', taken care round the clock by the team from 'Manipal Hospital', with special doctors for their bikes too by 'Wheel Sports'.

And then I will be back home with the best ever New Year gift a sweet memory of the trip Courtesy my 'Canon 550A' and 'Flaunge'.

NOTE:
This was for a blogger's contest for http://www.tourofnilgiris.com/
other entries were (total 15 entries but the posts on public are here)
http://geekydood.wordpress.com/2008/11/28/the-tour-of-nilgiris/
http://hsejiv.blogspot.com/2008/11/why-i-should-not-go-to-tfn-and-why-you.html
http://momentumum.blogspot.com/2008/11/le-tour-de-nilagiri.html
http://bangalore.metblogs.com/2008/11/28/tour-of-nilgiris-tfn-cycling-event-25th-december-2008-1-january-2009/
http://srikanthperinkulam.com/blog/?p=156
http://bangalorekaapi.blogspot.com/2008/12/ride-without-because.html
http://aphrodite-2007.blogspot.com/2008/12/dreams-and-journeys.html
http://amitharis.blogspot.com/2008/11/tfn.html
and finally the winner's blogs are...
http://random001.blogspot.com/2008/12/tour-of-niligiris.htmlhttp://shilo70.blogspot.com/2008/12/i-can-hear-bells.html

Being Moneyminded !!!

Is it morally wrong to be money minded ??
Is it wrong to say i have changed my company or looking for oppurtunity as i am loking for more money ??
Is it really that bad to think of more money ?? to have plans and ideas of prospering !!
Is it really a topic which is still considered a Taboo to speak on ??
Do people judge you wrong when u speak of money and not of work satisfaction ??
Why do people(like managers HRs fellowmates interviewers anyone) cant digest when u speak straight about money and dont use ur tricks and tacts to say it indirectly ??
Why do we feel good being a hypocrite !! Why do people dont admit that no body would ever like the idea even of working for free ??

The world is strange , full of strange people....
So in your next interview be tactful while talking of money than being blunt and direct.....
and if u learn how to do so(or know how to do so)...
please leave me a comment with the exact words i should use... (am bad at being tactful and end up speaking straight ^-^)

Addiction !!!

Going back to the Mysore Days !!!

Mysore or Mysuru....
A small town (though it is the 2nd biggest city of Karnataka i love it as a small town) ....with a rich and colourful history and heritage....
A few hours away from the city life of the IT hub Bangaluru, the capital city of Karnataka..lies this quiet place..the Cultural capital of Karnataka...
the not so wide roads but the so wide smile of the people would definitely attract you to be a part of the living and the celebrations always...
Brindawan garden-the musical fountains, the Krishnarajsagar dam, Mysore palace(Amba Vilas), Jagamohana Palace(the painters paradise), Lalitha Mahal(now a hotel) , Chamundi hills (the abode of ma Chamundeswari), the Mahisasur and the Nandi at Chamundi hills, St. Philomena's church, the Mysore Zoo( a place for so many species) , Srirangapatnam summer palace (made completely of wood) , the Mysore university (it has the Crawford hall and the Jayalakshmi Vilas-the folk museum), Bandipur and Nagarhole National Parks home to lots of different species of Birds , Animals and Reptiles (deers, monkeys, elephants and varieties of birds-these are what i have seen there ^-^, i guess some more must be there) and the recent attraction of modern times is the Infosys campus...
The Dasara is Mysore is worth a watch...the beautifully decorated Elephants, the Vintage car exhibition and the Motorbike show are special attraction of the time....
Mysore palace on Sunday evenings look stunning,.. breath taking sight with the millions and zillions of bulbs....
The early morning sunrise from the Chamundi hills makes the city come alive....
The traffic police on Devaraja Urs road on there handsome horses would make u stand and watch them with eyes filled with surprise.....
and of all things how can anyone forget the mouth watering MysorePaks ...mmmm....

i love this place as much i love my hometown..it just feels so good to be there...
modern life blended so well with its history ......is Mysore....

When i get Bored !!!

This is what i do when i get BORED in my office (hopefully my manager doesnot know about this ..... or i will be in bad shape ^_^ )

1. Take Coffee Breaks


2. Check Mails


3. Draw Cartoons


4. Plan for Birthdays and Farewells



5. Plan for Ocassions



6. Click Pics



7. Need my Strees Ball ( i dont need it when i am stressed ^_^)



8. Search for Rainbow when it rains


9. Self Photography ^_^


10. Chat with bunch of friends

11. I sleep

12. Write Blog

http://randomwantonthoughts.blogspot.com/

366 days after !!!

After 366 days, today on 31st Oct 2009 at 4.00 pm, when i think of the same day same time exactly one year before... it feels so close to heart yet so alien....

Sometimes i could still feel the pain of leaving my first company , my colleagues, my work station.... and then i could still feel the happiness of of a new job the next day, the apprehensions of new meeting new colleagues, the preparations for the first day at job....

How desparately i was looking for a change in Job, how desparately i wanted to be out of the place, but how desparately i was looking for one more chance to be with the same friends and colleagues for five more minutes in the same campus...

How it felt to write the Last Day mail..... How i had longed to write one myself when i used to see others' mail for last day.... But how bad it felt while hitting the send button...as if a part of me was getting lost somewhere.....

"Yaadein baas yaadein rah jati hain.. kuch meethi kuch khaati par baas yaadein hi rah jati hain"

Gadgets !!!

When I try to focous on our lives some 10 years before , without a Cell phone...
Weren't we punctual then,
weren't we systematic then,
weren't we in touch with our friends then ?
When there were landlines only, we used to speak less and act more...
When there was a match scheduled all players used to reach on time....
When someonme didnt turn up we had no means to call up but we knew that the person must have a good reason not to turn up...
There were no mails / forwards related to "Tumours in brain after exposure to regular cell phone and radiation"
Then also young boys and gals used to fall in love and used to express love...
Noone was spendthreft when it came to calls
Noone expected you to pick the phone when they call u.. u always used to get a beenfit of doubt...
Now even when you switch off your own cell... people complain....
Patience is lost somehow...
Now there is a urgency which was never there...
Now there is an expectation that leads to sadness and frustration when we dont receive and answer or when we dont get a news from someone at the very moment....
Now we have become selfish , the I has become so important.

When I think of the only 1 TV channel DoorDarshan being aired, I cant remember me and my sis fighting for remote.
We used to be happy and satisfied with the content of the program.
We never used to do time pass with TV.
We used to socialize more, we used to have more getotgethers, we used to lsiten to others...
But now things have changed
Then 100 people used to see one channel and now 1 person is found surfing through 100 channels .
Then those 100 people used to smile and cry together now no one even bothers if u smile or cry......

Gadgets are invented to make life easier... but after having all these Gadgets do we have a life.....???