"Bhool Bhulaiya..."

No excuses this time around. I was just plain lazy to put up a post. Had been to B'bay during the last week of August. I had, in all, 9 days of leave 4 out of which were spent travelling in the train. My native is Trisshur in Kerela which by Konkan Rail schedule is a mere 24 hrs from B'bay. So my father insisted to curb unwanted expenses (flight tickets) as it was just the matter of one day (24hrs = 1day). But what was conveniently overlooked is the fact that I have to travel from Trivandrum (not Trisshur) and that takes 32 hrs normally. But this was no normal season. Rains always play havoc on the Konkan Rail with landslides and what not. To cut the long story short, I spent 4 days in all (both the weekends) in the train. The return journey was delayed by exactly 12 hrs. Got to meet some interesting people onboard. Took some lovely snaps of the rain soaked Konkan region. While I was in B'bay I busted my car which meant that all my plans were ruined plus as a bonus it was always raining whenever I stepped out.

Back in Trivandrum and I had an assignment waiting for me. Busted my ass on it for two weeks including the weekends only to know that it ain't decided yet whether it would actually make it into production. The next two weeks were spent in fun activities including organizing games for team building events and hosting a "Tea Party On Thursday (T-POT)". Its similar to the "Thank God Its Friday (TGIF) parties held in certain companies. In the mean time we also came up with this.



Before I forget, Bhool Bhulaiya is a pretty good movie. Unlike other mallu movies remade in hindi by Priyadarshan, this one is actually watchable. Even though I had caught the original and knew what was gonna happen next, it still sent shivers down my spine. Amisha is so cute especially in a saree, Vidya Balan is to watch out for, Akshay is good (though not as good as Mohanlal) and Shiney tends to overact a bit. Other than that I would give you the thumbs up to go watch the movie.

"An unusual dilema..."

I thought putting posts at the rate of one per month would help me find time to think and write with ease but instead I find myself with so much stuff to write about that I can't decide where to start from. So much has happened in the past one month, my buddy Mayank has left India to pursue further studies and has already accomplished one impossible task - he actually remembered my B'day and called me up to wish.

Let me give you a little background info on my buddy. He is one of those really innocent looking sweet chap on the outside but a naughty devil inside (I'm sure many girls would agree with me on this). He is a gem of a guy, kind and considerate but just can't manage to handle dates and time. We have to remind him to wish his other friends on their b'days likewise they make it a point to remind him on our b'days. So I was really amazed when he managed to remember on his own this time around (so were my college group buddies when I told them about this).

We had the Cultural Week celebrations in Trinfy (thats Trivandrum Infosys for the uninitiated) last week and it was a blast. I was part of the fashion show. Yes, I walked the ramp inspite of my height impediment (you see I am just 5'7" and I did get quite some jabs since my parter was like one or two inches taller). But it felt good to be part of something like this after so long and did I forget to mention that we managed to grab the first prize in the competition. Now I am in office trying to catch up on work, which doesn't feel that good...hehehe.

I don't get the deal with b'days. Everyone wants to know what I did "special" on this day and when I reply with a negative, have to endure all kinds of insults and strange looks. They treat me as if I have committed a grave crime by not doing something out of the ordinary on this particular day. I wish I was born on Feb 29 then I would have to endure this just once in four years. What say?

Tales from somewhere between Venus and Mars

Jack walks into his office wishing he could have just stayed back in his bed and slept while its raining heavily outside. Instead he had to drag himself out of the comforts of his warm bed and take a cold shower. He quickly goes through his Outlook Inbox for any official mails. Thats when he notices a small messenger window pop up with a "Hi". Its his buddy and colleague at work - Jill. He finds it a bit odd coz she almost never pings him this early in the morning.

Jack: Hey how are ya?
Jill: I am in a very bad mood.

(Well thats how she was - blunt but frank. Jack dashes over to her cubicle fearing the worst only to find her reading Harry Potter's latest e-book. Hearing his footsteps she turns back to look at him. He immediately notices the missing smile from her pretty face.)

Jack: What happened?
Jill: Nothing. Its just one of those days.
Jack: Did you have a fight with someone.

(She didn't answer and Jack knew very well not to prod further)

Jill: (turning towards the screen and sounding frustrated) Man where are all the people who are normally online otherwise. Where is Jane?
Jack: Ok bye. I'm leaving.
Jill: Bye.

There is a general perception that guys are not very good listeners. Here Jack is making an effort and gets shot down. Jill seems to prefer chatting with someone online rather speaking with someone in person. Maybe she just wanted to speak with another female. Whatever the reason be, Jack faced one not so good aspect of technology.

Wait a sec I am not done with my post. You gotta hear the remaining part of the story.

Jack: Oh so I see you prefer to stare at the screen and chat rather than speak with someone in person who is ready to listen to you.
Jill: I am so sorry. Its just that I am not myself today.
Jack: Yeah ok. Lets just leave it at that.

(Jack walks back to his cubicle)

Jill comes by his cubicle sometime later probably to set things straight but Jack being a guy (can also be substituted with egoistic jerk) seems to be too busy with his work. So after some failed attempts to strike up a conversation, Jill leaves.

Maybe technology is driving us apart in an attempt to bring us closer but there is no substitute to human stupidity.

Senses...

Humans have been gifted with the 5 senses of Sight, Sound, Smell, Touch and Taste (As if you guys didn't know that already). Teleportation they say is science fiction but I beg to differ coz I've managed to travel across space and time instantaneously. Alright not physically but atleast in my memories. Will you guys stop punching holes in my theory and hear me out.

Our memories are inexplicably related with each of these senses. For example everytime I hear the song "Aaj ki Raat" (from the new Don movie) I feel as if I am at the concert in Infy campus, Bangalore with my friends and the gorgeous Gunjan Singh singing in her melodious voice. Or when I smell a rose, I am instantly in front of my Mom's little garden at our home. Photos are a nice way of reminding you of the good times you had with your near and dear ones.

Every kiss has its own uniqueness coz each of these senses have a major contributing role. So no matter how many kisses you've had (and with how many people... hehehe...), each kiss has a special place in your heart and more importantly in your memory.

An Interesting read...

All you superman fans, this is worth a read...

http://www.rawbw.com/~svw/superman.html

Round is not the shape I want to be in...

Ever since I joined the software industry, people have been warning me about the perils of the job - late nights, irregular eating habits, lack of exercise, addiction to coffee and ciggs, etc. I was not too worried since I've avoided all but one, exercise. I am not the kind of guy who is interested in going to the gym and pumping iron. I prefer a lean and fit body over a buffed up one.

I had been a pretty active kid involved in stuff like karate. Sports was not taken up competitively but I did play. Once I got into college, I found less time for sports and moreover I didn't wanna travel back all sweaty and stinking in the bus or train. Although I am lean, I found much to my dismay that my stamina was taking a toll. Life here in Kerala is still laidback. I hop onto my bike for a thrilling ride to the office, sit there for more than 8 to 9 hrs and then back again. There is absolutely no physical exertion of any kind involved. That's when I decided to take the stairs instead of the lift, a small step in the right direction (plus I hated to wait for the lift).

During my training in Mysore, I lost five kilos in one and a half month (No I was not starving myself). I realised that all the pedal pushing really worked its charm in reducing my paunch to almost nill. My joy did not last long since I have regained those five kilos plus a bonus of one kilo and yeah the paunch has reared its ugly head. I was almost ready to buy me a new cycle but then experience has taught me that I seldom see my exercise related initiatives through to completion. Hence I decided to settle down for a skipping rope. But the pleasure of a few more minutes of sleep outweighed my exercise plans once again.

Then my roommate happened to attend a cancer awareness seminar. That seemed to strike a chord with him and we decided to take up Badminton. There is a clearing behind our house where we now regularly play in the mornings. I have never felt so good. I had almost forgotten what it feels like to jump, to sweat out of exertion and to set your body in motion. I hope we can carry this enthusiasm forward and get into shape.

Love Story of S/w Engineeers

Hero is a software engineer. He does not have a life worth speaking of.
He spends eighteen hours a day in the office working and browsing the
net.

Heroine is a software engineer in the same company. She does not have a
life either. She spends eight hours in front of her PC, thirteen hours
in front of the TV and the remaining, sleeping.

One day, Hero meets Heroine in a staff meeting. They argue endlessly
about the insanity of Microsoft applications.. especially Outlook 2003.
Couple of such fights later, Heroine is found drinking coffee with Hero
in Office canteen.

"What is life?" asks the Hero looking at the vacuum right above her
head.

"I've been wondering too." sighs the heroine.

"Why are we fighting over Outlook 2003?" Hero drinks his black coffee.

"And why are we not talking about Lotus NOtes" Heroine sips her Latte.

Hero shakes his head. "It's not about software products. It is about
life. I guess life is much bigger than OUtlook 2003."

Heroine nods. "I think it is. I am not sure though. Do you know that
Microsoft has come up with a fix to that bug you've been using to prove
Outlook is a worthless piece of garbage?"

"Heroine," Hero is now determined, "From this moment onwards, I am not
discussing anything remotely related to software."

"Fine Hero," says Heroine, "Good bye then."

Hero then returns all the Sybase manuals to the library and rents out
"how to live a life?"

Heroine meanwhile gets into an altercation with the villain during a
conversation on Sharepoint server. Villain vows to format the hard disk
of the heroine. Heroine takes her PC and runs away from the cubicle
trying to escape from the villain's evil intentions. Since it is night
shift, no one comes to her rescue.

Hero, who has been reading "how to live a life" very seriously, suddenly
finds out that he loves the heroine as much as he used to love Tetris.
So hero messages Heroine on Yahoo Instant messenger. But there is no
reply. Hero does not understand it. He knows that the heroine is
supposed to be in night shift. What is she doing in Night shift if not
on Yahoo Instant Messenger? As far as he know that is what people are
supposed to do in night shift.

Hero senses trouble. He runs barefooted on the Information Superhighway
and reaches office just in time to see the villain snatch the PC out of
heroine's hands and type the command "Format C:\". When his fingers get
to the "Enter" key, hero delivers the killer punch on villain's face.
Villain is thrown back. But in the process he manages to press the Enter
key...

The world comes to a standstill. The sky roars. The Rain pours.
Heroine breaks down. Villain is on cloud nine. But our Hero isn't sad.
He is smiling. Villain cannot understand. Hero then says, "Villain, You
should learn DOS properly. Your grave mistake...". He shows the monitor
to Villain. The DOS command prompt says "Are you sure?". It is waiting
for a "Y" to commence the formatting operation. Hero then simply presses
"N".

Villain cries in frustration "Nooooooo" and charges like a bull. Then
follows a lengthy fight. Heroine meanwhile calls the police and they
come right after hero beats the villain to pulp. Without asking any
questions, the police understand who is hero and who is villain and take
him into custody. Heroine, tears in her eyes, takes her PC, switches it
on and jumps with joy when she finds her favorite Calvin and Hobbes
collection intact in her C drive.

"You saved my data" she exclaims.
"No, you saved it yourself." hero says.
"No.. Jesus saves. I don't" she cries.
"Nothing happened na." Hero consoles.
"Let us get married" heroine sheds some more tears, "I want someone by
my side to protect the Calvin and Hobbes collection on my PC".

"I love you Heroine" says the hero.
"I love you Hero" says the heroine.

"So you agree that Outlook 2003 is a bad product".
"No I don't. Why not we talk about Lotus nOtes?” ... And it goes on . . .

"Magic Carpet Ride..."

Nah I didn't find any lamp or genie or the fabled magic carpet. I was just fortunate enough to avail one of the technological marvels of the twentieth century made more accessible to the common man with the introduction of low fare airlines in India. Yes I had my very first flight experience and man was it exciting (although the build up to the event wasn't).

Normally the reporting time for any flight is not more than 3 hours but I had to reach the airport 15 hrs in advance. Welcome to God's own country where even though the courts have declared a ban on 'bandhs', gross violation of this ban happens by calling 'hartals' (frankly I don't see any difference between the two). So anyways I reached the airport at 10 the previous night and rented a room (needless to say the rent was hiked by 100% on account of the hartal). By the way did I fail to mention that the day I came to Trivandrum was also graced by a hartal by the shopkeepers association. I slept for as long as I could so that I would have less time to while away waiting for the flight.

I was travelling by Air Deccan which is famous (or rather infamous) for its long delays. But God seemed to be smiling on me coz this time around everything went according to schedule. There is a free seating policy so I found myself a nice window seat.

Let me cut to the chase. Speed thrills me and I got a new meaning to the words power and acceleration. Its just an amazing feeling to be flying above the clouds (almost spiritual). For a moment I felt as if the plane was just standing still in mid air (which of course is impossible by the very basic principles that govern flight). If a commercial flight can do this to me I can't wait to get into a fighter jet plane (yeah I wish).

There is no place like B'bay and more so home. I caught up with a few friends of mine. One of the important issues I had come to take care of was to get Mahek (my bike) transported to Trivandrum and so I did. Recently we fitted my roomie's wheels with a kickass audio system. Its not too high end but the speakers from Lightning Audio (Rockford) coupled with the head piece from Pioneer do an awesome job (it should considering the fact that it set him back by 13 grands). Finally my CDs have been put to some good use.

So far we have visited just 2 beaches in Kerala, Varkala and Kollam and I am starting to love it (except for the part where sand gets into my jeans and I gotta wash it too)

"The Month that was..."

So much stuff has happened in my life after the last blog entry that I really don't know from where to start. For starters let me update you with my current geographical position. I am posted in Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum for the uninitiated), the capital of God's own country - Kerala. Now most of my friends might be thinking "How the hell can he be so happy about it?" But I've accepted it as my destiny and now I am trying to get the best out of the current situation.

I completed my fast track training at Mysore and managed to get a CGPA of 4.66 (yeah I know its not much but enough to get me a TPI of 12.5%). Lets not delve too much in the details but what it means is that this will provide me with my petrol money. After the comprehensive examinations we were left with so much free time that we didn't know what to do. I utilised this time to roam explore the campus in detail and have as much fun as possible.

Casino Royale was screened one more time and I went for it again (this makes the total count 3). Kabul express was another movie that we saw. Had a few extended lunches at the floating restaurant (it was a parting gesture) with my friends. Quality time was spent with the new friends we had made over the course of the training.

Here comes the best part. We went for a trip to Kodaikanal. It was totally a spur of the moment kind of decision. I was sound asleep after having a sumptuous lunch on Saturday afternoon when one of my friend calls up and asks me to be ready to go on a trip to Coorg. On the way the Mysore bus stand the destination changes to Ooty. One of my friend informs us that it takes 3 hrs to reach Ooty and 3.5 hrs for Kodaikanal. People in our group are adamant that Kodaikanal is a better place and since the time difference ain't much (which we realised to be so not true to our dismay) we should opt for Kodaikanal.

So after much debate we decide to hire a Sumo (did I mention we were 10 of us not including the driver) for Kodaikanal. As luck would have it the driver was a new chap and it was his first trip to Kodaikanal as well. We left at 8pm and after a few wrong turns here and there and stops for short naps by the driver, we finally reached our destination at 7:30 am on Sunday. After freshening up we went sight seeing. We decided to leave by 2pm so as to reach Mysore by atleast 11 pm (yes it takes 9 hrs as opposed to the 3.5 hrs as we thought). This meant that we had a total of 4 hrs to take in the sights and beauty of Kodaikanal.

This radical decision was taken as we were scheduled to travel to our respective posting locations by Monday noon. We skipped a lot of places and the entire sight seeing process was similar to the Mumbai Darshan tours (the only consalation I could offer the girls was that they would be back here for their honeymoon trips with their hubby... hehehe). We finally left Kodaikanal at 3pm. The ghats took a toll on some and they became the victims of motion sickness.

The return trip was longer than expected. The distance seemed to keep on increasing as we moved forward. Finally we reached our Campus on Moday morning at 6:30 am (obviously we stopped for some time to let our driver take a short nap since we had to reach the campus only by morning as we had missed the night deadline of 12 pm). The total stats show that we spent almost 27 hrs to travel as opposed to the 4 hrs that we actually spent sight seeing. All in all it was a trip memorable for reasons more than one.

I packed my stuff within half an hour with some help by Bosco and Roshan and dashed towards the Reception block where our transport to Mysore station was waiting. A few tearful goodbyes later we were on our way to our respective destinations. The train journey from Mysore to Bangalore and then to Trivandrum was great. We spent most of the time laughing and having a good time (and that too with people with whom I had never even spoken before even though they were in my same class). The initial one week's stay was at the Infosys guesthouse after which we moved into our rented house.

Yesterday my friend and roomie, Irshad took delivery of his new Alto. Over the weekend he has gone to this home and left his bike (Yamaha Enticer) for my use (cool na). Next weekend I'm flying home to get my Mahek (my bike) to Trivandrum.

I failed to mention the most important thing. After one week on the bench, I'm assigned to a project. We'll be working with Websphere Commerce Server. This requires 2 GB of Ram and as a perk we've be given 24 Hrs net access (thats why I am able to post this entry now).

"Playing the role of a Film Critic..."

Yeah I was bored with being the regular movie goer (not that I was a regular at that) so I decided to don the role of a Film Critic... I saw two movies over the period of two weeks at our very own Infosys Adlabs Multiplex (where else can you watch a movie for 45 bucks and enjoy true dolby experience on BOSE AV systems...lucky me).

I went with a lot of scepticism for Casino Royale. I was not at all convinced with the idea of Daniel Craig mouthing that immortal line..."The name's Bond, James Bond". With all the bad press the movie had garnered I would be lying if I said I was not biased while watching the movie, but thats exactly where he gained points. In spite of all odds stacked against him he still managed to shine brilliantly.

He reminds me of Sir Sean Connery in his hey days, the same charm, cockiness and smooth style. The movie has managed to give a more humane dimension to Bond. There is less emphasis on gadgets (I still miss that part) with the demise of Q but nevertheless Bond manages to make the best use of resources available to him in a convincing manner. Both the Aston Martins were definitely what I was yearing to see more of . And in the very end Daniel Craig mouths those lines which signifies that this is just the begining of what is yet to come. (Oh yeah I failed to mention that I watched this movie twice.)

Dhoom2 was the most eagerly awaited release and I must say it was pathetic. You should really love any one of the lead actors that much to shell out even those 45 bucks. Its all style and glitz. Ash should stop trying to act as well as trying to look cool. Abhishek shouldn't dance (unless its steps similar to what he did in Bluffmaster).

Hrithik was good enough (except for those intense senti scenes). Bipasha has loads of oomph and no one can deny that. I regret to say this but it was Uday Chopra's humor that made the movie a bit bearable. Somebody please tell our film people that we do watch Hollywood movies and if they are trying to imitate stunts then please add some element of sensibility into it.

"The Fast and The Furious : Mysore Drift..."

No I didn't get the title wrong... Actually we went go-karting yesterday at a place called Planet X just 4Kms outside Mysore. Its supposedly the biggest go-karting track in Karnataka. It sure is big and cheap too, just 120 bucks for 10 laps or 10 mins whichever is earlier. Of course with the lap times we clocked, we were on the track for a little over 7 mins (this meant that we had to do it for a second time).

It felt so good to lay my hands on something gasoline powered after such a long time (3 weeks is a really long time for a speed junkie like me). Now to the fun part... we were drifting in the carts. The track had really nice curves (the concrete surface and the bald racing tires further helped the drift). The best lap time for the track is 35 secs and we got to only about 42 secs. So you know what this means... We'll be back there the next weekend to better it .

P.S: If you don't know what "drifting" means then this post isn't meant for you...

"I'm still alive..."

For those of you who have been scouring the newspapers for my obituary here's some pleasant (or unpleasant, as per your choice) news, I am still very much alive and kicking ass. I am here in the Infosys campus at Mysore, where my fast track training has started in full swing.

The trip from Mumbai to Mysore was pleasant and uneventful (except for the arm ache I got by lugging the heavy suitcase around). Mayank was at his usual best in terms of punctuality and hence I told him not to come to the station. After two days of induction sessions (boring presentations and lots of forms to be filled) we had the screening test which sealed our fates. Milind and I got into Fast Track. Rest of the DBITians are in the Long Cycle.

"Cycle" reminds me to tell you about the campus. Its awesome, huge, extremely well maintained and environment friendly to say the least. Every bit of land is covered with lush grass, Buildings are spacious with water bodies around to avoid the formation of heat islands. The house keeping staff is very meticulous in its work. My shoe soles are still black, I guess this conveys the message clearly. There are cycles to go about the campus. The terrain is hilly and I am sure to have well toned thighs and calf muscles by the time I return.

Week days are hectic and most of the time is spent in the Global Education Center (also known as the University of Infosys). I come back to my hostel room only to sleep. Rest of the time is spent in the 3 Food Courts and the Employee Care centre which houses the recreational facilities, 24X7 laundromat, Hair Salon and yeah the supermarket (and like a fool I lugged everything from Mumbai). Weekends are meant to enjoy and I am doing just that. I am sorry about not being able to post pics here.

On the training front everything is great. I am getting so comfortable with the LCD monitors that I won't be able to go back to the CRT monitors. Bose AV systems are everywhere. Class rooms are huge with a seating capacity of 180 with individual systems. Two projectors make sure everyone gets to see what the Facilitator is talking about. I finished my Programming Fundamentals module last Thursday and barely managed to score 97%...Looking forward towards the next module.

Last weekend I had been to the Bangalore DC (Development Center), which is also the corporate head quarters of Infosys. We were celebrating the 25 years of Infosys. The Sa Re Ga Ma little champs gave their performance followed by Sonu Nigam's concert but what enthralled me was the talk by our Chief Mentor NRN (Mr Narayan Murthy). Also I was mesmerized by a sweet angel by the name of Gunjan Singh (of Bally Sagoo's Noorie remix fame) who sang just three songs and left me wanting for more (again I regret not clicking a snap while I had the chance). Had a ball of a time with Mayank and his friends. Couldn't meet Utkarsh though (even Mayank has just met him once and he has been there for about 4 months now).

I also came to know one more interesting fact about myself... I walk at a speed of about 20Kmph... How did I realize that? Well thats a long story which is better kept for some other time.

"Branded Jeans..."

Today I bought the first pair of branded jeans with my own hard earned money and boy I love the feeling. Till now most of my branded denims were courtesy of my bro (and I thank him dearly for that). I didn't actually go with the intention of purchasing one but then the moment I laid my eyes on it I knew it was the perfect pair (also the Doom 2 cargos which I wanted were ridiculously expensive).

Coming back to the jeans, its a new line from Pepe called "Seventy three". These aren't antique jeans from the year 1973 but they have managed to stone wash them to attain that look (and I must say they have done a darn good job). Even the borders of the pockets and legs have those worn out look.

Needless to say it attracted the ridicule of my folks who insisted that I shouldn't have wasted money on a used piece of clothing. All said and done, I just love this pair...  

"Nostalgia..."

I walk back in time, towards the large gates.
Walk past the lifeless canteen, with no one to shout.
Peep into the empty classes, missing the screams of joy.
Stand at the tree, where a hundred love was declared and broken.
The sleeping drawing halls and reading rooms.
Looking at the dead PCs and the silent printers.
A single tear escapes my eyes,
And falls on the emptiness of the long corridors.
My mind races in thought.
Alone I stand as I realize its all over.
Yes its all over!

- Joel Rodrigues -                              
                               

Saturday was the fateful day when the whos who of BEComps 06 (at least those who are still in Mumbai) chose to go back in time. Yeah we went back to those familiar environs of our college. It was a wonderful oppurtunity for me to catch up with friends before I leave for Mysore and needless to say for those few hours we felt as if we are still students. Many of you, dear friends, were terribly missed. Hope you too can make it the next time around.

"How much for a Head..."

Before I go any further, I would like to let you know that I bought my helmet due to my father's insistence and it was stowed away for almost a year (during this period many many long distance rides had been undertaken) before the Helmet rule came into effect and I started wearing it.

The astounding rates of fatalities in accidents involving two wheelers and a PIL forced the HC to take notice and implement the Helmet Rule. This is not a new rule but one that has been around for years (only no one usually bothers about its actual implementation though). People thought of it as just another trick of the Helmet manufacturer's lobby and the Traffic Police to rake in some extra moolah (and indeed they did earn handsomely in the process).

Its been almost two years now and still I see majority of the riders without a helmet and even the ones who have, dutifully leave it hanging on the handle bar. As if the handle bar needs the protection in case of an accident, not their head (on second thoughts people who do so probably won't be having anything inside worthwhile to protect). You can always go the shop and ask for a new handle bar to replace the busted one but what will you do for your head?

I have heard all sorts of crazy excuses for not wearing a helmet but I have just one to counter all those..."Its your LIFE at stake buddy!" Think about it and ride safe. 

"Child Labour..."

Everyday I see advertisements on the TV declaring a ban on Child Labour from October 14, 2006. Although I don't support exploitation via child labour I am forced to think from the other side of the fence too. Its true that children are being forced to work under inhumane conditions in numerous sweatshops across the world. This exploitation must definitely be stopped by all means possible. Their innocence and childhood must be protected.

But then is a total ban the right solution? People tend to mature faster when faced with emotional turmoils and harsh realities. So is the case of the homeless children. They need employment to earn and thus sustain themselves. There are plenty of cases where such children have worked hard and reached great heights. There are employers who make sure that these chidren attend nightschools. Plus earning a livelihood contributes to the building of character and self respect.

Whats gonna happen now is that those children who have been earning a livelihood till now will suddenly be jobless. Chances are very high that they'll take the easy way out and turn to crime. "Criminals are not born but forced by circumstances". Do we really need this to happen?

If the government wants to ban child labour go ahead but make sure they have alternate solutions in place. Proper foster homes and education facilities are the top priorities. Decrease the age limit covered by the ban and better still monitor the juveniles and their employers to make sure they are not exploited.

A knee jerk reaction decision is not the need of the hour but foresight, planning and effective implementation.

"Oops I did it again..."

I had made it a point to post atleast once a week but now its been 13 days since my last post. Its not if I was too busy with work and all but I simply had no work to do. The people at Vistaar are too busy with a scheduled release for the 19th of this month and hence they seem to have forgotten about us freshers. Its for the same reason that our tech training has been postponed indefinitely.

So you may ask "What the hell have you been doing all this while?". Well we have a 2Mbps connection over here with no domain or site restrictions of any kind. They trust us not to violate their confidence (movie downloads are definitely out of the question). So I have been checking my mails, orkutting and gobbling up article after article on wiki (some technical articles but mostly about cars, movies, sitcoms and other tech stuff). And yeah some tutorials on Java as mentioned in my previous post.

Finally after more than a month of fiddling around (and getting paid in the process) I was assigned to work on a project for our sister concern Row2 Technologies. I was excited (since this would be the first time I would be working with JSP and EJB) and all geared up to begin work only to be let down to know that I was not granted access permissions to the server. So yesterday I dashed off a mail to the concerned persons and am still waiting for the feedback.

Looks like I am not destined to begin actual work in Vistaar coz just day before yesterday I got that well awaited email from Infy asking me to join for training in Mysore on November 20, 2006. And its not just me, there is a whole bunch of DBITians coming down to Mysore with me... Bosco, Prajakta Jabade, Lyceca, Roshan, Sneha Abraham, just to name a few. Looks like I'll be back in college again.

"Practical vs Impractical..."

Its normally agreed that women listen to their hearts whereas men are ruled by their brains (though that doesn't always imply rational thinking). Men won't bargain (atleast not a lot) but women do. That seems practical enough considering that you want to save money. But then again they will bargain for (and buy) stuff that they don't require at all. I have seen scores of females spend fat amounts to buy stylish handbags (hardly large enough to accomodate their wallet and mobile) and then lug around polythene covers to carry their books to college.

Does that mean that men are not impractical? Not at all... Men lust over the latest gizmos and powerful cars. If your primary need is to get from point A to point B then a Maruti 800 will do the job but then we always eye a Porsche 911. (I am still wondering how a motorhead like me can comeup with such a ridiculous sounding statement). Men will never stop and ask for directions while driving but will prefer to drive around till they exhaust their fuel supply (so much for being practical).

I know this post has an abrupt ending but I really have to get back to work...So catch ya later.

"Letter to Dad..."

A father passing by his teenage daughter's bedroom was astonished to see the bed was nicely made and everything was neat and tidy. Then he saw an envelope propped up prominently on the centre of the pillow. It was addressed "Dad". With the worst premonition, he opened the envelope and read the letter with trembling hands:

Dear Dad,

It is with great regret and sorrow that I'm writing you, but I'm leaving home. I had to elope with my new boyfriend Randy because I wanted to avoid a scene with Mom and you. I've been finding real passion with Randy and he is so nice to me. I know when you meet him you'll like him too - even with all his piercing, tattoos, and motorcycle clothes.

But it's not only the passion Dad, I'm pregnant and Randy said that he wants me to have the kid and that we can be very happy together. Even though Randy is much older than me (anyway, 42 isn't so old these days is it?), and has no money, really these things shouldn't stand in the way of our relationship, don't you agree?

Randy has a great CD collection; he already owns a trailer in the woods and has a stack of firewood for the whole winter. It's true he has other girlfriends as well but I know he'll be faithful to me in his own way. He wants to have many more children with me and that's now one of my dreams too. Randy taught me that marijuana doesn't really hurt anyone and he'll be growing it for us and we'll trade it with our friends for all the cocaine and ecstasy we want. In the meantime, we'll pray that science will find a cure for AIDS so Randy can get better; he sure deserves it!!

Don't worry Dad, I'm 15 years old now and I know how to take care of myself. Someday I'm sure we'll be back to visit so you can get to know your grandchildren.

Your loving daughter,
Rosie.

At the bottom of the page were the letters "PTO". Hands still trembling, her father turned the sheet, and read:

PS: Dad, none of the above is true. I'm over at the neighbour's house. I just wanted to remind you that there are worse things in life than my report card that's in my desk centre drawer. Please sign it and call when it is safe for me to come home. I love you!

I am sure most of you must have come across this mail before. I particularly like the creativity shown by the girl for putting things into perspective for her Dad. Thats why I decided to share it with you all. Try this with your folks, but soley at your own risk.

"A weekend for Infy..."

The day I was selected for Vistaar, after a gruelling process of aptitude tests and 3 personal Interviews (one hour each), I had more surprises in store for me. Just when I had given up hope of getting a call from Infosys to appear for their test (the recent mails of resume sent to them were bouncing off their servers), there it was, a mail from freshers@infosys.com asking me to appear for the test to be held on 10th September. I was given an option of 5 centres out of which Pune was the closest one.

Saturday: I was still not decided on when to leave for Pune. The first bus from Mumbai leaves only by 5 am and it takes almost 4 hours (as opposed to the 2.5 hours I thought) to reach Pune. And I had to report at the test centre by 8:30. As luck would have it I came to know about a cousin of mine who stays in Pune. A phone call later it was decided I would have to leave mumbai by 2 to reach there before dark (it was already 11 am). I hurried about to get my documents xeroxed and pasport sized photos taken (thank God for instant digital prints).

I packed in the bare essentials, threw on a pair of jeans and tshirt and packed in a formal shirt. I thought the interview would be on the same day or else I would convince them to postpone mine to the next weekend (as I had to be in Mumbai on Monday to report for the training on Monday). Mom asked me to pack in an extra pair of trousers just in case (and I thank her for that).

Went to Thane and caught the Asiad Bus for Pune at 2:30. Travel via expressway is a delight but roads in Pune are no better than the ones over here. Anyways I reached Pune by 7 and my cousin had come to pick me up.

Sunday: Being a Mumbaikar I was confident enough to travel anywhere provided I knew the bus numbers. I had obtained information about the bus numbers from the net. But the ground reality in Pune is very different. The PCMT buses don't display the numbers (at least not legibly enough) and one has to rely on the encrypted names written in red on white background (making them very hard to read).

Anyways I caught a bus to Swargate and a ric from there to the test centre in Bibwewadi. I reached there by 7:30 (much before the stipulated time as usual). At 8:30 we were called to form lines for entering the test centre (It was then that I realised the huge number of people who had come there. There were approximately 1500 people present there that morning.)

There is an application form to be filled with your details. Carry your passport along (if you have one) and also names and details of two "professional" references (this excludes family and friends). I didn't carry any of these with me. The test pattern is the same, 1 hr logical reasoning test (almost 7 out of 10 logical puzzles were repeated from previous papers) and 30 mins english test. I don't know the criteria for selection but at the end of the day only 137 were selected.

The results were supposed to be declared by 2:30 but it was 5 pm when it finally came out (so be patient enough for the long wait). The interview was scheduled for the next day at 1 pm at the Infosys campus in Hinjewadi. This put me in a lurch since I had no place to stay (my cousin was going back to Ratnagiri). Luckily I had bumped into a guy who was from mumbai but had done his engg from Pune University. He was staying with his friends at Anand Nagar and invited me to join him. I readily took up the offer.

This was my first taste of bachelor life and it made my decision of not leaving Mumbai seem even more wiser (but still I guess I need this experience to be more mature and independent. If Infy happens I'll definitely take it up). We made some enquiries about the best mode of transport and decided to leave next morning at 10:30.

Monday: My jeans were totally soiled and my hopes of wearing it for the interview were crushed. Thankfully I had a pair of trousers with me. Strangely Pune was much more humind than Mumbai this time and I was sweating like a pig. This was the third day for my tshirt and it had began to stink (thankfully I still got the luxury of a bath everyday) but still I decided to wear it under my formal shirt (so as not to ruin the shirt with sweat) put on an ample quantity of colonge and dashed off.

The first 8-seater rick dropped us off on the Satara-Mumbai Highway. From there we caught another one for Chandni Chowk (no its not the one in Delhi) and from there another one to Wakad. I was keeping an eye out for roadsigns and had also asked the driver to inform us when we reach our destination. Fortunately when he stopped at one place I happend to see the signboard on the flyover directing us to Rajiv Gandhi Infotech Park (our destination). We got down there thanking our luck and cursing the driver.

Now Infy Campus is a mere 1.5 Km from where we got down but the fares are decided based on which firm you are going to. So we ended up paying 40 bucks to reach there (compared to the less than 10 bucks fare we paid for each of the 8-seaters). The campus is huge and well maintained. The interviews had started at the stipulated time and the delay from the alloted time was not much to be impatient about. The interview lasts for hardly 15-20 mins and mostly consists of HR stuff and maybe a puzzle. I was not asked a puzzle (I don't know whether that is a good thing or bad).

I waited for my friend outside and he was finished by 3:30. His interview was the best one any fresher could give. We walked back to the highway. He was going back to his friends place and I had to catch a bus to Mumbai. I was approached by an agent and was about to book a ticket when I caught sight of an Asiad Bus with Pune-Mulund written on it. I couldn't believe my luck. I quickly bade good bye to my friend (I can never thank him enough for all the help provided) and boarded the bus.

Two vada pavs at the next stop stopped the growls coming from my stomach. The stretch comprising of the ghats were a lovely sight with mist everywhere. Next time if I have to travel to Pune, I am hoping to drive all the way. I hope this rather lengthy entry would make my friends, who have the Infy test on 24th here in Mumbai, realise how lucky they are. You have plenty of time so prepare well and hope to meet you all again but this time as Infy Employees.