Of Knighted Greek Gods who Tame Shrews!

So..


He said.. Ria, We are Greek Gods and they are mere mortals. But ,with great power comes great responsibility. Because ,the evil that men do lives after them, and the good is oft interred with their bones..

This gentleman in the red shirt..Yes the one with the seemingly crooked nose, profoundly critical eyes and a mass of crisp kinky hair..is my friend Karthik. Acquaintance as he would put it. "Friend" as I have always maintained!

You see being friends with a Greek god, high on a pedestal isn't very easy. For he is all that I am not. Organized,Intelligent, Analytical,Patient, Meticulous,disciplined...Perfect to the T! Ha! I almost believed it. But you see all good things come to an end (however tall they maybe!).Beneath that "Mister V Karthik to the world" lies an individual who is so much like me! Emotional, adventurous, maddeningly comic.. endlessly talkative and silently loud!
He reads my blogs to say that I have punctuation and spelling mistakes, and tells me "why dont you ever write about me!" His strongly silent persona comes so seamlessly undone when he talks about Sachin Tendulakar being God's gift to mankind or when he sings Jaati Hoon Main Jaldi hai kya. Oh and yes, did I tell you about the disco dancer..the blue mask the silver shoes,the pelvic thrust.(Smirk, guffaw!!!) Nautanki is his middle name,sandwiched between Shakespeare and Batman!

Karthik's claim to fame at Sterling, are his stern eyes, punctuality and almost vampire like fangs.. He is at his terrible best when he needs to collect junta together for an Altus event( preferably Dumb Charades or Pictionary..eww!) or make us believe that Altus is the Managers answer to the employee union (blah!). :P Why else do they call him "Wicked Vampy", I say!!

I was almost scared of him, almost .. But then it is almost always impossible to daunt my fiery spirit! And so ,I spent some of my best Sterling afternoons sketching on his desk while engaging him in utterly buttery nonsensical one sided conversation! Some of my best Sterling Mornings ,were of course when he got those packs of karachi bakery biscuits from hyderabad! Yummy.. He says its his pleasure to see mankind( in particular, ME) to indulge in shameless gluttony! I agree, because I simply cannot think of any other reason on earth which would make anyone part with a huge pack of LinDt chocolates!! My most memorable Sterling evenings, when he gifted me a gigantic bagful of chocolates , an endless supply of Neutrogena and .. a statue of Liberty!

A man of many faces, a singer a dancer a dramatist a watch collector a driver a basket ball player an IIT 7 point somone, a dreamer and a believer. Kar has a streak of unbelievable passion in him( that explains the broken bones!). He shares every small happiness with everyone around him. If you are down and out, he is the best person to go to. He never hangs up if he cant make you smile! Because like he says , "baby I hav a a phd in making a :( to a :) !"

I hope you realize now that the reason I never blogged about you, is because, perfekshun kannot B vorded! :P
Cheers to you and that Glen Morgan spirit! Thank you for all you have been and never "get lost or go jump"!

-Ria

PS:The general who became a slave. The slave who became a gladiator. The gladiator who defied an emperor. Karthik..Its all part of the plan..WHYYY so Seeerious ..I say ;)

2 years at Sterling Special!

aye dil
dil ki dunia mein, aisa haal bhi hota hai.
bahar koi hasta hai, andar koi rota hai.
humko ye maloom na tha, pyar bhi ek samjhouta hai
aye dil..
koi pehchana nahin
kisi ne ye mana nahin
kisi ne ye jana nahin
kisi ko batana nahin..
dard chupa hai kahan ..

so..

Agar aap sab soch rahein hain ki..the source of these lines are because of a recent breakup or an immense longing for a beloved. Well then sorry , par aap ki soch galat hai!
This is for dsahu-lt , sackumar-dt and amathur-dt, the source of my music at Sterling Commerce. I have no idea what I would have done without their "new song" old song" pop song" english music" mettalica" "ghazal" folders.
My two years at Sterling has been punctuated with very regular visits to their computers shared music folders!
From the recent and current Hindi /english numbers, you would find all the old beloved's here too. For example this song from yaadien! And what more, if Dev really likes some number be it old or new, he always pings junta on gtalk to let them know! "Ria..Wo qurban ka Ye wala gana acha hai" :)
When I moved from HP I rememeber actually emailing myself some of my fav numbers. Lekin pareshani ki koi wajah hi nahi thi, 'cause at Sterling I discovered a treasure trove of songs. When either of these guys go home, its panic time for me. I am so used to listening to the songs direct from their systems , that when the systems are I get totally distraught. But no worries, they say that absence makes the heart grow fonder and rightly so.. I really do miss them when they are away! :) Sachin came back from his home trip and the first thing I said was Aree tu aa gaya! system chalu kar wo naya wala gana chaiye!

So heres to some more music masti and fun :) thank you guys. You gave me the red for my loves, the blues for my greys,the pinks for my hearts, the words for my gtalk status, lyrics for my valentines day cards, and last but not least..helped me become a Senior Quality Analyst!

Accept :A misguided misnomer

So..

D's best friend, A, called up one evening and loudly and emphatically protested my entry into D's life.
He put forth various strong arguments, a multitude of reasons and a series of tough one liners all ending in NO NO NO! Of course a strong independent broadminded educated salaried bengali brahmin was definitely not his idea of a perfect girlfriend for D.
RC is too open ( I wonder how A knew!) was the gist of what I understood! From where A came I gathered that a will to live a happy life and make it one for others wasn't his idea of ideal existence..

I can never forget the night D came to me and said anytime I want to trust you, my friend comes up with alternates to make me do the opposite. I dislike it when people who hardly know me question my integrity and assassinate character. That was one day when I really questioned myself how far would I go, to be ..accepted. As I looked at it, being "open" wasn't bad for me. If nothing it makes me accept an Udaipur Jain with as much equanimity as a Sasaram Bihari, a tam brahm, a Karnataka coorgi or a Behrampur Oriya. It is the same openness which never made me hesitate to stand by D.Impractical and Impulsive as it seemed to many, to my mind it seemed the correct thing to do. I am sure A would have duly objected to me accompanying D to a police station . Being "open" after all is just to be used while one is dating..eh!

As it so happened, me and D parted ways. Life came to a turning point and suddenly it seemed we weren't really biking together. I had hitched a ride on the highway and as nice as the ride was, it was time to walk alone again.. Maybe I should have complained, raved and ranted, screamed and shouted..But then I don't fight loosing battles and D never leaves any exits uncovered! The time had come to accept what we individually were .. he is a simple man and I am an open woman! I never shut the doors and he does not like unbolting them. The one time he did, he had A breathing down his back !!

On facebook D turned single and Voila A jumped to gaYly proclaim that he sure "Liked" it. I am just glad I was "open" enough to agree with A..
Sometimes the first and last acceptance that one need's is not of society and community ,of friends and foes, of husbands and boyfriends of parents and family. The foremost is to accept oneself and be at peace with it.
Never explain yourself. Your friends don’t need it and the A's of this world would never accept it!

Pinked!

Yay .. I decided to go Pink! :P

Pink Roses (Daddy's Chinese ones)
Pink Cheeks ( Pond's ads)
Pink Hair ( Tonks!)
Pink Bed covers (mmmm..)
Pink Crockery ( Mom's Bone china )
Pink Jacket( Lee Baby)
Pink Wallpaper ( Am's Gift)
Pink Shampoo ( Herbal Essence)
Pink City( Jaipur)
Pink Flowers( Cherry blossoms)
Pink Bath( Rose Petals in the tub!)
Pink Leaves( Aspidistra)
Pink Tops ( Must Buys!)
Pink Dessert (Strawberry Ice cream)
Pink Drink ( Raspberry Vodka)
Pink Underwear ( Chinatowns n Victoria's S)
Pink Lip Gloss ( Mary kays)
Pink watch dials ( Fast Track , Guess n Fossil)
Pink Signs( Pink Ribbon)
Pink Animals( Flamingos)
Pink Music ( Pink Floyd!)
Pink Movies ( Pink Panther)
Pink Songs ( Gulabi Ankhen Jo Teri Dekhi)
Pink Toys ( Barbie)

Pink Pink .. All that Pink in our lives.. Carnation Pinks, the Hot Magenta Rose, a soft lavender dew, Dmtry's Salmon Pink (;)), the deep french rose, Nikita's Adidas Rose Pink,Paris Hilton's Hollywood pink, the bold carmine streak, Sweet Fuchsia Pink Or the Bold Shocking Pink!

So go on.. put on your rose tinted glasses and color your life ..what else..PINK :)

PS: A new form of Kryptonite called pink kryptonite appeared in SuperGirl Comics in 2003. It turns super-powered Kryptonians temporarily gay!! grin!

DBC: Death By Chocolate
DBC: Defected Brahmin Category :P

See i learnt how to joke!

A New girl in a New city

A New girl in a New city
central idea...and many sub plots.All the sub plots shud blend into the main story.

A nice new name for my sop. That is exactly what I want it to be, because that is exactly what i am.
Adjectives. A new brush dipped in a new pot of paint and voila a new shade of color. A forever new face in the crowd. I am never old.I am never past. I am forever new. Reinvented and Rediscovered with every new experience in my life, with every opportunity that comes my way.
This is my story. Where it all began and where it would lead too!

I want to improve tourism in India. ( all over the world is the aim, india would be the dream)(need list of places .. ajanta ellora, golconda , south india , NE and MP for starters)

I hate a lot of hard work but prefer it to playing dumb charades. Also do not classify trekking or mountain climbing or running as hard work. But I am too lazy to gym. Though gym definitely helps to deal with problem managers,boyfriends or their mothers!

I love music. It helps me think. Classical Bollywood and Indian Fusion would come at the top of the heap. I call it a heap because most of it is random choice! AR rehman, Laxmikant Pyarelal , Kishore Kumar, Rahat Fateh Ali khan, Kailash Khershankar mahadevan feed my creative instincts anytime any day.


My idea of a perfect existence would be to live the life of a gypsy.With every different place its almost like a clean slate.The novel feeling of starting all over again. Like Reliving Life.

I would miss years in Blore probably more than any other phase in life. When I really lived my life for the first time, became me.This was a city of firsts for me,my first jobs, first flings, first loves, first drinks, first kiss. first salary, first rent paid, .....This is the city of my reinvention. Here is where I learnt it all, to work at playing life harder!

I have done the following in Software : content management, CMMi SQA, Supply chain and B2B. What did i like most? Connecting with people to make a better product, a better team and a better company! Be it while testing software, writing code, organizing events, being a part of employee initiative programs, drawing up fish bone diagrams,or a best practise presentation.

How you interact with people and how it adds up to be a better team.The power of innovation and research leading to meaningful solutions rather than just engineering solutions. In Software testing we speak about Validation and Verification.Not only is it important to know whether the product has been built in the right way , it is important to analyse if the right product was built.
More than technology you should be able to package and sell the product you made!
Working in a close engineering environment is easy. It taught me the definitions of the basic skills needed to survive in a business envt. More so the meaning of working closely as team. However ,Facing open challenges in the market,without strict definitions of the do's and dont's is where leadership and networking skills can be really tested. The MBA experience is exactly the platform where I would be able to leverage and hone these skills.
Consulting is another area which strikes a cord between engineering and management. Providing customised solutions to clients prevents us from promising the earth to our clients without knowing an iota about product development.

MultiCultural envt. MultiCultural Mangement Skills and Leadership competency to be able to live out of a suitcase or learn to make people shop till they drop. I have an eye for retail! :P

Gaining a deeper understanding of world cultures lets us leverage our diversities if we find a common ground to perform. A global school gives you that common ground.
By utilizing skills I have learnt in the software industry and integrating it with the immense learning a B school can provide, I could take up newer challenges.

an individual who aspires to be much more than who i am today becuase of the tools that I use in my daily life which have been imbibed into me from my daily life ! which i want to change ! i know my passions and i feel a gap somewhere which can be filled by perhaps an opportunity which would enable to realize my dreams and strive to find ways to fulfil them..But in a real world....this knowledge is not available in textbooks but being in company of like minded people where the freedom to think and express myself would be appreciated and not in lines of code would make me want to join a Biz School

connect feelings and words.
Connecting tourism , NGO type child welfare, and stuff
say its ur dream to always travel and share memories and wish if you share it with millions.being in a position to think and work towards this would accomplish my bachpan ka sapna
Be RAdical!
Uncanny ability of describing people and places.



colors.
paintings.
museums.
dancing.
travelling
trekking
waterfalls.
seas
oceans
fogs
romantic comedies
epics

..

How I need to Stop Worrying and Start Living..

So..
I really need to Stop worrying and start Living. Living my goal to do an MBA.

I dont need any more reasons. I just need to give the reasons a firmer plaster of paris mould.
Bare facts:
I am an excellent orator. I should be able to speak my way into an mba.
I listen and therefore I am. I should be able to hear my way into an mba
I think to be or not to be. I could stop thinking and start doing an mba.
Did you know it is "an" Mba and "A" MAsters of Business Administration.
I need to find out better/ more expressive words for people's person.friendly.networking skills.relationship oriented person. My Biggest USP is my instant spark with people of all age groups. I have an uncanny ability to connect. Isnt an Mba about that. Co-operation.Teamwork. Collaboration and Connectivity. ( Need to find a good quote to go with this)
My biggest strength. HUmor. The ability to laugh at my problems.trials and tribulations. Mind it, this necessarily does not mean that I laugh my problems away. or Blow them away in smoke. Or take them lightly( Gawd ! My biggest weakness is definitely "self defense") The humor helps. Like Readers Digest says it of course Laughter is the best medicine and Life is the biggest comedy. You might be aware that to write a funny story is a tougher job than writing a tragedy(..which brings me to my second biggest weakness. Rambling away and disjointed thoughts)At school after initially shedding copiuos tears at my first failure at Chemistry I realized the irony of not being able to master an item as small as an atom or as basic as a mole. Thats it. My conquerer could be vanquished I topped Chemistry in the subsequent exams.
In my final higher sec exams I realized that Mathematics is a bull which needs to be caught by its horns. From small victories to bigger battles humor has always kept me riding high in the saddle. While one solves Lifes Problems , one must never forget to see the lighter side of them!

Third Biggest Strength. Belief. Life is a fight And I do not give up. One of my biggest achievements was when I did a 15 day Internship at Bokaro Steel Plant and managed to be one of the very few women candidates to be taken all around the shop floor. My supervisor though terribly reluctant at first was very impressed with my persistence and took me to see the nooks and crannies of the plant where the fire belows and smoke looks red. In the 2 km stretch of the Rolling Steel Division I was the only girl standing over a bridge where red hot steel flowed incessantly. Its a supremely humbling experience.
Since then I have been faced with Bigger dragons. If you trust yourself to fight them, No battle would be ever lost!
While my team interned at Ln T Electronics for our final year project. We started out with our HOD and supervising professors telling us that our idea of Signal Processing Weak Ultra Sound Signals was far fetched and would not work. As the leader of my three member team, I decided that though ignorance is bliss, knowledge is indeed power. Right from researching our project well from every angle we could think off to finally presenting our ideas in a presentation the dept. couldn't ignore. Leaving no stone unturned is the only way you could build up your case.

I suck at SOP writing.
But I just want to say this. I want to do an MBA to broaden my horizon. In More Ways than One. And Better Now than Never!

I still couldn't find something I really believed in. I spoke to Kbed today asking him to move me into Platform AFC. I sketched a vision today, somebody else's! I realised I hate being single. But I couldnt write my story. Whats my story! :)

Okay. I want to start my Soup with a Story. About What. Friendships.Leaderships. which Ship???!!

Keys!

Stolen from Swetha V's orkut profile. While I am still young (nearly) I wanna set this on my grave! :)

My will shall shape my Future...
Whether I Fail or Succeed shall be no man's doing but my own.
I am the Force
I can clear any obstacle before me or I can be lost in the maze.
My Choice, My Responsibility.... Win or Lose.....
Only I hold the key to my Destiny...

Dream SOP :P

One liners + Day Dreams = Dream SOP!

Life is a fight, No One gives up!

So..
Never get too busy making a living that you forget to make a life
To whomsoever this post concerns. To the Box which is unable to contain , to the curls which have straightened, to the mouth which refuses to shut, to the eyes which refuse to sleep, to the face of the fresher,to the last and final MBA list, to the room which always stays clean, to the new found banker, to the BTM Dosa Idli shop and to the spirit which just discovered..
To the indomitable spirit of people I see everyday and to those whom I might not see ever again!
Cheers to here and now and how!

This ain't a song for the broken-hearted
No silent prayer for the faith-departed
I ain't gonna be just a face in the crowd
You're gonna hear my voice
When I shout it out loud

It's my life
It's now or never
I ain't gonna live forever
I just want to live while I'm alive

My heart is like an open highway
Like Frankie said
I did it my way
I just wanna live while I'm alive
It's my life

This is for the ones who stood their ground
For Tommy and Gina who never backed down
Tomorrow's getting harder make no mistake
Luck ain't even lucky
Got to make your own breaks


Better stand tall when they're calling you out
Don't bend, don't break, baby, don't back down

It's my life
And it's now or never
'Cause I ain't gonna live forever
I just want to live while I'm alive
(It's my life)
My heart is like an open highway
Like Frankie said
I did it my way
I just want to live while I'm alive

PS: I love word puzzles! and Bon Jovi!
PS: perfect pic courtsey idblogthatian.blogspot.com
PS: D, think outta the box!

-Ria

Aaargh!

While it is in the room I cant bear to look. While it is not, not having seen becomes unbearable. Paradoxical, Ironical and so heart rending! Man.. I feel like I could write pages of poetry. Sigh ..I wish I would instead write my SO(u)P!

Darkest, Deepest and Meanest Secrets!

So..

A few days back I narrated ( yeah narrated!) my deepest, darkest and meanest secrets to D. D reacted with awe ( I think so!) bordering on new found respect and declared that I was one of the one most spunkiest people D knew! And immediately compared me to a friend who wanted to become a waiter at coffee day. D says the spirit of adventure is the joy of life! I agreed on all fronts (spared a thought for the waiter though!);)

However the momentary delight I felt vanished pretty soon and I was back to debating the eternal conflict between good and bad within me! Happiness like these are short lived .. almost as effervescent as champagne bubbles! D said that I covered my "unconventionalism" in convention.. But I feel that isn't true.

Over the years I have had many reasons and opportunities to be unconventional and I have wholeheartedly lived up to them. And I know the future would give me more chances to do "same" things "differently"!
The deep, dark and mean moments years back , I still regret.. I wonder wouldn't it have been easier/better to be good rather than wicked, to be transparent rather than opaque , to be compassionate than unpleasant. And whichever way I have debated this I have always wanted to revisit and do things differently ..Maybe ..just Maybe there is one way of doing somethings ..The right way! :) Or as D always puts it the way which keeps your conscious "clean"!

The deep, however has a teeny weeny justification. They stand for my deepest fantasies. You know the devil in me has its uses sometimes!

Though D says that I am forthright enough to come clean with my skeletons,discussing all this has always made me uncomfortable! After all how much can a young head carry. But now that am wiser, sharper and surer! I would rather be newer than older! To face your devils is much easier than letting them wreck havoc in your head.
I want to be the heroine of my stories rather than the Vamp. I say "is that asking for too much" D says " Yes indeed" ;)

So Long: While I get my whiskers trimmed, polish my spear and sharpen my horns!!

-Ria

PS: Pic with the santa cap is the closest I could find to an Angels Halo! The red however makes it look more like a Devil's crown..sigh!

It takes more than two to tango!

The most important essence of the software products industry, that I have learnt over the past 4 years is undoubtedly , teamwork. It helps to make better products, better people and better companies. In the companies I have worked with I have been fortunate to be associated with strong teams, work wise or otherwise.
At HP we believed in one team, one aim. At Sterling it is pretty much the same. Though corporate work cultures differ, the foundation remains the same, "How strong is your team"!

Individual qualities do count. Lets say leadership, intelligence, hardwork , commitement, innovation. People have all or some of the qualities in some measure or the other. But the strongest and most potent mixture is an amalgamation of all of these. Who would you lead if you dont have people to follow and believe in you. How would you expand your vision if you dont have someone to bounce your thoughts on. How would you create if you dont brainstorm. 5 minds thinking together is better than a storm inside your brain! I have always felt nice to do something good at work, but I feel terrific when someone from my team comes and tells me that what I made would help all of them! You see success is not always personal. It is relative!

Of course the one thing you must underplay in a team is your individual ego! One must have the humility to learn and the selflessness to appreciate and encourage others! The power of an idea gets expanded manifold when shared and built upon! This is where commitment and work ethics come at play! I believe all it takes is that bit of self esteem and a pinch of humanity!

Caught on an Archie's Mug " Teamwork : the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results"

to be contd. While I tell you about some great teams I have worked with! And some not so great ones!

Evil Grin

One two Cha Cha Cha..

Chunt , Chaloo , Chudail :P

..and thenSome!

I read this beautiful poem today morning. Many have spoken of Arunachal's beauty but very few have captured it so absolutely.

Experience Arunachal..

Do not stay too long
by the river.
The river is a
wayward god.
It is an elephant, a lion - sometimes they call it horse;
One Summer we thought it was a peacock,
turning in the yellow sand, filling our eyes with gold.
I saw a woman floating in a lily pond
In a mountain covered in mist,
wrapped in a cloud
streaming with tendrils and pollen dust
I thought the river is a woman.
A country , a name,
A note of music trapped in the white current.
A sheet of paper carrying a secret map-
The skyline is where it begins, between the darkness
and the summit in the birthplace of thirst.
Do not stay too long by the river.
It is a drowning spirit,
A strong armed god drawing and withdrawing such seasons-
Flowing River,
Standing Still;
River Sea. River Ocean.
River of all our summers collecting the salt of our lives.

PS: I didn't feel this blog needs an illustration. There is so much color in it!

Being a NULL pointer!

So..

I am a Software Test engg. with 4 years of irrelevant industry experience. In all the highest highs( MVC fmwks,linux and Oracle 11g) and lowest lows(iseries, AIX 5.3,DB2) , of technology, the one bit that has really fascinated me are the exceptions!

As a tester I could always raise a sev1 P1 bug the moment I saw one! And there were always so many, a java heap here, an array out of bonds a null pointer an IOexecption..Gee! And as a quest of pure academic interest I was intrigued by who invented them, classified them and where could i find more!
The exceptions define me so well. Ironically I am fine tuned in the art of finding them and yet
I am exceptionally flawed!

Exceptions defy rules.And they are definitely beyond any level of structured error handling! ( sounds familiar!)
A null pointer indicates that it points to no object.. so reminiscent of me!.My friend taught me that a Null Pointer should not be caught, they should be resolved. As they mean "flaws in your program". For example you can always declare/catch a "throws IOException".. But a null pointer tch tch.. int k = 0 ;100/k ; Improperly written "code" would always throw a null pointer.

To be contd: I have an entire list to go before I throw an arrayoutofbounds!!

Tryst with Tonsils

So..

The first time they swelled up to the size of medieval boulders was when I bunked college to eat ice cream! There hasn't been any looking back since!

We have shared a love hate relationship since that first date at Sankey Tank. Of course variety has been the spice of our lives..Various doctors, Varied antibiotics, Multiple Mutations, Variety of grub, and of course a huge retinue of hospital pals!
Many summers ago,I bunked college and ran away with my then love of life to an exiting date at Sankey tank. People who know this place would know what a hub of activity it is for lovers and lazy people! And to cater to the whims and fancies of the fauna , there are the bhel walas, the chat walas, the bhutta walas, the cucumber wala and the kwality ice cream wala! In the heat of the afternoon sun me and love of life decided to dig into ice lollies! Ah what super pleasure in life..the orange ice lolly dripping away,melting in my mouth and slurrp!
The next day I had an ice glacier stuck in my throat and it hurt damn bad! Doctor ENT specialist at Ramiah hospital took one look and said "nod - nod tch tch infected tonsils" :( .. I felt like Satya from the pepsodent ad! Mummy ko jhoot bolunga ki Ice cream khaya!

That was then..
There were some other chronic occurrences on and off , pretty much in a gap of few months. One of the worst was when we traveled all the way from college to Electronic City in a polluted maze of traffic called "bangalore". I had a final round interview with a company and then had to be back at college for another. Man! That night was crazy.. I had got both the jobs. The morning after sucked! ( As it usually so often does ;). That week while everyone celebrated at placement parties I nursed a lump..in my throat!

While at HP, one of the funniest was the day I danced to "maar dala" in the afternoon heat. I was thirsty before the dance and took a swig of a concoction which I later discovered had a potent amount of white rum! La de la la.. I couldn't have danced to a more apt song. The next day I was not only down with tonsillitis but a generous dose of "swelling of lymph nodes" as well!

This has been my 8th year in Bangalore, the city of "dust in your nose"! Almost 7 years since my first date with the then love of my life!
Loves of my life have come n gone. Often!
The only 7 year itch, I guess, I have ever experienced are my tonsils! And I know that this itch aint going anywhere too soon,because we always have a reason to get back together! :)

HotStreetMix

"Pedro Alvarez is a South American artist whose works sizzle with the heat of the dramatic dances he depicts. An artist whose work largely focuses on dance themes, such as the tango, he was originally employed in electrical circuitry until his all-consuming passion for dancing compelled him to express it in painting. A prolific artist, Alvarez worked at a blazing pace, expressed in swift, sweeping brushstrokes, which has become more leisurely following a move to rural Spain two years ago."


To be contd. while i learn the moves!..

The original intent of this post was to delve into the intricacies of street dancing! I won't shift from the theme but would like to talk about it the way ITIS* wants to say it!

So..

For our ALtus Dance Extreme we came up with the theme "street dance". Originally Anurag just meant it to be a dance to show a fight between two teams on the street. A la "hum bhi hai josh mein,batein kar hosh mein "style thingy!
In between multiple brainstorming sessions, emails,chats and you tube videos we hit upon the idea of paying a tribute to the spirit of street dance. Initially we assumed that we would just have some hip hop numbers, because thats the most common dance form everyone associates with street dancing.
But then we decided (typical ITIS "cant freeze on theme" syndrome!) that we would dance to the meaning of street dance. The ethos of which is an expression of emotions right out there on the street. And such is the movement and music that it attracts an entire crowd of people to move with you right then and there!

Some more googling convinced us that street dance indeed encompasses a variety of dance forms! Of course the most popular being hip hop. So in went a popular Bollywood "nearly" hip hop number! We wanted to get the crowd to groove with us!
Then we realised that most Indian folk dances evolved out in the open. For example the garba or the dandiya which lay more importance on the expression of joy rather than the techincality of dance. Then again we have entire crowds of people dancing away to glory while Ganpatti Bappa or Durga Ma go back to their heavenly abodes! And who wouldnt call the Matki Fodna at Janmashtami a street dance, where hordes get together to let that one body get to the top! In celebration of this we put in our second number, a Madhuri stunner! The look was folk , inviting and pure fun!

The next flash of street brilliance was of course.."dirty dancing:havanna nights"! One of the most endearing scenes in the movie is young Katey looking at Javier and his pals moving to cuban beats on the market square! She longs for their gay abandon and in that one moment wants to leave propriety aside and just share their sensous bonhomie!
We also realised that Street Salsa was a concept popular in many countries! I think its just glorious fun to break out to some sizzling dance right out there in the open! Freedom of expression at its best! In the same vein is the Argentenian tango. I found youtube replete with the Argentenian Street tango dancers! And so in went a Salsa number..sensous,stirring and totally simulating!

For the stage props we decided to set up some paper cut traffic lights! We already had a zazzy slide show , featuring our interpretation of street dances! Also Niki said, lets use a multi faceted drummer... Let him play the same drum to the hip hop beats, play it as a dhol for the Indian number and as a bongo for the salsa! Voila.. you have a street mix!

The final bow song was of course a tie between Bappi lahiris Famous "I am a street dancer" and the Atomic Kitten version of "Dancing in the street**". We chose bappi da's foot tapping retro beat and the rest as they say is history!


This is an invitation
Across the nation
A chance for the folks to meet
There'll be laughin' and singin' and music swingin'
And dancin' in the streets
All we need is music, sweet music
There'll be music everywhere
There'll be swingin', swayin' and records playin'
And dancin' in the street, yeah

Oh, it doesn't matter what you wear
Just as long as you are there
So come on, every guy grasp a girl
Everywhere around the world
There'll be dancin'
They're dancin' in the streets

*My company has six teams as a part of our employee engagement program. My team is called ITIS. We often hold intra office competitions!
** "Dancing in the Street" is a 1964 song first recorded by Martha and Vandellas.The song highlighted the concept of having a good time in whatever city the listener lived. The idea for dancing came from watching people on the streets of Detroit cool off in the summer in water from opened fire hydrants!

Tagged!

ria28chakravorty:

black shirt lookin hot

But galti se

tag laga ke aa gayi

swetakumari:

ha ha ha

tag nai nikala

ria28chakravorty:

nahin

:D

hehehhe

swetakumari:

mat nikal

thats u baby

sandle with tag

shirt with tag

ria with tagg

tagged ria

price on demand :P

Now all I need is a TAGheuer.. Taker's anyone?!

Eyes of a Queen

Samne hai raste , hum guzar jaen.
Ya kisi ke vaste , hum thahar jaen.
ab yahan tak aa gaye hain.
ab kahan jaen..

The scent of a woman, at once subtle and strong. Uncertain and yet secure..careful n careless.Vulnerable and confident.

Eyes of a queen: picture courtesy "brendan maguire -Alaska' http://worldwidelens.com/index.html

It's impossible to keep/make everyone happy! So we have to be ..what else "KAMINEY" :)

Maddog.labsci.local 10 11 12 13 14 15 pheww!

So..

On a dreary dull afternoon ( am unavailable in the mornings @ office , with good reason) Sarath Fyi/a d me that I should run the highly dismal automasun tests!

Like Ogden Nash said some tortures are physical and some are mental, but automasun tortures are totally %^&%$^$@!!

Wo ek din tha aur uske baad bus ratein thi. Tanha ratein..Sleepless Lonely nights which I spent looking at the MadDog(!!!Yeah Like wat names!!) machines.. heaving at them , sighing with them.. and getting thoroghly screwed by them. The orgy was long lasting and kinkily torturous!

Our resident Automasun King(bakra!) gleefully explained to me the fine rope tricks of the trade and cautioned me that I was entering enemy territory..Sigh little did I know that I was going to sleep with the enemy. Of Course with eyes wide open!

When the first test ran successfully I took him for a treat at Mac Donald’s in celebration of the fact ... ah I m not sure why!! And, then began my Mangal Pandey struggle for getting the entire truck load to run! Khatara truck to wo tha hi..Saath mein driver bhi khatara..Sab mangal ..Amangal mein badalte der na lagi!

Woh kehte hai na,jo hota hai achche ke liye hota hai..Galat kehte hain!
Stuff just ran amock..Seedhi patri to door , kacha rasta bhi nahin dikh raha tha!And the cherry on the pie was the fact that the MadDogs would stop barking all of a sudden. Server execution failed, RMI call fail, HTTP response fail, Ka Put!!!! Ka Boom!!

Awara din Meri Awara Ratein, Automasun ke sath meri hoti rahein batien.. ..

Wo kehte hai na har kutte ka din ata hai .. Voila! After a million struggles , trials and tribulations they finally barked and howled! I swear the IT folks would have lodged a case against me for raising the highest number of tickets against the machines..(everyday!) .On Saturday evening Grandpa regressions, Uncle BP’s , some granduncle Map tests, godfather tyco tests all of them looked all set to go to Sunday church. And so I left them enjoying their supper and ran away to Zero G with friends for a night of dhan tan dhan!

They say Sunday is fiesta day ..Ah ha. They have never run autoMaSun before! :-)

And Monday.. wasn’t just blue, it was deep dull dark grey for me. Grandpa regression had a major heart attack and it seemed like the family was all set for a funeral march!(I shoulda have gotten him a tequila shot!)Slowly and surely , bit by bit, piece by piece, dew drop by dew drop, sec by sec, drops of water and sands of time.. I managed to bring him back up. Entire Family heaves sigh of relief! (Sarvesh thanks his stars..Jaan bachee Ria se to lakhon pae!)

The ordeal is over ..Nearly.. Tomorrow is another mangal..Tuesday. Let’s see ki agla automaStation kaun sa ata hai!

Wo kehte hai na , jo hota hai achche ke liye hota hai..Sahi kehte hain!

Shutting Down ;-)
PS: A million thanks to my collegue Sarvesh Jain for being the soldier that he is! YO!
PS: Thursdays color was GREEN! hahaha

HeyJohnna

So..
I love this song! Hey Johhny ..Johhny Gaddar. There is so much in it that I want to be, some which I would love to be .. and can't be!

Milte hain gaddar se ..Johnna gaddar se!

Choti Si Jindagi Gehari Si Jeb Hai
Baaki Toh Jaan-E-Mann Baaton Ke Seb Hai

Baatein Hai Sab Saali Baatein Hain
Kehate Hai Phir Bhool Jaatein Hain
Hey Johny Zindagi Juwaan Hai Khel Yaar
Hey Johny Gadaar Aaj Nakad Kal Phir Udhaar
Hey Johny Matlab Hi Hai Asali Yaar, Hey Johny


Aayegi Nahi Phir Yeh Jindagi
Mar Marake Kyun Jina Yaar, Jamake Khaana Pina Yaar
Mar Marake Kyun Jina Yaar, Bharake Pyaala Pina Yaar
Maangega Toh Mera Hai, Chinega Toh Tera Hai Ki Nahi
Baatein Hai Sab Saali Baatein Hain
Kehate Hai Phir Bhool Jaatein Hain
Hey Johny Sab Kuchh Hai Yahaan Sale Mein
Hey Johny Gadaar Sab Chalata Hai Khel Mein
Hey Johny Chadh Ja Tu Bhi Rail Mein, Hey Johny

Bhar ke choos le, jeb mein thoos le
Baaton Mein Na Aana Tu, Apani Karata Jaana Tu
Baaton Mein Na Aana Tu, Apana Gaana Gaana Tu
Jaadu Hai Tere Mein - Kabu hai tere mein -Ki Nahi
Bhala Kar Toh Tera Bhala Ho, Aisa kaun jo Saala Chala Ho
Hey Johny Thoda Sa Tu Bhi Khel Yaar
Hey Gadaar Jo Aaye Tu Pel Yaar
Hey Johny Aaj Nakad Kal Phir Udhaar, Hey Johnny!!

to be contd. As soon as I develop the trait!

Grr!

FYI/A
For those who feel that my blogs are too colorful.
I am an artist and my canvas is colorful! Colors are the spice of my life. The name of my blog account is " a string of colored beads" and it's called Splash... A splash of colors!
So for people who think the blog is too colorful.. "Yahoo's tongue out emoticon"

-Ria

Problems!

Okay I have a thing for synonyms..

Problems are like can of worms.. They are creepy, crawly and come in dozens!
Problems are like sixty-four thousand dollar question.. humm , could we make that a zilllion dollar question?!
Problems are cliff-hangers.. You can't rapple down and its a steep climb up!
..A riddle, a quandry, a pickle, a hitch , headache and a stumper..

Antonyms: Solution ! ;)

Wannabe!

A cordon bleu cook! (impossible, if I keep running to watch tv while the onion burns!)
An anchor for travel and living! (impossible, if I do not become an MBA!)
An exotic dancer! (impossible, if I dream of black forest pastries and cheese rolls!)
A professor of nuclear physics or thermodynamics! ( impossible, if it involves Newton's or Kirchoff's laws!)

The Power of Nothingness..

This blog is dedicated to all those people who manage to escape from questions and answers by saying nothing!

So..

Nothingness is ..
Misunderstood,Misquoted and Misinterpreted!

What's in it for me? Nothing.
Nothingness is used more specifically as the state of nonexistence of everything.

Ah..;)
Grammatically, the word "nothing" is an indefinite pronoun, which means that it refers to something. One might argue that "nothing" is a concept, and since concepts are things, the concept of "nothing" itself is a thing.

1. The devil is greater than nothing.
2. Nothing is greater than God
   
3. Therefore, the Devil is greater than God.

The four terms in this example are

• God,
• The Devil,
• Nothing-as-a-thing that the Devil is greater than, and
• Nothing-as-an-absence-of-a-thing: 'no-thing' or 'not-some-thing', ie, no entity exists that is greater than God.

The error in the conclusion stems from equating nothing-as-a-thing with nothing-as-absence-of-a-thing which is invalid logic.

;) What's in it for me? Nothing.
There isn't perhaps anything more abstract or complex than such an answer. Don't believe me? Try describing nothing.. Try painting nothing. The dictionary wouldn't be accurate and the colors wouldn't be perfect! Nothing sure makes for a surreal canvas!

Ronan Keating serenaded the word beautifully when he sung"You say it best. When you say,Nothing at all" :)

There would be a humdrum of thoughts running in your mind, a furious ocean in your heart, the sound of a tornado in your ears and yet you would choose to say "Nothing" or nothing at all. Pensive silences are the harbingers of storms.
Or Perhaps true "Nothingness" is the ultimate nirvana.

So long.. Discovering Nothing!


ref: wiki !

GamesGalsPlay..

So..
GamesGalsPlay .. and which they don't ,and .. and then some which they can't!


To be contd. gathering RnD data!

BoughtNSold!

Marketing is how you sell yourself and Branding is how people perceive you.
You either get under their skin or get into their head!

While I decide which is which..

KamineyBites..

So..
Some Kamineys in Kaminey bite the dust and some snack on the sky.. and how!
Kudos to Vishal Bharadwaj's compelling visualization of urban guerrilla warfare in the climax scene of Kaminey. Honestly the canvas was a visual treat!

The jai maharastra local gangster, the international drug dealer with his global "allies", the revengeful bookie king, the diamond thief, inter relegion lovers, police, the cocaine, guns, snipers and blood.. Every shot , every move a nuance in itself. The vicious cycle of we all kill each other smattered acrooss the screen. Dust and fire mingled with blood and gore in jungle of the mumbai chawl. Bullet proof jackets held against gold laden bloodied bare chests..

In midst of it, fortune favored the brave and the wicked! Charlie limped away with his spoils and Guddu walked into sunset with Sugar! Ah.. when the dust settled and the dusk gave away to dawn.. :)

PS:Urban Warfare Tactics are complicated by a 3 d, limited fields of view and fire because of buildings, enhanced concealment and cover for defenders, below ground infrastructure, and the ease of placement of booby traps and snipers!

Beating Murphy's Law!

So..
I solemnly declare that I am up to no good! Absolutely no good.. I feel greedy ,I feel all the synonyms of the word greedy..

I feel a longing so strong that it beats any other thought. I feel a yearning so bad that it kills any other want. I feel an impatience so huge that it stifles my brain. I feel a thirst...Its a zealous greedy hunger. Its that which I felt when I stood second in that long time ago elocution competition. The yearn to win...

I haven't won anything in a long time. But I hope I have not forgotten the taste of winning! I haven't fought a battle in a long time.. And now I know that I cannot run or hide from one. Its now or never. I know I am up to no good. But then .. when the bad gets worst! It could only get better and best! Couldn't It! :P

WodehouseSmiles!

So..

Unable to sleep in anticipation at 2 am on Aug16th2009 ,I grab my always faithful..Wodehouse!

I am so thankful to this gentleman for writing such amazingly succulent books..books that have never failed to drive the gloom away and touched me with more than a smile!
Nothing bad ever happens in a Wodehouse. Almost like Bollywood..melodrama , overacting,beautiful in distress damsels and dashing heroes (and dragons ;) et al!

I have read them while I am traveling, sleeping,feeling lazy or need a spirit burst! I have reveled in them, rubbed away my tears and wiped my nose..at the end of it all,I burst out laughing or at least managed a Cheshire grin!
While at school, ma used to get me these treasures of joy. Whenever I would be shaken by Mister Macleans sea stories or Fedrick Darling's spies I would run to the safe cocoon of Jeeves world. It still feels the same..
I bought a few at Chennai airport's Higginbotham's and I was so involved and intrigued by Lord Biskerton that I nearly missed my flight to Bangalore! That is what is the timeless genius of Wodehouse, they transport you to another era. And pray,who would want to return! ;)

His seamless and effortless wit and genuine affection for the fallacies of humankind totally appeal to me!
Like Stephen Fry said..You don't analyze such sunlit perfection,you just bask in its glory!

Till next time.. Jeeves calling! :P

OfBlankets!

One must always keep the blankets..:) They protect you from the cold without and the fear within!

To be contd... I am looking for mine!

PerfectBaselines..

So..

In conversation with AK (quite the "47"!)

*Its odd..how life gives you what you want so early in your life and you make it a point to overlook it.

*Walking a string is more fun than Walking the 100 Feet Road!
*Living Life the overclocked way.
*I swear to drunk I am not God! ( Man..does it get better than this)
*Baselined against myself,I would be perfect!
*What's your favorite game? " U wudn't wanna play it" : e-game ? "oh that's easy"


PS: To know AK take a look at his gaming site. I wish him all the luck ;)

HairCuts!

So..

On a Saturday morning,thoroughly disgusted with my long hair.. I went and cut it off. I must say it was pretty therapeutic. With every strand and inch being snipped off I felt my head getting lighter,my thoughts clearer.. I think I will go and get them streaked next. Perhaps I will feel the color back in my life then :)

A good hair cut does wonders to the ego.. Ashton n Geeta , my hair stylists did wonders with mine.

Phrendships!

Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart.

Whichever ship you are on you must definitely carry "friendships" along with you! Absolutely necessary hand baggage :).. Limited and Limitless!

Economics and Maths..

The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world. It has always ruled my world. It is the kingmaker. I have no clue what I would do if the hand isn't there. My mind goes blank and numb and zilches out. I have simply no plan , no idea , no inkling , no thought... of what I would do, when one day the hand isn't there.
..Hand says it ll be around for 25 years more to slap me whenever it feels like! YAY!

Jeene ke Bahane..

So..

He was a good man. He never smoked, drank,had no affair. When he died, the insurance company refused the claim. They said, he who never lived, cannot die!


*Uncharted untraveled unknown unabridged unacquainted unadmired .. territory!
*A piece of vast blue sky or a strip of shining space all to myself!
*A night of Goan Trance with my "favorite" partners! ;)
*Mom's malai chingri and Dad's magic green fingers!
*Being "young" and alive!
* Platform Fairlop , password policy , data security and AS2!.
*Phrendships!
*Education! in the real sense of the word it encompasses the world n beyond!
*Getting Promoted :P
*A library to last 20 lifetimes!
*Wanting to be rich!
*Smelling Dove in my hair.
*Learning Contemporary dance :)
*Being able to keep one secret! (haha)
*Fighting with bhai
*Winning a debate .. and thensome ;)
*Some like it hot :) ( the ice cream at cherry square,Mangalore o course!)
*Learning to loose and yet yearning to win!
*Sharing the above with people close to my heart :) :)

I solemnly declare the above is enough to live for one lifetime. In the next if god does not decide to make me a cockroach could he/she please let me have melody in my voice. I am tired of having the frog in my throat! ;)
..

Keep Coming soon.. :D

UnQuotes.CtrlC CtrlV

Boredom: the desire for desires.

All happy families resemble one another, each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.

Without knowing what I am and why I am here, life is impossible.

-Leo Tolstoy

"Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase. Just take the first step." - Martin Luther King Jr.

Wobbly Ships,Rats on Ships,Sinking Ships..

So..
When u truly care for someone, you don’t look for faults, you don’t look for answers, you don’t look for mistakes, instead u fight the mistakes, you accept the faults and you overlook the excuses.

You Love the imperfections!

And then.. Ka Boom!
The moment you break up.. all the worms come creeping out!
You integrate,differentiate, mutilate and dissect.I wonder why we/I never do it before taking the plung! Glub Glub..
My two cents from Love aaj Kal.. Deepika and Saif's mutual criticsm session after their breakup! If most of us have the sense to do the pareto analysis or draw our fish bones while we are in a relationship ,perhaps we could save a sinking boat or flee like rats on sinking ships or find a harbor!
Indulging in a Titanic always leads to doom!

To be contd. If I Improve Or .. Sun rises from the West!

Rebels ..

So..
In Orhan Phamuk's book,Snow.. a rebellion is brewing and shimmering in the middle of silently falling snow. Turmoil in the midst of peace.
Everday we face such rebellions. Some big Some small. Some in our minds Some beyond. Some on convictions and Some on oppositions.
Nonetheless it makes us rebels in some form or the other..

Pappu CAN dance sala!

To be contd.In the process of collecting/observing "popular" rebellions..

Day Dreams!

So..

People come and People go. From every someone you will have a something to learn, provided you keep your eyes ears etc open! ;) . Yesterday Asif was telling me about his European “girls” and my ears picked up “Macedonia”.

The last time someone mentioned this word, was the flim “Alexandar” based on the life of the great King and ruler of Macedon! And wait.. isn’t there also a tintin based on it!

Today while running a series of boring installs I let myself travel to the stunningly beautiful republic of Macedonia. Located in the Central Balkan Peninsula, the country shares its borders with Serbia,Kosovo,Bulgaria,Greece and Albania. I wish I had such exiting and intriguing neighbors! I am tired of seeing grandpa green fingers and idli aunty next door everyday.

Macedonia does not have access to the Balkan sea being a landlocked country. My short lived disappointment (and surprise) on discovering this changed to elation when my eyes chanced upon a series of serene lake images on the Wiki! The Vardar river flows right through the center of Macedonia and there are numerous beautiful lakes, the largest of which are Ohrid,Prespa and Dojran. Ohrid is one of the oldest lakes in the world. Macedonia also has scenic mountains , majorly belonging to the Sar and Dinaric ranges. The lakes are deep Mediterranean blue and the mountains… Oh ,they are a majestic sight!

The country has a rich cultural heritage in art, architecture, poetry, and music. There are several thousands square metres of preserved Byzantine fresco paintings, mainly from the period between the 11th and 16th centuries. Macedonia is also home to a numerous romantic churches… Phew! For a country of around 2 million citizens the variety and diversity in the geography, culture and ethnicity is mind boggling.

Wiki has a wealth of information about this lovely country. I was totally overwhelmed reading about all of it. And I know that I am gonna soak up the Macedonian Sun one day… soon enough!

To be Contd. The day I m there!

To Sid!

This pic in goa!

The guy sitting next to me(in the wierd chinese print shirt!) is my idea of an ideal bong guy! Throughout HP I have admired, respected and loved lots of things about him. I am lucky that the friendship transcends state and company boundaries!

Funnily enough, me n him have never argued with each other whether it be a piece of code,a bug, an enhancement, place to go, things to do! He is agreeable company and never tries to impose his ideals during an argument.

A totally dependable friend who will never fail you, whether it be delivering sweets or smuggled goods to the airport or reviewing some literature or a frantic call for help on Xalan parsers!I will always cherish the huge plate of chowmien we ate at nearly midnight in kolkata earlier this year. And the rickshaw ride across Salt lake!

Given my baseline of a bengali guy. The ones whom I have known or seen so far falls much below!