FUN@WORK

hilariously hilarious fun@work....thats what it ws today!!!! ok....let me start....Fun@Work is something which happens in my company (which pays me for the work i do..!!), every last Friday of the month.The entire lot in the company is divided into 4 teams. Each team gets to organize events for the month in the cyclic order. I belong to one of the most enthu of the teams, the FUNKAARS.Usually what happens is either we would be organizing or would be participating for the events, thatwe never actually get to see the events.But,this time, it was ultimate fun being in the audience. kp, piggy, kulku, mani,amity and me....OMG.Appu's farewell had just got over. As usual, i was so very pressurised to speak.the complaint was that i dont speak in the meetings(although i speak too much outside them!!)....which was reinstated again and again..kulku was saying that i was showing so much of power or rather scope, which i wasn't.(the dongle buddies and their scope is obviously famous!!)
i spoke my mind out. i told that i did not like this formal act of saying goodbye or anything.but couldnot stop myself wishing her all the best.so, that being over, we marched for the ALL EMPLOYEE ADDRESS.
i like 'all employee address'. as always, we will be late for it, and end up standing in that cornerpathway, murmuring to the max resulting in seemingly yelling sound that people staring us from all directions.we donot bother, atleast i dont, and continue our bit of entertainment over there.
we had a similar all employee address. big decisions were being taken and everyone were keen and all ears to them.
after all the presentations and stuff, TBD starts(one of the 4 teams) off with their second round of FUN@WORk.
there were these 3 round---1. Kahin pe nigahein kahin pe nishaana

2. Zara gaake dikha

3. Complete the man
the first one was a dart game. we could see teams of two terribly failing to make it to the mickey's face.(Mickey Mouse's face being the nishaana...), if u hit the face then 10 points, if nose then 20 and if u make it there from a greater distance then double the points...all funny rules...!!!the darts flew in various trajectories sometimes nearly making it to mickey's face sometimes terribly failing to even get closer.
Funkaars did a good job in this game...the only one where they excelled this time..after that, the best of the three events started, zara gaa ke dikha.A duet was to be sung...the lyrics would be given, karoake on the background.all you have to do is......TO SING ALONG.
the songs where all too good,the first team picked the song, Tu tu tu, tu tu thara....from "bol radha bol"the female singer did justice, but male singer, gosh....what sound people...grrrr....
the second team was to sing---chura ke dil mera..even here the female singer was smart enough not to open her mouth that much too...the background female voice was markedly loud, so, she just had to do a lil bit of lip movement.the male singer again was ohhhh goshhhhhh...as soon as his line came, we all would start singing....!!!
the third was us...wid Mein tho raste se jaa raha tha...dint much live upto the big expectations, but....okie, dats fine..better luck next time, huh!!!
the last one, was the funniest. they had to sing--Dhak dhak karne laga..the female singer was ohhhh...no..thank god they got interrupted in between..the event got postponed..
after that, the third event of complete the man started...hehee:)there would be a heroine photo putup, u have to draw moustache for them.a team of two, one should guide the other to do it...teams came up with so funny moustaches...oh..goood...god!!!the priety zinta and bipasha basu's and deepika padukone's and aiswarya rai's will run off seeing that..but that was too much of fun..
then came the postponed event...utilizing the extra time that they got,they came up with a better female singer....to our surprise it was a MALE...!!two males with the DUET..and dhak dhaking...with added expressions and awesome rendering they jsut steeled the show.laughed continuously for some 5 minutes...that i started crying on the end..!!!
that was one of the most funniest of the performances....way to go people...!!!after the usual cake cutting and snacks, i got back to work..but i could not stop writing this ASAP...
I know from the olympic spirit that participating is more important than winning...but, i would say, being in the audience is more fun and joyous than anything...atleast for events like this!!!!

In Midst of Festivities

Its festival season!

Diwali is around. Everyone is happy. Monday, the 27^th is a holiday. All are going home. But here I am, mitigating or more of, helping to mitigate collisions! (Referring to my project:))

I am not at all being boastful out here, but I should confess that, the term which many software engineers dread of, the term “BENCH” is something, that I have never got to experience. I am sure, no one in my team would ever complain of not having work. May be I am missing out experiencing something, am I?

I would prefer not, still. 

Getting back, we are drowned in issues. Each one pops out of nowhere when we are just about to get back to normal work. Issues are good. They help you to learn more and deeper into what you are doing, and how exactly it should be done and all, but it takes a hell lot of time from you that, it becomes hard to find time out to do your regular work. The bottom line is, the team ends up kind of working 24 X7.

In the middle of all this, people are busy wishing “Happy Diwali” to whomsoever around and bidding adieu for a much awaited vacation. 

I just want to get out house (of office!). We four of us have planned on a trip and I am raring to go.

My parents are angry with me over the trip plans. All they want me is to stay home and take rest. Of late I was tripping hard and getting caught with cold and other unhealthy situations. Their concerns are very much genuine, but I just can’t let this trip go. 

I was thinking about it myself. It’s been a year in Bangalore and I have seen and been to more places than aunty at home. She keeps complaining about me not staying at home when Binu (her daughter) comes. Either there would be classes, or I would have gone to native or there would be a TRIP.

 

I have discovered myself, that its one thing I enjoy doing other than writing, reading, talking and sleeping. Now, that’s pretty a saturated list. I do not feel even a pinch of boredom even after exhaustive doing of any of this!!! 

This time, I was visiting the Banergatta National Park. I am not planning on writing anything about that visit as my good friend GMW has agreed on penning the travelogue as his first blog entry. I am so very sure, that it would be sumptuous read.

We had with us two great, creative, naturally talented photographers. We got to be part of some technically sound pictures. In between, we also got to witness some lavish cursing too, from one of them, as he dint possess an SLR as the other did. 

We were lazing around seeing the animals and wondering how simple and uncomplicated their life is!

It is so easy for them. They just have to get up, have something during the day, just lie like that in the cage, or just laze around in the open, at times strike a pose or two and then again doze off. No work to do, no commitments to make, no one to report to. They don’t have to make money to feed their children, never have to fill their bank accounts or drop cheques!

The one thing that they may be lacking is freedom but that too is there in these national parks. They are left out in open. So, I guess there’s nothing to complain about. Good food, enough freedom and great life. All the more, getting pictured too. People pay to see them!

But sad that they do not have brains to realize that, had they, they would not remain animals, don’t they? Strange:) 

This vacation time has been till now one with animals and wildlife and getting to know more about Earth.

I am seeing ‘Planet Earth’, the series from BBC. It’s a comprehensive documentary series covering almost everything on earth, from the poles to mountains, from caves to deserts, jungles to shallow seas and what not. I have just started to watch them and look at me; I cannot stop writing about it. 

I am mesmerized by the lucid narration of David Attenborough. Every single still in this motion picture is classic stuff. The chase being the best, where the technique of filming coupled with rich photography skills and some amazing soulful narration has made it exhilarating. One cannot stop wondering the amount of pains taken to make such a great informative and all-inclusive, widely accepted series of documentaries. It would have been so much of an adventure in itself and all the more of fun, pleasure, contentment and satisfaction. 

The cinematography is awesome, be it the penguins of the Antarctic, the polar bear of the Arctic, the cherry blossoms of Japan during the spring time, the wild dogs chasing the impala, the puma of the Andes, the Rockies, the Karakorum, the snow leopard or the Grand Panda of China. 

I am quite sure that as I continue to watch them, I would be more eager to write about them, which I would love to:) 

Signing off for now but promising with more of the “Planet Earth”:)

                                     

Wonderful "WONDERLA"

I just love trips. This is about the trip we made today to Wonderla.

First of all let me say, awesome it was....!!!

We were 7 of us, an all girls gang. We have been procrastinating this trip for quite a long time and in the end we were actually making it there. I would  reach Minu, Anna, Neenu and Tommy's home at Koramangala. From there we would goto Majestic to pick Franci and then would set off for Wonderla. 

This was the plan. The surprise element in the entire plan was the presence of Acha(Reenu Acha John). I was meeting her after college and that was a wholesome surprise. She remains to be as fat as ever!!!Quite sure that she will kill me reading this...:), although i have told her myself. She reminded me of the  "Still d One" song which i made her dislike after constant playing of the same...!!!! and ofcourse the "Sutta" song tooo...hehe:)

This plan got executed barring the unavoidable and most certain of the delays. on the way, we played UNO.

That was a funny game of cards which only two of the 7 knew properly. But thank god i wasnt a loser in this game compared to the BLUFF that we played in the Munnar trip..!!...But, my folly with the cards continued to reign supreme considering the fact that i failed to call the penultimate card "UNO", almost thrice...!!!

I was just reiterating that i am bad at it.....anyways..

we reached wonderla sometime around 11.30. that was quite late. but then we quickly took tickets and managed to start the rides by 12.

we had planned to start with the wet rides, but that would begin only at 12.30 so, we decided to go for some dry ones.

so here we were, standing in front of "MAVERICK" and "Y scream", confused as to which one to go for?

both seemed to be scary enough. The experienced person among the lot Minusa, gave us directions. we decided to start with Y scream and then MAVERICK. 

the time of waiting for the ride is the actual testing time. we are staring at other people screaming their heads out and thats when a lot of calculations happen in mind as to whether to go for or not...

then suddenly the big sum of 450 comes to the mind...and all confusions diffuse...!!!

there's no looking back.....courage is the last resort...

Y scream was dready for the first ride...it wasnt as scary though as expected....the only thing that needs after the same is some amount of stability to be provided to your head after all the turns and more of turns...

at that moment, i thought this was the most scariest one other than hurricane....but i was only wrong...

there was one "INSANITY" to come....!!

now that we were done with the BADE BAAP, MAVERICK would not be a problem at all, we thought.

we 7 of us lined in the back row. This time i was determined to keep my eyes open for the entire duration of the ride. that was a personal challenge. another collective challenge that we set for all of us was to count the number of upside down turns and the diagonal turns and to scream it out load !!!! (crazy us..!!)

by now it was past 12.30 and we set off for the water rides. water splash was on the way....

it was too good, that removed the twisty-turny feelings and we were refreshed...!!!

the WAVE POOL was the next followed by the RAIN DISCO. we danced and enjoyed our hearts out.

we were recollecting all those dances that happened during hostel days.... the old steps..the manjusha step...

d micheal jackson step...likewise...hehhehe:)...and ofcourse the regular gapfiller of those days and still now----mangapari -chelikkuthu:)..

the water pendulum and the twisters were the next. franci was shit scared of all the water rides, so was acha wid the dry ones...!!but both managed well.....they r brave...hmmm!!!

twister was kinda boring...so we went for the more adventurous VERTICAL FALL....

That was the coolest of the water rides....without any safety gear....just a free fall...franci screamed the hell out of that place....!!

now that again, as we mastered the toughest one, we went for free racer, uphill racer and banded traits. 

if the free racer was flat, sliding and easy , the uphill racer was a bit more steeper and wavy...

one girl got stuck up in between because of lack of momentum because of her lesser body weight....

no too much physics here:)

we had got splitted after the vertical fall as 4 others, anna, neenu, acha and minu had decided to go for boomerang whereas we 3, tommy, franci and myself decided to go for uphill racer...we got separted after that...

we couldnt find them out, in the course of the search whereby we went for DROP ZONE and NET WALK..

Drop Zone was good and Net WALK the regular stuff...

we were on the look out for the 4...

we were hungry, none of us had even a single penny with us, neither the locker keys and we were not finding those 4...

after a hell load of searching....at last..we found them...near the restaurant itself!!!

had loads of food.....and then again...went for CRAZY CARS...

only i could make it to that as he dint notice that i was wet....

i literally jammed to everyone else's car....so did the other's in the group..

the other's later said that my expressions were way toooo funny..!!!....it was as if i was venting out all my frustration...i was literally fighting..hehehe:)

from there we went for BAMBA....that was too kewl..

i started off well, only to find that there was some locking error. in between the ride was stopped and the fault was detected ....the lock got corrected and we got to ride it twice....we were all dancing..it was absolute fun..

minusa was very enthu about her TORA TORA..her pet name for INSANITY..

she terribly wanted to go for it...and she wanted us also to accompany...

so...there we were all @ INSANITY...

the only thing i remember is the bad words showered by anna and neenu on her(minusa!!) after the ride..

that was actually an insane ride...

but still, i loved it.....the twisty turny INSANITY....we were all flying...n flying...

it was almost time by then...

we had to decide between giant wheel and musical fountain...

we decided on the fountain...

the laser show was way toooo kewl......amazing it was...

the laser beams coming from the projector, the smoke fumes that were sprayed in to it...which created the whole 3D effect....it entralled us....!!

it was 7....and we 7 were finding it hard to leave. 

but, that was the end of an absolutely rocking day...!!! of total adventure, fun and frolic....we all enjoyed to the max...as we wanted...

packed our bags by 7.30 and there we were, in the rented Qualis...back home...

dropped down at franci's place to meet anupa, hridya and mili...

i was meeting anupa after college for the first time.....10 friends from college days....it was kinda REUNION...

I just HOPE that this hope remains,

the hope that we would meet all the more again,

the hope that the friendships would be stronger and harder,

as the days pass by...

i just hope that i shall not stop hoping to hope more!!!

For Loving Darshu

Its a usual Friday morning.I am as drowsy as ever. I dont wanna go to office as always.I have a book to finish today.And i have to bid farewell to a very special person !!!! how hard can that be?Times are changing, markets are crunching, money value dwindling and people are all panicking everywhere.Over the past two-three months i have seen people moving in and out like anything..!!And here we are again, in the midst of another farewell....but this time its different, as its Darshu:(
The loving, bubbly, dancing, ever smiling person she is to all of us oozing out energy all the time. Alwayz active and making others too the same. You feel there is happiness in life and not everything is lost when she'z around. She makes you feel life's good.
Her gesture of forwarding my Letter's To The Editor which came in The Hindu, surprised me a lot. Many people responded reading that mail and it gave immense poularity for me in office. Oh my God, that was reallyunusual and kewl. I shot to Writer stardom that day!!!
Thanks a lot Darshu for all d wonderful days. Wishing you all the very Best in life:)keep rocking:)