I think there are less than 2 readers at present who come and visit this ever dying website. And the hope taken even deeper plunge that after this post the number will reduce to 1.

So here is the run down of the events of last one month or so.

Let start from January End.

1. I started my night shift. Yes it was the last thing they could have done. I was asked to come to office at 12 and leave by 8 in the morning so none of my team mate could meet. In true worlds of my manager “Without you in the office the whole team’s productivity increase many fold. I never knew that just by reducing 8 men hours (that is mine) I could get extra productivity of 40 men hours.”

2. Around the same time XAT (XLRI Aptitude Test) score were declared. And your truly score a mere 97.06 Percentile in that. For those unknown XAT is entrance exam for the one some of the best B-Schools in India. Yes, I am planning to get a degree in Ymmm Bee Aye.

3. Left my last room which I shared with my class mates and shifted with a colleague. Reason of leaving None!!

Some time in Feb

1. Got a call for college interview from the best place in India, GOA (Institute of Management). Yeah. Party time!! I was so drunk that forgot the close the door of the house. The next morning I had lost 2 phones total worth 17,000 INR. Yeah GOA did it to me. Again. This was the 4^th and 5^th mobile and 4^th theft.

2. Started the regular office shift.

3. Went for the Interview for GIM. Screwed it up big time. Yeah. Again. Bloody Incompatibility.

4. My roomie was sent on exile to Nigeria. Why the heck he was so happy going to such a place. Green Paper still rocks.

5. Got another interview call form worst place to go, Chennai. Interview on 12th March. More updates soon.

6. Was down with cold and Fever so no Holi this year. And no booze too.

Now in March

1. One of my friend’s Friend called, “Hey Santosh me at Airport. I am off to Canada for 11 months. My company is sending me. See you after that.” Bloody Green Paper.

2. Got another Interview call from 2nd Place in India. Mumbai. (NMIMS, the best call). Will in Mumbai for the interview in the month end. IF you are in Mumbai than meet you there!!

• April 26, 2010 -- Stalker or Just Anonymous People? (2)
• April 14, 2010 -- Something Serious Called Life (0)
• January 1, 2010 -- Puzzle (1)

So instead of writing about few of them lets pitch all of them against each other.

Round 1: Travel.

I won’t say a thing about the journey but the first hand experience of destination or origin.

• By Train -  Hyderabad, Bangalore, Kolkata, Home
• By Bus -  Goa, Bangalore
• By Flight – Bangalore, Delhi(Terminal 1-A), Kolkata

I don’t know what’s your travelling preference but i always felt that train journeys are the best. if it satisfies one condition “You have a good company” I leave the choice of the companion to you it may range from sleep depravation to love or from a book to Girl Friend.

So here is quick comparison between the stations i have visited in recent past.

Hyderabad (Secundrabad to be precise):- A small and clean station. They have got adequate security and even though the same station is used for local trains it not that crowded.

Bangalore:- Its been quite some time before i gave bangalore station a visit. It was still the same crowded platform and even crowded ticket counters. But clean and chaotic.

Kolkata:- Huge station loads of people and little security. Its not that clean, though there are people taking care of cleaning but something, somewhere has gone wrong.

Home:- Really small station, not clean, no security, is in process of getting a face-lift. That include a new ticket window, generator, lights and fans on the platform but that betterment is still few years away.

Now comes the bus stands.

Bangalore: Has got a huge bus stand. lots of people. well marked platforms and dirty.

Goa: Medium sized, semi clean, not well marked and crowded.

Airports:- The fastest and (now not so) cheaper mode of transport. I chose this for last for the simple reason that i have been adding loads of air-mile.

Kolkata:- Really old airport. Small, crowded, Really slow security checks, No WI-FI, Shady Buses used for aircarft transfer(Most of them look like old city buses). But they do have a rail ticket reservation counter and post office at the arrival waiting lounge. fewer baggage claim belts and No AC taxi for stand. (One had to call for AC taxies)

Delhi:- Big, clean, with almost no crowd departure terminal. Even though its a new terminal baggage scan is mandatory(as compared to bangalore), WI-FI signal strength fluctuate every second.(In short it sucks, just WI-FI). Lots of shops including a Mc-Dee’s The arrival terminal is too crowded. even though they have 7-8 baggage claim belts the baggage arrival takes a life time. which makes the area even more crowded.

Bangalore:- Big, really clean, little crowded, No Baggage checks (which makes the check in really really swift) The check-in counter itself are dynamic(There no individual airline counter but any counter can be used by any airline. All the counters have a LCD screen showing the airlines name.) 3-4 ATM machine. 8-10 Self-Check-in counters. The arrival area is large and the baggage arrival is really fast max 5-10 min wait time. The only bone of contention is the location of airport. 25 KM from the city limits.

So if you are planning to go to any of these places plan accordingly.

• June 2, 2010 -- Lies, Lies and More Lies (6)
• April 14, 2010 -- Something Serious Called Life (0)
• March 17, 2010 -- Just Like that (20)

Note: This post is nothing to do with the book “Delhi” by the author Khuswant Singh  but may refer to both.

Just now I have reached home from a short trip to Delhi! By short it means that i was there for the weekend. Something in tune to a weekend getaway but the trip was more of “Getting In”

The start from Bangalore was both good and bad. Just for the record I left Bangalore on Friday, 20th Of November. Reasons the start was Good

The Goods:

1. My manager was absent on the day. and i was able to leave early

2. I got the airport shuttle minutes before it left.

3. My flight was rescheduled to 7:10 pm (I had a 8:55pm flight)

The Bads:

1. The flight took off half an hour late

2. my friend who was supposed to pick me up at Delhi was also late by half an hour

The Ugly:

1. The reading light was not working in the flight i was travelling

2. The safety jacket for the seat in front of me was not attached to seat and was roaming all through the plane.

Now a quick rundown of my itinerary.

Day 1: Friday

1. 7:10 Leave Bangalore

2. 10:30 Reach Delhi

3. 11:45 Reach my friends home @ gurgaon

4. 11:47 Open a bottle of whiskey and start drinking

Day 2: Saturday

1. Time Unknown: Go to bed after the bottle was empty, our belly full and mind screwed

2. 10:00 am – wake up, get ready

3. 01:00 pm – go and meet one of my online friends @ Gurgaon Central (Yeah i do meet my virtual friends. so next time you are Bangalore and need some one for drink you know who to call )

4. 05:00 pm: Back at friend’s palace. Have couple of pegs and get ready to attend one of my school mates marriage (yeah this was the reason i was Delhi.

5. 07:00 pm: Reach the venue for marriage just to find out the time on the invitation was written in IST. ( IST means that leave the house half an hour after the time mentioned on the invitation)

6. 07:10 pm: Meet with some of my other school mate who were to attend the same wedding.

7. 07:11 pm: Find a bar and order some beer

8. 10:00 pm: has someone mentioned shaddi (marriage).

9. 10:10 pm: order the last round and leave for the marriage venue

10. 10:45 pm: reach the venue to find out the marriage is over. and reception is on

11. 10:46 pm: lets have dinner than we will meet the groom.

12. 11:00 pm: meet the groom. (it was a muslim wedding so we had to wait to meet our bhabhi. They have this tradition that the bride and groom cant see each other till the marriage ceremony is officially over)

Day 3: Sunday

1. 12:15 am: After 3 rounds of deserts and half pack of cigarettes we (including the groom) finally get to meet the bride.

2. 12:30 am: wish the friend and wife happy marriage life and leave for gurgaon

3. 01:15 am: reach my friend’s place to find him with another bottle.

4. 02:30 am: Sleep.

5. 07:00 am: wake and get ready

6. 08:30 am: Reach the venue for IIFT entrance test

7. 12:00 pm: finish the exam and head back to friends palace @ gurgaon

8. 01:00 pm: call up another school friend and decide to meet her at metropolitan mall @ gurgaon

9. 02:00 pm: meet this friend over lunch.

10. 05:00 pm: back to my friend’s place and pack to leave for Bangalore.

11. 08:10 pm: board the flight for Bangalore

Those who have read the above itinerary. give your self a pat on the back (for achieving this milestone) and kick on the ass (for wasting your time). I am sure your jobless self will some questions coming up. So here is a quick faq

• Why there are no names in the whole of the post?

• Do you really wish to know names like tom (not the cat/dog), dick (not the body part) and hairy (nothing related hairs other than the ones on the head).

• Why are the airlines name missing?

• Here is the airline name. For onward it was a jetlite (formally Sahara) flight i was booked in. which was later changed to jet connect. for return it was Air-India (formally Indian Airlines)

• What was the main reason for going to Delhi?

• To drink what else? Rest were just lies created round this truth. I had changed my IIFT exam center from Bangalore to Delhi

• How was the trip?

• Pleasing and left me wanting for more.

Till next time. Where i compare Jet Connect with Air India and pitch BIA (Bangalore International Airport) VS  IGIA (Indira Gandhi International Airport) Terminal 1A.

• April 26, 2010 -- Stalker or Just Anonymous People? (2)
• April 14, 2010 -- Something Serious Called Life (0)
• March 7, 2010 -- What a Month!! (7)

I had a trip down the memory… errrr.. home lane. Its was the same old house, same old room, same old computer and the same old pram in which i used to sleep and now my Nephew Sleeps

Here are some more of his pics and his antics. Click on the images for original image.

This year it was again the time for the online game called Klueless. It was called as always Klueless 5. I was able to crack this year’s edition bit late due to the home visit. I hope that i get more time next year to solve much faster. More updates and Klues in the next Post

• April 26, 2010 -- Stalker or Just Anonymous People? (2)
• April 14, 2010 -- Something Serious Called Life (0)
• March 7, 2010 -- What a Month!! (7)

I dont know how many of you have seen this TV ad. The ad is all about how few friends want to reach goa but their flight is delayed. Somethng of the same sort happened to 7 of us.

Off We go

We were off to goa this weekend, but as the luck have it we were just 90 KM away from goa and there comes the news of floods and land slides. We are stranded on NH17 with no where to go. just to top it off our bus left us stranded in middle the road. We got a lorry which took jsut 500 rupees for 3 KM of ride..

The Lorry Ride

Lorry ride

The lorry dropped us to a small station called Harwar. For us to find the train to Goa is canceled.

Railway Tracks

Harwad Station

Next step for us was to go back to bangalore and good bye to our weekend gate-away. Or Go back to and take another route. we chose the former later and started our journey once again.

On Way to Hubli

Reached hubli at 8 in the night. We were to reach goa the same day by 10 and we were no where near goa.

Dining at Hubli

The day was 2nd of October. It was dry day so i had a Battle of VAT 69 to give us company and surely gave us some company. It was the only thing that got me and some of us drunkards going . Took another bus from hubli and reached goa on 3 rd full 24 hours late. A journey of 14 hours took us 38 and it was the utmost fun.

but as there is always a BUTT. True to it legend Goa is the best place to enjoy urself. so here are some of the pics we having fun @ goa.

Goa At last

Stumpped

Colava Beach

All of us

Steps to heaven

We have conquored the word

Boat Ride

On the boat

if you are still not able to figure out which of them is me than here i am.

ME the Great

those who are thinking where are the chichs than i amsorry we awere jsut guys out there. But just for you j\guys who came all the way till here looking for chicks. Take it away.

Chicks..

• April 26, 2010 -- Stalker or Just Anonymous People? (2)
• April 14, 2010 -- Something Serious Called Life (0)
• March 7, 2010 -- What a Month!! (7)

I planned to leave Bangalore on Thursday as part was slated for Friday. So the ticket was booked for Spicejet onwards and return on Sunday by Indigo courtesy travelocity.co.in (Trust me they give one of the best fare online). Suddenly one fine day my jiju (brother in law) called and said the ticket by kingfisher is available for 1800 INR go ahead and buy. There goes 1750 INR towards cancelling the ticket booked by Spicejet and Indigo. So that was the ticketing part.

On Thursday I was off to Mumbai. Nothing great about it but if you find your mom, dad, jiju and brother waiting at the airport is worth mentioning. Well they arrived 20 minutes before me from my native. J. After packing ourselves in the car we are off to see the boy-who-shares-his-birthday-with-me in short my nephewJ.

He is really sweet much more than me. (Trust me again) those who don’t trust me then tell me why he got all the kisses and I got none? Pics, coming soon, most probably by this weekend. The next two days were hectic, wrapping gifts which my mom brought from native and I took from Bangalore, attending ceremonies, parties and what not. I met some of my relatives whom I last met when my sister got married 3 years back and some even much more time later.

Saturday was the good bye day. Mom and dad left for native. My brother went to office. So there I was left alone at with my jiju. I thought lets go jiju’s office and see how it looks like. Later that day played a new board game with my sister, jiju, jiju’s sisters and jiju’s jiju. The game was called LIFE. What a name for game where you are married off, made to buy house, have kids and at last die with the desire to become a millionaire tycoon. After losing badly in the game of LIFE we were off to watch the movie “Hangover. ” Yeah, a drunkard like me can only go for a movie like that. A slapstick comedy should be seen by without children supervision.

Sunday came and my jiju took me for a shopping spree. I am still a Shopaholic (Shopping + Drinking). While driving from one shop to another I found a bottle of “Absolute” in jiju car. Before you say what a drunkard let me tell you I just had 2 pegs, we were to have lunch with my sister and jiju’s sisters. Here is the list of the things we shopped for – Shirts and Trousers from Louis Philippe, Perfumes from UCB and Dunhill, Mobiles from Nokia and Samsung. That was it and it was the time for me to head back. I got a SMS stating my ticket on kingfisher is upgraded to first class (Tip. If you are flying kingfisher, try http://optiontown.com. ). It is a good way to fly first class without paying bomb for.

Here is the pic of the Hriday. That’s the name given to my nephew.

• April 14, 2010 -- Something Serious Called Life (0)
• January 1, 2010 -- Puzzle (1)
• June 2, 2009 -- Best Birthday Gift Ever (4)

It was something more grave. I had given my cloths to the  washer man on Monday to iron them but till Wednesday he wasn’t done. So i had to take out my lone clean trouser. A Scullers Trouser which was bought Sunday and got on Wednesday after alteration. (The details here are worth remembering for future reference )

So i donned in a brand new cloths leave for office. Hailed a auto with whom had a discussion (read had to haggle)  about the charges. Reached safely to office. and while getting down i heard a faint sound. As i turn around i find a piece of my trouser is left on the auto.  As i turn around everyone has a Big-Fat-Grin except Me. Now i had just 2 options

First Go back home and change

Two Stay at office with a extra hole on my back side. That’s what my colleagues called it when I reached office.

The first option was rejected outright. For I dont have anything washed and ironed at home. Second I was already 30 minutes late for office. So it was Out-Shirt (untucked). It was so obivios that half of my office knew what i been through.

It was so obivious that when I was bent down to work on one my colleagues system. My PM comes from behind and says “Santosh don’t bend too much people may take Advantage.”

Now those who read this let me know who should i blame?

The washerman, who was late in ironing my cloths.

The auto guy for not keeping his nails in in control.

The trouser manufactrer (Scullers) for not using strong cloth.

My own compnay who askes every employee to wear formals from monday to thrusday.

• April 26, 2010 -- Stalker or Just Anonymous People? (2)
• April 14, 2010 -- Something Serious Called Life (0)
• March 7, 2010 -- What a Month!! (7)

If you cant read this than for your reference it reads “FUCKING FABULOUS BLOG” It means my BLOG is FUCKING its reader FABULOUSLY. 

After watching the Oscars live I wanted to give a long speech but the rules of the awards asked me do something else. 

•  Put the image on your blog
•  List 10 truths about yourself
•  Give the award to 5 other people
•  Provide meaningful quotation

The image is already here.  So its one down and before i give it some more people this award let me list some Ugly lies bout me. Why lies? cos truth is nothing but white lie.

Here we go

1. I am at present Masquerading as one of the person I thought that I am done with.  I re-registered this person’s  mail id which was deleted 
2. I had two so called GF’s and presently both of them don’t even care that I exist let alone alive. Incidently both of them are out of india at present one in England with Hubby and second in Canada.
3. The last time I traveled 2nd class sleeper in train I had to pay fine for not having a valid ticket. 
4. My Present obssesion is tele series F.R.I.E.N.D.S. I am downloading them like crazy
5. During a company interview I was asked “why i got less marks in engineering and 12?” I told “I never got less marks I got more marks during my 10th Exams!” Belive it or not i was selected.
6. I saw my first porn when I was in class 8. It was one of the advantages of going a boarding school. and yeah the room had some 30+ guys watching the movie with me.
7. My fav teacher during school days was the librarian because she never said anything when I bunked class. Not library classes but the regular classes and went to hide (hang) out in library.
8.  I used to write a diary called “Myself.” It was during my school days,  when i was going through some rough patches. Six year down the line I still have that notebook. Its just one note book but its was my feeling for myself. 
9. At one time I was watch freak and I changed them at of the rate of one per year. Then came mobile phone and they had the same life time. At present its my jobs which I am changing more or less at 1 per year. 
10.  I got my first check when I did a voluteering work for a Theater Festival. It was of Rs1500. In return i lost 1 months of colleges and one full internal exams. 

Note to Arshat I hope that I was able to keep up your testerone level high. because we engineer get High on either Words or Wine

Now come the hardest part giving away to people. There are loads of them but 

• Honey Bee (For her Crazy Ideas)
• Shiv (A fellow loser. Hope he starts blogging again)
• PurpleHeart (Orignal and Inspirational)
• Dinu (A Geek in the personal world)
• Daisy Blue (A great stroy teller)

I will gove two quotes instead of one. 

If two past lovers remain friends, it’s either they are still in love.. or they never were…  - Unknown

Love is touch, A kiss, a glance that can make any day feel like the first day of spring..  -Unknown

P.S. ->I got these quote during my school days and I love them so much that I still remember them.

• April 26, 2010 -- Stalker or Just Anonymous People? (2)
• April 14, 2010 -- Something Serious Called Life (0)
• March 7, 2010 -- What a Month!! (7)

• June 2, 2010 -- Lies, Lies and More Lies (6)
• April 14, 2010 -- Something Serious Called Life (0)
• March 17, 2010 -- Just Like that (20)

I am talking about the new Bangaluru International Airport Limited. The airport was scheduled to be kick off on 29th of march but took its flight on 24th of may, full 2 month after the schedule. It was not because that there were some delay in completing the project but it was the breaucacy which marred the inaugration of the airport.

I was there at the airport on 25th may. The second day after the BIAL was officiallly inaugrated and the place was buzzing with people. Here are some of the obsevations i had when i was standing outside the great entrance door. (i am yet to pass throught them..)

1. There is lots of empty space to stand and wait for the people. At the old airport people had to stand in rain/sun while waiting for the people they have come to receive
2. You can actually have something to eat as there are few shops just outside the airport. including subway, baskin robins, katti zone and some chat shop. (Price just to pinch youa bit. Nothing much)
3. They have forgotten sitting for peoplestanding outside.
4. Cleaing would be an issue they have got these huge cleaing cart but the waste been was bubbling with the litter. They must have some more waste bins.
5. This was something i never saw at any airport (or may have not noticed). They have got a weighing machine installed just outside departure gate. In case you are travelling over weight you can always do some last minute changes. Kudos for thinking about this.
6. AC VOLVO buses from the airport to some major points in the city.
7. No autos allowed. So no more nuicence of fighting with autowala’s. The charge the same as the taxi.

Rest when I visit the airport from inside. which will be soon as i am leaving for my native to meet my parents and eat some mangos and leechi (lyche) on 6th and will be back on 15th night so no blogs till that time.

P.S. -> Will try to post from my native if the dear BSNL dial up allowed me to do the same.

• April 14, 2010 -- Something Serious Called Life (0)
• January 1, 2010 -- Puzzle (1)
• July 16, 2009 -- Best Laid Plans. (2)