What I did this Summer ?

This Summer I DID NOT

• Reach office before 10 in the morning and had a date with the sun everyday.
• Follow the diet regime that i had framed for myself to stay fit (read 'somewhat slim' :D)
• Wish my team mate, on his birthday, inspite of making note of it everyother day to wish him on his birthday right from 10 days before his birthday. Here's to him : "Happy birthday Vishnu :) " (to vishnu: may be i forgot to wish u, but u cud never forgot the so-called 'gift' :P)
• Remember to fill petrol nearly twice, that left me rushing to MTC bus stops on mornings
• Buy the FM transistor for the watchman though i promised to, a week back.
• Update the blog frequently as promised to myself.

I DID

• Have a hair cut- a layer cut to be precise. But the hair was cut shoulder short, that it took two days for me to accept that I have hair falling until my shoulders only, not even an inch below that :(
• Spend my weekend time chatting with the grand parents in the flat above mine, which was interesting i should tell you. We discussed nearly everything under the sun.
• Eat home-made Raspberry muffins specially prepared by the grand-mother mentioned above. Too yummy!!! mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
• Learn finding an art gallery having paintings of my choice in Chennai is difficult.
• Buy a gold ring and a short chain from Tanishq. Source of money : Dad
• Join Inner Engineering program by Isha being conducted at office
• Enjoy the pleasnt rain showers and thunderstorms in the middle of the month.
• Realise that I did gift people on days when they least expected it.
• Tan myself more leaving patterns of black and white (slightly exaggerated) on my arms due to watch and bracelet.
• Prepare theratti pal which tasted like ambrosia (atleast for me!)
• Acquaint with the watchman and his wife at my apartment so well that narrating all that happened right from the morning to me became a routine for them.
• Get appreciations from my TL and managers for the demo sessions I have been handling on the company's internal tool.
• Realise that people are curious to read what i write on this scribbling pad.

If you are still reading this, you do deserve a big spoonful of theratti pal prepared by me :)

Love is in the air !

Valentine's day.
My sister and i freaked out together (having no other go ;) at City Center.
LifeStyle was celebrating the day by offering to click pictures of ones who were in tune with the fun and handing over the instant photographs, for Freeeeeeeee..

So, here's from us .... eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee :))))))))))))))))))

Parts of I, Me and Myself..

I love to be nostalgic.

Yes. I love to smile and feel good over the things/happenings of the past.

My house is being painted all over again.. That's the time when you get to see all those stuff which had been hidden/treasured at the nook and corner of every shelf and wardrobe, due to any specific reason. But the motive is to just to Save it.. :)

This weekend when i landed at home i preferred staying at the first floor rather than coming down cuz, the house was in such an organized mess (?!?) and also i didn't like the color of the paint in our dining room which occupies the largest space in my house. Saturday went on with the usual routine of eating-sleeping-watching TV in any order.. And Sunday i had to choose to do some work, cuz my parents were not at home and i had some 'responsibilities' entrusted.. So, I decided to go around the house and look out for anything that might attract my attention from the 'organized' mess.

There was a small pile of books and few colored papers at the corner of the living room. I knew those books were mine and some of those were my sister's. Those books were my biology and physical science records, map drawing note books, my small poem diary (!!), my collection of a few paintings and pencil sketches, my school diary and a neat little address book that i used to maintain but never had a chance to refer to the addresses.

I was quite good at drawing . Turning over the pages of my biology records brought memories of me sitting at wee hours in the night completing each and every diagram to its perfection and my satisfaction. Berry, Pome, Hesperidium, Aggregate fruits, the specimens of each and every Phyla in my Biology record has been drawn with such amount of attention and care, that no wonder i got comments not less than 'Neat' and 'Very good' all over! I never felt like keeping the record down and it was so much a part of me in those pages.. And my Map drawing note book contained close to 60 maps of India wherein each and every map was unique to me in the color combination I had used. It was like some fine art for me. I used to experiment each and every map with colors, shades and it was joy to play with colors! And my poem book.. well, I used to write' poems . Period. But I had shown it to none for it was like a secret possession to me. A few sheets of Pencil Sketches.. I had completely forgotten that i had 'done' such kind of things since when i had safely placed/guarded them in a neat file inside another big file :) i remembered how my parents praised me for the sketches i made and my mom was keen on framing those! And my school diaries, school magazine editions and the Cluny Blossoms editions.. Fabulous memories!

I now carry these memories with such pride cuz, they remind me of things i did that are close to my heart.. :)

Back to my Cocoon

January 26.

Cluny Association of Past Students.

That's how my mind associates of January 26 since 2002- the year i passed out of my school.

Caution ahead : this post digresses. a lot!!!

St. Joseph of Cluny.
My School.
http://www.sjcluny.com/

I was not a brat at school, I was not a part of any famous(or infamous rather :)) peer group nor did I have any fan following at my school. I was studious. very much studious. ranks mattered to me. 90+ marks were my identity. 85 marks and below put me into shame. 75 and below marks would be the worst nightmare I could ever dare to dream of! but I am sure students never thought of me as a show-off for what rank I held and what i was.. I'm happy about that :)

I spoke to everyone in the class. I was considering myself a nice girl. I could accompany anyone until the canteen during the interval and politely refuse if they offer to buy anything. I cleared doubts to my best for those who sought help from me. I would never speak ill of anyone. I never knew to say a NO !

With this kind of an image when I passed out of school, I had a few friends compared to many who were a part of this gang-thing. a few friends here means those whom I would really love and those who would simply love my company. We all knew that we would miss our school like hell for it because our school with its sprawling lawns, lovely gardens, a big big playground, chapel, a prayer ground, auditorium was a haven for us.

When I passed out, I was aiming for Medicine (cuz, the most studious were associated with it). Luckily(?!!?) I ended up taking Engineering and I chose Anna University only for the reason that it had a green campus (trust me!). and I was quite contented with it cuz, it looked like a second version of my school. As days passed by when I interacted with my hostel-mates and college mates, I realized that I had a great and rather strong mental and emotional foundation as compared to my fellow mates. When they would discuss of their school I would find it rather dumb because they could not re-collect anything beyond their revision exams they had! I would utter a silent prayer under my breath thanking my parents for putting me into Cluny, where curriculum was just a part of my school. Sports , arts , music and cultural activities were greatly encouraged. Moral -Science classes, Prayer Services, visits to orphanages and Hospice, tuck-shop, Counseling classes and a lot more laid the foundation and built in the integrity for Cluny girls and helped us evolve into wonderful women.
When I thought of these I realized how much I miss my school for all that it has done in silently transforming me. I am blessed!

No digress :) coming back, back, and back to the point ;), our batch mates swore under our breath that we would make it on every January 26th!
Well, I was eagerly waiting for January 26th 2003, started from Chennai and I had reached Pondicherry and called up a few of my friends in my locality to confirm as to when we should all be assembling in the school.. To my surprise/dismay, very few seemed to remember that 26th is the Alumni meet and out of that only two of them agreed to turn up for the meet. This could be attributed to the fact that since all of them are residing and pursuing their under-grad at Pondicherry that every other day when they go take a walk by the main lane they would end up meeting half the school crowd. Anyways, but that isn't the case for me! So, finally a few of us managed to meet and the evening was lovely.

Following this incident I thought it was a futile attempt trying to gather my friends and meet them at school. I would rather house-hop to meet them.
Thus it went on that 3 full years I didn't turn up for the Alumni meet not taking the pains/attempt to co-ordinate my friends.

This year, strangely, I felt why-not I re-attempt? And I did.. My twin friends were more than ready to come to school for the Alumni meet. and it had been not less than a minute I had hung up the phone than my sweetest chum, Aarthi called me up from her house asking me if I wud be there at school! Boy.. I cudn't believe .. reason 1: she was supposedly living at US and I was not informed as to when she landed at Pondy. reason 2: someone else is also making an attempt!!

I jumped out of the sofa and looked up at the clock.. it was 3.10 pm . Alumni meet was at 4 .. I had no time to waste.. I told my parents that I'm leaving in another half an hour to school.. they were like : "it is solar eclipse today. the eclipse would be over by 4.07. so , take bath after that and leave by 5". I turned a deaf ear, had bath immediately and tip-toed and hopped happily on my way to school..
I met my friends, my batch mates .. totally 8 from 2002 batch had turned up.. and I was not surprised ! thank you girls for turning up :) The meet started with a small not of prayer then followed by the splendid dance performances- the trademark of Cluny :). Followed by that there was a short speech and we were surprised to know that the speaker belonged to the 1956 year batch of Cluny... a few members were there from the 60's , 70's and 80's .. It was indeed a memorable get-together! After that we were given candles and we had a prayer service. As a fitting end there was bonfire amidst the huge play ground. Students danced to joy and it was a feast! And finally there was our school song sung and that marked the end of the evening..

Re-uniting with old friends, having a hearty talk with teachers, sitting on the cement benches facing the playground and chatting, holding hands together and sitting by the lawns, walking along the corridors, bowing heads and singing hymns suggested me that things have not changed. Our Roots at Cluny are firm and deep..

They indeed are!

நான் இன்னும் உயிரோடு தான் இருக்கிறேன் ;)

Hi Folks!!
I'm celebrating the First anniversary of my (last) blog written last year..
Well, I am not sure when i turned such a lazy bum to post even a single line for a blog past one year. But the point is

1) I've forgotten that I own a blog

2) Whenever I think of writing a post, I search for topics that would be suitable for 'Back-with-a-Bang' kinda stuff (and i miserably failed.. you can see that!)

now that I'm typing such useless stuff that you are still reading here (are you??? Well, thanks for your kindness :) ), I think it is after all my blog and that is what it is meant for!

I'm Jus Lovin It...

Dunno to what do i attribute this exuberant state of my mind this week....

• Romantic Weather , awesome one.. isn't it..? dunno when it rains, when it shines. rains while sun shines:) that's the one of them in 'things i love' list in orkut.
• i've not missed my morning shuttle this week at all .. last shuttle for the morning is at 10.05 a.m. (even cognizant follows the extra '5 mins' stuff).. yesterday i went all my way slowly to catch the MTC bus at 10.20 a.m. and there i find my shuttle there.. Wowie!!
• i've had enough time for myself to while away, eat, sleep (tat has become a luxury these days) and smile :)

Lots more to list.. even the smallest of things.. err.. mostly only small things !! they've made my day..

"Ask yourself if u are happy and then onwards u cease to be happy"

i jus dunno who the great man is who said this.. but this is what i remember at this point of time.. lemme not count too much of my blessings.. jus wanted to let u knw that i'm having a splendid week :)

ToUcHWoOd!!!

Of Books and Me..

I've always had a great rapport with books right from my the time i realised i 'existed'...

• short stories
• absolutely long ones
• poems
• novels
• epics
• wat not!(no bragging) (but neva sth crap!)

i cud literally say that i grew with books... (now, don't relate to any panduish stuff.. plz...) the balcony in my terrace was a haven for me.. Leaning over the walls, in a small space, leaves of the coconut trees brushing aside, i had more than a conducive environment in my childhood days while i had books at my hand.. i've laughed rolling on the floor, teased the characters wishing they cud hear me, felt attached to many of them, cried n soon wiped away my tears not to be seen, lived some of the characters in the books for days together, was ready to spend an entire night to complete a book, bunked classes to read books and it goes on... words can't come between the bond i had developed with books.. College days came.. A fun package altogether.. Had lotsa ways to spend time... but still then i couldn't resist clinging to books cuz it was the better part of me.. i felt complete when i read books.. tat was until june 19th 2006

today is june 19th 2007

i've not even completed reading even a single book outta the 4 books i had bought..

• Catch 22
• Gone With the Wind
• Winning
• City Of Joy

And still more i had downloaded from the net a whole lot of books that counts to nearly 8 GB..

Not even OnE have i completed reading ! huh...

Lack of Time(that's a kinda lame excuse) due to joining this profession is what i'm attributing to half the stuff i've left undone..

i get up in the morning looking forward to read xyz novel in pdf i had left open and half way through it, on my office system .. and there i go giving the brightest of my smiles to ppl i meet on my way.. i login to the system.. there's is my pdf smiling at me.. :)
wait for sometime dear book, i'll check my mails...
and after that the day isn't mine ..


onsite co-rdinator: do resolve the issue and mail me the results by eod, meaning end of day (whose eod??.. cuz, sometimes the Indian Stretchable Time goes until his eod)

team lead: why so late kavitha? we could have called our onsite co-ordinator had u come before ten.. anyways, resolve the issue assigned to u by end of the day..

proj lead: so, kavitha.. have u prepared the quality docs(to hell with 'em) that i told u yesterday?
CMMI audit is jus a week away..

me: @ oc : sure mr.oc.. will keep you updated on the results.
@team lead: don't worry.. we'll call him this evening(wat's the use!)
@ proj lead : ok.. .. worthless job again.. huh..

i huff.. puff.., hunt here and there for resolving the code, and ahh.. finally i get it!! Gotcha :)
i solved it.. i solved it.. ..

time: between 6 p.m. this day to until (stretchable)a.m next day..

by that time, my pdf had been lost under the innumerable files that i had kept open for whole day long without reading a word... sigh! i feel bad... (that's the least i can do..), catch the cab back home, fall fast asleep...

But then frm today it isn't gonna be my regular 19th june '06 to 19th june '07 days..

i've started a book and will finish it asap.. i am not gonna name the book for you now.. but, will be back with a blog soon, sharing my views on it .. :)

Microsoft Certified...

I don't see myself a few years down the line as the

• World's nth best Programmer (!?!?!?)
• With software certifications from the world's renouned organizations
• Project Manager (make that ' few years' as 10)
• Or atleast a software techie

Then why the hell did i take Microsoft Certification and registered for a few more certifications??? That includes 3 Microsoft certification and 1 Oracle certification...

One day my team lead calls me and says that i shud co-ordinate with the team to take Microsoft Certifications to become a Microsoft Certified Professional(MCP)(!).. 3 MCPs would make you an MCAD, a Micosoft Applications Developer(!!!)...

i registered for the 1st MCP jus for the heck of it along with my team mates... then i had to choose a date for the exam... i hadn't thought which date wud be convenient for me so that i can prepare enuf(to pass atleast!), or atleast register with others on the same day they have booked(so tat they can 'help' me at the exam ;)).. I did Nothing of it..

i registered on June 7th.. i loved the date June 7th.. don't ask me why.. i do have some days which i love them for no reason at all.. likewise this is one among the list.... :) the date for the exam was registered and then forgotten..

so, forgot all abt the exam until june 5th.. then it struck me tat i shud atleast attempt to prepare.. being in the blessed production support project, things never go my way and i always have issues popping up and me hitting my head all night solving it.. thus go my days.. so, no time to prepare for the exam, cuz i've to start right from the scratch.

i would now like to tell u abt the concept of 'dumps', the word on everyone's lips as soon as they've registered themselves for any certification exam..this 'dump'contains all possible(or even the only) questions that would appear for ur certification exam.. they are sort of open secrets.. i got that dump frm my team mate.. jus 116 qns it has got..

Microsoft conducts a certification exam and i can become a Microsoft Certified Professional by jus cramming these 116 questions.. cool!

the D day came .. June 7th.. Last night i came home at arnd 12 .. Fell fast asleep.. Woke up religiously at 6.30 a.m.. Back to bed by 6.45.. Made up my mind and finally woke up at 7.30.. I've got my exam at 2.00 PM and i've not even had the feel of how will the questions look like.. I picked up all seriousness, took the printed booklet of the 'dump', counted the pages in it.. 163.. my mind calculates now.. 1 page 1 min... so, in abt 3 hrs i'll be able to finish it.. tat's gud! then, i called my team lead that morning and told him that i'll come to office only after my exam.. so all set .. and now ready to study....

i study for the first few hours.. by that time the clock struck 11.. clueless! not even finished half of it.. then i find that no way it's gonna work out studying each and very question line by line with the time i've got.. so, cram the rest of the questions to the fullest.. No second thoughts.. there i go, and when i finish mugging things up, the clock struck 1 .... i've have to have my bath, then my lunch, and also Revise!!!

i can never mend my ways.. right frm my college days, this is my way of living.. very simple..
Fritter your time first. Always rush at the last moment...

Now i run along the length and breadth of my house and in 10 mins i'm ready set to leave.. Check list now:
1. bring a photocopy of ur driving licence/PAN card/ Passport/..... (i've got my licence.. no photocopy) rush rush..
2.ID card

now no time to stop in front of any photocopying shop.. left things to its way and i take my 'Spirit', speed along the roads and when it is ten mins to 2 o clock, i reached the exam center.. that is TCO Cognizant office.. i literally run towards the block where i hope the photocopier will be there.. And thank God it is! took two copies of my driving licence and 2 o clock on the dot there i am at the test center.. phew!

finished the formalities, signed into the test.. Totally 44 questions 160 mins.. There i Go!

Believe me.. i never looked into any question... i jus saw the answers, clicked them, (i remebered the answers pakka while cramming them), kept on moving to the next. there were totally 44 questions and finally after clicking the 44th answer.. i see the time taken.. Hardly 20 mins.. And all the questions were frm the Dump!!! Now i decide to review them.. it is only now that i am looking/reading the questions.. each of the questions run to a paragraph and i lose patience now.. i again review the answers and submit .. The pass percentage is 70.. And, i get my scores online.. it is 86.2%.. isn't that cool!! studying for half a day for a certification exam and making it to 86%!! i am damn sure that i've clicked all answers as provided by the dump.. expected a 100%.. ;) but then, dumps have some wrong answers too.. forgiven!

and i go to my office now.. everyone congratulates me.. i tell my Project Manager(PM) abt my completion of the certification..

me: Srini, i've completed my MCP

PM: Good Congrats Kavitha.. MCP in what?

me: SQL Server, Srini.

PM: Fine.. So, any SQL Server related project work comes in our team, i'll allocate it to u..

me: eh!!??!!??!!

He sends a mail to the entire offshore team and to the onsite team abt my 'success' in this exam.. as usual people ask me for a treat and i deny it :)

But at one corner of my mind, i have this thought..what's the use of a certification when you haven't prepared for it, studied in the real sense, and put that knowledge into use in ur future?

i have no answers for it.. i still have 3 more certification exams to take:)

Is this my FiRsT Post??

Listening to 'Maahia' by Annie,
Having a deliverable in a few days for which i haven't worked in the past one week and whiling away my time till this moment,
Bugged by my PL prying into my cozy corner(my cubicle i meant :)) every now and then for a not-at-all-worth document,
Having a petty misunderstanding with my colleague-turned-friend,
Eyes drooping the moment i think of how to spend every millisecond of the left over two hours at onsite-offshore status call,
Two more issues during production support popping up,
Ogling now and then at my _ _ (now, don't ask me whoz this;)),
Having no option for another coffee break(tho i don't take it, i jus be there for killing time) of the day cuz our floor pantry guys have left for the day,
Exhausting every available way to make the clock strike ten(tat's wen i have my last shuttle),
there is the birth of my First Blog.. :)

i wished to start my first blog, sitting right in front of my lappy afresh, ideas blossoming, thoughts gushing ahead , and finally a conclusion saying 'Hi ppl! I feel happy to be a part of this blogspot.. blah.. blah.. blah'

so, now wat is that something that is striking me???Some of the most important(??)/ good(?!? c'mon)/ (will someone give me the right adjective as to how i can refer to my blogspot???).. okies lemme call it 'much awaited'(by me!)... No digression..
So, some of the 'much awaited' things don't come in a package of pink roses, lovely ambience, exuberant mood, and with all the lovely things on earth(raindrops on roses and whispers on kittens..) like the way i was waiting to create my blogspot..
boredom, frustration, not-got-anymore-to-lose situations too can be the drive for doing / the happening of something 'much awaited'...