So.

Why does speaking/writing about food make people, who hear/read it, hungry.

 

Is it like hearing running water and needing to pee oh so badly. It really, no pun intended, pisses me off. There are fountains and rock gardens with waterfalls in my place of work (cool, huh?). And there is one right outside where I go to have lunch and breakfast. And everytime I pass the waterfall, I need to go. Go now. It is awful. Hate it. So. Much.

 

Do other people also have this problem? Why couldn't my parents toilet train me differently? When I see my cousins try to get their kids use the toilet and they do the whole running water thing, I feel really bad. Damn. Another generation of people whose bladder is getting conditioned to react to running water.

 

I was going to write about someting totally different and got side tracked. Again.

 

More later.

I just had Karachi Biscuits. For those who don't know what they are, they are vanilla flavoured cookies with nuts and other stuff and are sorta hard. Apparently a speciality of Hyderabad. Good stuff. Now I'm feeling hungry.

Work. Gah.

 

What have you all been up to?

 

I have found that while my work ethic is great, the gland that makes me like/want work is severely underdeveloped. As are my glands that like/respect/want to breathe the same air as certain folks/collegues who I meet/talk with/send emails to very regularly. Should I be worried? And I find other people's worries/problems amusing. Not to their face though. I am a good person, really, I just have trouble focussing and all that shit. Give me something that matters. Talking to me for hours about how your nails need shaping/cutting/polishing very often is not going to give you points in that register I keep in my head for most people I meet. It is an automatic negative. And don't ask me why I don't like wearing a dupatta. I get annoyed very easily and you annoy me. Don't tell me that you appreciate all the hard work I do and then give me work that would take a normal person a week to do and tell me you want it yesterday. I am not amused. Don't ask me why I'm listening to music and not talking to you. I don't like you. I don't want to talk to you. You are not interesting. And you are definitely not funny.

 

If you are wondering, not all those "you"'s were referring to any one person. A lot of people annoy me. So much so that I wonder if there is a club of people who get together every friday evening and practice stuff they are going to tell me or ask me just to annoy me. I wonder if there is a secret handshake and a code word. Like in Secret Seven. And yes, I know that the Secret Seven didn't have a secret handshake.

 

/rant

 

And I have to do laundry today. I don't want to wear used underwear. I know you didn't want to know that. Oh shut up. I have never worn used underwear. I was just saying... Work. Now.

Got the roommate hooked on to The West Wing. Much fun.

Icecream for dinner. Yummy.

High Crimes. Predictable.

Oprah. Still boring.

Been at work since 10am. Waited.

 

2 calls at 12... now 15 minutes of work later, I'm going home...

 

What a waste of time.

 

Bye.

I like the Becker-Posner blog. I feel intelligent when I intelligent stuff. Not making sense?

 

I went from Dad Gone Mad to Amalah to more and more mommy blogs and suddenly realised that I was reading about post-partum depressions and maternity bras and sippy cups. *shudder*

 

So I went to Zug and read about credit card pranks and pretending to be micheal jackson and eating coins and trying viagra in the church and ordering penis enlargement pills online. Hilarious. A good morning wasted. What can I say? I was waiting for an email and it still hasn't come.

 

So now, after a brief period of estrogen overdose and a lot of deep belly laughs (and forwards), I am reading stuff that a nobel laureate (economics) and judge have to say. And it is really very interesting; if you want to know about immigration reform and health care and social security and plagiarism and China and many many more things that I didn't know could be interesting.

 

So back to more reading. Bye.

I have had a busy morning. Woke up late, missed the bus, got drenched, Came to work, changed my password, had breakfast, got drenched in the rain, dried off, checked my mail, replied to mails, checked various blogs, met with co-workers and came to consensus on several "issues", got work, sent emails to manager, wished several people happy birthday, had coffee, gossiped, decided to do work, added few columns to already voluminous xl sheet, got more work, have to start now. Somebody save me.

 

Life should be more than just existing.

 

Saw bits of the Pelican Brief & Erin Brockovichlast night. Julia Roberts has big hair.

Why do you think Holmes kept Watson around?

So, Pirates of the Caribbean, Dead Man's Chest...

 

First, all of the Flying Dutchman's crew look like they were born out of the puke of the designers of Jason/Freddy and the Orks/Uruk-hai. Some originality would have been nice. Why did this movie have to be 3 hours long when it would have been a perfectly good 1 and a half hours movie? Why, oh why? The dialogues were better in the first, though I admit, Captain Jack Sparrow's makeup was more intersting this time around.

 

Kiera Knightley (sp?) was pouting throughout the movie. And Bloom was boring. And that oracle woman? What were they thinking?

 

I was disappointed. It was funny in a lot of places but there were long stretches of yawn. Not good enough. Will I see the next one? Of course. I still think Depp is awesome. Maybe, since they are bringing Geoffrey Rush back in the 3rd, it'll be better.

I had so much fun last night. I felt all warm and tingly when I got home. Major smiles. K's studying, R (you don't know her, Girish) is getting married, Y is almost done with her residency, S has just chnaged jobs (and still hasn't quite figured out what a conversation means) and D is still nuts. Good fun. So the deal with Ramya is that she met this guy on Orkut (of all places!!) and checked him out on tamilmatrimony.com (again, Hloy shit!!) and then from there things got a little blurred till he popped the question (I am still not sure if it was just a week after "meeting" on Orkut) and she said ok and they called their respective parents and his came to her home and they met and now all is well and dandy. People do this? People I know?! Anyway, she seems very happy and I guess that's all that really matters. All in a week's work apparently.

So that was saturday.

I went to my grandmother's place this morning with my dad and my aunt and uncle were just shaking the cobwebs off and the cousin was still asleep. The conversation, during the course of several coffees, ranged from just plain weird to really scary. Somehow my aunt and I started talking politics and obviously you can't talk Indian politics without talking about religion and caste. My uncle piped in about how the Karunanidhi is trying to get a bill passed basing reservations based on religions. Now reservation based on caste itself is a contentious issue.. The conversation veered off there with my father and uncle talking about how if the TN assembly passed it the supreme court would strike it down as it is unconstitutional and all that. My aunt and I went off on a tangent. I was my naive self and said something along the lines of maybe politics shouldn't be based on religion. Oh man! She took me down, tied me up and beat the shit out of me. (The sister gave me Earl Grey. Black. It tastes weird. Making weird faces now.) Her arguments made absolute sense. Politics stinks. Religion mixed in copius amounts with politic stinks even more. In India, politics IS religion and caste. The hindus are mostly stupid and fractional and that is why the minorities get away with murder. What really really pisses me off is how American and European missionaries dole out money for conversions. A while ago, apparently a woman's kids had fallen ill. The people she was working with were not in town. The local priest gave her a bag of rice. She took it gratefully. Then a few days later he told her to come to church and take the rice. She did. By then her husband had also got whatever the kids had. She was desparate and this priest was looking like a lifesaver. He then told her to give her children "christian names" or no more rice. She did that. Her children now became "Mary Vimala" and "John Prakash". She was being ostracized by the rest of her family and the community she was living in. Her employer came back and this woman went to her and got money for hospitals bills and all that. Her kids got better, her husband went back to work. They were poor earlier; but they had a basic support system. Neighbours would watch the kids when she was at work, the old women in the slum would give her advise on how to take care of them when they were ill - not big stuff, but important. Now they were still poor, had "christian" names and no friends except for the priest. They converted. Moved to the christian locality within the slum. KNow what she did was probably wrong for them in the long run - with the extended family refusing to see them anymore and having to live with strangers and not really knowing what she had gotten into, but at the same time, know that if it happened again she would probably do the same thing if she was desperate.

The priests apparently get paid "per soul" saved. I have nothing against any religion. I just don't get what people get out of converting others. It is not as if her or her family's life has changed for the better. It is not as if any of them even know what the religion means or what it stands for. It seems like the religions and the people in the know prey on the poor, the needy and the desparate.

I still don't like the BJP or the VHP or the Bajrang Dal or the Shiv Sena. I still think they are a bunch of goons in saffron. I still wouldn't vote for them. But the alternative? Congress?? They pander to any imam or priest who comes calling. They know that if they give them what they want they are assured of most of the 17% muslim vote (or is it 22 now??). And so nothing really gets resolved. The 60 year old woman who got "talak talak talak"'d for no reason almost 10 years ago still gets no alimoney, is not allowed to keep in touch with her children and gets no help from the government because of "Muslim Law". Why are we not equal under the law?

I don't really mind the reservations. But I think the way they are now will only hate the country in the long run. It would make more sense if they first fixed the primary education system. Make more kids go to school. Build more village schools. College education is still for the priviledged. I know people who have had fake "Most Backward Caste" certificates made up because it is easier and cheaper. Well to do people. Sad it is.

Have to go sleep now. Good night.

I moved to another cubicle and my computer is facing the corridor. So anybody who walks by can see me reading zug.com, fark.com, updating my blog, listening to music... Not good at all. Speaking of music, my headphones vanished. I don't know whether I left them at work or misplaced them at home on a bus or rickshaw or shop or restaurant or...

 

Moving on. I am really looking forward to going to Chennai this weekend. Did I already say that? Well, I do. I don't know why, but I need a break from this place and my laundry and bad food and too much work and swiping in and swiping out. Appa brought lots of thattai and murukku and jelebi and laddu and other stuff. Want some? I haven't had any. I generally pig out on those; this time I haven't touched anything. I think it will stay unopened till I give it away or go on a binge. Probably the latter.

 

A classmate of mine is getting married. Wierd.

I was reading this blog called Daily Hater or something and it really freaked me out when I saw that I hated many of the same things that he did. It was scary to know that I hated so much. Though, in my case it was less actually 'Kill, Kill, Kill" type of hate and more of nails on chalk board. I don't know how it was for him. I was also many of the things/type of people he hated - sitcom watching, junk food eating, whining, IT employed, fat person. Mmm.

 

I have come to hate looking at xl sheets. Hate hate hate. It looks like my job will be just that. Staring at xl sheets and trying to make sense of it.

 

Those super-weird, super-hardworking people who are on the same project as I am? Remember them? They have been here for three days straight. If they weren't so damn nice, I'd hate them too.

 

That new project I got "allocated" to - I know nothing about it and I have to make a presentation today. What fun. My life just went from boring to painful.

So, I found out this morning that I am going to be in two projects starting tomorrow.
Me! Multi-tasking! Much fun.

The newpaper guy came to collect money this morning. We get The Hindu on weekdays and both The Hindu and The TImes Of India on weekends - we don't read either. Much.
We used to get only the Times earlier but I wanted The Hindu and D wanted Times Real Estate on weekends, so the arrangement. Wouldn't you expect the paper that is delivered 7 days a week to cost more than the one we get just twice a week? Apparently not. The Hindu was Rs.35 and The Times, Rs.50. Maybe it was a typo. Or maybe they are priced weirdly.
Oh well.

Did I tell you? The kodai trip got cancelled because people had work, family and stuff that came up last week and one by one, the buggers all dropped out. So, I'm going home.

I am, hopefully, meeting some classmates from school. (I would link to my very long post about my school here (which I wrote after a previous Kodai trip last year), but I am too lazy to find it.) I haven't seen some of them since I left school. Just emails and stuff. I am really looking forward to it. Fingers crossed.

8.38am, Monday, at work.

 

I was rummaging though some of my stuff last night and I found a notebook of stuff I wrote in college. Very depressing stuff. I seem to have been obsessed with god and religion and death. I don't remember. Is that weird? I remember going through dark and angry phases, but I don't specifically remember writing these stuff. I wrote a lot in the bus and at night in my room. Oh well.

 

Appa gava me West Wing, 6th season. I had not seen any of the earlier episodes and I was not expecting to like it. I started with the 1st DVD on saturday evening, and by midday, sunday, I had finished the entire season. I loved it. I am going to Chennai and getting the other seasons. Amma was amused that I liked it too. Appa watches it all the time and she dosen't. Just on principle, so that she'll have something to bug him about. I don't think she is very enamored by politics. Anyway, what do you think of West Wing?

 

D was in Chennai this weekend so I was all alone. And it has been raining so much.

 

On friday, we both got up late. By around 8.30am, it was pouring. We ventured out, armed with only our umbrellas. Auto after auto stopped and when they heard where we had to go, they shuddered and refused to go. Finally one guy said ok. Relieved, we got on. On our way to work,  we got splashed, head to foot by cars going on both sides. I was sopping wet when I got off. Ugh. It took me all day to dry off. Gross.

 

It didn't rain yesterday, when I was at home most of the time or the day before, when I went out for just an hour. Fate.

My father gave me Lynn Truss' Talk to the Hand: The Utter Bloody Rudeness of the World Today last night.
Was it a hint?

I didn't go to the reception last night; or the wedding this morning. I met appa and patti for about an hour last night. Patti regaled us with stories of her father-in-law. He sounded interesting. Would have been nice to meet him. Anyway, apparently the bride's dad is a Telugu actor and consequently the South Indian acting/directing community was very well represented. My father had no clue who any one was, my grandmother knew a few and her younger sister knew all. Some 3000-4000 people turned up, apparently. Phew. I am glad I didn't go. Thank the merciful gods.

No mood to work. Lots to do. I'll let you know how it goes.

Apparently it is Friendship Week. What does that mean anyway? Make friends this week? The only thing it really accomplishes is spam. So much spam. Spam and more spam. Spam Spam and Spam. Spam with attachments and spam without. People who barely know me send me ppts and pictures, of love and bleah and bleah. People who know me hardly write to me. Some friendship week. I forgot a friend's birthday last month (inspite of having a remainder on Outlook). Some friend I am.

Feeling very sleepy. I got home at 12 last night and D had bought a sub for me. I unwrapped it and flopped down on the mattress. I had been reading William the Outlaw a couple of days ago and it was lying on the floor. I picked it up and before I knew it, it was 1.30. Slept and woke up at 7.30. I missed the bus again. This happens way too often. 6 hours of sleep is not enough. I need atleast 8 to function normally. Sleeeep.

A few days ago, D and I went to look at an apartment she was thinking of buying. On our way back, it started pouring. Sheets of water bore down on us. We were in an auto. It had flaps on the side that could be let down. So we let it down. It didn't help much. And the wind changed directions every minute. We were being subjected to the rain, water was splashed on us by cars, and water dripping though the leather/hood/top of the auto. A lot of water. We were wet from the sides and from the front. My back was dry. It felt weird. And it was cold. Quite cold. I don't know why I thought about it now.

One wonders about fate. And then, gives up wondering because one's head aches.

What would the input be if your output needed to be 100 units after a constant waste of 5 units and 10% of the total input?

Simple right? Yeah, I thought so too. But Microsoft thinks otherwise. And gives a wrong answer and vehemently claims that it is the right one and does not allow me to change it. Not in MSOffice - don't go checking. Just take my word for it.

I think it is very unfair to put me in training all day and then ask me to stay over and do some more work. I left at 11 last night. The other 2 working on the same thing stayed till 1. They are making me look so bad. Fools.

On a positive note, the training has become so much better. They changed the trainer and this guy knows so much more. It is not so boring and pointless anymore.

The father and grandmother are coming tomorrow - to a wedding in the city. I have to go with them to either the wedding or the reception. Why would someone keep a wedding at 3 in the am? I might go for the reception. Might.

The father is bringing some thattai and laddoos and jangri and DVDs. DVDs courtesy him and the rest courtesy my aunt.

Have you noticed that women in Grisham's books have weird names? Darby, Reggie et all. Maybe just in these two books. Metlin wouldn't know...

Have you read Life According to Garp by John Irving? I read it some 3 years ago. It was brilliant. Crazy but brilliant. I remembered the book when I read an article that quoted Stephen King and John Irving asking Rowling to not kill Potter in the last book.

I wouldn't care if Potter died, as long as he died well, and the book was good. He is not real. Sheesh. I was pissed when Dumbledore died in the end of Half Blood Prince but Order of The Phoenix spoilt Harry Potter for me. It will never be the same again.

But I did feel really bad when Gandalf fell in the Mines of Moria. Really really bad. I had to keep the book down for a couple of minutes. Unsurprisingly, I didn't feel really bad when Boromir died. Though in the movie, I felt bad for Sean Bean. He never gets good, living through the movie, roles. I have cribbed about this before.

I just realised that I have nothing to wear tomorrow to the reception and I told appa not to bring any clothes for me. Oh well.

The weekend was like the rest of my life. Nothing happened. I bought a couple of old John Grisham's. Client and Pelican Brief. Stuff he wrote before road kills like The Painted House and The Bretheren. Gah.

National Geographic had a thing about the construction of the Hoover Dam. It was awesome. They used circus acrobats!!! And interlocking blocks of concrete so that the water pressure doesn't break the dam down like it apparently did to some other dam. Brilliant.

I have noticed that my roommate falls asleep when the TV is on. Especially if it was something she wanted to see. Like Madagascar last week. Or this Dams thing last night. Or LOTR 3 a few weeks ago. Hmm. Weird.

I finally applied for a credit card yesterday. They 'lost' my previous application. Bloody ICICI.

Any other news?