baack!

It has been a loong day. I got out of the house at 6.15 am to catch the flight to hyderabad flight, spent what seemed like barely any time at all flying and forever in hyderabad airport and then caught the plane to bhubaneshwar and now I am sitting in my very cool room in the hostel. I hate airports. The coffee sucks in both the chennai airport and the hyderabad airport and they are both too crowded and noisy. The temperature seems to have gone up by 20 degrees since the time I left. But it is a lot cooler in my room though it smells like old clothes in here.

It seems like I left for chennai only yesterday. The train journey there seemed mercifully short. It must have been all the sleeping I did. There was this really annoying guy who kept pestering me with questions about CAT. What the hell do I know about that? It's not as if I studied all that hard for it. Ugh.

I spent 2 days in chennai, 3 days in kodai & another 2 days in chennai. Met the new nephew. Damn cute. Another nephew/niece on the way. The cuz looks ready to pop any day. Watched a lot of cricket, ate only at home, didn't meet many friends, didn't go out much. I just wanted to stay at home. Even when I was in Kodai.

In Kodai, did the morning walk thingy, went boating with my aunt and niece. Went horse riding with the niece. The poor horse. Uttara is great fun to be with. Except when she wants me to do everything with/for her. It was great fun watching Ice Age and Alice in Wonderland with her. I didn't enjoy getting her to eat. The kid can be damn stubborn. I already miss her.

I saw this most horrible Steven Segal movie called Out of Reach. It was like a parody of an action movie. Only it wasn't. Disgraceful. He was doing a Don Corleone voice all through the movie and it was really gross. I was very relieved when there was a power cut. I could have got up and left, but it would have been like chickening out.

What else? I wanted to write something particular when I started, I dont remember what. I read Catherine de Medici's biography on the plane. Brilliant book. (Tara, if you are reading this, I told perima I'm taking it.) I bought Bob Woodward's PLan of Attack in the Hyderabad airport. It's about how Bush et all planned the Iraq war. It makes Powell look like an unheard voice of reason - initially unsure and then slowly he also got converted, Cheney and Wolfowitz seem like they were foaming at the mouth for a war, Rumsfeld and Franks as resigned to a war from the begining and Bush seemed to have just made he decision at the beginning to go to war, andeverybody else made it possible. Interesting read. I have gotten to the part where the British media calls Blair Bush's poodle. We all know what happens after that. It's weird, reading a book where you already know what's going to happen.

I'm hungry. Air Sahara food is better than Indian Airlines food. But then, hospital food, prison food or no food would be better than Indian Airlines food. I bet the food in my aunt's fridge after it had not been closed properly and left for 4 days would have tasted better than that idly and pink upma and sambar that they gave me for breakfast. Thank god they couldn't spoil the water and the Alpenliebe.

I went out for dinner today, to a south indian restaurant. Why, I don't know. I am going to be in Chennai the day after tomorrow after all. But anyway... I had coconut rice. I had other stuff too, but it is the coconut rice that has stuck in my mind. And my mouth. And my nose. No, not literally. Does coconut rice have to be cooked in coconut oil with such an over-powering smell of coconuts? Oh god, the smell! I can't still feel the smell. It is almost a solid presence in the room with me now almost an hour after I have had it. And had coffee and sonf and gargled and stuff. You can imagine how strong it must have been when I was actually having it. The funny thing is, I was the only one who felt it was too much. Is it possible that some people have better olfactory senses than others? Is my nose compensating for my short sightedness or something? Anyway, it tasted good, in spite of everything else.

It would be nice if they made coconut rice less coconutty.

P.s. For the past few days, I have noticed that mosquitoes flying in front of my comp seem to get stuck to it. Pulled toward the screen and stuck. Backwards. Their wings are stuck on the screen and their legs in the air. I have to pull them off, or they stay stuck. Static? Why haven't I noticed this before? But the really weird thing is that I leave my comp on when I leave the room and I have not seen any mosquitoes stuck on the screen when I come back. Does it happen only when I am in the room or do they get released when the monitor shuts off on power save or do they mosquitoes wiggle and release themselves after a while of being stuck?

We just had this most amusing presentation by a software company that shall remain unnamed. Both the presenters seemed very nervous and were stumbling over their words. They said, and I quote, "project the manage", "six point four zero point eight two lakhs", "blah blah blah", "Do you have any questions to aks" and "It will not be a complete deks job". Both of them said blah several times.

By the way, I got a job. In an IT company that shall remain unnamed in the blog. I don't want to get dooced before I even start. Here, the company shall be called, "World Famous In India" or WFII.

I am going to chennai. And from there to Kodaikanal with the 'rents, the annoying sister, an aunt and an uncle. Yeah, and the cook, the driver and the dog. One of the three are not coming. Guess. I'm back in Bhub on the 18th of Jan. I'll try to write more. It's just that nothing has been happening and I always very drained out doing nothing. I saw Equillibrium and Bowfinger and Calendar Girls and Serenity. I didn't recognise Christian Bale in Equilibrium. Why does Sean Bean not get any good roles? The guy is always stuck with sidekick or 'bad guy who gets caught' roles.

I'm rambling. I'm going to have something to eat. tada.

Last Term

Happy Christmas folks.

My last term has begun, and the courses I have signed up for are the lightest I could find. International Business Ethics & Leadership and Team Building. The capital letters are not of my doing. All of last term, I cribbed about the compulsory Ethics course. Now I will crib about this one. I could have takencourses on Neural Networks or Insurance but nooooooooooooooooooo.... I took Ethics and Leadership. Hopefully a peaceful and workless time. But look forward to lots of bitching and cribbing. I wonder how International Ethics is different from regualr old Ethics? Maybe they'll kill us with more pseudo psychology and -isms because this is an elective... Hip Hip Hurray!! (Which is apparently an old Hebrew war cry of sorts).

I saw a movie called The Ninth Gate. Johnny Depp. It was very predictable and lackluster. No fun at all. I also saw Hanuman. It was very cute. And Pandavas. Very not cute. And Platoon. I didn't see the whole thing. Got bored partway and got a craving for Hot Shots! I loved both part 1 and 2 of Hot Shots.

I have Lord of War and King Kong. I don't think I'll see either.

Cheerios folks. Be good, have fun, make lots of resolutions this New Year. We'll compare.

BTW, I'm going to Chennai for Pongal. More Yay!

clandestine service careers

This month's Economist has an ad from the CIA, in their Executive Focus.
"Possibly the most challenging job in the world".

All candidates blah blah blah several personal interviews, medical and
psychological exams, aptitude testing, a polygraph interview, and an
extensive background investigation.

.. fast paced, high impact challenges in worldwide intelligence
collectiobn efforts on issues of US foreign policy interest and national
security concern.

For more info blah blah visit: www.cia.gov

I wonder if Ethan Hunt, Jason Bourne, George Smiley and James Bond
answered similar ads...

People have said weird things in classes, during lectures, presentations and the like. Some 'Oh My God' moments, some 'Don't say things like that when I'm drinking' stuff, some 'I can't believe he just said that' and a few 'Did he just say what I think he said?'. Unfortunately, I haven't kept a record of all these spew-worthy sayings. I did write down a few.

- strong purchase intention to buy

- ... mainly it was predominantly dominated by ...

- cost of the price

- flexibility is not as rigid

- people should not buy what they don't want to buy

I can't remember the other things that induced stomach ache causing laughter spells. Sadly.

I had a class just now. Planning IT Enabled Organisations, fondly called PITEO. I don't know why "Planning". We don't learn much about planning, but we do get a lot of IT and Enabling. Today's classes were full of documentation. I got such a headache from just knowing the types of documents that exist, I don't know what I'll do if I have to actually deal with them.

I am so not ready for real life.

What a tangled web we weave...

Not getting short listed for interviews ranks in the Top 5 Yucky Things To Happen To Me list. Add a surprise end term exam, rumours of corruption of those in power, my clothes not drying and 2 grasshoppers in the toilet and my day is officially ruined.

I had bad, bland noodles a while ago and it is making my stomache cry out in pain and agony.

I want a vacation.

I need a break.

I get more work.

The Times of India had this article about how humans share 98% dna with chimps and 60% with chickens and fruit flies. It was nice to know that I was more chimp than chicken. I had always wondered...

The Games have Begun!

I had a very painless interview today. My first ever job interview!!!! I feel so grown up! Damn. In less than 6 months, I am going to be WORKING? Paying taxes? having deadlines? Oh my god. Shit. Deep breaths.

Today is a big day for me. And so, I am going to celebrate my coming of age with a huge bar of Dairy Milk Roasted Almonds and Lepon Doyen "100% Veg Healthy Always" Cookies.

Speaking of Dairy Milk - they have a Tiramisu bar. New, I think. I saw it for the first time last week. Or maybe, new to bhubaneswar. Anyway, it was yummy. Not like any tramisu I have ever had, but yummy still.

Damn. I still can't get over this. I am 22 years old. I have to grow up some time.

Irrespective of whether or not I get the job I was interviewed for, today was weird. In a good way.

Bye folks.