Snippets..the good, the bad and the ugly.

THE GOOD:
The much-awaited Yahoo! goodies have finally made an appearance.
A Yahoo! bag, a few Purple pens and a Yahoo! diary.
Do not question my mental state, yes, any free stuff still excites me enough to blog about it!
The best one so far - My very own, very first Business Card!! Two boxful of them!! The joy of seeing my name on a company card (ahem, a c/o with great brand equity, if I may add) was incomparable. Some higher intelligence tells me that more than clients, its my relatives who are gonna see more of those of cards.

THE BAD:
In other news, life has become mechanical.
Get up, get dressed, go to work, work, come home, have dinner, sleep - are the only commands running my life these days. To add to it, weekends are even worse. Any suggestions for getting back some fun?

THE UGLY:
This is very difficult for me to put in words. Last week saw the end of a 2 year relationship that I was in..tears, memories and broken hearts..the whole gamut of emotions to add to it - anger, hatred, dejection, sympathy, love and loads of numbness.

Friends are our greatest support system - I realised once again. What needs to be realised is 'I am my own best friend!' :|

Being a Purple person :)

Its been 3 days and I am glad to say that I have survived well. Yahoo! India decided to adopt me for a summer and no hell broke loose over them (as yet!) God bless them :)

So now begins the first corporate experience of my life. It feels weird (Okay, lemme admit everything is mostly 'wonderful' or 'weird' for me...every new experience being weird and its pleasant repetition being wonderful, once in a while there are also these 'wretched' moments, but its wonderful to be able to describe life in 3 Ws :P )

Okay so this is where I become my immodest self and begin to show off.
The office is at Andheri MIDC. Crappy area if you ask me. Too much travel from my place. But then again, my place is far from almost every other place on the planet with the sole exception of Mulund :P

But the office is damn cute. Pretty neat. The decor plays with the basic theme of Yahoo! Purple giving this place a vibrant look. Hierarchy in ranks is almost invisible in the seating arrangement..an example of this being me and the other intern are to the right and left of my boss!! The only downside to this being my restricted usage of Gtalk during office hours. Not that it is blocked, and one can always find me online all day long, but a little loyalty must be shown towards that one benevolent company who employed you during recession na?;) But otherwise, there is full on freedom in terms of work...the boss is really keen on us learning new stuff on the job and delegates responsibility only after our approval. He's actually a sweetheart. One of those really goodlooking Gujju guys who happen to be good-natured too. (No, I am not typing this coz he's looking at my laptop screen :P)

Food is good. There is this sweet canteen boy Tarun (who btw has 3 years work-ex here, more than most of the employees) who asks if you need breakfast, juice/tea, snacks more frequently and sweetly than your own mom. More importantly, its all free :) Today I had chicken and I am still burping happily, not that you asked.

Aah! Now the most boring topic..Work! Well thats the best thing about it..its not boring!! Well, today it slightly is..coz my cute boss is out of town and I am jobless. He basically wanted us interns to get acclimatized to the place, the systems and different processes. I read that as a day full of blogging, chatting, making farzi questionnaires and excel sheets and acting impossibly busy doing that :D

Oh! You can even play music loudly..but social decency has prevented yours truly from taking that step..but yeah, the above has been approved..nay, infact suggested by the boss :)

As for me, I am still my lukkhi self albeit for one big difference! Within first 2 days itself I have understood the importance of formal behaviour at workplace, something that my friend Kaustubh has been trying to knock in my teeny-meeny brain for past 2 years :P I still dont quite agree with the strict discpline that he advocates but yeah, I do kinda get that one needs to behave differently at the workplace.

This summer, the concept of 'vacation' has been twisted 180 degrees and I am made to work instead of getting up late, watching movies, having good food and lazying around. Wait a minute, didnt I do just that for a year at MICA? :P This new routine of getting up early, dressing up in formal wear, leaving home on time to be in office on time, spending the day in learning some fundoo stuff and going home tired (err..tired due to travelling, not work) and being served hot dinner by a mother who lovingly thinks that her daughter is the most hard-working employee at Yahoo!, is actually a welcome change from my earlier life :)

I hope I dont get too used to this life coz MICA is awaiting to spoil me all over again. But till then, I am gonna enjoy this till it lasts. I hope it is a 'great learning experience':D

Oh btw, I have:
My own desk (waiting to be personalised)
A new lappie (provided by office)
A direct phone line
A business card (yet to be received)

..Simple perks of being one of the Y!Purple people :D

Moving on!

For all those who care, I have moved on to a new blog 'Katha Collage' and hence the reason for inactivity here. Vedyancha baazaar still continues in my life, just trying to weave a collage of stories outta them.
If you ever enjoyed reading my posts here...do visit Katha Collage (I am perfectly aware of my non-existent loyal readers, and you, random surfer are welcome too :))

Take care :)

It's a bittersweet symphony!

Time: 8: 05 am

Place: Left side bed of Room 5, Parijat

Jinxie's status msg made me all senti :( It just said it all..'Its a bittersweet symphony'. Losing some dear friends, unsure of when shall I meet my Amaltas gang again and the realisation that one year of MICA is done with!! Too much this lil' brain of mine :( My room is a mess, bags and cartons strewn around. All my stuff lies around lazily waiting for me to pick them up. A WAC assignment is pending but what the heck! I will be leaving this campus in exactly 12 hours to come back after 3 months. But I shall be leaving behind my Amaltas gang forever.

Venu - I will miss his nakhras and witty one-liners. His simplicity and and expectation-less friendship..our late night walks, my junk food binges at midnight and mostly the fights! :P That Panda's assignment he did for me, the Puja decoration I did for him...Oh, how could I forget the ultimate torchure for him...Ranking the companies for my placements!! He laughed at my immaturity and I, at his senility :P (I mean, Paisa is imp for a lil' girl like me :D) It was this friendship with Venu which got me to know the rest of the gang.

Yajant - the righteous. the mature. The caring, responsible, hardworking backbone of MCSA, who does the work quietly and shies away from limelight. he s one of the much loved and respected guys on campus. The football and baddy champ! Ha thike na, ke IIM -A won all the matches agianst MICA, but Yajant you are still one of the best football players for me. The mindless flirting we shared, the unsaid understanding when someone trusts you and lets you be a part of their gang...thanks Yajant for all that. and yes, I still want to be introduced to your super-cool, army man, sports champ brother ;)

Pranav - yeh banda bada hi cool hai. I have never seen him hassled. Ekdum barf hai! Kuch bhi tension ho...assignments, placements, aive hi crib maarni ho toh this is your guy - and he has the same solution for every problem, 'Bas yaar, chill maar!' :) Level headed and mature - his room is the ultimate hangout place for everyone - esp Counter-strikers. During my placements he caught me a few times, when I had the expression of 'Doomsday today!!' and sat me down to give me a pep talk.

Mudili - yeh banda God hai MICA ka..log inki pooja karte hai. enuff said :P
Ok so here are few words to describe him - From the land of Rajnikant. Awesome disco dancer. His pelvic thrusts a la Mithunda have made the college crazzy!! Plays baddy really well, par mujhse court pe bhagne ke expectations rakhta hai (lolzz..) aur haar gaya toh bhadakta hai!! :X This guy certainly doesnt like losing! Dance, baddy and MR ka bada bhakt hai Mudili. A simple guy with loads of conviction!!

Faizee - His bike Quicksilver is the love of his life (atleast currently!)..He even keeps a birthday party for the bike with guests and cake n all! Met with a serious accident and half the girls in Parijat lost their sleep ;) But the way he overcame it..with an ever-smiling face and a super-cool mom, is really commendable. and just when you thought he can finally walk, he outperforms himself by riding a bike!! :X But his face said it all...a child was given back his favourite toy and is beaming with happiness!

Varun P Singh - The eternal flirt. Yeh banda har ladki se flirt kar sakta hai..faculty ya student. PGP1 ya PGP2..ok, PGP1 mein itni daal nahi gali teri...par koi nai, main hun naa ;) Mana ki kafi talented hai, par kabhi kaam karte dekha nahi maine ise. Padhai jaisi fizul ki cheezon main P Singh apna time waste nahi karte. MICA me yeh sirf khel-kud ke liye aaye and yes, he has excelled too.. The other best football player as well as TT champ. (The last I heard isne Basu ko haraya! yay!! :D) Varun has always helped me whenver I asked. He is someone who is always there for his friends.

Pooj Bhatter - And Finally!! Last and definitely not the least. The one person who took away the honour of being 'My Favourite Senior' !! The only gurl in this Amaltas gang, she takes the cake in having the right attitude and gentleness. she cares for the guys like no one else. She scolds, cribs, complaints and mostly yells at ultra-sonic pitch!! :P U just cant help but get used to her non-stop banter. She adopted me during MICANVAS when I lodged at her room. The late night chats, the sweet sharing of stories and the peals of laughter at some really silly joke, brought me and Pooja closer (err..as friends!) We share the same heart-throb - Nikhil Khoda ..and I know Pooja just went 'Hayye!!' on reading this :P A creative soul in more than one ways..Pooja was the reason I enjoyed MICA parties soo much. Dancing with the gang wouldnt have been half the fun, if it werent for Pooja!

Time now: 9.13

I dont believe I have been typing this for almost one hour..but just one hour for all those gushing memories of one entire year? :( I am so glad I met you guys..you taught me what magic a lil' fun, faith and friendship can make :)

Love you all,
Rutuja

Parijat Paanch

This post was written over a span of 2 months. Very soon (in fact too soon) PGP1 would come to an end and so would my stay at my current abode. New academic year would see me in a new residence too. Losing something has never been easy for me :| For all those who say ki hi kashavarhi senti hote...well, you may stop here. Thank you very much for stopping by.

*************
weird. Weird. WEIRD. That's exactly how I feel right now. Reclining on my two pillows (pink and red) at almost 145 degrees with a laptop on my tummy, my favourite rajai on top of me and my teddy bear by my side, it feels weird to write about something that one is going to lose very soon.

Last 2 weeks left and then I bid adieu to this haven that has been my home for almost a year. Room 5, Parijat Hostel. Yes, that same ground floor room whose door is so conveniently hidden behind a pillar. Standing at my door, I can see the entire hostel, even beyond straight till Amaltas without anyone knowing :)

There are very few things in our lives that make us their own from the very beginning. Parijat Paanch was one of them. A love at first sight..a relationship waiting to happen. Although I shared it with another Homo sapien, my bond with my side of the room will always remain special. My corner, my bed, my side of window, the view it offered, the one rare occasion when there was a pair of peacocks outside my window, my white wall, my table-chair-cupboard...everything!! :)
For the first time, I felt responsible for something. Small small things mattered.
Was my table cluttered?
Are there cob-webs in the corner of the room?
Is it time to change the mattress or can I go on for one more week?

I was playing my mom's role. It just happened naturally. Without being conscious about it, I was dusting, cleaning, re-arranging, de-cluttering stuff. And man, did it feel good!! I never thought I would say this but re-arranging the cupboard with some soft music in the background is the best stressbuster ever!! Now that I think of it this all seems like a grown-up simulated version of 'Ghar-ghar' that girls so commonly play in their childhood :P
Parijat Paanch comforted me in hard times..saw me through my 'phases'..my rare ups and the deplorable downs. The comforting bed and my all the more comforting rajai..I rarely missed home; such was Parijat Paanch to me. My neatly arranged study table, books stacked up to the left with my ceramic momentoes in the centre..4 of them..a Ganpati Bappa idol, a cute lil' kid with a ' My Best Friend' sign, a ceramic clock which looks like a toy-house and ceramic gift box with flowers inside and a heart that says 'Together Forever'. I know..too mushy. But I love them all :)
Of all the wonderful memories of PGP 1 at MICA, the times spent in Parijat Paanch would be one of the closest. These times...like the one today..the ones I spend with myself. The solitude in this room never for once made me feel lonely. We both embraced each other, shared silly moments together...you know ones, when no one's around to watch you and you are your realest self. I believe that its only your solitude that knows you the best..the way you really are..when you have thrown away the garb of pretence and the facade of being someone you aren't.

Parijat Paanch would always stir up unforgettable emotions in me. Of happiness. A tinge of sadness. Possession. Ownership. Responsibility. Motherly feelings. Of being a kid returning home after a hard day at school. Of taking care and been taken care.

To the times spent lazing and ceiling-gazing
To all the movies of which I lost count
To reading books before sleeping and sleeping with lights on
To snuggling inside my rajai on cold winter mornings
To those silly times of hiding inside the rajai and making STD calls
To waking up to a sleepy hostel..and sleeping again
To bunking classes and choosing my comfortable bed over education
To late-night assignments and submissions
To the tradition of marroing nights before exams
To friends coming over bed-crashing and not leaving for a long long time
To the laughter, to the tears, to my tantrums and my fears...

Cheers, Parijat Paanch...Hope you never forget me and keep embracing all those who find a home in you :)

With lots of love and a bundle of memories,
Rutuja (Batch of 2008-2010)

Poli-ticks!!:X

I am feeling pretty devilish right now. Hihihihehehhahaha !! Well you see..I have tricked someone. And it feels naaaice :D No, no..I am a kindred soul actually but I have to let out the devil in me sometime na.

Lemme explain. The Senior Placement Committee results are just out. And the one man the entire batch was rooting for didn't make it!! (Rahul Rajesh Bathija, you rock, come wat may!!) He was the backbone, clavicle, femur, humerus of the Junior PlaceComm and we came to blindly trust this Nestle IBP (Internal Brand Proprietor..duh!! People take some marketing course, will you.. our else our chatting ..err 'communicating' is gonna get increasingly difficult!) to paar karo our naiyya in this recession struck times. Life is anyway difficult, handing over my only chance of repaying the enormous student loan by getting a decent job after MBA to some foul-mouthed, jack-ass moron wasn't exactly my idea!! Our batch favourite Rahul aka Rony was a clear winner in terms of votes, but got rejected in the interviews (The probability of him not doing well in the interviews range from negative to zero). And now! After this setback, we are asked to gladly make our presence felt at a batch elections for SPAM - the Sports Committee!! :X Funny games, eh!

So when the karta-dharta mai-baap (MCSA..similar the General Secretary back in UD) of the batch started their regular routine of calling doors, banging people (Oops..Calling people, banging doors) I slyly waited till my roomie left the room and then switched off the lights!! See I am smart..that's why they took me at MICA :P No one came and banged on my door thereafter..shtoopidd phools!! Lolzz..they didnt even see that the door latch wasnt even..well, latched.

And now I sit here, in complete darkness, albeit the light from my lappie, and type out this post. It feels good not to participate in something you dont believe in. It feels good not being forced to vote for a bunch of free-riding goons who never turn up for group assignments but shamelessly campaign for you 'keemti' vote during elections. No wonder politics is so messed up in this country. The few good ones are removed like rotten fruits and the rotten ones are nurtured to spoil the basket. Hmmph!

Books!

Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read. ~ Groucho Marx

Finished reading 'The White Tiger' by Aravind Adiga. The book has won The Booker Prize for 2008 and deservedly so. Just glad that I read it :) The author has another remarkable book to his credit, 'Between the Assassinations' and I plan to read it soon. For starters, here is a short story by Adiga which was published in The Guardian (where he writes frequently) which talks about a subject very similar to The White Tiger.

Started with another Booker Prize winner book, again by an Indian author. 'The God of Small Things' by Arundhati Roy (Ya ya go ahead, laugh at me..I am probably the last Indian alive who still hasnt read it :|) Done with some 60 pages and man! does it take time to get used to her writing style!!

More on books later. Oh btw, ever since I have gone back to books, the pre-reads have taken the proverbial backseat. Wish I could balance both :| Why cant I juggle a Blue Ocean Strategy/Marketing Myopia with some Sherlock Holmes and Fourth Estate?? :(

Lemme end with a quote which I find very true.

To read a book for the first time is to make an acquaintance with a new friend; to read it for a second time is to meet an old one. ~Chinese Saying