Well what do you do when you come home early from work? Hmmm... Well I watch movies. But most movies require a lot of concentration. So basically they are not really appropriate for evenings when you are already 'tired' from the day's work. Well I discovered something much better! I discovered Hindi movies! Okay I know they always existed but I rarely watched them because they sometimes just dwell on the same thing for soooo long that it just gets boring.

But see if you are not really concentrating on the movie and are busy doing other things then there are no real problems. You really never miss anything in the movie so long as you look at the screen once in a while. I have the habit of chatting with friends online and so that of course takes priority. So the movie just runs in the back ground to fill that gaps.

Suddenly one of the TV channels here decided to become popular and has started showing so many 'good' Hindi movies! Well the other day they decided to show Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. Somehow I really couldn’t remember seeing this movie before. I have always been sure that I had seen this movie but somehow this time I felt I hadn’t. Then I realized. There is another movie with almost the same cast and producer called Kabhi Kushi Kabhi Gham. Turns out I ended up seeing this movie multiple times instead of seeing Kuch Kuch Hota Hai.

Back to the movie. Movie has got a very interesting plot. Two friends, girl and guy of course. Never realize they love each other. Another girl comes along. Guy and girl - 2 fall in love. Girl - 1 doesn't know how to deal with it and leaves. Guy and girl - 2 get married. Guy still doesn’t realize... Girl - 2 dies after giving birth to a baby girl. Baby girl grows up and finds out about girl - 1 from letters that her mom wrote to her before her death. Need I go on? Hey, it may seem silly to you, but I love the plot and the whole blog is to just tell you about the movie!!! Believe it or not things like this do happen in real life... Think about it!

Ever opened your e-mail and got depressed over the fact that no one ever mails you? I have! I open my mailbox and there are 10 new mails. All of them invariably turn out to be some form of spam or the other!Well I like sending people mails. I don't send many because sometimes there just isn't enough to tell and it's sometimes easier to just call. However when I do I love to get replies. Not long ones... But something at least. It's one of those small things in life that makes all the difference to how you look at things. Small things are what make the biggest difference to anyone's being and I know of people who will go out of their way to do it.
This past weekend I went and saw Terminal. Great movie! I personally recommend it. Without giving too much away, it's about a guy who wants to fulfill a small desire of his father. So why would one want to go out of his way to actually do something so trivial?
Well that's just it. There is no answer to that question! But in real life it's kind of different. Small things may not require as much sacrifice of time or resources as those made by the person in the movie. It could be as simple as replying to an email, leaving an offline message on IM, a post-it with a smiley at someone's desk, calling or leaving a voicemail, sending a card out of the blue, a simple smile, a big hello, a small gift and so on. The list is endless. But the effects are amazing! They leave an impact for a real long time if not a lifetime! Trust me it's better than watching a movie or just hanging out with friends... It takes no time a all!
So what are you waiting for? Go out there and do that little thing for people you care for. Only then will you enjoy the real pleasures of life!

1:00 AM
I hit the sack

6:44 AM
Phone is ringing - I ignore it. My alarm hasn't rung and so I still have some more time to sleep!

6:45 AM
Alarm Rings - Time to get up!

6:48 AM
Get out of bed. Rush to the bathroom! Nature calls...

7:00 AM
All fresh and ready to get to work. Decide to return the phone call but it goes to voice mail. Call another person but I have the wrong number. Call another person and this one wants to eat dinner (in the US) so she can’t talk.

7:10 AM
No one is ready to talk to me and there is no real point to get to work so early as my computer at work had crashed, so I decide to clean the car. Get the hose out and do a real good job at cleaning it.

7:35 AM
Now that I am satisfied that the car is clean I decide I should start getting to work.

7:35 AM
Get together my clothes for the gym and find something to wear to work. Mind you I have a shower at work right after I go to the gym. Just putting that in here to let you know that I do take a shower!

7:44 AM
Get out of the house with my office bag and my gym clothes and place them in the car. Lock the house. Recently discovered that the grill for the house has a double lock so I go ahead and double lock it.

7:45 AM
Get into the car and put the house keys safely under the music deck. They are too big to carry around in my pocket. Drive the car outside the house. There is a school van in the way so I park it awkwardly three quarters across the street. Get out of the car to lock the gate.

7:46 AM
I hear my car lock itself! Realize at that point that I have central locking. Now I am locked out.

7:47 AM
Panic struck. Run from door to door checking to see if the central locking missed a door. It hadn't. Then ran to the house door and tried to open it. Unfortunately I had done a very good job of double locking it!

7:50 AM
Car is still running, the 'Matrix' soundtrack is blasting away to glory from inside. This is where there was some sort of divine intervention. I had the phone number of the helpline for my car model on my cell. Usually I wouldn't have something like this on my cell because it's easier to usually look it up. I had put that number in only 2 days ago when I called them to get my vehicle serviced! Phew!

7:51 AM
Call the guy up and ask him for help. He tells me the guy will be there in half an hour. Well in India we all know what half an hour means!

7:53 AM
A car comes by and gives me a dirty look for the way I have parked! I apologize to him and guide him around the car.

7:54 AM
The watchman of the adjacent apartment wants to know why I have parked so well!

7:56 AM
More people are interested in my parking style. So much so my dhobi is there to. All of them sympathizing with me and me trying to explain my situation in Tamil to them. God knows what was more ridiculous, my Tamil or my situation? At least I have people to talk to. Lots of cars pass by. People were just getting angry at me for being so stupid. The poor watchman. Had to explain to everyone from his apartment what went wrong!

8:10 AM
The people around me are getting impatient. They want to know why I am not getting help. I explained to them that I had already called for help. Then come these two guys. They offer to open it with a scale (ruler). I was not too happy with that and told them to hold back till the repair guy came. I was sure he would have a master key or something. Hey I don't want to scar my car!

8:11 AM
Being forced by these guys I call my repair guy again and he says the guy is only 5 or 10 minutes away. Well that's not bad right... Of course that isn't that bad provided he isn't lying. I then offer to tell him my address. He suddenly realized he didn't know my address! So I tell him it's the 4th Cross. All he had to do was look for a car that was parked across the street. Trust me at this point I was seeing the humor in this.

8:15 AM
More cars pass by. Am getting good at redirecting traffic and convincing them that a horrible part of the road isn't that bad at all. Also a good number of people on my street now know who I am, what car I own, and how well I park! Maybe I should add this as part of my strategies to get to know new people!

8:31 AM
A Tata Sumo arrives. He is the guy!!! Yipeee! And he came in 40 minutes. Not bad at all! So he parks right next to me and comes out of the vehicle with his tools in hand - one hand a screw driver and the other hand a scale!!! It's been forty minutes since I have been locked out of my car and so I don't really want to protest.

8:32 AM
Another school van shows up and I am right in the way! This puts pressure on my guy. However the school van driver really isn't as patient as I am. :D. He tried to get his vehicle through the small gap between my car and the other side of the road. Well he can try as long as he doesn't scratch my car! He ended up scratching his vehicle on the other side...

8:37 AM
My repair guy opens the door. Finally!!! I can use my car again! He gets my car out of the way so that the van can pass in peace. I then settle the bill. 200 bucks because I closed a door when I shouldn't have!

8:40 AM
On my way to work! No time to waste. Traffic is at its worst at this time.

9:00 AM
On a side note... Almost at office when my phone rings. Pick it up and start talking to this friend of mine. It's her birthday and she was sure I wouldn't remember. She had called to have some fun at my expense and take me for a nice ride. I didn't realize and the first thing I did was wish her!!! She was so mad that I remembered!!! I have weird friends!

Interesting title, huh? Made you look! I was toying with the title of 'The Thin Red Line' too. But red can be associated with either blood or love. So this seemed like a better option. It's clear, just because there wasn't any blood shed!

So am I going to say anything about this or just beat around the bush? Well yes and no. Some stuff can't be put online for public viewing. Have to respect the situation. Before I start maybe something light to set the mood! LOL...

I think I need to go back to the title I though of earlier... The Thin Red Line. Well I was just referring to the fine line between friendship and maybe more. Well I guess this is something that a good number of us face at some point in life. Come on, don't deny it. Sometimes things do get complicated. Unfortunately not everyone does the right thing to deal with it. Of course yours truly is no exception!

Let's get real! We don't think straight in love and we sure as hell don't think straight in heart break! So who is responsible? Unfortunately that's an answer no one can ever give you! It comes from within... Let me leave you with that till my next blog!

Okay nothing really happens to me during weekdays. To add to that today my computer decided to go phut too! So basically I may have lost all my data and hence all my work! Have to wait till the tech guys get to it. I know for most of you who know me you are like, how come you aren't fixing it yourself. Well maybe some other blog entry will be used to explain that! For now enjoy this little tale...

A couple had two little boys, ages 8 and 10, who were excessively mischievous. They were always getting into trouble and their parents knew that, if any mischief occurred in their town, their sons were probably involved.

The boys' mother heard that a clergyman in town had been successful in disciplining children, so she asked if he would speak with her boys. The clergyman agreed, but asked to see them individually. So the mother sent her 8-year-old first, in the morning, with the older boy to see the clergyman in the afternoon.

The clergyman, a huge man with a booming voice, sat the younger boy down and asked him sternly, "Where is God?".

The boy's mouth dropped open, but he made no response, sitting there with his mouth hanging open, wide-eyed. So the clergyman repeated the question in an even sterner tone, "Where is God!!?" Again the boy made no attempt to answer. So the clergyman raised his voice even more and shook his finger in the boy's face and bellowed, "WHERE IS GOD!!?"

The boy screamed and bolted from the room, ran directly home and dove into his closet, slamming the door behind him. When his older brother found him in the closet, he asked, "What happened?"

The younger brother, gasping for breath, replied, "We are in BIG trouble this time, dude. God is missing - and they think WE did it!"

Well in every deal someone looses but there is always someone who wins right? Well if you thought that was true then you got to come to Bangalore!

Well the local film industry was doing very badly. So they decide to block an important street of the city for a couple of hours. The government felt bad for them and brought out a new law stating that all theatres in the city should only play movies in the local language, Kannada.

Well the theatres were not very happy about this but had no choice. So basically they decided to play only second run movies. Second run movie means that the movie had been released long ago and was being played for a second time in the theatres. See you never knew that useless piece of trivia! Mind you it was a bad movie that did terribly the first time around and this time around god only could have helped it! Well that was the method the theatres used to protest! You don't want them to break the law right?

Well the theatres soon realized that it was cheaper to close down the theatres and so they all went on strike and shut down for a couple of weeks! Now how can this get worse? All the other states have now decided that they will not run any movies in Kannada because their movies were not being run in Bangalore!

So who wins now? All the theatres in Bangalore lost money... Movies that would have otherwise run are not making money. Kannada movies can't make money outside this state, not that they were making much anyway! Most of all we the people are affected! We are forced by law to watch bad movies!

Well at least someone is actively reading my blog! So what if (s)he has decided to correct every blog of mine? At least someone cares!

So who is this person? Who is this anonymous helper? Well (s)he is one of those people who I got to know better only when it became impossible to meet due to distance but has stuck by all my grouching and cribbing when things were bad for me. He/She knows how to give it to me straight, without a need to sugar coat anything! Oh and (s)he can talk forever on the phone!

I would love to tell people who this person is but I am avoiding mentioning names in my blog!

I have just completed a quarter century in age and that basically means one big milestone. So what do I have to show for it? It's not like I invented anything important or anything like that. It's not like they have already started building bridges and parks and naming them after me. Notice I say already.

Well one of the things that I really cherish to date is my friends. As you can see from my website there is a ton of people I know. The list isn't exhaustive. But does represent a fair majority.

Well basically I have lived in four places so far. One was in Ranchi in Bihar, Laloo land. Well there I had a lot of friends but we had to leave in quite a hurry to Chennai and as a result I never got to get contact details from them. Plus this was in the day before email and so you really can't expect much.

Then I moved to Chennai. Most of my friends are from here. There are some from high school and some from college. After this I moved to the US, to Gainesville in Florida. Made a good number of friends there too. Now I am back in India working in Bangalore and am just beginning to make friends here.

So who are my good friends? Well there have been several different types of friends I have had. Some just walked into my life and before I knew it they were so close to me that sometimes they knew what I was going to do even before I did. I guess I have gotten to know everyone in their own unique way and I can't really put a general tag on it. End of the day they all mean a lot to me and I will go any distance to keep them happy.

The following is a description of the relationship I have with my friends. Am sure you will see yourself fit into more than one of the categories!

Here's to my friends, for those who have been there when I've been down, when I've been crazy, when I've been sad, when I've been mad, when I've had mixed feelings, when I needed a hug, when I've let them down, when I've been helpful, when I've done or said something stupid, when I was intellectual, when I've been a pain, when I made up nicknames, when I've been sane and most of all when I've been me!

Well a large group of my friends all happened to be in Madras at the same time. So I have to be there right? Well thing is I got to know only a couple of days before and of course the weekend should be a festival weekend which means that tickets are not available. I tried all I could but didn't get anything. So what to do now? So I check for tickets the previous day and find a ticket on the Shatabdi. Mind you this is a real nice train. It's a day train so just has AC chair car but it's real nice anyway.

After lunch at work I headed out and came home finished packing and got to the station. Train is on time. Of course the train arrives at the one of the last platforms. Oh well a walk hasn't ever killed anyone. The train stops only for 10 minutes. In this time people who are already on the train try to get off. People who are using the train try to get on. At the same time the coolies (porters) are trying to make some money and trying to get on and off. Amidst all that rush I get in.

Turns out my seat is the aisle seat and this means that I will have to get up every time someone wants to use the loo. Oh well so I wait for the people who are sitting next to me to arrive. One lady arrives with a kid and asks to be let in. My bag is awkwardly placed under the seat so I warn her about it. But the kid cares two hoots and runs in and of course trips and falls and then starts howling! And here I am now feeling bad. Well there were two seats next to me, so once the kid was pacified I settled in assuming that no one else was due. Well I got comfortable and then the dad arrives. I warn him too about the bag. At least someone listened!

Anyways the train is now moving and I settle down comfortable and pull out my laptop and get ready to watch a movie and then the kid needs to go to the loo. Then the dad got an idea and asked me to move to the window seat so that I wouldn't have to be asked to get up every moment. Well I was happy to do that, except that now I had to repack everything and move inside. Oh well, I did that too and then settled.

Well the kid started acting up again as soon as the food came and within a couple of minutes decided to throw up all over. So now the place smells! And so my trip went...

Four months ago my office started something called HBN. Yeah you are wondering what that means right? Well there used to be a time when I didn't understand short forms at all. But being in GE has taught me one thing... to understand short forms. They have a short form for everything. This goes so far that they actually have a link on their main page for employees which has a glossary of all the short forms used at GE!

Anyways, moving on HBN stands for Health-By-Numbers. So the magic numbers for GE at 0-5-10-25. 0 stands for zero smoking. 5 for 5 servings of fruit or vegetables. 10 is for 10,000 steps and 25 for maintaining a 25 BMI - Body Mass Index.

Well I don't smoke so I couldn't register for that. I am a sworn non-vegetarian and so the 5 thingy wasn't possible. Well I wanted to be a part of this so registered for just 10 and 25. Well instead of 10,000 steps they also let us work out for 30 minutes or more for at least 20 days. To change your BMI you have to lose weigh. Well if you exercise you will lose weight. So easy, right?

Well so I had to lose some weight. I signed up at the gym at work. Also they employed a new dietician at work. So that was kind of a bonus. Met with the dietician. But very honestly I don't think she has seen anyone with a diet like mine and so was pretty amused by me. Very honestly I think she took back more from the meeting than I did.

Back to the gym... Well I worked out very seriously for the first month. Put up with the body ache and all the added anxiety of working out. And the end result. I lost 300 grams. Okay I sound like a woman when I mention grams but hey that's all I lost! Did you know a glass of water weighs about 300 grams? So all I lost was the equivalent of a glass of water, or maybe a visit to the loo!

Well I didn't give up. I went back again the next month and did it right again. But this time instead of loosing I gained 300 grams. Okay maybe I had too much water before I weighed myself.

So now I return again the next month. But by now my boss had figured out that I used to work out everyday between 11 and 12. Not that I wasn't allowed to do that but he figured that if he ever wanted to meet me he just needed to come in a couple of minutes before 11 and have his meeting for an hour. So now I can't go regularly anymore. But end of the month a surprise. I lost half a kg!!!

Okay so not working out often enough kind of worked out. Well then came the next month and I worked out even less. Guess what... lost 2.5 kgs!

So should I work out at all?

Well it's a Friday evening and I am done with a week of work so I come home to relax right? I dig through my closet and find this t-shirt I haven't worn for a while and this set of PJ's that I have never worn! I have a nice long hot shower, a good shave and then change into it.

Well the t-shirt was a special buy to pass on a message to one special friend but wasn't something I could wear every day though! The PJ's are from my university, but little too much to be called down-to-earth! So when better to wear them than a night at home. Well my brother looked at me and didn't say much for a while but then I guess he too couldn't keep it in and so was like, 'You know Amit, I could write a whole blog on what you are wearing!' So decided before he does it, I better put it out there, save myself some embarrassment!

Well its okay, how you look if you stay at home. But then its dinner time and I really am hungry. But we don't want to go out so we decide to order out. We have only one take out number so we call it. Both numbers are continuously busy. So what are we supposed to do? Hunger gets the better of me and we head out to get dinner! Yes people actually saw me dressed this way... So figured I may as well let you guys see me too!

Don't you think I match the curtains?

Well you people who read my blog... Can you guys at least leave some comments instead of just shamelessly reading and running away?

Well when you start working nothing much exciting happens during weekdays. You pretty much go to work and are then so pooped at the end of the day that you really couldn't care to do anymore. Anyways I like to write this blog as often as I can so I am going to try...

Well yesterday we had what is called the Tech Fest 2004 at work. Well it's GE's way of showing off to itself what it is up to! It's not open to the public but they spend over 20 lakhs setting it up. Now you do the math. No one important is seeing what is happening but the budget is more than that for building a new auditorium on campus!

Anyways I had to be a part of this Tech Fest. I was what you would call a 'recruited volunteer'. Basically I was just standing around at work talking to someone about something and this guy comes and tells me that I should come and give ideas about some things. Next thing you know I am in a conference room helping organize the event and being assigned tasks!

Anyways, it wasn't so bad 'volunteering'. I got to be in charge of the wheel of fortune that turned out to be a lot of fun.

Now due to legal reasons I can't really tell you what all was there but I can tell you this. The Tech Fest very soon lost any hint of 'Tech'. Seemed like a Fest where every stall was competing with each other to get the maximum crowds to play its games! My lab, called AMT - Advanced Mechanical Technologies was running three games. The games were so popular that we had only 2 people explaining the posters and 4 handling the games!

I got some time off volunteering and walked around and found pretty much the same scene everywhere else. Everyone was concentrating on games rather than their work. Of course there were the odd stalls that had some real neat stuff. But you know what... I think GE intends that this Tech Fest be more of Fest rather than Tech. Why else would they let Finance and worse still, HR set up a stall???

So what do you get for volunteering? Well I got a GE t-shirt with my lab name AMT written on it. Was pretty proud of it as it was the first GE t-shirt I got. I went out in it and the first thing people point out is that my name is spelt wrong! And then I have to explain that it's not my name but the name of my lab. After a couple of people I just gave up. That's the last time I am going to wear that t-shirt.

Well being new to a city isn't always easy especially if you don't know many people there. Now I moved to Bangalore about six months ago. Bangalore is known for being two things - the pub city and the garden city. Now I don't really drink and can't tolerate smoke. So the pub part is completely out. The garden bit is true... every 500 odd yards you see some sort of garden or the other. But then again... When will you ever catch me getting up to go to a garden to take a walk! Believe me, have done it just once in six months and didn't like it one bit. Ended up talking on my phone the whole time

Okay now that we know that I don't really visit the most popular hangouts in town what can I do to entertain myself or meet people. Well work is always there. But one must realize that being in the field I am I don't meet many people of the opposite sex. Don't get me wrong. I am not looking for someone to fall in love with. Just like to have a mixed set of friends. Also it's nice to have friends outside of work. Otherwise who will you crib to about your boss? Anyways moving on from that... let's see... what are the other options?

Now I could do the Murarilal thingy I suggested in a previous blog. But am sure I will spend many a night behind bars!

So how have I met people so far? So far not really met any people I haven't known before. Most people I have met are people I have known from the past but have lost touch with. One person I met while walking home from eating my dinner at a restaurant. Another I meet at church. Another I met because he signs my guest book on my website and then met another person through him. The other day I met someone when I went to the railway station to drop off a friend.

So is there a general method to meet people? I doubt it. It's a daily adventure. You never know who you will run into and when. You just got to get out there and keep your eyes open. Never know when you will meet someone!

So how do you meet strangers? Well make sure you have a knock out smile and attitude at all times! Never know who is watching!

What is it with Bangalore and rain? Well historically in Bangalore when it gets hot it rains. That's great if you don't like heat at all. Well it's had been hot for over a week now and basically it had rained! So much so that the news paper ran an article on the front page of the newspaper saying that it wouldn't rain for another 6 to 7 days! So that means sun light and heat. That basically meant that I can leave my clothes outside for drying without worrying about them getting wet in the rain!

But then weather has a mind of its own and so it drizzles the first day I leave the clothes out. Mind you... this is on the very day that the news paper ran the article! Well so now my clothes are wet. But then again... it may just have been a freak rain so I leave the clothes out. Oh then to make matters worse the next day it pours!!! When I say it poured I mean poured!!!

And let me tell you... never drink too much water when you know you will be on the road for a while in India. Well I was stuck in traffic and the rain outside and the sudden drop in temperature facilitated the filling up of my bladder to capacity. Well I just kept thinking that I was going to reach the railway station soon and I could relieve myself there. Mind you I consider it below me to just go on the road side. I just feel that is filthy and no amount of urgency can make me go there. Anyway its still raining but I manage to get to the railway station an hour an half later. Now since I don't have a traveling ticket I have to get a platform ticket. They have these new machines that give you your platform tickets. Problem is that they require three new one rupee coins! Well I hunt in my wallet and find just one. So I ask the person I was with for another two and yes... she also has only one! So now I go to the counter to ask him if he can give me one. And now I have to wait in line. Finally I get to the front and he is nice enough to just give me a ticket! Now I have to hunt for the loo... Well I look for a board. But this is India. Putting up a clear board would make things too inconvenient. So now I ask some shop keeper. Well he tells me there is one but it's on the next platform.

So I rush to the staircase to get to the next platform. Mind you this isn't an easy effort! Well I got up to the top and see that there is a loo in the same platform itself. Now why would anyone give someone who is desperate the wrong directions! One can never guess. But no time to think about that! Well I came back down the stairs and ran to the loo. But wait. They have to make it inconvenient right? So what do they do next... They have no roof over the loo. So I am there relieving myself while getting wet in the rain! Well I now know how they managed to keep the loos so clean. Just wait for the periodic rain in Bangalore and all will be fine! Well I am soaked... but you know what. I don't care... I no longer am controlled by my bladder!

It's a strange thing... Never know when it hits you does it. Am sure everyone has been in love at some time or the other. Some aren't even willing to accept they are in love when they are, then lose it all and then gripe about it, the losers! Some love and just don't get anything in return, the mourners. Some get it all and throw it away, the scum... So what category do you find yourself in? Or are you the category that falls in love once for life and can't think of anyone else? Or are you one who lives on a two week cycle of love and heart break...

Well am at that point of life now where I should have found someone to love for the rest of my life but haven't had any luck so far. Friends all around are getting married, being proposed to, being fixed up, having arguments with family regarding permission to get married. Well being in such a situation isn't that easy but sure beats being a bachelor! At least there is some action in your life!

As if to rub it in further, the other day I got a credit card that gave me a voucher for Rs 1000 of diamond jewelry! Yeah I really need that now! Oh well I guess it all happens in time...