mixed feelings

I woke up this morning thinking my countdown does not start with 5 anymore. 49 days left in hyderabad.

I have never cursed life or what it have given me. I believe in destiny. Wherever my life has taken me, I've packed my bags and reached there. Destiny's plans for me have been solid and have made life easy for me. I have had no troubles settling in a new place, I have no troubles making new friends. I sat near 25 unknown children when I joined my first boarding school in Ooty - Nazareth and I was pretty happy. I cried to see my parents go back home without me and that's the only time I've cried because I was scared. After that every hostel, every boarding school has been my home. My very home with my own little happy, chirpy family. From my own little tooth brush holder to my very cot to lie on. Home was summer holidays and winter holidays. I grew up with similar minds and minds of the same age.

My family has been extremely supportive of everything I do.. even now. They allowed me to contest an election in college, they allowed me to organize music concerts with friends in college, they allowed me to back answer a teacher in school (they came to school and stood up for me), they wrote to me every week, they have been there for everything. Its like the mother ship is calling me back home with this wedding coming up. I'm excited, to a great extent. But somehow the thought of leaving this place makes my vision blur.

My dad was dead against me joining Google. He wanted me to do my MBA in a college in around Coimbatore. I then had no mindset to remain within my city limits to study the course. He was adamant and he applied to colleges for me. Many colleges. He received the interview cards and I attended interviews everywhere. I got through to all and I still had no interest.

I sat him down and said I was not prepared to call myself a student within a campus wearing a blazer. He let me go. My mom as always let me go. My brother AS ALWAYS let me go. And that's all I have wanted! They always knew I would come back and they sent me wherever I wanted to go.

Among the many ppl who arrived at Hyd, I was one of them who didn't bring my parents along. I arrived with absolutely no idea about what was ahead of me and started work. It's been 2 years 9 months now and more than fabulous.

So far, my life has been a story of 'in a suitcase, up and down.' Soon, I'm gonna be at home. A new home.

But to leave the present home, it pinches me. I wake and realize its 2010.

Hyd has been a wonderful home.. so far. Friends have been so great. I wish I could pocket everyone and take them home as little people.

Little people who can - switch on my geyser every morning, give me a hug anytime, cook delicious meals with me and hog it with me, fix my mouse/keyboards/laptop anytime, get drunk and come home at 4 for me to open the door, buy me my favorite chocolates wherever they see it, wait for my mum's murukkus whenever I get back from home, talk to me for hours about their favorite food, make instant food plans, waste a lot of money on food just cause WE LOVE IT, log in to check my work for me, call me to tell me what's the lunch menu, message me form the loo, scream at lizards with me, go for shopping sprees with me when I don't buy anything, pick up my dad's calls and say I'm bathing, shout at me for spoiling my brother .. be themselves around me.

My Hyderabad chickas and yeah of course the Fat Boy Clan and the other great men - I'm gonna miss ya all like mad!

hmmm... 50 days left

50 Hyderabadi days left..

What I want in 2010!

2009 is almost over. Accomplishing more than half of my To Do in 2009 list, here's my list for 2010!

1) January : Save Rs.35,000/- for my camera - Nikon D3000

2) February - Turn 23 (which will happen eventually whether I like it or not) like a grown up and take a decent birthday resolution.

3) Learn driving, apply for an LLR, get an LLR and then apply for a Licensee. (ahem)

4) Get the required changes on my passport.

5) Bake a cake - A super cake

6) Get engaged, get married.

This is what I have for until May - I'm gonna come back with a diff list altogether after I get married. So the first six months is what I'm setting myself for!

My 2010 Dreams

My OH-SO-Awesome 2009 - I cannot believe I have to say Good-bye!!

Its only December 16 and I'm packed for the rest of the year. I leave home on 18 to attend Founders on 21 and come back to Hyd on 27. I have an exam on 29 and then in no time its New Years Eve!!!

This was the fastest year in my entire adult life - 2009 had sooo many important events in my life! I have to bring to the attention of my blog and its followers (though almost all of them are on my Speed Dial) that I'm engaged. Engaged as in engaged. To Padhu - I'm sure he is mentioned somewhere. A friend from high school and someone I've known for years now. This being the new that takes the entire cake in 2009, there are a few that did manage to leave chunks instead of just crumbs.

Well, Priya got married in March. And in Hyderabad - and why would I not be excited? Saranya & Shilpa came to Hyd to join me for the wedding and we had a great time. A wedding again, my sister Lavanya got married in March again and the wedding was the best family get-together one could ask for. I was so excited to welcome Arun mama to the family and what's great is - he is soo cool! He treats me and Sai like we are kids and I like him for that.

Great things at work - Q1 i moved to a new process with a promotion and Q2 was sober - but Q3 was awesome again with Another Promotion and a lot more money!! :D Who'd say no?! 2 promotions in one year did have me on hilltops!

The greatest event in 2009 was sending Sai to college - Sai joined Loyola, Chennai and has successfully passed his first semester now. I'm the proudest person ever - and am so happy with his progress on managing his life in Chennai. I did visit him once in Chennai and Saranya Shilpa Sai (S3) and I had our own little vacation. It was a great trip and I miss the three of them like mad!

October 29 - I received the official confirmation of my engagement to Padhu. November 27 was the Urudhi function and from then I'm engaged. I begin to wear a ring for the first time. I wear my gold chain everyday. I answer questions regarding the wedding. Oh! btw we're getting married on Padhu's birthday ;) May 26.

It's December now and its beginning to sink into me that I will be leaving Hyderabad. I'm not getting in to that one now.

Well, this has been my Oh-so-awesome 2009!

My 2009 To Do list Update

1) Save 5000 (or more) bucks every month for trip to US in June - DONE.

2) CONFIDENTIAL HIGH PRIORITY ITEM :D - DONE

3) Buy my brother his first phone for college - DONE

4) Make an honest effort to dress up for my sister's wedding - DONE.

5) Go to Pondy with Saranya - BEEP

6) Visit the Salarjung Museum in Hyderabad - BEEP

7) Read 'Withering Heights' by Emily Bronte - BEEP

8) Visit Disneyland in the US :D - BEEP

9) Visit Dakshin Chitra in Chennai - DONE

10) Do one soap carving - BEEP

11) Buy Hari 'not so expensive' but good shades - BEEP BEEP Louder

12) Buy Ma a very nice silk saree for sister's wedding - DONE

13) Learn to drive a car PROPERLY - BEEEEEEP

14) Get my driving license and voters ID - BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP

15) Get the wrong address corrected on my passport - Ditto

16) ...............................................

The 5 Kinds Of People On Facebook

i) The Show Off
ii) The Attention Seeker
iii) The Writer/Publisher
ix) The Addict
x) The Complain Pot

The Show Off

Be it America or Amichikkarai, do you update your status as soon as you land in this place? Stuck in a traffic jam? - want the whole world to know you use your mobile to check Facebook? Do you announce to everyone on your friends list that you bought a new phone? Or maybe a laptop? Or even a car? Do you have more than one album of only your pictures in different parts of the world with tag lines that name each part? - Well, I classify you 'The Show Off.'


The Attention Seeker

When you are pissed, irritated, annoyed, angry and sad in life - if you tend to let that be your status message - you tend to get replies like 'Aww, what happened honey?' , 'Is everything Ok?', 'I hope things get better soon!'. The kind of attention that will increase TRP and make you think what you did was right. Its ok to be so, not everyone is as open as you are.

The Writer/Publisher

The happy people I would call them! Those who think letting people know what they are up to in general. Read a good book? watched a great movie? had a good trip? new post on your blog? You think its a nice quote and want others to read it as well, you read an article and share it online, you look forward to reviews and reactions from friends on something general. Well, you're the kind who has an opinion and wants others to share theirs too!

The Complain Pot

Wonder how things work on Facebook? Still blinking how you got tagged and dunno what to tell people when they said they saw your pic on FB? ;) You think Orkut is easy and FB is complicated? You don't really know how to change privacy options on FB? Well, don't complain - ask someone and its easy then. You will love it like the million others! FB is fun!

The Addict

Any of the above + an addiction = The Addict. Well, if you wake up and log on to Cafe world to see whats cooked or not, check your farm to harvest, open roller coaster kingdom to release guests - well, i will just have to pat your back and say "My friend, we've all been there - Get A Life!" Social networking is a part of your life, you cannot go to sleep without seeing what your world has done today. You have to post on your friends walls, well well - its not so bad. And its not a disease! ;) The addicts are a mix of the 4 kinds above - you need to be here. Some even make a living out of it. Some stalk, others sneak peek, and some others just love to post!

Well, whatsoever - Facebook rocks and so do we all!

I'm an addict = an addiction + The Writer/Publisher. Who are you?

Why physical violence is not the answer...

I have a lot of friends who manage their own businesses back home. Today I happened to talk to one of them and he told me of this certain incident where he slapped an employee for having used his work hours for a personal errand. The damage from his misbehavior was minimal but he was asked to leave the office premises forever. He then came back and asked for his job and apologized. My friend gave him his job.

With that amount of temper, I could have written 15 posts on this blog, cooked a yummy lunch for myself, or even cleaned my house. I was thinking about this incident over and over. I called him back and asked him if he forgave himself for slapping the employee. He replied with a no. I asked him why not. He said it was the guys fault and he just did what he had to do.

I was then thinking of how the guy came back for his job with humility. I then thought about why anger should never go with authority.

I don't know if he was wrong - but he definitely wasn't right.