Wednesday, February 25, 2009

So what do your stars say?

Some stupid astrologer told my mom that I have a very rough period ahead in my career and life in general… Well, let me rewind my recent past (1-2 months)…

Well, my previous project got over (again that is no secret to regular visitors) and I took a 15 day break when all my friends from here called me and said that the ‘situation’ is BAD and asked me to cut short my vacation and come back to work asap. And I was not willing to do that. I earned the wrath of few of my colleagues who were kind enough to let me know the ‘proceedings’ here. But then, I came back 15 days after New Year and within a week, I got into my next project which is a cool one. A change of location (my previous location was 5-6km away from my current location) – maybe I was not very comfortable here during the initial days; but now everything is fine, made a few good friends here! So work-wise, I couldn’t have asked for better – yes, there are people who have had to change work locations (in this case, transferred to cities other than Chennai!!)

The project too is nice – am working in shifts – morning and afternoon shifts during alternate weeks, but yeah, then again, there are people literally living in their workstations. Again, I am happy I don’t have to!!!

Apart from that, I have watched 3 movies in 3 weeks now – Luck By Chance, Dev D and Delhi 6. Delhi 6 was awful (Guys, I wasted 140 bucks for the ticket, please don’t watch this movie!) – The music is awesome, no doubt; but you’d rather listen to the songs on your iPod. A R Rahman truly rocks!!! (2 Academy Awards – am so proud to be living in the same city as him!!!) Maybe some astrologer even told Rahman he’d win 2 Oscars! Net net, entertainment-wise, I am a satisfied soul…

Valentines’ day came and went by – nothing special other than a Fastrack watch that I got as a gift… And I am at the pink of my health – no fever, sinus, nothing!!! I even managed to put on a little weight and am looking and feeling great…

In the negative side, there are only two things – 1. I haven’t cleared the mandatory assessment yet and 2. I lost my wallet… Actually, I have gotten it back also, so I wonder what “rough period” the astrologer guy was talking about… Anyone here believes in that crap???

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Luck By Chance!!!

To people who (are jobless enough to) read my blog regularly, it is no secret that I lost my wallet at a multiplex. I had bunked office and went with Anjana for the movie Luck By Chance. And yeah, I was careless, to say the least.

Yesterday (15 days after I lost it) my mom called me in the evening and told me that someone had mailed the wallet and all its contents to my hometown (to the address printed in my Driving License). There was no "From" address and it was sent through ordinary post (not couriered). It had the postal stamp of Mogappair Post Office, Chennai. Hats off, to the gentleman/lady who was kind enough to send across my wallet, which contained almost all of my critical documents (in original). If you are, by any chance, reading this, THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH!!! I really had lost all hopes of retrieving it... I thought these days people have no time for all this and had lost faith in humanity and selflessness of people.

But by proving me wrong, God has told me loud and clear that the world is not such a bad place to live in after all... And you can afford to be careless sometimes (Amma, don't yell at me). It was just yesterday that I and Anjana had had a chat about how she had been careless with her mobile. It was then she told me, "You can be careless, but you should be lucky as well..." And I, for once, had become lucky, after all. It was Luck By Chance!!!

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

I am such a loser - Part 2

For those of you who don't know why I am a loser, read I'm such a loser.

This time around, I have lost my wallet and all the important stuff in it... Important stuff includes debit and credit cards (blocking them and applying for a new one is easy), and also my original Driving License and my original PAN card. Yes, I can hear you telling, "Which idiot would carry all important documents in the same wallet and that too in original?"... That is Sandhya for you!!!

Applying for PAN card is a rather simple procedure - fill up a form, give a xerox copy of your PAN card that you lost, an address proof (copy of passport), 2 passport size photographs and Rs.67 for the application... That is it. You'd get it within 15 days. I am so thorough with the procedure because I have already lost it once in May 2007 and applied and got a new one and it was this new one that I have lost now. Anyways, losing it earlier made me know the procedure for applying for duplicate PAN card.

But driving license... This is the first time I am losing that one. They say I'll need a copy of the driving license and an FIR that I had filed at the local police station. Well, there lies the problem - 1. I had gone to the movie 'Luck By Chance' on Monday afternoon, bunking office and I had lost it there (by the way, the movie was okay!!), 2. The police will behave very badly when I go to give a complaint (saying I shouldn't have gone and all that crap that can't be changed now!) and 3. I don't know why the police treat the victims like culprits (It happened earlier when I had gone to complain about the loss of my handbag at the beach)...

The following is the transcript of the conversation I had with the police inspector when I went to complain that my handbag was stolen at the beach.

Me: Sir, I want to give a complaint. I lost my handbag at the beach last night.
He: Why did you go to the beach in the night?
Me: (What????) Sir, I had gone in the evening and it was late when I returned. I returned by 8pm.
He: Who is this? (Pointing to my friend who had come with me to the station to give the complaint)
Me: Sir, he is my friend.
He: Had you gone to the beach with him?
Me: (What is your problem??) Yes.
He: That is why... Anyways, how do you two know each other?
Me: We are friends from college.
He: Oooohh.... Working in software industry-ah???
Me: Yes.
He: Where are you from?
Me: I stay here at Thiruvanmiyur in a house with my friends.
He: No, I am asking what is your native place?
Me: Coimbatore, sir.
He: (To my friend)What about you?
My friend: I am from Palakkad, sir.
He: How is this connection between Coimbatore and Palakkad??
Me: (through NH47...) I told you, we studied together...
He: (Like he is doing us a favour) Okay okay, you give a complaint and go. Come after 15 days and collect the FIR.

After 15 days...

Me: I had given a complaint about the loss of my handbag 15 days ago. I have come to collect the FIR.
He: Oh ok, wait a minute.
(Goes and takes a pile of FIRs and asks me to take mine from it. I do so)
Me: It is this one, sir. Thank you.
He: Actually, you have to bear the expenses of conveyance for taking it from here to the station where we get it filed.
(Like he took mine alone and went. He took all the complaints in one go and now collects conveyance from everyone who comes to collect FIRs)
Me: Hmmmm, so how much do I have to pay, sir?
He: Actually it is not in the rules ma, you give how mcuh ever you can.
Me: (How sweet of him!!!) Sir, I have never given a complaint before this; this is my first time. So I really have no idea how muchI should give.
He: How much do you have?
Me: I have 50 rupees sir.
He: 50? You software people must have 500 rupee notes in your wallets.
Me: (Yeah right!!) I have only 50 sir. Then I have my debit card and there is no cash in my account also.
He: Okay ma, give that 50 bucks and go...

It really disgusts me to think of going through all these things again. But yeah, instead of taking my friend with me, I am going to take my brother with me this time around and hope it'd do less damage. I am going to give the complaint tomorrow.

Applying and getting all these documents back is going to be a bit of (read: hell a lot of) headache!!! Wish me good luck!!! :-( Anyways, I am really the greatest loser. Like Monica says in F.R.I.E.N.D.S, if there was an award for the worst loser, it'd be called 'The Sandhya', no doubt!!!

Monday, February 2, 2009

Weekends...

New project, new applications, new team mate (yep, here too, like in my previous project, I have just 1 team mate, who happens to be a guy who is just as old and experienced as me) and a new office location (moved from thoraipakkam to sholinganallur) and yeah, it is so damn difficult to cope up with so many new things all of a sudden. But I have already started making friends here - the security girls, pantry in-charge girl, and the nurse in the dispensary and in no time, I have started feeling at home here....

The previous weekend (the one with the Republic Day in it) was by far the coolest weekend I had spent in a long time. Yals had come down from Bangalore and we - I, Yals, Nitsy and Kavi went to Mahabalipuram and had a blast. The following day, we went to Globus for shopping and that day goes in the list of 'Most embarrassing days of my life'... Yep, the salesgirl told she couldn't alter the dresses I chose to my size coz I was too small for it. I hate them... I can't believe I'm smaller than the dreaded size zero. Anyways, I still wen ahead and bought those clothes and got them altered from another tailor.

After the tragic weekend, a cool thing happened during the last weekend. Rafa won the Oz open and I feel just great (not that he promised he'd share his prize money with me, but still)... And I feel great because I love him so much. Why I love him so much, I don't know.... But I have a vague idea that I love him so much for almost the same reasons that I love David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo, Gaston Gaudio, Shahid Kapur, Brad Pitt, Stuart Broad, Kevin Pieterson, Tom Cruise, Oh this list is non-ending... I guess I have shown you what a big jollu party I am... But who cares?

My childhood friend Sarika (we have been friends since second class) is getting married next weekend and I'll not be able to be there and "grace the occasion" (ahem).. I hope she forgives me for that. I'll make sure I attend her wedding reception in Chennai 2 weeks later. Wish you a really happy and cool married life, Soraka (sorry, Sari, I just blurted out your nick name)...