En Vazhkai!!

While I am sitting here having my horrible dinner (Toast with eggs and Kroger Instant Chunky vegetable soup) I was thinking I must have been like a horrible mafia guy who wrote all his fortune to the homeless when he died. wondering why? read on...

This post is a conversation between me and rational public who would ask logical questions to my frustrated replies...

(Conversation begins…)

Venky: As I got home from work at 6.30 today evening and opened up my personal emails, I saw this email from this lady in OIA asking me for a set of documents for my CPT. She is annoying stupid bone headed ***** **** **** (beep beep beep!!!)

Public: relax..whats the big deal? just give her the documents and get done with it!!

Venky: Ohhh....yeah? I wish it was that simple. I live in Fort Wayne, IN a 4 hour drive from Lexington. So its not like i can take a couple of hours lunch and go meet her on a weekday.

Public: I understand but you are still wrong scolding her because she is just doing her job. There are rules and procedures which need to be followed and she is just doing her job well...

Venky: is she really? so why didnt she tell me about these documents when couple of weeks back i took 2 days off and spent an hour in her office going through what i was giving her and asking her a million times if that was all she needed. why didnt she tell me about this then?

Public: Ohhh...I see what you are saying now. Yeah shit happens sometimes!! just what is she asking for?

Venky:
1) A letter from my DGS which I gave her when i was there. No idea why she needs another letter stating the exact same thing again
2) Official Transcripts..which take 2 days to be processed and posted and so I wouldnt receive it till Monday and I will have to send it back to her immediately. My CPT expires next Friday and I dont know how I am going to sort this thing out. Btw FYI my transcripts will go from UK to me in Fort Wayne, and then immediately back to UK. And before you ask NO, UK cant send it directly to the other department..c'mon they cant make it any easier for the students...that just isnt how UK works!!
3) I have to be registered for Summer and Fall. I have to take courses for which I cant register myself and the request has to go from my prof. to the department secretary. Sending paper work to our dept. secretary is like throwing a stone in quicksand...get it?

Public: Holy cow!! looks like you are in deep shit!! Hmmm you know the best thing to do is to take your mind off this for a while. Take it easy man...go hang out with your friends...

Venky: Thanks for reminding me...I have no friends in Fort Wayne..

Public: What about roomies? go spend some time with them..

Venky: Jackass...no roomies either...I live by myself.

Public: WHAT??? You are kinda decently sociable why dont you have friends in Ft. Wayne yet?

Venky: Ohh well I work like 12 hours a day and there is little time left after that to socialize!!

Public: Hmm thats alrite...atleast since you put in soo many hours you might get a full time job in the company!!

Venky: hehe last week the company told me that wasnt an option. The big 3 automakers who account to over 90% of our sales had to have soft sales while I am in the job market. so what happens? my boss tells me "Venky..You are just the kind of person we would like in our company and I have heard nothing but good things about you but unfortunately we cant offer you a position at this time"

Public: dude you still have good friends in Lexington...call them up and talk to them! It will make you feel better

Venky: Well yeah...I could do that but the signal inside my house sucks....

Public: ohh plss...what a sad excuse!! go outside and talk!!

Venky: I would if I lived somewhere else...not in this crazy city where its 50 degree s and snows in May. Id freeze to death!!

Public: Change your cellphone service provider...

Venky: I already did...I had a sprint before and since my reception was bad changed to Tmobile paying $150 in early termination fees only to find that Tmobile is worse. My friends now blame me for the bad service like its my fault!!

Public: Hmmmm...I assume you dont have a girlfriend either...

Venky: You think I'd be talking to you if I did?

Public: Hmmm man I really feel sorry for you...Ill hang out with you for a while...

Venky: Thanks man...I appreciate your understanding but I dont need your sympathy. Anyways its already 11.30 pm and since i need to be at work by 7 am tommorow
(like any other day), I need to get up by 5.30am and so need to get to bed now!

Public: Goodluck dude...just hang in there....

Venky: You bet I will!!

(Conversation ends..)

The above conversation explains why I might have been a cruel Mafia who killed lotsa ppl in my last birth.

The only good thing about my life right now is my family and friends...they give me the fuel to go on!!(Explains why I might have given my fortune to the homeless!!) Must have definitely done something good in my previous birth to have this. On the whole I feel like I'm running a 100,000m hurdle race...you jump over one only to find another one smiling at you with sarcasm!!

Whatever!!!!!!

am I shallow?

I have been noticing an increasing number of blogs with heavy philosophical content and/or about feelings ppl have towards other ppl, things or just situations. I once thought i was a very spiritual, philosophical person. I once beleived I could find solutions to questions that has been challenging manking for years. I have since then changed quite a bit. I have found my solutions to problems and for the ones i couldnt i have simply ignored them and got on with my life. I like the way I am now though...it kinda helps me live the carefree life i live right now.

The point I am trying to make is somehow being this way kinda prevents me from fully appreciating things people write about...so everytime I read something even mildly "senti" I go like "ohh yeah ok...total crap". Its probably just me...I agree its nothing much to brag about!!

Oru Kelvi.....

Hey guys,
I have a question...
Say you once upon a time you shared a very good relationship (friend) with a person and that person over a period of time has changed for better or for worse but you still like the person the way you always have...
And if due to the lack of time you hardly get to talk to the person...
what is the future of this relationship? Has something like this ever happened to you?
(P.S: I know this doesnt sound like me...but I need help as I am not sure what to do!!)

Shanthi...Shanthi!!

I am watching this documentary on CNN about the 1995 Oklahoma city bombing and it got me started into thinking about the world we live in right now. Its soo painful to see affected people talking about how their lives changed after this happened.

It also got me thinking about some really disturbing incidents that have happened recently in Florida. Infact this has been something I have been thinking about for a while. If I was a parent bringing up my children in FL i would be a little scared considering the fact that there has been about 2 kids who have been kidnapped and killed in a matter of a month. I was wondering god forbid..what I will do if something like that happens to me?

Simple...Ill take a gun and shoot the bastard who dares to mess with my family down!! I will let him/her live but make sure I cause some serious permanent damage s/he will remember the rest of his/her life. I am educated and beleive in the law but then there also times when i think the law does not do justice to some mentally sick people...esp the ones who mess with children. It will be "A time to Kill" (You'd know what I am talking about if you have read the John Grisham novel)
Besides I really care for my close family (like the most of you!!) and anybody who dares to cause harm any of them will pay for it dearly!!
All I need in this world is Peace...Am I asking for too much?

Btw what a coincidence...they are playing "A time to Kill" on Cinemax. Looks like even the gods agree with me!

On a lighter note....ISA elections are coming up and I am going to vote for Ramji. I think he is sincere and has worked hard for ISA and other associations.
Vote for Ramji!!

Ready to mingle..but still will be Single!!

Oru vazhiya naanum therumba blogging world vandhutaen!

I was thinking about this yesterday when i was posting my previous blog and also when i was talking to my ex-roomies after that!!

When I was in college I sure had fun but didnt think it was spectacular. Yedho college ponnaen, canteen and babu kadai le saptaen, pasangal and on rare occasions (when i got lucky!) ponnugala odu class cut adichu padathikku ponnaen, yedhavdhu ponnu patha pudichu vechu kadala pottaen. Yepovadhu weekend vandhu friend vettu ku poi night stay panni konjum diffrent (OH) spirits try panninaen...ille ille friends try panninanga naan summa coke kudichaen (India le diet coke kadaikaradhu kashtam!) appidiye soolite pogalam.
Ippo enna sola varain na despite doing all this i didnt realize how much fun i was having till i came to the US. Appo thaan yennaku thonithu.."aaahaaaa adhu inbam ada nu"
Seri ippo Lexington le thaan summa irundhaen a? andha oor seriyana pattikadu nu thetikutae college le senjathe senjaen..enna kadala pattum podale...ille ille thapa nenaikathaenga..thirundha ella ille...ponnu yedhuvum mattale!!
Seri ippo Fort Wayne vandhum adhuve seiyaraen and appadiye friends kitte ellam polambaraen..dei ponnu yedhavum mata mataengudhu ne..
Seri enough of tamil what I am trying to say is perhaps after i get married i will realize the arumai if bachelor life...esp. after you have started earning.

So I have made up my mind that I am going to enjoy my single life!! after all our ancestors fought 200 years for freedom and it will be a shame to waste it!! (yen logic sahikale nu yennaku theriyum!) The more I think the more I am convinced that I am single because I choose to be!!

The Humble Beginings!!

Attention: K refers to Kay (http://srkartik.blogspot.com) and V refers to Freeyavedu (http://freeyavedu.blogspot.com)

Naan Vandhu appidye reel reverse le suthi Ill take you guys back to July 27th 2003.

It was a warm sunny (Sun)day in Lexington, KY. At around 7pm United Airways flight from Chicago landed in Lexington. Among all the passengers there was this guy who had just flown into what would be his home for the next 1.5 years. Alone and for the first time in these crazy states, looking odd with a fall jacket in summer he was scanning the Lexington airport looking for an Indian face. He had just then in that flight met an American for the first time in his life.

Athu vera yaarum ille....naane thaan!

The American was talking about some road in Lexington which went round the city and he was telling me how amused he was by that. I had no idea then what he was talking about but thinking about it now I think he was talking about the new circle road!

One lean (Both literal and Figurative) tall guy approached me and asked if i was "Venkatesh Gopalan"...yes I said giving him a formal handshake. He introduced himself as Parthi (the guy who was supposed to pick me up) and so we grabbed my bags and head out. The drive to the apartment was kinda long. It felt good to listen to Ilayaraja hits in the car..something i didnt expect to in the USA. So we reached this apartment
(805 Press Avenue, #1) dumped my bags and went to another apartment. There were around 10 guys in that apartment vetty a chatting and ootifying each other. In that apartment I met (after about 12 hours) a guy from my college, my to be roomie for the next 1.5 years. Soon we just got dropped back to out apartment. Parthi seemed very nice as he was talking to us, advicing us on what and what not to do and also brought us some essential commodities. He said he will come back the next day and take us to Walmart!

The next day we got up at 2pm. Still dazed, confused and jet lagged we quickly brushed and showered (I remember i had to take a cold shower because the heater wasnt working) and went to the nearby Dairy Queen to have brunch. I went there and wasnt sure what to order and everything looked expensive (remember the formula?....Price = $value X 50). Hot dogs were the cheapest and so I had a hot dog and a coffee. It was the only time in my life i had a hot dog (Yuck!!!!!!) the coffee i remember was horrible besides being black. I wasnt sure if i was supposed to drink it like that!

We then went back home and Parthi showed up as promised and took us to Walmart. I was amazed being in Walmart...it was huge and my jaws literally dropped to the floor. I know i sound naive but hey...those were my reactions and I am not ashamed to admit it! we got lotsa stuff groceries, sleeping bag etc etc.

The next few days were spent in a boring and useless way. Me and V (my roomie) basically spent the whole day in Youngs library, listening to Kadhal Kondaen and Boys songs...talking about the good old college days and friends. We were I should say in a way in the low point of out lives..No family nearby, no jobs or assistantships, New ppl all around and no friends and above everything alone. There were are soo many funny cooking incidents that if i start getting into them i can go on forever!

Soon lotsa ppl came and all were living nearby. Our other 2 roomates came along to. I made a trip to St Louis to meet my cousin just before school started. Fall semester went by fast and we were all busy and worked hard because the system was new to us.
I still remember the heated discussions we had about going out to eat and about the amount we had to allocate from our tight budgets for eating out. It was generally a once in a month thing. Our rare visits in Sunday to Kashmere, the Indian restraunt nearby which serves the lousiest Indian food. That was the time when every penny counted and varumai hurt us real bad.
I remember discussing hours and hours about how we were gonna pay tuition for the next semester, about the India trip we dreamed about! Just soo many memories.

There were also times when we had soo much fun. Like the times when me and all my roomies just kept jumping on the spring matress we had picked up from the road. The time when we used to make fun my roomie R's English and his very active love affairs.
(K and V...remember "I think we are in Love!!"). Ofcourse K's activities deserve some mention too...his active presence in any place where there were more then 3 Desi girls togeather. His fall 2003 romances deserve a entire Mills and Boons novel and cant be all covered as a part of a blog.

The first snowfall and our playing and tripping in it. The wasted december break when all we did was to download movies and watch them. Well I can go on writing about soo soo many small incidents and moments I shared with my roommates which was soo much fun but I'll leave some for V and K to write!!!

I left Lexington in January 2005 to start my internship here in Fort Wayne. Both my roomies are graduating in May. V is leaving Lexington on the 28th of April to Madison to start his job. K is joining Lexmark in the first week of May. Thinking about it now, we all have come such a long way from where we once were. No matter where I go I know i will always remember the humble beginings and fun I had. I think i will remember them because I had the best roommates anybody can ever have and they are also my best friends. I think its because of them and other friends i have that i miss Lexington soo much and go back there everytime I get a chance!

Thanks K and V! You guys are the best!!

Weekdays....my weak days!

Scene 1 - Friday Evening
I'm all happy and excited about having 2 days off. I am thinking about how I am going to get lotsa sleep and complete 2 million things i need to do.
As the evening proceeds...i either goto to a club nearby of rent a movie and watch it with a couple of beers ooops i mean diet coke!

Saturday Morning...i get up sometime after noon. Have a looooooong hot shower and a brunch. Piss the evening off just going to some place in Fort Wayne.

Sunday Morning....Thats the day when the morning blues start. The day goes by fast and by the time i do my laundry and get my groceries...its time to get to bed.

Then comes the 5 worst days of the week. The fight starts at 5.30 am in the morning between me and my alarm clock...i finally manage to get up around 5.45am...rush rush and get to work by 7am. Work just goes on and on and its probably 5-5.30pm before i leave my office. I goto the Y from there and workout. Finally come back home at 8pm just in time to eat something and crash into bed. So do the other days go

Now all of you must be wondering why i am writing about my daily schedule...the point i am trying to make is life had just become soo monotonous and busy and feels like a never ending struggle with time. After serious thought i have come to the conclusion that if we want to have a super duper career we have to scrifice social life or if we have to have a great life then i guess we must be just content being where we are and not worry much about having a great career.

I guess thats one more of nature's balances...you work hard..make more money but wont find time to spend it the way you want to or we can just work our 40 hours per week and have the time but no money to do all that we want to.

Either way...independent of if we are happy or not..we are always a little discontent!

Its my beleif that its this discontention that makes us want to take that extra step...step after step!

Workout ku oru O podu!

Working out is great for the body. It keeps you fit, helps you live longer, takes that extra flab off, gives you better sleep in the night etc. Recently I read ppl who workout are also likely to be more confident about themselves and their body.

No I am not planning on opening a health club anytime soon.

But I think the best thing about working out is that it makes you feel less guilty about eating whatever you want to eat.

Ok point made...ill now get back to my coffee ice cream with chocolate sauce!

Freedom!!

What is Freedom? What first comes to your mind when I mention freedom?

The thing that comes to my mind is driving down a freeway in a mountainous road by the sea (Like the one they show in Basic Instinct) on a warm sunny 75 degree day! The car being a convertible (Any vehicle...its not abt the car..but a manual shift with a v8 Motor wouldnt hurt) with the roof down.

No worries...No thoughts, relationships, work, responsibilities to hold me down. The hours, selfish as it sounds I live just for myself. It cant be a vacation as vacations are always timed..when you know you will be back to routine in a week or a month it kinda takes the fun away. I am not talking about going at 100 mph..its not about the speed or the adrenaline rush either. Just me, myself and the music made by the wind brushing through my face!

This is how I define Freedom!!

The thing about watching sad movies is its puts one's life in perspective. My friends have been raving about the movie BLACK for a while now and i have been avoiding watching the movie because i heard the story and i knew it was one of those emotional movies i wouldnt really enjoy watching. But anywyas yesterday i had nothing better to do and my friend gave me the cd so i decided to watch it. And now after watching it i have to admit it is a really well made movie. I am not generally an emotional person and if i was moved by the movie i have to admit its pretty damn well taken. I think my life sucks but its when i watch movies like this that I realize life isnt really bad after all. And as for what i took from the movie...if a guy can teach a stubborn little girl who cant see or hear how to read and write (brail ofcourse) and get her a B.A degree then i definitely can tranform my company into Lean. I guess ill start the week with that in mind!!
Earlier in the week I went and joined the YMCA near my house. This particular Y has a gym, Climbing wall, TT tables, Pool Tables, Videao Games, Basketball court, Swimming pool, Whirlpool, Sauna and also some aerobics classes. I worked out after a looong time on Friday and boy...every muscle in my body hurts now!! When i was leaving the Y friday evening there was this sheet of paper lyinig near my car door...i picked it up to see if i had dropped something and i coulnt beleive what i saw...it was the bank statement of one Amy...it had her Bank Account number, Address, Full name and bank balance. I pretty much had all the information i needed to get online and use her bank account to buy myself something i wanted. I had to tear the paper and dispose it off for Amy.
k then later!