Bye Chicago.

Last post from here.

Irony meets Reality
You would least expect to see these lines in a Kenneth Cole Spring 2004 Ad Magazine, but here they are:

1. Ironically, 3 out of 4 workers sitting in cubicles are expected to think outside the box.


2. According to the Internet, over 2500 left-handed people are killed every year using right-handed products.


3. Inconclusive Research found that men change their minds 3 times more often than women.


4. On average, less attractive criminals get 50% longer jail sentences.


5. Half of the people with HIV in the U.S don't know they have it.


6. According to an unidentified source, 1 in 50 people have been a victim of identity theft.


7. Reality TV, Not Drugs, is now the most popular way to escape reality.


8. 4 million Americans believe they have been abducted by Aliens, most just after happy hour.


9. Latest figures show many find it easier to open up to a plastic surgeon than to anyone else.

Chicago River Bridges

This is how it looks when all the bridges (apparently 42 of them) on the Chicago river open up to let the tall boats/ships pass by. As I walked this afternoon over the Michigan Avenue Bridge, they started closing the bridge entrance on either end. Within a fw mins, I had the chance to witness the bridges opening, something that I had not seen until today. It was awesome to see the bridge go up so fast. What was funny was that when this giant bridge opened up, a very small boat - barely a few feet taller than the height of the closed bridge, passed by. I heard that the bridges open every Wednesday and Saturday to let the boats pass thr.

Olympics 2004
U.S Total Medals Tally is at 100 today. An impressive surge by Russia. India's position has not changed - at 63. 1 Billion people and 1 medal...
So much for blogging - You're Athletes, not journalists

GoodBye

This post is the last thing that I'm doing from work today. I've been making rounds of the office since morning bidding goodbye to everyone. The day started with reading a touching entry on Harper's blog that moved me to tears. Had lunch with Rebekah and the ones I didn't want to say goodbye because I feared they would make me cry were S (we just gave quick hug to avoid the emotions but it did not help at all and I cried on my way back) and Tim. So I kept them for the last. Infact when I went to see T, I carried tissue papers. I can't believe this is over. I'll miss you all and I have to stop saying this in every entry of my blog now and stop being a baby!

Countdown update - Last working day tomorrow. 3 more days to go. Saying goodbyes doesn't feel good at all.

Do NOT see Exorcist. The movie sucks and is very disgusting. H, his friends, V and I made the mistake of watching it day before night. I wanted to see Princess Diaries - 2 but had to live upto the image a of a grownup :( and went to see Exorcist.

If you use Gmail extensively then chk out the Gmail Notifier.

The wonderful Journey continues....

It is unusual for someone to continue in a project for more than 7-9 months in the IT industry. For me and a couple of others in my project, it was a 3.5+ years long association with this client. This long stint strengthened the bond making the distinction between our employer and the client seem insignificant. I'm moving out of the project in a few weeks and it was a tough decision - professionally and personally. This project has seen a lot of weddings (coinciding exactly with BIG launches) and cute kids being born. This past 1 year I've been at Chicago and I leave in another 10 days. People from work threw a going away party yesterday. I've been tight-lipped about this party but now that it is over, I can talk about it. Someone said yesterday, "This is As good as it gets" on the eve of my farewell and that is true..it was a fabulous farewell aboard the Mystic cruise. This weekend chicago is also hosting the 46th Annual Air and Water Show. We saw the blue Angels roaring past a few meters above our heads.
T got me a Strawberry Margarita - I can't believe that I actually drunk (well not in the true sense). It didn't taste all that weird but it did induce a good 10 hour sleep and I skipped dinner :) Thanks everyone for a great year! I'm going to miss all the nightouts, yelling across the cubicle, H's swearing (ofcourse not :)), AIM conversations, lunches/dinners and everything about this place and y'all. I seem to be at a loss of words and it is overwhelming to think how much I'm going to miss everything.

Countdown - 7 more working days and 2 weekends to go. Termination phase of everything....don't feel good about it but this is for the better hopefully. V is doing most of the packing. I have come to believe that he is very good at it especially after seeing him do it the past 2 times we moved at Bangalore with NO help from me. I'm looking forward to no more moving and packing for the next 2 years.

I'm finding myself in the throes of confusion standing at crossroads, not sure which path to take.

A good collection of quotes The 2548 Best Things Anybody Ever Said. A few good quotes:

"I'm astounded by people who want to 'know' the universe when it's hard enough to find your way around Chinatown." - Woody Allen

I have a simple philosophy: Fill what's empty. Empty what's full. Scratch where it itches. - Alice Longworth

Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans. - John Lennon

The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits - Albert Einstein

"In England there are 60 different religions and only one sauce."
- Francesco Caracciolo

Operation Search "Remote"

I've misplaced my TV remote and can't locate it even after 1 hour. What can be more frustrating! The search has intensified. I wish remotes could talk or make a sound. I do this all the time with my cellphones or hand sets and locate them by calling the number from the other and follow the direction of sound. I wish remotes were intelligent! I don't want to believe my worst fear - it is probably down in the trash:(

Blah blah blah...
Last evening, after an extended nap I switched on the TV to see the Indian delegation march into the stadium at the 2004 Olympics Ceremony in Athens - perfect timing (I know it was a recorded version played on NBC, nevertheless). It must be a proud moment for the reinventors of Modern Olympics - Greece to host the games for the second time after 108 years. 16000 participants from 202 countries participating in 28 sports over a span of 19 days. More interesting facts. The sports I'm keen on following are:

1. Gymnastics


2. Cycling


3. Swimming


4. Badminton

Dad, we couldn't make it to Atlanta or Sydney. Probably we would do it when India hosts the games!

eBay has a stake now on Criagslist. to do something like Craigslist for Bangalore was our idea after we head back.

For 3 years my dream job was to work at Sun Microsystems. It still is. But I would also like to work for Google someday. For now there are no dreams to pursue, just going with the flow to where the journey takes me.

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It is 10:00 p.m. and I'm at work for another night of testing. T said, "No Video Games". So I'm going to stick to Rubik's cube tonight as I forgot to bring a novel.
On popular demand (just kidding :) ) "wore my hair down" today for short while - can't seem to get over the haircut.
A little while ago, as I was waiting at the bus stop, a horse carriage carrying 6 women stopped at the signal. One lady saw the ad for "Exorcist - The Beginning" at the bus stop and was quick to comment - "Exorcist - the Beginning ..mmm. Exorcist , the first part was not scary at all to begin with. I laughed thr it..So what is this all about?" I think "Exorcist", "Evil Dead" kinda big banner scary movies don't scare people any more. I accept that when I watched Evil Dead the first time as a kid I was scared. But flashy outfits, shining eyes, long hair and sharp teeth devils in the cemetery doesn't appeal much anymore..

Bizarre Mind

Nighouts are back! We worked until the wee hours this morning doing some testing. It felt good to come back to an empty office at 9:00 p.m. and work (or solve Rubik Cube) at peace. It is fun to do System Administration once in a while, especially when Web server/Directory Server tuning/administration was my strength 2 years back. I had a rough day yesterday and had composed a very strong post on processes only to delete it a few mins later as V's and my opinions differed. Chk this out - The Immaturity of CMM. The term "Organised Chaos" has been playing in my mind since yesterday morning for some reason. As a coincidence, came across the Fictionary site via Google Blogoscoped. One word for organized Chaos - Plandemonium!
I'm in a state of trance after these nightouts - with sudden bursts of freshness and tiredness. I got the best haircut(but the ones mom used to give) ever today. Thanks to V for encouraging me to be indulgent once in a while - after all this is what we earn for.

2 Books I'm currently reading:

1. The Seven-Day Weekend by Ricardo Semler - great book with impractical(?) solutions.
2. Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office: 101 Unconscious Mistakes Women Make That Sabotage Their Careers - this book caught my eye at the Powell's City of books @ Portland (which btw is one of the best book stores I've ever been to). Nice Girls..talks about the behavioral patterns of women and their responses to common situations. I realized I do 30% of those mistakes. "Sabotage" is a rather strong word - I'd rather say growing up the career ladder could be accelerated if it were not for those mistakes.

In Retrospection

Starbucks' Tall Mocha Frappuccino did it again - my solution to exhaustion.

A friend e-mailed me today and asked "Are you all set to go? Do you feel excited or sad to go back? Did you like it better here or .." The timing couldn't have been better. I complete 1 year tomorrow since I came here. In retrospection, I would like to list a few things that I liked so that when I look back, there is this entry to remember this 1 year by.

The things that I would miss:

1. Living Downtown and N. Michigan Ave


2. The Public Library


3. 4 seasons (that are very pronounced) - Summer, Fall, Winter (my favorite) and Spring (my next favorite)


4. Summer - Biking along the lake shore, watching jugglers by the beach, Farmer's Market


5. Winter - Ice Skating (No. It is actually Ice Walking for me - never mastered the art of skating)


6. Friends - all of them who made this stay worthwhile!


7. Travel - Blue Line


8. Food - Brownie


9. The Silver Painted guy by Water Tower place - just kidding :)


10. Less crowded streets and a clean neighborhood


11. Public courtesy


12. Watching Friends every evening - Now that I have most seasons on DVD, it shouldn't be that bad. Still I wouldn't be surprised if laziness overpowers me in playing a DVD than just flipping the remote to switch on the TV.


13. The Adrenaline Rush at Work. After these highly demanding days, it would feel like vacuum - transitioning into nothingness, no challenges to look forward to everyday!

The things that I wouldn't miss:

1. occasional loneliness and being so far away from home


2. Adventurous trips to Devon


3. Thursdays and Crashes


4. Getting sick and going to a hospital - not that I love it in India but atleast there one doesn't have to wait for weeks to get an appointment and go thr the hassles of insurance.

Harper and Matiss juggling @ the Oak Street Beach 

The Village
Last evening, Harper, I and a co-worker of ours went to see The Village. After reading the reviews, I was very hesitant to see this M.Night Shyamalan's movie. But Harper insisted not to go by the reviews and we went to see the movie and I'm glad we did. It was really good. Well the suspense factor cannot be compared to The sixth Sense. But it is definitely better than his earlier movie, The Signs. What I like best about his movies is the brilliance with which he directs and portrays a simple plot. And this was in abundance in The Village. So don't go by the reviews and watch it this weekend!

After the movie, Harper invited me home for a Japanese dinner made by his roommate. It was a nice evening.