Showdown to 2007 and curtain raiser to 2008!!

Three days to go for beckoning another new year "2008" filled as usual with surprises and joyful moments!! But as i rewind the spools of memory threads in my brain searching for the answer to how good the year 2007 was?

The onset of 2007 happened in the Ashiana Garden apartments at a small village in Bhiwadi, Rajasthan. A bunch of friends cracking PJ's, dancing to "Daler Mahendi - Dhinak-Dhinak...." tunes and of course neat vodka to beat the chilly winters of North. Little did i know what the rest of the year had in store for me...Quote unqoute "Life is like a box of chocolates, u never know what you gonna get!!"

The first few months was mundane work and i was recuperating from the 4 month hard pressed study period for my GMAT which i gave in Sept, 2006. Darn...i cud not score well, so concentrated on my work related stuff! I had been working for a MNC for nearly 3 years and was quite vexed at the prospect of not enjoying life when its to be done!! I was quite bored with the job as well and badly needed a shift from the dull, placid village to someplace that bustled with action. But i had these nagging emotions which i could not put to rest:

(View of Ashiana Garden,Source:Ashiana Housing )

Plainly said..i am a workaholic and would slug for hours together no matter what!! Have worked like 28 hours at a stretch, slept for like 4 hours and then up the next day in the shop floor manning activities. All done, but i was totally frustrated due to the lack of good food..after all thats why u earn for...Due to my late working hours i end up hitting my sheets with a glass of water and a rumbling stomach. Nobody to open my can of miseries that i found comfort in my quest to solitude. Strangely, i found myself more composed in such states and finally made my decision to move away as i realized my cheese was moved to a place some 2,700 kms away!!

The major change in the first half was bought by my cousin who introduced me to Orkut! and there i met one of pre-school mates after nearly 14 years!! I got him to refer into the company he worked for and after a number of interviews, finally got selected!! My joy knew no bounds as i was going back to my home after nearly in-and-out visits for eight years. I bid goodbye to sub-zero winters, harsh summers, hot roti's, blemishless white curd, friends made for life, easy available spirit of vodka and many a things to enter a whole new life.

My flight landed late night at Chennai airport...i was welcome by the standard humid hot winds and thats when i knew i was not dreaming for heavens sake!! The next few days went of in packing and catching up with old friends. May 7th, 2007 was a new leaf turned in the pages of my life where i joined a new organization. The clock needles circled at rapid speed taking me by a storm and life started to roll at breakneck speed. I was introduced to this sport of "Ultimate Frisbee" and i was totally taken away by the sheer love i developed for the game...

So, the entire CUF (Chennai Ultimate Frisbee) is an eclectic mix of working professionals and entreprenuers who gather in the wee hours of the morning at Beasant Nagar beach to play a lung burning game of ultimate. A special thanks to one of my friends who introduced this game to me.....More new friends and i got to learn many a valuable things from them. Its been a rock 'N' roll ride and a consistent learning experience in life. There are a zillion things i like about the group which plays the game, but the one thing that stands out is the "superwiz" bonding that happens in quite an instant. Some might argue it takes a lifetime to understand another person...but come here and u will witness good comradeship within a few days...Maybe blame it on like-mindedness of chasing a single frisbee :)

Joyous moments were overshadowed when my Grandpa passed away in the month of August, 2007. He was such a great person and was at the helm of our family business from the days of Burma, Ceylon to Chennai. His personality exudes a charm that many would yearn for at a mighty age of 74. A very commanding voice and unpretentious behavior won many a hearts in his splendid life. He was also one of the main reasons for my shift to Chennai as i realize now that, he wanted me to be by his side. I am fortunate to share two pronged effects of name and blood with my Grandpa and i am repenting at not doing much for him during his stay on Mother Earth.

Shifting weights around, we all work day in and out to earn and lead a respectable life, but we tend to forget the joy of love with parents, relatives and friends. One of my friends used to say: "Is there a life after work?" I argue with him saying, "Yes there is, only if you realise it" There is a lot to do apart from the circle of work....So, step out of that tight circle to sense true life in your taste buds.

"You and only you hold the wand to create a spell that would shower joy in your life"

My first car, freedom from wearing uniformed clothes (Damn..i have been wearing muted shades for the past eight years, Movies, Dining on fabulous food (Yum!), my first steps of salsa, lotsa new friends and so the list goes on!! Truly, the days are longer in Chennai with nights becoming shorter by the count. I don't remember sleeping like 10 hours at a stretch after shifting bases here. More to come during my trip to Kodai :))

Weekend update

Friday, the 9th of November was a hectic work filled day...Bounced in and out of meetings (meaningful, surprisingly) and was waiting the minute hand of my watch to sweep  across the seven barrier. Thus, the shackles were removed for a fun filled weekend...not to forget the weekend exhaustive game of Ultimate Frisbee!!

My cousin forcefully pulled me to test drive the new Hyundai i10....we ended up looking only at the inner and outer facades as we reached the place pretty late. My first impression of the car was, the design house failed to emulate the same strong masculine styling of the front in the back end of the car. The front was smashing with strong fenders which gave a facelife to the car. But walk to the back, it had a slightly elevated structre which did not meet up the standards of the front.

Boot space is quite less but the interior is quite roomy with stylish gears kept at an inclination. Although, the gear meshing did not meet my expectations, as i drive a Swift, whose gears fall as if a hot knife is passing through a block of cold cheese. Not a full blown review though, i kinda liked the color options that they are providing :)

Oh, it starts at 4.2 lacs (on road Chennai price tag) for this small car from the stables of Hyundai. 

After this short stop, we went to HSB to hog on mouth watering southy food at blue star. We made an interesting observation there, HSB has 24 branches alone in Chennai....(excluding the fast food joints at C.P.R and Ashok Pillar) Assuming that 900 people walk into a branch everyday with average expenditure of Rs 100 per head...the total revenue per branch would be approx a lac rupees. Multiplied with 24 branches would land us with a figure of Rs 24 lacs per day across all branches. 

So, per month it would be approximately Rs 86-90 crores per annum in Chennai alone...Apart from this theyhave two branches in N.Delhi and quite a few branches abroad as well in Muscat, New York, London and the likes. Its quite difficult to estimate the global turnover the business as sheer driving factor for revenue boost is the masses who are continously adapting to lip smacking idli, dosas and saucers of sambhar + cocunut chutney. Last thing, i heard was HSB was rated 16th best out of the total 95 restaurants in Chennai. 

After satiating ourselves and paying a heavy fine for indulging in it, we were off to Sangam Cinemas to watch the movie Polladhavan. Weak story line, a few good songs which did not blend with the situation as well (isn't it a trend these days?), too much expose' by the lead actress and the item girl...i sat bleary eyed through out the film, my mind constantly revolving around the next days early morning game of Frisbee!!