(This blog article is from a set of mails that I sent to my gang. This is the second of the post dated 18 July '08)
Good Morning to you, or afternoon or evening or night ... depending on when you read this and what's your (dis)orientation. This is Chapter 2 of Bengaluru Diaries. (I kinda like the name!)
Since I wrote the earlier mail, I have been able to settle down better at the new place; it is still new, I have been here only close to 3 weeks. In that time, the nosy noisy kids next door have had a few more questions, I have formally been awarded my MTech degree, and the event of the week has been the arrival of the gas stove!
Ok, so this past weekend was the eighth convocation ceremony of IIIT-B. For organization purposes a convocation mock/rehearsal is held a day before the actual ceremony. It is something that is done every year. For starters, anyone who wants to attend the convocation has to attend the rehearsal also. Only those who attend the rehearsal are awarded degrees on stage while others have to collect them later in the office. There are some other logistical reasons also which are too boring to list here. The important thing is, I am legally now an MTech graduate. Yippee!
When I got my mattress (read the introduction on Bengaluru Diaries for more on that issue) I thought to myself, "That's it! What else do I need?" I couldn't have been more wrong. Almost everyday I realize that something is needed and that I have to go and get it. One of the earliest such realizations was concerning a soap for washing dishes. Yeah! Fruits, snacks, smelly plates, stinking kitchen --- you can do the math there. So I ended up at a general store and told the shopkeeper to give me a washing soap. He dutifully handed me a Cinthol bar. So I told him I need a utensils washing soap, or the way I said it, in hindi - 'bartan ghisne ka sabun'. Somewhere between the parallels of my hindi and his kannada, this caused some severe disturbance which prompted him to make a long face, the kind which is usually seen at condolence meetings. Please note that at this point, I wasn't able to recollect names of any washing soap brands. So what I did do was, a small enactment of how we wash dishes; I enacted how a plate is washed, he handed me a harpic toilet cleaner. I enacted how a spoon is washed, upon which the lady standing next to me in the store gave me a very stern look, while the shopkeeper managed a muffled laugh ( ... try enacting how you'll wash a spoon, and you'll get the point). Somehow, the other guy in the shop caught hold of the words 'spoon', 'plate' and to my relief he finally handed me a bar of VIM soap. The upside of the episode, embarassing ore otherwise, was that I ended up with all kinds of washing soaps which were all required. This past Monday was a team outing, my first since joining IBM, and as my seniors said it, "saal mein ek hi hota hain". It was at a resort called 'Olde Bangalore' which is on the way to the new airport. Food, games, drinks, swimming pools and all that stuff. I got hold of a new limerick thanks to the guy conducting the games, check it out: "plain bun, plum bun, bun without plum". Now say it fast and repeatedly. Anyways, tuesday was a very interesting day in office. Many didn't turn up; some who did were disoriented, thanks to the alcohol on the previous day. I actually saw a guy in the pantry pouring a cup of coffee and throwing it away before drinking it.
Now for the event of the week: the arrival of the gas stove! I scoured the market near my place yesterday after getting back from work. After a lotta walking back and forth on the same street, which even caused a fruit-seller to ask me if I was lost, I finally found a place which sold this thing, and I bought it! Thanks to it I made f tea in the morning for myself, and occasionally will now cook eggs or maggi. One of my roommates is very eager to display his Idli cooking skills ... I guess that will be another chapter in the series :)
Work is slowly building up. So far so good.
Till next time, adios amigos!
Take care.
- Big Foot in Bengaluru
PS: The kid next door asked me to put laces in his shoes yesterday and questioned me about why I haven't met anyone else in the building so far ...
Good Morning to you, or afternoon or evening or night ... depending on when you read this and what's your (dis)orientation. This is Chapter 2 of Bengaluru Diaries. (I kinda like the name!)
Since I wrote the earlier mail, I have been able to settle down better at the new place; it is still new, I have been here only close to 3 weeks. In that time, the nosy noisy kids next door have had a few more questions, I have formally been awarded my MTech degree, and the event of the week has been the arrival of the gas stove!
Ok, so this past weekend was the eighth convocation ceremony of IIIT-B. For organization purposes a convocation mock/rehearsal is held a day before the actual ceremony. It is something that is done every year. For starters, anyone who wants to attend the convocation has to attend the rehearsal also. Only those who attend the rehearsal are awarded degrees on stage while others have to collect them later in the office. There are some other logistical reasons also which are too boring to list here. The important thing is, I am legally now an MTech graduate. Yippee!
When I got my mattress (read the introduction on Bengaluru Diaries for more on that issue) I thought to myself, "That's it! What else do I need?" I couldn't have been more wrong. Almost everyday I realize that something is needed and that I have to go and get it. One of the earliest such realizations was concerning a soap for washing dishes. Yeah! Fruits, snacks, smelly plates, stinking kitchen --- you can do the math there. So I ended up at a general store and told the shopkeeper to give me a washing soap. He dutifully handed me a Cinthol bar. So I told him I need a utensils washing soap, or the way I said it, in hindi - 'bartan ghisne ka sabun'. Somewhere between the parallels of my hindi and his kannada, this caused some severe disturbance which prompted him to make a long face, the kind which is usually seen at condolence meetings. Please note that at this point, I wasn't able to recollect names of any washing soap brands. So what I did do was, a small enactment of how we wash dishes; I enacted how a plate is washed, he handed me a harpic toilet cleaner. I enacted how a spoon is washed, upon which the lady standing next to me in the store gave me a very stern look, while the shopkeeper managed a muffled laugh ( ... try enacting how you'll wash a spoon, and you'll get the point). Somehow, the other guy in the shop caught hold of the words 'spoon', 'plate' and to my relief he finally handed me a bar of VIM soap. The upside of the episode, embarassing ore otherwise, was that I ended up with all kinds of washing soaps which were all required. This past Monday was a team outing, my first since joining IBM, and as my seniors said it, "saal mein ek hi hota hain". It was at a resort called 'Olde Bangalore' which is on the way to the new airport. Food, games, drinks, swimming pools and all that stuff. I got hold of a new limerick thanks to the guy conducting the games, check it out: "plain bun, plum bun, bun without plum". Now say it fast and repeatedly. Anyways, tuesday was a very interesting day in office. Many didn't turn up; some who did were disoriented, thanks to the alcohol on the previous day. I actually saw a guy in the pantry pouring a cup of coffee and throwing it away before drinking it.
Now for the event of the week: the arrival of the gas stove! I scoured the market near my place yesterday after getting back from work. After a lotta walking back and forth on the same street, which even caused a fruit-seller to ask me if I was lost, I finally found a place which sold this thing, and I bought it! Thanks to it I made f tea in the morning for myself, and occasionally will now cook eggs or maggi. One of my roommates is very eager to display his Idli cooking skills ... I guess that will be another chapter in the series :)
Work is slowly building up. So far so good.
Till next time, adios amigos!
Take care.
- Big Foot in Bengaluru
PS: The kid next door asked me to put laces in his shoes yesterday and questioned me about why I haven't met anyone else in the building so far ...
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