Deutschland welcomes you..

The land of the Black Forest and Oktoberfest..

Munchen(Munich) welcomes all. My home to be for some
time now - is a nice place at first glance. Warm,
friendly and inviting (though the U/S-bahn system
is confusing to a new comer).

I am currently put up in a hotel provided by my employer.
I have the onerous task of looking for an apartment.
Will start sometime Monday. Currently getting to
know the city and my way around. My colleagues here
are very helpful and have offered to show me around the
most important places.. like the indian stores :-P
I think an Indian looks forward to grocery shopping
onlywhens/he does it when not in India. :-)
Well, I am ofcourse going to try out the german cuisine
but at a slightly slower pace for two reasons. Firstly,
my gastric issues since my appendicitis operation last year
are persisting and I have been advised to avoid processed
food.. which is almost impossible when you are in another
country and LAZY to cook :-) Secondly, I have to yet develop
an attitude to try-out/eat meat other than chicken and fish.
Its a big barrier to break - and i am very sure it is not due to
the culture factor alone. Well I can say this cos I took up
eating fish like umm... fish to water (pun intended).. unlike
with chicken. I ate very little of chicken but i can gorge on a
whole tuna. So anyway.

The hotel I am living in has service apartments and is pretty neat.
So cooking is not an issue and I am doing my bit to help consumerism.
;)

So long... will keep updating you on life in Munich. Auf Wiedersehen.

Dekhi zamaane ki yaari....

Bichade sabhi baari baari...

ud ja ud ja pyaase bhanvare, ras na milega kaaron mein
kaagaz ke phul jahaan khilate hain, baith na un gulazaaro mein
naadan tamanna reti men, ummid ki kashti kheti hai
ik haath se deti hai duniyaa, sau haathon se leti hai
ye khel hai kab se jaari
bichade sabhi, bichade sabhi baari baari.

New beginning

Today was my first day at my new work place.
'was OK. Not as organised as IBM ofcourse -
but I think the chaos would be the same.
Somehow despite it being the core competency
of the HR department, managing people still
seems to be difficult for HR - no matter where you go!

Was woken up to the other facts of life and work.
Dress codes, no flexi-work options, time sheets etc..
man do I think I will survive? Time will tell.

Adventure Account

:-)

I am sure you have now guessed that I had a great
adventure trip. Yes, I did.
It was fun waking up in the wee hours - though an
hour later than we wanted to - and pack up for a
loooong drive and day ahead. We started to Pune
at 6 in the morning and were greeted by the windmills
on the outskirts of Chitradurga pretty much on time.
An accident and subsequent road blocks delayed our
journey by around 45 minutes or so. From then on
it was a pretty decent road minus the Chitradurga-
Davanagere patch which was pathetic.
Trouble hit when my brother noticed something fly out
from the bottom of the car onto the highway. Tried
to find out what it was but too late to go back on a busy
highway looking for a forsaken piece of, well, ...
Our average speed took a hit after this and we were trying
to be careful with the vehicle. A few more jams on the
otherwise awesome highway saw us frustrated a little but
we were determined. The journey finally ended at 1am that
morning at my home sweet home. Overall an exciting journey.

I sooo missed my partner from the last trip in this trip.
Yes we weren't driving easy like last time. That trip was
fun. We halted overnight on the way and so had ample time
on hand to stop at places of interest or just to take a break.
Dude... thank you for that trip :-) Muah!

So I am back home now... in the not-so-sweltering summer heat
but still bad enough for me. It made me sweat a little more
when I got to know it poured in Bangalore today ! Damn!! :-(
I think someone is missing me in Bangalore ;-)

Adventure Season

Starting on another adventure tomorrow..
another long drive .. ~900 kms, 3 drivers,
and 16 hours. Hope to make it in one day.

Mixed feelings right now, about leaving this
city which has been my home for a cool 10yrs
now.. wow! First came to the city in 1998 as
a fresh graduate joining my then dream IT org.
And now here I am.. 10yrs in the industry.
Seems so long and so quick at the same time :-)
This city has seen me through my ups and downs
and always brought me back from my lows.
I have experienced amazing freedom , made such
close friends who have been such an important part
of my life, have had my moments of epiphany here
and have connected so closely to this city.
So yes I am a little sad to leave this place.

At the same time I am happy as well for multiple
reasons. Ofcourse on the personal front I am making
progress, moving on to better and exciting things,
exploring newer places which I always wanted to do.
The other reason is I was so unhappy with the way this city
has turned out in the past 10 yrs. The Bangalore in 98 and
the Bangalore in 08 is so different.. its an effort to stay
connected and then its no fun. So.

Well, I believe everything happens for a reason and
everything happens for the best.. :-)
Enjoy the ride...

a few words

Faith, they say
Keep it.
Knives in your back
Keep it?

Hope,
a bright tomorrow
Blinded by today
can one see it?

Laughter,
the best medicine
Why at the expense
of someone else?

Love,
over hyped, over rated
Difficult to find even one
where it lasted.

Change,
is the constant
It helps me stay sane
rooted in my own idiosyncrasies.

Banyan and a piece of sky

In the darkness
the banyan talks to the sky
two strangers on a familiar night

Running days,
nights all along
the Sky envies one
whom the roots belong
I follow a Mirage it said
a Horizon is all I get in the end

Stuck to the Earth
from birth till death
the Banyan sighs, sights beyond
rotations and revolutions
I have been around
I have been there while
stuck to the ground

Woes shared, sighs understood
Both argue n both withdrew
Dawn brings in a new day
with hope and thrill
to meet a new stranger
in the hallway

Ye jo hai zindagi...

Jaate hain junoon me
naya jahaan kamaane
chod aaye jo jahaan yaad na aaye deewane?

purani raahein rahengi
sada jawaan mere man me
besabab poochta hai koi to hum kya sunaaye?

laut ke na aaya
panchchi ek bhi bahar uda
tujhe bhi aazma legi zindagi fikr na kar matwaale

afsos nahi ke choota
bachpan ka aangan hamaara
gum is baat ka.. bachpan ki yaari ne bhi na pehchaana

Its official...

That I am quitting my current organisation in search of greener
pastures and a brighter future!

I will be moving to my home town of Pune around mid of this month.
And from there will move to the meadow as soon as I get a clearance.