What kind of LOVE do you beLIeVE?

Love at first sight

People say that they love a person at first sight. Some people say it is the smile / physique / sharp features / style / height / color / voice / expressions in the face, etc that make their hearts flutter for a person. Some even say, “For an unknown reason my heart beats for that person from the very first sight. I feel, that person is born for me”
What makes a person love someone at the very first sight?
Is it the outer beauty, which will not last long?
Is it the sixth sense, which turns on only when you look at handsome guys and beautiful girls?

Love goes with friendship

I heard junta saying “Good friendship is a strong foundation for love” Some say that it is the trust and mutual respect that unites friends to love each other. I believe that if you engage yourself in frequent conversation with someone from your opposite sex, there is a high probability that you might fall in love with that person. I really wonder how long this trust and mutual respect takes the friends forward in the life once they tie a knot. I believe that all the problems begin after marriage, once they start living together.

What makes a person love a friend?
Is it the momentary caring and support that a friend shows?
Is it the temporary “feel comfortable” link that pulls a person into love?

Love after marriage

People, in this section, are strongly tied up with family customs, traditions and paternal love. Some people who are involved in break-ups or one-sided affairs and some, who are losing hectares on the scalp at a good pace or building assets in the form of huge tummies also fall in this category. In fact, that’s why some people call it a “Losers Heaven”. People have high expectations on their spouse before getting married. Post marriage, many of them get bogged down after witnessing the ground realities. Later they adjust themselves with the Hobson’s choice.

What makes a person love his/her spouse after marriage?
Is it because that he/she is left with no option?
Is it because that one has to be hypocritical to face the society?

What is your take on this?

:)
I am trying to be at my critical best.

Ice Breaker... All about me

Jet...

Jam...

JB....

Bujji...

Mentu..

Guruji...

SJB... All these names refer to me.

Do you want to know more about me?

Can you repeat all the names that I have just mentioned?

Mr. Toastmaster, members and guests, a very Good Evening!

When I was asked to give this ice breaker, I started penning my thoughts on the paper. I was clueless, not knowing where to start from. On thinking for a while, my thoughts reminded me of my birth in a small town called Tuni in Andhra Pradesh.

I was born in the family of Zamindars of Pithapuram. I did my schooling from Tabitha English Medium School along with my only younger sibling Sirisha. When it comes to studies, till 4th standard, I was always 1st in my class. (Come on clap.. applaud me..) I was always first in the class, not by the rank but by the attendance rolls. I attribute this record to my cute and sweet little girl friend dolly. In my fifth class, dolly’s father got transferred to some other location. Dolly left not only the school but also a big void in my little heart. Till that point of time, I don’t have a hobby. So, I cultivated an inclination towards watching movies, sleeping and forgetting.

For a change, I appeared for an examination conducted by Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya. After going to the examination center, I realized that I forgot to bring my hall ticket. I know that if I tell this to my Dad, he will definitely kick me out. I thought for a while and said “Dad! You have 20 minutes to get my hall ticket from our home. Lets see how quickly you can get it. Come on! Start! Quick” He stared at me angrily and said “You Idiotic fellow!” and rushed to my home and got my hall ticket. Somehow, I secured an admission to Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya.

In spite of being a home maker, my mother encouraged me a lot to work hard in studies. My hard earned efforts in +2 fetched me a berth in BITS Pilani. During that time, I had to make a decision of my life. Whether to catch a train to Pilani or to watch my favorite hero’s movie “Thammudu”, which was released on the same day. I went with the latter. After watching the movie, I went directly to the railway station. At the same time, the train also came on to the platform. I saw my father furiously staring at me on the platform. He said “What the f**k is this?” I said “Cool Dad! Let’s get in” After reaching Pilani, I realized that I forgot my admission letter to BITS. You can imagine how my Dad had reacted. He ran after me to kick me. I said “See Dad! All the girls from my batch are looking at us. Please don’t insult me. I’ll come out with something” Somehow, I could convince “my identity” to the authorities of BITS. I had a great time in my college and many funny things happened to me.

In my college, one day the Chemistry Professor entered the class and said “Dear Students, today we are going to have an interesting and interactive session”. But within five minutes, to his consternation, he found me sleeping in the very first bench. Professor got angry with me and asked me to get up and get lost from the class. The next class is scheduled on 14th of February i,e. the Valentine’s Day. As soon as the professor entered the class, everyone stood up and wished him “Good Morning”. But I stood up and wished him “Happy Valentine’s day Sir!”. Listening to this, the Professor jumped a feet backward and said “Hey man! Go and tell this to your girl friend. Why are you telling this to me? What would others think about us?”

No prizes for guessing what others would think

Later I was placed in Tata Consultancy Services, Hyderabad, where I worked for more than three years. Afterwards I joined Siemens IT Solutions and Services in Bangalore. Initially it pained me a lot for not getting married yet. But after looking at the troubles of my friends who got married, I deem myself to be lucky enough for not getting married yet. I am really fortunate enough to become a member of TCS Maitree Toastmasters Club in Hyderabad. In the last few years, life has taught me many lessons. In Toastmasters session, whenever I come on to this podium, I am bold enough to face audience. My association with Toastmasters for the last two years helped me to be bold enough to face life. I want to take this association forward by becoming a member of LA 1924 Toastmasters Club and this is the reason why I am here before you today.

I won "The Best Speaker" award for this speech.

My Photo on the front Page of The Times of India

Recently I represented Siemens in Banglore IT.Biz.... I chalked those details about IT.Biz and CEO Conclave in my previous blog. The CEO Conclave was a private affair in which the press was not allowed.. Somehow, my photo appeared on The Times of India (Bangalore) front page on 7th November. To check the same... go through the following steps..:)

Please follow these steps :

a) Copy and paste the link in your browser (The browser should be IE): 
http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Archive/skins/pastissues2/navigator.asp?login=default&AW=1226473486921

b) Select the following :

Publication : The Times of India Bangalore

Year : 2008

Month : November

Day : 7th

Go to front Page…

You can see one article on Front Page of The Times of India Bangalore about the IT.Biz. And you can even check the snap embedded in the article. Check the Snap below Sachin Tendulkar's snap:))

Yeah! It’s me!!!

Rebooting a Memorable Thread ------

My Boss called me and said “Jayanth! The presentation to Siemens Vertical Heads is postponed for a week. Meanwhile, you need to attend an open marketing event “Bangalore IT.Biz” and represent Siemens IT Solutions and Services. You have to explain the IT solutions we provide in the manufacturing sector. In this event, there is a good scope to get business. Can you take up this job?” Without sparing even a second to think I said “Yes. I can. I will attend IT.Biz”

I prepared slides about Product Lifecycle Manufacturing, Manufacturing Execution Systems, Supply Chain Management, etc. The next day morning, I reached the venue, Palace Grounds. I was surprised to look at the number of the security personnel present at the IT.Biz. I was shocked to see the names of the guests who are coming to inaugurate the event. The names were that of Chief Minister (Gujarat), Chief Minister (Karnataka), many ministers and MLAs. Later I came to know that this event is open to only a few delegates especially CEOs and MDs from small and big companies.

I met my colleagues at the Siemens stall. My colleagues are Sales Managers who represented Healthcare, Automotive, Aerospace and Communications. All the guests visited a few stalls before inauguration. Fortunately, I got a chance to shake my hands with Mr. Narendra Modi, Chief Minister of Gujarat. Afterwards many CEOs and MDs of small and big companies visited our stall. Some executives even expressed their interest in initiating business with Siemens in different areas. I collected the business cards of the executives and handed those to Siemens. After visiting the stalls of other software companies, I got a good picture of the different directions in which the current software products and services are going. Mr. Sanjeev Sinha, MD, Siemens, India had visited our stall and spent some time with us.

We had an extra invitation to CEO Conclave. I accompanied Mr. Sanjeev to the conclave when he invited me. CEO Conclave was a private meeting in which press reporters were not allowed. I met many CEOs and MDs from topnotch IT companies such as Oracle, Microsoft, AMD, Wipro, etc. We had a social get together. I was lucky enough to initiate a brief talk with many of them. Later Economic Times editor invited a panel of ten CEOs and moderated a discussion. The topic was “What is the impact of recession on India and how to tackle the melt down?” The discussion was very interesting with the facts and figures. Finally, they concluded “The impact of the melt down is severe and we have to seek opportunities and invest cautiously” After the discussion, all of us had a sumptuous dinner. Even during the dinner, I got a chance to interact with few more executives and directors.

I deem this to be an unforgettable experience and a very good professional exposure.

Check out the snaps in the following link.

http://picasaweb.google.co.in/jet706/BangaloreITBiz2008#

To Nandi Hills - In search of Sunrise

I thank my friend Ramana for relieving me from the pain of posting a blog on Nandi Hills trip. Please go through the blog to find how the trip went.

http://kvramanas.blogspot.com/2008/11/date-with-hills.html

Check the snaps of Nandi Hills trip

http://picasaweb.google.co.in/jet706/NandiHillsTrip#

It cannot be explained, You have to experience it!

“Useless fellow”
I am so accustomed to these words that even while going on the road, if I hear these words, I turn my head and look around to check whether someone is calling me.

Listening to these words, I responded “Yes Dad! What happened to you?”
Dad shouted at me “Nothing happened to me. Useless fellow, you are good for nothing. You kept your stinking undergarment on my brand new shirt”
With a composed demeanor, I said “Cool Dad! Cool. Why do you unnecessarily raise your BP? Look at me. How cool am I?”
Looking at my gestures, Dad said “What? Cooool? If you pose yourself to be cool again, I’ll get you married”
These few words hit my ears like a torpedo. I jumped out of the chair saying “Marriage! NOOOO!”

My Dad approached me and took my hand in his hand. He asked me what my problem is.
I said “The actual problem is that I don’t understand when I should get married”
Dad said “Fool! It’s simple. When every girl around you looks hot, it's time you get married”
I said “In that case, I should have got married in my sixth class itself”
Dad said “So, you deem it’s high time you should get married”
I said “No Dad, I need some more time. I want to enjoy my life for a few more days”
Dad said “My dear Useless fellow! You will definitely enjoy the first few days of your married life”
I asked “After that, what happens?”
He said “It cannot be explained, you have to experience it”

Listening to this conversation, my Mom rushed towards me and said “Bujji, If you get married, you feel very comfortable as if you ride an ‘S’ class Benz car”
In no time, my father retorted saying “Yes, with a meager mileage and a hefty maintenance. It won’t take you much time to learn about the failure in the suspension system, augmentation of noise pollution and application of breaks almost all the time, even without your knowledge. You feel as if you are pushing (not riding!) a broken ambassador”

My Mom said “I got married on Wednesday. So, don’t get married on Wednesday. It’s an inauspicious day to get married”
Dad retorted “Why is ‘Wednesday’, an exception?”
Mom said “Don’t believe Dad’s words. Look at this photo of a beautiful girl whom I searched for you. She graduated from a reputed college”
I shouted “Gosh! 34-40-34! What’s her shape?”
Mom said “Round is also a shape, right!”
I yelled “Her teeth come out. Moreover, she looks visually impaired and aged”
Mom said “While speaking and laughing, she can use a hand kerchief to hide her teeth. You are always there to look after her, so why do you bother about her eyesight and age”
I cried “She looks dwarf!”
Mom said “Shut up! Five feet does not make her dwarf”
Watching this conversation, my Dad couldn’t stop laughing. He said “Relax! Mom is playing a practical joke on you. The lady in that photo is your grandmother’s cousin”.
Staring at my parents, I murmured “Thank God! You saved me!”

Quest(ion) Urself?

a) How many trees are there in your street?

Responses:

First Person : Sorry, I can tell you about the apartments. But, t..r..e..e..s… No way !

Second Person : Trees! No chance… I live in the center of the city.

Third Person : I never find much time to count.

b) What is the amount that US Government has decided to pump into the market to rescue US economy?

Responses:

First Person : Around 700 billion dollars.

Second Person : Yes, A lump sum rescue package. 700 billion dollars

Third Person : Exactly 700 billion dollars Can you see yourself in the shoes of any of the three persons above?

Are we so busy that we don’t find time to notice petty things?

What kinds of things interest us?

Is our job, the most precious thing in our life?

Is our thinking aligned with the amount of money, in the object we see?

Does the neighborhood matter to us anymore?

Are we narrow-minded?

Have we become selfish?

Are we letting our morals down?

Is your answer “Yes”, to any of the questions above?

Have you ever planted a tree in your locality or at your home?

Have you ever visited an old age home?

Do you remember the time when you donated food to the needy?

Did you ever teach a lesson to any child in classroom?

Do you care about the little kids deprived of education?

Do you respect every person around you without discrimination?

Is your answer “No”, to any of the above questions?

Do you want to do some of the good things mentioned above?

Are you not getting enough time to do those good things?

Are you not getting the opportunity to help others?

What stops you from doing those good things?

What stops you from helping others?

Don’t you think that only a coward takes excuses?

Dear Friends,

A coward dies thousand deaths, but a brave person dies only once. You need not prove that you are a brave person, but confirm your identity as a human.

PS: Don't consider this a lecture. Consider this a stressful session. Help others. Rediscover your soul.

My Funny School Days

School days are really funny, isn’t it? Silly fights on petty things, jumping high and breaking bones, tripping friends and teasing girls, bluffing Sir(s) and bunking tests. A few of these memories are still afresh, somewhere in my brain. Whenever I recollect my school days, one such memory rubs my lips in no time, whichever may be the situation I am in.

In my school, the classes start after the morning prayer. One day, after the prayer, the principal asked six students to kneel and take an oath before everyone. The students took an oath saying "We feel ashamed of ourselves, for what we have done. We will never repeat this mistake. Please forgive us". After going to class, I enquired my friends about the episode that took place during the prayer. I came to know that those six students jumped off the fence and went to a second show movie. In my school, jumping off the fence was strictly prohibited. Jumping off the fence, at night, was tantamount to a heinous crime. On their way back to school, our hawk eyed watchman, Satyanandam, caught them. In his two year tenure, our watchman had an unbreakable record of chasing and catching students, whoever broke the rules. The whole day, every student in the school had discussed the episode that happened in the prayer and laughed at those six students. I thought, how shameful would it be for those six students.

A week passed by. One night my wingies (hostel wing mates) asked me whether I would join them for a movie, "Premadesam". I heard that the movie was a big hit, but the last week episode in the prayer still haunted me. So, I wished them all the best and went to bed. The next morning, my friends woke me up and asked me "What happened? What happened to you?” I was confused and thought that they were not in the pink of health. Other students of my class rushed towards me and congratulated me saying “You are brave enough to face him” Unable to understand what others were saying, I sat on my bed and gave a deep thought. It took me a few minutes, to recollect the significant incident that happened in the last ten hours. In a flash back, the circles started rotating and stopped somewhere in between. I saw a familiar face on the picture. Yes, it was me.

After wishing my friends all the best for the movie, I went to bed. An 'unknown force' instigated me, to spare a thought to join my friends. The idea of jumping off the fence excited me. Finally, the temptation to watch the movie eclipsed my determination to keep mum. At once, I ran out and jumped off the fence. I met my friends at the theatre and enjoyed the movie. It was midnight 1 O clock. While returning to hostel, five of us were jumping on the street, singing the hit songs of the movie, ‘Mustaffa! Mustaffa! “Don’t worry” Mustaffa…’ Suddenly, all of us stopped at a crossroads. The hawk eyed Satyanandam was watching us, like a cat waiting for the rats to come out of the hole. Now there was “much to worry”. Gopi said "Sucks! We are gone". Narayan said "Lets think! What should we tell our Principal?" Trinadh said "Guys! Imagine ourselves standing before all the students in the assembly, begging pardon". As Satyanamdam approached us, except me, everyone ran in different directions towards the bushes around. I strolled down the road, pretending that I haven’t noticed the watchman.

Satyanandam came from behind and caught my hand. At once, I shrugged off and winked at him. I changed my slang intentionally and said "Who are you? How dare you touch me?" He said "You are a Navodaya student, right! Tell me your name and also the names of the other guys with you". He focused the torch at my face. I dodged and grabbed the torch light. I yelled at him with a local slang, “My name is SubbaRao. I don't know the guys, whom you were talking about". He asked me why I was on the street at 1 O clock in the midnight. I shouted at him “It’s none of your business. Even my parents won’t question me!” I held his hand tightly and said "Come on! Come to my home. You insulted me. You will pay for it. I will not leave you today." I shouted some names “Appala Konda, Naganna, blah blah blah” whatever name came to my mouth at that time. Quiet shocked at this unexpected situation, the watchman asked me to pardon him. He said that he had mistaken me for a Navodaya student and begged me his torch. My idea of intensifying the situation and scaring him worked out. My friends were hiding in the bushes nearby and were trying to understand the conversation. After looking at the gestures, they were completely perplexed and failed to read the situation at my end. Satyanandam left me and started walking skeptically, towards the bushes nearby. All of a sudden, my friends left the bushes and started running madly towards an unknown destination. Our vigilant watchman, Satyanandam, noticed this and chased them. Meanwhile, I went to the hostel and slept. But through out the night, the watchman chased my friends, in vain. Finally, after spending a sleepless night, my friends finished the marathon and reached the hostel at 5 a.m.

As soon as they reached the hostel, out of curiosity, they woke me up and asked me about the conversation with the watchman. Now, I came to reality from the flashback and I explained them, the whole scenario. They were shell shocked at the way I reacted. My friends were happy to know that I have not given their names to the watchman. Even today, our Satyanandam says “In my twelve years of experience, only once did I fail in catching a group. It is because of a stranger, who came in between me and the group” Whenever this incident crops up in my mind, I smile and say to myself “Jayanth! You are a good actor”

This is a real incident...

Savandurga Trek

Trekking was never my passion. But unconsciously, I have always been doing it through out my life. Everyday, I trek a hill of troubles and a mountain of tensions. But this kind of trekking mounts stress and builds BP that ultimately deteriorates my health. So, I never like trekking 'life' but when it comes to trekking a 'hill' in literal sense, I love it a lot.

    People say trekking takes out flab, busts the stress, triggers blood circulation and above all provides fun. But I say it exhausts, bruises and tans us. I had this notion till I went to trek Black and White hills (Savandurga). For an year or two, I had a lean patch either it be on personal front or on professional front. Some decisions related to my profession let me down and some disorders made my health worse rubbing salt into the wound. It took me almost an year to come out of this. I am back, healthy and hairy, but felt that I miss something that I could not explain in my own words.

    One weekend we planned a trip to Black and White hills (Savandurga). Savandurga is situated at a distance of around 60 kilometers to the west of Bangalore. We started at 8am and reached there by 9.30am through the NICE road. Savandurga is the largest monolith in Asia. Looking at the monolith, the feeling that I had to trek it scared me. The journey through the dense vegetation, where I could not see the person going in front of me, made me shout with a muted pitch. While taking the steep curves, all of a sudden, I felt as if I am taking the last few steps of my life. Even though I was with five guys, the steep curves in the vegetation sent an eerie feeling, which beat my adrenaline rush in a race to reach my brain. I was not even a quarter way through, but the suffocation sent the signals to my mind that I need a break. Even my nostrils reddened moving in and out as if waving a red flag to a train and corroborated the signals sent by my mind. On top of this, sweating made me wet, but dehydration and the thought of failing to trek the hill made my skin dry. My body demanded some fluids and food in return to continue the journey. I managed myself with the fluids and food that I carried along me.

    When I was half way through ,almost everyone was exhausted and stopped trekking. All of us felt thirsty but we are short of water. I accelerated my breathe and felt as if the desert waves blew through my nose. All of us forgot that we had a brain with us, to decide whether to move further or to end the trek there itself. At once, I heard a voice from the top, a few feet ahead of us. Our eyes sparkled after looking at the vendor with water bottles. Suddenly, I started running, as if an ass kicked in my butt, towards the vendor. After quenching my thirst, I left no stone unturned to reach the peak by crossing the caves, boulders and seven feet troughs. Sheer determination and focus towards the goal led me further. Yes, I was on top of the black and white hills. I could not believe myself and asked my friend to pinch me. My shout reverberated for a while after being at the receiving end. The shout is on par with the cry of a victorious soldier after winning a territory. A glance at the surroundings, from the top of the hill, made me feel that I conquered the land I saw. After trekking black and white hills, I found out what let me down for the last few days. Yes, it was a ten letter word CONFIDENCE.

Trekking not only offers us some tangible benefits but also imbibes some 'inconspicuous forces' such as confidence and stamina in us. I don't say that you get the confidence to win the world and stamina to build a six pack. But trekking improves your personality as a whole both physically and mentally.

http://picasaweb.google.co.in/jet706/SavandurgaTrekking

Forgetfulness

Forgetfulness brings a repository of sweet memories, which we cherish for a lifetime. This is what I feel about forgetfulness whenever my parents, siblings and friends nag at me about being forgetful. Moreover I counter them saying that forgetfulness comes by birth and is an art that cannot be emulated.

    My mom asks me to buy 1 kg tea powder packet. I go to the shop, which is at the end of my street and return with 2 kg coffee powder packet. She shouts at me to get tea powder. Again I go back to the shop and out of forgetfulness I return with a 0.5 kg coffee powder packet. She yells at me and gives a 'small paper' in which it is written "1 kg tea powder packet". This time I want to prove my mom that my memory is good at mugging not only the chemistry equations but also the groceries list. By the time I go to shop, I get confused thinking coffee powder of which brand? To make things worse, I lose the 'small paper'. Being helpless, my Mom gives a smile and goes to the shop.

    Many sweet memories belie incidents that come out of forgetfulness. May it be going to examination hall without a hall-ticket, going to BITS Pilani without an admission letter, going to openbook test without a sinlge book, going to Prasad's theatre with a PVR cinema ticket. Not to make it sour, I wish to go to honeymoon without forgetting my wife:)