Some habits wont die...

This is in response to Shen's post with the same topic which can be read here - Some habits wont die.
Each one of us will have many such habits, I believe. Let me start with my school days. When I switched from pencil to pen in my fourth standard, I had the habit of always carrying the pen in hand. Even while playing it used to be in my hand. This continued for more than 6 months, after which it stopped, and I do not remember how. In those days, I also had the habit of counting the number of items in my bag once in every period, so as to make sure that I didnt miss anything till that time.

In my high school, while going to school, I got into the habit of praying to all the Gods and temples - irrespective of the religion (even now I believe that all Gods are one and the same, and that they exhibit polymorphism :-)...) - on the road, just by turning towards that temple and having a quick prayer. Also in my high school days, I had the habit of having a quick prayer to God once in every one hour and this habit lasted for around 3 years and I do not remember how it dis-appeared.

Wiping any item(electronic & non-electronic) regularly and keeping them in show-room condition till its last day, is a habit that continues till this day. In the initial days of my career, I had a small piece of cloth in my bag, with which I used to wipe the monitor of the system and then start my work. Despite my serious attempts, these days, my little friends quickly push any item out of the show-room condition.

While I was in my eighth standard, one day on seeing me a bit dull, my dad asked me go around the place in cycle, to get refreshed. That started the habit what I call as "rounds" - going around the places without stopping and without any target or agenda. Now bike & car have replaced the cycle, but still the habit of "rounds" continues and it is more fun when my friend and little friends accompany.

While at college, during the first semester, I found that many in hostel were going to the nearby temple on the previous evening of the exam. I also went with one of my hostel mate, and thus got into the habit of going to temple before the exams.

At one point in my life, I got so depressed and started searching for the meaning of my life and the reason for my existence. I started roaming here and there. During that time, one day I went to Srirangam and visited the God Renganatha, where I felt complete calmness and peacefulness in my mind, which started the habit of visiting Srirangam whenever I get a chance. And everytime I get the same feeling and even now when I get depressed I think of him in mind and it goes away. Also when I saw him in the Trivandrum Padmanabhaswamy temple, I got the same feeling.

Recently my friend says that I use more of the Madras slang when I speak and that it doesnt look(or sound???) nice. I wantedly learnt that slang, and think more of it got into my vocabulary. And the same is the reason that I avoid talking in Tamil in office with colleagues and especially with my bosses.

I had the habit of using ink pens for my regular work too. Recently I moved to ball pens. Still thinking about switching back to ink pens. Let me see.

There are many more in the list, some of them known only to my friend, and some only to my close friends, and some only to me, which cannot be dis-closed here :-).

And thank you Shen for the open invitation.

Welcome 2013...

Wishing all my readers a very happy & prosperous new year... Hoping to write lots & lots from this year...
- Pavala.

No Comments.

 (1) The day which God created God (probably through Mitosis or Cytokinesis) 12.12.12

(2) Wishes to tomorrow's Tamil Nadu's throne (Only to the throne??? And not to the person?!?!?)...:-)...

  (3) 12.12.12 - A wonder born on a World’s wonderful day.

- Pavala.

Last Working Day @ iGATE...

On my last working day, I reached office at my usual time. Till the previous day I was a bit sad with senti, but on my last day I was fine. I felt feeling better after I had sent the Adieu mail to colleagues in iGATE. A couple of clearances were pending and I started working on those. But in-between got to know about a critical situation for a known person from a colleague. This colleague is based out of SIPCOT office. I tried to do something through my known contacts to revert the situation. Though I will be not in office to see the after effects of my efforts, it gave me satisfaction that atleast I did something from my end and I believe whatever happens will be for the good.

The clearances work converged and I got almost all of the clearances. My plan is to say a "Bye" to every known person in-person and start to home. Around 11:50 in the morning, my friend Aravind called for the morning break. While getting tea, he said "Last morning tea for you" just to create senti. I just smiled.

As usual when I was heading to the 9B cafeteria for lunch, I found my friends coming out of it and were heading towards Block-5 food court for lunch. I got shocked. I had a hidden agenda in 9B cafeteria. The hidden agenda was to prolong the lunch as long as possible if time and everything else favors. They started compelling me to come to Block-5 with them, which was un-imaginable. I told them that I will go in and take a look and come back. But after going in and taking a look :-)(pun intended), I couldn't come back. I called them over phone and asked(actually pleaded) them to come back to 9B cafeteria. I requested them to consider my request since its my last working day there. They got into a sort of senti and obliged. Luck favored me and got a good seat. I enjoyed having the lunch :-), and appended it with a mint juice, just to prolong it and started drinking it in very small sips. My friends lost their patience after sometime and literally pulled me out of the cafeteria. I left the cafeteria with a heavy heart.

After the lunch we all went to our usual place and took rest in the lawn. After that we all went to block-5 and had ice-cream in the "Milky Way". After that when I went back to my seat, I found that time has just flown away, and just 2 hours were left. I just went around the ODCs to bid "Bye Bye". But contrary to my plan, many were not in seats, due to tea break time, and some had already left for the day. I just bid my bye to whomever I met and in the meantime I got a call from Nanda asking me to come for the small fare-well party that they had arranged in 9B cafeteria. I told him that I will be there in a while.

When I went across the ODCs, my colleague Bala asked "Pavala, everyone is talking about your dance... Just put a small step for me..."
I managed by saying "Bala... I need music and the fancy light for dancing... Its tough for me to dance in a calm environment like this..." He just smiled and said "Ok".

I expected that in the last moment, someone might ask me to dance. Now that someone happened to be Bala. In-fact I was ready to dance or perform a small step, but that was a very formal environment and also feared a small crowd might gather. Still I was a bit sad that I dis-appointed Bala and promised him to share a clip with my dance steps. Nothing much happened in that ODC and I waited there till some left. After they left, I had no work there. Then I went to 9B cafeteria for the fare-well. There I found my friends waiting with a Gift. The leader, Aravind gave me the Gift, followed by a small speech (a mokkai one from me), then we went to 9A cafeteria for my last tea-break get togther with friends in office.

Then I submitted my ID and access card, and came to the main door. My friends also accompanied me up to the gate. In the main gate, I bid "Good Bye" to the main security there and shook hands with him.
He smiled and replied "You are Pavala... Govindarajan... no"
I said "Yes..." and started wondering how he knew my full name.
Then he continued "Dance aduneenga illa..." (You danced no...)
That explained it... :-)...

Bye Bye iGATE... I will be missing you...

- PAVALA.

The Last Day...

Yesterday was my last working day in my third company. While coming back from office, I remembered my last working day during my training days in Trivandrum. It brought back lot of memories. I joined TCS as a fresher and was put up for training in its Technopark branch, Trivandrum. The training was for about 2 and half months. In the first few days, I had a hard time adjusting to the new place, office environment, and the military discipline followed there. We were given accomodation in hotels in the city and we commuted by company arranged cabs to and from office.

On the second day afternoon, during lunch time, I thought of making a phone call. In those days only a very few had mobile phones, and I didn't have any. So, I have to go out to the phone booth and make calls. I asked the main gate security about the nearest phone booth. He told me where it is and also told me that if I go out, then after making the phone call, I can take my luggage and go to my native straight. In short he was telling that if I dared to go out, then I will not be permitted inside again forever. As a fresher I got scared and went inside and I never dared to go out again & I never spoke to that security again. It was a strict military rule there.

Later I got to know that most of the companies treat freshers more or less in the same way. They keep threatening the freshers, as freshers are the only people who can be threatened. And the situation will be worse if the freshers have a bond with the company. We were split into different batches. Most in our batch became close to each other. We had lots of fun.

The last day arrived. On that day we had to complete a lot of formalities like some documents submission, signing in some documents and similar activities. One particular girl in my batch was intentionally coming to me again and again and was asking lot of questions about me and my family. She kept on asking irrelevant questions till the end of the day.

Towards the evening a sort of senti-mood was spreading among my batchmates. Around 5:30 in the evening, I dont know who started it, but suddenly I could see three girls crying. Along with them 2 guys also started crying. Then slowly one by one, almost everyone in our batch started crying. But I didnt. I had no reason to cry. Infact I was eagerly waiting to return back to my native or to Chennai as soon as possible. I didnt want to see the crying faces. I didnt want to remember those faces with tears as my batchmates. So, I immediately returned to my room, took all my lugguages, and started walking towards the main road to get an auto for the bus-stand.

In the bus-stand another of my batchmate also joined with me and we had booked tickets in the same bus. After getting into the bus, he asked me.

"Pavala, do you know why (telling her name) was talking to  you again and again..."
"No."
"I told her that you have a crush on her..."
"But why...???"
"Just for fun..."

I never spoke with him again. Making casual comments about the looks of a person, and that too at that age, doesnt mean that I have a crush on that person. I never spoke to him all through that 12 hour journey. During that phase of my life, I was already into a critical commitment and was facing a lot of issues in my personal life. I never spoke to him till I got down from the bus and I never spoke to him till now in my life. But now I feel that I have been so immature to behave like that. If I ever meet him again, I wish to apologize for my behavior on that day.

- Pavala.