My Vacation to Mackinac Island

Hi Friends,

Here is the video of my latest trip to Mackinac Island.

Though I am now a days more active on my wordpress blog, I couldn't upload my videos in wordpress that made me to use this space after a while :)

Watch the video and shoot your comments :)

PS: ooof!!! You need looot fo patience to upload the video than to create it :)

with Love

Sri :)

Do we (IT Persons) care for us ?

I have heard and read people saying “IT persons doesn’t give proper care for themselves” … Is this statement really true?

With multiple juice counters, GYM, Yoga classes, office bus pickup and drop etc etc, we are quite sophisticated than others still why this statement is roaming around outside environment about IT people?

I am basically a girl who doesn’t go to doctor quite often……. Unless there is some emergency I won’t go to doctor… For a present sample, my skin is a too sensitive skin… I am getting heat boils and rashes on my face due to this over cold…..Though my flat mate and other friends remind me often… I didn’t go to meet a skin specialist till to date….coz that is not in Sri’s priority list in her mind….

One more instance, I met with a road accident during Jan 2008… Fortunately I didn’t have any fracture; still, I had a terrible hit on my left leg….. It took long time for the wound to heel. (However I should accept that I overstrained those days , I didn’t take care of me properly.) Since there was no fracture I didn’t even go for an x-ray. I just applied some ointments for few days and nothing else. Practically, there is no big issue on my leg after that….In fact I even went for trekking during later part of 2008 with my (lS-TCG) team…..

Still, after that accident I can feel my legs getting tired soon…If I walk for more than half an hour…I can feel pains on my toes. I am not able to sit on the floor for a longer time….. When I work a lot and get tired, first pain will be on my legs… In the few tamil words that my flat mate knows, one is ‘Kaal Valikkaradu’ as I tell this whenever I feel tired. However I still strongly doubt whether these pains can be proved medically… Don’t know how to express in English, in tamil we use to say, “seekiram Kaal maratthuporadu”. I have not done any special care for my pain till to date….

So, no wonder why I don’t give importance for my simple heat boils…. Last week, at last, I decided to meet a dermatologist. When I thought to get an appointment with a dermatologist, I called my colleague who is in this city for the past 15 months and asked him how to get an appointment and how to approach doctor. He replied, as he has never gone to doctor at all in US till to date…. With surprise I asked whether he has never fallen sick in past 15 months, he replied as he did but the Metacin, Crocin, & Brufin strips that he got from India still helps him and he has never gone to see a doctor till to date.

(So there is one more person like Sri ……he he.. )

But I have a doubt, is this mentality Sri’s individual personality or something related to our Industry?

Read the first two lines of the post again….What is your opinion and by the way where do you fall in these two categories??

With Love
Sri :)

Source: Taken from my corporate Blog.

Sendoff to a friend - post from my diary

When we are away from our family, friends become our family members and that statement is especially true when you are at Onsite. I stay in an apartment with my friend Kavitha. Next to our apartment, Sharad, Neel and Sethu lives in an apartment The client for whom I am working, Cognizant is not the only supplier. IBM, Infosys, Synergy, Cognizant all of us joins hands and works together. Sethu and myself from Cognizant, Kavitha, newly joined to Cognizant, Neel from Synergy and Sharad from Infosys. . One thing that unites all of us is we all are Indians. We all work for same client. Thus we all go to office and come from office together. (Also, no other go as there is only one car for commute). Mostly evening tea and night dinner also we all use to have together. Going to Wallmart, Indian grocery stores, temple everything use to be together which makes our friendship thick by default.

There are lots of associates like me working here and thus you can see one or other person moving out of project, moving to another state for new project, moving out of country happening quite often. This time, after two years of US life, sharad’s project has come to an end and he went back India by last Saturday. Until Friday evening he was busy with his project. He did all his chocolates and other last minute shopping on Friday, Closed his accounts on Saturday morning, broke his apartment lease on Saturday morning. Had to go out for send off party with his project mates. Had to go for dinner, breakfast at his friends home who have been calling them from the day he landed US. Those two days were definitely too much of traffic jam in his life.

Friday night by 10.30 pm myself and shared started to clean his room and do his packing and we completed it by 1.30 am Saturday morning. Sharad’s flight was by 7.30 PM so he had plans to start from home by 3.30 pm to airport. I already had planned to take my license written exam and driving refreshment class on Saturday. Since I have postponed already for a long time I did not want to skip that Saturday also as otherwise I have to wait for seven more days to take the exam. Taking exam on a weekday with the project work is time consuming which I cannot afford. Saturday morning, I just slept for 5 hours got up, got ready and took my written exam. I had already booked for my driving refreshment class with a driving school for Saturday 11.30 am to 3.30 pm. Without knowing the packing will take this much of time, previous day itself I did all these plans.

Sharad did not want any of us to accompany him for airport, as he felt both him and also us, will feel sad when he moves leaving us. However, once I came back from driving class, seeing him getting ready to leave, I felt to accompany him till airport.

Sharad, Its okay, we will also come with you till airport.

No, see your face and eyes, already its too reddish and sad. You may cry if you see me leaving.

Stupid. It was such a tiresome day, yesterday, both at office hours and after office. I just slept for 5 hours and I have been running from the morning. How else will face look. I am tired that’s all. I am sad but don’t worry I will not cry. I assure you.

After convincing Sharad, Kavitha, Neel, Sethu, myself and sharad started to airport.

When we reached airport, it was slightly drizzling and too much of cold. Sharad told us as his checking is at Terminal 5. So we parked our car near to terminal 5 entrance and went inside Terminal 5. His flight was ‘American Airlines’’. Inside we couldn’t see any International check in booth at all for American Airlines. When he enquired the customer service, we came to know that it is actually ‘Terminal 3’. He checked his e-ticket and confirmed that he has overseen it and it’s actually written correct in the e-ticket.

Since it was already bad weather, we thought to take the internal trains that commute between the terminals instead of going out and taking the car. Though there was more than enough time for his flight, we were bit nervous at that moment. Anything that we do with nervous will be a mess and it was here also… We proceeded to the station and that moment one train came. Sharad, I and Kavi entered into the train. Before Neel and Sethu could enter the train started to move. After the train moved for few minutes only we realized that we have entered in to the wrong side of train. The train is not going to Terminal 3 but to Remote car parking. We called and informed Neel and sethu to take the other side of train. We got down at the ‘Remote car parking’ station and waited for the next train that goes to Terminal 3.

I was kidding Sharad about his terminal confusions and we were waiting in the station. Suddenly I realized kavi was not near me who was actually standing next to me. We both then noticed kavi, few steps ahead of us, holding a pillar and crying alone. Then sharad consoled her, the train came and we proceeded in to the station. Basically being an emotional girl, every one thought, I may cry but no one expected Kavi would cry. When we reached Terminal 3, Neel and Sethu had already reached there. Sharad finished his baggage checking and came out, we went to Starbucks, had coffee, took sendoff photographs basically had a good time.

Since we were all together just because of work and we are all from different states of India, we knew henceforth our conversations is mostly on mail, chat, Orkut etc…. and personal contact is going to be less, no clue when we will meet again or whether we will meet again also. We all felt sad because of that real fact.

Finally Sharad went inside for security check and we started back to our home. From airport to train station and from there to car park and then while returning home … for a long time there was an unusual silence between all of us. Once we reached home, I started to prepare tea and my mind couldn’t stop think this ‘Indecent Fellow’ (that’s how we address Sharad for fun) always demands for very hot tea and he is not here now. Kavi just said that time, Sri, this kamina guy is not here for tea from now right…. :) Yesterday, evening again while preparing tea, I cleaned 5 mugs for all of us and Kavi noticed that and said , Sri we are only 4 here… Sharad is not here, why 5mugs? Ooh! I gave a smile :)…..

That’s the power of the magical word ‘Friendship’

With Love
Sri :)

On that day night - Story

The dog's barking sound made sindhu to get up or rather rush up from her deep sound sleep. For a moment, sindhu couldn't understand what is happening… It took a while for her to realize that there is a dog barking outside… She raised her window curtains and saw outside. Since her room was road facing, she could see a street dog facing her house gate and barking continuously from the road. It was raining heavily outside and the dog's barking sound came defeating the rain sound. Sindhu switched on the veranda lights and looked outside…. She raised her head and watched the road side…. She could only see the empty road….
Hey shut up shutup….. SSH! SSH!! - Sindhu ordered…
"Do dogs really have only 5 senses! Then how it ran away when I shouted? Is it because of my order or because of sudden light it ran away? Sindhu's mind was having a talk to herself. A sudden thunder sound made Sindhu to come out of her thought.

"Oh! Ho! What am I doing? Is this very important to think at this midnight? I have college tomorrow. I should sleep now"
Sindhu scolded herself…..took her mobile to check time. It was around 11.45 pm. Though she tried to control her mind, again the mind started to think the same.

"That is a street dog that lives here for years together and it has never shouted like this at night. Then why today alone that too in this rain, why it barked facing my house? Does it saw something fishy?. No! No! All these stupid thoughts because I saw ‘Saroja' film and went to bed at night. Let me sleep without thinking anything."

Sindhu switched off her lights and went to bed. Again her mind started to speak

"Will the dog suddenly bark facing my house if there is nothing?"

"Is it like some thief has smelled that mom and dad have gone out of station?"

"What if some one knowing that I am alone at house, tries to enter and misbehave with me?"

Sindhu jumped from her bed and switched on the lights and it was an exact coincidence that her eyes noticed a shake on the glass door of her room window and as soon as she switched on the light, she could hear the sound of some one running to the back of her house.

Sindhu could feel that she is taking deep breath. She slowly waked and went near the window but within that time that some one has moved out of that place. Now she knows why the dog barked. Her mind was now confirmed that some one has entered in to her compound.

"Any how the person is outside the house. I remember locking the doors properly before coming to bed. He cannot enter inside. I don't need to worry. Let me sleep. May be let the lights be on this whole night."

She consoled her self and took the water jug and filled water in the glass. When
she was about to drink the water she could hear some sound outside her room.
The sound was very clear. It came near to her room.

"OMG! Sound is coming from the hall… It means someone has entered in to my house".

"The hall window is open. So someone could have used some long stick to open the main door using hall window? Before she could think further, there was a sudden power cut.

"Oh! god. Is this a normal power cut or someone has switched off the main power switch?" Sindhu's face was drenched in sweating by this time….
In the deep darkness she somehow managed to reach the room corner where the table is located. She started to move around her hands and identified where the draw is. She opened the draw and located a torch light. She re-collected all her bravery thoughts and decided to go out to see what is there….
She silently opened the door and went outside. The hall was dark and silent. The calendar was creating a ‘creech' sound by moving left to right and right to left on the wall it was hanged, due to heavy wind. There was no other sound other the calendar moving sound.

She moved her torch first to the main door. The door was properly locked inside.

She moved the torchlight to every corner of hall. There was no one. She faced the torch to the main switch board. The main switch was in on position. She was bit relaxed. "Okay, it's a normal powercut" she again took a deep breath.
She understood the calendar sound is also due to the wind that came from that open window. She went to close that window and something struck her legs. She took the torch down and she could see the steel flower pot rolling on the floor. She realized the reason for the sound that she heard sometime back.

"Ouch! What is this? I am getting nervous without any reason". It must be some cat or dog running behind and I have misunderstood it and I got scared. Let me go and continue my sleep now" - She scolded her inner mind and proceeded back to her room.

She tried to open her room and she couldn't. She again tried and NO…… She understood that it is locked inside but she couldn't understand how it got locked. She could hear some noise coming from her room. She could her some talking sounds. She realized that it is not one person inside her room but more than one person".

OMG! Sindhu was completely in to fearful surprise…
She shouted loud …

"Who is it? Who is inside my room, Come out! "Sindhu shouted.

The noises stopped. There was pin drop silence.

She took the steel flower pot in hand as a weapon.

With some blind guts, she shouted, "Come out! Otherwise I will call the police."

"Open the door. I say Open the door!" Sindhu was just screaming….

The door got opened suddenly and the scene she saw there….

Sindhu is speechless…. Her eyes were totally freezed…..

She didn't expect this at all…

She could see a group of people …

shouting……

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY SINDHU”

With a cake in the centre of her room….

Please highlight the previous line to see what it is

Value of Money vs. Job Satisfaction - My ongoing Journey in Career life

In Bhagavatgita there is a popular saying ‘ Kadamayai sey palanai yedirpaarkkaadhe’ - meaning , do your duty don’t expect rewards I have also used this phrase for fun many times. I still remember those fun days. After returning from the exam hall, whenever the exam is tough, I will return home and reply to my mom as Gita says ‘Kadamayai sey palanai yedirpaarkkaade’. “I have written the exam, my duty is over. Do not expect marks and results.” That was purely fun filled days…

Often, we mis-interrupt this meaning. It is not like do your duty and do not expect any result. Do your duty and the result will come automatically. I thought I can write a post about this with again my self experiences. After finishing my B.Sc Computer science I wanted to study M.C.A but due to my family financial situation I know I cannot. My father got retired when I was in the final year of degree. Being a third daughter in my family, with my father’s single earnings, making all of us graduates itself is a very big achievement. I also did a computer course in ‘APTECH’ along with my degree. So, I decided to work and study in Correspondence using my salary.

When my college got over, that was the year when twin tower incident happened. During my 2nd year of college, ‘Hindu Opportunities’ was 19 pages with 80% IT jobs and when I came out of college, it was totally only 4 pages with IT jobs mostly for experienced/rare opportunities. It was the time when IT market was dull.
Those days as many BE fresher’s itself were suffering a lot to get placement, getting a job with B.Sc computer science fresher was practically a tough job. I did my B.SC final year project by working in a 5 ppl software company as freelance programmer. The company offered me a job to join once my degree gets over. The salary fixed was Rs 1500 + 300 for transport charges.
I had to take the job as I have no other choice. Though a 5 ppl small company, I knew for a fresher, I can learn a lot and I will gain good experience by working in a smaller company. I was one way happy that at least I have a job as many of my friends were searching for job without any clue. However, the salary was really disturbing me. I was not sure whether I would get any other good offer. I did not want to lose the one in hand also.

I spoke to my dad that night. My job description was quite satisfactory but my salary was just 1800/-. My house maiden’s daughter, with 5th std as qualification was earning more than the salary that was fixed for me. I knew it’s an idiotic comparison, but those days, with the level of maturity my mind had it could compare only in that way. I told my day, appa, generally people say, ‘yen ponnu kai neraya sambaadikkaraa apdinu, chillarayaa maatinaa kooda yen salary kai neraya varaadeppaa’ ( My daughter earns handfsull but even if you convert my salary to coins, it will not come hands full ) ….

Then my dad asked, “So what you want to do? Are you going to wait for any other good offer? “
No pa. I am going to accept this offer. I have no other choice.
My dad that time said, ‘ Kadamayai sey palanai yedirpaarkkaade’. Do your job well. Work smart. money will automatically come to you. I joined in the middle of a month. Second month itself, when I got my first full salary, I got it as 2300 and from there to the place I am today, it was a very gradual improvement.

As a matter of fact, I badly wanted a job to save money for my MCA fees. Even if they had said only Rs.500 as salary, I would have accepted as my only intention was to work in IT and to study MCA in parallel. In fact, my first earnings was Rs.50. In my first job, we were doing a software product for a small scale company using VB and MS-Access. Just three days after I joined, that company wanted some data to be typed in computer and printed . They called my manager asking for any data entry company that is ready to do a one time data entry of just less than 5 pages. My manager replied to them as he will check and get back to them.
My office timings was over that day and I went to my manager’s cabin to inform him before I leave.

That time he asked me

Sri, you recently submitted your project report for college right. That Internet centre where you got your project report printed, Will they do this ?

Yeah, they may but, it is in East Tambaram near to my college. ( My office was at Royapettah)

Oh! No. They want that to be typed immediately.

I replied, If less than 5 pages, it will take only 15-20 min for me. I can do it right?

With a surprise he asked, will you? You being a programmer, are you ready to do a data entry job?

I replied, why not? I am not going to be a full type data entry operator right. I am still a programmer. Since my office time is over, I have no issues. I can do it.

He immediately called them and informed. An office boy came and gave the papers to be typed.

I completed. I was given Rs.50 for that work which was my first earnings in life.

When I look back today after 8 years, sometimes, my monetary terms was good but job satisfaction was less, sometimes job satisfaction was very good but monetary satisfaction was less…. however I see a gradual improvement on both aspects of my career life. I see my career road as a long long road…… I have only passed half way in this big road…….following the path created by my role models in Cognizant and my experience continues ………..

- Sri :)

Are you depressed by this economic crisis?

Are you feeling depressed because of No promotion in this cycle, no increment, very bad visa rejection rates or facing any other tough situations in your life…. Are you feeling why me alone should suffer when all others like me are given a happy situation to enjoy life ?? Then my dear friend, this post is dedicated exclusively to you.
This is a story that I read sometime back when I was kind of bit depressed those days and this story that time motivated me a lot to fight against the tough situations and I use to think this story to recharge my mood whenever I see my battery is down.
Once there was a small kid on earth. One fine day it came to know that god is distributing apples to humans in his place at heaven. The kid was so happy to receive that news and it went with lot of enjoyment to heaven to get the apple from god. There was a big queue standing to get apple from god and this kid also joined in that queue. While it was standing, it was fully excited and thrilled for the fact that it is going to receive in person from god's hands. It's turn too came and the kid showed its both the hands to receive apple. God gave the apple but unfortunately the tiny hands couldn't hold that big apple. Apple fell down and got wasted in mud. The kid got so disappointed. The ministers near the god informed that if the kid likes to have an apple from god again then it has to again follow the queue. Having waited for so long the kid didn't want to return back to earth with empty hands so it decided to wait again in the queue.
This time the queue has become even more longer than the previous one. While waiting in queue, the kid could see lot of people who returns back with apple in hands and utmost satisfaction on their faces. The kid was so much disappointed and thought why me alone didn't get the apple in hand when all others were easily able to get it. What is the sin I did that I alone should suffer like this. Now the kid was so scared that it should not miss the apple again. Again Its turn came and god gave the apple to the kid's hands and after giving the apple god spoke to the kid.
"My dear child, last time after giving you the apple only I noticed the apple I gave to you was a rotten apple and that's why I made that to fell down from your hands. Having given you a rotten apple, I felt bad for you and I wanted to give you the best apple in the farm and that time the best apple in the farm was growing and that's why I made you to wait such a long time in the queue. Here it i. Now the apple that you have in hand is 'The Best' apple in the farm till to date. Enjoy."
So, friends, sometimes it happens as even after we put our 100% dedication and commitment things may get delayed or things may go wrong. Believe that god has something great for us and that's why this has happened. As I always say, 'Gratitude is absolutely the best way to bring more in one's life'.
Believe this and see the world….. Your world will also look green……
- Sri
PS: I read this story somewhere but I am not sure whether it is in ch1blog or from Internet. If from our blog, sorry to the orginal blogger but if it changes the attitude of at least one reader my motive of this post is done.

-- From my corporate blog site.

Secret of Happy Married Life

Secret of a happy married life by a man
Once X asked Y, "What is the secret behind your happy married life?"
Y said, "You should share responsibilities with due love and respect to each other. Then absolutely there will be no problems."
X asked, "Can you explain?"
Y said, "In my house, I take decisions on bigger issues where as my wife decides on smaller issues. We do not interfere in each other's decisions."
Still not convinced, X asked Y "Give me some examples"
Y said, "Smaller issues like which car we should buy, how much amount to save, when to visit home town, which Sofa, air conditioner, refrigerator to buy, monthly expenses, whether to keep a maid or not etc are decided by my wife. I just agree to it"
X asked, "Then what is your role?"
Y said, "My decisions are only for very big issues. Like whether America should attack Iraq, whether Britain should lift sanction over Zimbabwe, whether to widen African economy, whether Sachin Tendulkar should retire etc. Do you know one thing, my wife NEVER objects to any of these".

Story on Life Changes

Once a student approached Swami Sugabogannanda…. He was disappointed in life… His ambition was to become a good doctor… He studied very well and used to be a top scorer in exams… But his 12th standard mark and entrance exam mark was not so good…… He was afraid he will not be able to enter into medical field….
From the child hood his ambition and expectations in life is to become a doctor…… He gave efforts….. for the same.. He concentrated and studied very well….. He in fact wanted to do medical service to poor people … and to help the people who are in need…..
So ….His ambition was correct, his approach was right… his thoughts were good still he couldn’t succeed ….. He approached Swami Sugabogannanda…. and asked him why this should happen in his life…
He was so dejected that he thought to commit suicide because of this failure… in life…..
That time, Swami Sugabogannanda told him this story:
It is a thick forest. There were three trees adjacent to each other. One day they were talking to each other about their ambition in life.
The first tree said I want to become a jewel box where gold, diamonds and other precious jewels are stored….
The second tree said I want to become a big ship where only the authoritative King can travel….
The third tree said I don’t want to do service for humans…. I want to grow more and higher and one day I should touch the sky and by that way touch the god…..
That time wood cutter came to cut the three trees….
He saw the first tree and thought that being a big and strong tree he will get more money if he sells that to make a big jewel box…
The second tree was straight without any curves in its stem… So the wood cutter thought he can sell that tree to make a big ship…
Both the trees were very happy that there desire and ambition is going to occur… The third tree, as soon as it was cut, was much disappointed as it wanted to grow more and more……
After some days, the wood cutter changed his mind and tree that wanted to become jewel box was used just to keep cow’s food…. in a diary farm… The box was placed in between the stinking smell of stool and urine of cows… The tree was so much disappointed as its dream is destroyed….
Next the tree that wanted to be a big ship just became a very small boat which was used to carry ordinary people to cross two banks of river everyday…. Thus second tree was also disappointed……by this way…
The third tree that wanted to grow more was kept unused …..
One fine day, a pregnant lady was going with her husband to doctor’s house and while crossing the diary farm she got labour pain… She gave birth to a child in that diary farm. The husband couldn’t find any good place to keep the child and so he kept some grass on the basket used to fee cow (1st tree) and placed the newly born child on the basket….
The first tree wanted to hold precious jewels… gold, silver and diamonds… However, than all them ……the most precious and priceless new born bay was placed on the box to save that new child …… Than taking care of the ornaments … this is a great responsibility for the wood… Thus the first tree thought god has given us more responsibility and a prestigious job than what he expected… Thus the first tree got much satisfied by that…
The second tree that became a small boat, one day carried people from one bank of river to other bank…. On that day a Swamiji also traveled…. Suddenly cyclone came and the boat was about to drown… The sage got up and he raised his hands on the sky and order as “STOP”…. The cyclone immediately stopped…… and they all came safe to the other side of bank… The second tree was so satisfied and happy that than an authoritative king, he had the opportunity to carry a person who can order the nature itself… Thus the second tree’s wish and ambition also got satisfied….
One fine day, the third tree which was just kept as idle wood pieces were taken out one day….. Those wood pieces were only used as cross for Jesus Christ….. Thus without growing much higher also….. The tree was able to touch god……
Thus the moral of the story is all our ambition will get satisfied one day ……. but may not be in the way we expect things to happen…
In this story, the student wanted to do service for the poor and needed people.. He may not be able to do the same by becoming a doctor.. But he will do the service…
THUS GOD ALWAYS SATISFIES OUR GOOD WISHES….PROBABLY NOT IN THE WAY WE LIKE.. IN THE WAY HE LIKES TO EXECUTE….

MAN PROPOSES,GOD DISPOSES…. — This is a famous proverb…
The proverb acutally means
…Man proposes , GOD DISPOSES the same…. in his OWN style