tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76614175178131008252024-02-21T05:59:42.248+05:30Othlagiri ZindabadYou do what you wanna do.......Karthikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05223955358873039025noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7661417517813100825.post-50958596747703063552010-02-12T13:08:00.005+05:302010-07-07T02:48:57.524+05:30Othlaagiri in AmericaSomehow its not happening.... Me trying to blog every other day and some girl or the other comes up.....So how come I am back again??? Its just that I have learnt to schedule my time in a more effective manner.<br /><br /> It has been great to be in the land of the dreams for 6 months. I have had my own share of friendships, traveling, flirting and of course studying. The best part however is that the "Othlaa" in me is still alive. Its quite a different "Othlaa" here though. Probably much more othlaa than what I was back home. <br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Side Track: The word OTHLAA just seems to amaze me(Or English grammar continues to disappoint me). You could use it as a noun, verb, adjective and what not !!!</span><br />Othlaa here has adapted to the western culture. He TRIES to work during the weekdays and has fun over the weekends. What more, the weekend here starts from Thursday evenings, thanks to the happy hours that we have every week. Start off your weekend with a bang.<br /><br /> Guess the program I choose also contributes its share to me being what I am. MBA or Mahina Bhar Aaraam as some would call it. It mostly involves working in team and adding a intellectual quality into what ever you do. In lay man terms, "bullshitting". If you know how to talk and sell, you would be a successful MBA graduate. No wonder so many companies run by such MBA graduates are going into financial troubles. All in all, it sounds like a perfect place for Othlaagiri.<br /><br /> In the first few days, I was not sure if things would work out for an Othlaa like me (as they had in my previous company). But after a semester of work and decent grades, things seems to be no different for me here. Its more or less like the VTU grading system, if not easier. Pick up your books just a day before the exam and you would surely pass with satisfactory grades.(Note: Satisfactory here is highly correlated to the individual concerned)The only difference that I see between the undergrad degree and this one is the attire. We used to be dressed in shabby jeans, which had not seen water in years all the time. Now we are forced to wear suites and shoes.<br /><br /><br />Disclaimer: In case someone reads this post and are intimidated to join MBA, please do so at your own risk. Its not child's play to be an Othlaa....Karthikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05223955358873039025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7661417517813100825.post-48867004543929211192009-04-28T16:05:00.005+05:302009-05-15T10:09:34.535+05:30Google cheated me !!!It’s been long, really long since I wrote a post. As usual, I had no drive to write this one too. But the recent success of the fakeiplplayer blog has definitely given me the much needed push to do SOMETHING. Good going mate.<br /><br /> This time I am planning on telling you a story that really happened with me. A story where Google actually cheated me of money, lots and lots of it :(. In case you have been regular-visitors (hopefully these are not completely fictional characters and there are atleast few jobless people who do key in my website address once in a while) of my blog, you would have noticed there was a brief period of time when i had a few ads on my blog. They came and they disappeared faster than they came. This is the story of what led to the appearance and disappearance of these "Google Ads"<br /><br />Date: Early 2007<br />Location: Othlaa Cubicle, Bangalore<br />Time: Just after lunch<br /> It was a regular day at office and everyone in my cubicle were trying to act as though we were working to our best possible extent. After acting for a long time, we did get tired and took a not so regular 3.00 PM pre-tea tea break. It was during this time that one of my fellow Othlaas came up with the idea of putting Ad's in the blog as a method of making money. We all discussed the possibilities and the amount of money that we could make. Mind you, we were really desperate for money given the measly amounts we work for in our company. And its quite obvious that all of us are excited at the slightest hint of money be it in rupees of in paise. With dreams of making money in our eyes and a full 4 hours to spend before we could actually go home, we decided to implement the idea right away.<br /><br /> Must praise Google for this, the method was quite simple and straight forward. I could use my Google id and set up and account and all we had to do is select the kind of ads that we wanted to place and just copy + paste(One thing we are awfully good at)the html code in our blog. All said and done, I had the Ad's in my blog in no time. According to Google, I would be getting a cheque once my balance reached 100$. So now all that I could do was "click and wait".<br /><br /> 6 months later<br />I had requested every person I knew in my office, school, and college to click on the blog Ad's. I was rather disappointed by the amount of money that had accumulated in my account. It was a mere 32$ for a period of 6 months. I was happy however. It so happened at this time that a lot of my rich friends happened to fly to USA and all over the world to pursue their Masters. While chatting with one of them (Unmistakably during office hours), I asked him to click on the Ad's. To my amazement, I found that I was earning almost 1$ for every click. Encouraged by this, I asked him to click on the Ad's whenever possible. And to my luck, this friend started clicking so much that my balance shot up from 32 to 470$ within a fortnight. I am pretty sure that he was clicking away in his sleep too.<br /> <br /> Now that I had crossed 100$, I was actually waiting for my cheque from Google. I used to check my mail everyday in anticipation of the money. One fine day, I did get a mail. But alas, fortune had different plans in mind. I found that it was a mail which stated that my account was disabled. It said that they suspected some foul play due to the sudden increase in traffic and hence had closed my account. The worst part was that, I would not get the 30$ that I had previously too. This was like rubbing salt on the wound. For a few days, I thought that I had outsmarted Google and had found a flaw in their system, but they proved that they are the best and have all flaws plugged tight. Hats off Guys !!!Karthikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05223955358873039025noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7661417517813100825.post-48740842456409888702008-10-21T14:58:00.002+05:302008-11-13T10:58:40.704+05:30A post for my fellow VTU matesUsually September - December is when students from all over the country discover new energy in them and start applying for higher studies. This is an important point in every student's life. There are a lot of things that need to be done in order to successfully submit an application to a foreign university. I probably cannot help you with all of the steps. However there is one area, which I can help you out with, "Getting Transcripts from VTU". Many of you might already know the procedure for the same and have got your transcripts already. But I thought it would be helpful to write down the procedure in detail so that it would help the many others who are unaware of the same. I was motivated to write about this mainly coz, I went through this process recently and before getting the transcripts, I had absolutely no idea about the procedure. Also there are not many blogs which describe the process in detail.<br /><br /> First of all, there are two ways to get the transcripts. The first one is to apply through your respective colleges. You will have to go to the admission section of your college and fill up a form and get your Principal's attestation on the form. Pin up a DD along with the proper fee and post it to VTU. This is the longer process and might take anywhere between 3-4 weeks for you to get your transcripts. I would suggest you go for this method only if you have at least a month time to submit your applications. Else there is method number 2. You will have to personally go to VTU to get the transcripts in this option.<br /><br /> Well, for method 2 here is what we are supposed to do. Even before you start planning your trip to Belgaum (which is where our VTU office is), I suggest you call up the VTU office. The number is 0831- 2498136. Please check with the person if the Registrar is available on your proposed date of travel. If so, we can go ahead with our planning for the travel. There are a lot of buses and trains which leave for Belgaum daily from Bangalore. I preferred to travel by train, coz I can’t sleep in buses. If you are planning to travel by train, you will have to book at least 5 days in advance to get a ticket. Bus tickets can be easily booked even on the day prior to travel. Bus fare is around Rs.450 whereas train costs about Rs.260 (one way). Book your tickets such that you reach Belgaum by 9.00 AM in the morning. <br /><br /> Once you reach Belgaum city, you will have to take a bus or auto to Shanti Baswad. <br />Again, make sure you reach VTU office by 12.00 noon. Requests submitted before this time would be attended to on the same day. Else it will be postponed to the next day. I suggest you be in VTU before 11.30. Also it would be better to get a DD from Bangalore. The DD should be in favor of "The Finance Officer, VTU" and must be payable at Belgaum. The cost of the first copy of the transcripts is Rs. 250 and the subsequent copies are Rs.150 each. Since you already have the DD with you, it saves you a lot of valuable time. Once you reach VTU, make your way to the regional office. Here you will have to fill up a form for obtaining the transcripts. This will include filling up of details like USN, DD No, Name, Address, etc. Once you complete the form, attach the DD and submit it to the clerk there. If you do this before the 12, you will be asked to come at 4.30 in the evening to collect the transcripts. <br /><br /> In case you need to collect transcripts for your friends, you will have to carry letter authorizing you to collect the transcripts on his/her behalf. Sometimes, they do ask you for identification (College ID card) and your old marks cards. You would be on the safer side if you carried them along with you. <br /><br /> Once this is done, all we have to do is wait. Carry a good book along with you. There is absolutely nothing to do from the time you have submitted the form to the time you get the transcripts. The VTU office is around half hour drive from the city and you find nothing except trees around this place. Alternatively you could make your way back to the city and roam around till its time to head back. Again, there is nothing much you could do in Belgaum as well.<br /><br /> Around 4.30 - 5.00, you will get your transcripts in hand. You will have to collect it from the same office you submitted the application in. Count your transcripts and make sure all of them are sealed and signed. Suppose you have applied for 10 copies, you get 10 sealed copies along with an unsealed copy. You can now head back to Belgaum to get back to Bangalore. <br /><br /> If is advisable to have some buffer between the time you get your marks cards to when you book your return journey. It would be safe to book return trains/buses around 9 in the night. Buses to and from VTU are very less and this buffer would help you also if the transcripts are delayed. In order to ensure that I didn’t miss my train, I booked my return journey from Hubli. The train from Hubli was at 11.00 PM and it would take me about 2.5 hrs to reach Hubli from Belgaum. You would reach Bangalore by 7.30 if you take the same route (Rani Chenamma Express). <br /><br /> Hope these details will help you get your transcripts without any hassles. If you are a foodie like I am, make sure to try Kunda - a sweet popular in Belgaum and a typical North Karnataka Jolada Rotti meal. Karthikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05223955358873039025noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7661417517813100825.post-45639278555875630422008-06-18T14:28:00.008+05:302008-06-18T17:08:13.853+05:30(MORE THAN) 3 mistakes of my life<p class="MsoNormal" style=""> If you presumed from the title that I am capitalizing of the success of the recently launched book by Chetan Bhagat, you have thought correctly. Off late the traffic to my site has been dwindling and this is part of one of my ingenious plans to restore the past glory (if there was any :P) of my site.<br /><br /> Well cutting the crap and coming to the point, I was actually quite impressed by the recent book written by Chetan Bhagat. But there comes the interesting part, on one hand I was impressed on the other intrigued. How could any person commit only 3 mistakes in one's own life? It is highly improbable that the number of mistakes committed by any individual would be so less unless the person was a saint (Even in that case, I doubt if the number could be so minimal). So somehow, I thought it would be worthwhile to pen down the mistakes of my life. Since I was sure, that the number would be more than 3, the title came about. So here go the mistakes of my life...<br />(Be warned that the blog might be too long and time consuming to read)<br /><br /> Instead of starting in the chronological order of my mistakes, I thought it would be better to start of with the biggest mistake I have committed till date. If you take a wild guess, your guess would be as good as anybody else. If you guessed pursuing Engineering, bingo, you hit the bull's eye. (If you didn’t get that answer, you probably were not from an engineering background. If you were and still didn’t get the answer, you were mostly one among the nerdy brains who sat in the first benches, took notes in each class, understood every word that came out of the lecturer's mouth and never experienced the joy of bunking). Even to this day, I feel that I should have looked at the alternate career choices that I had at that point in time. I feel I would have done better as someone else than an Engineer. The list of alternate career options that I had were pretty long. I would have loved to be a doctor, a pilot, an astronaut, a chef. To tell you the truth, I even had the dream of having my own kirana store (Translated into English as a provision store). Well now I guess, it’s too much and too late.<br /><br /> Another mistake would definitely be not pursuing higher studies after my BE. It might turn out to be an even bigger mistake than the biggest one, but you never know until you try it out yourself. On one hand, you would have had a Masters Degree (Translated into layman terms as lots of dowry ;P) and on the other you would get a chance to experience life in foreign, as we fondly call it. However I look at it, it seems to be a win-win situation. There seems to be nothing that could go wrong with the plan. But there is no use speaking of it now and it stands as mistake number two on my list.<br /><br /> Next would be the one (or should I say two) that might have changed the course of my life (for the good or bad, I can’t say). You might feel strange, shocked, weird and all those kinda feelings when you hear this but it’s true. Two girls proposed me at different points of time in my life and I rejected both of them. It’s actually very hard to even imagine how my life would have been if I had accepted either one of them. If you are one amongst my friends and reading this, I am sure that the question of who the two unlucky girls were would be going through your mind. Well, all I can say is this isn’t a blog about revealing secrets. If you are wondering if the number was only two, your doubt is completely valid. I haven’t taken the correct number, coz I don’t want my other friends(boys in particular) to feel jealous or bad about themselves :P<br /><br /> One mistake that I am repenting even to this day would be revealing all this awesome, unknown eateries to all my friends. It is a good thing that they have gotten to know all this places, but the worst part is they have started visiting these places more often than me. Due to the frequency of their visits, they are much popular with the vendors than me. This is an ultimate case of "Guru ge tiru mantra"(Can’t translate that into English, sorry). Due to all these people, the places have become super crowded. It would probably be worthwhile to find another "sidappa" or "chikanna" rather than waiting in the queue and eating.<br /><br /> Another classic mistake that I have committed, am committing and will continue to commit is watching movies in their first week of release. Thanks to the movie buffs that my friends are, getting tickets is the easiest part. But sitting through some of the absolute shit movies is a torture like no other. Still, I am sure that I would continue to do this again and again. Coz that one good movie where you enjoy with all your friends is worth sitting through all the bad movies. The feeling of shouting out loud and whistling when the hero/heroine appear is absolute bliss. Though personally, I have not tried out doing tapanguchi for the songs, I am sure will give it a shot some day. And you can be sure of expecting a blog on that.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><o:p> </o:p> Not taking cricket too seriously also would be one amongst my mistakes. Many people in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">India</st1:place></st1:country-region> would feel the same and agree with me. I am sure if properly groomed, I would have made it to the Indian cricket team. It also would have been the perfect shortcut for fame and money. If not for the likes of Tendulkar or Dravid, I surely would have matched what Saba Karim or Sunil Joshi has done (Or rather done better than them).</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"> Guess these are enough mistakes for one blog. Hope writing this blog itself doesn’t turn out to be another mistake in my life :P<br /><br />PS: This blog has been written in typical Chetan Bhagat style a.k.a first person narration style. The incidents have all been written as told by Kittu (name changed to protect identity) to the author :)<br /><br /><!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br /><!--[endif]--></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Karthikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05223955358873039025noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7661417517813100825.post-60531988187999373162008-01-16T16:59:00.000+05:302008-01-17T10:54:51.556+05:30Alternate Career OptionsAfter a long period of inactivity (Or as <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Sidhu</span> would say "long as the serials of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Ekta</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">kapoor</span>"), I am back and have chosen to throw some light on the a topic that has been like a hot topic of discussion in many of our daily <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Chai</span> Breaks. Alternate Career Options :)<br /><br /> Anyone who has been in the software industry for more than a year would definitely agree with me that its a lousy and very inactive profession to be in. Except for the money and the chicks (neither of which we <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">are</span> blessed with) there seems to be nothing else in this profession. You <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">don't</span> get the sense of satisfaction of accomplishing something or <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">don't</span> feel special here. Most of my fellow code coolies(i know the phrase has been plagiarized, but who cares) in the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Othlaa</span> gang feel the same and hence went about looking for alternatives.<br /><br /> Luckily, the first thing that we realized is that the problem is with the profession and not with the company. So jumping companies is definitely out of question. You might be happy for a short period but in the long run, its the same old story again. So keeping in mind the goal of eternal happiness, we move on.....<br /><br /> The other option would be to quit the job and continue with our studies in order to get a Masters degree next to our name. This is a very complicated problem. First the question of which field to do the Masters in would arise. Once we find the answer to that, the next obvious question would be as to where to do it? If you are slightly lucky enough(slightly <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">coz</span> there are a lot more obstacles to overcome) , you will probably find that you are just in time to apply to the various entrance exams that are conducted. After writing these exams (and if Lady luck is still with you) you will probably get selected to the first round of the four or five round screening process. If you are a really lucky bastard (not to be mistaken for a racist comment) you will probably make it into the select few who get admission into the elite institutions. And the trouble doesn't end here. You still will have to pay the 7 digit fees that these colleges charge with the hope of earning more money once you graduate. But 90% of the times, what happens is we are stumped by one of the very first googlies that this option throws at you. But the worst thing that could happen is that you go through all the pain and suffering and come out and you find yourself in a crappier position(in terms of job and money) than you were before you started your Masters :)<br /><br /> The next option that I stumbled upon is one which is the favorite of our very own "Ann", (Its a different thing that she has many other options and suggestions too) Opening a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Mallu</span> Bakery. I rather not comment about the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Mallu</span> part in the idea, since there are a lot of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Mallus</span> who will probably go through this blog. But I must accept that this is not such a bad idea. Given the amount of money that our campus <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">CCD</span> fellow is making, this does look like a lucrative business. Add to that we have the stats of <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">at least</span> 10 people(on a average) having their birthday on a particular day. Apart from Birthdays, we also have several other reasons to feast on a Cake, like anniversaries, festivals, on site returns or just being able to catch hold of a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Bakra</span>. The only reason that we might not venture into this thought is <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">US</span>. Being the foodies that we are, we would probably by ourselves drive our business into loss :) Hence taking no risks of that sort we ponder on<br /><br /> Being born in a section of the society which is basically the business class, jumping into some sort of business would be the easiest(or most logical) option. But thanks to the lazy life style I have been leading till now, I don't have even a small insight into what goes into the smallest of the businesses. I realized this first hand recently, when I was asked by my dad to sit in the shop for a day when he was away. I had no idea of what was happening there and didn't have the slightest of idea as to what I was supposed to do. All I did there was call up people(Thanks to the corporate connection) whom I hadn't spoken to recently since I had some time for myself. Despite being optimistic and assuming business to be in my blood, I still have to be able to find a person who would invest <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">lakhs</span> into my business and believe that I would deliver. This job would probably be tougher than the job I am currently into.<br /><br /> After having long sessions of thinking(Yes, i actually think) and brainstorming there is usually a single indisputable decision that i usually reach, "GETTING MARRIED". This is probably the easiest, least risk involved, highly logical, future secure, non resource consuming, least effort involved, promising, enjoyable decision that one could possible think of. Thanks to the huge dowry packages that people have to offer. As one of my friend usually says, Why struggle when you can live on the interest that these huge sums of dowry get you. This might probably not be the most ethical thing to do but no one's complaining. So probably after this, I might probably go on the look out for some wealthy fellow who has a lone daughter to marry off :)<br /><br />P.S. In case you know some one who fits the description above, <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">don't</span> hesitate to call me. Reimbursement of call charges assured.Karthikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05223955358873039025noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7661417517813100825.post-62054625180755103132007-07-07T12:41:00.000+05:302007-07-09T15:28:34.048+05:30Gourmet on the gallis<p class="MsoNormal">If you are not a foodie then I must say, U better not go through the rest of the blog. Firstly I must apologize for the delay in posting my next blog. This can be attributed to the fact that I have been working my ass of now-a-days. To be frank I have been working on weekends for the past 3 weeks. This seems to have reached such a limit, that our Othlaa gang is actually thinking of dethroning me as the Othlaa and also thinking of renaming me as Workla(I know, this is a nice way of publicizing urself to proclaim to the world that "I work too"). Ok then, back to business now. This blog will contain a list of some of the unknown eateries that one could find in <st1:place st="on">South Bangalore</st1:place> and places you must not miss if u love food like I do.<br /><br /><st1:street st="on"><st1:address st="on"><b>1. Eating Street</b></st1:address></st1:street><b>: </b><br /> A very popular street in VV Puram aka shettarpalya. A heaven for food lovers. You can find every dish from south Indian to North, American to Chinese. And what’s better is that they are damn cheap too. And in case you have a liking for sweets, then there are plenty of varieties to satisfy your sweet tooth too.<br /><b style=""><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 255);">Route Info:</span></b><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 255);"> </span>Make your way to the national college fly over and then to Sajjan Rao circle. Ask anyone for directions there and am pretty sure, you will find this place.<br /><b style=""><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 102);">Must Eat:</span></b> Special cutlet at Chandra’s, Butter gulkhan and masala soda at Shivanna, Dosas<br /><br /><b>2. Gandhi bazaar:<br /> </b>A locality that existed probably as long as <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Bangalore</st1:place></st1:city> itself. Its one of the oldest localities you can find in the <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Silicon</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">City</st1:placetype></st1:place>. However it is keeping up with the changing pace of the city. This place boasts of a lot of eateries catering to meet the variety of needs of the variety of people here. Most of the eat outs that you find in this place are located in <st1:street st="on"><st1:address st="on">DVG Road</st1:address></st1:street>. I would recommend that you park your vehicle and walk along this street and enjoy its various delicacies.<br /><b style=""><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 255);">Route Info:</span></b><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 255);"> </span><span style="color:black;">Gandhi bazzar by itself is a landmark, but in case you are from other parts of the city make your way to Ramakrishna Ashram and then to <st1:street st="on"><st1:address st="on">DVG Road</st1:address></st1:street>.<br /></span><b style=""><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 102);">Must Eat:</span></b><span style="color:black;"> Golgoppa at Bugle Rock, Bajjis at Bajji Corner(Near UD), Davanagere Benne Dose(next to Tyagarajnagar ICICI ATM). Also to finish off the feast, you can choose to either have a glass of fresh fruit juice at Ganesh or a sizzling brownie at Shiv Sagar.<br /><br /><b>3. MTR:</b><br /><b> </b>A very popular and very historic land mark of <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Bangalore</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">City</st1:placetype></st1:place>. If you have been visiting this place since a long time, then you would probably know that there has been no change in this place since ages(Except for the crowd and prices though). Located at the heart of <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Bangalore</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">City</st1:placetype></st1:place>, this place is the pick of many people for Breakfast who visit the city. Have heard that the Indian Cricket team always comes to this place at least once when they are in town.<br /></span><b style=""><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 255);">Route Info:</span></b><span style="color:black;"> Make your way to <st1:street st="on"><st1:address st="on">JC Road</st1:address></st1:street> and take a right at the first junction. You will reach Urvashi theatre and then take a right again to reach this place.<br /></span><b style=""><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 102);">Must Eat:</span></b><span style="color:black;"> A plate of Rava Idli(with ghee) and a Fruit Mixture(as they call it). This place recently started serving afternoon meals also. However personally I don’t find it worth enough.<b><br /><br />4. Chickpet:<br /> </b>Located in the heart of the <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Bangalore</st1:place></st1:city> city, this place to this day remains unknown to many people living in the city. By unknown i meant unknown for its eateries. This place is however popular for shopping of all kinds of household items and apparels. All the hustle bustle and shopping is what happens in the day. But as evening falls, it transforms itself into a roadside eatery to cater to the people tired of shopping. If you plan to visit this place, I suggest you park your vehicles in the underground parking area of KR market and make your way to this place on foot. Believe me, the traffic on weekdays here is hopeless and with the maze of one ways and no entries, it is faster to commute around this place on foot.<br /></span><b style=""><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 255);">Route Info:</span></b><span style="color:black;"> Go to KR Market. Then enter Avenue Road. Once you enter Avenue road, there is a small gully that branches towards your right. Enter this road and you walk along to find the various stores. However I must tell you that you can easily get lost in this place and it would be better if you had someone who knows the place along.<br /></span><b style=""><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 102);">Must Eat:</span></b><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 102);"> </span><span style="color:black;">Vada pavs at Bombay Chat Centre, Jamoon with/without ice cream, Floating pani puri opp Bombay Chat Centre, <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Bath</st1:city></st1:place> masala and masala dosa. Can finish off with a glass of dry fruit milk shake<br /><br /><br /><b>5. Sidappa:<br /> </b>This can be called a house rather than a eatery. It’s a home that has been converted into a <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Tiffin</st1:city></st1:place> centre that’s open only in the mornings. Opens at around 8.30 and make sure you are in by 10.30 or else you would have to go back starving. If you go to this place you will first find Mr. Sidappa sitting at the cash counter with his signature <i>patapatti cheddi</i> on. I am sure you will be taken aback by the setting of the restaurant but am double sure that you will relish every item that is being served here. Once you enter this place you will be given no plates. Only banana leaves, and all your food would be served in it. Definitely a must visit place if you are very taste conscious and less calorie conscious.<br /></span><b style=""><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 255);">Route Info:</span></b><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 255);"> </span><st1:street st="on"><st1:address st="on"><span style="color:black;">Reach JC Road</span></st1:address></st1:street><span style="color:black;"> and drive along till you reach Corporation bus stop. From here take a u turn to the route that leads you to lalbagh and take a left after the handicrafts shop in the corner.<br /></span><b style=""><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 102);">Must Eat:</span></b><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 102);"> </span><span style="color:black;">Sagu masala and tuppa khali(khali dosa roasted with ghee) are my picks. However, there would be a rice bath that changes daily.<br /><br /><b>6. Yelakki Chikanna: </b><br /> This is another restaurant on the likes of Sidappa. Located near the old silk board, this place(like sidappa) isn’t known to many people. This place is so very difficult to find, that you might have a tough time to even find the place if it’s your first time. This too is a house that would be converted into a restaurant in the mornings only.<br /></span><b style=""><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 255);">Route Info:</span></b><span style="color:black;"> Reach the Corporation bus stop and take a left to reach old silk board, then it would be wise to ask somebody for this place as it is difficult to explain the route through the gullies.<br /></span><b style=""><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 102);">Must Eat:</span></b><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 102);"> </span><span style="color:black;">Mini masale(aka tiny masala dosas) and khali dosas that just melt in your mouth.<br /><br /><br /><b>7. Brahmins Coffee Bar:<br /></b> A one of its kind hotel in <st1:street st="on"><st1:address st="on">RangaRao Road</st1:address></st1:street>. By looking at the crowd stating outside this hotel, you might wonder at the variety this hotel serves. But if you take a closer look, there are only around 5 items in the menu. Idli, kharabhat, kesribath, vada and coffee, tea. But the amazing part about this hotel is the coconut chutney he serves with the idlis. The chutney is simply awesome and out of this world. During college we actually used to sit in the parking lot till 3.30 so that we could eat at this place on our way home.<br /></span><b style=""><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 255);">Route Info:</span></b><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 255);"> </span><span style="color:black;">Get to Gandhi bazaar and then to shankarpuram police station, take the next left after the police station and i am sure you wouldn’t miss this place.<br /><b style="color: rgb(255, 102, 102);">Must Eat:</b><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 102);"> </span>This is one place where i love everything. So do tryout all the items in the menu according to your preferences.<br /><br /><br /><b>8. Shiva's Chats:</b><br /> This a place located very close to my place so couldn’t resist mentioning it. Located near 50 feet road, hanumanthnagar, it’s a chat house which opens during evenings. Due to its proximity to my place, I am a regular here. Since it started, the place has undergone many changes and has had its ups and downs with its taste. However, this place should be visited once.<br /><b style="color: rgb(102, 51, 255);">Route Info:</b> Reach 50 feet road and ask for Kaggis Bakery. You will find this place right next to the bakery.<br /><b style="color: rgb(255, 102, 102);">Must Eat:</b><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 102);"> </span>Sev puri and a hot place of masala puri (Especially if it’s raining of drizzling)</span></p><p class="MsoNormal">All the above mentioned places are some of my favorites and most of them could be found in South Bangalore(Since i reside here). I am pretty sure that there are many more such places in other parts of Bangalore. In case you know a few of them, do mention them in the comments.<br /></p>Karthikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05223955358873039025noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7661417517813100825.post-49933430302608268912007-05-17T14:43:00.000+05:302007-05-20T10:38:49.499+05:30More One liners<p class="MsoNormal">After the post on Ash and <span class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Abhi</span></span>, here I am back with the one liner issue. This time I will try to tell you one liners of many more people. So without much delay, here it goes<br /><br /> First up is one of my engineering friends, <span class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Akshay</span></span>(Fondly called as <span class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">soi</span></span> by all of us). The common thing that you hear from out of his mouth is "<span class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Bilathe</span></span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">kano</span></span>"(For those of you who <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">don't</span></span> understand the local <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">slang</span></span> and language, it means " You're gonna be belted"). I <span class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">dont</span></span> know how many people he has told this too and has not hit one person being the <span class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Ahimsavadi</span></span> that he is :)<br /><br /> Next up, is <span class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Sandeep</span></span>(popularly known as Sandy). This fellow keeps chanting "Re nee <span class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">yabba</span></span>". He tells this slang so often, that probably if he had replaced these words by some God or <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Goddess</span></span> name, he would probably earned himself a direct express ticket to heaven.<br /><br />Now its <span class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Anand's</span></span> turn. <span class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Anand's</span></span> favourite words are "<span class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Yapaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa</span></span>". Probably the most heard words in our usual session of Mafia, after the ever popular "<span class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Nanalla</span></span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">kano</span></span>". Dude miss you in the afternoon lunch and the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">time pass</span></span> sessions........(One more thing, no one is eating fruits now-a-days, probably due to the sorrow that your leaving the company caused)<br /><br /> <span class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">Lokesh</span></span> (aka <span class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">loks</span></span>), you are next in the line. During the thousands and thousand of minutes that i talk to this guy on the phone, the lines most heard are "What else dude". I seriously still cant figure out what we talk on these long <span class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">looooooooooooooong</span></span> calls. He might have probably told this a thousand times in each and every call and we still find some topic or the other to talk bout.<br /><br /> <span class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">Naveen</span></span> (aka <span class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">kona</span></span>), one among the elite few who knows everything that i know and everything that i do. He always keeps telling "Re <span class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">lifea</span></span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">bejar</span></span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">aypayindi</span></span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">ra</span></span>"(Bored of this f#$king life dude). However this guy should surely not be judged by his words <span class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">coz</span></span> he leads one of the best lives amongst the many people that i know. Even though he keeps telling these lines, he is one person who leads a <span class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_28">bindas</span></span> life and i mean it.<br /><br /> <span class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_29">Shreyas</span></span> (aka ................ oops we <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_30">don't</span></span> have a nick name for this guy), <span class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_31">shreyas</span></span> <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_32">doesn't</span></span> have one liners, he probably has one paragraphs or songs. <span class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_33">Dont</span></span> mistake him for a singer or a writer. He is an <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_34">ardent</span></span> fan of Mr <span class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_35">Himesh</span></span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_36">Baba</span></span> and sings his songs so well that <span class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_37">Himesh</span></span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_38">Baba</span></span> would die if he heard them (i know it was a <span class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_39">pj</span></span>, but if you are one among the intellectual people checking out this post, i was sarcastic). I seriously <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_40">don't</span></span> understand where this guy finds the lyrics and the tunes for the songs he sings. He <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_41">complete</span></span> changes them and it takes time for us to figure out what on earth this fellow is singing.<br /><br /> <span class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_42">Kaushal</span></span> (aka Share khan), This Mr. <span class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_43">Shrarekhan</span></span> started off blogging recently. All the best to you dude and now for <span class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_44">ur</span></span> many one liners. "<span class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_45">Badiya</span></span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_46">hai</span></span>", "<span class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_47">Chalo</span></span>", "What crap". Well i guess, i am the one who listens to them more often than the other <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_48">colleagues</span></span> of mine, owing to the fact that our cubicles are close by and also owing to the fact the amount of time that we remain <span class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_49">OTHLAA</span></span>.<br />In case you wanna contact this fellow for any share market tips(thanks to the free publicity that i have given him) please make it a point to call him after 3.30 PM(<span class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_50">IST</span></span>) <span class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_51">coz</span></span>, Sir will be busy till then with the market.<br /><br /> <span class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_52">Nema</span></span>(aka moms, aka mama, aka <span class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_53">kallu</span></span> mama), is <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_54">definitely</span></span> one of the blessed fellows in our school and college gang. However he <span class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_55">dosent</span></span> agree to this. The line that is most <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_56">uttered</span></span> by this fellow now-a-days is "Dude I wanna quit this company". Dude moms, let me tell you one thing, "Who <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_57">doesn't</span></span> want to quit the company that they work for?" Everybody wants to but nobody does it. So continue to adapt and go on with your life.......<br /><br /> Also i must mention some of the lines of our "SENIOR"<span class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_58">Acharyas</span></span> use. <span class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_59">Bhargav</span></span> - "Aah <span class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_60">naaice</span></span>", <span class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_61">Sibin</span></span> - "Interesting" and the one that I have heard the most "THIS WONT WORK", Chubby - "Cheap ass buggers".<br /><br /> There are many more friends of mine that I have not mentioned in these two posts. This is due to the fact that they have no one liners. These people are mainly my <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_62">colleagues</span></span> and the mafia gang that I am proud to be a part of. Afzal, Jobin, <span class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_63">Kavita</span></span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_64">Shariq</span></span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_65">Kishore</span></span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_66">Deepak</span></span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_67">Abhi</span></span> and <span class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_68">Bhatru</span></span>, guys you better find yourselves some lines in order to get noticed. And then there are others like <span class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_69">Gundu, Satya</span></span>, Sailesh and <span class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_70">Aftab</span></span>, you better hangout more with us so that your one liners get noticed.<br /><br /> I guess, <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_71">that's</span></span> enough for this post. <span class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_72">Tata</span></span> and C ya soon</p>Karthikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05223955358873039025noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7661417517813100825.post-19948907227858475542007-05-01T19:18:00.000+05:302007-05-01T19:52:31.994+05:30Swalpa DifferentuThis post i thought i would do something different. So i thought i would blog this time in kannada. Deciding on this new innovative idea was easy but the implementation seemed to be tougher than i expected. I tried out typing in kannada, which turned out to be like eating north indian food with a fork and a knife. I soon realized that this was not going to happen. So i thought i would use english script but the blog would be in kannada. I know out of the handful people that visit my blog, some of them might have problems understanding the stuff that is to follow. But guys, this is a kind of innovative idea(I am sure the innovators and their team in my company would be very happy). So here it goes.........<br /><br /> Ee naduve yava channel alli nodidaru namma chota B hagu aish baby(adyake avalanna baby antaro gotilla, avalige 32 varsha vayasu anta ee media avarige marethu hoda hagide) de charche. Idu hege naditha ide andre, ee jagathinalli iduvarage yaru maduve ne agilla hagu mudendu agolla annuva hage munnadeyuthide. Namma media janaru kuda hege kanri, yenadru ondu topic sikthu andre adanna Ekta Kapoor ginta yeludu yeldu torsidanne torista irthare. Beliginda ratriya varage ade clippings, aa reporter galdu ade raga. Nanage iga yaranna baybeku anta nijavaglu tilitha illa. A Abhishek Bacchan hagu Aishwarya Rai(athava iga Aishwarya Bacchan) na illa ee media avarnna anta. Swalpa yochane madida nantara nanage ee media avarade tappu ansathe. Duddu idiyalla anta 24 hour news channel start madodu, adaralli hakoke yenu sigolla. Iro baro kithogiro news yellanu hakodu. Kelavu news channel galantu yest keelu mattake illidide andre, yen torisoke hesovralla avaru. Yello doorada ooralli yaro aathe sose jagala adidrante, addana ivaru news alli torsodu, alla ond heli, yenee jagathalli yava aathe sose jagala ne adollva, adanna news alli torisbeka. Evara bagge yochane madtha idre nanage nenapaguva mathondu prakarana Prince du. Aagantu iro baro news channel gallela aa halli alle makaam hudidru. Aden taleno adeno, aa madu alli borewell alli bidirbekadre, avara tayiya hatira hogi, nimage hege anistha ide anta kelodu. Avarigen lottery gedda hage santhosha na agathe. Cha@#ar nan maklu paapa aa hudugana tayina mana bicchi alloku bidolla. Ivaste alla, idara bagge yochane madtha hodre innastur prakaranagalu belakige barathe. Yenta kala bantu guru, duddigoskara yen madoku heso hage illa ee jana. Idakinta yelladru bikshe bedi badkodu vaasi ansathe.<br /><br /> Ok hagidre naavu shuru madida topic ge vapas barona. Namma aish hagu chota B maduve ge. Re ee maduvege innondu attraction kuda ithu re. Avalu yavolo Jhanavi ante. Yen ivalu laila hagu abhishek majnu andkondidlu ansathe. Bandlu kai kuikondlu, ast sak re full media attention togoloke. Ee namma media sahodararu, yeradu dind purthi avalade purana torsidru. Yen maduve madovnu kuda avala bagge ast research madthano illo gotilla. Astella kandhididu bitidru ivaru. Avalu kuda, ivara talakke takkante kunitha idlu. Adenu avalu irodu hageno illa media goskara hage adtha idlo, aa devare balla. Yen 3 hothu kudithane iroavala hage mathadthale. Ottinalli pukshate publicity avalige, hagu namage puksatte entertainment. Idella ada mele adeno security guards talidru anta innondu issue. Yedna bidna anta hego paapa avara maduve konegu mugithu. Eegaladru ee media avaru avaranna prashanta vagi bidthare anta aashisuthene.<br /><br /> Idella hogli, iga naanu ee media avarige helodu yenandre swapa mana maryade inda janarige upayoga ago anta news torsi ee jagathanna udhara madde idru paravagilla, inta kithogiro news torsi jana na innu kedisbedi anta. Yen naanu helida anta ee nan maklu yenu change agolla, atleast hope that they realize the extent to which they have dropped down and correct themselves before its too late.Karthikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05223955358873039025noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7661417517813100825.post-27475817543343893942007-04-03T21:34:00.000+05:302007-05-20T10:32:10.680+05:30It felt good todayThis might seem <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">weird</span> and strange but this is all i wanted to write in this blog..........Karthikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05223955358873039025noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7661417517813100825.post-55754798143763356322007-03-24T23:14:00.000+05:302007-03-24T23:57:05.085+05:30One Liners<span style="font-family:arial;">Its been a long time since i last posted on my blog. Now there is some good news and there is some bad news here that i must say before i proceed in this blog. Lets start with the good news, the blogging craze seems to be spreading, and seems like more people are coming into our elite gang. And now for the bad news(or the really really bad news) , its Ann who has recently started blogging(Hehehehehe)<br /><br />Well, now getting back to the blogging part. Its very typical of people to have something or some phrase that they keep telling over and over again. Thought i would let you people know a few of the one liners that my friends use. Sometimes the situations in which these one liners are used are absolutely hilarious. Well lets go then<br /><br />Rohit Reddy aka BPO Reddy : This fellow is one of the most cool headed guys that you could find anywhere. We have been trying to get this guy angry since the day he has been with this and I don't think we are anywhere near achieving our goal. I don't think this fellow might get angry even if someone runs away with his wife the very next day after he is married :) . Well typical of his character is his one liner. The most common words he uses is " ITS OK". The amount of trouble or problem that we are in at any point of time does not at all matter, its always going to be OK for this guy. Irrespective of whether the internal assessment marks were less or we forgot calling this guy for a movie or we are not ready to pay him back the money we owe him, its always been OK for our Reddy. Reddy always keep this cool head of yours dude.<br /><br />Ann Maria aka The Confused Mind : Its not been long since i have know this girl and I am sure that the others would agree with me that she makes an impression soon. But BEWARE, impressions could be misleading. :) . She keeps talking and talking and talking and talking. She has been like the Chairman of the Othlaa gang in our workplace. Now a days she is into "innovation" too. This girl does not have a single one liner but there are many one liners that keep repeating at random. Some of our favorite ones are "BLOODY" and "BUT TELL ME ONE THING". Apart from one liners our Ann also has some strange peculiar behaviours that you could only find in her. Be it the way she holds her spoon while eating or the look on her face when she gets angry and not to forget that walking style. I only have one thing to tell her "Ann, the ATM breaks are getting rare now a days, Do something!!!!!!!!!"<br /><br />Harsha aka Asha : This is one of my school buddies and has been amongst my friends circle for the past 18 years or so. He is like our elder brother(Note : He is one year elder to all of us in our school gang). We usually have fun with this guy especially due to the peculiar situations that he gets himself into. But he always takes all this in the right spirit. His one liner is somewhat indicative of the situations that this fellow gets into. In asha's words(in Telugu that is) "IDIRA NAAKI TIME OSTINDI". These words are usually accompanied by a distinctive expression on his face. In case we all are teasing our big brother when he tells this, we usually stop teasing him. Such is the power in his one liners. Its been fun going out with this guy since school. Initially it used to be on his Dad's Kinetic during school and now on his very well maintained bike. Asha, keep enjoying life as you always do.<br /><br />Well I guess I got many more friends and many more one liners that they use. So would try to tell you people all bout them in my future blogs. So lots more to come,<br /></span>Karthikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05223955358873039025noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7661417517813100825.post-24955584868017228432007-02-06T11:45:00.001+05:302007-02-06T12:15:20.196+05:30What to say?????? What not to say???????Well its been only one post in my blog and a long long long gap between my next post. The reasons for this delay were many but now that I am here to blog how do all those reasons matter?????<br />Actually I did spend a lot of time thinking as to what I should be writing in my blog. And to be frank, I am still not sure as to what I would be writing in this blog even thought I have started typing. Well I better think of something soon.........<br /><br />(After thinking for some more time)<br /><br />Well now that I have wasted enough time, I thought I would tell you about the very first trip that I went with my friends(on our own, no parents no constraints). Well the location was not <span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"></span>excatly the place that we would have loved to go but we all were ready to go to any place as long as we were on our own. The location was <span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Tirumala</span>, a holy shrine of Lord <span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Venkateshwara</span>. We were all excited even before the actual trip was completely finalized. We ran around booking counters to book tickets for the trip. We were happy that we booked our seats in the <span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">APSRTC</span> buses. The reason for the happiness being that we save something about 20 bucks per ticket(20 bucks was a lot of money for us at that time). On the night we had all our parents who came to see us off at the bus station and there was a long list of what to do and what not to do that were told to us by them. But the fact is that none of us were even bothering to listen to what they were saying and were just nodding our heads. Finally it was a huge relief when the bus started. We said our final goodbyes to our parents and left. There were six of us altogether. <span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Naveen</span>, <span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Raghu</span>, Sandy, Vicky, <span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Vinay</span> and me. All of us were excited and were talking in the bus late till that night. Finally some passenger had to shout at us so that we could keep our mouths shut. After that all these five people slept. Later we reached the destination in the wee hours of the morning. We had decided earlier that we would be climbing the hill and so we started off at somewhere around 4 in the morning. Getting up so early was very rare for all of us. Many of us were sleepy but we still enjoyed this <span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">completely</span>. Well, the first few steps all of us were in full josh and climbed them in a hurry. None of us had done this by foot earlier. After sometime we realized that we had a long long way to go and had to conserve our energy. So the pace came down. On the way we had many many <span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">pit stops</span>, ranging from 5 to 30 minutes. Finally we reached the top of the hill after around 4 hours or so. On the top we realized that our <span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">luggage</span> had not yet arrived. Also we could not have a <span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">darshan</span> till the next day. So we relaxed the whole day doing nothing but wailing away our time.<br />The next day, we all got up early and were getting ready to go to the <span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">darshan</span>. Sandy who was one among the laziest of our gang got up late as usual. Suddenly I got an idea. I offered to put <span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">toothpaste</span> on his brush so that he could freshen up fast. (I still cant understand how Sandy agreed knowing that I would usually never do anything like that). Well I did put paste on his brush, but is was a fairness cream. He came and started to brush with the same thing. After doing this for some time, he got suspicious that there was no lather in the cream. We somehow managed to convince him that it was a new paste in the market and the amount of later in it was very less. I must say that he was pretty impressed with the smell of the cream. And he continued to brush. Then <span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Naveen</span> (I think) came over and said that we had enough of fun and told Sandy the truth. Sandy was pretty angry but he took it in the right spirit.(However later I learnt that he had planned to put toothpaste in my shampoo bottle to take revenge on me. But plans flopped.<span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Hehehehehe</span>). Well after this we all got ready and had <span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">darshan</span>.<br />Even before we knew the trip was almost coming to and end. We booked our return tickets. Called up our houses and told them that everything was fine and that we were leaving for home. On the journey back home, all of us were tired to do anything. However all of us were happy that we had accomplished something great.Karthikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05223955358873039025noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7661417517813100825.post-40669194891578217672007-01-21T18:41:00.000+05:302007-02-08T10:49:36.419+05:30Being OthlaaI would like to start off this post by thanking(???????) all those people who were responsible for me getting this name. Now a days, I am better known by this name than my original name.<br />Let me start off by telling you the events that led to me being known by this name. It was an ordinary afternoon at the place where I work. We all had finished lunch and were playing our usual pastime game Mafia. That evening we had a guest, Karthik Vasudev Shankar. I referred to him as a guest, since he is not seen everyday during lunch as he is working all the time(I guess all people named Karthik are hard working people!!!!). Well his presence put our conductor and the game into a lot of trouble. There was a lot of confusion due to the same name shared by us. The conductor, in order to distinguish between us started to call him as Othlaa. All thanks to my fellow RDX mates(they had their eyes closed) they thought that I was the one who was being referred to as Othlaa. From then on I guess they completely fell in love with the name. In spite of the hard work I do, I came to be known as Othlaa from that day on.<br /><br />To be frank, it was not plesant to be known as Othlaa in the beginning. But as time passed by,I got used to this name. Now a days our whole gang is popularly known as the Othlaa gang, thanks to the hard work we do in the office and the harder partying that we do outside office. And I am sure that none of us have any regrets about the turn of events<br /><br />HAIL THE OTHLAA GANG !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Karthikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05223955358873039025noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7661417517813100825.post-43365267679365946022007-01-18T16:04:00.000+05:302007-01-18T16:18:07.183+05:30Oops!!! What did I do????Well, this was what i thought after hearing people's reaction when I told them that I started my own blog. I have no idea as to why their reactions were so weird(or at least they seemed to be weird to me). Some people actually thought I was jobless, which led to starting a blog. To tell you the truth, all this happened because of a few people and their blogs. This blogging idea seemed somewhat interesting and absorbing. So here I am with my own blog trying to pen down a few thoughts. However I hope this dosent become a case of "Arambha Shuratva" and I continue blogging.......Karthikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05223955358873039025noreply@blogger.com4