Social Influence

There was a time when I would blog. Then I would scrap. Then a Facebook status update and today I tweet

Trips to Kolkata

I moved from Kolkata last year July. Moved back to July.
From July till date, I have made 3 trips to Kolkata, thought of putting that down.

Trip No. 1 that I want to write about happened in September. This was a trip that I had planned for long. I was to go to Kolkata for a week with my parents. The objective was to relocate my house-hold belongings, which were still there, in Kolkata.

So, all planned and Jet Airways tickets were purchased and I was all set to fly. A few days before my flight, I was told that I had to be in Bangalore, in the week that I had planned to be in Kolkata.

So, I flew out of Delhi with my parents, was in Kolkata on Saturday and Sunday, and Monday early morning took the first flight out, to Bangalore. While I was in Bangalore, my parents took care of my belongings, packed them and sent them off.

I returned on Saturday and on Sunday left for Delhi. What a Kolkata trip.

Trip No. 2.
In February 2010, I decided to visit Kolkata. Well my apartment was lying vacant and I needed to look and see what shape it was in. I also wanted to meet and visit my project. With this in mind, I set off for Kolkata on 20th February 2010.
Entered a dirty apartment and caught hold of the sweeper and asked her to clean the place and make it live-able. Shelled out 250 rupees and the basic dusting , sweeping was done.
On 23rd February went to the IBM DLF Building and met the team.
On 25th February went to CitiCenter for lunch at Kaafila.
On 26th February played Holi in office. My laptop bag still has some color on it. That was fun.
On 4th March went for Lunch at BBQ Nation.
On 4th I was requested to stay back for 2 weeks and meet the Project Head who would be visiting from Bangalore. I opted to go back to Delhi and return in a week.
On 7th March, I left Kolkata by Duronto Express and reached Delhi on 8th March.

Trip No. 3

By far the most memorable one. I left Delhi by Indigo on 14th March morning.
For lunch I had Maggi.
I was so full , that I skipped dinner and went to bed early.
With day light savings time having kicked in all calls were happening an hour earlier. Monday came home early (9PM). On Tuesday went to CitiCenter2 in Rajarhat and saw Kolkata Knight Riders loose their match in Eden.
Saturday was a lovely day, spent with the team in ManiSquare, having lunch, visting the SCARY HOUSE, Bowling - A lovely trip.

Facebook and more

The last six months of my life has been ruled by Facebook.
The games (dont know why they call them applications) are addictive.
I have had nightmares that my crops had withered, my fishes had died and my pet had run away.
Now I have decided, just a few mor days - and I will stop the game playing. I will now plant my crops in real pots/ land, have a actual aquarium and have a real pet. And with this, I will try and get my life back - get back to reading, watching movies , web surfing etc etc.

Hope this works

Back Home

In July, I came to Delhi for a 2 week vacation and found my mother in a bad shape, in the hospital. I had to take a decision - I asked for a relocation to Delhi.

Work...

Its tough to say what really happened. I dont know. The applications were not stable; too much going on - life became a mess. Days / Nights attending calls.

A Good Thing - I am single and ready-to-mingle.

I asked to be released after having been up for more than 48 hour at a stretch.

A recap of the last 1 year

A lot has happened - many things.

In Kolkata , I moved from the rented Salt Lake House to my own apartment on Jessore Road. Diamond City North - North Kolkata's (one of the) biggest residential complexes. With a mall also in the complex.
When I moved in, the basement of the mall was being worked on.

Anyway, I had shifted into the new apartment, right after Diwali last year, 1st November 2009.
Stayed in the apartment among mosquitoes and scattered luggage for over a month, till I was a bit settled.

Also I got my car - A Maruti Swift.

And then worked started.

I am back

I had expected to be regular but somehow it did not work out. A lot many things have happened, so I could not just make it.

Hopefully now onwards I will be regular.

Durga Puga (Ashtami)

Now let me to come to one of the most memorable events this Puja.
Morning, I decided to work from home - it wasnt a holiday.

So I went to BJ Block for Ashtami Anjali.




After the anjali I was home. Phone calls/ emails/ quick lunch later, at 3 PM Sougata came over. We were supposed to go Puja pandal hopping along with Fever 104 FM.

After an hour long wait at the center in DLF, we were taken in a bus to see the Radio station sponsored pandals.
First stop - FD Block Salt Lake. We all had snack packets (sandwich, samosa) and a gift (a wall clock - which refuses to work and I have given up on it).
Any way, nextstop was Telengabagan. NearUltadanga, they could not stop there , so off to Ahiritola, near Shobha Bajar.

Telengabagan













We walked to the Ahiritola pandal and went through the VIP entrance, and on our way back to the bus, lost our ways - but still managed to find our way out.











From Ahiritola, through many lanes , one way roads, we reached Sealdah Athletic. We walked to the pandal.










The theme here was Satyajit Ray's movie Hirak Rajar Desh a.

We walked back to Sealdah Station. At the station we were told that the next stop was Deshapriya Park, but because of the rush on the roads they would not be able to make it there. That is why they would return to Rajarhat. That worked for me, but I suddenly decided to get off , take a cab and head off to Salt Lake. Afterall, I wasnt really interested in a bus ride all the way through crowded roads.



On the way home, a colleague called me and I said I was on my way to Salt Lake and I would meet him. Meet him, I did in front of Mishras. He was drunk. We were out to Pandal hop, but somewhere either I lost interest or because of 'him', I returned home.

Durga Puja 2008 (Saptami)

Saptami was a Monday. We had planned to Puja Pandal hop and along with another colleague, we went to FD, Labonny, DL Block and finally had lunch at KFC, Citi Center.
Before going to FD I heard a lot about this year's FD Block theme. Was not sure what it was meant to be. There is half a globe, with a bus on it. After visiting the pandal, I am equally confused. I think it was supposed to be global warming.




Labony had a Oriya trbal theme and DL Block was trying to depict Arjuna winning Draupadi (I could not catch on, had to read about it)

Durga Puja 2008 (Sashti)

Durga Puja was nice. On Sashti (6th day) I had planned to go out with a friend. All was fine , till around 2:30 PM it decided to rain. Rain it did - heave rains for about 1 1/2 hours. So did not get to leave my house before 4:30 PM.

BJ Block Puja was celebrating their 25th Jubilee , and that was my first hop.



Then on many other pandal, all in Salt Lake. Trudging through the rain, we went through many other Salt Lake pandals.

Initially we were planning a route - this pandal, then this etc. etc. but finally nothing materialized (the plans) and we went on.

BE block was great. They had used coconuthusk for everything - even the Durga.






Then there was the 'Thai Durga'. No, it wasnt Thai, we just named it Thai Durga. It had a buddhist touch.



We were around till 8 when it started drizzling again - light drizzle, and I rushed home. Office nextday, didnt want to take a change.

BK Block (Theme : Dashamahavidya) was the last pandal we visited that day.

After a long period, I am here....

Hmmm.....6 months have passed since I last wrote. A lot has happened in the last 6 months. Personal losses - a dear aunt passed away. My mother's eldest sister. She was 74. She had had a cerebal attack.
On the work front , things are getting bad. Extremely hectic, odd work hours!

Durga Puja was nice. An interesting way to spend it.Went around Pandal hopping. From Saptami till Dashami, all days I was out, either with friends or without. Will write later abt what all happened during Puja.

Around Puja time, actually last day of September 2008, i gave notice to my landlord in Salt Lake, to move into my new apartment on Jessore Road, Kolkata.

Burning............

I am fuming. fretting, burning.............
What more should I say

I have no water in my house. My landlord says there is no water, so he cannot start the water. Now my just his house in the entire CJ block in Salt Lake is affected, I have no clue.

AC is leaking. The AC man is just refusing to make an appearance.

TV is out for the last one week - all that i getfrom these people is, we are on our way. For the last 4 days.............???

I am just FRUSTRATED

Fever (Root Cause Found?)

Hopefully the root cause of fever has been found. I have had fever for 3 weeks - upto 102 F.
It was getting so bad, that in the 3rd week of March I had to rush to Delhi.
After 2 weeks I came back, went to the doc who told me to give blood (again......) when I had fever.
They found Malaria.
Now Malaria drugs - chloroquine and primaquine are on along with the other medicines and antibiotics.
Hope this helps.