Its TCS Velachery now ....... Wat Next ???

I guess my whining goes to the next level each time I start blogging out. But my employer (TCS) doesn't help my case in any bit... After a small stint at TCS Ambattur, I'm now shuttled out to Velachery. Although I feel that its good to explore a lot more options early in one's career, 3 Branch-location changes in 2 weeks is still something I haven't come to terms yet.

I feel the atmosphere is near perfect (just like the one I had in mind). The ambience and building aesthetics are worth a mention too. Anybody who frequents the Velachery road (which almost all S/W related dudes does) will find this Maroon-coloured building standing proudly with the banner TCS.

What didn't go well with me were a couple of issues.

1. The distance I have to travel - 55 KM (to and fro)
   
2. The canteen food.
   

I have managed to get accustomed to the long rides (though it gives a huge strain on my back). But the food is really pathetic. There are NO .. absolutely NO varieties. No taste in the food either. And the Rs.23 tag on the meals is totally unjustified with the items they provide. And what more... The makeshift canteen is currently situated in an alternate Car-Parking lot. Grrr.. I guess the new canteen (to be completed in a couple of months) should improve the situation.

From today, I vow to update my blogs twice a week. Its really hard to visualise all the events if there is such a huge gap between blogs. Cya soon.....

Reallocated to TCS-Ambattur

After a brief stint on the Bench (the Floor would be more apt) at TCS-JNR, the rest of the Nov-15 batch were asked to report at TCS-Ambattur to attend a test. I didn't have anyclue what it was all about.

When I learnt that the project was a TCS support group, I wasn't amused. I've never given it a thought and I spent the rest of the day deliberating whether to opt for the group or not. Be it fate or my destiny, I got selected into the group alongside Saigopal and Arun Thilak. I was atleast happy that I was not alone.

The main issue that plagued me was that I shouldn't be straight jacketed by opting to stay in SSG for long. But when Mr.Ashok assured me that there was no reason to worry and that choosing my career path would be up to sole discretion, I felt confident of taking the next step.

Also I did some reasoning out myself. Being put in a project right away, I wont be doing any good with my current programming skills. It would be better if I could increase all my competency levels before venturing into the projects area. So, I felt that SSG would be the best place for one to kickstart his career.

Right now my primary job is simple.. Learn !! Learn !! and Learn !! Nothing else. I haven't had much of an appetite for learning since my schooling days. But I guess all that is about to change in a short while !!

My first day in TCS-JNR

I was in for a big suprise on my first day at TCS-JNR (Vadapalani). I had imagined a warm welcome speech by the MATC walas and proper redirection by them. What happened on Nov-15th was nothing close to my expectations.

My day started at 10.00. I waited at the reception/lounge (with the other Sep-30th batch mates). To my dismay none came to even address us. I was a bit irritated. Around 11.30, our patience was tested to the max and we decided to meet the MATC wala. The matc lady was not even aware that a batch was to report on that day. (Baaah.. so much for competency levels) She then asked us to write down our skill sets and submit it to them (i wonder wat happened to that paper ????). She then told us to wait till 1400 hrs. Goodness me.. There was not even enough chairs for us. I was sitting on an elevated flooring for 2 hrs.

We had our lunch (the food is a hell LOT better than wat used to be served in Trivandrum) and reported to the matc again. Finally, at 1500 hrs she came out of her cabin and told us that we would have an official meetin with the area MATC officer the next day at 6 PM ( is it a nite party ???). That was it.. my First day in TCS.. something which i never expected. But i must say i'm a bit fortunate.. considering the fact that there are batches released from ILP, a couple of months ago and still awaiting a formal meeting with the MATC.

Ponmudi Trip

The last vacation on ILP was a trip to remember. Just one word could ever describe my experience at Ponmudi... Satisfying.

We started as a batch of 15... 6 from my Hotel (Prashanth, Vivek, Tarantula, Sowmya, Swati and I). We had gotten ready by 6 AM sharp. But the bus arrived only at 7.15 AM. We did have a light breakfast at Ariya Nivas. Then we picked up the gang from Saffaire lodge(Preethy, Thilak,Prathiba,Anu and the Telgu gang) and Peter(Sai) too. The trip to ponmudi was around 2 and a half hours. I slept for an hour though (and let the other take a pic of me in my meditation state). Ponmudi was similair to Munnar except that there were no restrictions in place. We could go where ever we want.
The lush green forest type scenarios and the sound of flushing water from a nearby waterfall would give me a thought if i was acting in an Indiana Jones movie. It was almost heaven. There were a couple of occasions when my Woodlands shoe let me down. Especially near the cement floor coated with moss. I literally skated my way down.Preethy sang a couple of tunes too(not the usual Sa-Pa-Sa ones)..

Then came the best trekking trip i ever had in my 21 yrs of existence. Though I wanted to rush up and reach the destination first up, I slowed up my pace in order to coax the gang (Preethy, Sai, Thilak and Anu) to reach the waterfall. But it was worth the trekking. The waterfall was a treat to the eyes. I couldn't resist the temptation to have a dip in the chill water below. Even though I didnt bring my trunks.. I took a lunge into the stream. And boy-0-boy. That was the moment I felt my 30 days of homesickness vanish into oblivion. I would have loved to spend a couple more hours at that place. But i guess it was already getting late (4.30 PM).

As for the casualities list.. It was our CR(Vivek) who topped the charts. He split his webbing near the toe and then fell from the stairs to bruise his elbow. Sowmya didi was the next.. she lost her balance a couple of times.. the 2nd fall was a really awkward one. I couldn't leave her alone after that nasty fall. Sowmya and I traced our way backwards to the jeep.

It was a bit sad when it dawned on me that it would be the last of our trips as a gang in ILP (we'll be boarding the train on Friday.. so no more weekends in trivandrum).But I was happy that I enjoyed my part in ILP. Bon Voyage.. I got my End Tests and Re-Pre tests tommorow. I guess my next blog would be composed in Chennai ...Muahahaha.. Till then.. Good bye..

Diwali Bash

This is perhaps the first Diwali, I haven't been with my family or relatives. But it didn't disappoint me one bit. I had bought some crackers the day before. Rockets, Flower pots, 200-bar...

The best part was the Nite-Disco we had at Chaitram(KTDC). It was stunning. I didn't really think I would find myself tapping to a few tunes on the dance floor. We couldn't control our laughter too. I was suprised to find the entire gang come to life when the song "Appadi Podu" from Gilli was played by the so-called DJ. I danced with almost all the pals i could find. Prashanth, Vivek, Karthik, Vishal, Ashish, Bhibha, Keya, Sachin (the one who pulled me in)... the list goes on and on. Even the pult danced for a while (hahahahaha). Sai gopal gave a small cameo for the last tune.

After the party, we started to burst crackers.. and what a show it was.. The 25-shot rocket.. the Mega burster. Whistle/Bomb rockets. It was a treat for the eyes... something to cherish when i'm nearly 15 hrs from home. All in all it was one of the best Diwalis I ever had

Movies at a glance (ILP)

Gajini

This was the 1st movie is saw upon arriving at Trivandrum for ILP. Surya, Asin and Nayanthara played the lead roles. It was a nice movie. Defenitely worth watching it once. Though its a copy of the english movie "The Memento"... it was a new venture in the Tamil industry. Getting tickets for this movie proved to be the biggest hassle. It took me close to 90 minutes to get the movie passes. Argh.. (when compared to Satyam)

The Legend of Zorro

I never had any intent of watching the movie on the 1st day of release. It was more like a last minute decision. I was damn tired upon reaching Hotel after a gruelling day of training. When i saw the banner of Zorro... I wanted to have a break.. Prashanth , Vivek and I decided to go for the movie.
It was a nice sequel. I should say Catherine looked stunning. And without doubt.. Banderas did his acrobatic sequences to perfection. The best of all was Zorro Jr's (Antonio's son) mischievous acts. All in all 8.5/10 wud be a good score for this movie.

Sivakasi

My goodness me.. The worst ever movie i have seen in quite sometime. I thought being a diwali release, the movie should have some masala worth watching.. But it turned out to be a fiasco. I guess Vijay is back to his original ways. Flopping..

Posted at Chennai

Finally... The Rock Is coming back to........ C H E N N A I (the crowd cheers)....

Ya... the MATC (TCS Allocation Dept) has published our allocation results. I had earlier chosen my preferences..

1. Chennai
2. Hyderabad
3. Bangalore

I was banking on the fact that even though only 46 vacancies were there in the Sep 26th batch 100 odd managed to get chennai as their Centre. As for my batch (Sep 30), we had 56 vacancies (for 275 students). And Oh boy... My joy knew no bounds when my pal, Rama confirmed that I was allocated to chennai.

Its more of a relief after the initial ruckus created by the T-77 Batch. And to top it all.. that MATC lady Sheena announced that the allocation details would be published only on a couple of days before we finished our ILP. Grrrr... wat crap.. Glad that the issue was played down and didnt reflect too much on our allocations.

Some pals sadly didnt get their preferred centres.. Swati opted for Delhi but was allotted Pune ahead of Delhi and Mumbai. Ismail and Aditya (SVCE, CSE) got Mumbai instead of Chennai.

Well.. I can finally live the way i want. Work .. Play .. Party .. Yipee.. 2 more weeks.. I'll be in Home sweet Home..

The Mistaken Birthday

Just a week back, Shail Vora celebrated his 22nd Birthday. We (Prashanth, Vivek, Rama and I) bought him a gift and he treated us with ice creams and milkshakes... It was an occasion to remember. The earlier night had been a fiasco (the Midnight Birthday Party) and suprisingly my name was forwarded to the Manager of Lal-Tourist-Home as the person to take the blame (thankfully.. the issue didn't explode at all). Thats when Swati (didi) told me that she was to celebrate her birthday in excatly 7 days time... the 25th of Oct.

I didn't forget it and made sure to wish her first up. But when i hit the sack on the 24th (10 PM), I went into a deep state of meditation to reach my higher level of concsience (in short.. I slept). Prashanth and I ensured that we wished her before we started for work. And we did.......

Prashanth and I : Happy Birthday Didi
Swati : Birthday ???
I : Ya... isn't it not ??
Swati : No
I : But I thought you said your B'day was due on 25th of Oct when Shail was celebrating his.
Swati : Oh.. I was just Joking...
Prashanth and I : !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Swati : What happened ?
I : (to Prashanth) Ok da.. Lets give her the gift anyways.....
Swati : Awwwww (blinked like a bulb)

Well she promised us a REAL treat for a FAKE birthday.. And a treat it was.. At Ariya Niwas. Yum Yum.. Thanks Didi...

Munnar Trip

Having made pals with a lots of batch mates and hotel mates... it was easy to settle in. And the MUNNAR TRIP was instrumental in getting to know my pals a lot better. Especially Ashish, Shewaaz, Prashanth, Vivek, Swathi, Neha... Lots of others..

We started on Friday Night at 10 PM. I was already dead tired for i hadn't slept well in the past 4 days. So i slept off admist all the Hindi and Punjabi numbers playing at a high volume. I gotup the next day around 6.30 AM to find myself staring at a green patch of a hill top smeared with Clouds. It was a pleasant way to start the morning. We checked in at Munnar Tourist Home (MTH) and then started out to a couple of locations. I should admit that i wasn't all that satisfied on what was my First visit to Munnar if it hadn't been for the Kwel Speed-Boat ride later in the day. I was expecting a lot of trekking and a lot more fauna to be found. All i got to see was a pitiful mountain goat (Blah Blah). But the Boat Ride changed my mood for the better. It was another FIRST for me... On a speed Boat. I felt the lake beneath us... It was ****ing COLD. My fingers got numb for the next 12 hours.

The next day we started for ALLEPEY for the most boring part of our Trip.. The Backwater boat ride. Baah.. 3 Hrs of hell watching only water and coconut trees. We returned at 10 PM and i almost immediately dozed off. Need some rest before ILP resumes on Monday. Syanora

Life at TCS, Trivadrum (ILP)

I guess its been a while since i last posted. All thx to my ILP at Trivandrum. I arrived at Trivandrum on the 28th of September. I got my accomodation at Lal Tourist Home (Near the Central Station). I happened to know 2 other SVCEans who accompanied me to the Hotel. One was Keerthana a.k.a Tarantula and the other was Prashanth (never seen him before). I spent a lot of time familiarising with all the batch mates as well as other pals. Prashanth, incidentally my room mate too, was a nice guy with an attitude similair to mine. We got along well right from the time we met at the station.

ILP started on Sep 30. It was new experience and i should say the speech by Col.Nair was really a enlivening if not enlightening one. Prashanth and I started experimenting all the nearby hotels in the area... THAT proved to be my own undoing. i got ill as well as started coughing profusely (an irritating one). I took me a week to regain my my health back. The latest info is that... there is a talk abt a visit to munnar. Lets see how it goes......

TCS Training has been Advanced !!!

Ahhh. I was actually scheduled to join Trivandrum for ILP (Initial Learning Program) by TCS on Oct 10th. Well thats what i had planned for for a couple of months. Even the travel arrangments have been made. Now with less than a month to go, TCS announces that the training modules have been rescheduled as well as the duration of the ILP significantly reduced. I'm now required to join on the 30th of September (thats just 15 days away !!!). I've no choice but to speed up my packing process (a really long one). I've just sorted out my certificates as well as documents. Now time for another round of purchases as well rescheduling my train tickets.

This is the one thing which i HATE about Indian companies. They really dont care about inconveniences of the employees and treat them like cattle. Arghh. Somethings never change.

School Pics

I just thought that i'll upload my school pics here. Some of my most cherished moments.
In case you have studied in DAV Sr Sec, Annanagar. Do check out your pals. hehe. For your info lemme just identify the class teachers.

First Pic : My 5th Std Pic. The Class teacher was Mr.Chandran. He was our Science teacher and was damn funny. He used to tell stories abt anything and everything. 99% he would end up digressing from the syllabi. I should say one of the nice teachers i've known in my schooling days. One more info was .. This was the last year that DAV saw coeducation in the primary level.

Second Pic : My 6th Std Pic. The Class teacher was Mrs.Rajavalli, our Tamil teacher. It was during the time when DAV matric occupied a small part of DAV CBSE (they had no building then) She was the 1st teacher who scared me with her looks (Really dude .. and ofcourse my pal Vetri was scared too). The one thing which comes to my mind in this class is I FLUNKED for the 1st time in my life. Argh.

Third Pic : My 7th Std Pic. The class teacher was Mrs.Jeyashree Laksmanan. I think she took Math for me. That was the year i start to play badminton. A newbie into the field.

Fourth Pic : My 8th Std Pic. The class teacher was P.Vijayalakshmi .. incidentally another Tamil teacher.

Fifth Pic : My 10th Std Pic. The Class teacher was the ever sweet Mrs.Vanaja Vimal. She'll also chit chat to glory. But her classes used to be pleasant. Unlike the Social Sciences (especially) and English classes taken by You-Know-Who. Hehe.

The 6th and 7th Pic was taken in my 11th and 12th. I had shifted to DAV Matric Mogappair. I could sum up my experience there in just one word. JAIL. Hehe.. Thats wat it was. But i really don't grieve on that for it was only due to that strict (a bit too over) methods, I found myself in a decent college.

Tomm is Vinayaka Chaturthy

Hoho..

I really cant believe that a year has passed so soon from last years festival. I can still remember shopping for the fest last year (Tho it was a long story). Today, I bought all the goodies too. Still I havent started to play Badminton. Thats what worries me. Its just a month more before i join TCS. I wont have much time after that :(

I was tracking the India-Newzealand match on the net (No set top box). Argh. The CHOKER tag for the Indian's is well deserved. They cant even defend a score of 270+

Okie now. Mom has already warned that i should get up before 8.AM for atleast Vinayaka Chathurthy. So without much delay... Adios.

Just a start

Hmmm... i shud say that i've missed a lot by my ignorance to google the power of a blog.. But neverthless.. Never too late. To start off things with.. I'm just before my computer at 3'o Clock thinkin if i shud continue posting or hit the sack.. ;) But i guess i'll continue.

Oopps.. Never good manners to start off something without a nice intro.. Hehe.. Okie.. I'll do the formalities.

My name is Raaja. From... haha u guessed it.. Chennai.. The beautiful place god ever created in India. I finished my schooling in DAV, Annanagar. I've just completed my engineering (B.Tech) in the field of Information Technology from SVCE (In case you didnt know wat it meant - Sri Venkateswara College of Engineering)

My passion. Hmmm. The first thing that comes to my mind is Badminton. I love that game to the Max. I've represented my college on a few occasions. Right now practicing at a nearby club.

I'm currently selected via campus interviews for TCS. Training is due at Trivandrum on Oct 8th. I'm doin a bit of shopping for my necessities. Yesterday me and my mom went for shopping. We went to Purasawakam (Sri Krishna Cut Piece Collection). Got some nice formal wear.

Ok guys.. I think i'm into overtime. Good nite for now.