hey..logged in to Lil after a looong time....its metamorphose in to something...well..professional...no longer an alpha effort this Mandy & Gattu...fundu stuff all this...guess I am seeing history in making!!

I am really struck with how close knit the community on LiL seems to be...that and the level of trust between each other...i think this place is really special and differentiated...VC funding or not...mandy i think u guys really cracked it!!

only thing is that the page seems a little cluttered...i love the way google keeps things powerful & so clean and simple...mady..man with someone with your aesthetic sense you should've known better

all in all....new LiL rocks!!

came across this- JFK's inaugral speech...this the last line...zimply amazin..

"...With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God's work must truly be our own. "

logging into LIL after.....hmmmm...aeons i guess ) am begining to understand what Mr Rip van Vinkle must have felt....need to be working at this very moment...but that's probably why i AM at Lil at this time....the procastinator me

see a completely new set of people...some of them look interesting...some remind me of Orkut!!

>>Sugato...man u seem to have grown 'healthier'....seems like u r writing one too many restaurant reviews these days

>>Impulsive....where art thou? earlier one couldnt read through a couple of posts without tripping into yours...busy busy busy?

>>Zapper- u seem to leading an 'intersting life'...ahem!! dishing out more culinary disasters i guess

>>Canzo- hey..where r u? in Mumbai already?

>>Jha et al- I guess, they've got better things to do at Harvard...one place I guess i'll never get to see ;-(

>> Wanderer & Vinny- great going dudes...really cute features..way to go Lil

>>Nir- man..where are you...does the beer still taste that good at SPE? am terribly missing it yaar (SPE..n not the beer)

my first post in what seems like a million years! on the way back from office...stuck in a traffic jam...all roads might lead to rome..but rest assured that if you've taken one through bangalore then you'd much sooner see Elysium than Colosseum

how r all the people on Lil?
Mandy..I got the cointreau from aashwit..thanks dude..now i just need to get the tequila and i can dish out a better long island iced tea than SPE!
wanderer...wht r u up to these days? seem to be LiLing quite a lot!
Nir...does the beer still taste that good? its been ages since I had some!
Canzo...the 'slims' are finally ready for the market...if ny plans for bangalore then u can get a sneak preview b4 it hits the market btw..how did ur bombay trip go?
Impulsive...we all missed u at the reunion thingy!(esp KKP !!) wht r u writing these days?
The gal I used to fight with(oops..forgot her name!)- how r u..can we duel some again
God- where art thou? ur cell is perpetually switched off these days...busy preparing/giving a certain exam is it? ;-O
Jha- how r the salsa lessons coming along? made ny progress with/thanks to ur 'teacher'?!

coming to some lil experiences (cant end a post without one can I?)- well howz this- spent last 4 hours in a negotiation where there were 19 (yup..that's not a typo...n am not drunk..not today atleast) people sitting on one side of the table & two of us on the other...quite a david vs goliath situation..but boy some fun...and we literally ran circles around them!! am actually feeling rather good (other than an urgent impulse to pulverize the cab drive with 'horn happy' fingers next to our cab!)...

decided to spend the weekend with mom n dad before i push off to bangy...rite decision..
been hogging & sleeping like crazy since yesterday...gluttony & sloth-2 deadly sins commited in abundance i guess...but then god is supposed to be all forgiving (n i dont mean the 'god' that doesnt get a seat near an F23!!)

Woke up early in the morning like a good boy, dressed up, discovered I had an option of choosing between having my breakfast & getting late for office. Decided to opt for the former (like a good boy again ) and rushed off to office...only to get stuck in a traffic jam for twenty odd minutes. The ride that used to take me 10 min in Kol took me a full hour! Reached office three min. late only to discover I was one of the 1st people in (others were as unlucky as me as far as traffic jams go & not conscentious enough to miss the breaker)!
Discovered we had the monthly review today & was asked to attend it. It started at 10.00am & I experienced the effects of einsteinian time dilation...sadly for me, this was no thought experiment!
Met up everyone over lunch (my hands still ache from all the heavy duty hand shaking!). The lunch sucked big time...they had this green leafy dish which seemed to me like the freshly cut grass with some gravy!
Went back to the review (oh yes...it wasn't over) and promptly fell asleep on my chair. Lucky for people around me that I dont snore! All good things must come to an end...it's the bad ones that seem to go on forever!
Nyways, was herded from there to another meeting...with the Union members. Now that was fun. Just loved the verbal duelling involved in the whole negotiation. I think I'll like this part of my job.
Pushed off at seven & landed up at Dhruv n Chayan's place. Chit-chatted for quite a while before we discovered that we were hungry & not in mood to have their cook's grub. Off we went to Cunningham Road & decided to try out a place called Fresco's. Nice open air place which served Mediterranean grub (whatever that means!). We guys started telling bawdy jokes and got into a huge laughing spree... almost got thrown off from the place! Food was good and beer was better It had rained sometime back & the weather was heavenly. Felt like taking off my shoes & walking around the grass there bare feet. After debating with myself for a microsecond, did exactly that. Boy it felt lovely...wonder why people dont do such stuff often!
'Am back in my hotel room & trying to get to sleep (need to wake up early again...dont think it's gonna make me particulary wealthy or healthy!!).

1st day in new office...not so bad. The real work starts from tomorrow!

Today is my last day at Kolkata. I am leaving by the evening flight. I will come back one final time the coming week to pack up my stuff, get my farewell, wrap up my work and finally push off.So this is not my final goodbye to Kolkata, but this probably will be my last post on LiL from the 'City of Joy'!

It'a new life from tomorrow, a new set of people to engage with, a new set of challenges to grapple with and yes...a new routine to follow (one that necessiates waking up at 7.00 am)!There are many reasons why I should actually be happy about this movement (which btw I aggresively sought & got). However, at this
point, that's anything but what I am feeling.

I'll miss Kolkata. When I tell people that Kolkata is my favorite city they eye me in a funny manner, which
in turn I find rather funny because I really DO love this city and dont understand why anyone else wouldn't. Somebody once asked me for one reason why anyone would like this city...well let's see if i can come up with atleast five!

1. Evening/After-office life- absolutely rocks here. I mean what can beat having a place like SPE a hop & skip away from office! The whole experience of 'live' music and being able to party till 4.00 am in the morning (as against stupid 11.00 pm deadline in Bangy) is something else altogether.

2. Street food (chai-samosa)- found it varied & fun. ' Was never much of a fan of street food but over last year have become hooked to chai-samosas (which unfortunately haven't been too kind to my waist-line!) & kusum's kathi rolls. The food here is more varied (not just idli-dosa of Bangy) and agrees more with my palate. Moreoever Kolkata has that relaxed air about it which allows you linger just that little bit more over your chai without feeling guilty! I love that feeling.

3. City with a soul- that's how I'll always remember Kolkata. That is something I found completely missing in the plastic sleeknes of nouveau-riche Bangy. People here quote Tagore, go to classical concerts & plays, read books & in general seem more genuine and soulful to me.

4. Girls- now this may sound a little cheesy by the title but dont get me wrong. I feel Kolkata has the most beautiful women in the whole country. Note that I am not saying 'pretty'. Beautiful woman is not just pretty but also articulate, warm, intelligent & and yes...not fake or snooty. Kolkata girls are in a way different league if you consider all these in totality and that probably is the biggest reason why it's called the City of Joy

5. Bengali- which I feel is the most melodious of Indian languages.I love to hear it, especially as an animated conversation between a couple or two guys arguing over Cricket team composition. I love the Kolkata FM & the RJs when they chit-chat in Bong.I will miss it all the more on the way to my office@ Bangy where my ear drums will be hammered by weird kannada stuff!

As I wrap up this post, my 1st day here comes back to me like it was yesterday. A year & half has flown by and the medley of experiences I have gone through in this time flash back in my memory like some slideshow on a projector.....

I always thought that guys who cry are wimps, but as I write this final line, I have a teeny weeny bit of a tear in my eye....just kidding (or maybe not!!) )

nostalgically seeped,
RG

@dubey: where art thou?
folks here miss ur witty posts...hope all is fine n u r alive n kicking

Nir, the tool tip on the email envelope button needs to change to this : "Email me comments to this post" - wanderer

rg has funnily and queerly entrusted his laptop and his office chair to me.. not knowing what I could possibly be using it for! so Mr. LiL.. are we in for some mischief??

muhahahahahaha