25 Things About Me

For non facebookers..

1. The beach used to be my second home during my engineering. I was there on over 250 days during my third year.

2. Contrary to what people think, i don't like all movies. In fact, over the last year, there are barely a handful i liked.

3. My iPod has great sentimental value for me. It was the first thing i bought for myself with my salary.

4. I have sung two consecutive years at the Thyagaraja Aradhana in Thanjavur. I'm not kidding.

5. Beer is my favourite beverage. Heineken is my preferred brand.

6. I think it is okay to lie if the truth will hurt the concerned person more at present.

7. Quite a few of my friends think i am tin hearted cause i tend to be pretty indifferent at times.

8. I hate horror movies. Guys who watched Vaasthu Shastra with me will bear testimony to that.

9. I want to learn playing some musical instrument. Current inspiration is playing the guitar after watching Vaaranam Aayiram.

10. I am cricket crazy. I actually bought the Chennai Super Kings jersey for 2200 bucks.

11. I love Chennai. I think its the best city in the world.

12. I find it very hard to make conversation with people when i meet them for the first time. I'm a hoot after that.

13. I still speak only in movie names when i need to speak in Hindi.

14. My first crush was the biggest. I don't think I've ever had so many butterflies in my stomach the first time I've met anyone else. 

15. I've been abroad twice. My first trip was sponsored by my company, Yippeee!! Rio De Janeiro is on the agenda.

16. Music is an essential part of my day. I normally listen to about 3 tracks from my pod just before i sleep.

17. I tend to be very secretive about a lot of things, even to my close friends.

18. I have had big misunderstandings with almost all my friends at some point of time in the past.

19. I cannot drink water continuously i.e like *glug glug glug*

20. I think more people know me as Chandler than as Arun Chander.

21. I get very annoyed when someone corrects me, even if it is justified.

22. I love planning trips with the guys. I, in fact might do it for them even if i'm not joining them.

23. I used to be pretty sarcastic a few years ago. I've come a long way due to some persuasion (to put it lightly).

24. My bike is my most prized possession at the moment.

25. I wanna get started with my MBA soon. Work is getting monotonous.

A Week At Bengaluru

My visits to Bengaluru have risen significantly over the last four years, particularly over the last year since my sister relocated there.. Though i was born in Bengaluru (no, I'm not a kannadiga.. Very much a Tamizhian) I've never really grown fond of the place, in spite of the fact that they have better beer, better weather and a more picturesque atmosphere than Chennai..

Last week, i was sent to Bangalore on work based on the simple reasoning that since i was born there, i must know the city.. My boss was highly mistaken, i can't get to anywhere except Malleshwaram, Brigade road and Indra Nagar..

Moving on, i was there to meet some people there regarding two studies we were carrying out (I've been sworn to secrecy about what the studies involved, ping me in Private later for more details).. The first thing i realised this time was that the damn city has become hotter than Chennai.. I was so drained out after the first day that i slept 12 hours at a stretch and skipped dinner in the process..

To add to this, the people in Bengaluru were not so friendly to meet.. Most people i spoke to seemed constantly irritated and this didn't help the fact that i had a tough target (number of contacts to be made) to achieve.. What also didn't help was the Nilgiris guy calling me some 30 km away from the city to meet him and then when i get there, to have his assistant convey to me that he wasn't there then.. Highly frustrating work, i appeal to every one of you who wants to enter into consult to think about this before deciding..

The one good thing about market research though is that helps you lose your ego.. The guys you contact know that you are dependent on them and make you realise that when they speak (One gentleman from Britannia raised this bar to a new high for me).. The fact that you need to get your work done makes you swallow your pride and be courteous to him.. Good experience though.. The other big pluses were that i know Bengaluru pretty well now and can manage with my kannada a lot better..

One thing i noticed about the city is that a lot of people know Tamizh there, surprising given the anti Tamizh propaganda that is portrayed on TV.. This made travelling around the city easier.. My uncle's driver (talks only kannada) claims Chennai is not so friendly to tourists cause when he asked some auto guy here for directions, all he got was what he infers were profanities..