'A Happening Month'!

Its almost a month that I blogged about any interesting events in my day-2-day life! I wanted to blog but somehow 'diverted' my thought to some other work. Being a constant blogger, I feel that I miss something if I do not blog! :-) Back to typing my thoughts using this keyboard, the last 1 month just went by with some interesting things in my life. 1. My 1st interesting thing is: My better half (my life and wife!) got an interview call from a very well known Food maker of this country, the MTR Foods. MTR => Mavalli Tiffin Room, a small eatery joint (completely Vegetarian!) started in 1924 by the Maiyya family in Bangalore, is a very well known restaurant in South Bangalore and its foods are very popular all over the country. Even today we need to make reservation for lunch/dinner. The delicious and very famous Rava Idli was invented by MTR. Lot more about MTR can be told that brings proud to we Bangaloreans! And its also pride that my better half got a Microbiologist job in this esteemed company! The HRD of MTR was so professional in their approach of calling for interview, the interview process and offering the job letter. I visited MTR foods manufacturing division on the day when my wife' was called for interview and I was impressed by how the security staff treated the visitors and how courteous they were in offering coffee to all the visitors! I would love to see their production line of one/many foods but unfortunately, public are not allowed to enter the production area. But all-in-all, I am very proud of this great Veggie company. One has to see how a pure Veg company can survive and make its brand known to each and every person in this country!! 2. The 2nd interesting thing is: I made a quick visit to the Lord of Seven Hills, Lord Venkateshwara @ Tirumala, Tirupathi. Thanks to my bro-in-law (My dear wife's younger brother) who is flying to USA for pursuing his Master's degree; he sponsored all of us to a visit to this Lord. It was just 2nd day of the Shravana month (Saturday night/Sunday morning) and we stood nearly for 3 hours in a queue to get the darshan tickets! We stood at 0320hrs in the early morning, the queue counter opened at 0500hrs and we finally got the tickets at 0630hrs. This was for 0900hrs darshan of the Lord. But that 3hrs we spent were very bad. The queue was on the road and luckily there was no rain on that night! There is no basic facilities provided for the visitors who queue up for the ticket and no shelter in case of rain! In front of us were around 200 people and the biggest joke is only 1 computer was running this show for nearly 500 people who were standing in the queue! TTD, is a group who's revenues is comparable to Microsoft or HP or IBM, is responsible for providing facilities to the devotees who throng to this place from every corner of India and the World. Instead I don't understand why they neglect the devotees and what do they do with so much money? This is a million-dollar question, something that the concerned citizens of India need an answer! Anyways, we got the Lord's darshan at the said time (thanks to not so much people in the queue, luckily and very surprisingly!) and we were out of the temple by 1000hrs with the world famous Prasadam Laddus. 3. Coming to the 3rd interesting thing, last week I got an award from my manager, in relation to the Dubai project. This time, due to some reorg, there is a new manager's manager in place and he had a different style of giving away the awards to the employees. Previously the employees used to get the award on a very surprising day in our e-mail and attached to the mail would be a certificate! I have received this twice in my less than 2 years in HP. Now, the new manager wanted to celebrate this as an 'Award Ceremony' and almost 100 people from our division gathered in a floor and then the manager started calling names of the awardees to come in the middle and collect the awards! Frankly speaking, I expected the award in a remote corner of my mind :-) and true to my 6th sense (what I call it when I think something and it happens!) my name was called by my manager and I was appreciated for the Dubai project's good and successful effort and handed over a very nicely laminated certificate; all in the middle of around 100 colleagues and many senior managers/architects! I felt very happy and owe this to the god whom I always believe and have faith, to my dearest parents and to my dearest darling wife! :-) This award also carries a small cash component and truly, more than this cash component, I am happy that I am recognized and awarded in the middle of so many people! This, is one of the real motivation steps for any person :-) 4. This is very interesting for me, as this is my passionate initiative that I hope to take on BIG in due course of time. This is related to Gift Your Sight - My Eye Pledging/Donation Awareness Initiative. Last year I wanted to host a camp in my company for which I approached CSR club of my company and for some days things went very positive. I even spoke to Lions International to organize the camp and things were set..but not done! Due to some stupid Admin procedures, nobody took interest to pursue further and this plan died. But 2 weeks back suddenly, one of the CSR members contacted me and told that this camp has to happen and they told that full support will be given for this. Hence, I kicked off this activity by first approaching my long time eye clinic (Prabha Eye Clinic) where I am a long time patient of my beloved Dr. K R Murthy, who very recently left us for a one-way eternal journey to god's place. Here, I am currently being assisted by a very nice doctor to set up a camp in our office. Wait for more updates in the coming days and weeks...:-) 5. Last but not at all the least, is the 4th interesting thing. I started walking daily. Ah, so stupid right, as I was walking before and no big deal in this...But hold on, there is a big deal...:-) This walking habit is done in early morning, getting up at 0540hrs and then getting ready for walk, leaving home by 0600hrs and after 30-35 minutes of walking, kissing and getting kissed by the early morning cool breeze, I come home by 0640hrs. Good right! :O) Yeah, good habits are always very difficult to be picked up where as its just damn easy to leave good and take up bad! So, wish me good so that I continue this good habit for as long as possible! :-) Good day folks and I hope lot more new and interesting things might happen in my life, in the due course of time! :-)