a for apple...b for ball...

Long names can cause enough headaches at times...especially if you are in the US of A, where we need to put our names in full..either it be your mail id, postal address, filling up forms..rule is..no initials allowed...its easy for Bruce Wills, George Michael, Elton John...but for some one with name Ajay Pathinettam Kandam...it can be hell of a job...
i dont disown my surname... it means a lot to me... i get a lot of respect and am honoured in my hometown because of the surname and i have my whole identity attached to it...

But here in US...its a different story... and the story starts with my name in the records...they missed an "N" in my name and in the client records it reads AJAY PATHINETTAM KADAM..
for them its just an alphabet less... but they dont realize that with the missing of an N they have made me a debtor...mallus who see my name would wonder PATHINETTAM "KADAM"??? they would have heard of Pathinettam Adavu...which of course means last resort..but Kadam?? that would be news to them...they might think..need to watch out for this guy or next thing he will do after shaking hands is..ask for money...cant blame them...my name says it all..and for the ease of processing, they combined the two words and made it pathinettamkadam...which made it even worse to read..even i had difficulty in identifying it...
at times am known as Mr Pathinettam, sometimes Mr Kandam and sometimes K, Ajay Pathinettam..by the time i return back to India, i would have juggled with my name in all the ways possible...and the trouble doesnt end here...
I had a problem with my client laptop and i had to call the support person..and of course they wanted to know my name....in full.. i said..
AJAY...Aae Jay Aae Yee.... Pathinettam Pee Aae tee...
voice from other side interrupted this lullaby...sir can u please spell it like "a" as in "apple"...i said to myself...oh God..I have to do this too...

I had to take my memory back to the kindergarten to remember what all objects we relate the alphabets with..but i dont have a memory so sharp..so had to create new ones...and i somehow managed...

A as in apple
J as in jackal
A as in "another" apple
Y as in youtube

P for pet
A as in apple
T as in tie
H as in hat
I as in India
N as in net
E as in eye -(e as in i ???)...eh..make it elephant..E as in elephant
T as in tie
T as in tie - that will be 2 T as in ties
A as in apple
M as in monkey - (i almost felt like one)

K as in kite
A as in apple
N as in net
D as in..eh.eh..yeah..DOG(should hav stressed more on it,to get rid of my irritation)
A as in apple
M as in monkey

that was a hard task for me..having to spell my name with apples, monkeys and dogs..

leave alone my full name...here people dont know to pronounce even Ajay..they call me Aey Jay...when i hear it..its like A J... next time when someone calls me the same..i should probably reply A Y...and say...yes ma'm thats how u spell my name...A J A Y

Unsaid love....

The moment i see you
my heart goes wild
And your smile, lits up
my entire life

The one thing i want to tell u
is that i love you
I am thirsty for your love
and only you can pacify it

Each time i see you
i want to say how much i love you
But each time i come near you
something pulls me back

I know you are my girl
and you can only be mine
But i fear a lot
that i might lose you

You are my inspiration
and you make my heart ticking
Without you near me,
life is like a moonless sky

Though there are many stars around,
you are the one destined for me
I just want to say,
please be mine forever...

something fishy for a saturday ;)

i had started hating weekends and myself...yeah..weekends are boring for me... with nothing to do other than watching movie online and chatting with friends... and now a day its restricted to movies alone as my best buddy has hardly time for chatting with me...how many movies can one watch in a day??? i was really fed up...i put down my computer specs(which i forcefully wear, as i spend even my weekends on this new age smart(idiot) box) and started thinking how to spend the remaining time..with the tennis court dampened by yesterdays rain and with no one for company to venture out, i was almost imprisoned in my own apartment..a self imposed imprisonment(as i didn't lookout for an opportunity to go out), aggravated by nature..

i said to myself..if things go at this rate, i ll lose my self and my jovial nature..felt like moving to darkness...its really horrible to spend time all alone, with nothing to do which interests u. One of my good friend used to complain abt being alone and feeling bored..she used to call me whenever she was feeling bored and i used to get bugged up with her calls..me being born and brought up in a nuclear family and with my parents always busy with their work, i was used to staying alone and minding own business..so i could never understand her, who was brought in a joint family...but now i realized how bad she would have felt on being alone..

but i was not to spend time brooding over the loneliness.. i was looking out for something exciting within the limitation of the four walls..and finally this idea struck me...cooking...i decided..am going to make fish curry...i know am not that good in cooking and its just 3rd time am entering in kitchen to make something on my own..but i was cool..and confident of finishing the entire dish myself in case my roomies find it hard to taste...

i really enjoyed cooking this time..was fun and there goes my special recipe...
1. coat fish pieces with lil turmeric powder, chilli powder and salt and keep it for some time.may be 10-15 mins.
2. fry these pieces in limited oil in a non stick pan. fry only till its color changes. keep in mind that u r making fish curry n not fry.
3. after taking out fish, saute thinly sliced onion till it turns brownish, then add ginger garlic paste, green chilli and mix well.add salt to taste. Then add turmeric powder, chilli powder, and garam masala and mix it well.
4. Add tomato and heat for some time, pouring 1/4 glass water and making it a paste.
5. Add the slightly fried fish and enough water so that the fish is dipped in the masala.
6. Keep the pan closed for 5-8 mins. then keep watching till the curry becomes slightly thick. turn off the cooking range and keep it closed for sometime.



the curry turned out to be far far better than i expected. it tasted good and was aromatic.. am still waiting for my roomies to arrive and comment on it..but for me..its an awesome dish..and am happy to have done something innovative and interesting in this otherwise boring day of mine...this has really given me the confidence to try out more in kitchen..but only after my roomies testifies it..i do care for their health and taste buds.. :D

nanni aarodu njan chollendu...

mallu's can easily relate to this topic...song from the movie Aham...where Mohanlal is aimlessly wandering and asking these unanswerable/unanswered questions to himself and to God... at 1:30am, sitting in front of my office laptop...even i was in the same mental state as he was...and few unanswerable questions popped up in my mind and the poet in me penned down those...i couldn't resist from writing these words and mailing these to my friends then and there.. more would have flown from my heart..but the angels of sleep didnt allow me to..



nanni aarodu njan chollendu...
2maasam munpe onsiteil ayacha PM inodo?
atho 3kollam munpe select cheytha HRinodo?
nanni aarodu njan chollendu....

nanni aarodu njan chollendu...
3project thalayil vachu thanna mangerinodo
atho thalavedana undakkunna offshorinodo??
nanni aarodu njan chollendu...

nanni aarodu njan chollendu...
ente urakkam keduthunna workinodo
atho enne njetti unarthunna issuesinodo
nanni aarodu njan chollendu....

nanni aarodu njan chollendu...
maari maari theri vilikkuna clientinodo
atho athu kettu theri vilikunna managerinodo
nanni aarodu njan chollendu???



i know these questions would have popped up in all onsite coordinators mind... :)


if my clients/managers/offshore happened to see this..pls take it in a lighter vein and not to be taken into account for my next appraisal.. ;) :D

and non mallus..please excuse..as this post could be written best in malayalam and only in malayalam.. :)