Google, I am lost

I have not been able to access "Google" from office since Wednesday.
You think "big deal, uh!" ?
But trust me, it, is a "BIG DEAL".

Today I tried accessing Google for searching the below and much more which I cannot recollect.
1) Qantas airways website
2) Testing parameters
3) Mumbai Airport Website
4) Checklist for home renovation
5) Wikipedia (Can you believe? I search for Wikipedia URL also through Google)

And when every time Google took me to the "We're sorry" page, I didn't know what to do.Didn't even think of typing the likely URLs in the address bar and just giving it a shot.I did try Yahoo, MSN and Altavista but then they are not the same as Google. My eyes are so tuned to the Google website that any other search results do not make sense. I realized, Google has turned me into a handicap when it comes to finding stuff on the Internet.

And the last line on their "We're sorry" page says "We apologize for the inconvenience, and hope we'll see you again on Google". Are you joking? I will be accessing your URL every 10 mins to check "just in case you are back". I have so much to search.

To my lost comrades

I lost touch with some when I moved from one place to the other due to my father's job, with some after school, some after college, some after changing jobs, some after changing cities, some after fights, some after misunderstandings and some just like that.

With some,I lost touch gradually and with some others it was abrupt. With the ones I lost touch gradually, initially we exchanged letters, then phone calls and emails, then just emails, and then the silence.

Most of them are just a email/phone call away but there is still a very big distance in between. Not sure what that distance is about and why it got created. I guess, its just because people move on to newer places and hence new people.I do hear about them once in a while, sometimes from group-mails , sometimes from someone's orkut profile or sometimes from some new friend.

Sometimes I do feel like getting back in touch but then I know that things won't be the same again.

So, this post is for all my lost comrades-I am glad we met,talked,listened, laughed,cried, fought-made up-fought, helped, ignored and much more.

Life would not have been worthwhile without you guys.

Goodbye X

31-Jan-2008 will be my last working day at X (my current company). I have been with X since 2000. I have worked for another company before joining X, but X has been my first job in the true sense. The rich experience at X has shaped me into a good professional. I have had my share of issues with X, however deep down I know, I have a lot to be happy about, thanks to X. Today as I sit and think about the few issues that I have had, I realize that the issues are almost neligible compared to what I have gained from X in the last 8 years.

I am going to miss being part of X, I am going to miss ...

1) The "brand X" - I have been enjoying the "Brand X" for the last 8 years. Wnenever I told people that I worked for X, I would more or less get these responses/expressions-
Older generation - "acchhi bacchi" (proud)
College going -"wow!"(but she looks so "non-corporate" kinds)
Friends, "well, okay.."
Relatives "uh! so what"
Strangers "okay" (so she must be worth something).

I am going to miss the "brand X" a lot.

2) The "speed of operation" at office - Being in this company for 8 years, I know the processes in and out, I know from whom/where I can get what information. I know the right channels, the right people who can help me. This has increased my "speed of operation" tremendously over the last few years. So I got to spend more time in adding real value to the work rather than
getting stuck in the operations.

I will miss this "speed of operation" - atleast till I achieve the same in the new company.

3) My employee number - after I joined X, the company added more than 50,000 employees to its rolls, so my employee number shows that I am an "old timer" at X. Some people in the company admire that while others think of us oldies as "jerks who cannot get any other job".
But I always took pride in being one of the oldies at X and I would definitely miss that.

4) The beautiful campus, the sprawling lawns, the facilities, the huge library,the very efficient support systems and staff.

5) Bulletin Board - Definitely the saviour of my "bench" days. Though I have hardly contributed to it, I have spent a lot of time reading movie reviews, jokes, poetry, matrimonial ads, general discussions and most importantly the fights :-) I have immense respect for X for providing such an open platform for expression of ideas and feedback.

I will miss being part of such highly intellectual and creative group of people.

Although I will not be an employee of X after 31-Jan-2008, X will always remian "my company".

"Library" of plants

"Plants Library" - I saw this advertisement on my way to work today.
What it means is - library of potted plants from where one could rent plants. rent plants? Although an interesting concept, I found it quite weird. Why would someone rent plants? Just to decorate their house?Renting plants just for decorating and changing them after some time somehow does not fit in my scheme of things. I am neither a great lover of plants nor a great gardener, however when I do pot a plant I somehow get attached to it, it becomes a part of my home. I cannot give it away just like that unless my balcony is overcrowded or the plant is not doing well.

I fail to understand what satisfaction one would get by renting a plant for few days and then replacing it with the next one. It may satisfy the eyes for some time but what about the satisfaction of seeing a plant that you potted grow to its fullest potential.

It may sound stupid to some, but to a certain degree I feel the same about books. I usually buy the books that I read and very rarely borrow from the library. Along with the words in the book, I enjoy the smell of the new book and the feel of the fresh pages.

Did someone say, there is a "library" of sarees too? Sure, only if Shabana Azmi, Satya Paul and Shaina NC are members :-)