Team dinner

Every quarter the teams out here go out for dinner. Last quarter we went bowling and had a quiet dinner. This time work pressures ensured that we skipped the bowling and just went for the dinner directly.

Dinner was at Jalsa, which is in Marathahalli. I had originally inteded to take the bike to work, but dropped the idea. But, we had enough of bikes and so there wasn’t a problem.

Regarding my bike, the Bajaj service centre really seems to have screwed something up and the pickup has dropped and so has the top speed. Now, am hunting for a local mechanic out here. There are a few in Bellandur and Sarjapur area where I intend to give the bike. Let’s see…

Jalsa is a moderately priced place, designed in a very Indian setting from the times of the kinds of old. I stuck to starters as I usually do when I am out for dinner. Who wants the non-chicken part, right?

Got a lift back home thanks to a colleague who was passing this way.

Weekend Movie and Shopping

Last week, Vincent and me made up our minds, bought the tickets and headed off to watch G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, which turned out to be a good movie to watch. Bernard, who was bunking with me for the month, also headed off back to Mumbai, so I once again have my room to myself.

And, last Sunday, we went over to Oasis mall for lunch, followed by shopping at Spar. Whenever we go shopping, we end up spending a bomb

We picked up tonnes of stuff resulting in a very well stocked fridge. Also, got myself a tin opener finally, so its cheese time as well. We picked up a packet of pork sausages as well, but they weren’t as tasty as the ones I get in Mumbai.

Pizza Hut and shopping

We decided to go off to Pizza Hut today as well. Owning a visa card ensures that we get our pizza really cheap and within 600 bucks you can get a pizza, drinks, garlic bread and a Caesar salad.

We dropped into Star Bazaar as well and I have realized that it is a better place to shop than Spar. There are better offers and the prices are lower as well. We did a fair bit of shopping, especially for extension boards. The ones we had already were with two pin plugs resulting in no ground, which isn’t really good for electronics like laptops etc.

Am also hunting for a low end microwave, only for heating purposes. Unfortunately, Chroma didn’t have it either. Any suggestions for those who are from Bangalore?

Tomorrow I plan to get some work done from home. But, tonight, I need to sleep!

Instead we decided to go to Spar in the Oasis mall, which is walking distance from our place. Well, it is walking distance when you are going there, not when you’re laden with bags on your way back.

We ended up doing tonnes of shopping (our highest ever) and had to take a rick back home. The plus point is that now we have a fully stocked fridge with fruits and basic vegetables. We haven’t attempted non-veg as yet.

This has also ensured that I could eat corn-flakes for breakfast for the last three days

On Sunday we decided to go off to the Pizza Hut in Forum for lunch. The new menu has been made available in all the places!

On our way back we dropped in at the computer shop on the way. We finally picked up the UPS, which is an absolute necessity in this place where there is either constant load shedding on repeated power cuts. I also picked up a mouse, but it turned out to be a non-USB one, so will be exchanging that this weekend.

We had a training programme scheduled for this weekend, but it seems to be canceled now. So, hopefully, I will get the road tax for the bike done this week!

This blog post will take you three weeks back. I’ve had three weeks which have been so filled with work (yes, that is a usual statement I make) that my initial plan of updating the blog took a back seat.

Anyway, three weeks back, I met up with Maria, who, along with her sister, has been complaining that I’ve spent more than two months in Bangalore and hadn’t even seen them! The main reason has been my prolonged effort to settle into the city that I haven’t yet called home and the lack of a full weekend out here yet. I haven’t seen much of Bangalore yet and I don’t know when I will be able to. The few places that I have visited have been Church Street and Brigade Road area on two separate occasions.

Maria picked me up from near my house in Koramangala on that Sunday morning and we headed over to “The Only Place” in Brigade Road. “The Only Place” is famous for its steak and I decided to try one of those. Well, it was also a while since I had some good meat. We then walked down Church Street to the Levi’s store at Brigade Road. My current pair of blue jeans had started to fray and rather than make a fashion statement, I decided to pick up a new pair.

From what I have seen, shopping in Bangalore seems to be more expensive than Mumbai. I’m going to verify this on my trip back to Mumbai as I hunt for some clothes. Anyway, I found a decent pair of blue boot-cut jeans for a little more than 2K and picked them up. It turned out to be a smart thing to do because my jeans finally frayed and well, they are now a pair of torn jeans that many people pay so much extra for!

After this, we walked over to one of the Cafe Coffee Day’s in Brigade Road, where they insisted that we have to take addons on Saturday and Sunday. I have definitely not seen this at any other CCD and we told him that we refused to do that. Why should I take chocolate sauce in my coffee, when I don’t want it?

We didn’t spend much time there, because we decided to drop into Garuda mall for a while, which is supposed to be one of the biggest malls in Bangalore. Well, I still prefer InOrbit in Mumbai, which is not only bigger, but definitely better planned than any of the malls here in Bangalore.

Anyway, I decided to go window shopping for suits. Saw some excellent ones which were 7K and above. Decided to check the same out in Mumbai over this week. I need a good business suit for work. The one we got in college was good for college and the one I got at home is too party types.

We hung out at Garuda mall a while and after that tried to find out the mass timings at the nearest church out there. We found out that we had to wait for at least an hour for mass and so decided to rush back to the one near Forum. It turned out to be a mixed language double-feast mass where we found ourselves standing far far away in the dust and the dirt and the crowd. We just gave up hope and headed back home.

Stay tuned for yet another post with the events of the last two weeks. Until remember you cankeep track of updates of my blogs and me of course by following @ajaydsouza on Twitter.

We met the owner of the house on Thursday and finalized the deal. Our plan was to move in on Saturday, which was also the last day of our scheduled stay at the guesthouse.

So, early Saturday morning, after we settled our bills at the guesthouse, we hired cabs and headed to what will become our new home. I hired a Meru cab, which is more easily available here in Bangalore than in Mumbai, where you struggle to find one. It was a nice comfortable journey. At the same time, my goods from Mumbai also arrived. Was a little irritated that the boxes weren?t plastic coated like they were supposed to be and one box had broken open. The bike handle was also bent a bit. Will have to get this fixed. First, I got to get the road tax done. May also get the number changed, but that is at a later date.

After settling in, we decided to shop for mattresses which was a necessity. We first grabbed some lunch at the Pizza Hut in Forum and after that, we went over to Star Bazaar to pick up mattresses. Didn?t find them there, so the next stop was Big Bazaar. We found one there and others had a delivery period of a week, so we dropped that place. The next stop was Total Mall in Madiwala, where we finally purchased two Kurl-On mattresses and got them delivered home by night.

After we got back, we also realized (much to our stupidity), that there is a Kurl-On dealer five minutes from our house! That?s where we will pick up the remaining two mattresses.

Dinner was at The Rendezvous which is also where we had dinner tonight as well. Seems like this is going to become one of our favorite joints. We did tonnes of shopping at the Smart Mart that is located near our place. We are very pleased by the location because almost everything is available here.

Today was yet another visit at Star Bazaar. This time we totally intended to shop and picked up tonnes of goods, buckets and other items, that we fondly refer to as ?restructuring charges?.

I begin another work week tomorrow, which may be more than just five days long.

Network 21 is a network of individuals who train you to sell the products. They are also the key people in helping you build your Amway pipeline.

The mathematics of the entire Amways sales process is extremely interesting. I’m no expert in it, and I doubt I ever will be, but by cutting down the middle man Amway is able to give you the profits. So, you end up getting paid to purchase and use their products.

The tier system is rather interesting. I’ll probably blog about this at a later point in time, when things are a bit clearer

Anyway, I liked what I saw and have decided to slowly switch my buying habits to Amway products both at home and when I move to Bangalore in April. The main reason being the excellent quality of the products.

Try and test… like and use… don’t like… dispose!

Met Marise last evening. Actually, picked her up from Vikhroli and we dropped in to the Subway at Powai. Seems like either the Rs250 for two subs and two cokes promo has been discontinued or it’s only at the Andheri (E) subway.

Yesterday was the Chicken Tikka sub, so we happily picked three of those and came back home. Washed one each down with Thumbs Up, which still remains one my favorite drinks (Coke is for kids!).

The third sub was left for this mornings healthy breakfast. Gosh am I stuffed now. Don’t know what plans are for lunch or dinner. And, I’m off to Pune early tomorrow morning.

So, here’s a quick round up of the last two weeks of my life.

The week from 19th to 24th of Jan was like any other week of my life. Spent all of it blogging, reading, eating, talking and sleeping.

23rd was the first and last test of this semester. The test was on Strategic Marketing. We were given a choice between a two simple questions and a case on TESCO. IMO, education should be practical and case based to ensure that people actually apply their minds to everything. A healthy mix of theory and practicals is ideal. However, MBA turned out to be primarily a learn by rote, which is something I simply can’t do. Hence, was forced to understand and write exams where results took a hit. No regrets on that, because I put in my best and did well so far

Aditya, Sneha, Namrata and me decided to go out for dinner on 23rd. After much pondering we went to Haka’s on FC Road, Pune. The food sucked completely and totally. Really felt like I was cheated of my money.

Took the early morning Volvo to Mumbai on 24th to spend the long weekend at home. Met up with Marise on 24th evening for dinner. I had to get the taste of the horrible Chinese food out of my mouth. So, we headed off to our favorite joint Dynasty. As usual the crab meat soup was delicious. We ordered the Seafood platter and it turned out to be sizzling and not dry, though I would have sworn it was dry the last time I ordered that.

Sunday, the 25th was a quiet day. Marise came over in the evening to spend some time.

26th is the Republic Day of India and so a public holiday. As a result the roads are usually empty and people stick home. This weekend was different because many had left the city for the long weekend.

I went over to Marise’s place in the afternoon and we then went shopping to Westside, near Opera House as it was the last day of their sale. Following this, we returned home and then to 5 Spice in Bandra. We were seated at the Non-Smoking, Non-Alcoholic sections of the restaurant, which didn’t make a difference, since it was a dry day.

The service here was a lot slower, possibly because the design of the place is such. The however, remains delicious

I initially planned on returning to Pune on 27th, but postponed that to the next day. Spent 27th at home, working almost all day. Took the earliest Volvo I could to find my way back to Pune.

The last few days has been dinner at Tamanna, dinner at Mezza9, a class and presentation for Strategic Marketing. Looking at my mention of that subject you may tend to think I’ve shifted to Marketing. Well, no, I remain a Finance graduate. That is just one subject

I’ve given Techtites a new look yet again. So, will be spending tonight working on that one.

25th December

It’s Christmas day. Because of the Terror Attacks in Mumbai [Photos], almost all places in Mumbai canceled their Christmas dances. Not that I went out a lot, but this time we decided to just have a quiet dinner.

Dinner was at the usual spot, viz. Dynasty. Marise‘s sister Ruth joined us for dinner.

26th December

I had planned in advance to dedicate this day to technology shopping, which is exactly what I did. Went over to Marise’s place in the morning and after lunch we took a trip to my vendor in Lamington Road.

Picked up a DVD Writer and a 500GB WD Elements for Marise, a 6-cell battery for Akshat‘s laptop and pendrives both Akshat and Aditya.

I also bought a Notebook Cooling pad, which is this cute plastic pad with three fans that has been effectively keeping my laptop cool. I do however, need to open the same and dust it properly.

27th December

My dear cousin Seema is down from the US and she decided to drop in to my place. We then headed over to my Grandma‘s place in Bandra. Picked up lunch at the Subway on Linking Road. The sandwiches sure cost a bomb especially when you are looking at two footlongs but they fill you up well. Spent the entire day at my Grandma’s place.

28th December

Sunday, once again. Began it as usual with mass in the morning. Marise came over in the afternoon to spend some quiet time at home.

29th December

This day Marise’s parents celebrated their 26th wedding anniversary and I joined them for dinner. We decided to go to Amrut Punjab, but being a Monday, the place was closed. So, instead we decided to go to Gajalee in Phoenix Mills. I have been to the one in Seepz, Andheri several times, but this was my first at Phoenix. And, I was disappointed by the service.

The food was good as usual, but the waiters were totally disorganized and unresponsive and we had to wait a long long time for food. For the prices they charge!

Desert was jack fruit ice cream at Natural Ice Cream.

30th December

Spent the entire day at home and went over to Marise’s place to fix the DVD writer. We then went to Maroosh in Phoenix Mills. Dinner was kababs and biryani. The food isn’t as good or maybe it doesn’t fit our taste buds. Desert was once again ice cream at Natural which is the shop next door.

31st December

We decided to spend New Year at home, our respective homes i.e. I was also tired with the activities of the previous week. So, on 31st, I decided to unveil the brand new look of Techtites. I have great plans for that blog. In spite of it being on the web for well over two years, it hasn’t really taken off. I’m trying to get new talent to blog for me, but it is always difficult to find good technical writers.

So, what do you think of the new look?

1st January

A new day in the new year. Marise came over and we ordered pizza from Smokin’ Joes’. I think they have among the best pizzas. Only problem is that they don’t have great offers which makes regular pizza eating expensive!

2nd January

Today. Decided to finally get down and complete this blog post. Plan on spending the rest of the day blogging. May also work on a plugin or two if I have the energy!

So, what have you been upto this New Year?

Spent a quiet day at home on Sunday as well as a good portion of Monday. Painting work in my house began on Sunday and carried on till late Tuesday which meant lots of dust, smell and work.

In spite of that, I went out to meet Marise on Monday evening. Met up with her in Bandra and we stopped by at a Handloom Expo at Reclamation. However, unlike last time, we did not find anything good.

We then made our way to Shopper’s Stop, where we did a bit of shopping including a Christmas gift for me

Marise’s sister Ruth joined us for dinner at 5 Spice. This has become one of our regular joints. The quantity was fantastic, as usual, which resulted in “doggy bags” yet again.

Met Marise yet again on the Eve of Christmas Eve. Picked her up from Dadar and we headed to her place where I helped her with completing some jujubes (where’s my cut Marise?).

Spent all of yesterday cleaning up the house. First vacuumed all the rooms and my computer (I sometimes think my computer was made to attract dust!) and after a lot of deliberation, I decided to swab the room as well.

Went for mass this morning instead of last night. Having lunch at home. Mom‘s cooking biryani. Marise comes over later and have dinner plans with her. Will post details then

Today was the feast of Christ the King as well as it happens to be my brother’s birthday. The feast of Christ the King marks the end of the liturgical year. This is usually a big event in my church back in Mumbai. Next Sunday is the first Sunday of Advent. I can finally start playing some Christmas carols

We took the 5.05pm bus to Atur Center and then went to the Food Bazaar at Pune Central to pick up some eatables and other essentials.

Mass at St. Anthony’s in Model Colony was over an hour. However, it was filled with singing, something that I haven’t indulged in a long time.

Met quite a few other Catholics of SCMHRD of both the juniors and senior batch who landed up for mass today.

Caught the 8pm bus back to the campus and grabbed a simple dinner of double full fried eggs in the cafeteria.

We have a company on campus tomorrow morning. Have to attend the pre-placement talks before I decide if I should signup with them or not.

Wish me the best of luck. Will provide details tomorrow or day after. I plan on going home on Tuesday since the rest of the week is relatively free. Also have to pickup my final installment demand draft.

As I mentioned yesterday, I intended to go shopping to Big Bazaar at Lower Parel today in order to redeem some discount coupons.

Considering the Diwali season, Big Bazaar has tonnes of sales and offers to entice the Diwali shopper. It is also the time the store is extremely crowded.

However, I was hoping that I would find atleast a single pair of shoes since that is currently a necessity.

Found one, a Puma model. However it wasn’t very comfortable. Hunted throughout the store for anything worthwhile and gave up!

Dropped into the Barista in Phoenix Mills itself where we spent an hour before I found my way home and she to her Aunt’s place.

I intend to go shopping in November when there will hopefully be no sales and hopefully they have something to buy! A lot of hope…