2007 ...as it happened

1. January and February .....though we didn't feel it while we were doing it....when we think now, i can say that we worked like anything and put in lots of efforts in this period..department restructure, peoplesoft migration and new portal upgradation are three things that i remember...

two more things which i would like to keep remembering happened during this period....most of my friends still tease me about this..first one.....my project director called me on one weekend ..Saturday late evening and asked me "which server were you working today" .....he had assumed that i had worked on a server today and there was a server crash because of that...that was like hitting flat in your face.....
next one ....hmmm really proud of this one .....my PD this time had few good words for me and my junior especially after we had slogged for an important activity...he wrote that was "dedication to the core and it was beyond his expectation"....so this was the period when i was called 'dedication to the core' by my colleagues....though most people wouldn't have agreed ..especially my own manager....


2. march and April........travelled to mumbai as my junior was getting relieved and i was asked to support mumbai region...had nice time without doing any work or taking transition from him in mumbai...roamed all over mumbai for 3 days.....

pity... i can also remember that during this period India lost in cricket world cup...can see many of my friends with broken heart....

4. may and June.......... during this period me and my office friends travelled all over south tamil nadu (what else to do..particularly when most of us didn't get opportunity to travel overseas...)...

trip will be in memories for most of us...we travelled in big groups and had blast and fun...yercaud, salem, devakottai, trichy......and then relatively small group went to allepy, ernakkulam, kottayam...

5. July and august.........couldn't remember doing any work during this period...sort of siting in bench....can remember there was a server crash once...and there was high stress cause of that....nothing else....and appraisal happened..

went on a small trip to thekkadi, theni, surli falls......with my parents

6. September and October.....after effects of appraisal, i had started looking out for other opportunites and had put in my papers by august end.....
took time off and spent some time with my parents and relatives.....

7. November and December....new company, new roles, new challenges.....i was sent to an important assignment in my new company....very tough especially since i was new and i was trying myself to prove my abilities....November month, high stress and pressure

December....festival time and not much work in office...Christmas with my family...flat decoration and furnishing..

to summarise.............

the year 2007, January, February and November has been very hectic in profession....

there were lot of trips and spent a lot of time with friends and families....that is good....

no major achievements or recognitions this year....though i got a promotion..glory be to god....a promotion and ace award (2006) at my first year in this company...

job change....hard and tough challenges in profession....also i did realised that i was missing my friends a lot ....and i still miss them....though i was always a guy who is not much attached to relations, emotions and feelings......so i had changed in character..

just a week left in 2007........hope to be a better person in 2008...yes i would definetly..

....and christmas message

...so he is back with us, yes my elder brother..he is just 15 months older to me and he is back after more than 2 years since he left india...felt good as i stood in the airport waiting for him, couldnt see any change in him as he walked out from the lounge...ok.. he is kind of pet to most of my relatives here in my native...and already many relatives were calling me in my mobile at midnight to reach him..very optimistic, religious, casual, very tough, very ambitious and i had learnt the importance of upholding values in life from him.....though i cant ever be as ambitious and tough like him.

already he has left to my native and i can imagine the kind of reception he gets from my relations there.. everybody is very fond of him, and I should admit that i would never get that kind of reception anytime from them...

what else, not much work in office, and yet to make friends here at my work place.....usually very slow starter in making friends. i was involved in whole lot of purchase for my house last week....now my Christmas tree has got some additional decorations .....choclate hangings, teddy bear, choclate santa....and whole lot of choclate decorations..

month of December is always special for all Christians...as people try to share their happiness and joy around...remembering Christ...

do you know immediately after Jesus was born in Bethlehem ..the first message about his birth was delivered to Shepperd's....an angel of the lord came before them and told them where exactly they would be able to find him.....specific instructions were given to them about the place and child.... amazing isn't it ...the message was not sent to any high priest, or religious leaders or kings....and sheperds were the first to visit the new born king.... remeber in all manger decorations in christian houses you will see sheperds standing around new born baby....and i like this particular sheperd statue carrying a lamb in his shoulder....


While shepherds watched
Their flocks by night
All seated on the ground
The angel of the Lord came down
And glory shone around

"Fear not," he said,
For mighty dread
Had seized their troubled minds
"Glad tidings of great joy I bring
To you and all mankind,

well i have got few stuffs in my fridge to finish before my parents come and see it ............and i have to do it without my usual company....and this one is imported...couldnt make what is it ..right ..thats good...

remembering Titanic ...

what reminds us when we think of titanic......ship of dreams, love and many more......but there are many tales of bravery, sacrifice and heroism..most of these actions though has been shown in the movie..hardly anybody remembers the sacrifices....these are not just stories but real incidents that happened on that fatefull night..as said by few of the survivors.

engine room crew, nobody in the crew thought of getting away as the ship was sinking..these men struggled and kept the power and lights running as long as possible......

Officers ..many of them stayed on the deck to load and launch the lifeboats..they made sure all the boats are safely away....

wireless operators....captain Smith visited the wirelss room one last time and he said that they could abandon their post now....he said "Its now every man for himself, boys "....they stayed back trying desperately to send distress signals

these peoples risked their lives so that others might have a better chance of survival...they were a part of ship crew and they felt it was their duty to do so....they held on to their job and duties till their last breath....

most inspired story for me when i read about all the valliant efforts of people on board was of the Titanic Band...they were not a part of ship crew and they were not needed to keep the power running or load life boats....yet they stayed in the ship till the very end ..playing light, airy music to keep passengers calm when available lifeboats are loaded...as it is seen in the movie..the band played even when the ship turned on her nose and was sinking...a survivor says he cannot imagine how they ever able to play band at that time..
their efforts might not have saved many lives as other rescue workers did....but they made final moments of many lives ...less tragic by their soothing music ...it is believed that they played the below music though some survivors say it was a different song....

Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!
E’en though it be a cross that raiseth me,
Still all my song shall be, nearer, my God, to Thee.

Refrain
Nearer, my God, to Thee,
Nearer to Thee!

Though like the wanderer, the sun gone down,
Darkness be over me, my rest a stone.
Yet in my dreams I’d be nearer, my God to Thee.

and there are countless accounts of newly wed husbands, men and old men agreeing to give up thier places for women and childrens.....

"Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends." John 15

i would like to remember titanic for all the love and memories of these brave men ......and definetly not for love between jack and rose............

Come december.........

its that time of the year when you feel chill in the air and you know that the festival time is there..start december, plans have already started in my family for our christmas celebration, after 2 long years my elder brother will be there as well and my parents would travel to chennai for xmas...

ok ..i was out of station for almost 15 days on an official work and very happy to be back in my place now. really dont want to travel anymore till new year....lets see. i went to my church today and found that there is a carol rounds visit to my house on this week, hmm...it would be a great feeling singing all good old christmas song with spirit and joy, and today i started decorating my house for christmas, christmas tree is already in place...with cereal lights, christmas bells, snow flakes formation over the trees(nothing but cotton spread over the tree)...and in the coming weeks would be looking to decorate my tree more...

Evening, went for shopping and got my fridge stuffed with usual food items, it would be only noodles, corn flakes, egg and some choclates...nothing more, i lost all interest in cooking vegetables and now looking for only ready made foods. As it is a practise before any christmas, there are some serious shopping to be done in the coming weeks, a very difficult one..furnishing my house...

Its been a long time since i had a hang out with my friends and couldnt meet anyone yet since coming back to chennai ...when we meet there would be lot of things to discuss..probably would go out for a night show and discuss things in my place...

ok i am going to cook some stuff for my dinner now...watch a movie probably and sleep.....