Stalker Squirrel on our patio!


Gone are the days when us humans could lovingly offer food and bits of goodies to these cute critters and feel warm and fuzzy when they felt secure enough to venture close to us in a park. Gone are the days when my child would demand to buy the cutest stuffed toy squirrel in the store. These are the days of scarcity. Of recession in our kingdom. The Critters are taking it upon themselves to mark and hold on to their territories. Even if it means that their territory is our team office patio.

SB and I were having our much awaited for 1:1 and it was a great conversation. Everything was perfect from the context of our talk, to the cup cakes we had just enjoyed, to the warmth of the sun and the gentle breeze.

Then, out of nowhere(not exactly, out of the bushes actually) came this mythical warm and fuzzy creature. At first it kept its distance and stared at us for a few moments. I then made a tiny hop to get a closer look. I noticed it watching us and sitting unnaturally close to SB. She  moved out of it's way a little bit before the squirrel made a bigger leap for the table top.

If not for the breeze and the lazy rustling of the leaves, I swear, I would have heard it growl! Confidently and rather menacingly, it began to pace around the table, as if to say we were violating it's personal space.

Us vulnerable Arien women (that's an oxymoron by the way, Aries women are never vulnerable!) moved away cautiously and the squirrel kept advancing, its teeth bared and it's tiny feet(and formerly cute feet) marching at us all at once.

We of course scrambled out of it's way. Someone must have told the squirrel about us humans. It must be the squirrel crusader...or might even be merely a squirrel dude trying to impress his squirrel date! I think , either way, he scored!

We were creeped out enough. I wonder if we can attend the same school of confidence that this squirrel attends?

For now, the patio, OUR patio is out of bounds. Watch out people, the animals are coming back for revenge! Watch out squirrels, we have Nerf guns and are not afraid to use them..! Ha!

Recent Activity in Sim Land

@ 9 AM - VJ carpools with me and experiences a death ride in V Airways. We get to office safely and in one piece.

@ 10 AM - VJ eats a strawberry

@ 10:30 - VJ gobbles a strawberry during stand-up and gets a "look" from RP.

@ 11 AM - VJ eats a Madeleine.

@ Noon - BK's food order at Curry up now gets screwed. Result, he is short of one Kaati Roll. But he makes peace with it. We all eat Kaati rolls, RY eats a spicy Indian wrap hoping that BK will keep his bargain by eating fish. That's caller wishful thinking.

@ 12:15 PM - VJ eats a fruit.

@ 12:30 PM - VJ takes one bite of her Kaati roll, detects an egg taste, FREAKS out, runs to the rest room to purify herself (VJ is Vegan).

@ 1 PM - VJ eats a strawberry

@ 2 PM - VJ eats some Corn Chivda

@ 3 PM - I am in a meeting when I hear Nerf guns emerging from their holsters. It is time for the 3 - 4 PM madness to begin. Pacing feet, excited voices, suppressed giggles, et all.

@ 3:30 PM - VJ eats something else soo and makes hot coffee with milk that belongs to LG (!!)

@ 4 pm - Silence reigns supreme

@ 4:15 PM - NL tries to tilt his water bottle 90 degrees to take a sip when it is really a sippy style water bottle with a straw and a sucky lid. He gets a water spill on his shirt and face and I gently remind him of the straw that does not need him to tilt the bottle.

@ 4:30 PM -  There are two more strawberries left. I am wondering if i should let VJ know. By now, I have gotten used to VJ hovering near my desk, which happens to be near the snack table. :-)

@ 5 PM - No activity to report.

Have a nice evening!

Gun Culture at work...

At work, we have a strict gun policy - WE LOVE THEM! The Nerf kind that is. What is even more startling and unsettling for me is how much of stress relief it readily provides to the shooter (the one shooting) and the shootee (the one being shot).

Let me back up a bit here. Summer has officially begun for my kid. And not having any day care arrangement even for a single day can be any parents' nightmare. Today was my turn. So, of course, like a good parent, I brought my kid to work. My shy, quiet and well-behaved child.... Until she saw the Nerf guns at work.

All was quiet in Sims land until about an hour back when kiddo's attention was diverted to a handful of nerf dart ammunition and some cool guns. The cute bunnies and origami stuff(from yesterday, remember??) became ready targets to the 11 year olds inherent craziness and imagination.
The racket and noise of the clicking and cocking of the guns made it impossible for all of my coworkers to keep their eyes glued to the screen (read my blog from yesterday..!). Soon, a full-on Nerf war erupted. People chased people, co-workers(the silent kinds) picked up handy weapons, office cubes became sniper dens. You don't believe me?? Check out this video.

But before you do, remember how I mentioned yesterday that VJ was becoming more and more violent?? You will see ample evidence of it in the video. Yes, that is indeed VJ chasing my 11 y/o and trying to shoot her!!

In a nutshell, RP looked on, KK stayed out of trouble, LG and TO snickered at their desks and BK shot video instead of guns. And I was speechless. Not a single dull moment at work.

Love ya people!

Impromptu origami party at work...and don't miss the video!!

Ok, we are all busy individuals here. I mean seriously...even if you look up each one of us in Rally, you will find us at a staggering 125% or 253%. What that means in simple English is...yeah you guessed it...we are a busy lot. I mean, we eat by-the-computer lunches while trying to squeeze in more productivity into our already super productive days.

Until today, that is.

I was walking over to discuss something code related with VJ when my eyes swept over some very attractive, colored and patterned papers. The child in my kicked in and I was overcome with this overpowering need to make a paper plane. A few creases and folds later, I had a cute polka dotted plane in my hands. My eyes then did a quick peripheral check to find a likely target I could assault with my paper plane. I naturally found BK (remember BK? he is the same dude who said the Boba cashier super-sized my drink after taking one look at me...yeah...that same guy) to be the best target. Giving my paper plane sufficient lift and drag, I gracefully launched my first assault. But paper planes, being what they are, seldom reach the intended target..! It hit KK instead.

Other pairs of weary eyes looked up. More hands found the origami papers. Soon, we are having a full scale Origami party. Oh what creativity!!! Between the five of us, we had three kinds of boats, four kinds of planes and one flying saucer. I even made a witch and a flapper. LG made some cool designs, KK made a couple head-turners. All the models are on display presently.

So, like every story of mine, this one has a funny ending too. VJ, in all her excitement of making the most perfect paper inflatable ball(in her opinion) was super proud of herself...and wanted to thank me for teaching her how to make it. 

VJ looked at the inflatable ball she has crafted and created with child-like wonder and said "Wow, I'm sooo talented". Then VJ, being the violent person that she is(<grin>), took a pre-meditated aim at my lovely face, said thank you and threw it ...yes...right on my face. 

Hilarious! She was so profusely sorry for her actions...she hasn't stopped apologizing since. But the flip side to that was that BK was happily recording this little exchange. Yes, we have it on Video!!!!

Check it out. I am not sure if it will look its slap-stick best when you view it, but to us here...it really was a moment.

Ok, back to the grind now. Good day, folks!

What's with the weather??

Seriously?? Rainy weather?? It's Jun 4th for crying out loud! Apparently, the last time California saw a winter-like weather as late as in June was in 1983. I wasn't here at the time. I was in another country enjoying, well, the rains there. If anyone has experienced a monsoon season in India and survived it, believe me, the rains here in California would seem like a storm in a teacup.

Imagine rains that can take out trees as large as mother oaks, flood entire cities and still be enjoyed by millions(read: 1.2 billion people) of people willing to wade out of their homes, go to beaches, enjoy the sea-side snacks from small kiosks that serve food so spicy that it could melt your intestines.

The rain has all sorts of effects on me. Being a foodie (d'oh, you already know that if you have been reading my recent blog posts), it invokes the craving for fried snacks and Indian-style tea complete with milk and sugar. The spices in hot Samosas, kachories, vada pavs intermingle with the sweetness of the tea and make one believe that there is indeed hope for humanity. For those of you who haven't tasted this delicious combination, it is time that you did. You know where to find me...so that I can share my rainy day rituals with you.

As I write this blog, I can see the Sun making a desperate attempt to peek out of the clouds and shine. For all the food I have been consuming lately, I could have used a nice long bike ride in the tender warmth of the Sun. But here I am, instead, sitting back in my recliner, dreaming of fried snacks and hot tea. C'est la vie.

Embarrassing moment for the day..!

So here is what happened.... My esteemed coworkers NL, RY, BK & LG (names are abbreviated to protect their identity in the light of events that follow) and I were out to our Friday afternoon Asian endeavor..our weekly Friday lunch. It was at a local Pho (said as fu ...Thanks for educating me by spelling it out NL).

Note to self: When you allow your coworker to order for you, ensure you always ask them what they have ordered for you. Today, it was almost "beef balls" in my case. Thankfully, I ordered egg rolls and noodles. Phew!

After lunch, I was tempted(by LG) to try the Boba. For those of you who don't know what that it, it is a funky tea and milk drink with Tapioca balls(yes, I said balls twice in this blog) and a humongous straw to suck the balls(yes, that was the third time) from the drink. A few minutes later, with my super-sized drink in hand( thanks BK, for mentioning that the cashier probably super-sized my drink after taking one look at me!!), we all walked back to the car. Here we proceeded to squish ourselves(not me though, I got the front seat due to my size...thanks NL) into NL's car.

Here is when it happened. I was trying to get my seat belt on and in the process, I propped my drink up between my legs. And one tight squeeze later, I was sitting in a pool of Boba!! It's amazing how fast denim absorbs liquid. After some frenzied laughing and mopping up the mess, I was left with a huge wet spot on my jeans....yes, you guessed it...in the ...ahem..."bleep" area. How embarrassing, right??

What ensued was even funnier. I requested the boys, amidst laughter and enough fuel to be poked fun at for a whole week, not to look at my butt. And I requested RY, my female coworker, to stare at my butt and walk behind me so no one notices !!

When I set out to lunch, I never expected quite this adventure. But there you have it...the finest moments of laughter when you least expect them.

Don't believe a word of what you hear from my coworkers. :-) They might spice it up more. But I speak the complete truth..!

As I write this blog post, my jeans continue to dry out and I will be able to stand up in the next couple hours(I think). Wish me luck fellas!

Cup Cake Chronicles

So, after eight weeks of patiently listening to the voice in my head telling me not to go crazy over some high-priced cupcakes, I finally relented and gave in big time! Kara's Cup Cakes Van was parked enticingly outside my office where it was hard to miss even if one was trying to ignore it. At a ridiculous $3/cup cake, this van could still boast of having the longest line of customers on the whole campus.

My friend VJ and I stood in line for about ten minutes, each of us giving ourselves the time to think this big decision through and turn back(read: run back) if good sense kicked in. Apparently, the stomach rules and calls the shots! The folks ahead of us in line were handing out cash to the cashier. A small sliver of hope soared in my heart....I may not be able to buy this calorie-rich goodness after all! But the angelic cashier(angelic because she held in her palm the most delicious cup cake of all - chocolate on chocolate) smiled and swiped my card.

If I was fretting about eating one cup cake before, I had three more to worry about now. Yes, I bought four cup cakes in all. Oh! What extravagance in the name of a sweet savory!

VJ, in all her sweetness, took pictures of these expensive delights to post of Facebook. I have promised to "like" them on Facebook too.

What remains to be seen is if I can stop staring at these baked marvels and finally take a satisfied bite! Yum!

Completed first week at EA


Exciting stuff! I am getting there...slowly. But I love my profile and what I do on a day to day basis! Will post more pretty soon.

NOW is the time to use Social Media....to come together in unison and help the people of Japan.

Another handy reference to HTML and CSS with an introduction to HTML5 can be found in this book I am reading -

http://my.safaribooksonline.com/book/web-development/css/9780071496292

It is well written and documented and a complete guide.

A coworker of mine shared this really good article on Social Media in big enterprises...Information Democracy, so to speak...

http://blog.onlinemarketingconnect.com/frame/index.php?url=http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Pr20/~3/6HEwKJe8kqs/

Worth the time to read it..

Designing Interfaces, Second Edition

http://oreilly.com/catalog/0636920000556

It has been a great experience reading this book. It is easy to read, concise and a fantastic reference.

Ok, so this is my first blog post. Other than figuring out the UI in this environment, I hope to be able to post something worthwhile later this evening. Most importantly, I want to be able to use this page as a resource...a kind of a go-to page when I want to look something up. So, back to the grind now.