Monday, October 25, 2010

It figures!

We stood in the crowded elevator, between fat pot bellied men, shapeless women and pale young guys who looked like they had stepped out of a cave after a really long time. All of them worked in a US MNC that shares some floors with us in our building. Getting into the elevator is a nightmare with this kind of crowd every day. They look ill at ease when they see us. Ditto with us.

Colleague (female) and me looked at each other over the well oiled hair of the people in the lift and made faces and barfing gestures. The motley, uninteresting, silent crowd looked as zoned out as crack addicts on a relapse.

Getting out of the lift, we wandered to the glass windows and looked wistfully at the other buildings in the campus and the normal looking guys err... I mean people that inhabited them. Pulling a sad face at our fate, we went to our seats to begin yet another day of work.

Lunch time and we are in the same lift with only one person, a fat jolly looking gal from the same company. Seizing the chance, we decide to quiz her.

Us: Hi!
Fat Jolly gal (FJG): Hi!
Us: What happens in your office?
She: Huh?
Us: We mean, is this a call center or development center!
FJG: Oh sorry. I didn’t understand your earlier question.
Us (rolling eyes): No problem!
FJG: This is the Finance Center of our worldwide operations.
Colleague: Oh!
Me: Aha!
FJG: We manage accounts, salary etc for all our operations worldwide.
Colleague: You mean all the people in this building are finance people?
FJG: Yes!
Us (looking at each other): That explains a lot.
FJG: Huh?
Us: Err... nothing.

We now use the stairs.

Monday, October 04, 2010

Pest cemetery

I was walking the dogs on the lane behind my house, when I heard what sounded like a cricket chirping. Kree kree went the shrill loud sound, and it was decidedly annoying. I remembered hearing it before. And then it struck me. I remembered a godawful device my dad had bought some years back (among others of course) that made the same sound. It was supposed to keep cockroaches away. We tolerated the sound for some time, due to our love and respect for our dad and patience borne of years of putting up with his counter measures against, cockroaches, ants, kambli boochees (tiny spiny caterpillars), bats and cockroaches. After what we thought was a respectful period of giving him and the device a decent chance, we threw it out of the house. Dad didn’t protest. He had got his chance and he is a fair man.

I giggled in derision at the house as I thought of the expression on their faces when they find out that it doesn’t work and that they were now 75% deaf and that the cockroaches were actually liking it and perhaps sleeping well after a long time listening to its sweet lullaby.

Smirking to myself, I started walking and nearly smashed a line of cockroaches walking out of the house with the godawful sound. Yes, they were leaving with bag and baggages. Some were wearing ear mufflers! The device was working! Puzzled I looked around and saw – you won’t believe this – that the cockroaches were walking out of that house... and into the neighboring houses!

And then I remembered that our neighbor who had come to inquire about the godawful sound emanating from our house had also bought the device after hearing about it prowess from my dad. So did a few other neighbors. In short, we had exchanged roaches!!

This information goes with me to the grave.

But before that, I need to go meet the neighbors of house with the godawful device, and persuade them to buy the device. *snicker*

Let the games begin!! And I don't mean the CWG, heh heh!

Have a nice week folks!