From Sivakamiyin Sabatham to Calvin and Hobbes

All was fine during the last week and the weekend. I read ‘Sivakamiyin Sabatham’ and finished it and became crazy. What a plot! What characters! I pity the non-Tamil folks for missing one of the best books ever written. I became crazy because I could live each of those characters starting from Mahendra Pallavar to Paranjothi to Sivakami to Maamallar to Gundodharan! Didn’t Gundodharan remind you of Aazhwarkkadiyan?

I had gone to Coimbatore for the weekend, spent a blissful (read: lazy) couple of days, participated in the Ganesh Chathurthi Pooja, ate kozhakattai (modaks), sundal – all of which mom fed me while I was happily sitting and watching TV. I didn’t have to move a thing around! Now, that is what I call life! I couldn’t go for the procession because going for the procession meant I’d miss my train back to Chennai (which I would have done whole-heartedly, but Amma wouldn’t let me). So I had to come to Chennai, away from Amma (sounds senti? I know…), Gaya and Paati, away from the pollution-free atmosphere, away from affectionate neighbors, away from Siruvani water (Gosh, haven’t I written about all these earlier?) – In short, I felt as if I had been thrown out of a protective shell, all alone and vulnerable, into the cruel world that has even more cruel managers (no, not my immediate manager, but the big shot snob who is… well, a big shot).

Back at work in the afternoon shift (which is when work is a little more hectic) I somehow found time to remind my manager about a request pending with him for approval. That **** calls me up and says he is not my manager and he hasn’t interacted with me and all sorts of crap. He was the one that did my appraisal 2 months back. WTF!!! The worst part was the way he talked – humiliating me and almost accusing me for the “crime” I committed. Agreed he is a visionary, agreed he has served the organization for over 10 years, agreed he is intelligent and all that, is he a good manager? Doesn’t half of your managing ability lie in the way you communicate and your choice of words? Perhaps he was pissed off at someone else for some other reason, but does that give him the rights to talk to me the way he did?

All I have got to tell him is, “Thambi, I know where you live.” :-|

And yeah, any stories on your managers are welcome at the comments section. After all, we all have each other to cry to. Poor managers don’t even have friends to rant to.

I’m now reading Calvin and Hobbes – and rolling on the ground laughing – in a bid to forget silly managers!

The feminist in me...

Alright, this post comes from me when I am very very mad at somebody I know, say Mr. X.

We, a group of 4, were talking about how the market is down and the IT sector is chucking out so many people and what we should do. Casually, I said, "I prefer going back to a college and becoming a lecturer. Though the salary would be less, I will have satisfaction because I love teaching." Fair enough???

And then Mr. X opens his mouth and says, "There is no problem for you girls... Even if you go home and sit without working, no one is going to ask you anything. But for guys like us, work is madatory."

"So is it for us. My mother wouldn't welcome me if I go home and sit and ask her to feed me. I have my commitments and I need to be in the job as much as you want to."

"Ha ha... You can anyday get married and your husband will take care of you."

"Well, even these days guys are looking for working girls."

"No, even if you say you are not working, he'll work for you and you can sit at home, cook, clean, wash and watch mega-serials and keep crying..."

I didn't want to shout there as I didn't want to attract public attention. I actually felt like... Well... (Sigh)...

What do you guys feel about the comments made by Mr. X? Are girls only for cooking, cleaning, washing and watching mega-serials? Would you or would you not encourage your mother/sister/wife to be good at her career? Or are you a follower of Hitler like our Mr.x?