“As a company, and as individuals, we value integrity, honesty, openness, personal excellence, constructive self-criticism, continual self-improvement, and mutual respect….We hold ourselves accountable to our customers, shareholders, partners, and employees by honoring our commitments, providing results, and striving for the highest quality.”

This the Value which Microsoft believes in or rather believed in at some point of time.

Two shocking news about Microsoft came to the fore in two consecutive days:

On 1^st February, 2011: Google posted an article in its official blog claiming that Bing (Microsoft’s Search Engine) is using Google Search Results. Google had conducted a sting operation in order to ascertain their claims and their results were shocking. Bing was showing the exact Search Results as Google’s and terming it as “multiple signals and approaches” they adopt for getting their search results.

On 2^nd February,2011: Another article came in Deccan Herald stating that Microsoft has issued a ”critical” alert for people using its web browser Internet Explorer, saying a newly-discovered flaw in the Windows operating system can be exploited by hackers to steal personal details. Around 900 million users of Internet Explorer are susceptible to the threat. The company has so far been unable to remove the bug and has issued a “fix it” security patch to block any attempts to use it.

Two major news in two consecutive days affecting two major products from Microsoft… Where are they heading to?

It was all undecided till the last day. My leave was still to be approved, my bags were still to be packed and most importantly we were still unsure about where to go. But suddenly by 29^th evening, everything started falling in place. My boss approved that much needed leave, I found time for that teeny- weeny shopping spree which every girl indulges in before going for a holiday and we finally, zeroed in on a place…GOA!

It was a loooooooooooooooong 14hrs journey before we could finally reach our destination. Goa during this time of the year is full and I really mean that, FULL to the brim…of people, of alcohol, of energy, of anything else that you would associate with a carnival.

We hit the sea as soon as we reached there. The tiredness of a 14hrs journey was nowhere to be seen. It was as if the sea was beckoning us – calling us towards itself, asking us to forget everything and just be there and relax!

Evening, technically speaking the night, saw us booze, booze and booze all the more. We danced like mad men, we laughed like people gone crazy, we forgot all the bounds of a mundane city life…it was like a carnival.

To be honest we did not realize how 31^st morning and afternoon looked like in Goa, for we got up from our sleep only when the sun was down and the city was gearing up to welcome the new year. The streets were jam-packed. It was as if the whole of Goa was on the streets- drunk, happy, high! Never in my life have I seen so many drunken people together.  For me though, it was a cute little party with friends and family (one of my friend’s family had come down too). We had dinner together and played some silly little games.

After a late lunch at Britto’s on the 1^st, we packed our bags and got ready to face life in all its varied aspects – its joys, its sorrows, its opportunities, its success and its failures.

While returning back this song played in our car (and we couldn’t have had anything more apt for the occasion):

“All my bags are packed I’m ready to go
I’m standin’ here outside your door
I hate to wake you up to say goodbye
But the dawn is breakin’ it’s early morn
The taxi’s waitin’ he’s blowin’ his horn
Already I’m so lonesome I could die

So kiss me and smile for me
Tell me that you’ll wait for me
Hold me like you’ll never let me go
Cause I’m leavin’ on a jet plane
Don’t know when I’ll be back again
Oh babe, I hate to go…”   -          John Denver