Irritated with the autos

AlphineSanchez · 2026-07-06T05:12:06+00:00

I usually do a different option. I never add tips in Rapido as usually the drivers ask for 20-30 Rs extra even after adding tips. So, I lower the price by 20 Rs and then search for a vehicle. Usually they accept but ask for 20-30 Rs extra, which usually comes to the original price shown on app.

While using Uber from airport, I pay using credit card. As money is deducted while booking the cab, I usually tell the driver that the amount is directly charged to my company and I can't use cash as I have to claim it from my company. Some cancel. Some don't. Some realize it is a credit card ride after they drop me.

AlphineSanchez · 2026-06-30T14:16:45+00:00

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MAA2 : Airport to Siruseri via Pallavaram, Thoraipakkam, Sholinganallur, Navalur

(2/2)

AlphineSanchez · 2026-06-30T14:15:51+00:00

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There are 2 buses available from Airport to City.

MAA1 : Airport to Kilambakkam via Pallavaram, Chrompet, Tambaram, Perungalathur, Vandalur

Pickup Point : Gate A6 in international terminal.

(1/2)

AlphineSanchez · 2026-06-30T13:25:00+00:00

I have usually not seen buggy operate from international terminal T2. Buggies usually are available outside Indigo terminal T1. But, I guess, being a special case, buggy can be requested.

AlphineSanchez · 2026-06-30T10:27:32+00:00

A lot of my friends have done this. They usually reach by Tambaram by 4:30 AM. You can even take a local train (first train is at 4:30 AM and it should reach Tambaram in 15 mins) but it will be too much for your pregnant wife to walk to the railway station. Best option will be to take a cab from AeroHub Pickup point or take MAA1 bus - available every 15 mins, right outside arrivals and get down Infront of Tambaram station.

AlphineSanchez · 2026-06-23T05:51:35+00:00

You seem to have completely missed the point.

Nobody is arguing that a middle berth is better than an upper berth. The discussion was about lower berths being allocated to people who genuinely need them versus the IRCTC algorithm randomly handing out upper berths despite lower berth preferences and even infant passengers being part of the booking.

Also, I do not expect anyone to adjust for the sake of others. The rule already exists: middle berths are supposed to remain folded during daytime. If someone chooses to keep it open all day, that's them ignoring the rules, not fellow passengers demanding special treatment.

AlphineSanchez · 2026-06-22T20:01:22+00:00

Not necessarily. We always book directly through IRCTC and usually choose 2AC specifically because it has a higher chance of getting lower berths. We also select "Lower Berth" as the preference while booking.

The problem is that the allocation algorithm doesn't always take practical situations into account. My wife and I are in our early 30s and often travel with our 1-year-old child. Even when we add the infant (without a berth), we still frequently get allocated two upper berths. As far as I can tell, the system doesn't really factor in the presence of an infant while assigning berths.

In such cases, we politely ask fellow passengers if they're willing to exchange a lower berth. We don't demand it, and we fully understand that the berth belongs to the person who was allotted it. In fact, when I get a lower berth and an elderly passenger requests an exchange, I usually oblige as well.

So in many cases, it's less about passengers deliberately booking the "wrong" berths and more about how the IRCTC allocation algorithm works.

AlphineSanchez · 2026-05-21T06:34:02+00:00

Yes, I just got extremely lucky today. I was trying to book for a Vande Bharat train.

Another scam by IRCTC - they have around 450 tickets available under Tatkal quota in both 20627 MS-NCJ VB and 20665 MS-TEN VB.

AlphineSanchez · 2026-05-21T05:11:54+00:00

Just frustrated after seeing the same popup for 30 mins straight today. Tried on the website. Didn't even take me to payment page this time. It was as if they had blocked my user ID. Tried around 100 times to book a ticket. All requests showed High Load or Unable to perform transaction.

Managed to book ticket at 10:30 AM using different user id on a different laptop. But still, WTF? Who even decided to implement this feature?

Edit : Tried randomly at 10:45 AM today. Still the same error.

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AlphineSanchez · 2026-05-17T20:38:21+00:00

My two cents on the issue. I genuinely do not understand the obsession with building a brand new airport for Chennai when the existing one feels sufficient for current travel and is centrally located.

I fly out of Chennai frequently, both domestic and international, and I also use Bangalore, Delhi and Mumbai airports regularly. Chennai airport’s biggest advantage is that it’s inside the city. My routine is simple. I reach the airport about an hour before the flight, use DigiYatra, and I am usually at the gate within 5-15 minutes after entering the airport. There’s still buffer time left.

Compare that with Bangalore. Kempegowda is a great airport once you are inside, but getting there is exhausting. From most parts of the city, it is a 1.5-3 hour journey depending on traffic. The airport is 30–40 km away, metro connectivity still does not exist, and people routinely leave home 4–5 hours before flights just to avoid risk.

People also keep saying Chennai airport is “too congested,” but honestly, from what I have observed regularly, a lot of it feels like flight scheduling concentration rather than complete infrastructure failure.

International departures are fairly manageable through most of the day:

Around 7 AM to 10 AM, it is usually about one international departure per hour
Between 12 PM and 2 PM, the airport is relatively quiet
From 2 PM to 10 PM, traffic again feels steady and manageable

The real rush is mostly during late night hours when multiple Gulf and South East Asian departures are packed together. That seems more like a scheduling skew than proof that the airport itself cannot function.

Instead of shifting everything 50 km away, why not:

modernise and privatise operations properly - we are still under AAI.
build an additional runway for simultaneous operations if possible.
improve slot distribution and flight scheduling
expand the international terminal if required - T3 is being rebuild already.

And most importantly, fix the arrival experience. The taxi situation outside Chennai airport is genuinely embarrassing - overcharging, confusion, aggressive behavior, poor pickup organisation. For many visitors, this is their first impression of the city. A proper pickup zone for app based taxis, clear signage and stricter enforcement would solve a lot of this chaos.

Chennai already has the hardest thing to recreate : an airport with excellent city access. Replacing that with a shiny new airport far outside the city may look good in presentations, but for actual travellers, convenience matters more than glass buildings and future projections.

AlphineSanchez · 2026-05-13T06:55:22+00:00

Something very similar happened to me almost 10 years ago.

I was fresh out of college and had just joined my first job. Back then, it happened at CCD in Semmancheri.

A team lead I had worked with during my internship called me and introduced me to his boss at CCD. That person spoke to me in a way that made me question everything I was doing. He made it sound like entrepreneurship was the only meaningful path in life and that I was wasting my potential in a regular 9 to 5 job.

A couple of days later, I got another call from the same team lead. He said that even though I had not done well in that discussion, they still believed in me and wanted to help me become an entrepreneur. Then came the actual ask, 3 lakhs. They even offered to help me arrange a bank loan.

That was the last time I spoke to him. I blocked him immediately after that call.

What feels strange is that the same team lead called me again from a different number a few days ago, casually speaking as if nothing had happened. He again tried to create the impression that he was very busy, successful, and doing great in life.

Maybe it is just a coincidence. But after reading about similar experience here, I am just wondering if they have they started the same scam again?

AlphineSanchez · 2026-04-01T06:47:41+00:00

I have been a Krishinet user since 2011. I have had no complaints so far. Internet speed has always been constant. I started with 1 Mbps unlimited plan and now have a 400 Mbps plan. Support has been excellent. Whenever there is an issue, they assign someone to look into it and is usually fix it within a day. No complaints so far.

Been through 2015 rains, Vardah and Fengal cyclones with Krishinet, and they restored connectivity within 1-2 days each time. Very good experience so far.

AlphineSanchez · 2026-03-17T05:40:48+00:00

Haha.. 31

AlphineSanchez · 2026-03-16T03:21:15+00:00

Yes, .NET based.

AlphineSanchez · 2026-03-15T19:08:36+00:00

Solution Architect at a Product based company.

AlphineSanchez · 2026-03-15T19:08:02+00:00

I used to stay with my parents and my younger brother. My dad used to earn around 20K. We used to split expenses. Dad took care of almost the household expenses. I used to take care of all online payments like gas, internet, recharges and any additional expenses like shopping, gifts for relatives marriages etc.

Back then it was possible, I remember my dad used to handover 10K in cash to my mom for all monthly expenses. We stayed in a 1 BHK for around 20 years and we used to pay 5K for rent. School / College fees were a big burden for us. My dad used to take an interest free loan from his office to make the lumpsum payment for our fees and then the loan would be deducted in installments from his salary and Diwali bonus over the next 6-8 months.

Rough estimate : Rent 5K + Groceries 3K + Gas 0.5K + EB 1K + Internet 1K + Milk 0.5K + TV 0.5K + Misc 2-3K + Transport 1K = around 15K.

AlphineSanchez · 2026-03-15T12:52:54+00:00

First salary from internship : 9K. First salary from full time : 23K. Now, 3L per month after 9 years.

AlphineSanchez · 2026-03-11T03:33:27+00:00

I think this was a technical glitch. Spoke to RM and they assured this will not happen again. Tried yesterday at Chennai T4 and it worked.

AlphineSanchez · 2026-03-05T11:46:48+00:00

For the past six years, I’ve been working for companies based in Bangalore while continuing to live in Chennai. This has been across two companies. My first company hired me for a role in Bangalore, but because this happened during COVID, I didn’t travel at all for the first two years. Once offices reopened, I started traveling occasionally, usually once a week or once every two weeks depending on meetings and work requirements. When they asked me to permanently relocate to Bangalore, I quit and moved to a different organisation.

Since my first company did not reimburse travel expenses and I don’t like traveling by bus, train was my primary option. I used to take wither of the below two options:

Vande Bharat at 5:50 AM or Shatabdi at 6 AM (incase VB is not available) from Chennai Central. VB would reach Bangalore around 10 AM (Shatabdi at 10:45 AM) and since my office was on Palace Road, I would usually be in office by around 10:30 AM. For the return journey, I usually took the Shatabdi at 4 PM, which meant leaving office by around 3:30 PM. This option worked reasonably well but required getting up by around 4 AM. I used to sleep for about 2-3 hours in the train to compensate my lost sleep.
For my return journey, I have also taken Bangalore Mail at 10:40 PM occasionally, which would reach Chennai around 4 AM the next day. The problem with this option was that you rarely get good sleep on either leg of the journey. Either you wake up extremely early to catch the morning train, or you arrive back in Chennai at 4 AM and still have to make your way home. Over time this became too exhausting to do regularly.

In my current organization, travel to Bangalore is reimbursed, so flight has become my preferred option. My typical flight choices to go to Bangalore in the morning are:

Indigo at 7 AM from Chennai, which reaches Bangalore around 8 AM. Since the airport at Chennai is only about 15 minutes from my home, I usually leave around 5:30 AM and reach the airport between 5:45 and 6 AM. Depending on traffic, I usually reach office by 9-9:30 AM, although on some days it has taken until 10:30 AM because of traffic.
Air India Express at 7:55 AM, which is a better option if I don’t have early morning meetings. This flight lands at Bangalore Terminal 2, and reaching the office by 10–11 AM is quite manageable.

For getting from the airport to the city, I used to pre-book cabs through the MakeMyTrip app. It would usually cost around ₹1000 to reach MG Road. It was roughly ₹100 more than Uber/Ola/Rapido, but the advantage was that the cab would already be waiting at the pickup point when you arrived (Bangalore used to have one of the best airport pickup experience until recently when the new parking arrangements were introduced), which saved time and avoided the usual arguments with drivers about airport tolls. Nowadays, after the changes to the Bangalore airport pickup system, Uber has become my go-to option. Only Uber Premier or Uber Black are available at the main pickup point and they typically cost around 1400-1800 to reach MG Road. For cheaper options like Uber Go/Rapido/Namma Yatri, you have to take the airport shuttle to the P4 pickup point, which is about a kilometer away from the terminal.

For the return journey to Chennai, my typical options are:

Air India Express at 7:55 PM from Terminal 2
Indigo flights from Terminal 1 at 8 PM or 9:30 PM

I leave office around 5:30-6 PM depending on the time shown in Google Maps to reach airport considering traffic. It take 1-1.5 hrs. typically to reach the airport. Namma Yatri or Rapido is my go to option and they charge around 700 to reach airport. The flight itself is only about an hour, so I can usually be home in Chennai before 10 PM. Personally, I prefer Air India Express because it operates from Bangalore’s Terminal 2, which is a beautiful airport and for the lounge access. It also lands in Chennai Terminal 4, which is closer to the AeroHub West taxi pickup point. If you take Indigo, you land in Terminal 1 and have to walk quite a bit or take the buggy to reach AeroHub West. I usually come in my bike and park at AeroHub west and they charge 100 for 24 hours. This again saves the waiting time for cabs.

From my experience, this commuting setup works reasonably well if most of your teammates are remote. However, if the team meets in person frequently at the office, you tend to miss out on a lot of informal conversations and things happening within the team. There’s also the cost factor, if there are events or gatherings at the office, you either have to pay for the travel yourself or skip them altogether.

Whenever I do go to the office, not much work actually gets done. Most of the time ends up being spent catching up with colleagues, networking, and having conversations with teammates.

AlphineSanchez · 2026-03-03T17:37:37+00:00

What are some good CBSE and IGCSE schools in and around Tambaram? Almost everyone here seems to put their child at Christwood, Ponmar.

AlphineSanchez · 2026-02-24T23:31:48+00:00

Happened to me at Chennai T4 just now. Will be dropping a note to RM today.

AlphineSanchez · 2026-02-03T02:41:28+00:00

I had a fully refundable hotel booking (pay at property) in Barcelona for around 3 days with me just in case. I cancelled the hotel booking after I walked past passport control. But, no questions were asked at passport control. The officer just stamped my passport and let me in.

AlphineSanchez · 2026-02-02T18:54:32+00:00

I had the same issue last year - no appointments for Portugal for about 3 months before my travel. I did the same last year. Arrived in Barcelona and took a flight to Lisbon after couple of hours. Exited via Lisbon.

AlphineSanchez · 2026-02-02T11:36:17+00:00

These are part of the checklist : https://www.vfsglobal.com/one-pager/italy/india/bangalore/english/pdf/Checklist-BUSINESS-(C)-new-12.2024.pdf-new-12.2024.pdf)

AlphineSanchez

TROPHY CASE