~No title~

Jan 14....
Well, I have been blogging after a long long time... so I have lots of assorted material to share, that's why the eerie title!

I was last here on March 31st last year... and most of the discussion centered on me going to gym and blah blah blah... ok, to all those people who wished me good luck with gym, I don't wanna disappoint them; I did gain 8kg towards crossing the coveted, amazing, unbelievable, mesmerizing [ok ok, getting too much now..] 60kg barrier, over a period of 3 months. So, for all those miserable skinny skeletons out there cribbing about their ever reducing biceps, get up and hit the gym; there is no other way to gain weight! But then, I had to leave Samsung, and Bangalore, so the usual laziness caught up with me, and then you know...

Packing up from Bangalore was no fun. I miss uncle, aunty and family for always making me feel at home away from home; the 8:15 am (bus) "conductor didi" who always used to keep the bus waiting, if I were a few seconds late; the gym instructor who was always baffled to see me in gym everyday; that juice wale uncle who always used to ask "how was the day?" every evening; the few friends I had there whom I rarely bothered to speak to, but yet they gave me a befitting farewell; and lastly, my most cherished possession, my TV. It would not be an overstatement to say that Man Utd would not have won the Premiership (am talking about 2006-07 season), had I not supported them each minute of the season! [am wondering how poor my english is!]. The courier agencies in India suck, they declined to transport a TV! ridiculous! It was so difficult to part away with my TV :-( [btw, it lies with my college friend, who has forgotten to send me a picture of my darling.. hope she does after reading this!].

Back home, I had visa formality to take care of, which I duly did. It wasn't as difficult a thing as I thought it to be! I also had the opportunity to meet most of my relatives in Delhi and Jaipur after over 5-10 years.. also met a bunch of good buddies in Noida and Gurgaon. So, after all the socializing, farewells, goodbying was over, I was back to the comfort of my home, with my parents. Now on, I had to prepare for my grad life in US.

Now, packing 23*3 kg of stuff ain't an easy thing to do! It was as if I was taking a house along with me. Not surprisingly, there is loads of help available on Internet and it was all handled smoothly. A lot of people were frowning how would I be able to survive 22 hours of in-flight experience [torture] in my Air India flight from ND to NY. But, it wasn't that bad, although the panel on my seat stopped working after sometime, so I didn't have access to audio of the movies which people were enjoying, to the light so that I could read something, and to the AC control which was directing freezing air right on my face! Anyways, we were a group of 6-7 people all heading to SBU, so it wasn't all that boring. Also, it was fun to pee in London which was a long-standing ambition since I read about British rule over India in the history books :-P

My first experience of US was astonishing: NY is like Delhi! except that the direction boards on the highways are more fancy! Thankfully, the weather was a bit cooler than Delhi [40 C the day I left :(]. Settling in here was no problem. Seniors helped us out, showed us around, shopping places, univ labs etc etc.. It's a pretty clean place. It's really beautiful also with big trees and fresh air all over. That was a good change from the suffocation of Bangalore and Hyderabad. Also, my laziness prevented me from visiting NYC before the semester, and as seniors suggested it wouldn't be possible to go before the end of the semester, they were right! Desi and Chinki junta here is enormous. An American, if seen, is regarded as a "foreigner"!!

The period from September 4 till December 20 was quite a frenzy, one that I expected it to be. Almost everyday, I was preparing for something next day, be it some presentation to professor, some quiz, some test, some interview, some project demo etc etc. I had worked more in 3.5 months than in the past 25 months on job, yet I was not paid anything! Of course, this was not about money, but still, have mercy! I did do a part time job in catering. It wasn't fun at all, moreover, it didn't get along with the strict schedule a CS grad has here. I earned a cool $200 from it though :-)

cut cut cut .. fast forward .. Jun 14
Well, I have been blogging after a long long time... so I have lots of assorted material to share, that's why STILL the eerie title!

A whole semester has passed in between and I am back to working on completing this blog (after a lot of pestering by my few readers). This semester was as good as the previous one (atleast in terms of the GPA :) ). Also, more importantly, I am now doing internship in Manhattan and have thus, relocated to India (well, Journal Square, Jersey City to be precise). A long pending hair-cut was gleefully settled in $7 on the Indian Street amidst the pleasing hymns of "Hare Rama, Hare Krishna" bhajan :-) More on the Indian Street later...

Talking about New Yorkers, I once used to laugh when Joey uttered that "How you doin'" crap every now and then, but not anymore. Everyone here asks this same bloody question, no matter whom and where you meet! I am sick of this already and more frustratingly, I can sometimes hear myself saying this! I just wonder why Chandler didn't do that!!?? Ross could be spared for once since he is (also) from Long Island. Whatever...

On phones... I am not sure of the status of Blackberrys in India, but they are selling like hotcakes here. (Handsets are given out free here anyways). All business people here have one, so that they can reply to mails 24*7. I got one for me too, but right now, only its game (Brick-breaker something) has been making times in toilet more enjoyable and fruitful than they were ever before :)

Ok, with lot of optimism and some hope that I will be blogging again soon, I will conclude this unnamed blog. Coming up soon: Life of a Desi, why I miss WTC, etc etc... Stay tuned!

Nobel cause

One of my batchmates Thushar has been involved in a nobel cause. Please see this:
http://www.ashanet.org/bangalore/marathon/runners/thushar.html

Cheers to Thushar! Great job buddy!

Will be back very soon...

Damn, I am too lazy when things are easy, and when things are not easy, I am busy... but, I'll be back soon blogging ! Till then, good blogs to read:
My Recent Reflections
My Life, as being unfolded for me
Ubuntu, Life, Mobiles, Music, Movies, iPod and Ofcourse Windows!

Cheers to India!

When you have the Momentum...

I recently took a leave to contemplate on my recent activities. People take leaves for going for vacations, attending marriages, or when they fall sick. But yeah, I took one just for being with myself! And, it was really a satisfying day.

I woke up early in the morning, probably 6 am, unlike that last minute rush to reach office before 10. Incidentally the electricity was not there, so I had to wait for my hot water bath. It was a usual Bangalore morning, with cool breeze blowing (yes! it still blows here!), birds chirping, and the leaves of the trees gleefully composing the background music. I decided to wait for electricity and so, went on the terrace to have some fresh air. It looked like a perfect environment for reflecting on the past, enjoying the present and looking forward to the future.

As I sat down in the middle of the terrace (to enjoy maximum air), the first thing that came to my mind was that I was happy. I was happy to make the decision of going for higher studies and rescue myself turning into "just another software engineer" in a crowd of millions. I was happy with the way I completed the procedure for my application to US universities. Although it was a bumpy ride, I still came through. Many people directly and indirectly helped me out with this arduous activity and I will be thankful to them for my entire life. I was happy to meet my brother who came down from Mumbai for a week off. We visited Lord Balaji at Tirupathi. I thank Him for accepting my prayers. Probably, the signs were good. All the universe DID conspire to help achieve what I wanted (Quoted from The Alchemist). Meanwhile, the sun was shining brightly, and by that time, I had decided to bunk the office that day.

One positive thought makes you feel better. And then, another one gives you the energy. And, slowly you begin to believe that you have the "momentum" to achieve what you ever dreamt of, as a child, as an adolescent, as a teenager, and as an adult. I began to realize that the key to motivation is not how far I have yet to go in life, but how far I have already come. Now that things are really looking up, I want to be prepared for the challenges in life. There would be many tough moments ahead, and I am sure I will scrape through just as I have done in the past. But, my major concern is being able to enjoy the lighter moments. All good things end eventually, so I got to give myself the best chance of enjoying them to the fullest as and when they come across. As a first step, I have gone back to my new year resolution: Being fit! Our body is meant to be cared for rather than subjected to the "10-hour sitting on the chair torture". So, I have joined the company gym. Yes! A Gym! A place where I had always feared to enter, for it would be a den of brawny hulks who would roll on the floor laughing at the sight of a 55-kg assembly of bones (slightly better than a skeleton!). But, it is okay, because it is my body, my money, my time and because I have the momentum. Now, after 20 days of continual gymming, I am happy to see myself more stiffer and fitter (gained 2 kg as well!). Now, I wake up without the alarm and with positive thoughts, I enjoy the food, I enjoy the sunshine, I enjoy walking in the moonlight, I enjoy the sleep. Whoaa! Another good decision!!

I hope that the tough part is over, but then I am ready to take more. After all, the Universe is behind me :-)

Dear Friend

Oh my dear friend,
stop running, the world's not gonna end..

I have forgotten your voice,
I am forgetting your face,
soon I would forget your name,
and that last goodbye embrace..

Your life is moving at a pace so eerie,
And you are forgetting our good old camaraderie..

You promised me a shoulder to lean on forever,
But now I suspect if we would meet again ever..

I know we live in a different place and a different city,
But soon we would be so far with no one to pity..

You bought a great new cell and you are having a ball,
But you forgot to give your friend even a 1-minute call..

Sometime back you came and asked,"Hi! How are you?"
Sometime from now, you would ask,"Hi! Who are you?"

Oh my dear friend,
stop running, the world's not gonna end..

P.S.: Another great poem that truly demonstrates the state of my mind is here

No Kites in Bangalore!! :-(

Me: Bhai, jaldi se kanne laga, we will grab that dugga today!
Bhai (in hurry): ya, ready, chal fagga de fata-fat aur bhaag ke neeche ja ...
Me: Ok bhai, ye le.. dheel de, dheel! main neeche jaa ke catch kar loonga, keep the timing right!
Bhai: aaja dugge, aaja, aaj tu nahin bachega (with a certain look of confidence)
Me: aa gayi bas paas, koi bewakoof udaa raha hai bhai.. kheech maarr!!!
Bhai: ye le, aa gaya pakad mein,.. wo jaaarii! catch kar!! dont let those jhaadhon wala jhoond to come inside home!
Me (ecstatic): chutte bo!! abhi laya!!



....and that was it.. and that was the story everyday... But, till I was in Haridwar, probably till 10 years back...

For all those who can't understand the "kite terminology" [in bold, italics] above, see the last section of this post. Others, read on..

I spent half of my childhood watching cricket, spoiling eyes and the other half: Flying Kites! In those chilly days, as soon as the sun shone and a little wind blew, all the colony boys were right up there with all the equipment and a bag full of tricks so as to cut each other's kites and if possible, seize others'. Every year from October, the kite fights began with lots of enthusiaism and fun. New 'kids' joined the battle and the 'veterans' made special guest appeareances. After lots of practice and use of new fundas, the season culminated with the Makar Sakranti Festival. This used to be a fitting finale for all the 'participants' to showcase their 'talents'. The blue of the sky used to get overshadowed by the colors of the kites. Parents watched their children laugh, enjoy, shout, cry and have fun all day while enjoying the much-clamored heat from the sun on the roof-tops. The sheer thrill of the activity was awesome! At the end of the day, everybody used to forgive each other's 'sins' and laugh off the day with plans for next year...

But as we grew up, other things became more important, life.. career.. and somewhere that chapter of life was long forgotten.. it was no longer 'cool' to fly kites.. it was a bachcha-thing! huh,.. I still get excited by the mere thought of flying them again. I did get an opportunity in my previous company in Hyderabad when they organized a competition, but sadly, we didn't have the manja with us, only saddi on our charkhi, so our kites got cut before they could.....! :-(

This year, I am in Bangalore.. but wholly shitt! Not a single kite! only real kites! :( There are no signs of kites on the shops, absolutely nothing! Helllll! I always wanted to fly and touch the skies above, and this was the only medium I could do that, just a thread to conquer them.....





Kite Terminology:
Kanne- The thread which is tied to the kite at 2 locations to balance it with the main thread
Charkhi- The roller on which the whole string is rolled [in pic on the right]
Saddi- Plain thread for flying kite
Manja- Special thread with glass ingredient to make it sharp, thin and deadly!
Dugga- A special kite with more weight and more quality
Langad- A cheap trick for those who don't have kites; tie a stone with manja and attack flying kites!
Fagga- An easy way to start flying kite; one person takes the kite at some distance from the main flier and gives it a lift, so that the flier gets a much-needed start!
Dheel- release more string so that the kite can go distance
Kheech- withdraw the string quickly, so that the kite comes closer quickly
Jhaadhon-wala Jhoond- a group of small boys who used to pounce on beaten kites using a jhaadh
Chutte bo!- an exclamatory remark meaning: It got cut as soon as it touched my kite!
Wo Jaari!- an exclamatory remark meaning: His kite is going there... gone! we won!

A typical Kite shop in my place:

40 Days and 40 Nights.....

Don't even dare to bring thoughts from the hilarious movie "40 days and 40 nights"!! This is regarding a crazy bet that I had with my colleague (lead). We were both sitting idle, fully faltoo, when it occured to me to get into betting stuff!

We agreed on the bet that whosoever will shave first will sponsor a week's lunch (~200 bucks only!!) in the company's canteen. The idea was to enjoy the lunch, atleast for a week, going by the general human tendency of liking free items :). As per the stipulations, nobody could trim or modify the naturally growing things on the face. Moreover, respecting the dignity of the office milieu, we decided upon January 1 as the date to give up the bet, if in case no one gives in.

So, days passed on and on. Both of us coming to office like rotten tomatoes, laughing at each other. I happened to attend induction training during that period only. One HR lady asking me things like "Are you not well, is everything okay?". One colleague asked,"has your girlfriend dumped ya?" :-(. Moreover, it was really bothering me. Lots of itching.. inhaling air was like inhaling mosquitoes and exhaling caused hair to go into mouth :(. I was even having dreams that I am having lots of fun shaving. But, it would have been impossible and painful to shave myself! Amidst all the mess, the only comforting thought I got was from my landlord,"bachche, you look a little mature!" :)

Coming back to the bet, both of us were indeed tough nuts to crack, and totally refused to shave. Finally, my colleague went on leave this Thrusday and so, we have decided to dissolve the bet by mutual concensus. Now, today, the 40th day, I am sitting shaved off, looking at the mirror happily :) Moreover, taking advantage of the situation, I have got a cool "French Cut" [Please don't search for these 2 words on Google Images!] ;). Life has once again become so clean...

Back to North!

I had the opportunity to go back to North India after 7 months on the occasion of Diwali. As usual, I had to go by flight, but fortunately, this was the first time I was travelling in day time and I had a window seat to peep outside!

There were several interesting things. It was amazing to see how clouds change in appearance as we go up. The clouds closer to earth are more dense and move faster. On the next layer, they are glowing white and at portions where sunlight falls, they shine with a brilliant golden tinge. Clouds on the upper layers look flat and don't appear to be moving. Among all these things, one thing is common. Sunlight simply can't pass through. They are almost completely opaque, which is evident from the vast shadows on land.

Another striking thing was when the flight was landing. I was fascinated to see the demography on the land. I am not sure of the height at which the plane was flying at that moment. The cities look like small conglomerations imbibed in vast stretches of waste land. All you can see is many long roads protruding out from the heart of the city to other cities. And, there is almost always a big road which encircles a city.

While the trip from Bangalore to Delhi itself was pretty intriguing, more surprises were in store after landing. On the airport, I had to ask some security guy for the location of the drinking water coolers. I asked in my usual fashion,"Excuse me! Can you please tell me where I can find drinking water?". To this, that big-muchchad guy replied,"abey hindi bol, hindi!!" and he directed me to the cooler. That was a stunner! It seemed as if I had come to a foreign land! I realized that I was back. It is amazing how we can travel from one culture to another culture in such a less time. It was pleasant to see common junta speaking hindi!

Next, as I sat down to eat in a restaurant, the best thing was to see people eating daal-roti. In south, if you go to a restaurant and order arhar daal, 'yellow daal' as it is called here, and roti, or you ask for a bowl and a spoon for sambhar/chutney, half of the people around will see you with scorn as if asking me,"tu kahan se aaya hai bhai!?"

It was really pleasant to be back home, talking in hindi with common people! :-)

Vintage Allahabad

As I laid down on my upper berth of the train to Allahabad thinking about the job at hand, and observing people around, I realized that nothing has changed.

I saw people eating the pan and spitting everywhere. Signs of "No Smoking" and subsequent penalties inside the train still don't scare smokers. Then, people rubbing tobacco on their palms. Then, all those daily passengers, making life tough for innocuous 'reserved' people like us.

It was 8 am in the morning. As soon as I stepped out of the Prayag station, I started looking for an auto. Soon, I realized that you can't take an auto from Prayag. As a personal auto is a non-entity in this city (dehat to be exact), I reluctantly 'boarded' a cycle-rickshaw to the college guest house. Although commuting on a rickshaw in the morning is a pleasant experience, but in Allahabad, it is still a torture! Narrow and broken roads (or was there a road?), coupled with the encroachments by huge piles of garbage on either side add to the eternal 'beauty' of this dehat.

As we (me and Rawat) stepped up our efforts for getting our things done, the same old "Allahabad heat" got to us. No matter from which place you come, you would feel still hotter in Allahabad! On one occasion, we needed to go to GPO for getting some stamps. As we were about to come out of the college gate, we saw a familiar thing. A small kid, or better say 'assistant' of the auto-driver, rushed to us shouting "Civil lines! Rambagh! Civil lines! Rambagh!!" The assistant tried to snatch my bag so that we can sit inside his dabba. As we moved inside, again, that same dhakka-mukki, trying to adjust 4 people on a seat of 3. Inside the GPO, most of the officers/clerks were doing the same thing: eating pan!! A stamp might be a rarity but a pan is a ubiquity here!

Speaking of Allahabad, one thing never falls short of mention: Electricity! We were quite surprised to see the fans moving at 11 am in the morning, as there used to be a scheduled cut of 10 am to 2 pm. But, we were again proved wrong when we came to know that some election was going on and so, the electricity was on! Nothing can change politics in that area!

After finishing all the things we could do in a best way possible, we packed our bags and found some space in an auto. But, as soon as Katcheri came, the same thing happened! Guess what!!?? The assistant told us to change the auto for going to "Tation" (station)! And moreover, the fare is still the same, 8 bucks from college to station!!

It has been 18 months since we left college and Allahabad. This might be a small period of time for any dehat to change, but I daresay, there was never an intent to change either! That's "vintage Allahabad"!

An Amazing AD

I am one of those persons who change the channel just as a commercial break comes. I don't have any time to watch ads when so much action is going on other channels. But, one night, while watching a soporific discovery documentary, I happened to hear [I had no power to switch off TV] the lines of Tata Safari ad:-

"Slavery is not dead, you just stop recognizing it,
when did you agree to always being watched,
to your life not being yours anymore..
When did you forget that the only person who is stopping you, is you."

Those lines struck me like a bolt from the blue! This is so true! Wikipedia defines Slavery as a social and legal designation of specific persons, usually captives or prisoners (or their descendants), for the purpose of providing labor and services for the owner without the right of the slave to refuse, leave or gain compensation. Everyday, something wakes us up, and then gives us energy and motivation to get ready and drives us to our workplaces. We keep busy all day, or atleast pretend to be busy. Why? We pretend to do that so that we keep good terms with our superiors. By doing this, we don't behave in our own natural way. Sitting there all day, against our wishes, isn't that a form of slavery? We dedicate all our efforts and learning towards the business objectives of a foreign (maybe national, but who cares) firm. Isn't this a slavery? Yes it is, a "Modern Slavery".

A Tribute to Greats!

Sometimes many people ask me why am I such a sports fanatic that I don't have time for anything else when I am not in office. They wonder I am so busy even on weekends!

My passion for sports is largely due to the masters of the various games. Ever since I was a little boy, I grew up watching Sachin pulverise the best of bowling attacks. I grew up watching Ronaldo mesmerise opposition defenders and dupe goalkeepers into committing stupid mistakes. I was a little apprehensive of myself becoming too busy to follow all these things once I got into college and then into job. But instead, this is an addiction that never ceases to end. And guess what! I never want it to!!

Last week, some of the modern greats have bid or have decided to bid farewell to their respective games. The first one I would like to talk about is my tennis favorite Andre Agassi. Agassi who started his career with 2 Slam Finals losses, became an instant showman with his 1992 Wimbledon triumph over big-serving Ivanisevic. The one-ear ring and long hair with colorful gear became an instant hit with public. I would recall the best performance I have ever witnessed from him. This was on the occasion of U.S. Open 2001 Quarter Finals meeting against Pete Sampras. It was 2 past midnight, when the match had gone into second set, with Agassi winning a tight first set 7-6. The next three sets went with the same scoreline 7-6, 7-6, 7-6. I thought this could be a rare moment when Agassi will beat Sampras in a grand slam fixture, but it was The Pistol Pete prevailing this time. Although Agassi lost, the amazing thing about this match was that neither player lost their own service games and there were many more winners than unforced errors. This quality match has often been dubbed as the best Agassi-Sampras duel. He has been regarded as the best ever returner of the service and he finished with a tally of 8 Grand Slams and an Olympic Gold medal, which included a Career Grand Slam. Truly, a tennis legend!

The second guy I would like to talk about is Brazilian footballer Roberto Carlos.

He has decided to retire from international football after a disappointing World Cup. His hard, physical defending, his marvellous runs from the left back position to attacking positions and his trademark rocket free-kicks will surely be missed in the international colors of Brazil.

And now the biggest one! Micheal Schumacher! The only One! The Man who set the pace of Formula 1! After posting a staggering 90 Grand Prix victories, this great German driver has decided to hang up his boots from professional racing at the end of this Formula 1 season. This 7-time champion is the most successful racer the world has seen, and with 3 races still remaining, he might well claim his eighth crown and then leave the sport at the acme of his career. Oh Schumi, please don't go!!

I feel that this era has produced the very best of athletes in almost every sort. Sportpersons like, Schumacher from Formula 1, Lance Armstrong from Cycling, Sachin Tendulkar from Cricket, Roger Federer from Tennis, Tiger Woods from Golf, Ronaldinho from Football have ruled their art. These people have redefined the boundaries of their respective games and taken their sport to new glories. I have been lucky to be born in an era of these greats and watched them in live action.

The way I spent Independence Day....

Well, I woke up at 6:30 am and went to attend the Flag-hoisting ceremony at my company premises. But before I reached there, I got a fair idea about the non-enthusiasm on our own Independence Day.

On this day, you expect to see flags waving everywhere. But there was nothing on the buildings and homes!. So, I turned my attention to the roads and vehicles. To my pleasure, I did find plenty of waving tirangas. But, there was a sad twist associated with my observation. All those people whom you will find living below the poverty line or are usually poor, like auto-wallas, pan shopkeepers, street hawkers etc., most of them were displaying flags of various sizes. I used to curse these very people for not having money to eat and feed their families, but they will always have some for smoking and drinking all day. But, today, I gotta say that these are the few people left in our country now who find some money to buy the flags (more about this later). On the contrary, all those people who boast of possessing Mercedes and Skodas feel it painful to put a flag somewhere on their prized possessions as if an Indian flag will defame their show of wealth. Anyways, you can't expect other people to change! :-(

As I was walking along the lane of my IT Park, I could see very few people, which is very much uncharacteristic of Bangalore. And, when I reached my company, not surprisingly, there were very few people present for the ceremony. There were more guards and office boys than employees. Hardly 10-15 employees had turned up. What a pity! :-(

After this, I along with 2 of my teammates left for Lalbagh. It is a botanical garden full of colorful flowers and magnificent trees. We had a great time there! I really felt to be living in "Independent India". :-)



Unlike most people who slept in the morning, I then slept for the rest of the day!

I am back!

With my heart full of joy and fresh-new energy, I announce that I AM BACK!
Reason: I have gone past the previous job's boredom and have now found the place and the assignment that is very challenging and very motivating :-) :-) :-)

Though the transition has been hectic, and time to settle in the new environment has been less, I have been able to adapt very quickly, largely because of friendly owners of my flat and helpful teammates at office. Moreover, the Bangalore climate has been an active catalyst towards helping with all these things.

Going back a few weeks, I was in **, with a pleasant team. As of now, I am already missing those small pantry breaks, those new friends I made there. One fellow (Baba) put up a strange question. He asked,"Is it always like we come, become friends and then go away?" I still don't have an answer. I am missing the place and its people.

Going further back to the college placement days.. when all of us were tenaciously preparing for companies, we had lots of doubts and apprehensions. Based on some silly notions and advices, we decided to focus on a few companies. Some got in, some were left out. The latter ones found something equivalent, some even better. But, that was from the perspective of a fresh college graduate. The world outside, is really very-very different, and unfortunately contrasting. Almost everyday someone used to call up and start narrating job frustrations. Some fed up with work, some dissatisfied with compensation, some blaming city environment, or some cursing the bosses! You talk to N number of people and you hear 2*N complaints. That was indeed painful.

But, as I see now, I can feel things getting better with each one of us. The progress has been slow, but surely, it has been there. One by one, each one of us has come to realize our own potential and we are striving hard to achieve what we really deserve. Slowly but surely, those smiles and grins are returning to the faces. I can see people thinking about things they can do better and undertaking steps to move ahead in their lives and careers. Few months back, one friend left his job and is planning to start his own private business. Another fellow is bent on leaving his job, which demands his presence only at night time, for becoming a sports editor. Well, these have been extreme cases, but largely, many of us have switched jobs and moved to the ones which satisfy us in many respects.

I am glad to share that each one of us is helping each other in their efforts. I am back, and we are all coming back.......

Where am I!?

One sleepless night, I was thinking that what I have been doing off late? I am not happy, for some reason. I am not making someone happy. Ok, I am earning lots of money. Ok, I can buy most of the things I want. But, certainly, I am not enjoying life. Why!?!?

Is it because I am missing my parents and home? Shouldn't be the case! I have been on a 10-day trip to home just a month back! Is it because I am missing some very good friends? Maybe, but why, they call quite often, and I also call them fairly irregularly. Is it because something has been haunting me during nights? Doesn't seem so, when I sleep, hardly anyone can wake me up! Is it because ...

Ohh! something just occured to me! Maybe I am not succeeding on the expectations of somebody important. My dad wants be to get the hell out of this job and do Masters in US. I don't know why is he so bent on getting me another degree. Maybe because he feels that I will get a better job after that, or if not that, maybe a more qualified, beautiful gal for marriage! Leave it! Why should i goto US? My India is so nice. I like being here, and besides that, what extra will I learn than what I learnt in BTech (C'mon! my college was so nice!)?
Or, maybe, I am failing on my friends' expectations! Being a topper, what the hell I am doing in such a ****ing company! I should have been making big softwares in Microsoft, Google etc!
I sit back and contemplate..... yes, they want me successful, but do they really care? All are so busy with their own lives, their lives are moving faster than a Formula 1 car.

Ok, got it! Maybe, I am failing on my own expectations! Oh, I never used to be this way! Maybe, I am not where I supposed to be. I must find myself back, the old ME who never gave up, who seldom lost big games in life...

At this point of time, I have decided to take life as a challenge, like old times, I have decided that I won't lose again. I WILL BE BACK!

A Story...

One day a teacher asked her students to list
the names of the other students in the room on
two sheets of paper, leaving a space between
each name.

Then she told them to think of the nicest thing
they could say about each of their classmates
and write it down.

It took the remainder of the class period to
finish their assignment, and as the students
left the room, each one handed in the papers.

That Saturday, the teacher wrote down the name
of each student on a separate sheet of paper,
and listed what everyone else had said about
that individual..

On Monday she gave each student his or her list.
Before long, the entire class was smiling..
"Really?" she heard whispered. "I never knew
that I meant anything to anyone!"
and, "I didn't know others liked me so much,"
were most of the comments..

No one ever mentioned those papers in class again.
She never knew if they discussed them after class
or with their parents, but it didn't
matter. The exercise had accomplished its purpose.
The students were happy with themselves and one another.
That group of students moved on.

Several years later, one of the students was killed
in Viet Nam and his teacher attended the funeral of
that special student. She had never
seen a serviceman in a military coffin before.
He looked so handsome, so mature.

The church was packed with his friends.
One by one those who loved him took a last walk
by the coffin. The teacher was the last one to bless
the coffin.

As she stood there, one of the soldiers who acted
as pallbearer came up to her.
"Were you Mark's math teacher?" he asked. She nodded: "yes."
Then he said: "Mark talked about you a lot."

After the funeral, most of Mark's former classmates
went together to a luncheon. Mark's mother and father
were there, obviously waiting to
speak with his teacher.

"We want to show you something," his father said,
taking a wallet out of his pocket.. "They found
this on Mark when he was killed. We thought
you might recognize it."

Opening the billfold, he carefully removed two worn
pieces of notebook paper that had obviously been taped,
folded and refolded many times..
The teacher knew without looking that the papers
were the ones on which she had listed all the good
things each of Mark's classmates had said
about him.

"Thank you so much for doing that," Mark's mother
said. "As you can see, Mark treasured it."

All of Mark's former classmates started to gather around.
Charlie smiled rather sheepishly and said, "I still have my list.
It's in the top drawer of my desk at home."
Chuck's wife said, "Chuck asked me to put his in our wedding album."

"I have mine too," Marilyn said. "It's in my diary."

Then Vicki, another classmate, reached into her pocketbook,
took out her wallet and showed her worn and
frazzled list to the group. "I carry
this with me at all times," Vicki said and
without batting an eyelash, she continued:
"I think we all saved our lists."

That's when the teacher finally sat down and cried.
She cried for Mark and for all his friends who
would never see him again..

The density of people in society is so thick that
we forget that life will end one day. And we don't
know when that one day will be.

So please, tell the people you love and care for,
that they are special and important. Tell them,
before it is too late...

P.S.: I hate plagiarism in my blogs, but this one is well worth it.

What's the deal with a Hair-Cut!?

I don't know why so many people bother about each other's hair-cuts. If somebody's hair is short, someone would come up and say, "Man! you will look great if you get some stuff on your head..". If otherwise, they are long and silky, people say, "Dude, you are looking like a beaten-up villain of 70's movies...".

Last month, I was on a vacation. So, on my way home, I sneaked in my friends' place in Gurgaon. My good friend, Aakash mocked me by saying that I look like a South Indian pan-wala or a mochi :-(, who have long hair and are good for nothing.. :-(. I hadn't had a hair-cut for 1 month before that. And until last Saturday, I still didn't have any. (Now, believe!). One of the friends said I look like Shammi Kapoor! I said," Yahooooo!! it is much better than other comparisons!"

Anyways, I decided to get rid off all this. I had another thought. Losing all this hair will reduce by weight by 0.5 kg and height by 0.5 inch :-(. Ohhh!! leave it! let's start a new life! So, finally I got all this load unloaded from my head.

Next day, one guy comes up and says, "Man! where are all those hair, you looked awesome then!" :-(

My favorite Quote

"There's some good in this world, and it's worth fighting for."
-Sam Gamgee to Frodo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings

Truly innocent

This is a small incident about a trip I had with my friends to Char Minar, here in Hyderabad, back in January this year.

The occasion was the visit of my Bangalore buddies Bhanu and Nitin. So, it was our duty to show them around. Infact everywhere we would go, it would be my very first trip too (am a poor lazy fella!). We had our camera rolling all the way. On one day, we visited the very famous Golconda Fort. Dunno, what is so famous about it; looked very trivial.

Anyways, we also visited Birla Temple (really good place). All these things are okay, but a trip to Hyderabad cannot get over without paying a visit to Char Minar. Some say, it is the face of Hyderabad. So, we all set off in an auto. By the time we reached there, the battery of Bhanu's cam was nearing discharge. We were busy taking picks with different poses. Suddenly we noticed a small kid jumping around, crying, "meri bhi, meri bhi..".. Bhanu suspected that his battery would not last more than a photograph and he still had to get his own pic with the Char Minar. But, the innocence of the kid carried us away. Bhanu took a pic of his and showed him. He was so excited and the smile on his face was worth a billion.

P.S.: The battery gave up after that pic and Bhanu could never get a pic with Char Minar. Hope he gets one next time around. That pic is below.

Gone are those days...

Gone are those days when we used to sit together and chat,
Gone are those days when we used to fight on this and that..

Gone are those days when we used to talk about each other,
Gone are those days when we prayed for success of one another..

Filled is this world with ego, self and hurry,
what our dear ones are upto, we hardly worry..

Gone are those days when we atleast used to call,
Gone are those days when we danced together in a hall..

Gone are those days when our minds were sharp as a knife,
Gone are those days when we lived this life..

Can I go back in time and live that life again?
Can my heart be filled with joy and no more pain?

Can there be a world devoid of envy and jealousy?
Please promise me this, I will live by this prophesy..

Importance of Songs!

We listen to music everyday. Some people do this for the sheer pleasure and freshness that comes from good music. And some hear for the content of the song. I belong to the latter class.

Sometimes some songs are tailor-made for our present situation. Like the Graduation song was perfect when I was leaving college. I can't recall other examples, but my present situation can be best described by the following Bryan Adams classic:-

Got to fight another fight - I gotta run another night
Get it out - check it out
I'm on my way and I don't feel right
I gotta get me back - I can't be beat and that's a fact
It's OK - I'll find a way
You ain't gonna take me down no way
Don't judge a thing until you know what's inside it
Dont' push me - I'll fight it
Never gonna give in - never gonna give it up NO
If you can't catch a wave then your'e never gonna ride
You can't come uninvited
Never gonna give in - never gonna give up no
You can't take me I'm free

Why did it all go wrong? - I wanna know what's going on
And what's this holding me?
I'm not where I supposed to be
I gotta fight another fight
I gotta fight will all my might
I'm getting out , so check it out
Ya, you're in my way
So you better watch out.

I have heard this song for years, thousands of times. But amazingly, now only I could feel the power of these wordings! Moreover, I have forwarded this to many of my friends and their thoughts have been no different!