10 ways to get late for work

Having observed my travel patterns to work over the past month or so, I have managed to come up with this list. Feel free to add if you wish.

1. Wake up way past the usual hour.
2. Wander about listlessly in a groggy state in your pjs
3. Stroll instead of walk to the bus stop
4. Miss the bus, then miss the tube and finally miss the train - all by a whisker
5. Train services deciding to halt in the middle of nowhere, halfway through your journey for 30 minutes.
6. Engineering works (this could lead you to skip an entire day's work)
7. Tubes playing up with - signal failure, someone being sick, someone raising the alarm
8. Realising you forgot your phone/railcard/wallet while at the bus stop and then going back to get them.
9. Get caught in a downpour with no transport and a brolly to see you through - find a shelter to keep yourself dry.
10. And finally set off for work, realise you have locked yourself out without the keys to the front gate and wait till one the neighbours does happen to step out and thus let you out. - oh the joy!! :P

Meanwhile a click from Salisbury. Thought would share it.

The cathedral spire, originally uploaded by ConfusedSam.

A world of advertisements!!!

The past couple of weeks have been really busy, and I mean over the top busy. Festivals, birthday, luncheons, job applications - the works. Not a moment went by which one could term to be extremely dull, though at times the lack of a notebook did bug me. Well moving on from lamenting about the loss of my favourite gadget, I discovered there was more to life than the internet, and there's a lot of thing that the internet makes it easier to deal with.

To start with, thanks to the internet I can submit applications from the comfort of my favourite couch or even while I'm lazing about in bed, stay in touch with a huge crowd which frankly in the era bygone was not that simple or cheap an option, twitter about (not much a fan yet), watch movies, and access vital information from simple things like "How to make lasagne?" to mundane stuff like the "How to travel from Harrow to Luton?". And yet, thanks to the internet and the gadgets which are associated with it, one used to spend a lot of time on it. In fact, last time I checked I used to log in first thing in the morning and would be at it on and off all day. Addiction?? May be!!

Anyway, with the loss of the beloved notebook, what I discovered that I did have a few things to do when am done borrowing it off my flatmate. I could read a lot more, practice guitar, take up tennis again, cook, actually call people up rather than just promising (must thank O2 for the free minutes though, not that am not paying but the scheme is simply great!!), go over to friends and have a face to face chat... the works. Reminds me of life before internet.

Speaking of calls and stuff, I'm strangely reminded of an advert which I happened to dig out while studying a particular firm for my applications. It made a strong impression because it was simple and did say something very meaningful. Check it out here: BT Frustrating. There have been more such like the Man in the Pint Glass. Now if you happen to look it up, it was done by Department of Transport and in my opinion it does reflect the creativity and corporate social responsibility of the advertising firm which came up with that brilliant idea. The idea was to let people know about the consequences of drinking and driving, and in effect deter people from actually doing it. The campaign carried out just before Christmas sure did deter a few I'm sure. Take look at it here:

Melodies of the past

Not much of a post here. Just happened to hum a tune while loitering about in the kitchen. It took me some time to figure out the song. It was a song I had first during school days and subsequently a lot during college days. The song Dildariya re by Bhoomi, triggered of a mad hunt for songs by Bhoomi, Parash Pathar, Chandrabindoo, Nachiketa, Anjan Dutta et al. on youtube. All bengali bands or singers, so in case one is not aware of them fret not!! :)

At this point I realised that, often without knowing we tend to associate certain music/songs/albums with different things, like schooldays, college, graduation, teenage, growing up, the first love, the first break up. E.g.

1. Where We Belong (Boyzone) - This album came out in 1998 and somehow quite a few of these songs remain with my till date. I went crazy over them. That was also the year I had my first serious teenage crush. And not to mention the stress level of impending O-levels in that academic year. Boyzone, helped me relax with songs like No Matter What, All That I Need, You Flew Away, Picture of You. And it was while singing along to them I realised, I could sing!! :D

2. Songs from the Guru Dutt classics - At a time when I was delving into idealism, forging my creative senses from colours to words, the songs (lyrics and music) helped develop the choice acutely, be it "Waqt ne kiya" or "Ya dil ki suno duniyan walo", "jaane woh kaise log the" or "yeh duniya". Classics all the way and still love listening to them when am thoughtful.

3. Euphoria and Nachiketa - while they had been around for years, with "Dhoom pichuk" being literally an anthem for youngsters from that time. They played a key part towards the end of school years when I was really digging into music. Did I follow the calling? Unfortunately not!!

4. Nothing Else Matters (Metallica) - I have never really been able to be a fan of an artist/band. For me its always been the song. Nothing else matters, a song which is perhaps the most soothing number that one would hear. And if you can strum the guitar, the opening sequence relaxes your mind like nothing else. and has till date remained a key destresser for me. I play the song, whenever I feel am getting bogged down. It also serves as a key to the memories I have of Sikkim. 4 years in that beautiful land, we studied, fought, played, basically grew up from boys to men, the wisps of cloud that rest on the river the early in the morning, the rain kissed trees glistening on a cloudy day. This song evokes strong, peaceful n cherished memories.

5. Bhoomi, Parashpathar, Fossils, Chandrabindoo - All bengali bands. I discovered them when I got around to college in Sikkim. As I got educated in that phenomena, I picked up their songs. And when like minded guys get together what you have night long soirees on rooftops a few guys, a couple of guitars and raw vocal power. It helped that everyone was talented enough to make it a wonderful show. Night after night, year after year.... Those were the best days of my life :)

6. Fear of the Dark (Iron Maiden), November Rain (GnR) - Somehow, it was with these songs that I got hooked to guitar. Another thing I picked up during engineering!! I love affair with guitar still continues, though I haven't managed to go past the basic. Self learning may not be the best way :P

Since then I have heard many genres, appreciated all types of music. Be it Ustad Amjad Ali Khan or Yanni, Rabindrasangeet or Abba, Beatles or Linkin Park, Karunesh or A.R.Rehman, R.D.Burman or current Bollywood music.... music has been a key a element while I grew up. It would always be. As long as I can sing and play a guitar, I know am not living without music. :)

What's your dig or influence??

Joys of Childhood

Before I begin my ramblings (I know I use that word often!!), I must thank SK for forwarding me the link of the videos I posted in the previous post about Wanda Sykes. By the way, SK (also my classmate) has been a source of constant support during the exam stressful exam day, right until the last exam. I must thank her for those messages on Facebook, which though were more about course material, but a communication I used to look forward to amongst other things I used to do then (apart from studies/revision). Thanks a lot mate... You've been great!! :)

Now with that note of thanks, I proceed to the current thought of the day: "Childhood is best phase of our lives". Honestly, nothing to worry about except maybe class routines, but that to after we grow up a little. The BIG thing is, no bills to take care of, no worries about about what to cook, no worries about the taxes, building up a bank balance, mortgages... nothing!! All you do, is go about your business of a student and a complete freako otherwise. I actually started thinking on these lines after going through the following pictures:

In one the child is enjoying being hoisted up into the air, comfortable in the knowledge that his dad is going to catch him on the way down and not let let him crash to the ground. The other is just about two brothers innocently playing about with their balloons as their folks went about their own business at the event. the bottomline is, they are enjoying without a care in the world. It's as if the more you know the less is enjoy life. So, did knowledge finally serve it's purpose?? Catch 22 anyone??

Let's have a tax ball...

Now I wasn't the one suggesting that. However, given Wanda Sykes suggestion and reasoning, am more inclined to agree to that. People evade taxes, they crib about it. Now, am not saying that some don't have a right to do that, they really do. The poor chap is earning peanuts and the government goes off and taxes them high. Not fair. However, the government needs the money to work things out, yeah? So, they tax the ones who can pay high. E.g., in UK , you get taxed 50% for an income above £150000 per annum. People crib a lot. Damn right, they should. I would!! I work hard all year, struggled and made it to the top over so many years, and then they tax me 50% of what I earn. I would have been better off with a salary of £140000, would be paying 40% then!! Now, let me give you a sweet catch. The bonuses are tax free, or so I heard.

So, the rich folks crib about tax, yet don't mind shelling out the big money at charity balls and dinners, where they dress up and have a seven course meal. So, what Wanda Sykes suggests is, get them around to a tax ball too, because it seems they don't mind shelling out when well dressed. Talk about killing 'em softly!!

Anyhow, Wanda went on to land quite a few more such thumps, so watch them on the videos. (scroll down a bit, n you'll find them waiting to be clicked :)) Oh, and don't run away after watching it. Stay around and tell me about what you thought of it...

Part 1 : Wanda Sykes at the White House Correspondent's Association Dinner



Part 2 : Wanda Sykes at the White House Correspondent's Association Dinner

PS: I simply had to share this. :D

Soho Walk on a Sunday

Things haven't changed much over the past week except perhaps the fact that exams are finally over and I sort of managed to catch up on my sleep. The lack of it thankfully did not harm me during the exams. The weekend expectedly was spent lazing about doing nothing at all, till on Saturday night while on a lazing spree in my room, me n a couple of folks decided to leg about in central London the next day. Having nothing better to do, and still feeling out of sorts with the alleys and lanes of London, we felt this was the best way to spend an afternoon.

Sunday afternoon we started our walk from Piccadilly Circus, went past the Devonshire Arms pub to enter the interiors of Soho (I would suggest clicking on this link for a map of the area, else you are sure to get lost). The place comes alive at night, but during daytime it was as quiet as a quaint little village. Walking though its narrow lanes and alleys, we emerged onto Oxford Street. Busy as ever with shoppers and people just walking by, the street as always was a marvel to look at. Proceeding along Oxford Street, away from Oxford Circus, we again took a turn into Great Chapel street to get ourselves back into Soho. Walking down, we were amazed by the stark difference in the one felt in less than 100m. From the end of the street, we could see Oxford Street going about its business and Wardour street on the other side pretty much doing the same. But at that very corner, everything quiet. Silence managed to reign supreme despite being surrounded by chaos. Walking along Wardour street, we turned into Mearde Street before heading out towards Quo Vadis on Dean Street. At this point I must mention that the building that houses Quo Vadis today, was at one point in time the residence of Karl Marx, or rather on of its upper floors (the floor be marked with a circular blue metal plaque). Onwards straight , a turn later we were at Soho Square, which is essectially the green lung of this area. A nice quaint spot, I felt like pausing there for more than a few minutes. In fact, wished had a picnic basket!! But, we carried on, straight along Greek Street, (Casanova at one point of time was a resident of this very street). Walking straight ahead, we turned right onto Old Compton street corner where you would find Maison Bertaux. Supposed to be makers to delicious patisserie, its place people have been known to hang around for hours having nothing but tea. A little ahead was Chinatown and soon enough we were at Leicester square.

Not having had enough, we headed off to Fitzroy park, which was a 7 min bus ride away. The intention was to have lunch at the Indian YMCA, which much to our disbelief was closed for lunch. Disappointed we spent a few minutes at Fitzroy park, which was honestly beautiful, with the sun beating down on our heads and yet it felt good. Over here I found my friends being caught up with a pigeon and frankly, I had no clue what they were trying to converse but from the looks of it I gathered the lil birdie was not too interested.

Grabbing a bite on the way, we headed towards Trafalgar Square, going past Leicester square, only to laze about in the sun there as the crowd thronged about for the Baisakhi mela organised there by the City Council. After much lazing about we went off towards Covent Garden, a 7 minute walk away. Covent Garden as usual did not disappoint on a Sunday evening. This is the place I would suggest everyone to head for if you want a drink and some live music going on around you. We saw some street performers, live musicians and listened to a strings group (violins n cello) to our hearts content before heading back. It was well past 7. 7 well spent hours I would say!!

Monday was a bank holiday, so it went by in preparation for the forthcoming week, which promised to be rigourous, though frankly no preparation could have been enough. Tuesday to Friday, was a mad rush, with a business simulation exrecise at school, which required each student group to crunch numbers, predict market behaviour, generate capital, position products, launch new products, retire sick products - the whole 9 yards that one has to travel to make a business venture successful n sustainable over time. It was draining enough, but the week ended on a high note, with a few drunk mates, thai food, seemingly lost directions (that happens if you be led by an inebriated Thai, support a burly drunk Russian and a couple of other ladies in high spirits). A good laugh, good food and a good sleep - after a tiring n challenging week, that's all you need!! :)

Stand by me...

Exams are on! Which means sleepless nights, sleepy afternoons, race against time to finish revision, aching hands (no longer used to writing :P). Anyway, not around to update anyone on the exams scenario. What has taken the cake amidst the bleak circumstances, is the London tube condition. The monumental plans for the London Underground which has every weekend caused a shortage of trains, and suspension of services on certain lines. Planned engineering works they say. Anyhow, with summer approaching the prospect of travelling by tube seems quite a daunting task. It can get really, really hot n humid down there. Transport for London is working to alleviate the situation but it seems to be quite a few years before they can show any results for their efforts.

With regards to the tube, what happened today morning left me with the short end of the stick. I generally takes about 40-45 minutes from my apartments to the uni, including a 20 min ride on the tube. Now, the sodding station I have access to is catered only by the Heathrow bound Piccadilly service. The other nearest ones are a good 20 minutes away by bus, which again is at a frequency of roughly 10 minutes. Anyhow, my destination, South Kensington is well served by three different lines, so, if one goes down there are ways to reach there.

As I was saying, things went terribly wrong this morning. First, I overslept and nearly caused a major catastrophe there, which thankfully was averted. Second, on arriving at the tube station at South Ealing, I came to know that Piccadilly (the blue line) was partly suspended between Hammersmith and Hyde Park Corner due to delay in engineering works, while the rest of the line experienced severe delays. (I strongly recommend consulting the tube map snippet below to understand the situation, source: Transport for London) South Kensington being right in the middle of the no-go zone now, it left me in a terrible soup. Having not foreseen such a terrible turn of events, I had left about 90 minutes prior to the start of exams. with an hour to go, situation was pretty bleak. Having weighed all options, me and a few of my classmates came to the conclusion that we were going to be late. The only way we could make it in time was to hail a cab, which mysteriously had dried up. Legging the 11 mile distance was certainly not an option. Forced to submit to the abysmal conditions, we got on the tube at South Ealing changed at Acton Town onto the District Line (the green one) which has a notorious reputation for being slow. Finally we made it!! 10 minutes late to the examination hall. The first 10 being reading time, we didn't really miss out on the writing time, but a harrowing experience nevertheless. Thankfully, the question paper left us smiling. :)



Lessons learnt: Shit happens!! Prepare for it if you can.

Meanwhile, a classmate of mine shared this song with me and honestly speaking I do love it.

Observations

Firstly, a disclaimer! I was not drunk when I wrote that last post. I was merely under a trance having listened to the soundtrack of Sin City for more than 3 days. Oh, and you could say I was also distraught with certain state of affairs with regards to a particular module, so much so I was in a murderous mood. So there, having settled affairs and washing my hands off any drunken behaviour, I shall now proceed to bore you out of your brains. Keep the knife handy in case you want to stab yourself, or the glass of water else quit reading (the eyes do need a rest!!).

Now, since you are reading this line, I'm assuming you have followed either of the first two options I mentioned or have devised an ingenious way of yours to stave off the onslaught on your senses. Frankly, I do not intend to write about exam stress. Let's face it, we all know the works. It varies a trifle bit here n there, but not much. In the end it still is a mental trauma, a PIA and a system of evaluation which despite its glaring fallacies is still around.

My first observation this week is, pay attention when you are cooking. Especially if you are dealing with spices. On one such occasion later last week, I happened to cook some chicken. Unmindful of the proceedings, I believe I went a bit lenient on the spices. The fumes told me the story pretty quick. However, not to be deterred I proceeded with the entire show and served a very delicious looking preparation.


Observation no. 2: Appearance can be deceptive applies to food and not just women!! (more on the second half of the lesson later!!). The seemingly delicious and innocent looking chicken had the power of a few nukes hidden am sure. It was HOT!! Now, don't get me wrong here. I'm one of those , who generally like their food hot. Especially Indian food. I relished having it. With some veggies n steamed rice to go with it, it was a nice enough dinner (considering am a bachelor with limited culinary skills, you can make your guesses from the picture on the right!). What I had never prepared was for the aftermath!! Believe me when I say I ran through half a roll of the paper, before I was fine, though posterior was very much on fire. And this was within 2 hours of dinner. Haven't cooked chicken since. Am surviving on my boiled/fried vegetables, instant noodles, omelletes, breads. Chickens can wait for the time being!!

Observation no. 3: Time does fly!!! Oh yes, it does. Not with wings if that's what you are looking for, so stop imagining a clock flying across the sky with its wings spread wide open, neither is this Hogwarts. So, when we say time flies, the general essence is of what we have been told always. It seems only a few days ago that I returned from Glasgow, whereas it was been more than two weeks in reality. *** sighs ***

Observation no. 4: I find the graveyard outside my window to be quite beautiful. Have been clicking a few either later in the evening or early morning.





Observation no. 5: I need to get back to business, 48 hours more to showtime.

Cheerio :)

The nadir and other things.

The past week has been terrible. Probably the low point of my student life. Its the nadir!! The reason you find me being so negative about the whole show is that, with exams looming around the corner (just a week away), I seem to have developed all sorts of tastes. Rather the dormant ones have surfaced again. Anything, to stay away from books.

Anyhow, have been lately obsessed with the Sin City soundtrack, but not sure about spending 5 quid on getting the audio CD collection. Maybe I would, after 1st May. I get it now, I'd listen to it all day, non-stop, which might force my flatmates to declare me insane (which I believe at least one must have already thought of). Even though, I saw the movie quite sometime back, I discovered the soundtrack recently. Or may be paid attention to it. Whatever it is, the constant exposure to the music n thus the related graphics and videos on YouTube has left me in quite a dark frame of mind. But, I guess sanity prevails, as I'm not yet dreaming of it.

Moving on election days in India. Youngsters are either headstrong on who they want to vote for (more likely hog-washed by family or someone else they look upto) or totally clueless about the proceedings. The latter are probably in a dilemma: "To Vote or Not to Vote". I suggest, go for the voting and then vote none if that's what you think is right. Let not your name be used to cast fraudulent votes!! That is something which the youth can do - apart from mugging/studying for university exams.

IPL fever grips Indians and other followers of T20. Personally, am not much a follower, but the quick T20, is like instant noodles. Its short, quick, thrilling and most important of all, it sells in this fast paced life. Frankly, though I still prefer test match to T20, I probably won't have the patience to watch a test match, nor the time. But T20, is for the weekends, or evenings after work. Grab a crate of beer, get some mates and switch on the TV. 3-4 hours of chillout. Add to that some barbecue or eat outs and you've planned a splendid weekend.
As of now Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore have won a match each by defeating Punjab, Chennai and Rajasthan respectively. Kolkata versus Deccan is on and from the looks of it, Kolkata is eating the humble pie tonight, unless Deccan manage to squander it all!!! Anyways, bottomline is this match hath no sparks, at least till now!!

Have I been writing long enough?? I don't know. The clock says 17:47 hrs, which means I really need to go hit the books now. Duty calls!! I hate exams... whoever thought of it, in the first place!!!

Enjoy this track: Cells -The Servants, Sin City theme. Oh, and if you haven't seen the movie, go watch it!!!

The idiot box and ads!!

Click!!

“And there is Sreesanth running in…..”

Click!!

“What a delivery!! Simply rocked his…”

Click!!

“$#%$#%$#^” (some soapy crap… didn’t bother to listen!!)

Click!!

“Ek uncha lamba kad…”

Click!!

“Alright XXX, are you ready for the task??”

Click!!

“And Khali….”

Click!!
Click!!
Click!!

Is this what happens when you switch on you TV everyday??
At times, which is about every 15-20 minutes, the idiot box bugs me like no one else. I mean, every time I switch on it’s either the IPL these days, or some crappy soap opera, or some reality show, or some talent show…. I mean... GAWD!! Is that there is?? And then is a particular insufferable news channel which continues showcasing the life and happenings of a wrestler named Khali… to an extent, I really am afraid to switch to that channel. The movie channels… well not always good but then comparatively palatable?? May be!! Let’s now include them in this rant now!!

Hmmm… now where was I?? Oh yeah!! For souls like me who are living far from their family, there’s only so much that you can chat on the phone and to top it all if you have no internet connection… no wait… no computer, the TV is the only respite that you might have to shrug away the few hours after you return from work till the time you turn in. So, handicapped with these situations, I plopped down on the bean bag, to surf through (really that all you can do... the fingers thus are quite strong!! :P). And then I get barraged with the usual stuff. In between all this I try to observe the ads and finally decided more often that not its perhaps the ads which are worth watching. Imagine a Ranbir Kapoor thinking on his feet and concocting a “Youngistan”, and then in a subsequent ad actually speaking out about “Youngistan” and what it really does imply, (instead of a license to fool a space crazy bro to get into the house of your girl.. dats outright stupid!!) and finally ending it with a smart alecky answer!! Well, the idea that I’m trying to drive home is may be these ads are for just 30 sec, but the entire work that goes in conceptualizing and creating is way too cool!!

Sample the Max New York Life Insurance ad: Wife walks in, couldn’t find husband (who by the way is happily snoring away on the terrace), and when finally sees him sprawled on the chair her mind flips for the worst. He does wake up much to her relief… but then the idea conveyed is so simple – Life is unpredictable, so take care of your near dear ones before time runs out on you!! Can you think of something better?? Of course, you can!! See, that’s the advantage of good ad-films – they connect to you.

Another beautiful ad that is being nowadays is the Frankfinn one. It really showcases what the young ladies today think, whether they really abhor customs or do they respect it and yet want to carve a niche for themselves.

And then there is the Airtel ad featuring actors Madhavan and Vidya Balan. The conversations of a loving couple during roaming and on STD can be stretched and made without a worry of the costs to be incurred. The concept of the ad really makes one sit up and look. And then there’s the one about a kid talking to her father as he helps her draw a picture. Lovely isn’t it?

The world of ad-films is really amazing!! I mean, if you got a product you better make a good ad-film to make people talk about it. That I believe is part of marketing and may be product management, but then that qualifies for a different post altogether. I wish I could tell you how they go about making one, but then that is not my field. Hopefully, I can tell you one day what goes into making an ad-film.

Till then, cheerio!!

Oh!! whatever........

I got this in the mail today morning at work sent by a colleague of mine. Take a look....

"The woods were lovely dark and deep. Walking slowly beside her, in the damp mud road, was her husband whom she barely knew. He was very relaxed, happily watching a group of kids playing at a distance.Her "mehandi" was still dark and smelling fresh, reminding of the excitements and tension 2 days back. "It cant work this way mom...please stop this", she kept telling her mother till the last moment, who wouldn't listen but carry on with beautifying her. She had been crying all night and her make-up had to be patched up twice or thrice to hide her awkwardly swollen face.

It was too late now. She had to get married "NOW" to the guy...The guy whom she had seen once and talked thrice. The guy about whom she knew nothing at all but for his name and work. Everything happened in a hurry and everything was over before she could breathe again... here was she with this guy, all alone in this hill station... how can anybody send their daughter such a long distance with a stranger???

"Hey look at that....!!!" he shouted in excitement... she shrugged and looked where his finger pointed... Bright colored balloons dotted the sky. Children were jumping in joy and he seemed to be completely absorbed into it...colors are always exciting...but not now. She was not with her friends, not with her team mates, not even with her parents. This was not a 3 day tour or team building trip. This was her life and she has been forced to start off with this person.Loneliness and discomfort with this stranger was sickening...She looked at him in wonder... does he even realize that he has married me? Does he understand that he has to love me, protect me, care for me, a new girl, a stranger, all his life?

The marriage morning started like a daylight nightmare for her. The first time in life she felt she should have fallen in love and then married somebody. some man who she would have felt more comfortable with, someone whom she could call by name and introduce to friends,someone whom she could trust. But marriage morning was obviously not the time to think all these. Her parents would never have said "no" if she had declared that she was in love. But she was not emotionally attached to anybody she met, especially guys. She was very friendly, playing, teasing, but never had second thought for any man around her. That brought the entire responsibility of looking for a groom on her parents' shoulders. Her parents had had a very bad time with this entire process. They started their groom search with unending "&" operation. The concatenation of "Horoscope matching" & "Decent family" & "Good looking" & "Good pay" & "same cast" & so on... that always gave 0 output. Now after all that 8 months hunt, they were not ready to hear her "ifs" and "buts" for this 'good guy'. She had explained to her father. She does not feel anything for this person. He is nothing more to me than any other software professional. Like list of names she sees in the chat rooms. Distant and usual...Her father asked her to talk to him and even meet him and discuss their likes and dislikes. That meeting started like the induction programme self introduction and ended like a 3 hour seminar.She was waiting to get away from that place. "So did you talk with him?". "yes". "was he polite and decent". "yes". "Oh he got that special flavoured tri-color ice cream...!!!".OK. All her family and relatives discussed...She was given the chance to "understand her life partner" and that they have understood each other "well" and she is ready for the marriage now. All arrangements geared up and it was 24 days after her first meeting that she was getting married to her man... perfect match as everybody else described. Marriage hall was full with excited people, kids got the chance to play, ladies got the chance to wear the silk saree. The smell of rose and jasmine filled the hall. Different poses for the photographer and artificial smiles for the videos. The moment he had tied the sacred thread was unexplainable vacuum in the head. It was over.She was his wife. Accepted by the society and law. Her proud parents were relaxed. This was their duty they had been planning to fulfill since she was born. All this crowd will fade away, leaving her to explore her new world...

He pulled her hand gently to sit on the stone bench. The bench was wet and the chillness was indeed enjoyable. "So what are you thinking about?"... that was an unexpected ball. should she reply? should she be silent? She remembered the two hour presentation she had taken last month. Bold and confident, she kept answering all the queries with a broad smile. Now she remained silent. "Do you know honey... I was not for this marriage too..." Oh my God... what did i hear??? did HE tell that or did i think aloud? what does he mean? didn't he like me? was he forced into this? He must have noticed the quizzical look on my face...with a gentle smile he continued..."I wanted to look for a girl myself, buy her everything, care for her, argue with her, laugh and cry with her, then get married to her... Anything otherwise would be a drama. Traditional drama and i was not for it anytime. But my love for my work and also my stress would not give me time and mind to search that girl...When your parents talked to me 2 weeks before our marriage, about your fear of getting married, to a stranger, i could completely understand your mind. I could see myself in you and that was the moment i decided i will marry you. There was no time to prove myself to you, make you trust me, everything happened in a hurry. But there was the entire life before me, to please you, to love you, to make you trust me. This is no less than what i had dreamt, the girl i was waiting for, is you. Now tell me... will you love me???" Tears came down her cheek. Her parents had done more than their duty. They had found her the perfect guy. Thank you Mom!!! Thank you Dad!!! His question remained unanswered yet both knew the answer...."

Now, after going through this, though things seemed to be filled with promises, I still had a question on my mind. What if this is nothing but a flight of fantasy? And thus started a conversation, which meandered into the various aspects of love-marriage vis-a-vis arranged marriage. I won't list them out for anyone, because enough has already been said. What I can say is that, I'm sticking to my guns and going ahead with my choice.. should things fall apart (god forbid!!) then may be mom-dad can help me out.....

Anywyz, besides all that, this weekend was a hectic one. I mean more hectic than my 40+ hrs of work in the week!! Now, before you start making any wild guesses, let me be clear I was shifting into a new and better (quite obvious I must say) flat. So, there we were, that would be me and Neal, on Saturday morning packing our stuff, rushing off to make sure that the deal is still on, and finally moving out at 7:00 pm. Now that was the first trip, and then there was a second one. So there it was two bachelors loaded with stuff as if both were married men, travelling in the back of a cargo jeep, soiled throughout the day's work. If was quite an effort. let me five you a list of the stuff we had:

1. TV,

2. Cooler,

3. TV trolley,

4. A 5.1 sound system of 2000 watts (or was there another zero I don't really remember!!)

5. 2 beds, 2 double mattress, 2 single mattress

6. About 12 bagful of clothes.

7. A 30kg capacity bag (the kind our aunties fill up completely when coming to India, god bless them.. i love the chocolate box in there :P), full of books,

8. A lots of smaller stuff, which proved to more than we thought we had.

9. I almost forgot, the entire kitchen stuff, that comprised about 2 huge cardboard cartons (say the one in which you got your 21" television)

So that my friends is the belongings of two bachelors. Our landlady threw a fit on seeing our stuff and seemed to be very suspicious that we two were not the only ones staying there (what a shame!!! she questioned my integrity... Do i get to do a Ponting here?? :P) Anywyz, we were tired and dirty... and so dropped off the weary souls. In between I made sure that my lady was kept abreast of all the action out here....

And so turns up Sunday, I still wonder how, I managed to look at the wristwatch striking 8:45 and mistook it for 12:00 pm. That shook off my sleep, it was Isha who corrected me there... and well.. I felt downright sheepish!!! Jeez.... Anywyz, up and about we both got down to some hard work, and set about decorating the flat... Its over now, phew!!!! But then I have taken my call... should I've to take up a flat on rent again, it's gotta be furnished!!!

Anywyz, enough updates on my part. let's hear it from you...

Oh in case, the ones who know are wondering about her, well she spent the weekend at work!!! I hate such work routines!!!

Christmas at work.....

Ah well.. now for the past few days there has been quite some planning going on, what with Christmas approaching and people going on a long extended weekend. So, there we were a bunch of enthusiasts who simply needed an excuse to sing along... got together to put up a few carols.

After much efforts, V. came up with three: "Angels", "Jingle Bells rock" and "Feliz Navidad". And thus started the efforts of the troupe to get the carols together, most of them hearing it for the first time. Work, deadlines and other personal stuff kept cropping up. Yet amidst all that we managed to pull together our act!! Finally, we performed with Santa Claus distributing gifts. All in all a fine time... nah!! a good time!! A few pics to share with you all!! :)

Cheerio!!!

Kolkata Burning!!!

I'm not sure whether you have read about this or not, but I think it was high timne people started to look into it... at least know about it. Read this snippet from IBN-LIVE.

Nandigram Fire Spreads to Kolkata

Do let me know what you think after reading it. More will follow...........

Blogging in my sleep!!

Not really!! I'm st8ill awake but ready to plop down the moment I get a chance. Anywyz, it's 3:00 am now, and if you are wondering how come I'm online and blogging... let me enlighten you... I'm at work!! YUP!!! At work.... life of an IT professional!! Grrrr......

Anywyz, here I am, I really dunno what to write about if you ask me, just typing what ever is fleeting across my mind.... I dunno if it's making any sense. Now Thanks to this wonderful work timing of mine (5:30 pm - 3:30 am), Saturday night was a complete washout.... Sunday would be spent sleeping away.. and whoosh.... Monday is here!! Now how great is that??

And to top it all there is a Bloggers Lunch tomorrow... oops today afternoon at Mumbai, which I wanted to attend... but have to give it a miss... cause either I attend it and stay without sleep.... or sleep and conveniently forget about it.. coz it's not possibel for me to take it on while I'm still in Pune. Life can get so boring a times....

Anywyz, just to cheer myself up.. I'll post few pics of Kolkata, I caught the last ime I went to Kolkata... And one of my workplace at Pune early in a winter morning.... take a look!!

Kolkata Tram

Kolkata City Centre

My workplace, early morning!!

It ain't easy honey!!

Recently (about 1 week ago) I was having this conversation with a friend of mine who happens to be a chartered accountant, that software guys have it all easy. And there I was righteously defending the honour of an entire tribe out there. In the process, I chalked out a number of hazards, dunno if I ended up with a few outrageous ones in the process or not. But honestly, I was too miffed to think straight. I simply leaned on my ability to bluff and well.... he bought my story. What happened after that later, till then here's a snippet from that conversation:

CA: "I mean all that you guys do is in front of that computer and punch away something on the keyboard. An absolutely relaxing job I'd say."

Me (absolutely caught unaware on this one): "Huh!!! What makes you think so?"

CA: "Aw c'mon!! I mean what do you apart from sitting in front of that computer and chatting. Play TT?? That's it!! Quite a fun life!!"

Me (really wanted him to work on my project that minute): "Not really, you have a wrong impression. Our work stations might be stationary, but it's not esy work on soemthig absolutely conceptual. You never get to see what's happening after you've written that piece of code. And let's not talk of all the benefits and professional hazards."

CA: "Benefits??"

Me: "Yeah! Not for us though. It's for all you people out there. You talk on the phone, you book your tickets, the salary that you see on the screen at the ATM counter, the Orkut that you swear by, the e-mail that helps you connect... they all are due to some software techie slogging it out in front of a computer on a diet of a few packets of chips, burgers and coffee."

CA: "And hazards??"

Me: "Ah well..... all those hours typing causes the wrists to damage. The angle they bend after is all too unnatural. The starin on the eyes. The serious inactivity and bad diet causes all sorts of diseases in the long run for them. Obesity, Heart problems, chronic back problems, bowel problems, spondilitis, depression, stress induced damages.... these are just to name a few. I'm sure there are more. They do pay a handsome salary, but then that would hardly compensate for the loss of health causing a 25 yr old to resemble a 35 year old. Which is why, you'd see many youngsters givinh up the life of a coder before long."

CA: "Then why are you still in?"

Me: "For am qualified to do nothing else!! Sad but true....."

CA: "Hmmm.... all that glitters is not gold!! I guess it's so true."

There I had won another sympathiser. Believe me, it was not as easy it seems in this converstion, for it was longer than this and quite a argumentative one. But then I don't remember much of it now!!

The moot point is this got me thinking. The picture for the world outside is that we software guys have it real easy. Whereas this job isn't really that hunky-dory. It's as good as any other job out there. And frankly, a telecom engineer does much better with time than a software engineer. At times I really feel terming this entire lot, especially the ones in the service sector of Software as "White-Collared Labours". Tell me what do you think?

Those were the best days of my life.......

Aankhon mein hazaro sapne, dil mein liye the armaan...

Aasmaan ko chhuna hai, honge hum kal ki duniya...

Yaad hai woh saath har pal, Manipal ke woh meethe pal...

Sharaarat ke woh din, masti aur yaari ke din...

Woh the suhane din apne!!

(Eyes full of a thousand dreams, and a heart full of desires,

A will to touch the sky, and to be the new world,

We remember all those moments together, And the sweet days of Manipal,

Days full of mischief, and filled with friends and fun,

Those were the best days of our lives...)

Such goes the song release by the Medical College, MAHE, Manipal to grace the 50th anniversary of MAHE - Manipal Academy of Higher Group. This song, set to teh tunes of the Summer of '69, originally sung by Bryan Adams, set about to rock the campus world.... it still rocks... and became nothing short of a mantra for all Manipal students. Be it the ones from MAHE, SMU, Manipal, Pokhra.... It bonded all the Manipal students.

Now, in case you are wondering why I am going gaga over this song... then I guess I have take you on a trip into the world of Manipal amidst the Himalayas, in the serene and beautiful state of Sikkim. Yup... you have guessed it right. I graduated from Sikkim Manipal University and spent 4 years of my life nestled in the calm and quiet surroundings of Sikkim, roaming about and exploring corners, sitting on the banks of the river Teesta.

22nd August, 2001: A stubborn, spectacled 17 year old, walks into the campus of SMIT (Sikkim Manipal Institute of Technology). Situated 4 kms ahead of Rangpo on the way to Gangtok, the college was situated on the banks of the River Teesta in the quaint little village of Majitar. Having started in 1997, I happened to be the 5th batch to have joined. I took up Electronics and Communication Engineering. And thus started my technical education.

13th July, 2005: The same guy, now 21 years old, walked out of those gates having gone through his final examination - final seminar as a student. 4 years have gone by, 4 years of undiluted fun... a life which taught me how stand up for myself and for that which is right, how to tackle and diffuse tensions, deal with problems, identify people for what they are, taught me how to strum the guitar, badminton, snooker..... I picked it all up at college. I also faced soem of my biggest and most seriosu personal crisis during colege days... I learnt to survive despite all odds... and come out guns blazing!! Learnt that honour and trust probably matter more than money... You can never be what you never are.. pretension can never take the whole distance!!

So many lessons enclosed within the boundaries of a single campus!! Amazing, is it not?? And it is then I realised I have changed... for better or for worse, I dunno.

It is true for everyone am sure!! Nothing out of the ordinary here...... but just remembering.... how even the tough guys broke down when saying good byes perhaps for a long time to come. How an entire batch got together to celebrate their graduation.... Sheer bliss!!

Those were the best days of my life......... At least till date!! :)

Looking Back........ at my inspiration!!

After having done with 50 posts some of my friends suggested I should write something about blogging as such. well so here I am to write about it...... though I will put it as blogging and me. I started on blogging around November, 2005. Yeah, that's when I started. Posted a few, which you would find posted right the very beginning of this one (this is my second blog). And then took a hiatus. For nearly a year, I stayed away from blogging..... but then the bug returned. I was itching to write.... Started out with a new blog this time (the one u r reading!!), for I had forgotten the credentials for the previous one. Anyways, I started.. posted a few... and again hibernated!! Finally, it was around February that I got active, and since then I have been writing..... and writing a lot more than I had ever imagined I would ever.

Came to know quite a few people though blogging... interesting ones all of them. The blogs actually gave an insight into the thought process of different individuals which is by it's own right a very beautiful gain. Earned a few friends... influenced a few to start blogging and still looking forward to enlarge the tribe..... The attempts are on, I promise you..... but then........... Anyways, a question which I still seek and answer to, is what made me come back to the world of blogs... and that too with a vengeance??

I sought an answer to this from some of my closest friends, who have seen me write and think about something I want to write. And I have received some very smart reasons:

1. "You were always a writer, just needed a platform to write, that's all" .... yup!! that's right just as Saurav and Sachin always needed a Eden Gardens and a Wankhede to play cricket. As if my diary was not an incentive enough, which incidentally was always to me by my father to do some goo piece of writing or rather develop the habit of it. I on my part, conveniently used it as a source to whack somebody or use it up as a backup source of a rough notes collection or stuff to that effect.

2. "You have hit a zone buddy!! keep going while the steam lasts......." ....... oh you ********!!! instead of puling me up and bolstering confidence, all that you do is look into my eye and tell it's a temporary phase??? I shall write.......... The question remains, about what???

3. "You are in love with some girl, who loves literature!!" ............... The smartest of all suggestions. has all the flavors needed for a widespread scandal. While it is common knowledge that I have fallen for girls head over heels in the past (ouch!! the falls still hurt....) and love hop scotch with my feelings a lot.. tossing it around a little, and looking around for some chick who's gullible enough..... I found this idea quite plausible.... except am I so mad??? And when did this happen??

Now here is how my sister summed it up: "You see bro, this lady is definitely someone you know very well. I 'm not saying you know her for quite sometime now, but say at the max a few months, that would explain this drastic change. She knows you pretty well, and actually loves to read your works. You obviously have received a lot of praise from the fairer sex to bolster your ego. To say that.... " - now observe, here is where she manages to lay it on thick - "... you are bad or average is an understatement, you are good. And someone's crazy about you... so you keep writing!! Simple...." Ah......... my bloated ego.... my fluttering heart.. was I on seventh heaven???

Is someone really my inspiration?? Who can that fair lady be?? Darn!! Such a tough task!! I'd rather stay silent and let the sleeping dogs lie...... lest the tempest unfold with it's mighty fury and ruin whatever is beautiful around me now......... For the time being let me identify her as "The Lady within me". Till then let this supposedly "directionless" flow of thoughts continue and weave a magic on everyone who rest their eyes on it's physical existence, brought about yours truly!!

Happy reading
Cheerio

Confused Sam

The BIG quirky me!!

While it's easy to write about things happening in one's own life, it's actually a bit difficult, no.... a mammoth task to write about self. (Wonder how people come up with Autobiographies????). Now, I have been "tagged" to write down a few quirks about myself. I tried thinking about it.......... Didn't work out. Tried jotting them down, in an effort what if sub consciously something gets penned......... All that happened was Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz............................ hehe........... honestly!!
So I decided to get a bit serious and do a lil bit of introspection............... And guess what? I came to a conclusion!!I am too quirky!! yeah.............. i am a full of eccentricities, contradictions. So much so that penning down a few is way too much of a task. But, I'll try............. (Mann, I hate you for this.... and whoever started this chain!! :)

So, here goes:

1. I am very LAZY........... I would prefer shouting at the top of my voice to get things done, but rather not move an inch.
2. An extreme hogger, ironically I'm quite picky about it too. So, I won't hog on just about anything. It has to be of my taste too. (I luv puri and aloo ki sabzi)
3. I can survive an an entire day on just a burger, a few bottles of thums up and a couple of Lays (I'm crazy about it, the blue and green one!!)
4. I'm simply head over heels with chocolate mousse. I end up pronouncing a restaurant as good or bad based on their chocolate mousse.
5. While I can have a lot of hard drinks (some call me a bottomless barrel!!), I personally prefer a glass of good red wine to while the evening away.
6. Totally fida over mountains, I dream of a home there, with sprawling meadows in front of my home. (Just a dream, ok!!)
7. My ideal relaxing scenario has me sitting in a dark room, with some soft instrumental stuff in the background, a glass of the red wine, huge glass windows which open out to a nice wooden balcony, the steps from the balcony take you to a garden, cross the lawn and you have date/palm/coconut tress swaying in the breeze, the sea in a playful mood, and the moon casting its soft light on everything that rests in this picture. Are you with me???
8. I have a huge fetish for wrist watches.
9. I loooooooove coffee mugs.
10. My favourite fruit juice is Mango, though I don't eat mango!!
11. I always dream of being a great writer or sportsman. And neither I guess is possible................ :(
12. For my my friends are of supreme importance.
13. Despite the jovial outlook I'm essentially a very serious person.
14. Although I'm quite flirtatious (ppl say so!!), I actually believe in commitment.... and I guess a romantic too.
15. A born day-dreamer. i can dream hours away just like that.
16. Although a right handed batsman in cricket, am more destructive as a leftie :P
17. There was a time I believed Madonna was a football player, and Maradona a singer!! (Now, don't throw that stuff at me.......... i was just a kid!!)
18. "Aa chalke tujhe main leke chalu " remains one of my favs....... and was the first song that i cud sing (again was a kid!!)
19. Although a "rocker", i personally love to listen to soft music most of the time.
20. I dunno why, but i always get this comment that my english is accented.
21. People (especially girls) find my voice to be very good (am sorry won't write the rest of the adjectives here ;)), and I always feel extremely uneasy when told the same. And they then repeat the comment on purpose n number of times when i least expect it.
22. I'm a fulltime chatterbox though not form the word go.
23. Am a thorough introvert can't talk to strangers at all!!
24. Did I tell you, that my first step while climbing is always the right one??
25. Alrite, this to everyone knows................ I freak out on music!! I mean, like I'm totally into it.
26. My dream was to be the lead singer of a damn good band! Yet to realise that one......
27. I love to fiddle with my guitar, whom I've often introduced as My girl friend to the least suspecting people.
28. I get bugged very easily.
29. I am very short tempered, and tend to punch the wall when angry!!
30. Strangely enough people consider me to be an iceberg.
31. Very few know how to get me angry and then cool me down in a matter of seconds!!
32. Despite being a bong, I don't like fish and rice.
33. Simply dislike coconut in main meals like dal or fish or whatsoever (Had a tough time at Goa!! :()
34. Now am getting bugged writing this down................ So cut it short................ get to know me and u'll know my "quirks".

Now this is very jumbled up, so do try and make sense of it. And no, I am not going to set it in order of any kind............. Likh diya yahi bohot hai!!Btw, if my friends wanna add something they can put it down in the comments section!!

Now, dat you are reading this line, you probably have an idea about what I am.
Cheerio.

Back to Kindergarten!!

Hmmm....... thinking what this is all about??
It's about two 20+ guys, who were suddenly transported back to the days when they were kids. A time when they didn't have any worry in the world...... could laugh adn play as they felt like, could roll in the grass, could.......... Forget it!! Allow me to recall that moment for you.......

It was one fine evening, after out work hours that Sam and Neal had to rush off to a birthday party. Yeah!! One thrown during the week...... The two chaps, sped all the way from Gold Adlabs, Kalyani Nagar to Bavdhan Chowpatty, Chandni Chowk (those aware of Pune would know how far this spot is!!). Anyway, what with the party breaking up shortly after midnight (thanks to their professional commitments!!).... Sam and Neal decided to meet up a very good friend of theirs, whose residential area they would be passing by on their way back.........
0100 hrs, a sports bike zooms into the society.... The friend comes around (from her flat, if you haven't figured it out.).... and is then promptly sent back to fetch a bottle of water..........

Meanwhile, a glance at the kid's park, transports these two youngsters 20 yrs back in time...... A time warp enveloped them as they proceeded to the Slide, the Swing and then the See-Saw........ Poor friend....... when she comes back all that she sees is that two guys laughing away to glory and, if I may add, innocently as they went up and down on the see-saw.......... She was in half a mind to call the security to escort to mentally retarded youth to their rightful place....

Here comes the question. How many times do you actually indulge in such activities which take you back to days when you were really innocent??

Dancing Shoes!!

Sunday 29th April, 2007 - 0130 hrs

Now what's so special about this date and time, is that what you ask? Well, to any other person it is just another midnight hour.... but for my, it was a different night!! Now this may seem stupid, but I always held this belief that I cannot dance...... and thus would never be found dancing even if all my friends would hit the floor. Used to avoid the discs too.

On this particular night, a friend calls me up and asks me to join him another friend of our as they were about to hit AREA 51 at Pancards Club, supposed to Asia's largest disc..... Bolt from the blue!! Me and a disc??? And then I was like, "what the heck, let's give it a try!!" And so I left for the disc along with my two friends.

It was 1:30 in the night, when I stepped into that disc. The feel and the music got to me!! Not bad!! I liked it........ But still not ready to hit the dance floor...... My friends being the footloose fellas that they were hit the floor immediately........ But soon enough managed to pull me onto the floor and then it was a world which only spun around as I got into the groove........... Later on I was like "God!! Must have been making a fool of myself out there!! Sheesh!! What was I thinking??" As if on cue..... (I was surprised for a moment, after all I was just thinking!!) my friend turns around and asks "Why the hell don't you dance?? You are damn good!!" Surprise.......... surprise............ No one was more surprised than me.... for this was coming from an amazing dancer!! IS he pulling my leg?? Later, it got confirmed that he wasn't pulling my leg.......... he was being honest!!

Well........... we called it a night at 0330 hrs, but by then my shyness and the mental shackles involved regarding dance was broken.............. Guess, I have to buy a pair of dancing shoes now!!

What do you say guys??