Tete-A-Tete with SOUL

The valentine propose

2008-02-14T16:09:00.002+05:30

!!!!! For my fiance :) !!!!!
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For all these days, it was just another day
When the world grew all crazy, in some strange way!

They would gift diamonds
They wound send across flowers
Cheeks would turn crimson
And eyes would twinkle like stars!

But this time I sense something… so different and so strong
A winter of my life… that’s been unusually so warm

There has been this ingress
Of someone dear, someone special
And it has turned my routine life
Into an interesting tale

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Just stand in front of the mirror
And meet that sweetheart of mine
The reason why I dream during the days
And stay awake at nights

Can you see that Beloved of mine?
Thinking of me right now…
Ah yes! Then that’s the reason
Why I look prettier than the flowers!

The million dollar smile
… You see on the face
Has just outshined all the glitter
… That was gifted in a case!

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So on this special day
I’m going to ask for something precious
From the person whose reflection
Has given my life a new meaning

As blossoms grow and fade each day
And stones last forever
I want something from you O dear
That no one could regain ever

Just few moments from your busy thoughts
Is all I wish if I could get?

So will you be my valentine
And make me feel special?
Shared moments would eventually
Make our budding bond stronger :)

Dancin’ to the rhythm :)

2007-11-01T14:57:00.000+05:30

I have always wished
Let rhythm flow down my feet

But for reasons unjustifiable
It’s been a distant dream
To be surrounded with all the people
And swing to the enthralling tunes

It’s different when I am alone
All involved in the world of my own
Where the raindrops set the score
And the winds cajole me to join the floor!

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The days when the sun shines bright
The blue skies make boogie such a delight
The noisy waterfalls add tempo to the space
And the feet just know how to pace!

The night whispers slowly
The moonlight spreads its magic
The breeze flirts with the tresses
And the heart feels every beat!

His world is full of melody
Harmonious and charming
Where the beautiful compositions keep playing
Be it shining or drizzling

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Yes, I have always let the rhythm flow down my feet
And desired those enthralling tunes to take over the senses
But it’s never happened until today
Coz, like those caring winds, no one ever asked me to join the floor!

Sailing high!

2007-08-05T21:49:00.000+05:30

Today as this day passes by, I feel so lucky to have some of the most wonderful people in my life :)… my friends!

No matter most of them are really far away, the warmth of the bond remains the same. I wish all the amazing things for my pals and hope the camaraderie continues forever. Did I hear Amen! :-D

Thank you friends for being there for me always :-)
And yes... you should thank me too for giving you the opportunity to know someone so cute and sweet :-D ... ;-)
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Some history about Friendship Day:
History of Friendship Day in US:
The United States Congress, in 1935, proclaimed first Sunday of August as the National Friendship Day.

Importance of Friendship in Mahabharata
In the famous Hindu epic ‘Mahabharata’, Lord Krishna demonstrates the many colors of friendship - affection, romance, brotherhood, protection, guidance, intimacy and even teasing. Friendship is all about these and much more.
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Just came across this quote, it summarizes quite a lot what I believe:

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"Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born."
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Cheers!

The child within

2007-07-24T16:57:00.000+05:30

Innocent smile
Inquisitive mind
Innate stubbornness

The qualities with which
I was born

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Respecting elders
Helping friends
Daily prayers

From childhood to this date
I am unchanged

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Laughing out loud with people around
Crying alone
Trying to manage everything on my own

Living life
Within a shell

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Nurturing dreams
Toiling to fulfill them
Soaking cheeks if something fails out

Believing more in me
Than the world around

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Doing what I like
Without hurting anyone around
Freedom is all I strive for

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Those young days
When I got what I want
Seem to exist lifelong

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If ever I stumble
I get up, and dust off the knees
So that I can once again run vigorously to reach the post

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No matter how much the world wants me to bow
Failing miserably every time it tries to does so
… As the child within refuses to grow!

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You are dispensable… yeah, very much!

2007-07-22T18:25:00.000+05:30

You are not air, water or land. You are a human being.

You are a number – birth registration/social security, roll, or employee.

You have the right to opine. They will hear you while you try listening to your conscience.

You believe something doesn’t seem correct. Say it. Others may/may not agree with you.

There is too much at stake. Your voice is too meek to be heard in the chaos that has existed for years. So you just add to the noise and sit still. If your turn comes in future, grab it. If it doesn’t come at all, just leave when you feel it’s the right time.

Remember the world was always there. You came. You are breathing. You will leave. The world will continue to exist.

Outlawed :-B

2007-03-18T01:59:00.000+05:30

Disclaimer: The post is a work of pure fiction. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead is purely coincidental. An attempt to write something intriguing :-).

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The headlights flashed illuminating the murky waters. Screeching brakes killed the silence. Brief halt. He got back into the car. The vehicle zoomed on the concrete path, leaving behind a muddy trail.
~~~~~~~~~
The wind swayed the trees gently. With one hand on the car steering, she removed her hat with the other and threw it on the back seat. Combing the auburn hair with her delicate fingers, she pondered as to what life actually had in store for her.
~~~~~~~~~
The doorbell rang. The maid was surprised to see the policemen at the wee hours of the morning. She informed Ananya about it. Some talks, few sips of hot coffee and off they headed in the police cars.
~~~~~~~~~
The police headquarters was unexpectedly calm. A sudden complaint by a famous socialite was enough to raise eyebrows and have a hive of media people asking “important” questions. But situation demanded otherwise.
He was an industrialist with loads of good will. The big marriage was on the cards and the entire city was looking forward to it. And now the prospective groom had placed an allegation on the soon-to-be bride. The police had driven her to the headquarters and there was some serious interrogation to be done.
~~~~~~~~~

Sam, the Chief Police Officer was to interrogate the suspected criminal.

Sam: We have Ananya here. Now lets talk about what the whole confusion is all about?

Sameer: Confusion… there’s no confusion! She’s been lying to me.

Sam: Lying to you. Hmm… and what makes you say that? You accuse her of murder, which by no means is a petty offense. It’s a serious matter. Hope you know what you’re talking about?

Sameer: Of course I do, officer. I am a respected citizen and I know my duties and responsibilities towards the society. So I stand by what I say. I believe she has done something wrong and no matter how much I love her, she has to answer what made her do that?

Ananya was quiet. She wanted Sameer to tell what all was on his mind.

Sam: So, Mr. Sameer please let us know what all do you know about this supposed murder. I know you have given a brief of it to the junior officer. But we would like you to please tell the happening once again.

Sameer: You want me to tell in front of Ananya, the murderer herself? Is this how you work? That’s amazing! And police complain that common man doesn’t “co-operate”! [He shrugs]

Sam: [Sternly] Please go ahead with what you have to say.

Sameer: Ok. So here’s my part of the chronicle.

My parents introduced me to Ananya. I liked her the very moment I saw her. She was absolutely normal until I went for a business visit to Australia. When I returned, so many things had changed. Life seemed all ruffled within a time gap of 20 days. Ananya wasn’t keen on meeting me quite often. She had these weird headaches for no good reason. Even if we’d go for a small party she would leave early with one or the other excuse. She had become irritable. Despite my continuous attempts to settle scores amongst us, there was no genuine effort from her side.

One day we were supposed to go for a cozy family dinner to my cousin’s place. At the last minute, Ananya told me that she was down with fever. Yesterday’s exertion had taken a toll on her and so she couldn’t make it. I didn’t reply anything on the phone. I just took my coat and started for her place. That was too much for me to handle. Yesterday she has this all-girls party and freaks out & today she is down with fever. I mean… she can be ill all of a sudden. But then… why didn’t she call me up & ask me to be besides her, the way she used to do? What’s been going wrong with her? Too many questions & lots of doubts… I wanted to find out if she was lying again or was it truth this time. I say ‘again’ because yesterday her best friend called me up to enquire as to what’s Ananya been up to these days. The friend wanted to invite us for a dinner party but Ananya didn’t pick up any of her calls or replied back to all the messages she had left.
Girl’s party… well… nothing of this sort was ever decided. It had been a month or more since the chirpy gang met!

But this is not all. When I reached Ananya’s place last night, before I could enter the fenced yard, I saw Ananya entering her car. She was in such a hurry. She slammed the car door & rushed. As expected I followed her to know where was she heading. A sick girl down with fever, fully clad in a long, black coat & tall hat, she looked suspicious. Never ever have I seen her dressed like that?

Sameer: Ananya… why? [He sobbed]

Everyone in the room was startled by this sudden cry. Sameer was given a glass of water to calm down. With Sameer’s confirmation that he wanted to go ahead with the narration, every one settled back. Tears rolled down Ananya’s rosy cheeks. This was the last thing Sameer would have wanted. His beautiful darling was hurt. But then he was almost devastated. It was a situation neither of them must have imagined they would be a part of.

Sameer: Ok. So as I followed her she drove to this spooky place near the lakeside. She got down the car. There was another suspicious looking man waiting for her. I was watching this all from distance. There were some loud words exchanged. I heard words like ‘liar’, ‘deceiver’, ‘opportunist’ and others. But what was obvious was that the 2 of them were fighting over some issue. The hand gestures, the shaking of the heads in disagreement…many small things indicated it was not a small fight. I was confused to see this guy… wonder how Ananya knew him? I’d never known she had been in some past relationship. Was he her ex-boyfriend? So many questions popped up in my head. I tried by best to concentrate on what actually what was going on there. The worst happened. Ananya removed a dagger from the coat and stabbed him on the back. He fell to the ground letting out a distressing cry. Ananya ran back into the car and left the place within no time. I was shocked to see all this. I was frightened stiff. I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t want to go near a corpse at the middle of the night. But then I couldn’t stay quiet about this. I just took few steps towards the dead body and rolled it over. There lay a middle-aged guy with a long nose. All I could think of was to get into the car & speed back on the road.

I halted at the nearest phone booth & called the police informing them about the dead body by the lakeside.

Sam: [interrupting Sameer] Oh…so it was you who had called?

Sameer: Yes Officer. Even though I informed the police about the crime, I couldn’t sleep for a minute. I was loaded with the guilt of seeing a live man turn into a dead body. I didn’t know what to do about it. I just drove to the police headquarters. And here I am… telling you what all I saw. I feel so low right now. This incident… is it for real? A night and everything is changed!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There were lots of discussions.
A witness confirmed that at the middle of the night he did see 2 ‘guys’ across the banks of the river.
Doubts were raised & answers were given.
Everything was settled.
Sameer & Ananya left the headquarters happily.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sameer: I never knew you were that brave!

Ananya: Yeah! Me neither. [Giggles] But when Uncle Sam asked me to help him out, I couldn’t say no to him. He’s been a father figure. Also, dad told me to go ahead. Earlier dad was a bit skeptical as our wedding was on the cards. But I believe life comes before anything. So eventually both mom & dad agreed to it. I helped law and am glad I am with you now. I am sorry that I didn’t take you in confidence before I agreed to do this benevolent deed. You were off to the foreign lands for a critical meeting and I didn’t want to you to get all worried for me. So I…

Sameer: Hey sweetie, don’t explain all this to me. What you did makes me feel more proud of you. I am surely going to marry someone who will be my ‘better’ half.

They hug each other tight. They get into Sameer’s car and leave for home.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Back in the police headquarters]

Sam: [To his junior officer] So you see… everything’s fine now. [With a mocking smile] And they say… you cannot hide truth.

Jr. Officer: Don’t you feel Sameer believed us too early - Ananya helping us out, doing that river side drama to trick a suspected criminal and accidentally just injuring him.

Sam: Well, that’s all what you are thinking about? We have to move. Get ready.

Jr. Officer: Where are we going now?

Sam: To relate things. I’ll drive. I just want you to come along, not the entire team. Lets go!

[Off they headed in a normal car.]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[At Sameer’s home.]

Sameer: I am just completely exhausted. A quick shower and some tea would do wonder, what say?

Ananya: Sure dear.

Sameer goes to take a shower. As Ananya turns back to get some coffee, she notices an open briefcase with something peeping out. Ananya is shocked. Meanwhile, Sameer comes out in the room

Sameer: Oh ho! So now you know too much…

He snatches the gun and the fake passport from Ananya’ s hands.

Ananya: [Trembling with fear] So you lied to all of us.

Sameer: Yep! So now that you know ‘too’ much, goodbye forever my love! [He holds Ananya at the gunpoint.]

~~~~~~~~~~

A gun shot. A scream. A cry.

~~~~~~~~~~

Ananya: Uncle Sam. [Ananya sobs and runs towards Sam.]

Sam: Don’t shed tears for this cheat! He would have ruined your live. I know you are too stunned to see all this happen so quickly. But we were waiting to track down this beast for quite a while now.

Jr. Officer: Sir, how did you expect some action here in the house tonight? And our doubts about Sameer were indeed true! You knew he was lying at the headquarters. What was the missing link?

Sam comforts Ananya.

Sam: [Turning towards Jr. Officer] Well, remember the guy who pretended to be the witness, the one who saw 2 guys across the banks and all…

Jr. Officer: Yes sir, I do remember. What about him?

Sam: He’s the same guy Ananya “killed”. [He laughs.] Sameer never recognized the dead guy, the long nose and all rubbish. He never went near the corpse. All he had to do was to hide the truth, not tell a lie. But he wasn’t good enough.

Jr. Officer: [Amazed with surprise] What?

Sam: That’s what I felt but didn’t utter when the witness entered the room. I was expecting Sameer to jump off the chair and identify the ‘corpse’. But he was as cool as a cucumber. He didn’t budge at all. That’s when the things got connected.

Ananya: But… it was dark near the riverside. Sameer might not have recognized him properly?

Sam: A man having a big scar on the left cheek… well, very few brains would forget that face. Long nose! Who had that? You, him or me? No one! It was all made up. He never had to even attempt describing the dead guy. Even without that he could have proved Ananya to be a law-breaker.

Jr. Officer: But how did Sameer come to know about our plan?

Sam: Well he never knew the entire plan until now, before he died. He heard half-truth and constructed the remaining, only to fail miserably. Remember when we came with a search warrant to Sameer’s house, only to find he had gone on this business trip, Ananya was on the phone?

Ananya: Yes. I was talking to Sameer. You gestured me to disconnect the call, which I did.

Sam: Well, you disconnected. But Sameer had called you, hadn’t he? Besides you were so surprised to see us that you made the golden mistake that brought us here.

Ananya: [puzzled] What mistake?

Sam: You just kept the cordless instrument on the coffee table. Sameer overheard whatever I told you about helping me out in nabbing a suspected criminal. A rough looking guy with a long nose!

Jr. Officer: Ok! So that’s where the fake appearance description given by you to Ananya misled Sameer. Poor chap.

Sam: Sameer assumed that Ananya would just help us nab the ‘criminal’ and not kill or attack someone. Never in his dreams might have he guessed that it was him we were trying to get hold of. He was this ‘ideal’ business tycoon. Catching him red-handed was a distant dream for me. His now-and-then foreign trips were raising alarms in the entire department. He was happy to know that by committing a serious crime like murder, now entire media focus would shift to Ananya and he would emerge out as an ‘respected’ citizen!

The other guy at the river and the witness and the ‘criminal’ were all the same person… I just wanted to test how a criminal mind would react to some live criminal act. Sameer tricked me by informing the police of the murder committed by Ananya. I expected him to protect her and try hiding the truth. That’s were the equation got sorted!

Better name to his credit so that his bad deeds don’t see daylight for some more time – let the ‘bride-to-be’ become the hot news! Sympathy & support all would pour in from the people & media. I doubt if he ever wanted to get married, he must have given up to parents’ pressure.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

With loud wailing sirens, several police cars arrived at Sameer’s house.

Now the ‘investigation’ would begin.
No one would be projected as brave.
Media would ask “important” questions and the papers would scream out the ‘truth’ as told to them.
However, there were things to be unraveled. Each single day out of those 20 days must have harmed humanity quite a bit!

Hiding truth and telling lies – there’s a difference.

An English Fortnight...almost :)

2006-11-12T18:03:00.000+05:30

“Hope you have a nice stay!” with a friendly smile, Mr. A. R. from Ella Cabs wished me these kind words as I carried the luggage to the flat, my dwelling for the coming 2 weeks – Warley Hill, Brentwood, UK.

Out of the blue, I got an opportunity to go on a business visit to Brentwood.
UK, being second last in the list of countries I would like to visit [USA being the last], I was a bit … ok ok, a lot tensed to go there. The work wasn’t bothering me. It was the flight journey that was.

It had been years since I sat in the airplane. My last experience during a domestic flight wasn’t a very pleasant one. With rains pouring down and lightning all over, the plane thudded. The childhood memories came back, only to make me more nervous. But as they say, the best way to overcome fear is to face it. I did that religiously. [Maybe it sounds ridiculous as to how some one can be so timid, believe me if you have seen death from very close, you too would shiver.]

All said and done, as I had promised myself that if work gives me an opportunity to travel abroad, I would take a plunge and fly again. [At least, I wont be paying for my death… sounds sick, true! Just kidding!] By God’s grace, I got this chance and here I was in the English country.

The cab drive from Heathrow Airport to Brentwood was amazing. With M25 [highway] all spread ahead of us, the cab zoomed. Mr. A.R. now-and-then confirmed as to whether I was comfortable. I was too quiet to say anything. I still couldn’t digest the fact that I flew all the way to this foreign place. I guess my silence made him worry. The in-between “am fine”(s) made him sport a smile and a nod as an acknowledgement. In approximate 1 hour and a quarter more, we reached Brentwood.

Brentwood comes under Essex County. Without much knowledge about where I was actually going, I had come up with a plan to spend 1 day for site seeing. That’s all I could grant myself J. A friend, who had recently been to London, guided me as to what I might like to see. So, London Eye, Westminster Abbey, Tower of London and Tower Bridge, in that order, were finalized.

With considerable amount of work [meetings, considerable brain-storming sessions and developing a prototype within 3 days], the idea was to just forget work for 1 day. On 23rd September 2006, I was too meet Central London J.

The site seeing day had arrived. With a bag pack stuffed with some biscuits, khakras, water and digital camera, I toddled to Brentwood station. The Day Travel card is supposed to be cheaper then the normal to-fro tickets. So hastily I bought the same. The route was fixed:
1. Normal train from Brentwood to Stratford
2. Tube train from Stratford to Waterloo

Couple of days back from today, for a business meeting, I had been to Southwark [pronounced as “sa-darq”]. Southwark comes before Waterloo.

Thus its…
Brentwood – ‘n’ stations – Southwark – Waterloo.

So I was comfortable with the rail route to be traveled.

After reaching Waterloo station, I tread on my way to take a ride in what is called as the London Eye. From considerable distance itself, I was in awe of the London Eye’s height. With my digital camera out and rolling [figuratively, of course!], I started taking pictures of the Eye.

My eyes were too excited to see the Eye!

The queue to buy tickets for the flight was okey-dokey. They have this facility of booking tickets online too. I chose to get them on the spot. With a £13.50 ticket and lots of expectations from the flight, I joined the queue leading to the cute looking capsules.

For record, a group of 4 English people was immediately ahead of me in the queue. The youngest of them (mostly in late 20’s) was the most scared to take up the flight. The other 3 elderly people comforted him.
Well, was I scared to enter the Eye? Not until the not-so-young kiddo ahead me repetitively said, “Am worried…am worried. It’s too high!”
** Oh really! Good God you confirmed. Else we all were about to believe that suddenly we shrunk. Duh! **

Before entering the capsule, there was a security check going on. The security person checked my not-so-small bag. Within couple of minutes I was returned the bag. I moved ahead eagerly to finally fly!

The slow ascend of the Eye makes one barely feel any kind of motion. As the capsule moves high, the view from the Eye becomes better and better. With the capsule reaching to meet the sky, the earth starts looking prettier J. The amazingly lit [by sun’s rays] tall structures start appearing closer laterally. I was engrossed clicking pictures at this end, and that end of the capsule. The capsule has North, South, East and West directions marked on it. The flight lasts for about 45 minutes or so, can’t remember exactly, was too busy enjoying :D.

What I liked the most during the flight was seeing the almost picture-perfect skyline. The view of couple of the bridges down below is something I will remember for long time. The time in the flight flew very fast. For bird’s eye view of London, go ahead and enjoy the London eye!

After the flight was over, I crossed over the Westminster Bridge to reach Westminster Abbey’s star attraction – Big Ben. There’s nothing so worth-a-watch about it… especially if you have no clue about the history [bet most of us don’t know, that’s obvious to!] behind this belfry and have seen it in one of those Hindi movie songs :P.

There’s quite a history about how the clock tower came into being. One of the requirement specifications for the clock tower was:
“The first stroke of the hour bell should register the time, correct to within one second per day, and furthermore that it should telegraph its performance twice a day to Greenwich Observatory, where a record would be kept."

Talk about punctuality and specifications!!!
The requirement did get fulfilled though.

Some interesting facts [Courtesy: Googling] about the Big Ben should be listed down:
1. Technically speaking, the name "Big Ben" does not refer to the famous tower; instead, it refers to the largest of the five bells inside the clock tower.
2. The placing of old pennies in the mechanism controls the accuracy of the clock movement.
3. At first, the bell was to be called "Victoria," in honor of the Queen. However, "Big Ben" was the name that came to be used. At the time that the bell was built, there were two well-known men named Ben. One was a champion boxer -- Benjamin Caunt. The second Ben was Sir Benjamin Hall, a Member of Parliament who, as Commissioner of Public Works, had a great deal to do with the clock tower and the bells. His name was on the side of the first bell that had cracked. Either of these two men could have inspired the nickname "Big Ben," but no one is really sure which it was!

Hope the history didn’t make you snore J). Now that you know at least this, you would identify a bit better with the ‘Big Ben’! I am not too sure but there are tours to the see the Tower. I didn’t even bother to enquire about it. […Had to judiciously use ‘time’. Irony, is it? ]

After the camera was satisfied zooming and capturing Big Ben from ‘n’ angles, we (me and camera… yaar!) moved ahead to meet the river. Thames cruise was next in the pipeline.

Frankly speaking I had no clue as to why I should take the cruise. It has been days since I’ve read something about some tourist place – city, country, continent! A vigilant tip – in case you are going to land up in a totally unknown place, better do some homework as far as site-seeing is considered. It proves helpful in time management!

Ok. So back to the cruise. There are various options available as far as duration, destination to reach is considered – to-fro tickets are cheaper. [That’s obvious too!] After the cruise, ‘Tower of London’ tour was on the list. So I settled down for the cruise up to the ‘Tower of London’. Now with a £6.00 ticket and no clue as to what to expect out of Thames, I stood besides a crowd waiting to pour into the cruise.

The cruise … hmm… what shall I say. I could have never imagined how beautiful the surroundings would look once the small boat starts moving. A very smart, entertaining and witted cruise member told wonderful facts about the ‘n’ structures fencing the Thames. Besides being humorous and gripping, the narration was very informative too. I felt so ignorant of the world around me :(. This complex once again became stronger post this UK visit. God bless me! [Did I hear ‘Amen!’ :P]

For me the cruise ended up really fast. Poor me wanted to sail a bit more. The twinkle in the eye, which I carried right from India to see the ‘Koh-I-noor’ added to the eagerness to enter the Tower of London (TOL). The cruise temporarily halted at TOL as it was bound up to Greenwich. I got down and eagerly walked towards the Tower’s entrance.

I lined up, bought a 15£ ticket and waited at the entrance of the TOL for a guided tour to begin! I had the idea that there was some history to be listened too…but it kind of only increased my intrigue. And then I saw one more really witty, humorous man called Dave. Dave is a Yeoman (Officer in the (ceremonial) bodyguard of the British monarch). He would be guiding the curious crowd through the Tower.

What followed was almost 3 hour or so of just seeing the wonderful things around. As we neared any tower, realization of interesting/cruel historical facts (told by Dave) generated mixed emotions. My favorite things have to be:
- Seeing the little chapel within the TOL and knowing about the history related to it
- Seeing the “Koh-I-Noor”… boy-o-boy, diamonds just shine ;). Also the footage of the Queen’s coronation ceremony that is shown before one can see the two crowns – namely, “The Imperial Crown of India” and “the crown with the Koh-I-Noor” in which lumps-and-lumps of gold was exhibited was overwhelming ;)

I purposefully bought a T-shirt with a crown painted on it and wore it today. Only later did I realize the crown actually depicted ‘the imperial crown of India’! The crown had heads turning :P.

Excuse me for comparing seeing these jewels to the Nizam’s jewellery I had seen about 3-4 months back in Hyderabad [wonderful trip with friends… wish times just come back!]. For record, the Nizam’s jewels were aaammmaaazzzzzzziiinnnggggggggggggggggggggg! I have never fallen in love with anything like ‘Blue Sapphires’ since then. All the jewellery exhibited in Hyd was exclusive and extremely eye-catching. I still remember, instead of seeing the entire Salarjung Museum, we unanimously chose to get blinded by the glitter ;). There was this ‘Jacob’s diamond’ which really caught everyone’s attention. It was worth 400 crores or so… and just to amaze any reader – it had been used as a paperweight once.
[We had this greedy joke – gimme all the moolah worth Jacob’s diamond, and I am ready to be a human paperweight :P]

Back to TOL. The camera was a bit unhappy, as it wasn’t allowed to shine in front of any of the jewels :(. But it made sure to capture the surroundings. At a point I got so tired walking, that I sat down on a bench and nibbled some stuff I had carried. I am this crazy soul who had one samosa early in during at Stratford and since then was not even feeling the urge to eat anything. Hadn’t I nibbled on to something now, returning to Brentwood would have been a distant dream :-S. I just finished eating and again started walking to discover the place around. It’s strange but I was enjoying so much seeing the surroundings. I have always liked Brit things I guess … the Fort area in Mumbai is one of my fav places too!

Ok so now its 5:30pm and the guards are asking all the visitors to leave the premises. I was a bit sad, as I couldn’t see the White tower. All I saw was the Bloody Tower, the Crown Jewels, the chapel, change of guard and a bit here-and-there. It’s only human to want more ;).

I walked out of TOL towards the Tower Bridge. A cup of tea was all I was looking for and successfully managed to grab it before the café would close for the day. One thing, which really amazed me, was that they just close the outlets and all by 6:00pm… nothing like “let’s earn more”, at least at tourist spots!

After climbing few stairs that take you to Tower Bridge, I just walked at leisure. The walk was to see the things around, especially the bridge construction and all. The sun set made the surroundings more pleasant… quite romantic too ;;). I walked all the way to London Bridge station. On the way, there were these wonderful tall structures – Hilton hotel deserves a mention :).

Never ever did I imagine walking all by myself on a foreign land and today I did that for the entire day. It surprised me too considering how able my ‘sense of direction’ is! Guess keenness to explore the scenic beauty just overtook any inhibitions that were somewhere rooted in my mind. Good for me!

I took the tube train back to Stratford. From Stratford, I took normal train to Brentwood. The day was over, but the dreams had just blossomed. Which dreams… dreams of being able to travel to as many beautiful places as possible in this small life :). Lord, hope you are reading this too :)

~~~~~~

When asked by my family, friends, dear ones as to how I felt during this short visit…I have only this to say:
1. It was really a good learning experience
2. London is picturesque… [It has its share of problems, but still it’s the way they describe in the story books ;;) ]

~~~~~~

“Would you like to come back?” Mr. A.R. from Ella Cabs asked me as the cab stopped at Heathrow airport. Call it coincidence; he drove me back to the airport from Brentwood. My immediate answer to this question was “not really very keen to come back soon but wouldn’t mind coming in some due time”.

He asked whether I didn’t like the place [maybe he was expecting a ‘Yes, why not’ as a reply.]. I had no particular answer to give. I was just not thinking much then. Matter of fact, being from South Africa, having come to UK to earn money for the family, life had given quite bitter experiences to A.R. in 4 years itself. He also had an embroidery business. He was sour towards the very place that supported his clan back home. This ignited a line of thought.

~~~~~~

Now I have successfully undergone the entire ‘process’ of getting through the airport norms and ‘duty free’ awaits me :). Believe me … the ‘duty free’ is wow!!! Swarovski
And Harrods shops were really good. At least I am seeing what all I can never buy :P. Will meet you back in India :). Cheers!!!

~~~~~~

Written especially for you… this is the gist of what all I did. When we meet dear, there are more stories to tell ;). Miss you always!!! Take care!!!

Next…;)

2006-09-02T22:57:00.000+05:30

Disclaimer: The post is a work of pure fiction. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead is purely coincidental. Once again…some people are responsible for the inspiration that made this post possible.

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NB: Knowledge of assembly language is advantageous :-j.

In case it’s missing, common sense should help the reader sail through :D.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

HF:

G was sitting alone, sipping her favorite drink at her favorite hangout. A roadside eatery with wooden chairs and tables was quite a favorite among the habitués. There was a huge umbrella placed besides every corresponding table, which provided shady comfort during the warm afternoons. Most of G’s idle time was spent there.

The sun was waving good-bye and the gentle breeze had just arrived. The blushing sky was making everything around look more rose-colored.

G was quite a friendly face around. She had this sweet smile, which she definitely passed on to people who gave her positive vibes. People can rarely guess what’s going on in your mind when they see you just plainly smiling at them, for no specific reason. Still smiling is better than just staring into any one’s face… you make them conscious about themselves or worse, you scare them.

Like any other girl, G was quite individualistic. G’s job left her little leisure but she would make the most of it. Sipping a favorite drink and just gazing at nature’s creations… what else would one want after a tiring day!

It was not the first time G saw him. Of late, he was a regular to the place. He carried some kind of anxiety along. Maybe some work pressure or something else. G was quite in awe of his looks and personality. His exuberant charm!!!

At times, he did glance out of the corner of his eye. Maybe this wordless talk, which the hearts have when they are about to act in concert, had begun. Life would be rosier soon…G thought. Knowing each other, those long walks along the seashore [holding hands, of course], candlelight dinners, gifts, and the kind would follow. Life has its ways of giving you the best, things you always deserved but never got. It’s about being at the right place at the right time! Hopefully, this time the clock wouldn’t strike thirteen!

G wanted to talk to him, tell him how she felt every time she saw him [G was quite observant]. What if she told him how curious she was to know more about him? How would he react? Would he feel happy or would he be embarrassed? Generally, guys propose and girls dispose…:P.

G was gathering all the courage that was required to walk up to a stranger and talk to him. She was good at befriending strangers, surprisingly though! So…what should she tell him exactly? Her mind was brimming with all kinds of questions. Finally, she just got up from the chair. Erstwhile incidents would take care of everything!

As she took her first step towards him, something startled G. A lady just arrived at the place, and before G’s eyes could even blink, the guy and the lady hugged each other. G quietly sat back on her seat and took another sip. The drink was over.

“What took you so long to see me?” the guy spoke zealously, holding her hand. The lady explained her reason… at least that’s what G could make out from the gestures. After some time, they left. They looked quite cheerful.

Life moves on. G giggled.

Loop HF

**************************************************************

There are these songs… that only the heart sings

… In hope that another heart will listen

And if the song needs to be sung umpteen times…some just keep doing that…

Hoping… some day … someone would respond
**************************************************************

The ‘Jaan’ Episode... :-j

2006-07-17T14:34:00.003+05:30

Disclaimer: This post has been written in good will. Hopefully, it must be read in the same spirit. All the characters mentioned are real… the blogger is also not spared!

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Foreword: The episode is partly fact, partly fiction. What is what…shall be revealed at the end! It is basically about 4 partners – P1, P2, P3 and P4. They are supposed to do some nerd kind of activity.

Why they chose it…shouldn’t be questioned.

After reading this piece, their intelligence shouldn’t be doubted. They were sincerely dumb.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Jaan hasn’t replied back yet”, exclaimed P4!

A bit apprehensive of the slipping deadline, the clan knew everything would soon go haywire. Still trying to keep cool and trying to find out ways to save the skin of the entire gang, P4 kept mum.

P4’s mother happened to listen the ‘reply’ thing. She got worried and decided to stay there and do what was the need of the hour – eavesdropping!

Every one from the group wasn’t too spirited to gain something meaningful from the assignment. Besides usual points, P3 and P4 wanted to gain ‘knowledge’ from the entire effort. P3 was the unofficial boss…everyone listened what was suggested from the ‘simple’, ’straight-forward’ soul :) . P3 trusted P4’s intellect and let critical decisions come from the unofficial ‘analyst’. Too many things were unofficial…that’s what made the situation cryptic!

The family of all the four doers knew almost nothing about their undertaking. They believed their offsprings and gave them extended support. Wherever the 4 met for the discussions, meals where on that house.

Coming back to P4’s reply… everyone gave blank look to that amazing expression of worriment. They mostly couldn’t tune their antennas to the wavelength P4’s brain transmitted to. P4 mostly made their psyches go racking. They loved P4 for being over-enthused, or did P4 think otherwise!

If everybody's thinking alike, somebody isn't thinking.

Sipping the cold tea… P1 and P2 suggested they all be patient. Things would improve for bad, as they were already worse! P3 and P4 never sipped tea…they swallowed it down. They could tell when the clock struck 1600 hrs… their biological clock always raised an alarm then --- it went ‘tea-tea-tea-tea’.

“But Jaan shouldn’t keep us hanging yaar! Its high time we hear from him. ”… P1 uttered. The remaining Pn’s [where n=2 to 4] turned their heads towards the ‘scholar’. Hearing ‘Jaan’ again, the lady got panicked. What’s wrong with these people…these kids… these girls! Are they making some important…dangerous decisions on their own? Do the other parents know about ‘Jaan’? And… a single ‘Jaan’ is worrying them all. Poor weaklings…how do we help them out?

The lady decided to increase the monthly telephone bill. But before that she wanted to have a word with the ‘enfeebled’ clan. She entered the room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“So darlings…how’s the assignment going on? Thought of asking you all. It’s been months you are working on it, right? Are you seeking help from someone…someone distant, precisely! Do you want to discuss something with me…maybe I could be of some help?” The bunch was startled with the sudden entry of the adored.

“No. Nothing much. We’ll sort it out. Don’t worry. “ … P1 and P2 comforted.

“Ok…my patience isn’t going to last any more dear. Who’s ‘Jaan’? Why are you all worried for him to reply? Is it something you want us…we elders to help you out in? Feel free…let me know. I promise to bring you out of whatever peril you have accidentally landed in, ok?”

The gang laughed out loudly. The lady was seated, made comfortable and the saga told to her. She was more than relieved. Wonder what pronunciations [pro-nun-see-a-shuns] can do!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Factoid: An email was sent to BS, as part of a project to know something related to garbage collection in C++. The senders received a helpful reply. BS… thanks a lot Sir!!! The group was more than happy to see the reply and all the help it gave them remains priceless!

******************************************
Where the mind is without any worries…and the hand is busy typing on the keyboard…

Into the heaven of freedom my Father… let my intellect wander!
******************************************

Will To Survive

2006-07-08T23:42:00.000+05:30

This is from the personal archives. From the engineering days, some thoughts have been scribbled on Microsoft Word :). Don't remember when it was exactly written :-? . Just thought of putting it up here ;;)

I can't remember what made me write this... :-/

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Everyone wants to live a good life despite the fact that life is not a bed of thornless roses.There are so many challenges that we have to face every day, every minute, every second. Every moment we live teaches us something new, something unique, something amazing! I guess that's why we live rather than prefer to die.

But no, I am not sure that is the only reason behind our existence.There is this unknown desire or will to survive.

It's God's gift for sure else why would people, the depressed, the downtrodden live a miserable life rather than end it up.

No one wants misery. No one wants sadness. No one wants pain.

Yet even if these demons exist people try to cope up with it.
Here the will to survive comes into picture.

From ages, man has been an optimistic species. He has always fought against harsh conditions, right from Stone Age to today’s jet-age. No one knows what and where the source of his energy to fight against hostile situations comes from. May be man’s intelligence is the reason behind it. But than intelligence is also a gift of the unseen Creator.

May be our Creator wanted us to reap the benefits of his other creations, the beautiful (?) Earth and so He blessed us with this “Will To Survive” feeling.As long as will to survive exists, we are here to stay and enjoy (?) the nature.

More than a-muse… :">

2006-07-06T11:19:00.000+05:30

Introduction: This is another amateur attempt at writing something romantic…so comments are most eagerly awaited. The theme is … you gotta read the poem for that :P.

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Unexpectedly seeing you here and there
Unknowingly feeling your presence everywhere
God knows how one day I’ll dare
To tell you how much for you I care

You might never know me though
Coz such a thing I’ve never done before
May be its also got to do something with my ego
Still thanks for making my face glow

You resembled someone I distantly knew
And maybe that’s why subconsciously… my interest in you grew
Accidentally I got to know more about you
And surprisingly that made me glad to

Months passed by and I saw you again
You remained somewhere in my thoughts… when the memories could have waned

You always remind me of someone dear
Whom I always hope to meet someday in future

With you emerging for nowhere in the blue
I’d love to have at least one conversation with you

What I’ll speak I really don’t know
But I would be honest with you to the core
You give me more than just positive vibes, landing me almost into a state of bliss
I’ll definitely make sure… you too… know this

But then I feel we shall never meet
‘Coz I am very average though quite sweet

However, I will always wonder… don’t know how long
About this wordless conversation…that takes place between my eyes and heart when you pass by along
They are just happy to see you around
And the other one hopes to befriend you lifelong

The Chase

2006-06-20T19:39:00.000+05:30

Disclaimer: The incident written about is fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead is purely coincidental.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He lay on the bed staring at the swirling ceiling fan. Luck had almost always betrayed him until now. There were days when he had rambled. Now when he had found something to keep him occupied, this happened!

The entire scene came in front of his weak eyes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was a dispiriting night. The roads were deserted.
He was walking, vague thoughts flashing in his minds. Tomorrow he would receive his first pay…how much he had longed for it! Finally he had managed to stand up on his two able feet. Success never teaches any one anything, but then too much of anything is bad … failure being no exception!

It had rained all evening. The potholes were filled up to the brim. As he plodded lifting his gumboots, he felt too tired. An entire day’s labor, followed by one time meal and the dim hope of being able to have a bite of something to nibble at night, wasn’t a very lucrative life one would look forward to. Still…with the hope things would change for better, this optimist carried himself home.

All of a sudden something had made him cautious. He turned backwards.
Was someone following him?
Why would someone do that?
He was a bit perplexed.
What was there that was following him?
He walked faster…continuing to look backwards. He was a bit scared…the darkness was taking on him. With no clue what was coming behind him, he hurried.

It started drizzling now. The sky was brightened now-and-then by the atmospheric electricity. And there he saw this creature…the thing that was following him. He got panicky…he had no eatables with him; maybe he was the bait.

With such hostile environment, probably every creature had lost his mind. All that the wild eyes could look for was some food…anything that would let the creature outlive at least this night. Some live figure had finally caught his eyes and the creature ran towards him with all the energy that was left in the exhausted body. The cold wave had stiffened the bones.

The man was too surprised to react. All he could think was to run. Bad luck struck again and he fell down. His gumboot had stuck in some pothole. Before he could gasp, the creature was all over him. What happened next was a struggle for survival…and it ended up quite badly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“You can leave now” … he heard the doctor say. A bit startled by the voice, he got up from the bed. He thanked the doctor, paid the bill and started walking towards home. He had no clue as to who had brought him to the hospital. He thanked the Almighty and the savior, wherever he would be.

He recollected the last sound he had heard before fainting…bow-wow.

PS: Beware of those stray canines…they can get you anywhere :(

Reputation

2006-06-16T10:23:00.002+05:30

NB: This is a totally observant post, no story, and no characters, just some watching.

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“Oh...him. He’s quite a humorous guy!”
“Who…she? She’s very smart.”
“That group. They are an active lot.”

So many people…so many views!

Every individual has certain kind of reputation associated with him. How much are his actions responsible for the same can be a debatable question :).

With certain observations made, these are the following conclusions that can be jotted down:

1.Reputation is the general estimation that the public has for a person. So an individual has very less [rather, no] say in the reputation he carries. No matter how much an individual tries to make certain kind of reputation for him [let’s not deny this doesn’t happen], success rate of he getting the same is very low.

2.A person’s physical stature is strongly responsible for giving him certain kind of reputation.

3. Common first impressions also decide the kind of reputation one gets.

4. Not many people are happy with the kind of reputation they have. They always want to emerge “better” [it’s a relative term for sure] than what they are perceived as.

5. Very few people are aware of the actual reputation they have. [Yeah…you can giggle here. But chances are some one else might be giggling … remembering you of course :)]

6. Straightforward, frank people generally carry a reputation of being “too practical”, “kind of rude”. Caring people are sometimes called “emotional fools”. Simple people are considered to be “dumb”, ”not-so-practical”, ”stupid”, and “ambitionless”.
[Any more additions?]

7. One will never be able to live in peace if one worries too much about how others perceive him. Still most of the people keep worrying about the same :(.

*************************************************************************
I am with you…no matter where you go.
I shall accompany you…no matter from where you walk through.
I am a mirror that reflects you.
But the eyes that see the image are of the others around you!
I shall stay with you as long as you live.
And…I shall follow you to your deathbed too.
*************************************************************************

Looking for someone… ;;)

2006-05-18T15:06:00.000+05:30

Introduction – With most of the school and college friends getting involved in some or other kind of a relationship, am wondering what next? They have stopped spending much time with me…yeah poor me :(. That gives me more time to sit alone and listen to my thoughts. So all the people struck by the cupid (even those who are in perfect senses)…this is an attempt to write something partly romantic for the first time.
So “writer is learning” [‘L’ board], please read at your own risk :P
Still hope you have a safe journey!

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The surroundings have changed…everything seems pink!
I listen someone dear…say this to me!
As I turn around towards the chirpy soul’s side
I just can’t help noticing smile on the lips…and twinkle in the eyes!

Nothing has happened…nothing has changed
What’s the matter with you…I ask in amaze?
I’ve found someone whose caring, understanding, mature,

humorous, cool and sweet
Oh how much I miss that dear…oh when will we meet!

There’s no point listening to someone who’s in a trance
Without hearing to any music…whose feet just dance!
But then I think…I wonder
Is there something I miss…I should really ponder!

Ok…so what is that I am looking for in the so-called “soul mate”?
Maybe listing it down can make the task a bit easier…

and give me a more decisive fate!

Perfection is boring…coz it never lets one improve!
Too much care is bugging, as it never lets one grow!
But then aren’t these the typical qualities that one looks for?
At least I have heard this from people who have traveled...

the ‘dream world’ quite afore!

Is it necessary to have something in mind?
Cant it be just like…two people meet and everything’s just fine!
But maybe there is phase, as they say, one has to go through
Oh God please bless me and save me all the work I need to do :P

Maybe I am searching for something…may be I am not
Its kind of strange why I haven’t given it that much thought!
But as of now to tell you the fact…no matter how naive it be…
I am looking for someone…with whom I can be me :)

*****************************************************

Above poem's ecard @

http://www.17pixels.com/ecards/someone.html

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Meeting Dhruv, Sizzling Brownie Sundae, ON@TCC etcetera...:D

2006-05-15T14:18:00.001+05:30

Don’t even dare to guess by the post’s name as to what it is all about :P.
Actually had been to Mumbai last weekend. So it’s mainly about the things I did there!

The prime motive behind the visit was to meet Dhruv. Wondering who’s he? Well...well…one of my most best school friends gave birth to a baby boy. She’s gonna fly back to Japan anytime next month. So had to meet the little one :) . Boy…the kiddo is really very active, very observant and very demanding :P. It’s always nice to become a kid along with smart, naughty little ones.

The second reason to visit South Mumbai is my little cousin. On his demand we went to this restaurant called “Cream Centre”, opposite Girgaon Chowpatty. And what were we supposed to have…Sizzling Brownie Sundae (yummy, right?). I had no idea what to expect…but the name itself was too attractive. So what’s SBS all about --- its all about devouring on “chocolate”… =P~. The waiter brought a sizzling pan with a triangular brownie and a scoop of vanilla placed on the brownie. And what he did next was interesting (when you charge an amount for something you can’t justify, make sure it at least looks grandeur :P) …he poured the chocolate sauce on the vanilla scoop. And it sizzled…well it had roasted almonds in it…bubbles of the hot chocolate fumed the air…fizz!!! It took some time for the whole stuff to come to room temperature and then we indulged into licking, eating and enjoying it :). It’s worth a try…too much cocoa for sure!!! As my cousin commented – “no chocolate is too much chocolate!”

So had a decent weekend. And as far as ON@TCC is concerned…read it on my journey back-and-fro…hope you already guessed it – its “One Night @ The Call Centre”. It made a better read than “Five Point Someone” (aka FPS) – the first book by Chetan Bhagat. Well 3/4th of the book sucked like FPS…but the end was good…call from GOD...interesting :). Maybe this reader likes to read stories that have something more than just entertainment (?!) in them :D.

Etcetera --- that’s for the other mundane things done there!

Amrita

2006-05-01T21:58:00.000+05:30

Amrita means
- "immortal" i.e. [a, not + mrita, death] and it is the name of the nectar of the Gods
- "elixir of youth"

I want to believe ... :-|

2006-04-26T14:52:00.000+05:30

Just a mile… extra

2006-04-25T11:42:00.000+05:30

You see them, you believe them
Now the time has come for you to live them
… Your dreams

You have done it before
Though the waters weren’t calm, you reached the shore
You just have to remember what took you so afore
… Your determination

Every day isn’t the same
Satisfaction has always been more important to you than fame
This has never let you get accustomed to the monotony of the game*
… Your diligence

Last effort of yours might not have given you expected pride
But you took it pretty well in your stride
Don’t forget that someone almost cried
… Your well-wisher

Promise that you won’t forget the mantra
… You have to travel - just a mile… extra

* Used as a metaphor

The “not-so-lucky” ugly ducklings … :|

2006-04-21T14:15:00.000+05:30

Disclaimer: The views expressed in the post are not solely of the blogger. As always, many people and surroundings have played the most important role in the culmination of the ideas put forth here.

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Do you know the tale of the ugly duckling?

To cut the long story short – it’s about a little beautiful swan that is hatched by a mother duck. The swan offspring thinks his ugly ‘coz he isn’t like the creatures around him. He leads a miserable life only to find out much later that he is not a duckling, but a swan!

Well… the creature finally got the identity that he had lost, rather never had!
What about the “not-so-lucky” ugly ducklings… all around?
People who never know what their worth is? People who are just born, who breathe till they are alive (?) and who die. But then who thinks about them?

Maybe it’s not all about hard work and efforts one puts in…that one gets returns for. There is certainly more to it. You might be a good person within, but how good are you when it comes to your external appearance? You think external appearance doesn’t mind, if yes, it’s high time you stop kidding with yourself. Come out of the make-belief world of yours! Face the fact - face it that you are ugly. Don’t know whether it is good or bad to be ugly because judging something, which is beyond one’s reach, seems a bit vague task, doesn’t it?

But then if life had been so just would you ever imagine how heaven must be like!!! It’s a confused world out there…it’s very, very blurred! The moment you believe looks don’t matter, you shall be faced with a situation, which shall prove it to you that it does matter a lot! It’s not what you think, how friendly you are, how helpful you are, or any other thing. Things boil down to the tangible part, sadly though!

****************************************************************

First you sent me here

When I was not so keen to leave my Dear

Then you just ostracize me for no good reason

And they say You are with us no matter what time, what day, what season!

****************************************************************

The Making of…Resume

2006-03-06T13:20:00.000+05:30

Disclaimer:
The views expressed in the post are not solely of the blogger.
Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead is purely coincidental.
For recreational use only.

This disclaimer may not be copied or reproduced in any form without the expressed written consent of who ever it has been stolen from.

NB: It’s about a fresher resume… so the reader might have to go into flashback ;;)

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Resume = A summary of your academic and work history

After engineering what? Job-hunt…what else…at least for most of the people, who believe that books don’t teach one as much as practical life can

Getting a job mostly involves clearing some test (mostly aptitude and/or technical) and interviews (if at all you clear the test – zyaadatar Delhi dur hoti hain … :-S ).

For giving the test one needs to apply for the job – you do that by sending your resume.
(Achha hua maine batah diya varna pataah hi nahin chalta :P).

To send something you should first have it. [Though this is not always true ;)]

And thus begins the Herculean task (?!) of preparing a resume.

Mostly one ends up asking for help/guidance from elder siblings or seniors. You ask them for “tips” to make the resume as attractive as possible. The so-called toppers of the class do this thing way ahead of others. Once the International Edition* is ready, the Indian Edition ** is also made. Then the reprints *** are some how completed.

Enough of classification, the point is everyone has a document which tells about the skills and good characteristics of the person. The skills are those which the individual may not necessarily posses but are definitely a part of the curriculum.

Its only while making a resume does one realize that he is
Intelligent [huh…when was the last time someone called him that?],
Hard working [gathering journals from the ‘bheju log’ is nothing less than hard work, is it???],
Loves to meet new people and make friends [“actually hunting, but accidentally bumping into” the only guy who has completed the toughest assignment requires loads of non-technical skills],
Has participated in many competitions [its not about winning or losing, what’s important is that one participates – sportsmanship you know] and many more.

Taking all the care that one can, one ends up with 2 –3 pages, which are now to be sent to the prospective people. In all the above hoopla, the thing that matters the most is the academic score. Criteria for recruitment like “60% throughout”, ”above 70%” are killing L. No matter how much flowery you make the document, the numbers outshine everything.

Maybe the task has been exaggerated but then it does take place once in everyone’s career. The nervous energy with which one enters the corporate world is something, no one can forget, no matter how many years experience one might gain.

Kudos to all the efforts one puts in to prove oneself to everyone, but most importantly, oneself.

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* Resume of a genuinely sincere + intelligent guy who everyone believes will be the first one to get the job.

** Resume of an average guy who waits for the best people to get the job so that “aglaa number uska hi aayega”.

*** Resume of a guy who doesn’t know whether he will be eligible for the job after the results are declared or will end up strengthening the basics again.

---------------------------------------------------

PS: The blogger is seriously unwell. The symptoms have been diagnosed as “Lack of feedback.”
Kindly note : To save the blogger, you don’t even need to sms ... :

Coincidence… :-/

2006-02-14T13:18:00.000+05:30

It had been a tiring evening but a great one too. There had been a lot of hustle and bustle in the house. Family and friends were pouring in to wish the couple.

When everyone had left, they sat quietly in their room. He was, as always, trying to find his spectacles. He never remembered where he had kept them the last time. She saw him getting a bit restless and joined in his search. She found them and placed them in his hands. “Thanks Dear” he said, kissing her forehead.

“You know something, you haven’t changed a bit since the day we met.”

“Well, did you want me to change? If yes, I would have done it any moment for a lovely wife like you.”

“No. If I had to change you after getting married, it would have been tougher for me. They say --- it’s better to marry a known monster than an unknown.”

They both laughed heartily.

“It’s kind of strange but almost always our paths crossed, isn’t it?”

“Hmm… yes.”

“We never knew each other still we got a glimpse of each other here-and-there. And it was after one year or so that we recognized --- we had seen each other somewhere.”

“One whole year to recognize… yes, true.”

“But I am so glad that at least we did recognize, else we wouldn’t have been together, right? Thanks to the party where we met. I had no idea from where the invite came. And totally unexpected I saw you in front of me, amazing coincidence! It was the best day of my life.“

“… You think it was coincidence?”

He was quiet.

She looked at him and said “Happy 25th Anniversary Dear.”

Something is wrong – Suggestion 1

2005-10-07T11:45:00.000+05:30

Disclaimer: The views/ideas expressed in the post are not solely of the blogger.

This is a sequel to Something is wrong

You should spend time with people who want to spend time with you and not vice-versa.

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Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forward
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Casestudy 1

2005-10-05T09:34:00.000+05:30

NB: Feedback will be appreciated

They are married. They have two children.
The husband cheats on his wife. He is seeing someone else.
The wife comes to know of it.
The husband realizes the wife knows.
The wife never asks for confrontation instead she accepts it.
So now they both know about it.

Question:
What should the husband do?

Mirror

2005-09-23T20:27:00.000+05:30

“Man…I’m looking cool today! Hope she catches a glimpse of me! And then my magic will surely charm her. *Winks* “

“Hmm…so just need to tie up my hair …and I’m done for the day. *Smiles*”

“Huh…am getting flabby day-by-day… *sighs* …on second thoughts, need to rejoin the gym man…*pushes the tummy in, holding the breath* “

“Oh…that ugly pimple *worriedly staring* …why today, and why me...huh“.

You were as beautiful yesterday as you are today…but today you were bit more critical about the way you looked. What changed overnight?

I didn’t do anything special – I just formed an image by reflecting the light, the way I always do. The eyes saw it and the brain responded. That day you kissed me happily. The other day I got scared seeing you vent out your anger (those red eyes filled with water).

We share a decent camaraderie I believe. We converse… we use the best language…the language of the eyes, the language of silence! Some days you don’t even bother to give me a glimpse, and some days you just don’t leave me alone.

I show you what you are. But you see what you want.

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The mirror reflects
It reflects what it sees.
It sees what it is shown.
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Digital Fortress

2005-09-21T20:35:00.000+05:30

Continuing the reading spree, the blogger has read this new breath-taking novel written by whom other than Dan Brown.

Dan Brown is a master at creating intrigue. It is amazing the way he unfolds the story, the characters, the plot, the minute details, the information … in short, almost everything.

The story begins with death of a character and what follows is nothing less than a roller-coaster ride. One-by-one things start getting out-of-control and there is no way to escape the ugly fate. There are these moments when one just ends up thinking – what next? Believe it or not, but it is a book to be read in 2 days…because it’s tough to keep oneself waiting to know how the story will end.

The characters and their behavior have been carved well. Susan Fletcher, David Becker and Trevor Strathmore are the prime people around whom the story revolves. As the name suggest, there has to be something related to computers in the story – here, it’s about encryption! This very angle to the story is what might deviate someone trying to find out the suspense.

The commendable thing, which any one will observe about the writing style, is that it adds something to one’s knowledge bank. The larger-than-life description of buildings and places brings up the actual structure in front of your eyes. You are in unison with the characters --- you are someone with them…a silent companion observing all and yet knowing nothing. Once again the italicized text has been used to convey thoughts, fire puns, generate humor --- really inspired by this style :D.

Also what surprised me is the usage of certain phrases, which I normally use viz., clash-of-the-titans, one-man-show. This made me a bit happy…reading really high-quality (read cabalistic) phrases and staring blankly at the text is very boring. One enjoys more if one is in sync with what’s going on rather than praising the writer’s vocabulary knowledge.

The oldest trick in the book to write a suspense has been used --- if you get what it means, this was a spoiler (hehe… hope you don’t hold any grudges against this reader)

Without Wax,
Logberg

Something is wrong

2005-09-16T11:24:00.000+05:30

You say you have friends but then

- You think twice before you say something to them
- You go shopping alone
- You go to see movies alone
- You don’t miss them as much as you should when they are not around

You say you have friends…you should introspect…may be you are a friend to them?

The Arc He drew

2005-09-13T20:35:00.000+05:30

Whilst my way to back to the city, as I looked out through the bus window, I saw a colorful painting He drew. He has always amazed me by His artistry and this time it was no different. On His canvas, called sky, a beautiful piece of His exemplary work was radiating all the exuberance it could!

Scientifically, it is an arc of colored light in the sky caused by refraction of the sun's rays by rain. But to the lover of His creations it’s a picturesque scene; it’s the culmination of all the beautiful colors that make life so vibrant, so rich!

Kids can’t control their joy as they discuss seeing it the other day, after rains poured heavily and then the sun, from nowhere in scene, just popped up to say “Hi! I hadn’t gone anywhere. It’s just that the rains told me to count up to 100 so that it could hide itself. Now I am back and am wondering where has the rain gone!!! So I’ll just scan the sky and try tracing the droplets to find something about the rains whereabouts.” And then we all see that gorgeous arc.

Being a lover of colors, the sight of something so naturally pretty, satisfies not only the eyes but also the heart. It’s so strange that no matter how sad one might be but something beautiful; mother’s warm touch, brother’s strong shoulder to lay a worried head on, a sister’s little concern, a child’s innocent smile…and many more things, makes one feel relaxed for at least some time. Nature has a vast collection from which it now-and-then keeps exhibiting one masterpiece at a time or sometimes even more.

For Him its just another creation, we earthlings call it a rainbow.

On a reading spree!!!

2005-09-09T20:25:00.000+05:30

Reading is something I always liked to do. But that mostly included reading newspapers. However, still I prefer seeing a movie then reading the novel on which it is based. (“I remember images”…hehe... my friend would be chuckling on reading this)

So, after having my tryst with Fountainhead I moved further and read just 2 more novels. I look forward to read many more :)

The immediate successor was Belva Plain's “Looking Back”. I had never heard about her (actually I am not an avid reader of novels, so don’t know many writers). However, the book was more of a time-pass kind of thing – nothing much to gain. It’s the story of 3 girls Amanda, Cecile and Norma, who start as good friends, and in due course of time, end up becoming total strangers.

The story line is more of the type that can be made into soap opera – if made in Hindi – the appropriate title would be “Badaltey Rishtey (which means – “Changing Relationships”). It has all the ingredients required for a serial to begin with a boom, with the TRP really soaring up, then going low – so you introduce some new characters and eventually the net is woven such that the actors themselves get entangled. Actually, the story line is not that cryptic – but when we Indians want to stretch something for a long time, we know we’ll manage too ;)

The second book is Dan Brown's “Deception Point”. The author is a person who really intrigues the reader and keeps him/her really wondering what’s going to happen next. I just loved the way he unfolds the story – short chapters, very brief, telling about an event and then moving on to next chapter, talking about another happening. Normally there are 3-4 threads simultaneously unrolling, making the narration very interesting.

The story is about…hehe…am not going to tell else you won’t read the book. However, it’s worth a read! I began reading and at a point felt…Ah…it the usual stuff about aliens and extra-terrestrials…but then Mr. Brown has his own ways of keeping all his cards in his hands and revealing them as and when required. Also, liked his style of italicizing text to convey thoughts of the character or to convey an intentional pun.

(The fact that a book talking about aliens doesn’t impress me that much is because I have watched The X-files, though I don’t know it’s storyline entirely, and no David Duchovny has nothing to do with me watching the series ;)) ).

There is more to the story then aliens and politics. It’s nice to see how things turn up, totally unexpectedly or rather how Dan makes us feel so. As of now it might be too early to say, but I’d really like to know more about how Dan manages to write such stuff – very filmi and I guess all of his books can be made into a movie (Da Vinci Code is being made into…isn’t it?).

So, hoping to end up reading first of all Dan’s other 3 books (have read Da Vinci a bit and can’t stop cursing myself for not completing it L ), I’d say I guess fiction/thriller is what I am liking to read now, don’t know when the mood changes!

P.S. If Deception Point is made into an Indian movie (but can it be made…it has a story :P , just kidding :D ) , can you suggest any title?

About friends and friendship...

2005-08-08T20:10:00.000+05:30

And so the unexpected happened…we were all together – yeah all of us – was it a dream? Even if it was, it was beautiful :)

Well…had a great friendship day on 7th Aug 2005. Too much of planning ruins the activity – once the objective is clear – things fall in place. Just like any group not being able to decide where to eat, those exchanges of SMS’ increasing the confusion and finally deciding to meet at a common point…all took place.

We were all too bored about going to those typical restaurants on FC and JM Road, wanted a change of locale and so decided to go to some place in Pune Camp. Actually, we ended up in a restaurant called “The Place”…hmm…coincidence. There we had sizzlers, coz they only serve sizzlers. It was nice – we were talking, eating, taking snaps (on second thoughts, mobiles are not that bad) and having a good time. Then there was this Barista outlet nearby The Place, our next destination. A friend mentioned on the way about India vs WI match…and we ended up seeing the last 14 balls. (yippee…India won!) I am not too much a coffee-person (ended up having Heavenly Mocha, it was bitterly bitter). So Barista – first and last time, I guess!

Now it was time to return back to home after few (relatively infinite) quality moments of love, faith, trust and friendship.

So people let’s keep meeting…

I like interacting with people, knowing them and in general, chatting (they say I am a chatterbox…actually when they are with me, they give me complex!)

I don’t know much about friends and friendship – but I feel friends are the people who kind of complete you. You can’t be everything – simple, indifferent, beautiful, understanding, cricket-lover, frank, intelligent and logical thinker – so what – you can always be surrounded by people who are, isn’t it?

Here’s wishing we are always together – though not in person, but in thought, mind and soul.

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In life, God doesn’t give you people you want.
Instead He gives you people you need;
to love you,to hurt you, to teach you, to make you exactly
what He wants you to be –“the BEST”
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Fountainhead

2005-08-03T20:30:00.000+05:30

Well finally I did it – I read an entire (not really, skipped a bit portion :P ) novel. Two of my good friends suggested I read Fountainhead. The suggestion sounded too demanding – read a novel…you mean so many pages…poor me. But something told me – take the plunge girl – take it. [Not many would have glamorized the act of reading the novel as much as this blogger is doing.]

So I borrowed the novel (see…didn’t even buy it…) from a colleague and started to read it. Actually, I read around a couple of opening pages and found the matter attractive. That’s what was really at the back of my mind, which motivated to read it completely.

Fountainhead – what shall I say – it’s gripping, interesting, more like a journey to be enjoyed with no hurry to reach the destination. You feel like knowing more about Howard Roark (the protagonist of the story). His character opens in bits and pieces. His indifference is what makes you wonder – why the hell worry about the world – just be yourself. What you feel is not what actually exists around you but it is a reflection – created by your past experiences, your surroundings, your nature, your way of responding to things, your beliefs, your vision. No matter how much you try to please others there will at least be one person who wouldn’t agree with you – so don’t worry too much.

The narration is very intriguing from the beginning almost up to the end. However, the end could have been made a bit more self-explanatory. Someone like Roark who doesn’t speak that much gave a lengthy speech at the end – didn’t digest it that well. The part which unfolds a view about altruism and egoism is worth giving a thought.

However, Ayn Rand, the writer, has uncovered every character’s typical behavior very ingeniously. I loved how the people who appeared strong and powerful to the world were actually weak and meek once. It was their struggle and self-confidence, which had landed them to a respectable position in the society. Though deep down, they were sad because of all the compromises they had made to attain that respect (?!).

I don’t know much about books and authors and so might have unknowingly not brought out the true essence of this book. However, it’s not to be treated as a book review – it’s just a reflection of my thoughts, nothing more nothing less.

So, it’s a book to be read at least once – not a thriller – so you can enjoy the story more than wait for the mysterious end.

Roark you inspire [while I disappoint, right?]

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The egoist in the absolute sense is not the man who sacrifices others. He is the man who stands above the need of using others in any manner. He does not function through them. He is not concerned with them in primary manner, not in his aim, not in his motive, not in his thinking, not in his desires, not in the source of his energy. He does not exist for any other man - and he asks no other man to exist for him.
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...so He created...

2005-07-25T13:18:00.000+05:30

They Say: God cannot be everywhere so He created Mother
I believe : God wants to be everywhere so He created Mother

Just a thought...nothing in particular

2005-07-07T12:51:00.000+05:30

I was skimming through an on-line article.

Something struck me then...and here it is:

1 First we want to share the information
2 So we make the new (?) net
3 Then we make the net work
4 When the net works, we want to play with it
5 We forget that the net was meant only to 'work' and not 'play'
6 But the net remembers the reason for its existence
7 So it can only 'work'
8 So we upgrade the net
9 Now the net can play as well as work
10 We enjoy working and playing with the net
11 A time comes we get bored with the monotonous 'work and play'
12 Now we want the net to think
13 So we once again upgrade the net
14 Now the net can work, play and think
15 We feel we are the creator of an amazing object
16 But now we miss out a point
17 The net can now think
18 The net starts thinking
19 It stops you from doing the same
20 The net was upgraded to play
21 It stops you from playing
22 The net was made so that it could work
23 It stops you from working
24 So once again we start (!) thinking (?)
25 What should be done about the net's changed behavior?
26 To begin with... go to line 1

PS: The net possesses the characteristic -> it can trap...what???...Depends :

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They say life is a vicious circle

Ok...

So was it like this or someone made it like this?

[Silence]

No Comments

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Don’t!!!

2005-06-24T11:44:00.000+05:30

“Don’t stick bills”. (Painted on walls)

“Don’t play cricket over here”. (Painted on boundary wall of a playing ground)

“Sorry No Smoking Please”. (Can been seen at n number of public places)
Sorry – seems the people who wrote this want to express regret or sorrow of curbing someone’s freedom (??) of performing the act (Just for ref: crime is also an act) of smoking
No Smoking – actual instruction (?)
Please – polite request (Really can’t understand why requests should always be polite, why can’t they be straight forward or even blunt.)

Conclusion: To tell a 2 word message, 2 more words are too be written (On second thoughts, isn’t it like start and stop bit, within which the actual data to be transmitted is encoded.)

Above are just a few examples, which show how all the time we are told not to do something. It is amazing that right from our childhood, we are told don’t do this, don’t do that. Hello, will anyone please tell what should be done. Remembering what should not be done is tough!

Wait for a second…pause…wait…don’t look to your right…no, please, don’t look to your right…it might not be good…please don’t look…
[In case you ended up looking to your right, :D ].

It’s strange but I have observed people doing things they are prohibited from. It is human to do so I guess. (When they cannot explain things, they say this, don’t they?) The thing could be as trivial as not going for a party, or could be as critical as not committing some offense.

From what my theory says (I am not an original, I am from the inspired class ;), the surroundings and people inspire me), when the ear listens about something the brain starts thinking about it, that is obvious even I know – but the point I want to convey is following. All the time n number of thoughts keep flashing through the brain. So when some thing new pops up, the brain requires little time to grasp it, understand it and then perform the activity. So when someone says, “No you are diabetic, don’t have Rasmalai (it is a name of sweet)”, the brain is totally active when the word Rasmalai is said…and then…you want to eat it… J).
[Hey you didn’t even hear the word diabetic… :P]

Won’t it be better to say what should be done? Starting with negativity is not acceptable to most of the people. They feel someone is ruling them, trying to control them, taking away their freedom. Everyone has one life to live and they want to live it to the fullest. At least one should be under the impression that he/she is living life on his/her terms. (People tend to believe what they are, is because of their acts and not because of their faith).

It is not easy to change one’s habit…but let’s hope anyone, who tries to do that for a good purpose, is successful.

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I want to learn everyday
I want to grow everyday
If only you would hold my hand and showed me HOW
I want to live everyday

I know that life isn’t all that beautiful as you said
But that was the time when I was too young to understand
I am in no hurry to reach the destination yet
It’s enough for me that we are together and we met

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Being EGL – too demanding, not-so rewarding

2005-06-07T19:33:00.000+05:30

“It is always the best policy to speak the truth - unless, of course, you are an exceptionally good liar.”

An exceptionally good liar (EGL) – interesting person…if you know he is an EGL, he loses his identity.

It must be tough to be an EGL. (Any EGL/was-EGL-until- reading this, you can share your experience by posting a comment on this blog as Anon, sympathy is always there with you, though this is not a helpdesk at all) First you have to lie and then no one should believe that you lied. Also, they say to hide one lie, you have to say 100 more. So much of burden on the poor soul!!!

Besides every one cannot be an EGL – you really need to have a good memory - because you have to remember what you said the last time, isn’t it? And once you have mastered lying, there are so many people and so many lies. You are competing with yourself to prove that – “No, I can never be caught.” (Competing with others is not that tough – you can always have “grapes are sour” attitude or play-the-blame-game strategy. When you are the convict as well as the judge, its all together another ball game)

It takes efforts to lie (as mental, and sometimes even physical energy is required in the process), and when all is done, there is no one to say “well done”. If someone even doubts you lied, you are not an EGL in the real sense.

In case, you are an EGL and someone comes to know of it, you’ve lost that someone who believed you, loved you, listened to you, and was by your side, especially during tough times. For that someone, now whenever you speak you spin a yarn. (though you are not into textile industry)

So it’s like - Heads I win, tails you lose.

Did you know… and the saga continues!!!

2005-05-25T15:37:00.000+05:30

“Did you know…Mr. Sharma’s daughter ran away with a guy from her college!”

“Did you know… last night a lot of noise was coming from the Verma family’s house…they must be arguing about… I told you that day…remember?”

“Did you know…?”

Ok…sounds like something is being asked… or rather told. Whatever, but personal information about other people has been spread successfully?

Man is a social animal. (I read this in good old school days. It was only then I came to know that man is an animal.) He likes to stay in groups, talk, and have a good time with his fellow beings.
Man loves to speak, to share his views, to advice (this he does for free without any hidden charges, whether it is required or not) and this has unconsciously given rise to one of his habit – gossiping.

(After writing above paragraph on “man”, I started feeling like an ALIEN from some another planet. Too much of television can make you feel you are on MARS – and I meant Nat Geo stuff about some space shuttle landing and gathering information. This has nothing to do with X-Files. Pun intended.)

Nothing in itself is good or bad, same goes for gossiping. People might argue this…go ahead…freedom of speech (I am from India.)

Gossiping is an art – the art of spreading information – that too, using a natural media – mouth.
But it is a demanding art. You have to be very vigilant, know almost everything that is going on –at least in the neighborhood. It’s like being an unpaid detective, an unsung local Sherlock Holmes. The database must be capable of storing huge data, mostly unformatted, and efficient enough to handle numerous updates. (Example of how your job can affect you)

Excluding the fun part, talking about personal life of someone else isn’t that good a hobby.To talk socially without exchanging too much information is fine. Speaking what hurts somebody doesn’t sound that pleasant…does it? It might at times not be bad to gossip, but to confabulate is certainly not good. Truth always finds its way out.

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Great minds discuss ideas.
Average minds discuss events.
Small minds discuss people.

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Why did the chicken cross the road? (wdtcctr)

2005-05-17T16:41:00.000+05:30

I heard the phrase “wdtcctr” first time on Cartoon Network. (I am quite a couch potato and end up watching even Tiny TV :P, courtesy – my little cousin)

The phrase sounded very interesting and at the same time very questioning. Initially, I believed it was related to some cartoon. To my surprise, it wasn’t. (My Little Cousin made it a point that I get my basics right)

Then all was forgotten. It was few days back that I encountered the same phrase, this time on the internet while usual browsing. This fictitious (?) question had probable answers …I believe they are fictitious ones…they are humorous and exhibit the nature of the individual who is supposed to have answered them.

I have been thinking…what must have been the origin of this phrase? Did any one ever ask this question? Why was this question raised? Is this a rhetorical question? Oops…so many questions about a single question!!!

I did try to find out the origin of the phrase (or question, ok…now I am a bit confused) but haven’t found anything yet. So I have come up with a story to satisfy my curiosity.

Long time ago (don’t think when…this is the way stories are supposed to begin) a couple owned poultry. They were happy with all their chickens. (This is what I mean by originality of ideas) Suddenly one day, one of their chickens died in a road accident. The chicken was crossing the road when it collided with a car and died on the spot.

The matter was taken to the court and the lawyer ended up asking this question. (Who else do you think can raise such an “intelligent”(?) question). To save the convict anything can be asked. After a lot of argument, the poor couple decided to accept the money the convict was ready to give them, provided they blamed the chicken and not him.

So the case ended - the couple said that the chicken crossed the road because it thought jaywalking is illegal and so it didn’t wait for the signal to turn red.

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Sometimes I don’t question things
Which give me pleasure and my thoughts the wings
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On being a Pessimist…

2005-05-13T15:22:00.000+05:30

Pessimist - A person who expects the worst

Every coin has two sides. People might argue that being a pessimist is bad…but wait…it can be good too. Some facts to put forth the “brighter” side of being a pessimist can be stated.

A pessimist is never disappointed. When I expect the worst and it happens, I should in fact feel happy…what I predicted occurred. (On second thoughts, should I take up astrology as a career?)Studies say people are depressed most of the times because of unfulfilled expectations. Arre…when you don’t expect anything from anyone or you expect the worst, no man (or for that matter even woman) in this world can disappoint you (They say it’s Kalyug, times are bad. So it’s good to keep low, rather no, expectations).

See, if you are not disappointed, you won’t get annoyed about things being wrong, people being selfish, life being tough…and blah-blah-blu-blu-blee-blee (the usual…ab waqt pehle jaise nahin rahaan stuff). You’ll be a happier chap – you know worst will occur, so some of you might even go for proactive strategy – to reduce the jhatka (zor ka jhatka dheere se lagega pessimist ko).

Who says the “light at the end of the tunnel” always resembles “hope”. Give a thought, why can’t it be – “the light of the oncoming train.”

A pessimist is a man who looks both ways before crossing a one-way street. So what, have you seen the number of rash drivers on the road? – such careless drivers end up killing people sleeping on the pavement at night (Resemblance to anybody…for that matter famous anybody… dead or alive is purely coincidental).

Antonio Gramsci (Italian intellectual and politician) said: “I'm a pessimist because of intelligence, but an optimist because of will”. So if you want to prove to people that you are intelligent, tell them you are a pessimist. (Provided the people you tell this know Antonio)

Borrow money from a pessimist – he never expects it back. (Can anyone give me some information about any pessimist he/she knows…I am planning to buy latest mobile that can store video, songs, obviously has camera…and hey they have added that you can still make calls)

A pessimist is someone who looks at the land of milk and honey and sees only calories and cholesterol. Ok…fine then…pessimist is more health conscious than the normal people. (I wonder whether pre-requisite to being a physician is to be a born pessimist. Many people will realize they have taken up a wrong career. They could have landed up being a physician)

The difference between an optimist and a pessimist is that an optimist laughs to forget, but a pessimist forgets to laugh. This means pessimists are forgetful by nature. You must have heard – to forgive is to forget. How nice…pessimists are forgivers…world needs people with big hearts, doesn’t it?

Too much of anything is bad. So don’t end up being a pessimist only. (Sometimes people end up following everything they read.) Be a bit optimist as well. Lead a balanced life.

Remember, a pessimist also expects… so what…if it’s the worst.

Chatting

2005-05-10T03:52:00.000+05:30

I never knew that my world would change all of a sudden, that too, because of the internet. It might sound strange as to how the change began.

The reason was ‘posting resumes’. Sounds funny but that’s the truth. As I was on the look out for a job (thank God I waited for my engineering to get complete, else for some one like me who always wanted to work in a MNC, the wait was killing), one of the things added to my daily chore was – mailing resume to companies.

Here, I would like to thank the ‘bandwidth’ that we get to surf the net. Had it not been time-consuming for the resume to get attached to the mail and then be sent, I would have never looked for ‘in-between’ activity. No prizes for guessing the activity – it is chatting.

I always knew that I could hold long conversations in almost any topics – that is because I believe people are source of knowledge as well. A meaningful conversation with a person on a topic is far more beneficial than reading a book on the same topic. Practical experience is what matters. It’s like you cannot learn swimming by reading a book on “How to learn swimming” you have to get into the pool for that. Besides my friends always made sure I knew what I was - a ‘chatterbox’

Thus began my journey into the cyber world. Initially, it took a lot of time in deciding whom to actually chat with. But to my surprise, I found lot of engineers on-line and that really broke the ice. Talking with someone who is from your domain is always easier. Slowly but steadily I started making lot of chat friends, some who were studious, some who were nerds and some who were cool. It was amazing to know that most of them were introverts in ‘real’ life.

Chatting has given me new friends, people whom I haven’t seen but very close to my heart. It’s amazing how technology works. It has always been human nature to shy away from sharing the deep intricacies of the heart. I don’t know why people (including me) don’t find it too comfortable to share a lot of things with people who are around them. May be the fear of being ‘not understood’ or ‘misunderstood’ is the main reason.

I hope to continue chatting and making more and more friends. Chatting has added a whole new dimension in my life. All my chat friends, thank you for being there and hope we will meet face-to-face some day.

To UNDERSTAND and to be understood

2005-04-29T14:48:00.000+05:30

“I know… you never get what I mean…“ - sounds like a statement made by someone who is really angry and sad. It is not very rare that all of us, at some point or the other, speak such harsh words.

No matter whatever may be the reason we always expect others to understand us. It’s like “how can someone think like this about me “or “say such words behind my back” or “I never meant what you interpreted”.

But have you ever given a second thought to your conduct when you say such stuff. Not only do these words indicate lack of communication but also lack of trust. It’s very important to know that to be understood by someone, first you need to understand that person. Being self-centered is what you should avoid.

Relationships are about “give and take”. Have you ever pondered why don’t we say “take and give”. Every mother in the world “gives” unconditional love, that too, without expecting anything in return. But it is up to the child to “take” all the love and blessings and “give” back love and respect. See, here again the cycle ends in “give”.

The very fact that you can “give” somebody shows that you are an able person. It’s wonderful to be independent in life rather than depend on somebody for your existence. In the same way, it’s essential that you place yourself in someone else’s place and think from his/her perspective. If you even make a slightest effort to listen to your dear one, believe me you have made that person’s day.

So do recollect all the moments you repented in your life. Most of them were due to lack of understanding – be it a fight with your friend. Don’t you feel that if you had broken the ice and be the first one to say ‘sorry’ and, try to think on the same lines as he/she was thinking, things would have been better. Perhaps, the other person would accept the mistake (if at all that person was at fault) and thank you for understanding and handling the situation correctly.

Life is beautiful and not worth wasting even a single moment. Live it to the fullest and live it for others. So first understand so that you can be understood.

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I look at flowers and ponder
They are so beautiful I wonder
I believe they teach us the great lesson
“He has given us life for a reason"

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Tete-A-Tete With SOUL

2005-04-27T12:25:00.000+05:30

No one knows what future holds.
Yet I plan for years.
Every moment I worry about the future - about the unknown.
Past is gone, tomorrow has to come.
But Present is right now with me.

I hope for this, I crave for that.
It has been like this for years, I have been existing always – I have never died.
I have changed bodies, but have not changed my nature.
I plan a lot, I think a lot.
I am foresighted.
I always amaze myself, you and people around you, by proving my vision right.
But I am scared deep inside.
Scared of knowing all.
I want to relax. I want to breathe.
I want to err and seek care.
I want to sleep without the thoughts.
I want to seek ‘MOKSH’ as people say – coz I have been always, I want to sleep and never wake up.

I am your SOUL – I am your CONSCIENCE – I am your INNER VOICE.
You will also agree – I know when you are wrong
When you lie, I prick you.
You have tried a lot to listen to me – but remember the times you really did that.
If you hurt me, I hurt you back. But that’s not what I want.
I want to guide you, I want to see you rise.
I am myself clueless about my existence but want you to know yours.
I said..I think too much..I speak too much…I kill your silence every time, you know.
But I don’t know what I was created for.

My GOD sent me, but didn’t tell the reason why I have to exist.
I always wanted to know, but ‘what’ I don’t know.
I am too curious.
My GOD chose you this time as the place for me to reside.
So please bear me, please trust me.
I won’t harm you.
I am myself scared. I don’t know why I always say that.
In fact I have made you brave.
I have stood by you in tough times. I have guided you in making tough decisions. I love you but don’t know what’s the reason behind this.

Every time I change a body, I do the same.
I guide you but am looking for guidance.
I am with you but want someone to be there for me when I am lonely.

I know one thing..it has been too long I have been on earth.
I want to go back.
Back to my GOD.

HE wants me but HE is SELFLESS.
Every time I fight with him to give me ‘MOKSH’, HE convinces me that I am needed elsewhere.

But this time my GOD can’t win. I’ll attain success (in worldly terms) in the early age and ask him to call me back. I’ll argue about seeing it all and being good…hope he doesn’t trick me and send me again on earth the next time.

But I know my GOD. He will send me back...he wants me too exist...forever.
By sending me, HE wants to bless all people around me.
I’ll stay awake for all, while they doze off with their worries laid on my tender shoulders.
I’ll once again take care of them and do the same old thankless job.
I won’t cry pain nor will I complain.
I will do what my GOD wants me to do.
HE wants me to find the purpose of my being there.
HE wants me to find out the reason for LIFE.
HE wants me to make people around me happy.

I know what HE wants, HE knows I’ve achieved all – though in all the births I took.
But we share this ‘wordless’ speech – where in, HE tells me all, and I listen to him.
We need no words, we need no reasons.
We are friends – we trust each other, we need each other.