Eternal Insight

The simplicity of the complication

2012-01-27T17:57:00.002+05:30

For the past few months, whenever someone comes to me for advice, as I am listening to their problem, the first thought that comes to my mind is, "Why is this so complicated? Why is this person not able to understand that the only thing they need to do is strive to make life simpler?"

The answer, is that complications are simple. The way I see it, most people like to keep their lives in a mess because the simple truth is sometimes too much to handle. Also, it is easier to do what your brain says than what your heart is thumping out to you. Admit it, we have all done the easier thing in a choice situation at least once. I have. And it has been short term gain but in the long run, it has always come back to bite me.

So my solution to my own problems? Do what you think is tougher to do. Because that is usually the right thing to do. Lately, there have been some major issues to deal with. It is very easy to get emotional and cloud your judgement. Why wouldn't we be emotional? We are human after all. But emotions don't always help. They NEVER help, is what I have concluded from my various, emm, bad decisions, shall we call them? The only thing that helps when you are emotional is to take a deep breath, think of anything but the situation, and wait for it to subside. Phone calls, emails, texts, any form of communication with the concerned person needs to be avoided, at all costs. A crying/yelling phone call has never done anyone any good.

I admit it, I have done all this in my past. I have sent numerous scathing messages/emails in the throes of anger/despair/jealousy and hurt people. And it is just not something I would do now. Hence, I shut down. In anger, it is always more prudent to take care of it yourself than unload it on others.

As they say, Happiness, when shared, grows. But then, so does Misery.

We need to LIVE life. Simply.

Black, Red and Silver

2011-11-02T16:09:00.000+05:30

As the blood welled up into his throat and filled up his mouth, he slowly looked up at the girl he had loved so much for so long. Even before his expression changed from shock to pain he could see the hatred in her eyes. The same black of her eyes that had attracted him to her, the same black of her eyes that gave him so much comfort were full of malice and hatred.
The first time he saw her was when she joined his theatre club. Rohan came to Mumbai to study acting, his one and true passion. Naina waltzed into the auditorium, with a smile on her face that made the well lit theatre sparkle with delight, and his heart skipped a beat when he saw her eyes. So clear and black, and so full of life that he felt they were the source of all his oxygen. Those were the eyes that were going to keep him alive.
The pain seared in his stomach and the blood spilled out of his mouth, his knees seemed to buckle, he staggered forward and she backed away, not touching him. His vision blurred when he saw the ring on her finger, he looked up at her mouth curled with melancholy and his mind went back to that night.
Naina helped him grow into a confident, self assured and brilliant actor. She was there with him when he got offered his first movie role. She held and squeezed his hand when he signed on the dotted line. The opening night of his movie had been the happiest. After the premiere, when they were alone, he went down on one knee and asked her to be his wife. As he placed the ring on her shaking finger, her eyes were full of tears, and the joy in them warmed his heart. He knew this was the start of his life when she whispered in his ears, “You’re mine, Forever.”
Rohan was jolted back to reality as his knees gave way and he sunk to the ground, reaching out to her, helplessly, hoping that she would extend her hand and hold him one last time. He supported himself on the kitchen counter as one hand went to the wound. The blood had started to flow freely and he knew the cut was deep enough. The knife she was holding dangled in front of his face and he saw the red drip from the silver of the blade. He knew that he was going to die.
The fame and money kept him busy. The offers flew in and he became busier than he could imagine. He got to see lesser of her than he liked. They both hated it, she more than him. As the paparazzi grew more adamant and the scandals grew more wild, she seemed to lose faith in him. When they were apart, he felt they were drifting away and when they were together, he no longer felt the same assurance in her touch, did not see the same love in her eyes. They were always questioning, doubting, never understanding, and he hated it.
Her insecurity reached the tipping point when she started drinking and one night threatened a co-actor of his. She broke a bottle and waved it around madly, calling her names and threatening her to stay away from her fiancé. Embarrassed, he apologized and carried her home. He left her at her house and resolved to talk to her the next day when she would be back to her senses. He knew he had to convince her that she was the only one for him.
The following morning, he messaged her to come over to his place for dinner. He knew he would win her back. He let her in and walked over to the refrigerator to get her a drink, when he suddenly sensed her behind him. He knew something was amiss when he turned and glanced over at the door. She had bolted it. He looked at her questioningly but immediately knew she was not in her senses. Her eyes were the darkest black he had ever seen them. And she had a cold sense of purpose in them. She was right in front of him and before he had time to react, she had withdrawn the dagger and sunk it into his abdomen.
He fell and as the darkness grew in front of his eyes, he looked at her one last time and saw the eyes he had loved so much, they were alight with pleasure, and when she spoke her voice broke his heart before it stopped beating. “If you’re not mine, you’re no one else’s either”. He descended into the darkness he knew was final.

My Ruler Scales

2011-10-22T00:37:00.003+05:30

Year and a half. That is how long it has been since I bothered to write even a word here. Pathetic blogging. SO not proud of myself. Truth is, I have begun, on various occasions, to write something heartfelt. Well, heartfelt is the only way I know how to write. I guess it is true of every person who has ever written a word , if you don't feel it, you can't put it into words. Unfortunately, have been keeping a lot of feelings locked up somewhere, hence was never able to complete a single post.
Even today, I have no idea if this will be posted. So if it will be, good for me!!!
What is this post about? Well, about quite easily the most valuable and important assets of anyone's life, my Friends.
It sometimes takes a significant life event, tragedy, achievement or epiphany to truly sift out the best of friends who deserve a place in your life. And the sifting out is more precise in times of distress than happiness. Funny how the human psych works. :)
So I have had a few moments of distress in life over the past few months, nothing quite dramatic or heart wrenching, just a few health issues which landed me in the hospital, with tubes in my arms and pathetic chemicals in my system, a couple of times. And the funny thing is, they were the most awesome days. Don't get me wrong, I was worried as shit for my health, but I had my amazing family (they ALWAYS come first, no matter WHAT anyone does for you) and a set of friends who REFUSED to leave me alone for even a second. Oh how you love it when someone tells you, "I am sorry I have to leave you and go home, I wish I could just stay with you in the hospital".
This post is not a thank you to any one of them. God knows I can not even begin to thank any of my friends for what they do, this is just an acknowledgement of what they mean to me. Following are just some of the people who have been there with me, through some of the most torrid times and also the best, who share every happiness with me as if they could feel it too, who celebrate every achievement with me as if it was their own, and who make every moment of desperation and sadness go away just by being who they are.

Deepak, My brother: For a good part of our lives, we have disagreed on almost everything we have thought of. I am glad that now, finally, we agree on one thing, that we mean a lot to each other. I know it took you going to UK for me to realize that you mean everything to me. Hopefully our relationship will become stronger as time goes by. And hopefully, I will be able to fulfill all the promises I have ever made to you. Thank you for being the most amazing elder brother I could have ever wanted.

Aneesha: Every moment since you have entered our lives, we have been thankful for all that you have given us. For me, you are the most AMAZING member of my family yet, because you have brought us all much closer than we could have ever imagined. I know you will pamper me someday as your younger brother, for now, I am content with just having those super awesome debates we have. :)

Vishal Nakate: This is one guy who has a heart made of GOLD, pure solid 24 Karat GOLD!!! He will do ANYTHING for you. He will be the friend who will be so possessive about you that you feel you don't NEED another friend in life if you have him. I remember the hug you gave me on New Year's eve this year, it communicated each and every moment of care you have ever felt for me. I need to thank some moment of fate that landed us together dude. Because you have made life so much more practical. I know that you think more practically than most people I have, and it is this practicality that has made me a big fan of yours dude!!!Love you a lot!!!

Anita Kanoje: Listed as my daughter on FB (:P), she is one person who is LIKE me. Almost a female version of me, with possibly less nakhras :P. We became friends only after college, and I pity myself for having lost out on years of some amazing friendship. You have been my sounding board for every wayward thought that has ever come to mind, only because you understand most of them before they are formed even in MY head. No week is fulfilling without a visit to Aromas and some gossip and philosophical bullshit with you. :)

Dallas Dias: You remain the only guy in my life who is possibly more emotional than I am, and that is a VERY tough emotional quotient to beat my friend. I have lost count of the number of times we have discussed the same things again and again and come to the same conclusions every time. I know our choices don't match (Well up until lately at least!!!) in most respects, but we are pretty much the same in the way we think and live. Thanks man. Without you, office would have been a depressingly horrid place to go to 5 times a week. I promise I will teach you how to bike before Goa :P

Pranay Karwa: You remain the Antithesis to me, even 2 years after college, we still have the same talks, maybe about different people now. I know if some of our chats were leaked, people could sue us for defamation :P Listening to your HYPERBOLES always makes me wonder what if I was like you :P. Nah, as you can imagine, we both can't imagine me doing what you do :P Thanks for everything man, some of the dialogues we had late into the night will remain the best talks about love, life and friendship (not to forget girls) I have had the privilege of being a part of.

No, I have not FORGOTTEN you Shweta Shukla , I have just kept you for the finale. As the person who deserves a whole post to herself, you can wait a while to read good things about you. As I maintain, someone up there is REALLY REALLY happy with me for having given me the pleasure and privilege of having you as a friend. Just being friends with you would have been enough payment for all the good deeds I have ever done, but No, God is kind, and we have been best friends for a long while now. It is your strength and friendship that has kept me intact in these tough times, your messages and love that give me the strength to face anything without dreading the worst, and also your wisdom in the unlikeliest of times that makes pain bearable. Thank you Baa, for being the most amazing human being to have ever been in my life. Calling you an angel is still stereotyping what you mean to me and limiting your purpose in my life. I think you give being friends a whole different meaning, when you live every moment for others, the purity of smile that you have is what you get. Cannot say this enough to you, Love you baa.

I know this is a LONG post, it has been a part of my head for a while, feels good to get it out finally. Maybe I have missed out on a few people here, maybe they will be part of another post some other day. For now, these are the people that are making this human birth worth fighting for. Thank you All. Can't love you enough. You are the measures of my life.

Sometimes, all it needs is a dance and a shower

2010-06-18T19:16:00.003+05:30

For a long time now, I have been sulking. I have been sulking for absolutely no reason. Life just got a little mundane and I did not like that. Oh who am I kidding, life got TOTALLY mundane. All I did everyday was exactly what I did the last day. Life felt like this merry go round that just kept on going round and round, one day at a time. And I was stuck somewhere on the edge of it hanging on by my fingertips. The worst part was, it was no fun. For a long time I contemplated giving up and just letting my fingers go. God knows that would have been a disaster. I am not really a flyer. Would have landed on my ass, and hurt bad.

As I was going round and round, thankfully the one thing that was good was it got very mechanical. I did not really have to pay too much attention to what I was doing. So I had my mind free to think about other things. And as always, I never let an opportunity to think go. As happens in a lot of movies and novels and fictional stories, the brightest epiphanies happen when you are least expecting them. I realized the true nature of a lot of people around me. Understood the importance of a few people and the sheer uselessness of others. I call a few RELATIONSHIPS useless, not the people. There is a world of a difference between the two. And because I realized that some of the relationships were not helping me, in fact, they seemed more like burdens than pillars, I let those go. Not in my heart, but in my mind definitely. I have stopped thinking about a lot of people that I would normally be obsessed about. And trust me there is no other freedom to match it. TRUST ME.
Alas, in spite of breaking these bonds, I didn’t feel “Happy”. I know I know, I have always held the belief that happiness stems from within, from that special place somewhere inside you that we all call the Self. The only problem was, my “Self” had kind of gotten buried under a few dusty covers. It got lost in the folds of a few miserable times I had allowed to creep into my system and settle there. All I needed to do, was shake up my Self and wash off the dirt. Then, it would be back to its natural “Self” (OK I know I have used the word enough…:P)

The SHAKE UP happened at the Employee Appreciation Dinner (a.k.a free dinner and dance party) hosted by my company, Deloitte Consulting, couple of weeks ago. Now I am not really a dancer. Correction, I am NOT a dancer. I rarely dance at public events (Alone at my house is a different matter). But this was one of those days when I just FELT it. I just wanted to dance. And I did. It felt amazing..no…that didn’t do justice..it felt AMAZING!!!!! One of the best parties of my life ever. I went home utterly exhausted after more than 2 hours of dancing. But it felt Nice…The resurrection had begun..
The WASH happened in the first rains that hit Mumbai sometime back. Let me tell you, there is no feeling like standing in the rain getting totally drenched. There is nothing like closing your eyes, turning your head heavenwards, and feeling the rain splatter your face clean. One of those rare moments when you feel so connected to Nature that you can HEAR it. It was truly a magical moment. It made me realize that I have been cribbing about nothing. There is too much in this world to be thankful for. Too much to like and love. Too much to live for. Letting go was not an option. And it will never be.

Another amazing day was the IMPACT day, our global community service day. I visited the Hellen Keller institute for Deaf and Deaf Blind people. Met some of the most courageous and lively people in my life. It is amazing how they just open up their hearts, drop all inhibitions, and make you feel like you are one of them. I realized that often I complaint about the most trivial of things. I crib about some of the most insignificant details in life that make absolutely no difference to those people. And yet they live life with full aplomb. How? Well I don’t know. They probably know what life is better than I ever will. Thankfully they showed me at least some part of their lives, which put mine into some rather harsh perspective.

As a result of these events, I can safely and confidently say I am HAPPY! Not a happiness born out of certain events or people. Not a happiness because of what someone said or did. But a happiness out of just being here, right now. A happiness out of the full realization that I have a life to live. That I have an opportunity to live in a world where there are people who love me, people who I thought loved me but don’t, people who I will never ever meet but still they make a difference in my life, and above all people whose lives I have the opportunity to make a difference to. I realized, that sometimes to open your eyes, all you need to do is shake your feet and dance a little, all you need is to stand in the rain, drop all inhibitions, drop all care, and just be. Sometimes, all it needs is a dance and a shower…

A Valediction

2010-04-10T18:19:00.003+05:30

For the past few days, i have been thinking a lot about some of the people whom I have bid adieu to over the past few years or earlier. Why? Well because I am like that. I THINK about stuff. I analyze what has happened in my life, the events and their effects, my reactions to them. And I learn from them. I am always interested in what happens in my life. It just makes it that much more fun to LIVE it!!!
Coming back, so as I said, I was thinking a lot about some of the people who I have said goodbye to. I won’t say I have lost them, because I truly believe I haven’t. At least some of them. Some of those goodbyes have hurt. Some have made me realize that I never had that person in my life in the first place, hence the goodbye isn’t going to hurt anyways. Some have made me realize the strength of my bond with them, and instilled the faith in me that I will carry those relationships for a long time in my heart and in my life.
One of the first ones I want to talk about, is from the second category listed above. It’s about my Dad. I have never really spoken about him in a public place like this, except for once a long time ago. For some reason, it has just not been worth it. And I won’t mention much about him here. So I lost him about 9 years ago. He died of a third heart attack. Ironically, he was a doctor but a chain smoker (yeah, some people really know how to overlook the reality). Of course, we (my mom, my bro and me) did not live with him at the time, having separated long back. This is why, I never really had a father. Hence, the loss wasn’t so astounding as well. All that changed was that one of the people responsible for me being on this planet was no more here.
I know some of you might think I m being pretty cold about this. But trust me, I never knew the guy. That loss never affected me because I never really felt it. So it wasn’t a big deal, and still isn’t. Over time, I have lost the bitterness I had for him and it has made it easier to just accept it and move on with life.
But some goodbyes are not as easy. One of the hardest things I have had to do was say goodbye to my cousin, Meenu Didi, who died of cancer a few years ago. I wrote a long post about her. Find it here.
As I realized later, I did not have the courage to say goodbye to her. So I never really went to do it. I just knew I would not have the strength. I still sit and think sometimes that I probably should have. She would have liked it. I am sorry for that. Will always regret that decision. As I have mentioned in the earlier post about her, she taught me that you have to be courageous, even when you know what is in store for you. She had the courage to face her unavoidable destiny, and she prepared herself and her family for that. Unlike so many others who lament about it and make it miserable for themselves and others. This absolutely does not mean I don’t admire those people. God only knows how I will behave if I come to know I am about to die (Shudders….)
The third goodbye, was agonizingly painful, it broke my heart when it happened. But I am living with it now. And it has made me stronger and it has turned out to be quite a good thing. I am talking here about my best friend and probably THE bestest friend in the whole world, Mona Chitnis going to STUPID GaTech to do her STUPID MS. (Sorry for the stupids…cudnt resist :P).

Mo (as I call her) and I became friends in college in the 2nd year. We came together in the unlikeliest of ways and became best friends before we could even realize it. I love this thing called fate, it makes u smile at its strangeness, even if that strangeness brings you sorrow. Amazing thing it is.
Mo and I are totally different. In quite possibly every way we think differently. And we have fierce arguments over many things. One thing that is common is that we both have short tempers. And we cannot go 2 weeks without fighting and swearing at each other, and swearing to our friends that we will never talk to each other EVER AGAIN, but coming back to our senses and talking as if nothing ever happened in a couple of days. It is just one of those friendships that has stood the test of time, and some bad arguments.
Saying goodbye to her was a nightmare. It was like having to part form one of the most important parts of my life. I distinctly remember the days leading up to her departure. We met up twice before she shipped off to distant lands. Both those times, we could both see just how sad we were to say goodbye. At the airport, I was studiously avoiding her because I knew it would have been too much to bear. So I just hugged her as she went in, we all stood out waiting for her to turn back once and give us a cute, sad little smile that I love, and go in. But alas, she knows how to make and anti-climax. She didn’t even look back once. IDIOT!!!!
As I sat in the auto to get back home, I think I cried for at least 20 straight minutes. It just hurt too damn much. Why? Well because that is what we are for each other. Rock solid pillars in times of need. A dose of some really idiotic jokes that can make us crack up when we are sad. A dairy milk when we are least expecting it. That is what we are. And I was going to miss that. Or so I thought.
What has her goodbye taught me? That not all goodbyes are final. Not all are bad. Some DO bring you closer. Some goodbyes do make you realize just how much that person meant to you. And they also make you understand that it was your destiny that brought you together with some people. It was NEVER in your hands to control your life anyways. Might as well enjoy the best of it and learn from the worst of it.
It has been 8 months now since she went away. And yes things have changed. We do not talk as often as we used to. I have seen her only once, through video chat. Both of us have gotten busy with our lives. And yet, a lot of things are the same. We still fight at least once a month. We still swear to not talk to each other and then make up in a few days. We still keep aside what we are doing when the other person is really down and needs cheering up, and we both manage to cheer each other up with the silliest of things (I LIKEY!!!!hehe….) Sure, I wish she wouldn’t have gone so far. But it was a choice she made which I respect. And now we are both living with it.
At the end, I just want to say that a goodbye doesn’t necessarily have to be bad. But it is also not always good. What matters, is the faith that you have in yourself and your relationship. You can ALWAYS salvage something from every valediction.
I want to end this with someone else’s words on similar lines.
Don't be dismayed at goodbyes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again. And meeting again, after moments or lifetime, is certain for those who are friends. ~Richard Bach

P.S. I know this was a lot more philosophical and longer than anything I have written before. But it felt good to write this. I hope you felt good to read it too.

The Blue Window

2010-03-01T17:07:00.001+05:30

My First real attempt at fiction...Hope you like it...

He had to remind himself to start breathing again. He felt his legs swaying and before they could give way, he had to steady himself on his old reading desk. He could not believe this was happening to him again. Correction, he did not want to believe this was happening to him again. It just could not be true. The Window was open again.
Fifteen years ago, for Akash, the world had been the cruelest place to live in. He had never been able to understand why he was put on this planet. Was it merely to survive a few years of torture form his parents? Only to outgrow his childhood and then survive a few years of alone, awkward, confusing adolescence? For a long time, he had resigned his life to the fate that awaited him.
When he was 23, he escaped from his childhood and his parents and settled in a suburb of Mumbai. He was working as a receptionist at a law firm. He had placed his reading desk below the solitary window in his one room apartment, which looked out to another building across the lane. The wall opposite his window had exactly one window. It was blue and worn out. And it had always remained closed since he moved in.
One day, he found it open. He wasn’t a peeper, but curiosity got the better of him and he pulled back his curtain to look. Standing inside the room, with her back to the window, was a girl. She was about 5’7” and had long, straight, jet black hair that reached her slender waist. She was busy unpacking a few boxes and arranging her things. Suddenly, she stiffened, and turned around to directly look into his eyes. She had sensed him watching her, and she had a perplexed look on her face. But he wasn’t looking at her face. He was looking into her eyes. Even from 6 feet away, he could clearly make out the dark blue of her eyes.
Suddenly, he thought as if the world had opened up for him. All he wanted to do was look into her eyes and not stop looking. He was holding his breath for a long time, and the dull ache in his lungs brought him back to reality and he took in a deep breath, almost a sigh. Only then did he notice that she was staring at him with the most inquisitive expression on her face. She had the hint of a smile on her lips, asking a question. He quickly lost his nerve and moved out of the window. He didn’t dare look out of the window all day. That night, his dreams were not sweaty nightmares; they were about blue skies, and oceans.
The next few days, she was all he could think about. And yet he never had the courage to go talk to her. He knew he was falling in love with her. He traveled with her every day to-fro work. He would steal quick glances at her but never when she was looking. He was happy to just look at her eyes, they still mesmerized him.
Just as miraculously as she had come into his life, she disappeared. He didn’t see her on the bus one day. When he got home, the window was shut. And for 2 days, it had remained closed. He asked around and found out she had moved out. She was getting married. He sat at his desk, staring into nothingness, mildly aware of the blue of the window in his vision. He started feeling the slow ache in his heart again. And then it hit him. The window had closed on him.
He had no way of searching for her. All he remembered of her was her sweet smile when she caught him looking at her, the dark, deep blue of her eyes, her hair falling around her face. He remembered the last time he had seen her on the bus, she seemed like she wanted to tell him something. He could make out that she was agitated. But she didn’t. Now he knew what she wanted to say. If only he had spoken to her.
Slowly, but amazingly he picked his life back up. He moved to another city and started another job. For years, he could not forget those eyes. But he learned to live with it.
Today, he had come back to his old apartment. Wishfully, he had looked out of the window. And there she was. Sitting at her desk and writing. She intuitively looked up and saw him. She looked different now, older and wiser. But her eyes were the same, deep blue. He looked into them and saw the smile in her eyes before he saw it on her lips.
The Blue Window had opened for him again.

P.S. Thanx to Annie for helping with the editing. :P..You are such a sweetheart!!!!

My Fond Memory!!!

2010-02-14T15:17:00.002+05:30

So Valentine's Day huh??
Feels like any other day, when you are single. Actually...that is what i WANT TO believe. But it really isn’t so. This is one day that you cannot help but get nostalgic on. And nostalgia hits me hardest on 14th February only because of the awesome V day I spent 3 years ago. When I was in a relationship with someone.
Let me give some background here first. I was dating this girl at that time, i.e. on V day 2007. Let us call her BB. For more information about BB, please refer here.
On the eve of V day 2007, my gf calls me up and tells me I am NOT meeting you tomorrow, reason? I do not believe in Valentine’s Day. And it wasn’t a “I don’t believe in one day to celebrate love” kind of disbelief. It was a I DON’T BELIEVE IN VALENTINE’S DAY kind of disbelief. So I got pissed, understandably, and did not wish her.
The next afternoon, she calls me up and starts giggling. Now I am thinking she might be drunk. Then her friends started shouting, she is coming to meet youuuuu.. And I am wondering why. Though she did turn up to meet me. Looking cute as hell. We sat in the Dadar CCD for like 2 hours holding hands and looking into each other’s eyes. After which she told me she loved me, I told her I loved her, and we parted. (Yeah…I know what you are thinking..no MASALA here..hehe:P)
Well, as it turned out, it was our last date. We broke up 15 days after that. Why? Well this is supposed to be happy post. So let’s not get into that detail as of now.
For me, it was the first and last Valentine’s day I have ever celebrated. And probably the most memorable I will ever celebrate. Reason? Well she made me feel special. She surprised me, she dressed up for me. I gave her a red rose which she preserved for a long time in a book. (don’t know if she still has it)
Every V day since then, I think about her. Because it reminds me of one of the happiest times I spent with her. And every V day I think of wishing her or calling her but never get down to it somehow. Today, she sent me a greeting. It reads “For the one who gave me the courage to love with all of my heart, to the person who is like no other. Happy Valentine’s Day! Love and luck. BB.” And this just brought back all the memories of those wonderful nine months.
Do not get me wrong. I do not have feelings for her. Often many of my friends ask me how you feel about her now. I always say I still love her. And they give me ghastly expressions at that. But I realized today that it is true. But, I don’t love her in a I-want-her-back-in-my-life way. I love her in a way that she reminds me of one of the most important phases of my life. It is that love that keeps me connected to that time. I feel if I don’t love her, I will lose the memories of what we did, of what we had. I feel that I am absolutely over her. But yes, she still will always remain my first love. Not anything I can do about that. But I can hold on to those memories. Because they still give me comfort sometimes when I am down. The sound of her laughter still makes me smile. Her stupid jokes still crack me up whenever I remember them.
I am sitting here and wondering why am I writing this today. Guess I needed to. Again, not because I miss her, just because it is Valentine’s Day. And I couldn’t help but remember one of the awesomest dates I had 3 years ago.
So here’s wishing all of you a Happy Valentine’s Day. I am lucky enough to have a fond memory of one of these. I hope all of you are lucky enough too.

P.S. BB, if you read this, THANKS!!! For the message and for the awesome times. All the best in life!!!Sincerely!!

The Great Indian Show Off!!!!

2009-12-14T01:25:00.000+05:30

I attended a wedding after a long time. Infact, after almost a year. And I tell you, attending a NORTH INDIAN wedding is just awesome. We have all heard/read/seen (Monsoon Wedding) all the fanfare associated with Punjabi weddings. North Indian weddings aren’t nearly as loud or aggressive or full of drunken brawls. But still, we do weddings in our unique style.
North Indian weddings are fun, only because I love watching the way people interact. I mean, I attended a wedding recently where I had never seen the bride before (who is my second cousin by the way), I had never seen more than half the people there. Why was I there? Well because the bride’s father is my Mama, and he invited us. So I went all the way to Delhi for the weekend to attend the wedding. Seems very weird to go all the way to Delhi for someone’s wedding whose name I didn’t know. But that is how our weddings are. You typically go to a wedding not because you know the bride/groom, but because you know their mom/dad.
I remember one day I went for 3 weddings, thankfully all in Mumbai, and I had absolutely no idea whose weddings they were. But yeah, one thing I LOVE about those weddings, the food. I mean, it is AWESOME the variety, taste, fanfare, decoration, it all makes attending a wedding worthwhile, non-acquaintance with the bride/groom notwithstanding. On the triple wedding day, I ended up having starters and appetizers at one, main course at the second and deserts at the third…hehe…ohh what a night!! And of course, if you DO NOT eat at the weddings..its kinda considered like a slap on the hosts’ face..Yes…we have ENORMOUS egos…
So, north Indian weddings are never a one day affair. They are more like 2-3-4 day plans. More like a weekend retreat than a one day picnic. And the last 2 wedding have both happened in resorts. So you go for the weekend, take at least 4 changes of clothes (because that is the number of different functions you have to attend, and you are EXPECTED to wear different and NICE clothes for all), and have a fun party, paid for by someone else. What more could you ask for? And the number of guests, number of items on the menu, amount of decoration etc is proportional to the amount of money the families are willing to spend.
Coming back to the wedding I attended last, so there I was, hanging out with a few people whom I did know, also because most of my first cousins did not turn up. At first it seemed like it was going to be another typical 2 days and a gazillion functions where I would get thoroughly bored because I hardly knew anyone. But it turned out to be a lot of fun in the end. Especially, because the bride and groom’s cousins and friends took a whale of an effort to put together a memorable 2 days for the couple.
It is quite a change these days in weddings from the weddings of the yesteryears (read my mom’s generation). In those days, according to my mom’s stories, weddings were more of a family affair, when all my mom’s cousins and siblings would come together to make it a big party and celebration. And of course, my mom’s family was HUGE!!! They had a huge house, all resources available, they were rich and she had about 20 brothers and sisters!! So it was always a family affair.
Now, things have changed. Now friends are more involved than relatives. At least in my family, hardly any cousins participate in the wedding. They just show up wearing a suit/saree and a glum expression, eat, eat, eat and go away after handing in the coveted and much anticipated ENVELOPE filled with cash measured out considering the closeness of the relatives, relative wealth of the giver and also, on occasions, the warmth between the 2 parties. Now friends are the ones who plan, execute, manage and make the most noise in a wedding.
In this particular wedding, the bride’s little sister turned out to be an aspiring director. She made a 30 minute video about the couple, with snippets from their lives, their friends’ opinions about them, their parents’ wishes and thoughts. It was all very moving and immaculately put together. Kudos to her for making it a memorable night for her sister and Jiju.
I always thought that weddings were supposed to be about two families coming together, and people who are close to them joining in to add to the celebration and the fanfare. But somehow, this was never the case in any of the weddings in my family. They have always been more about showing off your status, position, wealth and ego. It was a change, welcome one at that, to attend a wedding where people actually cared about things other than the paneer tikka or the number of desserts.
All in all, thoroughly enjoyed this wedding. But my opinion about our weddings isn’t going to change so soon. For me, they still remain the Great Indian Showoff!

Wake up SID!!!!!!

2009-10-03T01:56:00.003+05:30

NO. DO NOT GO TO WATCH IT!!!!!...OK i have written what i wanted to convey through this review withing the first line. Well now i know a lot of you people who dont trust me or are too logical are asking...WHY???so here goes...

Within the first 5 minutes, there was just one thought running through my mind..more like PRANCING through my mind...WHY was this movie made? What was the purpose of it? Well i know what you are thinking. It's just the start of the movie. Wait for it. I did. The answers never came. My friend summed it up. "Why would i be interested in Siddharth Mehra's life?"

Ok a lil bit about the movie first. It's the story of one Siddharth Mehra (He is the Sid in the title..i hope you guessed that by now.) He is a spoilt brat, rich dad's bigdaa hua beta types. Nothing new. He doesn't know what he wants in life. Except for spending his dad's money, going out with friends and being a total jerk (which he admits to at some point int he movie...YEAH RIGHT..like you din't see that coming)
Atleast he is not a casanova in the movie. yeah maybe that would have been TOOOO cliched.

So as I am sure EVERYONE has predicted the story by now, i won't go into it. He gets kicked out of home by his dad who wants him to learn to have responsibilities. He stays at aisha something's house (Konkona Sen...HORRIBLE acting...ABSOLUTELY). Aisha is from Kolkata, Ambitious, independent, aspiring writer. Complete opposite of wat Sid is.

I think, the director thought, just coz we have two opposites we will have a great movie. WELL WAKE UP AYAN MUKHERJEE!!!!! You also need a STORY. and ACTING. two things that are completely lacking in this one. I mean, for the story, i think i predicted the entire movie within the first 10 minutes. Maybe less. nothing original about it.

Let's come to the acting, or the lack of it. Frankly, i knew Ranbir Kapoor could not act. But what the hell happened to konkona? She has done movies like Mr. and Mrs. Iyer for god's sake. I remember one scene especially. When she discovers she has a rat crawling on her. She is supposed to shreik. But what comes out is a half hearted wail. and my friend's instantaneous reaction was...PATHETIC ACTING...

As for Ranbir. Well he tries. then he tries some more. Then he gives up. He just can not act. And i mean it. He has really tried hard to portray the transformation from a just turned adult who has never had responsibility to a mature and responsible guy. But he cannot do it. Reason? He cannot emote. Most of the times i believe the actors were too confused as to what emotions they are supposed to be showing. And i remember one particular scene in which Rahul Khanna(Special Appearance) is supposed to be sad/happy/surprised..and i think he is ALL of them at once. Which is ABSOLUTELY not possible. And then just when you think the expression will change, AHOA, the scene has ended!!!

There is one particular scene in the climax. The shot is of Ranbir sitting in a window. And suddenly his expression changes to someone who has just had an epiphany, then he suddenly starts crying. then he has wonder in his eyes. and then it starts raining. and all this happens over some 90 seconds. and at the end of the scene i had amazement and hopelessness and anger in my eyes.

The chemistry is just not there between the lead pair. They never look like they should be getting together in the end. All through out the movie somebody keeps calling someone else immature and childish. And then you kinda get fed up of it at some point. I kept waiting for the movie to gather some sort of steam. It did not. Even at the climax.

I will remember this movie only for the awesome music by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. really catchy and soulful numbers that you can hum along. Great work on the background score too and the lyrics. Loved Kya Karoon and Iktaara especially.

All in all, a bad experience. Very confusing movie that will leave you as confused. And you will never understand why exactly you came to watch it. You won't knwo when to laugh. And i realised there were a few jokes only because others in the theater were laughing.

Miss it people. Not worth the money.

P.S. I am never watching a FDFS again. DBH and WUS were both flops.

The Kindergarten Couple

2009-08-05T12:35:00.003+05:30

OK LONG LONG LONG time no post here...been a long and happy/sad month...got job..got salary...got tired and lost best friend to US..(more about her in the next post..coming up soon)...

This one post has been pending for sometime now...had decided not to write it..but then considering that both the concerned people are going to US and i am in generally a pretty senti mood these days coz of all the people leaving...decided to put it up and finish off the series of posts that i started...don't wanna leave it incomplete..so all the people who were hoping i WON'T write about them...rejoice...I WILL

Mansi Bhagwat and Maulik Mody(i hope u r the one with the y...) have been together for as long as i remember...since first year...and i CANNOT imagine a more perfect match...both physically (there is a reason why we call them the KG couple)and mentally (total kids there also...hehe)

Ok so lets first talk about them individually...

Mansi is CUTE...and i mean she looks FREAKISHLY CUTE!!!truly...at least i find her cute...and well she is rich also...so nice catch maulik..hehe...she is like really short...so short in fact that if i stand behind her i can actually rest my CHIN on the top of her head..and i will still have to bend my knees to get there..hehe...she looks really pretty somedays...though doesn't act so cute..

She has a very low voice..and when she has to talk loud..she really has to SHOUT...and it appears as if she is putting all her energy into just speaking a sentence..almost seems like a struggle...
One particular incident is really really fresh...after the ITA mid sem paper in 6th sem (i think) we were all debating outside that the paper was out of syllabus and all and someone must have told ma'm to put the stuff in paper...K2 instinctively pointed to mansi and said isne hee bola rahega...mansi just took her head up...mustered all her strength...and shouted on the top of her voice.."Maine nahin bola naa ma'm ko"...and STILL we could hardly hear her..lol...she is also an expert in the penguin walk...looks damn cute doing it...

mansi may seem all small and cute but she has one adult(erated) mind...two incidents to prove it

1st sem we r all sitting in ED room...and Divye is describing an incident where he went to the loo...a guy walked in..and even by the time divi finished what he had come to do and was washing his hands...that guy was still standing at the loo and doing something...and i shit u not...the following is wat mansi said:
"Arre toh uska chhota hoga naa..."

we were ALL shocked...i never expected her to say something like this..and she said it so matter-of-factly that we could hardly stop laughing...

second incident was told by Lalit..a few days ago

Mansi Maulik and Lalit were all standing in the quad...when mansi says.."yaar mujhe loo jaana hai..kya pakk raha hai...jaao..kholo..baitho..karo..utho..pehno..haath dho..." and lalit and maulik were only gaping at her for like 2 minutes...trust me...i could not believe my ears when L2 told me this...

Also...she is the proverbial GEEK...yepp...dats wat she is...she WORRIES about every small god forsaken test that happens...worse...she STUDIES for them...during end of semester...she would carry all her books to college, in her hand..as a result of which she would be bent on one side...that has become the proverbial mansi walk..bent towards left...bag hanging on the right...

She has a habit of CONSTANTLY playing with her hair..and i mean CONSTANTLY...she just CANNOT STOP...sometimes when both her hands are occupied we do it for her..hehe...she also HAS TO write all assignments as soon as they r given..which is a crime by engineering standards...that is why we had a joke...for mansi..the way she would be tortured in the movie SAW would be by tying her hands and placing an incomplete assignment in front of her...that would be like total torture for her..lol...

When maulik was hospitalized just before exams in some semester...she would call him everyday..not to ask how he was doing..but to tell him what all zeroxes she was getting for him and wat all assignments he had to write..

Mansi..inspite of her innocent and childish looks...is actually quite mature and smart...also very cunning..knows how to get her work done..and usually does...

Maulik...is a GUJJU.Period. He has all the qualities of a gujju...rich..big house..miser...and also...he lives in South Bombay...so he also has all qualities of a SOBO...fake attitude...vanity(lots of this)...just cannot stop talking about sex for some reason...

He is also a flirt...INCESSANTLY used to flirt with mansi and jas when they weren't going out....still flirts with jas even when he is going out...ass...and talks most of the time like a gujju...i mean..i don't have anything against gujjus...just that..maulik is a TOTAL gujju...he proved it by calling ritesh as..."AYE REEEETESSS" at our recent treat in noodle bar...hehe....

Aside form all this, this guy has something...i dunno wat you call it..but he is nice to be with...though most people who r NOT from SOBO are irritated by him..he is still fun sumtimes..good sense of humour..nice to talk with..and also short in height..forgot to mention that..

Both of these make a PERFECT couple...almost as if they just had to get together...been going strong since more than 3 and a half years now...so pretty compatible of course..also they are PERFECTLY kindergarten couple types(hehe..remember the kindergarten base 5 joke???)

Now both of them are off to US..ok right now Maulik is in a flight and mansi is packing to leave...Won't miss these guys as much..not been too close to them..honestly..but still they were a part of our group for 4 years now..so had to write this post...

To Mansi...hope you grow up..lol...and hope you find amazing things happening to you...and hope you are never too busy to not have time to play with your hair..and hope SOMEDAY you tie me a rakhi..hehe

To Maulik...hope you grow up too..hehe..and hope you take SOMEONE to a badi hotel someday...

To both of you..Bon Voyage!!!!take care and definitely stay in touch...would love to measure your kids' height and be a part of the guinness record for the shortest family..lol

Take Care guys...Love you both...

The THREE Musketeers

2009-06-21T19:33:00.004+05:30

The following post is about THREE different people....the three people that are going to be described are probably the most disparate bunch of individuals that were brought together by destiny...as faith would have it they were all born on the same day...in the same house...and faith dealt its final blow when all three were named after three of the highest principles of humankind..."Truth, Peace of Mind and Happiness", thus binding them together in a confluence of human principles that would go on to dazzle the world for a long time....

This post...is about...Sachhid...Anand...Uddhay...TEA-LE...

Ok after the uncharacteristically dramatic start...lemme clarify...this post is...in FACT..only about one person...with a very very long name...Sachhidanand Uddhav Tilay...of course we have split up the name to create one of the longest running jokes in our group...that he is in fact three people....every time people are counted...its always three for tilay...and of course 2 for me and pari both...hehe..

I remember sachhid from the first day of college..he was in fact the only person from my class whom i knew from before..we were in the same batch at Mahesh Tutorials in 12th and hence knew each other by face...i vividly recall where i had met him on the first day...we were both checking out the time table and saw each other and proceeded to class together...we both sat on the last, and very very filthy, bench right behind Divi...who was pretty irritating that day...i remember going to all my classes with him for first few days...though gradually, and thankfully, our group expanded and we met some not-so-nice people...still...i will always remember that first sigh of relief i had when i realized i knew someone in my class at least...

Tliay..or Tea-Le as we call him now(context a little later)...is an awesome guy...and i mean it when i say this...one of the co-founders of the Central Gang...he has been there all through the 4 years...and he has shown his sensibility and calmness on various occasions..

One of the good things about him is that he reserves his opinion on most subjects...or rather he doesn't have one...which is a very wise thing to do...he keeps his nose firmly out of all messy matters...and even if he butts in..it usually is a very sensible advice...and he is very level headed...never rushes into anything..

OK enough with the serious stuff..now let's get onto the fun stuff...i am sure K2 is waiting for this more than anyone else...

SO LETS BEGIN!!!!!TEA-LE Charade....

Ok this is a game we invented as a test for proving your membership to central gang...we give you a song...and you have to fit in his name somewhere in the lyrics...if you are successful...you are SO a member...well this game was actually invented because we realized that his name is so flexible that it can be incorporated into virtually any song...i mean it...here are a few of the most HILARIOUS samples:

Original: Rimjhim gire sawan...baras baras jaaaaaaye mann (pardon if the original lyrics aren't right...)

Our Version: Rimjhim Gire Sawan....teale sachhidanand....sachhid sachhid anand....

Original: Pehla Nasha...Pehla Khumaa...

Our Version: Pehla Nasha......Ae Tea-Le bekaraar...mere Tea-Le Bekaraar...TU HI BATA!!!

Original: Dil mein mere hai Dard-e-disco, Dard-e-disco...Dard-e-discoooo

Our Version: Dile mein mere hai Sachhidanand, sachhidanand, sachhidanand...Dil mein mere hai Sachhidanand, Sachhidanand Sachhidanand

before next sample you need to know that Sachhid has his lower lip jutting out a bit...so we have this typical sound for him...it goes somewhat similar to ....uuuuuhhhhh,,,its a STUPID STUPID joke...

Original: Nanhe Munhe bacchhe teri mutthi mein kya hai......

Our Version: Sachhid Anand Tilay tere uuuuuhhhh mein kya hai...

Original: Nanha Mumha Raahi hoon....Bolo mere Sang...Jai Hind Jai Hind...

Our Version: Nanha Munha raahi hoon....Bolo mere sang....uuuuuuuuhhhhuuuuu uuuuhhhhuuuu

Of Course there are many many more....just not able to remember them right now...But we have practically fit him into every song we could think of...K2 and I were pros at it...

One funny incident involving Tea-le was during one of our exams...he had the habit of writing formulas and getting...and one day K2 just tore it up during revision...of course tilay din't like that...so when K2 asked him a doubt during revision...Tea-Le replied in genuine anger...Jaa...Nahin Bataaega....Everyone just started laughing over his kiddishness...

Of course...we (the employed but not called) janta of our group plans to open a dhaba in Goa...and the name of the dhaba would be???You guessed it...TEA-LE...how very practical naa???It never ceases to amaze me the sheer number of uses we can put his name to...its like his NAME is multi talented...hehe...

He did an internship sometime during 3rd year which made him efficient in flash...and of course in Technovanza '08 his name was synonymous with the Kiosk....Was also the (CO)-event head for Aaranya..one of the most successful eevnts at Pratibimb' 07...of course Suktya was the other event head but as mentioned earlier...Suktya can't do anything...

Sachhid has been part of my group for 4 years now...and he has been the reason for a LOT of laughs...he has been privy to a lot of my thoughts at various times...stood by me in a difficult situation during 1st year...and also i am sure he would be one of the few people i will actually like to keep in touch with...

Well Dude...I would like to wish you all the very best....I am sure your name will live on long after you are gone...LOL...Take Care!!!Keep uuuuhhhing....and please keep the angle at 60 degrees...HAHA...

P.S. I have to thank LALU for the title and K2 for the Songs...

The Chronicles of AMMA!!!!

2009-06-18T01:45:00.003+05:30

Apologies for the long delay in posting...Net wasn't working and then i was just being lazy and not doing anything....well all said and done i am here now...so let us move on to another one of the legendary characters in my soap opera..

"SHE" is probably one of the most teased and picked at "GIRLS" in our group...and with good measure..."SHE" does some pretty stupid things...also "SHE" was the only "GIRL" in our group for a long time so we had a very easy target to pick on...

Ok before this continues let me please explain the " " around the SHE and the GIRL...well "SHE" (Last one...i promise..) isn't a "GIRL" (Hehe...Couldn't resist)...at least we never considered her one...and of course we weren't going to call her a boy right...so she (see...i resisted this time...) became "SPECIES"...Amma is referred to as SPECIES in our group...every time i would be 6 guys and species...never 1 girl...hehe

One more clarification is needed...u may ask how her name got to be AMMA...Frankly...NO ONE KNOWS...that is right..its a huge mystery...no one has any recollection of exactly how and why we started calling her that..but that's what we call her...and that's what will continue to be her name...sorry amma...i can't think of you with any other name frankly...

Actually that one is not totally true...because she does have a lot of other names...just like everyone else in our group does...Amma has been called SELFISH...and i mean....she has been hounded by that name by none other than Ketan Kolte (hereafter referred to as K2...described in a later post)...

K2 has this uncanny ability of associating everyone of Amma's actions with her being selfish...she did not give you a pen...yes...coz she is selfish...she doesn't want you to write an assignment...she is wearing 3/4ths..yeah...coz she is selfish...woh kapde bechne waalon ka sukh nahin dekh sakti..and countless such very silly and very infuriating (for amma) instances that keep coming up every single day...one of K2's patent dialogues was...haan...yeh toh kisika sukh nahin dekh sakti...selfish kaheen ki...hehe...

Amma has been an integral part of our group right since first year...amma and I had some pretty intense encounters at the start...she confided a lot in me in those times...short lived start to our friendship...but we got back after not talking to each other properly for a few months time...and have been good enough friends since then...

Amma is a total Gujju...SORRY...Kutchhi...she keeps reminding us of this fact again and again...as if we care...you all come from roughly the same part of india and have roughly the same annoying nasal voices anyways...right...one of the most memorable of amma's gujju-accent-dialogues is "Paachaaaaas log ne paaaachaaas paaachaaas rupayaaa toh diya hogaaaa"....i still remember the look on Lalit and my face when she said this...i mean ...we were actually SCARED that the sleeping Gujju in her was waking up...

All through 3rd year and a major part of 2nd year...our group consisted of Amma and the Central Gang (This SOCH deserves a proper post)...and Amma tried so hard to break into it...but alas...she stays in Dadar...neither Central nor Western...so she had to be content with her application being rejected again and again...and every attempt by amma at any joke of our level was seen as another ploy to get into Central Gang...and it was rapidly foiled...after all...Central Gang had to maintain its sanctity...Of course we will never forget the Nirop (Farewell) in the 3rd year where we admitted Sneha (a junior) within about half an hour of sitting with her...and Amma was left totally Red faced...poor girl...Sneha had achieved what Amma had been unsuccessfully trying to do for over a year then...Hehe

I remember one of the times when i was truly worried about her it was when she had kept Pajushan (I don't know if that is how it is spelled...Don't vandalize my house for getting the spelling wrong..)...It is a total fasting period for her lot...and she had NO FOOD for, what 7 days i think???do not remember...but at the end of the 7 days she looked properly sick..which prompted me to give her more gaalis as to the actual purpose of keeping it in the first place...her reaction was...aisehi...rakhna tha mereko ek baar...WOW...awesome...*rolls eyes*...

Of course during the Pajushan period she came to be known by a few more names...Moong Gud Paani...Dal Paani and others like that...coz that was the only thing she would have...and of course...we could bunk a few lectures coz we were "taking care" of her...and her beloved SUKETU SIR was more than eager to make sure she was alrite...

Recently she has become LIKE US...and i mean a LOT like us...what with all the unspeakable gaalis coming out of her mouth...and i mean the PROPER MUMBAIYA gaalis..of course it happened once and after having been instigated into it by who else but the great K2...

I think after so much of "negative" things, as she would call it, about her..let us examine a few good things about her...one thing i love about amma is she ALWAYS ALWAYS speaks her mind...she never beats around the bush...of course sometimes she doesn't know how to control her temper because of that..but still its an admirable quality in her...and she has ENORMOUS patience...i mean considering the amount of abuses we have hurled at her...she NEEDS all that patience...She also never throws all those girly tantrums...in a lot of respects she is like one of the guys (K2 might threaten to hurl me out of central gang for this of course)...But i dont think any other girl in her place would have been able to gel with a group of guys so well...Hats off to u amma for being such a Sport...seriously..

Amma rarely feels bad...and when she does she kind of storms away...of course none of us apologize to her...OK i know that is not true...i always always send her an sms saying i am sorry if i went overboard...that has kind of become a routine now naa??But for all her storming off...she always comes back to our group the next day...not like she has a choice..no one else will tolerate her anyways...hehe...

Thankfully in the 4th year she had some proper GIRLS to hang out with in our group...she has been considerably happier ever since...although rumors of an alleged "LINK UP" have been doing the rounds...AHEM AHEM...i will leave this to be speculated upon...LOL..

Now she is off to the US for doing her MS...our explanation for why she is going there is that if she doesn't, she will probably be married off in a few years time...and she plays along with this explanation...i wonder if its true...hmmmmmm

Well AMMA....I of course wish you nothing but the best...I hope and pray that you be able to shed off your selfish-species-3/4th tag at least at Gatech...and i hope that at least in your wedding we won't have to see people wearing netted black shirts under maroon coloured embroidered coats...i mean that would be just TOO MUCH amma...

ALL THE BEST AMMA!!!!!Best wishes and Lots of Love for your Future...

P.S. Her name, by the way, is Hiral Satish Modi...or Mody...ok i don't know which...chuck...like we care anyways....

P.P.S Please learn by heart all Dadar starting trains if you want to become a member of central gang...though chances are you will still not be allowed...hehe...

Main Thana Station Pe Hoon...

2009-05-31T18:00:00.004+05:30

So long time no post, was busy..went to Bangalore..did the most AWESOME advanced course ever...more about that in a later post..

For those of you who know our gang...you already know from the title who this post is going to be about...For others, the meaning of the above phrase will be explained in due course..

As ritesh is going to be one of the first people from our batch to move on to "Greater Things", i thought why not write this post about him, before he leaves and all...well we have already had a farewell party and all...and considering that us guys weren't really a part of the (gay) scrapbook...please consider this to be your farewell gift buddy..

So Ritesh Vaidya...the first time you see this guy, if he is wearing goggles and all, you are sure to think he is a foreigner, saala itna gora hai...aur upar se chubby bhi hai...poora firangi dikhta hai..style bhi kabhi kabhi waise hee maarta hai. And in Goa, some priest actually mistook him for a firangi...so we have proof to back the theory as well..right K2??

But as they say. Light travels faster than sound. So the moment he opens his mouth and all the choicest of hindi gaalis come out, you will come right back to earth and realize he is just another Mumbai teenager.

The first time i met him was i guess in 2nd year, he had just joined our class from another division, and in his own words..he din't know wat the f*** was going on...i mean..he was just lost. He was pretty much forced to hang out with our group as i think he knew one or two of us before hand. And i can't even imagine wat our group must have been for him, i mean it was irritating for ME sometimes, is bechaare ka kya hua hoga..But of course he din't really have a choice..so he gelled...and soon realised that there are at least SOME sensible people amongst the hooligans...

I remember him narrating one experience of the early days..when he was hanging out with us and we actually spent 2 hours at the main gate deciding where to go..normal routine for us but so completely new for him...finally he was rescued by some other people he knew from first year..poor guy...

From the 3 years that i have known him..i can tell you one thing...HE DOESN'T CARE!!!yepp..thats right..he just doesn't give a damn....iske aas paas jo ho raha hai hone do..he won't give a damn...he lives his life exactly the way he wants to...and no amount of opinions and advices can sway him...and most of the times he doesn't bother giving people advices or opinions either...he is the true proponent of the mantra "Live and Let Live"..

He is freakishly Lazy...and i mean freakishly Lazy...we call him Whizzy as tht is his yahoo id...so we have a song for him..based on Khwaja Mere Khwaja from Jodha Akbar...it goes..."Whizzy mera Whizzy...Hai bada Lazy..." sung by his mom of course...LOL...

He is almost always late...Just like me...i mean it happened so many times tht wenever you called him...and asked where r u..his response was almost always "Haan, Main thana station pe hoon"...so its a standing joke now...that in a movie based on our lives, Ritesh Vaidya will not be introduced on screen...his voice will keep saying throughout the movie..Main Thana Station Pe Hoon...ROFL...

Whizzy has had a lot of alteractions over the years...and almost all of them with girls...reason, he doesn't tolerate non sense...and i mean he DOES NOT tolerate it. I have never seen him take crap from anyone..He always gives it back...so in the course of this giving and taking...he has hit, abused, shouted on various girls..and i must say all for pretty valid reasons...He just cannot stand nonsense..as simple as that...

He has a typical style of saying "Paaaagal ho gaya hai...kya ******* hai kya..." he stresses so hard on the abuses its almost as if the gaalis were made for his mouth only..

I remember sometime in 4th year we were all actually scared about him, coz he used to show this total non chalance towards everything, we were scared kaheen yeh fail toh nahin hoga..his response to wat r u doing was almost always "who the f*** cares man", even one day before the exams..so it was a little unnerving...thankfully Deloitte happened..then SCMHRD happened..so at least he is going to do SOMETHING now...WHEW!!!

Now lets talk a lil about his interest in the fairer sex...for a long time i thought he had none..LOL...but soon stories of his sojourn with some people started filtering out...i still remember Jas's dialogue..."Maybe it is destiny that has brought you guys together into VJTI"...LOL...dude i still remember the expression on your face...as if you had eaten sour eggs or something...ROFL...

In his own words he let a very good opportunity go while in junior college...and man we rubbed the salt into the wounds...he still sometimes thinks about it i guess...do u dude???

As for the current scene, well lets just leave that...i mean i don't wanna spoil your chances by jinxing it by announcing it on a public domain man...LOL...i can almost feel the hatred on your face right now..HEHE...

This guy loves his booze and hookaah...total charsi hai saala...jab free time mile chalo daaru peene...chalo hookah maarne...kya pata kaunse janam ka gamm baha raha hai daaru peeke...I do not wan to disclose the exact details, but at one party he got pretty sloshed...and not-so-pretty dirty...quite easily one of the scariest things i have seen happen to a guy...Dude word of advice...Respect Your Drink...

Well that is about all that i remember about him. Its great that he is going for his MBA..to a school where he will be required to get up at 6:30 EVERY morning...man that would be fun...hehe...it would have been great to have been working with you at Deloitte man...but i still wish u all the best...hope you join Deloitte after 2 years..and hopefully not as MY manager..LOL...

Have a great life dude...and please don't be at Thane Station anymore...

The Laughter Precursor

2009-05-18T19:56:00.004+05:30

So continuing with the last post, this post is about a pretty integral part of our group. Before i begin...let me just say that i am NOT writing these posts to make me or any of my friends emotional (although i know that is something that is just not possible). I am writing this only to make a record of what my thoughts are about my friends. Maybe this is like for reference in future...or maybe after 15 years if i forget some things i will open this site and laugh again...

So this post is about Mr. Kushal Gurunath Sukthankar...yepp...that is his full name for people who do not know...

I remember meeting suktya (that is what we call him..more on his zillion or so names later) for the first time in college...he was this short, small faced, dishevelled haired, and hairy guy (BELIEVE me on this last part...there is a reason he always wears full sleeved shirts). And frankly, he is still the same, except maybe he has more hair now, has a pretty huge paunch and is getting woozier by the day.

Suktya is the eternal casanova (or so i thought..until he started failing in all his ENDEAVOURS)...he always tries SO FREAKING HARD to flirt....we (Pranay and I..more on him in another post) had this joke that suktya will flirt with anything that moves....and we mean ANYTHING...LOL..

The long list of his romantic ambitions are legendary..he still gets a lot of flak for all the times he has tried to patao some or the other gal....and its always so freaking hilarious to watch him land on his face...dont mind dude....this post is quite a honest opinion of what i have seen you do...please dont mind...

Suktya has this knack of saying things that are intended to hurt someone else or take someone else's case..but end up degrading his standard like anything...I mean get this...one of his most awesome quotes was..."Main khud kee nahin sunta toh tum log meri kyun sunteho..."...HOW can u be so freaking DUMB!!!!!

He also once said..."Main anyways bina soche kuchh bhi bol deta hoon"...and u can trust our group to remind him of his words again and again...

Suktya has this way of walking, he will bend backwards...throw his paunch out...his arms will be about 3-4 inches away from his body...and he will walk like he has muscles of Arnold Schwarzenegger..flailing his arms to and fro....just looking at him walk makes you wanna throw your head back and roar with laughter...or punch him in the face and repeat step 1...

Suktya's expressions are legendary...once he was walking behind me and Tea-Le (Save this for another post...)Suktya hit Tea-Le on the head...Tea-Le turned intending to hurl the choicest cuss words on Suktya...but just seeing the pathetic smile and kiddish expression on his face, we both burst out laughing....Suktya is a total kid...someone who behaves like a total jerk in a few situations...but he also has the uncanny ability to be understanding sometimes...and that is something i have expreienced a LOT of...especially through a very hard time of my life..

I remember all the awesome times we guys had as part of The Brotherhood (maybe a seperate post later...man i m lining them up...)..all the crazy nightouts at Suktya's place were the most memorable ones...i especially rememeber the one time Suktya Pranzy and I were up till 6 talking some serious shit....Suktya has this ability of keeping secrets too...and he hides them well...even his own...he is mostly a closed book actually...not a great thing i wud say but it works for him...

Now for the funniest part about suktya...well its his names...as i mentioned...we have a zillion or so names for him...and they keep coming up every week...i remember there was this time when we would come up with a name for suktya almost every other day...in first year Technovanza (our Annual Tech Fest) we named him...bouncer...coz of his black gogs and the way he would man the security gates...then we named him robo...i do not remember how this one came up though...guys please refresh my memory...then we named him Robo BP....please do not ask the full form...its not mentionable...we came up with this on the way to matunga station and i remember laughing all the way home about this...

We also created a fictitious superhero titled GHONCHU...played by suktya of course...he had for his accessories a pair of goggles, bluetooth headphones and he was dressed ONLY is black underwear made of cement...(this last part was K2's addition of course...)the entry was on the op of the Dome in the VJTI quad...it was one of the most hilarious jokes we ever made up...

Lets talk about his flirting abilities...well he has NONE...he thinks he does...but well...he DOESN'T (dude get the hint...) because of all the various crushes and link ups and trials...he has had various names... like A**** cha pikachu (ROFL...)..V***** cha pikachu....and other pretty hilarious ones....he was also called IT ki Gaddar Aulaad and Comps ki Najayaz Aulaad..both coz he used to hang out in the comps class more than the IT class in 2nd year...and everyone knows why...

The train incident with Suktya's neighbour is also a stuff of legends...i remember how uncomfortable he was talking to a girl in front of us...and we din't make it any easier by singing "Dost dost naa raha" when he got off at the station with her..LOL..

Suktya is also pretty phattu...i mean he just loses it at times...i remember two incidents..one was during the climb down from matheran...there was a tricky part and he was pretty scared...you could see on his face that somethings had shot up into his mouth....another one was when Karani Sir had questioned him about his attendance...he had repeatedly scratched his chin (where he used to keep a small beard...the style wannabe that he is) and said.."Sir...but i sat quite a few lectures Sir" LMAO....

There have been many talks about his sexuality too....the lack of it thereof...i mean some girl came up to him and said..."Kushal...You can't do anything"(although in a completely different reference)...but we still interpreted it as the lack of....well you get the point...Suktya has been called gay....people claim there has been substantial proof of it too...but i want to think those rumours are baseless...atleast i would like to say this on a public domain like the Internet

Ok i know Suktya might be steaming around the ears on this last para...but dude NO post about you is complete without a mention of this...and u know it...

Well now suktya is off to the US...and we have all begged him to change his mannerisms and hair style before going there...i mean dude...you are going to represnt VJTI man...have some sense of basic style atleast....

I will end this post by saying Thanx to him...for providing so many opportunities to rag him and take his case...for being such a dork that helped us to pick on you...for letting some of the most well kepped secrets to lie dormant...and for being a Precursor to so many Laughs...

When the Curtain Drops!!!!

2009-05-16T01:06:00.002+05:30

So this is it then....4 years....this is what we get at the end of the 4 years...a simple fullstop on the paper and that signifies the end of a rocking/reeling/pathetically-mind-blowing phase of our lives...

So simple isn't it, one full stop..one small little dot...and we will never be engineering students again (Subject to results of course..but lets just assume for now we have ALL passed....even if not with flying colours atleast with a little streak of our own). It's so easy to just sit there..stare at that dot...and imagine that your whole life is going to be another blur from now on, just another extension of that small black dot

When we all came into engineering, trust me, none of us had a clue as to what to do. None of us, even the super brainy CET toppers, had any idea of what these 4 years were going to do to us. I mean you just cannot fathom the unfathomable right?

And yet, here we are, 4 years later, looking at another phase of our life where NONE of us has any idea as to what is going to happen. All the cliches of "You never know where life is going to take you" and "Always expect the unexpected" are SOOOOO applicable right now.

I always thought life would be made up of these MILESTONE events you know...like we learned in Project Management(i am SOOO sorry for this one...just could not resist...LOL). Events that would signify the end of some important phase or the achievement of some goal. Well this is both...end of a phase...and the achievement of a goal. And every event has associated with it the Past and the Future.

I do not think i can, or even want to, predict the Future of this event. Whether we will grow apart or closer is for the future to know. I am not interested in it. What i am interested in, is the Past. A past that brought us so many memories, heartbreaks, laughs, friends, enemies(not for me though), embarassments and moments that will probably shape what we are and what we will be.

In the next few posts, i will try to analyse and bring forth some of the moments, circumstances and events that i remember and want to learn from. More focus is going to be ont the people though.

Of course its a pretty obvious thing to do. I am doing this not for emotional or nostalgic purposes, just as a tribute and a thank you to the people who made these 4 years worthwhile.

So look forward to the next few posts, even i am...coz i dont know what and who is going to come out. I hope to explore my psych as i pen these down.

To end, two lines that i will remember forever:

"Past is destiny, Future is freewill"
-Khurshed Batliwala

"I open at the Close"
-Harry Potter 7.

TAGGED

2009-02-22T18:26:00.002+05:30

OK i know this is not in the series of posts that i had planned to unleash upon the blogging world (or whatever these guys are calling themselves these days) but this is cool and someone special tagged me so i am continuing.

This is a new blogger game my friend introduced me to.

RULE 1: People who are tagged must write their answers to the tag and change any question they like.
RULE 2: Tag 3 people and they cannot refuse to do this tag. They must write who tagged them and cannot tag that person again. Continue the game. And I hope it will be sheer fun.

1. If your lover betrayed you, what would be your reaction?
It would be of utter disbelief. and if she is HOT i would forgive her and forget her as soon as possible. Infidelity is not for me.

2. If you have one dream which could come true, it would be?
FLYING A F-35!!!! that;s like the ULTIMATE dream!!!!!

3. Who is more blessed-loving someone or being loved by someone ?
Loving someone. I mean you have someone whom you can truly take care of. And there is nothing more satisfying than someone expressing gratitude for something that you have done.
Of course loving someone who doesn't necessarily love u can be hard. But get over it and count yourself lucky to have someone to love!!!

4. Can you fall in love with your best friend ?
TOTALLY!!!!It's a very thin line between being best friends and falling in love. And if you toe it...well it could turn out either way...

5. How long would you wait for someone you love?
Till that person realizes what a SHITHEAD she is being by not being with me....And once she realizes that she will probably come and beg me to take her...So yeah...all would be fine then...

6. If the person you like is secretly attached, what would you do?
Pretend like i don't know the secret and full on hit on her....I can't be blamed for what i don't know right?

7. If you could root for one social cause, what would it be?
Cleanliness!!!!I HATE DIRTY MUMBAI!!!!I WANNA SEE MY CITY CLEAN!!!!Get that you gutkha-chewing-paan-spitting-candy wrapper-throwing MORON!!!

8. What according to you is blogger in denial?
I do not know....I blog when i feel like...i don't care if people call me a "blogger" or not...

9. What’s your fear ?
That one day i will wake up and i will have no one to love...

10. What colour are your pants now?
Light Blue...wearing the best pair of 3/4ths i have..

11. What are you listening to now?
When You Say Nothing At All- Ronan Keating....the ONLY song that describes what i feel for 2 of the most important people in my life....

12. What takes you down fastest?
My best friend's sad face....there is no sight more heart breaking than that!!!!

13. Which one do you prefer - ice-cream or chocolate?
Ice Cream---with chocolate chips and chocolate sauce and grated chocolate on top!!!!!YUMMY!!!!!!!!!

14. What would you do with a billion dollars?
Buy some univ in india and make it swankier than any univ in US and make my Best Friend go there instead of US!!!!!

15. What was the last thing you ate?
Kal raat ka bacha hua Domino's Pizza and Garlic Bread...

16. How old are you today?
NOT OLD ENOUGH!!!!!!AND NOT YOUNG ENOUGH EITHER!!!!now go figure

17. How do you vent out your anger?
By taking exquisite pleasure in banging stuff here and there and screaming!

18. Favourite toy as a child?
MY HOT WHEELS!!!!!!!!!!i mean the small ones...used to LOVE zooming around with those cute cars making all sorts of vroom vroom noises....

18. Favourite season?
MONSOON!!!!this is one season hat just enhances the beauty of the nature...it comes forth in all its glory and mesmerizes you to your very soul....this is a season of amazing memories both as a child and as an adult....**stares away into space for about 5 mins**

19. When was the last time you cried?
A few mins ago when i realized that my friend might be off to the US in a few months time...ITS SCARY!!!!!!

20. Who is the friend you have had the longest?
Mansi....my net friend who became my best friend who is now not so much on talking terms but i know still loves me...phew...long relationship naa????

21. What did you do last night?
Had a superb nite out with some friends....we ate we chatted we played scrabble.....we talked on some pretty heavy topics...then we slept and got up and ate again...ohh also took my fastest ever bike ride...122 kmph baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!

22. Favorite day of the week?
EVERYDAY!!!!i dont pick favorites in days man...everyday has equal opportunity and significance....

23. Gold or Platinum??
Platinum!!!ANYDAY!!!!i love the feel of that metal....yeah i know...my wife is going to be one lucky girl!!!!*sniggers goofily**

24.Would you be single & rich or married & poor ?
i would be rich and single.....THAT would be FUN!!!!

25.What is the first thing you do when you wake up?
Open my eyes...why???what do you do???

26.If you fall in love with two people simultaneously, whom would you pick?
The one who has better hair....and more sense...i mean common sense...

27.Would you give all in a relationship ?
I always give all in EVERY relationship...don't know any other way of having them....

28.What’s eating you now ?
Stupid reminiscing of the old days...its so bugging....

29.Do you prefer being single or in a relationship?
Relationship....i love the fact that two people trust each other so much...and you learn so many things about yourself that you never really knew...

30. Your opinion of 3 bloggers who you are going to tag and the one who tagged you.
MONA tagged me....she is like the world to me...and more if possible....

I tag the following peeps:
Annie, Zai and Anand..

*************************************************************
P.S: anyone who likes these questions is welcome to answer them. do leave me a link, so ill check out ur answers. hava great day.

INDIA IS MY VALENTINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-02-20T17:24:00.003+05:30

OK. SO it’s been over 5 months since I posted. I won’t apologize as I don’t deserve to. Was being pure lazy all this time. Just could not convert the ideas in my head into meaningful posts. And when I could, I preferred not to. Call it writer’s block. But well I am back. And here to stay. Will update the blog at least twice a week. Mostly Fridays and Tuesdays.

So what to do we begin the reincarnation of my insights with? Well how about someone else’s insight that has caught my fancy and that I really think needs attention?

Bau (Khurshed Batliwala for all the non- AOL folks) put this idea into our heads when he last visited Mumbai. And what an idea ti was, not unlike all the other brilliant stuff he generally comes up with. Bau was taking a YES!+ in dadar and 14^th Feb happened to be one of the days in the course. Now you would be pretty socially challenged to not know WHAT the significance of THAT day is. On 13^th, in the course, Bau spoke about a special valentine that all of us should keep this year. And I am sure you guessed who me talking about. INDIA!!!!!!!!

I remember exactly what he told. This year, my country is my valentine. Let’s take care of Her like we would take care of a loved one. Give Her all the tender loving care that we shower on our loved ones on this day. And let’s do it all year long. Not just for the day. And trust me, more than anything else, it is our Country that needs us right now. And more than anyone else, it is WE who owe it to our country.

Now many of you will laugh and say it’s a total matter of sour grapes, stupid loser didn’t get a chick that is why compensating with calling India his valentine. But well that is SO not the case here. If you have a little bit of sense please realize that this is NEEDED now. It has come to a point where taking care of our country has become a necessity and not merely an obligation on our part. If you have any doubt about it, then go out of your house and roam around for half an hour. You are sure to find at least 10 people who are spoiling the locality and not more than 1 person who is doing something better for the society. THAT is the kind of sorry state we are in.

So this year, I and a lot of other quite smart people have decided to call India their valentine. Because we really believe we can make a difference. Because we really believe that if we do not start doing this, no one else will. And also because we still believe in the goodness of the people in our country.

Ohh….and in case you are wondering what is the point in just calling your country your valentine, wait for it….there are things that you can do without being called a martyr or freedom fighter. It will not take another freedom struggle and loss of lives to reclaim India to its former glory. All it will take is some alert citizens who have full knowledge of their responsibilities and powers. So what can YOU do to make our country better?....Well that is for the next post….

Do Comment…..Would love to read your views about this….

Is THIS the SPIRIT???

2008-09-18T00:36:00.003+05:30

12th March, 1993: 13 bomb explosions in a matter of hours rip through the city of Bombay. More than 250 people are killed are around 1400 injured.

1997-98: 3 blasts near Jama Masjid, Virar and Malad. Around 10 dead and same number injured.

2002-03: 2 blasts in Ghatkopar, Gateway Of India, Zaveri Bazaar, in a train near Mulund Station, Vile Parle, Bandra. Around 70 people killed and more than 350 injured.

11th July, 2006: 7 blasts in first class compartments of Suburban trains in a span of 20 minutes. 181 killed and 890 injured.

So that is a collective loss of more than 500 lives and more than 1200 injured.

WHY am i stating these facts??? Simply because I am sick of them. Simply because I am sick of living with the constant fear that I dont know whether I will come home everytime I leave my house. Simply because its probably one of the worst ways to die...and also because i believe its time WE did something about it.

You know, one of the worst things that we CAN do, is to put up a brave face and go to work the next day. I am so sick of the term "Spirit of Mumbai" being splashed around sub-grade and low standard news channels by reporters who dont care what happens to the people around them. After every blast that happens, you are so sure that this is going to be the headline of yet another article about how the rest of the 17 million mumbaikars got up the next day and went to work/school/hell...

WHAT is the matter with us??? Have we become so stone-hearted that the first thing we do after the bomb blast is to return to work??? Have we started portraying selfishness and cowardice as resilience??? DONT WE FEEL ANYTHING????

The so-called Great Thinkers of society argue on prime time debate shows that this is all we can do...what else should we do they say??? leave everything and sit at home??? isnt that what the terrorists want?? that we should give up our jobs and be afraid of them?? How can we let them WIN???

But i often wonder...does neglecting all that is happening around you and going to watch a movie in the same locality or travelling by the same train mean that you are actually DEFEATING the terrorists???If that was the case...shouldn't the blasts have stopped by now???I mean we have DEFEATED them a lot many times already haven't we???Surely they must have learnt their lessons by now...

I think the basic problem is that we have forgotten WHY we are human....You remember reading in your 7th standard Science textbook..."Man is a Social Animal"...If you did not know...the keyword there was SOCIAL...what makes humans HUMAN is their ability to live in a society...to care for each otehr...to SHARE each others emotions and feelings...

Yet all we care about is not losing a day's salary because of a blast that happened in some metropolitan 1500 kms. away from me...Why should i care about the 30 people who died in Delhi...I did not know any of them..Did i???

I think its time to stop PRETENDING that we care about what happens to the semblance of humanity that still exists around us...I think its time to actually do something about it..

What can be done???

Well...firstly stop creating a bias in your own mind...stop treating people differently...we are all made up of the same matter and you cannot take that fact away inspite of engraving divisions of Caste, Gender, Nationality on our superficial existence.

Secondly, be a part of the SOLUTION, not the problem. Use the diversity that exists amongst cultures to LEARN various things, not to demean others on the basis of what they practise or preach.

The most important thing...VOTE!!!be responsible for the people who Govern you and they will be responsible and answerable to you. After you vote take an active participation and show some interest in the things that happen around you. Become involved in a group..and if none exists..establish one that questions the local corporator of your area regularly. The last time i heard India was still a Democracy...why dont we USE it?

Question the media too...the role of media is to inform and educate..not to sensationalise the happenings and to point fingers.

And last but not the least..MEDITATE...I know a lot of you sceptics will frown at this and call me names..but MEDITATION is one of the most powerful ways to remove the negativity in the atmosphere. Just like the environment can affect you...Even you have the ability to affect the environment...If more and more people meditate the BAD of the world HAS TO reduce...Believe me people...WE have the ability in us to stop anything...its just a matter of realising that potential and utilising it...

If we really want to demolish the concept of the pseudo-spirit that we are holding on to...its time we showed the world what TRUE spirit means....

I am sure going to give it a shot...

Because I dont want to see anymore bloody bodies splashed around on the front page of the newspaper once a month...

Because I still believe in humanity...

P.S I got a lot of inspiraton for this one from Bawa's post about the same issue. Do read that also.

WALL-E

2008-09-09T00:17:00.003+05:30

Well first things first…VERY VERY sorry for the inexcusably long absence from the blog, I plead guilty…no…I plead nothing…I should not be forgiven for it..

It has not been a very busy time or I would have given tiredness as an excuse for not having blogged for almost two months (Oh Man!!!has it really been that long???)…I just did not have much to write..again…correction..I had a lot to write just was not in the frame of mind to write…and was being plain lazy…hehe…

Well so on my comeback..let us start with a review of a movie that came out this week and I saw it on Saturday itself…(I know it’s a rare feat for me…never see a movie so early..hehe)

WALL-E is set in futuristic Earth when all humans have deserted the planet and gone to stay in a Space Colony called AXIOM which is generally hanging around a few galaxies away :D

The movie narrates the story of a futuristic robot named WALL-E short for Waste Allocation Load Lifter-Earth class..

WALL-E is the last surviving Robot of a generation whose sole purpose in life is: To clean up the mess on Planet Earth…and BOY Is he good at his JOB…He goes about his mundane routine…collecting things left behind by humans that fascinate him..Indeed he has a HUGE collection of such things…(For HP fans…this has an uncanny resemblance to Mr.Weasley’s infatuation with all Muggle Stuff)

One day a New Age explorer pod called EVE lands on the Earth to assess the environment…and WALL-E’s life changes forever..because he is in LOVE!!!! (Yeah!!this is one animated robot film with LOTS of emotions)

EVE’s departure takes WALL-E on a journey far beyond the Universe he imagined…to AXIOM…hovering millions of miles away…what follows is one of the most dramatic and meaningful climax to a movie I have witnessed in QUITE some time…

Ohh before this review gets too long let me tell you I liked the movie…so there…that’s settled..

I have always been a sucker for animated movies by Pixar and Disney…Finding Nemo, Incredibles, Ratatouille…Simply because they DO NOT make these movies with a KIDDIE audience in mind…their movies always boast of a very mature storyline and detailed screenplay interspersed with some amazing voice overs, background scores…and of course heart warming moments of “HUMAN LIKE” emotions displayed effortlessly and endearingly by non-human characters.

And WALL-E is no different. The first 20 minutes or so of the movie really astound you…for its mostly a silent movie…there are very few dialogues…and as usual the FACIAL EXPRESSIONS of the protagonists are simply perfect. I guess even some of our trained actors should take a leaf out of the ROBOTS books…

You have all the usual action and adventure in this movie…but what stands out again is the unique way in which all the run-of-the mill mundane things can be put forward. Some of the moments of the film will truly leave you feeling warm in the heart..something most of the movies these days can hardly manage..

Also one more things that stands out is the Background score..I know I already mentioned it but its worth talking about again…The score not only enhances the audio-visual experience of the film, it also provides that subtle touch to the film that is the thin line between a movie working and not working.

All in all..this is definitely one movie you should NOT MISS at any cost…I assure you, you will come out of the theatre with a definite smile on your face….Even if you are not a fan of animated movies go watch it for the simply superb job the guys at Disney-Pixar have done…this one is a definite feather in their already crowded cap..

Well Done Guys…

The Wait is FINALLY OVER....

2008-07-12T00:49:00.003+05:30

hi..

So it was 2nd semester of engineering...i had joined classes for mechanics...(ohh EVERYONE DOES!!!!)...and i had just about started knowing the current group of friends that i am with in college...early days in what was to be (and still is) one of the craziest groups i have been a part of...

yeah coming back to the 2nd semester...so in classes we guys started talking and all...one day Lalit comes and says he is joining guitar classes...now he never seemed like the musically inclined you know...average guy...complete idiot....jokes around like he is auditioning for laughter challenge...din't really seem like he would learn guitar or anything...

well i started thinking what instrument would i learn if i ever thought about it...and instantly it came to me...VIOLIN....

and instantly it came to other people's mind...what a loser..hopeless romantic...sad idiot...blah blah blah....well din't care much for it...i KNEW i wanted to learn it...

well then began a 2 and a half year long battle...with whom u may ask??well i don't know that really...just never got down to learning it...everytime i decided to do it something happened..or my all too famous lazy personality got in the way...even went to a school in thane...learnt timings din't match...went to another one in vashi...and almost paid the fees but counter was cloed...and dint go again...i mean it just WASN'T HAPPENING...

in the meanwhile i became the BUTT of some not-so-subtle and sometimes oh-so-crass jokes by my aforementioned "FRIENDS"...never bothered me...but then noone likes bearign the brunt of those never ending leg pullign sessions, do they??

finally this summer vacation came and i decided...just HAVE TO join it...so din't think twice...went to thane and started with it....

TODAY...after more than 2 and a half years of wanting it...I HAVE MY VIOLIN!!!!!!!!!!YIPPEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!

and it looks COOOOOOOOLLLL!!!!!....i mean really CCCCCOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!

already in love with it man....and have promised myself to practise regularly...and WILL DO IT!!!!

enjoying the lessons so far...its a bit difficult...i mean the screeching noises just wont stop...hehe...hopefully it will get better...

Thanx LL....you were an unknown source of inspiration....who started it all...ROCK ON!!!!

P.S...if any of you has any tips on maintaining the violin or getting better at playing it do mail me...thanx in advance

Jaane Tu....

2008-07-08T00:01:00.002+05:30

Hi....

so everyone's been talking about the movie...and watching it...and writing about it...so y shouldn't I???

You know...our hindi movies have really gone bad...and i mean the story lines are boring...the acting is (sometimes) quite pathetic...there's no link between the characters...you have random "Special Appearances" just to increase the USP of an otherwise pretty boring product...and most of the times the music is a heady mixture of atleast 4-5 old tracks...a sort of reincarnation of those classics...just in a confused i-don't-know-how-i-got-here sort of reincarnation...

AND THEN...there are movies like Jaane Tu...ya Jaane na...

i mean guys....WELL DONE!!!!

Any youngster in India worth his/her salt will tell you that Dil Chahta Hai was the best movie about friendship like EVER!!!!

and i would do the same...i would also tell you that Jaane tu comes very close to it...

ok...i agree it doesn't have a different story like DCH had...in fact the story is pretty cliched...usual girl-boy best friends like FOREVER...everyone except them know they are in love...then they realise...and a happy chase down the airport later they are married...blah blah...

but what makes this movie different is the WAY the story is told on screen...not jsut the scenario...but also the light-hearted...bring-a-smile-on-your-face kinda way the story has been portrayed..

the acting is superb..not just from the lead pair of Genelia and Imran Khan...but also all the other suporting actors..each and every character is so indispensable...that take one out...and the story will fail to unravel...that really shows the vision of the director...

Naseeruddin Shah and Ratna Pathak Shah come together on the screen for the first time and create a perfect blend with their impeccable timing and mind-blowing acting skills....Sohail and Arbaaz Khan play perfect roles...so do the other Friends of the lead pair...each knowing their place in the script perfectly and fitting the bill to the L....

The side stories woven into the script blend seamlessly...and give an amazing understanding of WHY a character is so...not leaving you confused when you come out of the theatre...

What also makes the movie work is the great music courtesy A.R. Rahman..he again proves why he is the most sought after...the songs highlight and compliment the story rather than over-power it..

Also....this movie will be remembered for the innate sense of humour portrayed time and again by the dialogue writers...you are left in splits by some of the cracks (i laughed so hard on one that my friends had to shush me...hehe...if you have met me you know how LOUD i can be)

All in all..its a really really good movie...after DCH..one of the finest i have seen...and the only one that i want to watch AGAIN in the theatre...SO GO WATCH IT!!!!

It's Not About The Money....

2008-07-04T02:41:00.005+05:30

Sooo long haven't posted anything...promise to be regular and good here now...lot going on in the head that needs posting anyways...

what i am writing about today is probably one of the most serious issue threatening our country at the moment..i mean its right UP there with the kashmir issue and the surging inflation( which btw...is like TOTALLY our fault...if u know demand and supply u can figure that out)

consider this scenario...we have a 12 year old kid..our regular average-akshay( Joe for u americanised idiots..hehe) type guy...goes to school....understands lil bit..comes home...plays a lot...gets yelled on by his mom...gets filthy with his buddies (in the completely non-adult sense of tht word)

now he is like so many other kids right???well U think so...but not his PARENTS...they think he is a genius...who is an idiot if he says he likes playing cricket more than squaring or cubing 3 digit nos....

so wat do they do???parents i.e??? they get EXTRA TUITIONS for him...y????of course....y shud their kid be BEHIND....behind i ask???in what???is this a RAT RACE???

i mean if it's a RAT RACE...where the hell is the finish line guys????

so he grows up lurking behind books....his bag grows heavier as his brain gets more confounded...and of course he never gets to buy that really cool season-bat he wanted...y...of course..his dad is saving up isn't he???for tht all famous and much sought after admission to engineering or medical obviously...what did u think this kid was gonna be???sachin tendulkar???

so he reaches 10th...and he gets decent enf percentage in boards...our regular average-akshay isn't dumb u knw...now his parents get him into Science obviously...i mean who wants a loser kid who wants to take up arts???what is he gonna be???fashion designer...hah....that's a glorified tailor...that's what it is....so goes his father...and his mother blows his father's trumpet...obviously...

so he gets through 12th sumhow...with spending half d day in college or JEE classes or CET classes...then comes home and spends the rest of the day hearing from his parents how important it is to BE something...to do engineering/medical and BE something in life...

so he gets through CET...gets decent grades...then his dad spends lakhs to get him into a DECENT medical/engineering college....(remember his dad saved up...din't buy him that bat he wanted coz tht was just such a waste of time and money u knw..)

now this kid goes through medical/engineering all the time wondering y d hell is he even there...he always wanted to be a cricketer remember???but still that's what he is told will give him STATUS in society...he will have a Dr. before his name after all( i think even we engineers shud put Er. now..we toil almost as hard u knw..hehe)

so this kid gets a Dr. or a (imaginary) Er. before his name...dad happy...he gave his kid a STATUS after all...the public respects him now...mom happy...she will obviously follow her husband's dictat right???

but is the kid happy????well dats for u to find out....ask around....i bet there will be atleast one (if not many) person in ur friend circle who wanted to do something OFFBEAT (as it is called) but were forced into the ELITE (as they are called) professions...

i have a friend who wanted to be a fashion designer...still does...but she is doing Bachelor in Physiotherapy...y???coz her dad wanted to see a Dr. before her name...and of course...FD is a glorified tailor...(or so said one of her dad's well wishers..)...this post has been fuelled as much by my journey with her over the past 2 years and by my need to put forth a point i have been trying to make to so many people so many time...

it breaks my heart tht even after 2 years in nasik doing B.Pth she still sometimes calls me up and says she doesn't know y she is doing this...she just wants to run away from the place...she still hopes of being a FD someday...and God promise i will do everything to help her achieve that...even if it means fighting the world...and her family....just take the first step dear...i will walk with u the rest of the way..(hehe)..

u knw i said at the start that its perhaps the most serious issue facing us???y d dramatic inclusion in the list with the likes of kashmir??...coz u knw its a strange irony this system is so analogous to the caste system we had in ancient india..

i sumhow feel the engineers and Dr's are the brahmins of today...u knw...the ELITE in society...people look upto u if u r doing BE or B.Tech...and if u r doing MBBS..man ...u must be super brainy or super rich...and if u r into like sports (the average guys u knw) or into arts or hell anything else...u r d shudras u knw...d lowly class who just din't GET INTO engineering so they choose to do sumthing else...

i just don't get it guys...OPEN YOUR EYES!!! everytime the olympics happen...we wonder y india won just one medal...well that's coz U sent ur kid to Maths tuition while what he wanted to do was go play basketball...

y is it tht we push our kids to do what WE want them to do???coz we in turn were pushed into what our parents wanted us to do???man...what a legacy to carry on...all hail hereditary traits!!!!

i think living with a dream that u weren't given a chance to even pursue, let alone fulfill, is probably the hardest thing to digest...

i just hope we indians sumday wake up and realize that ANY profession is worthy enough to be pursued...

that it's the DREAM and ability of a person that should decide his profession...not his parent's' need for social security for their child...

that it's not about how much money you earn...it's about how happy you are WHILE you are earning it...

Who Let the Dogs Out!!!!!

2008-06-10T20:21:00.004+05:30

ok dis one was due on 29th may but as i did not have permission...cudnt post it then....well got the PERMISSION(yeah i EMPHASIZE on that word....) today so am posting it...dis one has been written in the 29th may timeline so go back to that reference to read dis...hehe

Hi guys..

well been long havent written anything....and as i said in my last post...today...29th may is a special day...and am writing this for a (not-so) special person....hehe...with ehr permission of course...

before u get baffled by the title...i want u to hold on to your monitors..the explanation will come...

well as i am not allowed to take her name lets just call her BB....again...i cant give u an explanation for this abbreviation...she alone knows...lets assume its obscene and move on...cool??

well so i met BB almost 2 years ago...before that chatted on fone for about 2 months...it was love at first sound for me...hehe...yeah i just coined that one...

for her apparently..it was love at first sight....she asked i said yes...i went through the usual first-time shocks and jitters but on 29th may 2 years ago...we were OFFICIALLY gf -bf...

at first..i dint know wat to do...but hell...just went with it and got along and all was rosey rosey...not all the time of course...we had our MOMENTS...good and bad ones...both equally unforgettable...

but this post is not an eulogy to our relationship so dammit lets cut out the sentimental crap...

this ones about BB....

now i cud be cliched and start with the usual wat attracted me to her...and i AM gonna be...

the first thing that attracts anyone to BB is....i dunno how to put it...lets say its HER...its just HER...the radiance that she is....though she hardy ever glows...but she has this magnetic property...she attracts AND repels people...most of them at the same time...

i told her this...what attracted ME the most to her was that she had both attitude and simplicity...and she dint have to portray them..she cud effortlessly be both....

BB has this way of talking...this way of throwing her head back and laughing when something stupid cracks her up...yeah she is a crackpot...complete..she went out with me...wat more proof do u need neways???

she is sum1 who can make u laugh in ANY situation...and i mean ANY situation....it breaks her heart to see her friends sad....and i m lucky i m STILL counted amongst them...

she dresses in the most simplest way...yet she can look absolutely ravishing in even a simple track pant and t shirt attire....and not surprisingly i still vividly remember what she wore to EACH AND EVERY one of our dates...hehe...yeah i know i am boasting of my memory skills...hehe...guess its just love huh??

i have seen her cry just 3 times in her life...and all 3 times it was my fault..i know...i still castigate myself for tht....

BB likes all d saddest jokes u have ever heard...the ones that make you curl your hair and send your eyes rolling back into your head...and i sadly had to bear one atleast everyday...courtesy some of her frnds who never kept her supply scarce...hehe

BB used to say "Hi Doggy" to every stray dog she saw on the street...wen asked about the same she explained it spreads goodwill amongst the dogs...as they pass on the HI to each other....surprisingly i found the explanation convincing...well what can i say...other than AGAIN...i was in love...and i STILL do it....guess that says something...

BB is famous for saying things that really make u cringe...it CAN be embarassing if in public...coz she shouts out the obscenities...and generally says stuff that makes u wanna club her in the head...but i dint feel that then...found it adorable actually...and it is...trust me...

oh and if u r still wondering about the title...remember that really crass and pathetic song that came out a few years ago which we ALL hated...well its her FAVOURITE....i must say i wasn't surprised wen she told me...though she dedicated sonu nigam's ab mujhe raat din to me once...again..one of the best moments of my life...

she used to hum this song whenever i put her on hold...unaware that i was quietly listening on the other end and smiling to myself and thanking God for bringing her to my life...

if i gave her a rupee for every time she made me laugh uncontrollably with one of her spontaneous and with one liners i guess i wud be bankrupt pretty soon....

She really is the sunshine in her friend's lives....inspite of the dark cloud cover of her dark circles...

more than anything..its that glint in her eye and that enthusiasm in her voice that attracts you to her....more than anything else..it was the love she gave me and then took away that makes me say....BB...without you....life wud have been......ok the same pretty much...what did u expect????HAHAHA

on a serious note....thanx BB...for teaching me a thing or two about living your life to the full...about being happy and idiotic and big mouthed....about forgiving your friends and about learning from your mistakes...

lastly...thanx...for teaching me a thing or two about loving someone...and believing in that love TILL THE VERY END!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

From

AAA....

Cycle, Danda, Ball aur BAARISH......

2008-06-09T16:44:00.005+05:30

HI ALL!!!!!

well its been a sabbatical of more than 15 days...comp's been down as i mentioned...and really din't have he time to go to the cafe or something and post...so finally got an opportunity to post today...

been an eventful fortnight this...results came out....got decent ones...not upto the mark but i am not one to sit and regret...rather i am one to learn and move on...and move on i did...:D

rest of the stuff has been pretty simple...get up at 5...go for ashtavakra...get bowled over by what guruji says and come home in a daze most of the times....have been grumbling a lot abt the indiscipline in the group...did nothing about it though...should have spoken to everyone but just accepted and kept my hole shut...dunno y...did stop grumbling also actually...dats a gud thing i guess??

had been planning on calling all college people over for lunch or something..been almost 2 years...so invited people over on saturday...as expected many dint turn up..which was a gud thing else i guess i wud have to seel my cycle to feed them all...hehe

amongst the people that DID turn up...mansi was the only girl...and poor soul came from so far away...guess my mom's pav bhaji is quite a lure even for tiny tots like here...haha

oh worth mentioning here is the sheer QUANTITY of pavs and bhajis that were GULPED...

i guess we kept a score coz last time it was a surprise to know KETAN of all people ate more than 10 pavs and countless servings of bhaji....

this time sadly...ketan cudnt repeat....lest surpass his previous ACHIEVEMENTS....and he was beaten hands down by none other than LALIT...him having started with the pav even before the bhaji was served...if there ever was an award for being impatient...it SHOULd go to this guy...the rest of the gang were minions in comparison to the everest of the culinary contest..of EATING...

well so after the lunch and usual banter we decided to play cards(ya BIG surprise there)...i have never seen my friends loosen up their pockets and pay up for anything as fast as they did for a deck of cards...amazing what people do when it comes to their pleasure..hehe

so after a very heavily cheated game of Judgement....mansi and maulik decided to leave..understandable...they had a 2 hour journey and frankly kindergarten kids shudnt be allowed outside the house after 7...hehe..

then we guys were tossing around various plans..let's go to palm beach galleria and hang out one said....let's play football on MY terrace said the other...alas no one said lets throw kushal and mukul from the terrace and watch them fly(or cry) to their own death...

in the end it was decided to go play cricket at the Multi-utility Airoli station parking lot...what followed was the best hour and a half of fun i have had..

also people were very keen to have a ride on my (now repaired) cycle...

we had a half broken but very solid piece of wood as a bat..and tennis BALL...and 11 totally crazy drunk-without-drinking guys...u picture the scene...oh did i mention TORRENTIAL RAIN???

OH YES!!!!torrential it was...when we started out with the teams and everything there was a slight drizzle...which by the mid of the first innings had turned into a potential downpour and by then end of the innings...WAS a downpour!!!

i dont think i have ever done something so crazy...CORRECTION..i have NEVER down something so crazy...

just HOW we managed to save our mobiles by keeping it in a polythene conjured up from mid air and safely into a dilapidated fire-hose box only we know...

i guess we really crossed limits of stupidity tht day...for apart form me almost everyone had a very long journey back home...in completely soaked clothes..and i mean COMPLETELY soaked(hope u get the underlying meaning...haha...sorry...sad pun :D)

but let it be known tat it was FUN...especially the shouting...and boy was there shouting....after almost every ball...the umpire was the cynosure of all eyes....and at the centre of all the shouting....

one of the most memorable aspects was the cheating...with the stump shortening...and the appeals for run outs...man it was some serious fun...also there was a lot of swearing...as expected from us testosterone-infused males...

we finally dispersed after a good 5 game....people headed home and i dried up and changed and started reflecting on how i never did all this in my childhood...had a pretty messy one actually...had just heard people talk about playing in the rains and all...

well for those of you like me who havent done this...DO IT...for those who have..DO IT AGAIN!!!!

cheers guys...

Anupam.

Tough Times!!!

2008-05-25T13:37:00.003+05:30

Hi all..
Well if any of you were wondering why i am being so conspicuous by my absence let me clarify its only because my comp is down...and HOW!!!!

my HDD is pretty screwed up...thats to say it isnt getting detected...and i have no idea Y d heck is it even happening..so i m pretty much stuck wid no PC for the past few days thats y havent been able to post as such...

Life's going pretty smooth otherwise...just realised how much i have come to depend on my PC...its become such a part of life...just short of addiction...but way above habit...its a wonder how one reacts when its time to break a habit...u go from despair to dejection to total despair again...before u realise its actually good...U DO have a life away from that habit too...u get time to do so many other things in the meanwhile...talk to your family...clear out your drawers (something i have been hounded for by my MOM hehe)

I did start attending Violin classes...finally!!!!after 2 and a half lazy years of wanting to do it and talking to all the teacher's atleast twice i finally took the plunge (figuratively!!) and joined...have had 2 classes...havent progressed beyond Sa Re Ga Ma as yet...and its pretty difficult...(ok i never thought it would be easy...so don't gimme that look OK!!!!)...

Hoping to buy my own Violin soon enough....waiting to start my part time paper correction job to earn up some money...

Bro will be back this week....has been gone for over 2 months now to turkey...will be great fun when he comes back...hehe

Also waiting for Mona to come back..she is my BESTEST FRIEND!!!!!!!!!!!!in the whole wide world...presently on a trip to singapore thailand malaysia and all that jazz...coming back on 26th i believe...

a pretty important day coming up...29th may...will think if i wanna post about it...with due permission of course...

also have a lot of topics roaming around in my mind..developing them in the abstract before i type them down...so wait up guys...

hope my stupid HDD gets un-stupid and starts working....i promise i will be back with a bang and a boom and a blah and a whoosh...ok enough....:D

so till my next post...So Long..

KEEP SMILING PEOPLE!!!!

HER "IK CUP CHAAI"

2008-05-15T20:06:00.003+05:30

Today's blog is gonna be a lot senti...so if u really don't wanna read it would be a good idea to stop here itself...but if u do wanna read its about one of the most important people in my life..

OK for the first time i don't really know how to start this one...have been sitting here watching the screen for like 5 minutes unable to even start writing..

OK here goes..

this post is about my cousin...my eldest maternal aunt's daughter...her name...and this one i m NOT kidding about is MEENU...yeah...we north indians have weird names for our kids...its a great way of torturing them for their entire life you know...

Now meenu didi was one hell of a person...and i mean ONE HELL OF A PERSON....you know there are these few people in your life who just seem like the MOST amazing human being alive...well add to that that i completely loved her and you would know what i am talking about..

She was someone who could make you laugh anytime of the day...EXTREMELY beautiful...she had this radiance about her you know...the kinda thing that puts you in reverence of people...i guess that radiance was just a reflection of the happiness she felt inside..

As a girl she used to get everything she wanted you know...i mean she had 2 brothers who could die or kill for her...but that doesnt mean she was a spoilt brat or anything...was one of the most down to earth people...caring loving selfless....i mean...she just had it all...

But its kinda funny...how when things start going wrong they kinda shatter away that perfect image of the family and just wrench your life out of your grasp...don't they...

Her dad got murdered right outside their house....her mom got pretty mad after it and kinda lost the will to live...she passed away a few years ago as well...

So wat was once one of the most happy families i have ever seen turned into quite the distraught bunch..all that was left was the two brothers and a sister...and their families..

Meenu didi had gotten married in 1993...she was damn happy in her marriage too...had 2 kids...a guy and a girl...

Well i know this is sounding like a hindi movie of sorts...but i long ago realized life is like this only....it has some major ups and downs and some pretty huge defining moments as well..

i think some 5 years ago didi was diagnosed with breast cancer...she came to mumbai and got it removed...went through the painful and kinda soul draining process of chemotherapy and all that jazz...

but unfortunately...die to some medical lapse or something...the cancer still spread to her lung...so she had to undergo another chemotherapy...again the same process where you know that the thing that is killing you is running through your very veins..,.and the worst part is you are voluntarily getting it injected there...

i remember i had written her a letter in between somewhere....saying didi i know u must be pretty sad and thinking about y did this happen to me...but the point is this has happened and you really can go only forward...all you can do is think of how to live with this...so please keep up your spirit...i dont want to see that flagging (yes...i can talk a lot older than my age sometimes)

the paradox in all this is...that it didn't work...after 2 or 3 painful chemotherapies and hair re growths later...the doctors gave up on her...she was too far gone to be helped....she HAD TO die...

well ok...i know everyone HAS TO die someday...but how would you feel if the doctor sitting across from you said sorry dear...you got a maximum of one year to live...i mean...i always imagine what i would do...how i would react if this happened to me...and it creeps me the hell out man...i just dont wanna know WHEN i am going to die....i dont think i would be able to live till then also if i knew....

well coming back...so she was given about a year to live...and it was made pretty clear that she wouldnt be able to make it beyond that...somehow i never had the courage to ask her what she was feeling...i mean how do u ask it..."hey didi..how does it feel to know you r gonna die???and what do u think is gonna happen to ur 8 year old kids"????

she once told my mom over the phone that i want to make it as easy for my family as possible...she used to arrange things in her house and leave notes on top of everything saying this is placed here...so that her family wudnt have trouble finding things after she is gone..i remember my heart getting wrenched into a million pieces when i heard this...but it just showed what exemplary courage she had...i mean..she was practically preparing for her own death...

i met her once when i had gone to mathura...in between her chemotherapies..the thing that i saw instantly was she had lost her radiance...that glow in her eyes was just not there anymore...it was the saddest part about everything...almost as if when the doctors were operating on her along with the tumours they removed from her soul that centre that brings out all the happiness...her eyes seemed so damn hollow...and full of sadness...

her brothers tried everything in desperation...somehow to squeeze out a few more years of life from her...till her kids would be old enough to take care of themselves...but are kids ever really old enough to be ok with losing their mothers???

last may starting we got a call saying she was in critical condition...i guess everyone knew the time had come..my mom and another maasi were going from here to meet her...and my mom wanted me to go...coz we were pretty close...but i made some excuse about not wanting to go and dint go..

the truth is..i was scared..i was scared i wont be able to see her go..i just dint have the courage to watch one of the people that i loved the most just deteriorating away....

on may 15th last year..she passed away...i got the news about 10 o'clock in morning...and i dint really believe it for a day or two..i mean..i just dint wanna accept it man...it was too much i guess...

when my mom came back a few days ago...she said that didi told her that she dint wanna die...she just wanted to live a few more years..

i still cant believe its been a year since she has gone...i mean...life really just moves on doesn't it..

this is for u didi....for the spirit that lived inside of you...for the spirit that left us all to grieve...

this is for YOU didi...and the happiness that you showered on us..before making us cry...

I hope you are happy didi...

from your "IK CUP CHAAI"

love.

P.S: i am really sorry if this was too long or too emotional...i just had to put this down...and as the name of the blog goes..its insights into my thoughts...so they have to be long...don't they...

NO SUBSTITUTE!!!!!

2008-05-14T19:44:00.005+05:30

Hi all,

2 days ago, got a message from the class group informing about this pre-placement seminar happening in Accenture today. Didn't really have much to do so decided to go for it. As expected no one from my group came. So wasnt looking forward to it so much...just had a hunch though...weird kinda thing...

Started off at 5:15 as usual...went to watch ashtavakara at mulund...left from there at 8 and got to Vikhroli by 8:45

Was a fairly good campus in vikhroli...pretty green and looked homely more than anything....as i entered i thought...i wudn't really mind working in a place like this..

They made us wait in the reception first then in the waiting room and then took us to the cafetaria, through an utterly confusing path of corridors, stairs and what seemed like a MILLION doors, where we were to have our seminar and stuff (with progressively deteriorating chairs actually...was quite funny)

The first session was pretty boring...this manager called Akhilesh Gupta was talking more about wat Accenture is than more about what we wanted to hear (which frankly...we really had no idea about either..hehe)

We also had a QnA session with one of the HR managers...that was a lil knowledgeable atleast...we asked her what generally is the recruitment process and stuff like that...and her answers were fairly obvious....

followed by a short short break for tea...in which i had about the most horrendous medu wada i have ever had in my ENTIRE life....

the second session was expected to be another bummer...and me and anisha were pretty much dreading it...but it turned out to be quite cool actually...this guy was pretty good...he was basically a technical manager of some sort and was explaining about what a project generally is what one is supposed to do in project management...lot of technical garble totally irrelevant here...

so y am i boring u with all these details and such a long long description???

well coz i found out the answer to one really important question that i was dwelling upon....

its like this..ever since i joined IT engineering i had this notion that i really wasn't cut out for it u know...the kinda feeling that tells you sorry boss...this ain't my cup of tea....

incidentally...we were talking to the Sr.Manager in Accenture who also happened to be an ex-VJTIan (thats my college) and an M.Tech from IITB, Mr. Milind Rumade (i think i got the name wrong there...sorry)

one of my friends asked him the same question...that sir i feel i m not going to be good at coding per se and would be better off in management.

he just said...how much of coding HAVE u done..to not like it...and it kinda hit me u know...that i have been NOT liking something that i havent even given a shot to...

he then said...what makes u think u will be good in the management sector...u haven't tried that as yet as well???what if u don't like that also....

and he also said that you be in any field..more than your expertise..what matters is the amount of hard work u put in...there is NO SUBSTITUTE for it...

its funny at some level i thought i always knew it...just hit me when he said it though...one of those things..

its also funny how such (apparently) BIG questions in life have such relatively small(and STUPID) answers...

so lets just say instead of cribbing about y d hell did i take IT....i am gonna give it a shot...and Pray God that i am good at it....

all in all...i must say was a good visit....patted myself on the back for deciding to go...Thanx a lot Sir....u might have just changed my life...hehe

P.S. its funny how sometimes when things dont pan out the way u want them to u get so sad...inspite of knowing never to expect anything...STRANGE

SORRY DEAR!!!

love
anupam.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GURUJI!!!!!!

2008-05-13T13:27:00.002+05:30

Jai Gurudev...

its one of those days...when u feel ecstatic for no reason.....you feel like you are on the top of the world...and you don't really remember getting there..well this would have been the case had i NOT known the reason...

for OF COURSE I DO!!!!!!

ITS HIS BIRTHDAY!!!!!!woohoo!!!!

Its one of those days when you look at yourself in the mirror and SMILE...and say...oh man...today is gonna be FUN!!!

happy birthday to you guruji....life would have been so damn stupid without you around to guide it...

i really dont know what gift to give Him...i guess SMILING is good enough????

SO SMILE I WILL!!!!!

Cheers All...

p.s...its a great day to ask for something you wish...generally comes true...hehe...just a lil secret for you guys...

WELCOME!!

2008-05-12T15:55:00.000+05:30

HI people Jai GuruDev

welcome to MY blog...as the title says...this blog is about things that i love..things that matter to me or things that just arise my curiosity. I used to blog quite sometime ago...but got caught up in a lot of things and it kinda took a back seat...

But..now i am BACK....and i want to thank BAWA for inspiring me...its really just his blog that gave me the much needed kick on the posterior to restart this...THANX BAAU!!!!!!

I should also thank KUSHAL...for suggesting the title of the blog...i know he meant it as a joke...but it got stuck with me..hehe...THANX DUDE!!!!

Through this portal i hope to communicate the things that i feel or want to write about...i hope i will be able to do justice to my hitherto unexplored passion for writing and be able to bring to words the other things that i am passionate about...

So i hope u guys will be there with me in this yet another journey..like u have been all throughout...

Cheers...TO LIFE!!!!

Love
Anupam.