..."It is not economical to go to bed early to save the candles if the result is twins."...

... there is no such thing as 'too much tagging'... so here is another one... its called "Guilty or Innocent" ... and the best part is that u don't go anywhere if plead guilty ... and since these tags are like "forward this email to 20 people and u will get lucky" ... i am doing my part...

... thanks GarryG for this... i am getting addicted...

RULE 1- You can only say Guilty or Innocent.
RULE 2- You are not allowed to explain anything unless someone messages you and asks!
RULE 3- Copy and paste this into your notes, delete my answers, type in your answers and tag to your friends to answer this.

Asked someone to marry you? Guilty
Ever kissed someone of the same sex? Innocent
Danced on a table in a bar? Innocent
Ever told a lie? Guilty
Had feelings for someone whom you can’t have back? Guilty
Kissed a picture? Guilty
Slept in until 5 PM? Innocent
Fallen asleep at work/school? Innocent
Held a snake? Guilty
Been suspended from school? Innocent
Worked at a fast food restaurant? Innocent
Stolen from a store? Innocent
Been fired from a job? Innocent
Done something you regret? Guilty
Laughed until something you were drinking came out your nose? Innocent
Caught a snowflake on your tongue? Innocent
Kissed in the rain? Innocent
Sat on a roof top? Guilty
Kissed someone you shouldn't? Guilty
Sang in the shower? Guilty
Been pushed into a pool with all your clothes on? Innocent
Shaved your head? Innocent
Had a boxing membership? Innocent
Made a boyfriend cry? Innocent
Been in a band? Innocent
Shot a gun? Innocent
Donated Blood? Innocent
Eaten alligator meat? Innocent
Eaten cheesecake? Innocent
Still love someone you shouldn’t? Guilty
Have/had a tattoo? Innocent
Liked someone, but will never tell who? Guilty
Been too honest? Guilty
Ruined a surprise? Innocent
Ate in a restaurant and got really bloated that you couldn’t walk afterward? Guilty
Erased someone in your friends list? Guilty
Dressed in a woman’s clothes (if you’re a guy) or man’s clothes (if you’re a girl)? Innocent
Joined a pageant? Innocent
Been told that you’re handsome or beautiful by someone who totally meant what they said? Guilty
Had communication with your ex? Innocent
Got totally drunk on the night before exam? Innocent
Got totally angry that you cried so hard? Innocent
----
the tagging part:
Chanz (poor girl is facing the 'Dharna of Dushts'! ... so cheer her up!)
Garry (she is keeping me from writing on 'serious' posts by tagging me, and i am not complaining!)
Varun (he will NEVER respond to such 'tags' and related 'silly' activities, but still!)
Rohan (Sid's fan may like his posts as well...)
Sudipto (... one of the best dressed man i know and have met in person...)

..."If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn't lead anywhere."...

... first of all... Happy Birthday Jagriti! ... may ur pains get washed away in the high tides of Sydney... the city of blinding lights...

... in another important developments ... my uncle's surgery went off successfully... and it is a huge relief... and i mean HUGE... and my family is still talking time to settle down in new place... and while all this was happening about sixteen hundred kilometers away ... in another world ... i was pondering over the mail from our APAC HR about internal job posting (IJP) for Learning & Development dept...

... it is not unusual in my present dept for people to seek transfer on different projects or aggregates... under different manager... and this is due to numerous reasons... seeking a change in HR is unheard... and that too "from engineering field?" ... "are u crazy?" ... i have heard that before... i mulled over it... i wanted to talk about this with family... and then gave a second thought... it is better to seek opinion from people who are "in this field and at good position to guide" ... besides with so much happening there i didn't want to add another topic to their list of concerns...

... so i called my usual choice for 'guidance'... she is a trail blazer... just this short in literal sense... and being into Leadership Hiring business, is always in a position to give some clarity and a different perspective... i remember calling her around same time last year... our restructuring was planned and i wanted to make a better decision... and although the restructuring never happened ... (psst: it is rumored to be just around the corner!) ... i felt great just talking to her... i always do... somehow she missed my call...

... so this time i called another 'guiding angel' ... she can work 48 hours non stop, take care of her kid and family and still manage to give the most energetic greeting u can imagine on a phone call at anytime of the day... it always make me smile the way she stretches my name AND the 'Hi' ... and i am a bit surprised how she managed to 'know' me ... after all these years... and with not that much interaction... now the thing is that she started from technical field and then switched into HR... is very successful... and so it was natural for me to pickup the phone and call... 30 mins later i was more or less convinced that i should apply (at least)... and that is what i did...

... that was yesterday... then today i first talked with one of the closest confidant who also happens to be a colleague... and i was looking for some harsh feedback... honest one... and i got loads of it... just when i was getting overwhelmed with his points and counter points ... we decided to part ways... and it was a very good talk... and then ... i picked up the phone and decided to call one person whom i thought of calling in the first place...

... three phone calls and 60 mins later... i am having serious doubts over my decision... i mean serious doubts... "what were we thinking?" ... the thought came to my mind ... just like 'Sandy' thought in the movie 'The Rebound' ... the only difference being that it wasn't 'we' it was 'I' ... and being a Piscean makes these matters worse... it is like living in the moments of trance... remember 'Vanilla Sky'? ... anyways... i think i already know what to do... it's just that i need some sleep...

..."One reason a dog can be such a comfort when you're feeling blue is that he doesn't try to find out why"...

... the 'process' is simple, i was told about the Tag-a-thon... and i had to ask about it 'coz i was tagged... i mean, not the ones those US army wears... i was tagged on a blog... not just ANY blog... it's GarryG's for Christ's sake! ... and Dino (may his soul rest in peace!) is the ambassador of this blog... and i was tagged in the post there... so i now have to pass the buck... err... tag!... before that... you, the unaware innocent casual reader of my blog will be inundated with seven random facts about me... (i have been told to be specific... i guess this will be deviating from my core competency of being vague!) ...

1) i am confused: about several matters related to social behavior or our civic sense... it's not that i am a 'single unable to mingle'(*) or geek or anything it's just that i, sometimes, don't understand the way people behave or don't behave in simple circumstances... i mean ... why can't we just 'walk over' to other person and greet them with the warmest smile or hug... and i can think of many other 'incidents' that keep me in that 'why are u asking so many questions?' and 'are u crazy?' category of people...

2) i am not good in self-appraisal: do i have to give details? ;-)

3) i am comfortable with 'emotional numbness': i have developed this as my personal survival mechanism... i remember a lot of people who were not very kind or nice to me (or my family) ... and instead of spending my energy countering them with equally damaging act... i have developed this 'emotional numbness' ... which means i do not feel angry or sad or miserable or revengeful when i hear about these people or see them or even meet them... i just feel nothing... absolutely nothing... i can engage in conversation with them for any length of time and it could be on any damn topic on earth... at the end i can stand and walk away with no feelings about what we talked about or that person...

4) i am not a big fan of promotion of population control: if one can afford it, let them make more babies for Magdalene's sake!!

5) i am not a cricket fan: and while this was not always the case... over the past one decade or so... somehow i have developed distaste for this game... i can't stand it... not even T20 (i know about the cheerleaders and all but still :p)

6) i am 100% against divorce: ... i am not married yet but still... i guess i will try to talk on this issue with my prospective life partner...

7) i can talk with any person with pukka eye contact, irrespective of what s/he is wearing (read this)

---
and now the tagging part; i have decided not to inform these poor bloggers, whom i follow that they have been tagged... i follow them because they keep things simple on their blog... and often encourage me to sit back and think about thought they wrote about... i leave it to my 'aktiv' set of readers to descend upon their blog(s) and leave comments as encouragement/feedback/kick-in-butt/critique ... and of course remind them (from my behalf) to post more often...

a) Rohit - his piece on "dekho process" is a benchmark in some strange way...
b) Surabhi - she often comes up with poetic lines that can trigger multitude of emotions...
c) Joe - his photography and articles are closest to reality, among few of those whose blog i follow AND whom i know in real life
d) Varun - accidental find via "Next Blog" link at the top of Blogger.com window; writes very motivational & aggressive stuff and then i found out that a friend of his is my colleague as well... talk about coincidences...
e) Amelia - one of the oldest blog i've been following, her article on "Blog Stalking" is one of my Favs
f) Janae - second oldest blog i used to follow... i can't recall why i stopped!
g) Smirithi - very very appealing blog... :)

Special Mention:
- GarryG
- Whistling Dolphin
- Chitz
- Pooh
- Chanz

..."We waste a lot of time running after people we could have caught by just standing still"...

... it is not easy to write something and then bask in the limelight and enjoy the applause the admiration the praise the adulation the smiles (and the awards!)... i mean... had that been the case i am sure i wud have become 'the most avidly read' person...alas! ... i took upon a task of writing a blog... the objective was not very clear in the beginning but there was an itch to start something i have not done before... to go in the uncharted waters... maybe just to be a part of the 'in-thing' ... somehow the objectives kept changing ... content changed... readers changed... and perhaps... i changed as well...

... my education exposed me to the pitfalls of the technology... media reminded me of the privacy concerns... friendly strangers awed me because of their 'openness' ... and over the time i realised "they judge me before they know me" ... i may not be doing somethings perfectly and maybe nothing perfectly... but how does that matter?...

... i recall at one time all that i wanted was to 'vent' the pain the happiness the anger the love the sadness the dreams and the fears that engulfed me... not at the same time of course... as and when they wud come to please me or haunt me... i wud 'write' them off... that was the plan... i guess... i do not know if i succeeded or failed in that particular objective ... i have, however, learned recently that i cannot lure friendly strangers to 'find out' things and events and incidents and people i feel passionate for... even if they are 'lying all littered around'...

..."we're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl"...

... in the midst of so many things happening and with 'extra' laziness of mine ... thanks to summer... i forgot that i was supposed to write my travelogue... now i am not sure how many people wud still be interested in reading it... but then... a promise made is a debt unpaid...

... how many times u woke up in the morning and realised that it was not ur alarm clock ... or neighbour's dog... or ur mobile phone ... or a bad dream ... or doorbell... or ur mom/dad/brother/sister/husband/wife/girlfriend/boyfriend/kaamwaali or any other person with whom u share ur living space with, asked you to getup? ... and not only that... u wake up and everything is quiet... u try to listen hard... and there is nothing... not even those arseholes trying to reverse their cars from parking with blaring musical tones... it's just soft sunshine and cool breeze of early morning... that is how i found myself on that fateful Saturday morning...


... my reservations were in place and i was supposed to catch the Shatabdi for a journey of mild two hundred kilometers... my previous experiences with train journeys are 'awesome' ... i have found that it makes more sense to travel by train if u have a companion/family with u... and i am not weighing the time vs money factor... it is about the quality time spend in the comfort/convenience ... depending upon the class of ur coach of course... maybe i have this soft corner for the railroads because some of my memories of 'distant lands' are courtesy of this mode of travel...

... but this morning was different... i dragged myself from the bed and moved to the living room... my dad and grandma were chatting ... mom was in the kitchen making some of the most exquisite wholesome delicious 'aaloo-pyaaz ke parathe'...

"kitne baje ki train hai?" my grandma asked

"shaam ki hai... lekin mein soch raha hoon ki aap bhi chalo mere saath... gaadi mein chalte hain... papa bhi"... i suggested to go by the car instead...

"ab to tumhe ticket cancel karaani padegi na?" ... she queried... i read the thoughts in her mind... she was interested... dad was simply smiling... i knew he wanted to go as well...

"abhi ho jaaegi cancel"... i rushed towards my desktop... and cancelled the e-tickets... "cancel kara di ticket... ab dono tayaar ho jaao..." i told them...

"cancel bhi ho gayi itni jaldi??" ... she is 'still' awed by the technology...

"lekin itni door baithe baithe..." she still couldn't decide... my dad decide to wash the car... he is very passionate about his Nano!... i was to join him... and i told mom to persuade grandma in the meanwhile...


... everything was set ... two bags ... three people... one pilot... one co-pilot ... one passenger ... no cabin-crew... and one car... oops! i mean ... Nano... my sister had left early in the morning and she had no clue about this plan... and i told mom not to tell her till she returns in evening... and there it was ... one hot summer afternoon in Dilli... and we were on a road trip ... my first ever 'long drive' operation... and everything u read/heard about the safety concerns of Nano were to be tested... and i was literally on a hot seat... thank God they have AC in place...

..."Just because someone doesn't love you in the way you want them to, doesn't mean that they don't love you with all they've got"...

... this April has brought some changes... i guess... and with so much to clean (mainly my room!) ... i think this minor 'absence' from blogging won't be missed...


... and i can't stop thinking about one person... and all others as well... am i hallucinating... again? ;-)

... also i awarded myself with this... for efficiently utilising the Sunday... :-)
i am not a big chocolate fan... but still... i am mortal...


artistic me:


and one final shot b4 this goes into oblivion...


psst... now i know why they were giving this free with the pizza i ordered... buggers!

..."april fool banaya to unko gussa aaya, isme mera kya kasoor..."...

... it was the devil inside me that made me call Pooh and Kapil... i told them that i am in BOM and will be at their office in next copla hours... while Kapil promptly gave the complete address ... i feel bad about Pooh! ...

... she advised me about the traffic conditions and then even sympathised about my situation (i told her that my boss left for his home and i have to kill some time, and if he decides to stay i have to return by myself to Poona) ... the story was believable especially from the guy who has never played any pranks...

... Sorry Pooh... :-) ... and well... yes... Sorry Kapil! ... ;-)

..."I could dance with you till the cows come home...On second thought, I'd rather dance with the cows when you came home."...

... our mind has an amazing ability to make us forget things... trivial stuff never occupies the ever expensive memory space inside our brain... maybe because we should spend time remembering good things that happened to us... good things done to us... good things done by us... good things said to us... things that made us feel special or better ... things that made us happy...

... i was travelling in a 'night flight' ... it was more of a late evening flight from PNQ to DEL ... and believe it or not ... i reached the airport 3 hours prior to the departure... lemme repeat... three hours prior to the departure... and i am talking about PNQ airport... it's the size of my School... and i am not kidding... i was starving at that time... around 3 pm... and this was in spite of lunch i took prior to leaving early from company...

... by the time i was boarding, there was no sign of sun... although it wasn't dark yet... and at the aircraft... fake smiles greeted the 'guests' ... the lights were dimmed and then... what i saw outside the window from my Airbus A320... literally took my breath away... the aircraft still gaining height... i could see the edge of the sun... setting on the 'horizon' and moon some distance above it... i turned back to glance over to my co-passenger and then to the 'hostess' and then gulped some more 'complimentary' water... and took some time to catch breath... and looked outside again... it was the same sight...

... i never understand the 'guest announcement' they make over the radio... be it by the cabin crew or by the 'captain' ... they are not being forced to say it so quick... i wudn't mind the interruption provided it can be clearly understood... and i hate the fake accent... we are all Injians damn it!... speak in simple english...

... and before our 'cuptaaan' cud inform us that we are about to land in navi dilli... i had my second 'sight of the day' ... millions of glittering lights... some arranged in a serpentine... some arranged with military precision... rest all moving like red and yellow ants moving up and down... in frenzy of collecting food... and suddenly the 'Earth Hour' made sense... it was no longer a gimmick from some fanatics trying to capitalise on the 'save environment' as their punch line... i cudn't see the stars... i wasn't even looking... the sight 'down under' was far more captivating... and i was hooked... even the cabin crew was pale in comparison... i was like a grownup kid... at a beach... ;-)

..."sapno se bhare naina to neend hai na chaina"...

..."What's the point?" he asked... and i shrugged my shoulders... and i felt bad... not because i couldn't convince him "why do people blog?" ... i felt bad because he missed the point after getting so excited about it in the first place... and then i pondered over it... why do people blog?... why do i blog?...

... i was very excited last week... i was "going to my native" as they say in this part of our country... although the worst way to ask that is "tum gaon jaa rahe ho?" ... i used to give "WTF?" expression when asked like that... now i am at peace... and i smile and nod in the peculiar way the locals do... it's like those 'dancing' dolls they used to sell at traffic lights some years ago... i told them "baba i am from dilli, it's not a 'Gaon'" ... but then they never bothered to correct themselves...

... "For Ten days!?!?!?" he (almost) fell from his seat... "Seven actually!" i said sheepishly... and then i realised he was trying to look at the calender at the far side of the Hall... "Shaadi karne jaa raha hai kya?" ... i was red! ... and i wasn't blushing... i was getting irritated... "theek hai!" ... and i walked out of the cabin...

... for the first time in my life i was flying in the nite... and to top it all... i had no idea if it was G'gn or D'li!!... and i had a Nano waiting to pick me up... arriving @ airport never felt so good! ;-)


...thanks GarryG for the 'motivation' ... keep reading for the 'travelogue'...

..."everyone needs someone to mix business with pleasure"...

... i think i have yet to regain that blogging groove... nothing much is happening in the blogs i follow... nothing much is happening in life rite now either... and whatever happened in the past week... well... i am still in daze... "wo saat din"...

..."Change is just around the corner"...

... a decade old association ... coming to an end... i will miss ya SahKhet! :-)

... " Toh Poona Mein Tata Gaadi Banata Hai??" ...

... driving Nano on Dilli Jaipur Highway was fun... and i am loving the Engine sound... it's so Race Car type... ;-)

... gurgaon needs some road signs... better roads... less dust and gravel... err... and i need an apartment ... mebbe some land...

... and i wud encourage the readers to go thru some of the old posts while i am trying to make some time out of my *busy* schedule to post here in detail... i am sure they will get some answers... :D

... "Look! It's Nano!"

... returned after 3 day trip to UMB ... in Tata Nano... and loved every bit of it... more updates to come soon... :)

..."You don't attract what you want, you attract what you are"...

... now this is quite easy... u have to identify the person sketched and the artist... sahi jawab dene waale ko milega meri taraf se likha hua article on the winner's choice of topic... and of course right to publish that article on his/her blog/magazine ... (*)





(*)Disclaimer:
1) the author of this blog does not claim to guarantee the fulfilment of the said promises.
2) the artist and the muse are NOT eligible to enter the contest.
3) there is NO time binding on the delivery of 'article'.
4) the implied sarcasm is not intended to 'hurt sentiments'.
5) the implied sarcasm is for amusement, perhaps.
6) [any other thing that i might have forget, i may accept or deny later]

..." I don't care if you don't like me...I wasn't put on this Earth to please You!"...

Sometimes, Sorry means
It's Not My Fault, It's Yours;
Accept It, It will make me feel Better.

Sometimes, Good Night means
Don't keep the phone yet, I want to talk more.

Sometimes, Take Care means
I am not well and need to be cared for.

Sometimes, Disconnecting a Phone call means
I am upset, but call me back...

Sometimes, Me Looking at You means
I love you more than anything in this world,
and I may never say this loud enough...

..."i'll be back"...

... i am too tied up with some stuff... shall be back with some 'matter-full' post... and in the meantime enjoy the pics of my B'Day gift... :-)

... "we have a black hawk down, we have a black hawk down"...

... it was not my day today... immediately after stepping out of my room i had a gut feeling that i shld wait for some more time... basically not to go to office *this* early... however the devil inside me told me that if it is early i can always take the longer way... i get to drive on the road and it is always fun to do that...

... i almost had my first accident when an auto rickshaw driver decided to take the sharp turn after giving me signal to pass... one very hard braking later i thought mebbe this was what i felt uneasy for... however the worst was yet to come...

... with my company's main gate 500 mts away on a straight road... my car's tubeless tire burst ... pulling the vehicle towards left and hitting the pavement... i checked the damage... a large chunk of the outer rubber wall was hanging with scratch marks on the wheel rim... a bit shocked after the incident... i sat there in the car for some time... then called the dealer and he gave me the number of the local service station... i was told that the tire will be replaced *only* if it is a manufacturing fault *and* if it is in warranty... my first reaction was WTF ... i bought this car 7 days ago... what do u mean "If this is under warranty"?... i was told that that the dispatch will assess the damage and tell me if this can be replaced in warranty ... and i will be charged cool 500 bucks for that...

... to avoid arguments later i thought it wud be better if i pay these fellows from the service station as they can assess the damage 'first hand' ... however the help arrived in the form of a mechanic and his driver... only to replace the spare wheel... they had no way to judge if this failed tire can be replaced in warranty...

... so there i was ... mildly shocked... 500 bucks lighter... sweating in the summer sun... on a highway... beside my company's wall... along with my company's flagship product in passenger cars ... with a bitter taste in my mouth...

UPDATE:: ... i have uploaded the photos of the damaged tire ...

..."U know y kids luv athletes? - Coz they s%#!w lingerie models? -No, That's y v luv athletes. Kids luv athletes coz they follow their dreams"...

... i watched 'Luck by Chance' (LBC) yesterday nite ... and i liked the movie... i am now an official fan of Farhan Akhtar... and u may find this surprising that i never heard of this movie till i read that Karthik Calling Karthik (KCK) is Farhan's 3rd movie... i remember that 'Rock On' was his first... one query later Google sent me to Wiki and voila! ... it mentioned LBC... and here is another interesting part... Farhan directed Dil Chata Hai (DCH) and Lakshya... both movies have special place in my heart... so in a way i was liking Farhan's work before i realised it... and thanks to the myriad of technology... i was enjoying the LBC @ my room till early in the morning...

... and thanks to technology ... rather our dependence on it... we find ourselves in some really interesting situations... take the recent example... our email servers are down from past three days... our entire India operations are now... well... 'severely affected' ... however... if u see the mood here in our office... not a single soul is complaining... there is no disruption of 'work' ... everything is going more or less smoothly... in fact the only hiccup i faced was that my presentation along with the support data remained in my 'outbox' on the first nite of the outage ... and next morning i realised that i missed 6 calls from my boss! ... and the presentation was needed for our review meeting in later in the day... i dashed with my sleepy eyes... and did some damage control...

...and damage control... is what i have been doing from past 50 weeks or so... ever since i was 'transferred' to this dept... its been quite an experience... i have more 'responsibilities' but no 'appreciation' ... and before i vent it all ... i should call it a day...

..."God acted like a Man yesterday"...

... it was hot and dusty... and i spent 40 freaking minutes in the sun to wash my car... with teasing neighbours... and guess what?... it rained in the evening... and thanks to our 'jungle parking' ... my car was covered with leaves! :'( ... and i see no clouds now! ... what the heck!...

... i need some explanation from God...

..." i like the way you move; i like to see you groove; uff teri nazar, it says i want to dance with you"...

...i guess i have cracked the reason why i have not been able to write on some 'serious' posts... i mean Fear, Spirituality, God (and Goddesses!), Budget, Computers, Relationships and blah blah... the reason is simple and it was not exactly a complicated AI algorithm to deduct... at some point of time we all get answers to the problems and issues we are facing or were facing for quite some time... we may have tried harder earlier to know why things are happening the way they are happening...and then something churns in those grey cells and a smile appears... u know why it happened ... u know why... or at least u think that you now know why...

... i was watching 'Up in the Air' yesterday nite... got the inspiration from a friend's FB status and the tirade of comments about George Clooney... it was very late in nite... i mean if u r starting a movie after 1am... after the entire day and partial nite in office... it weighs u down... and while i wud admit that George is one of the smartest bloke this planet has seen, i wud also like to admit that i was hooked by 'Alex' and i guessed her 'status' pretty soon in the movie.... am i that good or it was obvious for everyone? ...

... and i wud really like to write my views on God as a woman... just need to make some time for it... i guess She is deliberately keeping me busy so that i can't disclose this to the world! ;-) ...

... some one forwarded this to me::

We don't understand Women : Their "Whatever" "Anything" OR "You Decide"

1 . (Whatever)

Men: What should we have for dinner?
Women: Whatever..
Men: Why don't we have Mexican?
Women: No not Mexican, the last time I got pimples on my face
Men: All right, why don't we have Szechwan cuisine
Women: Yesterday we ate Szechwan, today too?
Men: Hmm..... I suggest we have seafood
Women: Seafood is not good, I got diarrhea
Men: Then what do you suggest?
Women : Whatever..

2. (Anything)

Men: So what should we do now?
Women: Anything
Men: How about watching a movie? It's been a long time
Women: Watching movie is no good, it's a waste of time
Men: How about we go for bowling, or some exercises?
Women: Exercise on such a hot day?
Men: Then find a cafe and have a drink
Women: I am off caffeine
Men: Then what do you suggest?
Women: Anything

3. (You decide)

Men: Then do we just go home?
Women: You decide
Men: Let's take the bus, I will accompany you
Women: The bus is dirty and crowded.
Men: OK; we will take a cab
Women: Not worth it... For such a short distance
Men: All right, then we can walk. We can enjoy the weather
Women: I am hungry, can't walk.
Men: Then what do you suggest?
Women: You decide
Men: Let's have dinner first?
Women: Whatever...
Men: What shall we eat?
Women: Anything..

... and if u r still wondering for the answer that i 'found' as to why i am not able to write upon serious topics... well... i am just being lazy...

... If things are not happening according to your wish you are very lucky because they are happening according to God's wish ...

... so it was Women's Day on March 08... which ended like... half an hour ago... the highlight for the day for me? my mom got her driving licence!... i teased her that it was a gift... being a women's day... and her reply: "Chup be! maine gaadi chalayi thi" ... it was a good chit chat... it always is...

... even though some experts may conclude that having meaningful conversations, and not idle chitchat, is more important to keep urself happy... in my humble opinion it is equally important to have these smaller chats many a times... in a day... talks that make you smile ... when you think about 'em ... talks that are not about why you should protect those 1411 tigers... or if you should buy those BT brinjals... but about how one sparrow would come and try to dig out the seeds that u just planted in the mud pot in ur balcony... and how ur grandma is trying to shoo that bird away...

... and i am pretty excited about something... a very innocent chit-chat... that was unplanned ... and though i feel is something that my sub-conscious mind always long for...

... Happy Women's Day to All ...

..."Just 1411 Left. Quick! Buy that fur coat your wife always wanted!" ...

... experienced my first 'car problem' on Sat evening... then watched late nite show of Karthik Calling Karthik... then unplanned nite stay@ AC's place ... now enjoying Sunday... woke up late in morning... had a tasty omlette and tea... and aaloo pyaaz ke parathe... yummy! ... thanks AC bhai!...

... hope to post some meaningful matter later... :)

>a friend's status message on Gtalk:
::If things are not happening according to your wish you are very lucky because they are happening according to God's wish ! :)

...Indica Vista - Changes Everything ...

... a photo is worth thousand words...

... so this post is now worth two thousand words? ...

..."There's people that good things happen to. And there's people that good things don't happen to. That's just the way it goes"...

... have you ever met a 'friendly' stranger who later became a good friend may be even an integral part of your life? ... someone who was travelling with you in a train journey... whom you met in the hospital when u visited along with a friend or relative... i am not being specific to a situation... during bus rides maybe (... and i have taken loads of bus rides...) ... i mean anyone met anywhere ...

... alright ... let me rephrase ... when was the last time you were 'friendly' to a stranger? ... that guy who was buying a mobile phone and you could hear him ask silly questions ... 'gee! what is he asking!' ... in that mall... when u saw this lady trying to figure out which one of her choices is right...

... remember your first time in school? ... your 'primary' classes?? ... and all those people with whom you spent years together... in that school... and perhaps even later... college together? ... then got job in same company?? (... a bit unlikely but still...) ...

... how is one thing different than other... i guess we become complacent once we start living with of 'near and dear' ones... we take comfort in this feeling that we have an 'established' network of F&Fs that we can always lean on... draw our energy from ... and once this mental stage is reached we start growing old... not only physically ... mentally ... spiritually ... psychologically...
... and then... this chill starts haunting us... 'what if?' ...

... why can't we 'intrude' with a polite 'excuse me' and give some nugget of our gyan to that stranger? ... and why can't we pull off that genuine smile which arise from the comfort of "thank god! a 'friend' helped me out on this one"... when intruded by that friendly stranger?...

... i guess i am just happy that SSC is now no longer 'on-site' ... and i am happy that i will be getting my Indica Vista tomorrow... and i need some sleep now ... and i guess i am missing my family...

... "Hey! ... How are you!" ...

... i shld have listened to my mind... my heart is taking me nowhere! ... more on this later... i am too tired rite now!

...they are saying it is good budget for taxpayers, how can it be a good budget if i am still a taxpayer? ...

...for some reasons i cannot imagine Mr. Pranab Mukherjee as our Finance Minister ... i do not know why... anything related to budget or economy or money the first image that comes to my mind is that of Manmohan Singh... and second image is of Mr. Palaniapann Chidambaram (nah! he is the same P. Chidambaram we all know!) ... i guess this 'reflex' has something to do with my upbringing in the time when these 'legendary' finance gurus were ruling the roost ...

... anyways... he has given some respite to taxpaying mortals and then someone told me that with my recent 10% hike i should have more money in my hand ... i guess i am glad that i am single ... so no girlfriend/wife to spend money upon i can spend that money on myself and ofcourse on some of my friends ... but wait... for some reasons it is not that exciting as i thought it would be... hmmm...

... and while watching the re-run of 'The Proposal' ... i couldn't resist the temptation for searching this song ... if you haven't watched the movie, you haven't missed anything however couple of songs are worth listening again and again one of them is this one ... so enjoy




... also the opening scene has this (another) melodious song... and u can find the karaoke version on Youtube or watch it here:



... however one song that was a pleasant & surprise find during the search for the Gabe Dixon band can be found here

... i am running as fast as i can ... back to your big, brown, bedroom eyes ... yes it's true... i'll use no disguise...

... money is a great sweetener and it won't make u diabetic either...

... these late nite blog posts mess up my concept of time... what i feel i did today was technically done yesterday and so on... so i guess if i am posting the events without the regular sleep they must be narrated as happened in the same day ... rest can be left to the reader's discretion ... coming to the 'events' ...

... loud shouting woke me up today morning... and now that i am wiser from the other important events that happened later in the day, i can ignore the rabble rousers of the morning... i was on phone when i was supposed to catch an auto or bus to office... and when i was done with the phone call i realised i was running with very little margin to reach office... however i did reached JIT ... while most of the shift was on 'Autopilot' ... it was a call from RPR (who also happens to be my landlord) at around 1715 hrs that delivered the breaking news... i was with ASD trying to make sense of CRUISE calculations... and when RPR told me that our appraisal letters are arriving in our Inboxes... i quickly did a remote login to access my inbox... and there it was... "APAC update"! ... :)

... as they say ... money is a great sweetener and it won't make u diabetic either ... a reasonably good 10% hike is wat i got... the fine print is that our salary increase was 'frozen' from past one year and these increments will be applicable from Jan 2010... but hey! ... whoz complaining... infact we celebrated at our newly opened cafeteria... and boy oh boy! i am feeling so happy! ... i wish i could be with my family... :)

... close encounters of the third kind...

... if you are looking for the movie by that name click here... this is more about the 'encounter' i had yesterday nite... for the start ... this week i am in the lazy shift or more popularly known as the B shift ... it starts when half of the Injia is done with the daily chores ... and a large population is lazying around after the mid-day siesta ... while for some its tea time and others it's time to keep an eye on the wall clock... although it is always fun to wake up late in the morning and then take awl the time in the world to read that newspaper and then re-read that daily forecast that tells u that it is going to be another fantabulous day... for most of the days these predictions neva come true but still... it makes u feel good... rite?..

... anyways... it was a routine B shift ... you come to office and you wait for the handover of the Workstation ... you have tea ... you take note of the things that you were supposed to finish yesterday but couldn't do... and then you realise it is time for the evening snacks and after the 'punjabi samosa' (that was on the menu yesterday!) and a strangely smelling cuppa tea later you are back on the hot seat for the day's work... err... night's work... now our mini review was going good yesterday... but i was about to forget all this at the end of the shift... why? ...

... 2330 hrs and u know it's time to head 'home' ... i usually glance over the far side of the road while coming out of the ERC gate to see if there is any late nite shared auto available... and on majority of days there are many... however yesterday was different... like on many occasions some call-center cab would pull over to pickup mortals like me, so when a white safari pulled over for that very reason i only had a hitch ... 'a Safari??' ... there were 6 people packed in plus the driver... my guess was the driver was a bit drunk ... and surprisingly i cudn't smell a thing! ... anyway... i was startled when upon asking him to stop at my place he kept on driving and after a good one kilometer stopped at this major bus stand and while we all paid and got down he asked me to 'get back in the car' ... i wud have walked all the back home however he said he wud drop me on 'return' ...

... without much choice i decided to sit in that Safari and to my surprise the driver returned the fare and dropped me back without much fuss... now i wudn't mind these kind of trips (esp when i am getting the 'free ride'; however i don't want the surprise element on a daily basis!)...

... the garden that you planted remains ...

if you haven't watched the movie Spread yet, just do it... and i am sure you will try to find this song... and also the lyrics... :


Good Morning Dear
I hope I didn't wake you too soon
Because my mind is growing tired
Too much thinking what I should do
I picture you out there
It must be beautiful this time of year
All those East Coast leaves
Floating round like embers from burning trees
Well the weather out here is just the same
But the garden that you planted remains.

Now it's only work
Each day bleeding into the next
Barely scraping by I tire myself out just so I can rest
But rest it rarely comes
And when it does I cannot go home
Because it's much too quiet
Seems that I'm not suited to being alone
And everyone around me's changed
But the garden that you planted remains.

I think about you
Maybe more than I should
But the smog is getting old
The drugs I'm taking aren't so good
So will you talk to me
Even though you've had a late night
Because I need a little help
Baby, tell me I'll be alright
Cause everything around me's changed
But the garden that you planted remains

"BLAMESTORMING. Sitting round in a group, discussing why a deadline was missed or a project failed, and who was responsible."

... i believe statistics has some mystical power, rather ability to project a picture which may have absolutely no resemblance to what may be the reality... so when this guy from the this dept i can't disclose showed me the result of the Gallop Survey of his group i immediately recognised why the change we all are expecting is not coming... surprisingly my group had a similar so called brainstorming session to discuss the fallout of the Gallop... the outcome was never disclosed... not even discussed...

... we are not giving the correct picture in the first place when we are answering the questions... second: we don't understand the the essence of questions in the format in which they were asked... third: we don't take these surveys seriously enough (which should explain the first reason) ... fourth: the results or the outcome is not shared with the team so we do not know weather anybody actually read these things (this explains third reason) ... fifth: by the time Top Management tells us that they realised that things needs improvement and then present the next 6 months' plan to do that ,we are either thrown another survey at our faces at or (usually) we just forget...

... the reason i am barbing about all this is because i attended the our company's Town Hall meeting yesterday... so now we have a 'mission statement' for ERC ... a pukka plan in terms of Customer Focus, Self Development, Finance and there was one more thing... i forgot! more importantly... the TTL employees will get salary increments... finally the Top guys realised that there IS anomaly in terms of the green paper they dole out on us... so i am feeling better and better ...

... as if this good news was not enough... i came to know that SSC is now a permanent employee of TML... YaM is joining a company that all North Indians working in Automobile sector would fight to work for... and if he joins in March... he becomes eligible for the salary revision in Apr... my Dad's and Nano are going along very good... he is on a driving spree in Dilli... my Mom is now driving as well! and my sis is taking Nano to her office! ... actually she drives to her office and mom drives the car back and dad is happy to give company... in short... things are going good! ...

... i am in dire need of wheels... and higher degree program... will get back on that soon... and I've been awake sine 3 in the morning and it's 4.20 ... must catch some sleep...

... when they said terrorism has come down, it meant millitants decended the mountains to enter our borders...

... since i am feeling like watching some movies and relaxing and not writing anymore... i shall use this as a cover...

..."Success in business, and in life, isn't about eliminating risks, it's about managing them"...

...

Something's in life never change,
Sometimes in life you don't find reasons,
Some moments in life aren't forgotten,
Sometimes you lose hope...
When time rolls by, you try to forget
What holds you on...
Some people in life are part of you,
And when you let them go,
You never lose them.
Because,
You find them living in you...

... spicy just called and asked me if i had breakfast! ... i smelled something fishy.... and he did some name dropping and asked me to come to office straight away... this bugger who has the brain of the size of a mosquito but surprising capability to play dirty politics ...

... anyway... i wokeup copla minutes ago ... have some real serious work to do at home... and have a personal life and just because he is not capable of doing his share of work, i should not bear the brunt! ...

...Main difference between photography as a passion and profession...is your bank deposit slips...

... finally the long awaited test drive was completed and i must say that i have spoiled myself by driving the monster Grande... why?... with Saffire's tillu engine and five 'healthy' adults she was out of it's breath with AC on... although i was trying to pull her on uphill on 3rd gear... still?? alright i am asking too much ... when shifted to 2nd she was fine and then merry in 3rd again...

... overall i am impressed with the vehicle and thanks to TeamBHP forums i can hope that Diesel is not going to be a good option for me... so this Thursday or Sunday mebbe... i shall proceed to the Dealer to book one of my biggest purchases in my life...

... and during my 'tweet chats' with Paavani few minutes ago... i was enlightened that she had slapped someone during our college days! ... those who know her can bet their stinking armpits that she can't do that... so i shall refer my sane side and shall sign off... hope to catchup with more exciting stuff... :)

... it is my parents' 29th wedding anniversary today ...

... 29th! ...

... i feel good and glad and nostalgic... flooded with memories ...

..."the world's most sensible person and the biggest idiot both stay within us. the worst part is, you can't even tell who is who."...

... i finished the entire novel "Two States" in one sitting on Sunday ... i am not bragging or anything... it's just that i was 'reading' this on my laptop... and i made sure that i finish this in one go... so i logged out of all my chat clients... closed all the browser windows and no music... the phone was put in silent mode and there i was... 322 pages of the pdf document and i made it successfully!

... so my comments??
1) it is entertaining
2) the entire punjabi culture is a bit over the top (perhaps i felt that way coz i am not a punjabi)
3) i am in love with the name 'Ananya'
4) it has revived my 'love' for the 'south indian' beauties! ;-)
5) 5 points to Chetan!

... i am thinking to gift this book to my mom (for no apparent reason)...

... and this sales rep was supposed to call after arranging the demo car and guess what? still awaiting for his confirmation of the test drive... i guess he is testing my patience... this is a bit excruciating... only a bit...

... dom sheldon is a cold man..

... and these buggers from MNS and other rabble rousers are real jerks!...

... visited Pandit Auto yesterday... told him that i am interested in Vista Saffire (LE) ... the sales guy was supposed to arrange a test drive today... and he forgot! ... no wonder we are at the bottom of the JD Power Review! ... we are not interested in the customer... we don't care if she wants our car... why not?... we don't explain them what they are getting!... what is the best thing about about our products... blah blah!!!

... i have so stupidly publicised my inclination towards buying a Vista that i am feeling some 'social pressure' over me! ... it's not that i am getting cold feet... it's just that the amount of paper work and logistics that is involved is just making me nervous! ...

..."There are two types of people in this world: good and bad. the good sleep better, but the bad seem to enjoy the waking hours much more"...

... watched the movie Spread yesterday... the concept was not that new... however the twist was good...

and this song from the album Everyday People (also by Nicole Muller ) ... used during the opening credits of Definitely, Maybe is real treat! ... the lyrics are down under:

Sometimes I'm right then I can be wrong
My own beliefs are in my songs
A butcher, a banker, a drummer and then
Makes no difference what group I'm in
I am everyday people

There is a blue one who can't accept
The green one for living with
a big one tryin' to be a skinny one
Different strokes for different folks
And so on and so on and scooby dooby dooby

Ooh sha sha
We gotta live together

I am no better and neither are you
We're all the same whatever we do
You love me you hate me
You know me and then
You can't figure out the bag I'm in
I am everyday people

There is a long man
That doesn't like the short man
For being such a rich one
That will not help the poor one
Different strokes for different folks
And so on and so on scooby dooby dooby

Ooh sha sha
We got to live together

There is a yellow one that won't
Accept the black one
That won't accept the red one
That won't accept the white one

Different strokes for different folks
And so on and so on and
Scooby dooby dooby
Ooh sha sha
I am everyday people

...“I love you, and because I love you, I would sooner have you hate me for telling you the truth than adore me for telling you lies”...

... i got this request today morning from an old friend to vote for her in a photography contest on Facebook... and since i have seen her work on various websites and given her fan following, i was obliged...

... one recent development about my parent company ... the 'salary freeze' status has been revoked and based upon certain criteria the company will be giving the 'increments' retrospective from Jan 2010... so kind of them.... however it was something else that caught the attention of several employees... the mention of "Early Separation Program"... the official statement was "As such, we are implementing an Early Separation Program (ESP) details of which will be made available by HR" ...

... and since this was hidden between the long email text with the subject "Salary Unfreeze" ... surrounded by the "Q3 results" and more stuff on "Clients" and etc... it was easy (rather convenient?) to overlook and most of the people did exactly that and jumped to the last paragraph of the email which stated that "allow salary increments based on individual performance levels to be promptly given with retroactive effect to 1 January 2010" ... now that is clever email... and i am still curious...

... followed by that was an email from my boss to fill in the Mid Term Review (MTR) ... and my "significant achievements" and "Areas of Strength" etc... bullocks!

... i watched the movie RockNRolla yesterday and really liked it ... esp the track "I am A Man" ...

... "if u r not a communist at 20 u don't hv a heart, if u r still one at 40, u don't hv a brain" ...

... i have some panache for the new things... and i guess i think more from my beating and throbbing and blood pumping integral body part than i do from infinite interconnected intriguing grey and white nerve cells ... why? ... coz i almost decided to buy an apartment copla days ago without looking into the actual property! ... my dad was obviously livid (okay! so i a am exaggerating to some extent!) ... but still, the fact remains that i almost took that decision without giving much cool minded thought...

... and to top it all i went to "Aerohead" with SRW and since i was pre-convinced and had good thoughts about the place ... i went to chat with the owner for good 20 mins or so... and i have yet join in... no wonder SRW is facing the questions during his workout... but then he has some inspiration there... so he is not complaining... and as for me? ...

... Pratham Automobiles lost its dealership so i will have to go visit the Pandit Auto... and even though i have 'Amber' status for the go ahead ... i am all excited to make the splash... pray for me! ...

:)

... 60 years of Indian Republic...

...celebrated with PizzaHut's American Pan Kadai Paneer Pizza along with Spicy Veg Pizza with Tea ... and as if this was not crazy idea enough... i have yet to finish today's resolution of finishing past one week's newspapers...

... m working on it... while Strings are playing on my lappy...

... i am tired ...

... i came *this* close to finalise the apartment today ... with my piscean energy ... and bang! ... we entered the bedroom and i thought someone hit the architect in his/her head while the design was on the drawing board!!! ...

... the impressive living room with an impressive terrace and kitchen were all waste in front of the bedroom... what a waste ...

... the best food joint in pune ...

... there are several ... however i had a wonderful experience in Poona... JM road to be precise... the best creme rolls i ever had... however i am way too tired to write the entire experience...

... Happy Birthday Ajay! ...

... i accomplished a lot today! ... u want to know the details??.. why?

... beauty lies in the eye of beholder ...

... Finding Nemo and 3 Idiots ...

... i know the title has nothing to do with the matter being written here... but then, i don't care... had my first nite out @ AC's awesome place somewhere in Oundh on sunday... luvved it! ... i hope to make some arrangements for travelling pretty fast...

... we had called in Lunch at our place and then decided to go for '3 idiots' movie @ E-Square ... got the ticket for late evening show... spent some quality time at nearby mall and then at a local book store... the movie was a great time spend and then with no way to reach my place in the middle of nite... i decided on AC's persistent call to spend the nite at his place and then leave for office from there...

... something i never did before and so i enjoyed a lot ... shall remember this for quite some time... and btw i might be joining a fitness center soon ... hope to keep up with my new year resolution...

... auto expo photos ...

..."I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination"...

... "just remember Atul, you are like a product; you have to sell yourself"... was the advice from my HRBP during our last one-to-one meeting... and i am glad i didn't blurt out what i had in my mind... i know that a one-to-one meeting is meant to act as a 'sounding board' for the employees... but then why overload one HRBP with all the itschy-bitchy things that are happening at an alarming rate? ...

... the famed 'restructuring' is still nowhere in sight however if the undercurrent enthusiasm is to be believed... then i must book my car and i must upgrade my wardrobe and i must start working out...

..."you know it's love when all you want is that person to be happy, even if u are not part of their happiness"...

... it's not very often that we reach certain milestones in our lives... and that makes these milestones special... i mean u need to wait for 25 years to celebrate that 'silver jubilee anniversary' ... 12 years to finish school... one year for your birthday party... and so when i noticed that this is going to be my 100th post on the blog... i started 'planning' to make this a special one... not 'run-of-the-mill' types... a post that should might reveal something... a trait of mine... maybe my opinion on certain very sensitive issue... or it could be how i felt all this time at this stage of my life... it had to be special...

... and so i thought that since i am travelling to my hometown along with a colleague and a good friend of mine... there will be enough 'events' and 'happenings' during the trip to make this 100th post different... and to my pleasant surprise the trip had certain firsts of my life...

... so for the first time...
1) i travelled from poona to mumbai...
2) i spent some time at the first class railway waiting room...(this is actually after a lawng time) 3) i possessed a camera during the train travel...
4) i clicked several photos during the journey (wasn't this obvious?)...
5) i travelled in my Nano as a co-passenger (later i drove it as well!)...
6) i was a 'host' for a walk with two charming colleagues @ CP...
7) i got my first underground parking experience
8) i ate doughnuts
9) i spotted rats in Rajdhani!
10) i had a wonderful conversation with two budding social activists
11) i travelled in mumbai taxi with two friendly infosyians (one of them happened to be charming other a smarty!)
12) i had wholesome maharashtrian lunch @ SRW's place (this one was awesome!)
...
and this is what happens when u are travelling to north india in winters::

..."all progress is based upon a universal innate desire on the part of every organism to live beyond it's income"...

... new year what?? ... i mean... i have been so busy planning for the trip to my home town that i forgot that i have a blog to write!!!

... and ofcourse the resolutions...

... more on all this later ... btw i bought a Nikon CoolPix P90 digital camera today... a month's salary in a flash! ... hmmm.... let's hope it is worth all that money... :)

..."AutoExpo in New Delhi opens from January 5th"...

... and we have yet to get a confirmation of our tickets... this is absolute stupidity... i strongly believe that when u have to travel u must get the things confirmed rather than dangle on the last moment of uncertainty... and i fail to understand why people give preference to money when there are better things in life to 'save' ... i wud rather have chosen air travel than this 'cheaper' mode of travel... now all 'we' are getting is 'worry' and 'anxiety' ...

... so on a lighter note (click on the image for larger version):

..."It’s not important that we reflect what we have; sometimes we reflect what we don’t have."...

... that is a thought that i got (rather i pickedup) from here... more on this later...

..."new year greetings"...

... i am still in the process of updating the list posted earlier...

... besides... i found the SAE HS-J788 in the ERC-LC ... it was older version, useful nonetheless ... and there it was the whisper of my HRBP that caught my attention ... for the one-to-one meeting... and this time i was much better in terms of what i wanted to convey to her... rather through her... 'To Whomsoever It May Concern' ... i do hope (again!) that things change for the better ...

..."new year resolutions"...

... i usually don't make them, still; for a change:
1) No more email forwards
2) New furniture
3) No more weight gain (this is better than "i will lose weight"!)
4) More phonecalls to 'family and friends'
5) Learn ProE (this time the basic module first!)
6) Buy a Car! (this has to be soon after we move to JKI-HNJ... and definitely before the monsoons!)
... ummm...

... "having dreams is what makes life tolerable"...

... last week was quite tiring! ... and now that this is year is coming to an end in a couple of days... i thought of doing what newspapers and magazines and publishers and people in general usually do... a wrap up of the year gone by... and some 'resolutions' and 'predictions' for the coming year...

... not today though... 'coz i need to think and rewind and recall and smile and go through the emotions and feelings all over again... i guess it wud be amazing... a once in a while experience... like it was today... as we visited this place to 'witness' a 'ceremony', if i must put it that way, precursor to the long journey called marriage... i was invited by SP for that occasion and i must hold my reflections...

..."Happy Birthday Paavani"...

... i came *this* close to writing yesterday and then i saw that email from Spicy! ... this F~#&in B#$%^D had the audacity to write a mail to tell me what should i do??? ... had it not been Rabbi's immediate meeting soon after the breakfast today to explain my new assignment, He wud have got a piece of my mind ... but hey! it was PTC's workshop today @ the Training Division Hostel and once i was there all i could care was to stay attentive...



... it was Paavani's Birthday today and it's Christmas tomorrow ... Ka wanted to go to some party tomorrow with office staff and since she's not been in good health ... the outcome was pretty obvious... so i called her and i guess it is all Merry Christmas!!

..."If a girl looks swell when she meets you, who gives a damn if she's late? Nobody."...

... past few days were very hectic... first i made this blog 'by invitation' only ... as i really wanted to vent out my anger on multitude of trivial things and then i got a call from AC that he needs to search for a rented apartment this Sunday ... as per his 'requirement' the apartment needs to be somewhere in between the two IT parks ... so we decided to meet @ E-Square and then we were to go to Oundh... i was carrying phone numbers of three agents ...



... we met, he ate, i dropped my million dollar customised gogs, we spent some time there and then were at the Croma... and about two hours of property search later we called off our day, awed by the most luxurious apartment... ate tummy full of snacks and we were back at our places...



... next day was going good as well... Rabbi not in office ... Robert not in office... Pitbull not in office... Spicy not in office... i was already feeling good about the 'steam ironed' shirt! ... and then i went with SP to meet his 'Builder' to make the down payment for his new apartment and later joined AC while we fixed the deal for the luxury apartment in Oundh...



... and then nothing unusual or extraordinary or remarkable .... damn! it's nite! :)

..."...One of the Happiest Days of My Life ... Our Lives..."...

...i am way too tired after long trip from Sharry's new flat to AC bhai's new rented place... and i must sleep now... :)

..."Aao Sochein Bada" ...

... that is the tag line of a well known bank... and i have one more reason to be happy and proud (?) to be associated with it! ... the reason being simple... while one of my college mate was already a manager in this bank, after his MBA from IBS Hyderabad ... it is the turn of another smart, intelligent, well spoken, strong headed, vivacious, chirpy, happy-go-lucky 'manager' from the Cannes of India... Congratulations and All the Best for the Future! ...

... and my personal opinion on a pseudo-hypothetical situation (courtesy: Ash from Sydney)::

"... if a wife discloses to her husband that her mom in-law often nags about various aspects of her personality including harsh comments upon her 'looks', the husband should comfort her by all means, he should reassure her that she is the most important person now in his life and that is all that matters... nothing less nothing more..."

... having said that, i must admit that I've been wronged many a times and i am all ears to those who would drop a comment or even a 'private' note...

..."who are you?"...

... that sounds a very rude way of asking anyone... but then it goes perfectly with the image of MaA... and then the icing on the cake was the next curt reply ... "Kindly refrain" ... every time i convince myself that people are not bad in general and they only tend to respond in rude 'bitchy' behavior depending on the person they are interacting with is based upon past experiences ... but hell no! ... some people are born to behave in cold bastard ways... mebbe they never received any compassion in their life or perhaps way too much...

..."You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else"...

... we all have to face some uncomfortable situations at some time or the other... situations that make u feel uncomfortable and awkward and mebbe confused and with your heart pumping more oxygenated RBCs into the vast corners of your body you realise that your largest organ is oozing with saline water... and then you 'see' blackouts ... and then your ears turn red and a 'warm' feeling encapsulates you... i must admit i love that rush in the body during that moment ... afterwards i feel miserable! ...

... so when i saw those blue kohled eyes and the company uniform and that smile i thought it wud be okay to ask the whereabouts of RokrV and while my hunch was correct... it was what i found at the Chirkut later that evening... and i had to go through the milder version of the aforesaid situation and so as an early new year resolution i have decided NOT to continue with my overzealous expenditure through emails and the other online media... and that is applicable with immediate effect...

...“Love me when I least deserve it, because that's when I really need it.”...

... after a long long time just when the public transport system was becoming better and better and people were falling in love with the 'modern' low floor buses in the capital city of this nation, guess what? the buses went up in flame! and that is literally... so what would Sheila do? nothing! actually it's Lovely's problem so what does he do?... simple! he fines the company who manufactures the buses...

... anyways... it could have been a regular day at the office had Rabbi been there... lekin wo to wahan thhey hi nahi! so wat wud Spicy do? ... he wud leave at the end of first shift... regular habit... and nobody was aware that Rabbi is on leave (or was he?) ... where was he? rumors has it that janab was attending the launch of Sumo Grande Mark-II... and jury is still out on this one!

... and the interesting about being in B shift is that you can see people doing things that they wouldn't dare to do in regular shifts ... like searching brides online! (sorry RP... couldn't hold the temptation!) ...

...“Long engagements give people the opportunity of finding out each other's character before marriage, which is never advisable”...

... honestly speaking i have no intention to point the 'title' of this post to anyone in particular ... however when (... now a friend and earlier only ... ) a colleague shared something similar with me over a Pizza joint and which was out of blue disclosure, i was mildly shocked and now ever so worried! ...

... why? well... the world is not what it appears to be... and i am not talking about the multiplexes coming up in the vicinity or the new flyovers or airports or similar materialistic objects ... i am talking about people becoming the agents of change of not-so-good kind ... lies deception honesty and above all lack of courage to 'come-out' with frank opinion ... we are resorting to the ever so easy cover... by telling lies about other humans ... so it was a coincidence that Janae penned out similar thoughts and my friend shared his pain and i stumbled across that quote and got reminded of someone who seems to matter less with every passing day...

... and my B shifts are starting from today! man! they suck! they really suck!! ... the only good thing is that i get a lot of time which if utilised properly can make me a better man! ... and i am not talking about the Raymond! :) ...

..."You do not become friends by chance, you become friends because you choose to be"...

... "You must check your priorities first!" ... the innocuous words were said in totally different context to me... and here i am mulling over the prospect of spending my hard earned money either on things that i want to enjoy and may serve real purpose OR spending on things that will serve real purpose and i may enjoy them as well...

and from a random find

..."...that is the nicest thing u have ever said to me..."...

...Hyundai i10 Magna Automatic rocks! ... so now i am in a confused state again! :'(

..."You don't have to know your destination. Make up the route as you go along..."...

:: You know I got this feeling that I just can't hide ::

I tried to tell you how I feel
I tried to tell you but I'm weak
Words don't come easily
When you get close I shiver
I watch you when you smile
I watch you when you cry
And I still don't understand
I can't find a way to tell you

I wish I was your lover
I wish that you were mine
Baby I've got this feeling
That I just can't hide

Don't try to run away
There's many things I wanna say
No matter how it ends
Just hold me when I tell you

I wish I was your lover
I wish that you were mine
Baby I got this feeling
That I just can't hide

All I need is a miracle
Oh baby all I need is you
All I need is to love you girl
Oh baby all I need is you
Baby you

I wish I was your lover
I wish that you were mine
Baby I got this feeling
That I just can't hide

Just wanna be your lover
Just wanna be the one
Let me be your lover
Let me be the one
Yeah

--------------
... that was a dedication to someone!

..."...every step you take, every move you make, i'll be watching you..."...

... the closest i have ever been... and it was so enthralling! ... i am excited... and of course i am vague ... why can't i be on my blog? :) ...

..."I speak two languages, Body and English"...

... the good news is that i was able to eliminate one of the choices ... diesel is out... for sure... as Shakira said "...it's not worth the drama..." ... so i am now focused on petrol... which brings the bad news ... not that bad actually... it's just that now i have more choices with the kind of the variants these days companies been pushing out ...


... also i was @ BAB's Vastu Shanti Pujan ... rather we went there late in the evening ... the residence is good... with reasonable price tag... and VJI bought a car from True Value ... a Suzuki Alto vxi 1.1 ... and he was generous enough to let me test drive the car ... which i enjoyed of course...

... and the news just trickled in... my dad escaped a potential accident today... and somehow i ended up talking with him in raised voice... it was my utter frustration upon my inability to help them at this juncture ... i feel so sorry ... and my client sucks in customer satisfaction... it surely does!

..."Let's Prioritise First"...

... i intend to finish two tasks this evening ... first> read the entire newspaper of today and yesterday and second >i want to finalise my car of the choice and by that i mean finish complete research and finalise the model...

...wish me luck! ... :)

..."it is not difficult to change... i keep doing that all the time.."...

... i thought a quick post won't hurt... i mean while i am waiting for my 'mess' dinner to come ... yep! i started it finally... Gopal went to his 'native' and neva returned!... Gopal's loss is Prashant's gain... and the big surprise for tonite? my laundry was NOT done! :'( ... so while i am starving and finished half of my newspaper ... not even started my fav mag... ze HBR ... and yet to open the sealed pack Aerospace testing... i am thinking when will my dinner arrive? and who is going to do the laundry!!!! argh! grrr... i am so... ummm... hungry? duh!

..."i am an indian - Noble Savages"...

... i guess i have been dwelling upon this idea from quite some time... that is instead of blogging daily i can make these posts less frequent and perhaps weekly... so as to improve the quality by writing on matters of importance ... i mean ... who would be interested in reading my daily rumblings... on daily basis?...

...now every one is not Rocking-Varun or Whistling-Dolphin or good enough with stalking or Enigma... who would visit this site once in 3 weeks and then go thru the entire blog ... and wud then comeup with a thoughtful comment... and then wud even go to the extent of ... well... it's sunday today and the newspapers are full of the news and views of the anniversary of babri masjid demolition... and i am bored of the news ... also the climate change and its related updates are not exciting either...

... i mean ... what is that one thing that i would love to do and brag about and feel good and look good and get loads of adulation all at the same time??? hmmm.... lemme guess.... should i become a politician? ... nah! i don't like that Kurta pajama style... i mean not that much... mebbe i should start my web TV channel on Youtube... that wud be nice! ... but that means i get to remain indoors at my studio most of the time... which is not something i like in particular...

... if u can guess where i am going ... then probably you are correct... and if you are the curious type ... leave a comment! ... :)

..."i need some time"...

... i honestly want to revert to the time i came in poona... and that was close to two years ago...the reason being i was 'young' and excited and willing to learn and explore and i was with the fire in the belly... and now with two years of 'mess' food and a boring social life with horrendously stupid colleagues... i am more like someone with acidity... serious note apart...

i am also considering to trim down my regularity of the posts... reason? i must give time to TOI ... after all i cannot just increase the 'raddi' at my place... besides with so much to read in the printed material i am losing the race both in 'intellectual' terms and 'creativity' ... so ciao amigos!

... at least for today...

..."You mean, all this time we could've been friends?"...

... the tune of Vande matram (revival) was not that gentle on my ears as i thought it wud be in the morning when my lappy will use it as an alarm! ... so there i was... wide eyed... rubbing them... in shock... and it took me some time to realise that it's the bugger (oops! sorry Sam!) alarm on my lappy! ... hitting the snooze and trying to calm my nerves i pulled the blanket and thought of catching 40 winks of mine...

... lekin na re baba na... two days into 'G' and my bodyclock resets itself... so i did what is to be done in the morning... however it was my morning newspaper on the stairs that made me somewhat happy... why? because i asked the vendor to start the regular supplies... and he did... diligently! ...

...it's december... and mornings here in Poona are getting colder... however for someone who spent more than two decades in 'North India' ... they are still... well... how should i put it... ummm... cold? ... and i love it! absolutely love it... the warmth of the sunshine on my face while waiting for my morning transport... on thursdays it feels even more heavenly... being a 'weekly off' in this part of the state... less traffic ... no rush... no nothing...

... the weekly meeting on our new regulatory project was 'cancelled' by Rabbi... reason? ... nothing much to discuss... bugger! (sorry again Sam!) ... but hey! atleast i get to attend the 'CWR' meeting AND i get to drive the Grande...and that too in the rush hour ... as for the fun factor? well... u gotta ask me matey!

..."...the quality was scarce in the first place..."...

... first things first:

1) Ravi is doing fine ...
2) it was my aunt's 25th marriage anniversary Yesterday...
3) we got the delivery of our Silver Nano LX (yesterday!) ... my cousin drove it to home and
4) its key less entry system is NOT working! ... in less than 6 hours from the delivery we have our first complaint!

... as for the rest of the things... BPK will be going on week long leave ...(i am so excited by the endless opportunities!) ... i engaged myself for the FTSS application of KR... (@KR now you can take the print for the record matey!) ... and enjoyed every bit of it... reminded me of the college days... Kamal, Rohit and Me ... on our trip to Hyderabad...long live ICFAI...

... and once again two different blog posts highlighted one single thought ("I feel we are sacrificing quality for quantity here, and quality was scarce in the first place.") ... which crosses once in a while in my mind as well ... however as KR said earlier today... after a few years i might enjoy reading all this ...

..."Houston, we have a problem"...

... the latest shocking news is that one of my colleague (who also happens to be a friend!) suffered a (hold your breath!) heart attack...

... so first thing in the morning i am going to visit the hospital... and if i get some time to post in detail i will do that...

..."The World Needs Music"...

... while it is good that one should strive to meet people from diverse geography, with different even opposite viewpoint; one should not under any circumstances lose contact with those who accepted you long before you realised what it is all about in life...

... just got off from phone ... Ms.OT is still recovering ... dad is as usual busy with retired life... and mom made one very exciting proposal rather it was my challenge that she accepted...

... inspired by this post she said that she will be coming to my place in Nano along with the trunk which is something that i despise! ... so i told her if she did that i will give a reward of 50K ... and after some negotiations here is the complete challenge:

1) she along with dad and sis and rusty old trunk will travel by road in our Nano sometime in April
2) upon successful completion of the trip i will pay 50K per head(!)
3) i get to keep the Nano for me
4) they return by Rail! :)

...why? now all of us have another crazy idea to talk about! ... now i bet i will not be paying anything... atleast i hope that way! :)