Back into the Business
“Oh Finally!”
These were my words after I watched 3 movies, in three consecutive days. Ah, I seem to have completed all my virtual backlogs (literally). The procrastination had taken much toll on me. I’ve finally put a check on that.
Disclaimer: I request the befuddled readers (who didn’t get the head or the tail of it) may please read a couple of my previous posts.
Monday, December 18, 2006
Sunday, December 10, 2006
Retired??
Is that how you feel when retired? Sounds weired the way I started it, right? But this was the feeling which had enveloped me this morning, when I got up a little late than my usual time (7am) and realised that I don’t have any studies to do. Ah, got a clue what am I talking about…let me lift the veil…
For the past 8 months now, I was into this “study-mode”…preparing for MBA entrance tests (specifically CAT but ironically, it’s never your last exam but the first one you take). I’d got into this routine of getting up early and trying to go through some practice exercises…and all this at the cost of the real exercises. In all these months, I'd never been as irregular with my gym as I'd become. This was about the mornings (only weekdays). After getting back from the office, at night, I again used to try my luck grasping a couple of more theorems (this was an everyday story, all 7 days a week).
In this process, the whole charm of a weekend was lost. They were taxing for me. A major part of it went in the tuition classes and the other part, in the MOCK tests. All in all, I was a busy man in these past few months. And I suffered at many fronts. Being a social bee previously, I gradually had to cut on my parties and get-togethers. The reason being, the next day I wouldn’t have been able to concentrate with a hang-over. But seriously speaking, it was an attempt to manage my time better.
As I mentioned earlier, I hadn’t hit a gym for a long time. And now a slight paunch is what I sport these days. I’d never been in such a bad shape. One of the other areas which suffered was movies. Being a sort-of-movie-buff, I haven’t watched any latest flick of late. To be precise, it’s been over 2 months and 1 week.
And there are few other things also which got affected. But never mind, I kept ticking...thinking all of it is for a reason…a reason worthy enough to validate all these so-called sacrifices I've made.
Now, the last exam is over. It went over yesterday. And I presumed that it was going to be the last Sunday when I’d to slog. That’s right in a way coz from the next week onwards, I won't be spending a precious Sunday afternoon in writing some MOCK test. But there’s something or the other waiting to take a toll on you. And no sooner did I finish the test than I got a call from the office to show up urgently. All my plans for celebrations, which even before been made, got vanished into the thin air, or rather into the conditioned air of my office! So now I have to restate, modiying a little...that on a Sunday, it's more worthy to write MOCK tests of 2½ hours than to break your head in the office for 9 hours!
As of now, I seem to be done with all of this MBA business…atleast until the results are declared…and if I be lucky enough to get a call or two. So this morning was a very lazy one. I’d all the time in the world…I think in the next few days, I’ll be able to resume my old routine, as it was before these 8months. I will go to the gym in the mornings…and at nights, I’ll get to read anything of MY choice...on the weekends, I’ll hit it with my circle again. And of course, now no movie would be spared from my critique, right in the first week of its release.
But till the time it gets back into form, I feel lost..trying to convert my vacation into vocation...
Is that how you feel when retired? Sounds weired the way I started it, right? But this was the feeling which had enveloped me this morning, when I got up a little late than my usual time (7am) and realised that I don’t have any studies to do. Ah, got a clue what am I talking about…let me lift the veil…
For the past 8 months now, I was into this “study-mode”…preparing for MBA entrance tests (specifically CAT but ironically, it’s never your last exam but the first one you take). I’d got into this routine of getting up early and trying to go through some practice exercises…and all this at the cost of the real exercises. In all these months, I'd never been as irregular with my gym as I'd become. This was about the mornings (only weekdays). After getting back from the office, at night, I again used to try my luck grasping a couple of more theorems (this was an everyday story, all 7 days a week).
In this process, the whole charm of a weekend was lost. They were taxing for me. A major part of it went in the tuition classes and the other part, in the MOCK tests. All in all, I was a busy man in these past few months. And I suffered at many fronts. Being a social bee previously, I gradually had to cut on my parties and get-togethers. The reason being, the next day I wouldn’t have been able to concentrate with a hang-over. But seriously speaking, it was an attempt to manage my time better.
As I mentioned earlier, I hadn’t hit a gym for a long time. And now a slight paunch is what I sport these days. I’d never been in such a bad shape. One of the other areas which suffered was movies. Being a sort-of-movie-buff, I haven’t watched any latest flick of late. To be precise, it’s been over 2 months and 1 week.
And there are few other things also which got affected. But never mind, I kept ticking...thinking all of it is for a reason…a reason worthy enough to validate all these so-called sacrifices I've made.
Now, the last exam is over. It went over yesterday. And I presumed that it was going to be the last Sunday when I’d to slog. That’s right in a way coz from the next week onwards, I won't be spending a precious Sunday afternoon in writing some MOCK test. But there’s something or the other waiting to take a toll on you. And no sooner did I finish the test than I got a call from the office to show up urgently. All my plans for celebrations, which even before been made, got vanished into the thin air, or rather into the conditioned air of my office! So now I have to restate, modiying a little...that on a Sunday, it's more worthy to write MOCK tests of 2½ hours than to break your head in the office for 9 hours!
As of now, I seem to be done with all of this MBA business…atleast until the results are declared…and if I be lucky enough to get a call or two. So this morning was a very lazy one. I’d all the time in the world…I think in the next few days, I’ll be able to resume my old routine, as it was before these 8months. I will go to the gym in the mornings…and at nights, I’ll get to read anything of MY choice...on the weekends, I’ll hit it with my circle again. And of course, now no movie would be spared from my critique, right in the first week of its release.
But till the time it gets back into form, I feel lost..trying to convert my vacation into vocation...
Friday, October 27, 2006
Hello All!
This one’s for all my avid readers who had been complaining lately about my long hiatus from the blog-o-sphere. I can say that as I could see the number of hits on my blog kept on ticking despite my being so inactive. And now it’s over 500!!
I myself do not know the reason why I was away for so long…so much so that I even shunned the ritual of posting atleast one blog entry every month. One of my friends had rightly quoted that I could not do that on a routine basis. How so very true!
Well, just to let you know of the events in the past 5 months…I had been home once…started taking Mock CATs more seriously…started getting Sodexho food coupons in my company (so less guilt in splurging on junk food)…two of my very good friends left their jobs (not because of any monetary reasons, but to find some peace with the new place, where they always wanted to be)…completed an year in the company and no more tagged as a “Trainee”…also, got a handsome hike (though haven’t tasted its real flavour yet).
So these were a few things happening at my end. I hope to keep you guys posted more often than what I’d been in the past.
Wishing you all to stay healthy and to keep well…and thanks for your time.
This one’s for all my avid readers who had been complaining lately about my long hiatus from the blog-o-sphere. I can say that as I could see the number of hits on my blog kept on ticking despite my being so inactive. And now it’s over 500!!
I myself do not know the reason why I was away for so long…so much so that I even shunned the ritual of posting atleast one blog entry every month. One of my friends had rightly quoted that I could not do that on a routine basis. How so very true!
Well, just to let you know of the events in the past 5 months…I had been home once…started taking Mock CATs more seriously…started getting Sodexho food coupons in my company (so less guilt in splurging on junk food)…two of my very good friends left their jobs (not because of any monetary reasons, but to find some peace with the new place, where they always wanted to be)…completed an year in the company and no more tagged as a “Trainee”…also, got a handsome hike (though haven’t tasted its real flavour yet).
So these were a few things happening at my end. I hope to keep you guys posted more often than what I’d been in the past.
Wishing you all to stay healthy and to keep well…and thanks for your time.
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Mostly it’s “Most Probably”…
Choose the correct sentence from the following sentences:
1) Mostly I will go for a movie today.
2) Most probably I will go for a movie today.
I know I know…this looks like a question from one of the competitive exams (or I would say, CAT…well, it just doesn’t have four options).
Anyways, for the question above, I think most of you can come to the correct answer. Then why is it that only while reading we can understand the difference between “mostly” and “most probably”…and not while speaking!
I’ve been noticing people making this simple but common mistake in their day-today speaking. I would be wrong in saying that it’s not a regional effect. Actually it is. No offences to be meant, but I’ve seen the people from Maharashtra and the southern states making this error more often. People have got such strong notions of this wrong usage that they use it as if they are absolutely correct and never try to look into this blunder. Maybe they never realize it!
And I tell you, it’s infectious. Like one can fall prey to a vice, similarly one can pick up this misusage easily. So I just thought of bringing it into light.
Disclaimer: For the people who have not yet got an answer to the above question, resort to your mother-tongues.
Choose the correct sentence from the following sentences:
1) Mostly I will go for a movie today.
2) Most probably I will go for a movie today.
I know I know…this looks like a question from one of the competitive exams (or I would say, CAT…well, it just doesn’t have four options).
Anyways, for the question above, I think most of you can come to the correct answer. Then why is it that only while reading we can understand the difference between “mostly” and “most probably”…and not while speaking!
I’ve been noticing people making this simple but common mistake in their day-today speaking. I would be wrong in saying that it’s not a regional effect. Actually it is. No offences to be meant, but I’ve seen the people from Maharashtra and the southern states making this error more often. People have got such strong notions of this wrong usage that they use it as if they are absolutely correct and never try to look into this blunder. Maybe they never realize it!
And I tell you, it’s infectious. Like one can fall prey to a vice, similarly one can pick up this misusage easily. So I just thought of bringing it into light.
Disclaimer: For the people who have not yet got an answer to the above question, resort to your mother-tongues.
Thursday, June 08, 2006
A Ritual…
I’m a few days late from my schedule. Ideally I should have posted something new on my blog right in the starting of the month…but it’s past a week since I’ve written anything in this rainy month of June!
Actually, the case is a little different than what it appears to be. And I’d given a nugatory attempt at coming up with a post few days back…so much so that I’d even started scribbling on my WordPad. But thanks to the fascinating world of “.Net and C#”, which has now swept me off my feet and I’ve virtually fallen in love with it. The dictums of my PL are just getting me closer to it. But since he’s not around today, I feel forsaken as I can’t find an “interface” between me and my new found love. So I’m just trying to find some solace in my first love…“writing”.
Getting back to the point…in the vain attempt of posting something on my blog, I wanted to speak about the aftermath of one day’s cyclonic rain in Pune. I wanted to elaborate on how it affected the city and how it had left me muddled. Well, as far as the city’s state is concerned, most of you can very well imagine that. Maybe I can tell you something about my experience on that day. On that fateful day, my flat-mates and I left for our offices in the morning (when the sun was shining bright). We had not thought in the wildest of our dreams that a simple offence such as “leaving the windows open” will cost us sweeping and mopping the floor till midnight. Not only this, all our beds, pillows, blankets were dripping by the time we were home. To worsen the things, there was a power failure for quite some time, in which we had to do most of the repair. Thanks to my far sightedness for keeping some candles in store. Doing the chores in the candle night was an awful task. And after that I hate the idea of doing anything in the candle light (even those candle light dinners!!). One of my roomies got this brilliant idea of getting high and forgetting about this whole episode. But we decided to wait till our place gets lighted up again by some tube lights and bulbs. No one was willing to fight against the insects (I mean mosquitoes) in that dingy candle light. With the electricity, freshness came back to us. Finally, we all raised a toast and celebrated that night of disaster…“tabaahi ki raaat”. Sounds silly, but it actually got our nerves down. And just for the record, the downpour was measured to be a whopping 39.2mm in flat 3 hours (most of its target being our flat)!
Well, just now I came back after attending a session on meditation, in the office itself. Thanks to the HR for being thoughtful enough to get the employees some extra hour of sleep (read official sleep, though it can be a little uncomfortable on the chair). It was conducted in an auditorium and we were asked to meditate for about 30 minutes. We had all closed our eyes and were trying to “observe our breaths”. I was trying too hard to do that…but it wasn’t making much sense to me. In frustration, I gave up trying in vain and decided to catch some forty winks. But I did not like this idea of the organizer, to constantly remind us of what to do. As in, his same instructions were reverberating in the silent auditorium, again and again. I chuckled, thinking if that was disturbing me in my sleep then how the people can even think to meditate!!
This time I really don’t know how I will conclude this post. It may look a little abrupt to simply sign off. But I think that’s the best way to end it than to bore you guys with some other vacuous thoughts of mine.
I’m a few days late from my schedule. Ideally I should have posted something new on my blog right in the starting of the month…but it’s past a week since I’ve written anything in this rainy month of June!
Actually, the case is a little different than what it appears to be. And I’d given a nugatory attempt at coming up with a post few days back…so much so that I’d even started scribbling on my WordPad. But thanks to the fascinating world of “.Net and C#”, which has now swept me off my feet and I’ve virtually fallen in love with it. The dictums of my PL are just getting me closer to it. But since he’s not around today, I feel forsaken as I can’t find an “interface” between me and my new found love. So I’m just trying to find some solace in my first love…“writing”.
Getting back to the point…in the vain attempt of posting something on my blog, I wanted to speak about the aftermath of one day’s cyclonic rain in Pune. I wanted to elaborate on how it affected the city and how it had left me muddled. Well, as far as the city’s state is concerned, most of you can very well imagine that. Maybe I can tell you something about my experience on that day. On that fateful day, my flat-mates and I left for our offices in the morning (when the sun was shining bright). We had not thought in the wildest of our dreams that a simple offence such as “leaving the windows open” will cost us sweeping and mopping the floor till midnight. Not only this, all our beds, pillows, blankets were dripping by the time we were home. To worsen the things, there was a power failure for quite some time, in which we had to do most of the repair. Thanks to my far sightedness for keeping some candles in store. Doing the chores in the candle night was an awful task. And after that I hate the idea of doing anything in the candle light (even those candle light dinners!!). One of my roomies got this brilliant idea of getting high and forgetting about this whole episode. But we decided to wait till our place gets lighted up again by some tube lights and bulbs. No one was willing to fight against the insects (I mean mosquitoes) in that dingy candle light. With the electricity, freshness came back to us. Finally, we all raised a toast and celebrated that night of disaster…“tabaahi ki raaat”. Sounds silly, but it actually got our nerves down. And just for the record, the downpour was measured to be a whopping 39.2mm in flat 3 hours (most of its target being our flat)!
Well, just now I came back after attending a session on meditation, in the office itself. Thanks to the HR for being thoughtful enough to get the employees some extra hour of sleep (read official sleep, though it can be a little uncomfortable on the chair). It was conducted in an auditorium and we were asked to meditate for about 30 minutes. We had all closed our eyes and were trying to “observe our breaths”. I was trying too hard to do that…but it wasn’t making much sense to me. In frustration, I gave up trying in vain and decided to catch some forty winks. But I did not like this idea of the organizer, to constantly remind us of what to do. As in, his same instructions were reverberating in the silent auditorium, again and again. I chuckled, thinking if that was disturbing me in my sleep then how the people can even think to meditate!!
This time I really don’t know how I will conclude this post. It may look a little abrupt to simply sign off. But I think that’s the best way to end it than to bore you guys with some other vacuous thoughts of mine.
Friday, April 28, 2006
Ah..What A Relief...
This was the feeling which I had when I checked the status of my "waiting" ticket, and found out that it has got confirmed!!
For going home, I'd got the tickets done some 45 days ago from today. On the day of reservation, the status was W/L 15, for the 3AC coach of Jhelum Express. And after a few days, it's status came drastically down to W/L 7...since then it's been a story where "slow and steady wins the race".
Today, on the date of journey, my ticket has got confirmed, finally! In all these days, it had been a trickling story, with the status falling drop by drop. It had survived on W/L 3 for many days, and with my heart pounding faster everytime I'd tried to check it's new position. It took almost 10days to move on to a safer position of RAC12. And I was almost satisfied to see that status. I started living with this hope more arduously "It will get Confirmed". And finally, it did.
Not that I would have postponed or delayed my trip due to the ticket not getting confirmed. Because any more procrastination would be far more uncomfortable than going on a Waiting ticket. It's just that your journey becomes more relaxed and so does the feelings of the people who are expecting you to come over after 9 months!
My train is at 5:30pm from Pune Station, which is at a stone's throw distance from my office. I'd got my luggage to the office this morning, and I will just need to collect it and head towards the station right on time. Everyday while coming to the office, I used to think that when will I be able to come to the station with my bags packed! As they say, the closer you are from the temple, the longer you take to visit it. And it took me 9 months to make it to the "temple", even being so close to it...
This was the feeling which I had when I checked the status of my "waiting" ticket, and found out that it has got confirmed!!
For going home, I'd got the tickets done some 45 days ago from today. On the day of reservation, the status was W/L 15, for the 3AC coach of Jhelum Express. And after a few days, it's status came drastically down to W/L 7...since then it's been a story where "slow and steady wins the race".
Today, on the date of journey, my ticket has got confirmed, finally! In all these days, it had been a trickling story, with the status falling drop by drop. It had survived on W/L 3 for many days, and with my heart pounding faster everytime I'd tried to check it's new position. It took almost 10days to move on to a safer position of RAC12. And I was almost satisfied to see that status. I started living with this hope more arduously "It will get Confirmed". And finally, it did.
Not that I would have postponed or delayed my trip due to the ticket not getting confirmed. Because any more procrastination would be far more uncomfortable than going on a Waiting ticket. It's just that your journey becomes more relaxed and so does the feelings of the people who are expecting you to come over after 9 months!
My train is at 5:30pm from Pune Station, which is at a stone's throw distance from my office. I'd got my luggage to the office this morning, and I will just need to collect it and head towards the station right on time. Everyday while coming to the office, I used to think that when will I be able to come to the station with my bags packed! As they say, the closer you are from the temple, the longer you take to visit it. And it took me 9 months to make it to the "temple", even being so close to it...
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
I'm Back...
I'm not trying to imitate Mr. Schwarzenegger but just trying to complete my monthly routine. You would notice that I've posted something on this blog on a monthly basis...sort of one post per month. So, this is just a way to "let the show go on"...
This time I'm not very sure as to on what I should write. Maybe this can be an account of the recent changes that have come across in my life.
About a fortnight back, when i was into a project, which was supposedly not-so-demanding, I'd all the time in the world. It was a Maintenance-cum-Enhancement project. So the "work-flow was quite erratic" (few would notice that I've used this phrase before also, but couldn't come up with a more apt one), wherein I wasn't loaded with work most of the times. So my days passed by doing some self-study, strengthening many weakened links via mails or chats, idling, browsing...also downloading stuffs like Sudoku and some not-so-famous English numbers. I mean to say that I literally felt very relaxed "before, while in, and after" the office (baffling way of putting across this idea, isn't it?). Somehow, all the good things in life come to an end. And this end was quite an abrupt one, when on a Friday evening (consider the importance of Friday evening from a social and personal point of view...IMMENSE...when you have a weekend to look forward to..) I was struck with this news that I'd been moved into a different project, which was Development based. And all my plans for the evening seemed to have got shelved, as I might had to stay till late on that day. I didn't know how to react!! I think it was a mixed feeling...I was happy that I will get to do something worthwhile...and at the same time, I was concerned for my freedom.
Thankfully, my weekend was in peace. But on Monday, this feeling sank in, and I realised that my life isn't the same as it was some 3 months ago. I was glutted with work, so much so, that I had to sacrifice my off to its superfluity. Suddenly, this drive lost it's intensity. The work pressure reduced. And I've started finding solace in my previous passtimes (read sacrilege of work). Look, I'm blogging, sitting in my plush office!
This was the "official" side of the story...now talking on the personal front (aha..stop guessing people). Same, almost a fortnight ago, with this feeling of belling CAT, I joined those weekend tuition classes for MBA. Now I end up devoting my precious hours of the weekend on the sweaty classroom sessions. I haven't watched any movie for the past 3 weeks, which is almost a sin, as I relegiously used to watch atleast one every weekend. I miss that. But to compensate for this loss, I've grown into an aquatic animal...I've become a regular visitor of the swimming pool (of my apartment where I live). I think, this is better utility of time (than to go for a movie), and has myriad advantages. In the process, I've become less scared of water (I can even put my head in it for 5 long seconds!!).
In order to cope with the required level of preparation for MBA, I've to take out sometime to study even after (and before) the office hours. And in this quest I've not been able to finish a novel in the past 1 month!!
Being carried away in this wind of change, I'm not able to find enough time for myself. And this includes relaxing, watching movies, meeting up with long, old (and now complaining) friends. I believe that everything happens for a reason. Well, in this I just hope that the reason be positive enough to keep me ticking...
I'm not trying to imitate Mr. Schwarzenegger but just trying to complete my monthly routine. You would notice that I've posted something on this blog on a monthly basis...sort of one post per month. So, this is just a way to "let the show go on"...
This time I'm not very sure as to on what I should write. Maybe this can be an account of the recent changes that have come across in my life.
About a fortnight back, when i was into a project, which was supposedly not-so-demanding, I'd all the time in the world. It was a Maintenance-cum-Enhancement project. So the "work-flow was quite erratic" (few would notice that I've used this phrase before also, but couldn't come up with a more apt one), wherein I wasn't loaded with work most of the times. So my days passed by doing some self-study, strengthening many weakened links via mails or chats, idling, browsing...also downloading stuffs like Sudoku and some not-so-famous English numbers. I mean to say that I literally felt very relaxed "before, while in, and after" the office (baffling way of putting across this idea, isn't it?). Somehow, all the good things in life come to an end. And this end was quite an abrupt one, when on a Friday evening (consider the importance of Friday evening from a social and personal point of view...IMMENSE...when you have a weekend to look forward to..) I was struck with this news that I'd been moved into a different project, which was Development based. And all my plans for the evening seemed to have got shelved, as I might had to stay till late on that day. I didn't know how to react!! I think it was a mixed feeling...I was happy that I will get to do something worthwhile...and at the same time, I was concerned for my freedom.
Thankfully, my weekend was in peace. But on Monday, this feeling sank in, and I realised that my life isn't the same as it was some 3 months ago. I was glutted with work, so much so, that I had to sacrifice my off to its superfluity. Suddenly, this drive lost it's intensity. The work pressure reduced. And I've started finding solace in my previous passtimes (read sacrilege of work). Look, I'm blogging, sitting in my plush office!
This was the "official" side of the story...now talking on the personal front (aha..stop guessing people). Same, almost a fortnight ago, with this feeling of belling CAT, I joined those weekend tuition classes for MBA. Now I end up devoting my precious hours of the weekend on the sweaty classroom sessions. I haven't watched any movie for the past 3 weeks, which is almost a sin, as I relegiously used to watch atleast one every weekend. I miss that. But to compensate for this loss, I've grown into an aquatic animal...I've become a regular visitor of the swimming pool (of my apartment where I live). I think, this is better utility of time (than to go for a movie), and has myriad advantages. In the process, I've become less scared of water (I can even put my head in it for 5 long seconds!!).
In order to cope with the required level of preparation for MBA, I've to take out sometime to study even after (and before) the office hours. And in this quest I've not been able to finish a novel in the past 1 month!!
Being carried away in this wind of change, I'm not able to find enough time for myself. And this includes relaxing, watching movies, meeting up with long, old (and now complaining) friends. I believe that everything happens for a reason. Well, in this I just hope that the reason be positive enough to keep me ticking...
Friday, March 03, 2006
Home Sick...
For the first time I'm going to post something which is personal and not just any experience of some gala time of my life. With these words of caution, I proceed with this...
I'm thought of as a person who does not have any nostalgic moments. To put it simply, I'm the one who people think is never home sick. I don't know the reason why they accuse me of this. Probably because I never publicly express my desire to meet my folks at home or talk something which the others consider as being "home sick". So this post here is going to be a written acknowledgement of the fact that even I feel home sick and miss my family...
Today, it's just any other day in the office...doing some self-study (as now no real work pressure is there), chatting with people, checking mails and reading those forwards et al... In the middle of my grueling schedule, reading one of those hundreds of forwarded mails caught my attention. It was something describing the greatness of the "Mother". And as a result of that, here I am writing this.
All those people who accuse me of not being "home sick" might just put another allegation on me saying that I need triggers to get excited about this whole thing. What I feel is that this feeling of "home sickness" doesn't come to you naturally, there has to be a trigger. Let's say, some not-so-tasty bite reminds you of the home food...A fever or illness reminds you of the care and the attention that you get so effortlessly, if you happen to be at home. Sometimes, even seeing people heading to their home-towns acts as a trigger. Well, with this I remember that two of my friends are leaving for their homes today...and I simply say, "I wish.."
But I can't do much about this yearn to go home or to meet my parents, as I'm still pretty new in the company where I'm working and can't possibly take offs for many days. Besides, making a confession here, I haven't yet saved much to buy gifts for my people there at home. And I tell you, a token of love in the form of any memento bought from my first salary or my own earned money, is very much expected.
Holi is approaching and I so wished if I were able to celebrate it this time with my family, a thing that I haven't done for the past 5 years. It's easy to console oneself by saying, "I'm used to it now"...But actually, this is just an excuse for one's inability. I think, such a reason works better with the parents who say, "we have got used to it now.." But neither of such reasons is valid at any end. People at both the ends are just trying to rename and re frame their inabilities to meet each other. And such a logic doesn't work at all. In the heart of the heart, there is this feeling of disgust of not able to make it this time also...but I hope that I'll make it someday. And probably then I would erase this post.
Disclaimer: This is not written to entertain its readers. I'm sorry if it leaves a sour taste in your mouth.
For the first time I'm going to post something which is personal and not just any experience of some gala time of my life. With these words of caution, I proceed with this...
I'm thought of as a person who does not have any nostalgic moments. To put it simply, I'm the one who people think is never home sick. I don't know the reason why they accuse me of this. Probably because I never publicly express my desire to meet my folks at home or talk something which the others consider as being "home sick". So this post here is going to be a written acknowledgement of the fact that even I feel home sick and miss my family...
Today, it's just any other day in the office...doing some self-study (as now no real work pressure is there), chatting with people, checking mails and reading those forwards et al... In the middle of my grueling schedule, reading one of those hundreds of forwarded mails caught my attention. It was something describing the greatness of the "Mother". And as a result of that, here I am writing this.
All those people who accuse me of not being "home sick" might just put another allegation on me saying that I need triggers to get excited about this whole thing. What I feel is that this feeling of "home sickness" doesn't come to you naturally, there has to be a trigger. Let's say, some not-so-tasty bite reminds you of the home food...A fever or illness reminds you of the care and the attention that you get so effortlessly, if you happen to be at home. Sometimes, even seeing people heading to their home-towns acts as a trigger. Well, with this I remember that two of my friends are leaving for their homes today...and I simply say, "I wish.."
But I can't do much about this yearn to go home or to meet my parents, as I'm still pretty new in the company where I'm working and can't possibly take offs for many days. Besides, making a confession here, I haven't yet saved much to buy gifts for my people there at home. And I tell you, a token of love in the form of any memento bought from my first salary or my own earned money, is very much expected.
Holi is approaching and I so wished if I were able to celebrate it this time with my family, a thing that I haven't done for the past 5 years. It's easy to console oneself by saying, "I'm used to it now"...But actually, this is just an excuse for one's inability. I think, such a reason works better with the parents who say, "we have got used to it now.." But neither of such reasons is valid at any end. People at both the ends are just trying to rename and re frame their inabilities to meet each other. And such a logic doesn't work at all. In the heart of the heart, there is this feeling of disgust of not able to make it this time also...but I hope that I'll make it someday. And probably then I would erase this post.
Disclaimer: This is not written to entertain its readers. I'm sorry if it leaves a sour taste in your mouth.
Monday, February 06, 2006
Kick Ass!!
My apologies for being explicit but I can't define a Bryan Adam's live concert better.
On the 4th of Feb., I made a trip to Mumbai to witness the man in action, Live! Well, it wasn't a very well planned trip. As in,I managed for the passes just a day before the show and hence, we didn't get any reservations for going to Mumbai. As a result of that, me and a friend of mine (who finally made it for the show) tried to hitch-hike in order to reach Mumbai. But thankfully, we didn't have to flaunt anything to get a ride as a bus came to our rescue.
Mumbai was 'hot', in a true and literal sense. We made it to the venue well before time and got into the queue of fans...Waiting for the gate (read, gateway to heaven)to open. Surviving on water, we fought the scorching sun and the crowd. And sincere thanks to the females around who were trying their bests to keep our minds away from the oddities. We finally entered (with that company of women) at 6pm. I literally ran across the ground to be the first one standing besides the barricade. And I got a reasonably decent place from where the stage was some 50ft. away.
The show didn't start right away. We had to stand there waiting for the arrangements to get complete, as we saw numerous rounds of sound and light testing. Suddenly the stage went dark and we all held our breathes. And the silence was broken with a voice on the microphone, announcing that some 'x' band was going to perform first. A "boo" reverberated. No one there was in a mood to see just any band perform, especially when one had paid a whopping sum of 800 or 1200 for a pass! But still we appreciated the first strumming of the six strings. Afterall, we were there to appreciate music. This performance went for about half an hour or so, followed by some cool, swinging Salsa performances by some artists.
And once again there was darkness on the stage, once again we held our breathes...But this time we went breathless! The man, Bryan Adams...He was on the stage! The stage came to life once more, sparkling with those neons and some fireworks...Balloons went high up on the arrival of the diva! Within no time, the stage was set for action. Mr. BA standing in the middle with his acoustic guitar in his hands. A couple of guitarists were on his sides, the drummer at his back and a synth besides the drummer...I could hardly hear the first words of BA in the middle of the roaring crowd. But I guess it was some exchange of civilities, the normal stuff. Then the woofers came to life, going over the roars and howls of that mad crowd. We all started rocking to his first number, Room Service...And then one after another. Before starting his all time hit Summer Of '69 he said,"If you haven't heard this then I don't know where have you been!". How so very true...!
He sang about 6 songs and then said a bye to Mumbai. The stage went dark again. People started shouting "We want more...". And to my surprise, he reappeared and said,"Do you want more..?". In unison we said "Yeah..". He was like,"You got it..". Those were the opening words of his hit song Best Of Me. I was immensely moved by this way. It was awesome...One has to be there to feel it, can't put it into words. He again disappeared and came back, as if he's upto some hide and seek! But this time, he entered alone, with only his acoustic in his hands. The stage was dark and a spotlight was following him. He ended the show with Please Forgive Me..
This extraordinary journey of this ordinary man lasted for exact two hours. But it was the experience of a life time.
My apologies for being explicit but I can't define a Bryan Adam's live concert better.
On the 4th of Feb., I made a trip to Mumbai to witness the man in action, Live! Well, it wasn't a very well planned trip. As in,I managed for the passes just a day before the show and hence, we didn't get any reservations for going to Mumbai. As a result of that, me and a friend of mine (who finally made it for the show) tried to hitch-hike in order to reach Mumbai. But thankfully, we didn't have to flaunt anything to get a ride as a bus came to our rescue.
Mumbai was 'hot', in a true and literal sense. We made it to the venue well before time and got into the queue of fans...Waiting for the gate (read, gateway to heaven)to open. Surviving on water, we fought the scorching sun and the crowd. And sincere thanks to the females around who were trying their bests to keep our minds away from the oddities. We finally entered (with that company of women) at 6pm. I literally ran across the ground to be the first one standing besides the barricade. And I got a reasonably decent place from where the stage was some 50ft. away.
The show didn't start right away. We had to stand there waiting for the arrangements to get complete, as we saw numerous rounds of sound and light testing. Suddenly the stage went dark and we all held our breathes. And the silence was broken with a voice on the microphone, announcing that some 'x' band was going to perform first. A "boo" reverberated. No one there was in a mood to see just any band perform, especially when one had paid a whopping sum of 800 or 1200 for a pass! But still we appreciated the first strumming of the six strings. Afterall, we were there to appreciate music. This performance went for about half an hour or so, followed by some cool, swinging Salsa performances by some artists.
And once again there was darkness on the stage, once again we held our breathes...But this time we went breathless! The man, Bryan Adams...He was on the stage! The stage came to life once more, sparkling with those neons and some fireworks...Balloons went high up on the arrival of the diva! Within no time, the stage was set for action. Mr. BA standing in the middle with his acoustic guitar in his hands. A couple of guitarists were on his sides, the drummer at his back and a synth besides the drummer...I could hardly hear the first words of BA in the middle of the roaring crowd. But I guess it was some exchange of civilities, the normal stuff. Then the woofers came to life, going over the roars and howls of that mad crowd. We all started rocking to his first number, Room Service...And then one after another. Before starting his all time hit Summer Of '69 he said,"If you haven't heard this then I don't know where have you been!". How so very true...!
He sang about 6 songs and then said a bye to Mumbai. The stage went dark again. People started shouting "We want more...". And to my surprise, he reappeared and said,"Do you want more..?". In unison we said "Yeah..". He was like,"You got it..". Those were the opening words of his hit song Best Of Me. I was immensely moved by this way. It was awesome...One has to be there to feel it, can't put it into words. He again disappeared and came back, as if he's upto some hide and seek! But this time, he entered alone, with only his acoustic in his hands. The stage was dark and a spotlight was following him. He ended the show with Please Forgive Me..
This extraordinary journey of this ordinary man lasted for exact two hours. But it was the experience of a life time.
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
Go Goa...
First of all, I would like to wish all the readers of this blog a very happy and a prosperous new year (a cliche, I know). Before I go on with this, I would make one thing clear that this blog is not an attempt to promote any sort of tourism. It's going to be an account of my trip to Goa.
You see folks, I graduated from Pune and in all those 4 years of engineering we made many plans to visit this land. But somehow, it never got materialized. And finally, when my college got over (but I'm still in pune...working of course), almost the same bunch of blokes with whom I'd always tried this plan, made that much awaited trip and that too on the new year's eve. So it had to be a very special one, and thankfully it was.
I've heard that in the U.S., petrol (or gas, as you call it) is cheaper than water. And I guess even booze must be cheaper than water there. But to find such a place in India, where alcohol is cheaper than water, is, I tell you, a big deal. And goa is the place. To quote some figures here...You get a pint of beer for 18 bucks and a bottle of water for 20! You walk into any restaurant and no one will serve you water (until you ask) as it happens in most of the parts of India. But they will show you that menu card with all those fancy names on it.
After being intoxicated (also by the beauty, a pun is very much intended), we moved on in search of more. "we" as in the seven of us who were there. We were chatting and catching up on our college days and stuff...Basically, we were continuously blabbering. But one could observe intense silence whenever there was any real beauty around. I'll elaborate... I remember this incidence when we were moving around the place in the car and it was all surrounded by real head-turners (literally string clad), and no one was talking to each other (except for those occasional words of appreciation on the chicks around) but just ogling out of the window. Honestly guys, I've never seen such pretty faces in my vicinity, in so much of abundance.
When this babe-watching reached its threshold, we, like a frustrated and desperate lot also tried to get lucky with the foreigners there but in vain. Actually, we'd heard many such stories where people have succeeded in playing up with the aliens. So we had to try. But we thought that those storytellers must have merely boasted (I guess, that was just to comfort our failed endeavors).
In the middle of this, we got to eye some celebrities like Salman Khan, Shahrukh Khan and his wife Gauri Khan, also Karan Johar. We got to see some TV artists of Saas-Bahu fame (don't ask me their names). Finally, on the 31st night, we settled down in one of the shacks along the beach. And our table was about 20ft away from the shore when we had started dining. This was at around 9pm. But by the midnight, the waves started touching our feet. It was lovely. And the defining moment of this celebration was the fireworks, at the stroke of the midnight, when we moved into a fresh year. All along the sea line (that was visible), we could see the shimmering and sparkling fireworks, that went on for an hour. Nothing less than a crore could be the budget of this extravagance. I mean, it was fabulous. We were reasonably on high until this had started but we all got back to our normal states. And hence looking for another round of drinks.
This insatiable thirst only ended when each of us bought a bottle or two before saying a bye to this land full of fun and frolic. I just enjoyed myself thoroughly in these couple of days, spent totally in a bohemian fashion.
First of all, I would like to wish all the readers of this blog a very happy and a prosperous new year (a cliche, I know). Before I go on with this, I would make one thing clear that this blog is not an attempt to promote any sort of tourism. It's going to be an account of my trip to Goa.
You see folks, I graduated from Pune and in all those 4 years of engineering we made many plans to visit this land. But somehow, it never got materialized. And finally, when my college got over (but I'm still in pune...working of course), almost the same bunch of blokes with whom I'd always tried this plan, made that much awaited trip and that too on the new year's eve. So it had to be a very special one, and thankfully it was.
I've heard that in the U.S., petrol (or gas, as you call it) is cheaper than water. And I guess even booze must be cheaper than water there. But to find such a place in India, where alcohol is cheaper than water, is, I tell you, a big deal. And goa is the place. To quote some figures here...You get a pint of beer for 18 bucks and a bottle of water for 20! You walk into any restaurant and no one will serve you water (until you ask) as it happens in most of the parts of India. But they will show you that menu card with all those fancy names on it.
After being intoxicated (also by the beauty, a pun is very much intended), we moved on in search of more. "we" as in the seven of us who were there. We were chatting and catching up on our college days and stuff...Basically, we were continuously blabbering. But one could observe intense silence whenever there was any real beauty around. I'll elaborate... I remember this incidence when we were moving around the place in the car and it was all surrounded by real head-turners (literally string clad), and no one was talking to each other (except for those occasional words of appreciation on the chicks around) but just ogling out of the window. Honestly guys, I've never seen such pretty faces in my vicinity, in so much of abundance.
When this babe-watching reached its threshold, we, like a frustrated and desperate lot also tried to get lucky with the foreigners there but in vain. Actually, we'd heard many such stories where people have succeeded in playing up with the aliens. So we had to try. But we thought that those storytellers must have merely boasted (I guess, that was just to comfort our failed endeavors).
In the middle of this, we got to eye some celebrities like Salman Khan, Shahrukh Khan and his wife Gauri Khan, also Karan Johar. We got to see some TV artists of Saas-Bahu fame (don't ask me their names). Finally, on the 31st night, we settled down in one of the shacks along the beach. And our table was about 20ft away from the shore when we had started dining. This was at around 9pm. But by the midnight, the waves started touching our feet. It was lovely. And the defining moment of this celebration was the fireworks, at the stroke of the midnight, when we moved into a fresh year. All along the sea line (that was visible), we could see the shimmering and sparkling fireworks, that went on for an hour. Nothing less than a crore could be the budget of this extravagance. I mean, it was fabulous. We were reasonably on high until this had started but we all got back to our normal states. And hence looking for another round of drinks.
This insatiable thirst only ended when each of us bought a bottle or two before saying a bye to this land full of fun and frolic. I just enjoyed myself thoroughly in these couple of days, spent totally in a bohemian fashion.
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