Flights of Fantasy!

I got a call from my uncle about a music concert, and he asked whether we will join them. I was all agog about it but hesitated and said I will call back after asking my roomie. I was a bit wary while calling my roomie...she will be interested in classical music or not...but my excitement was not subdued...she said yes.

So we both set out for "Chowdaih Memorial Hall". On reaching there, the first surprise was the building itself. I had heard about the building, but to see it in front of my eyes was a different experience. It was in the shape of Veena. There was quiet a crowd so we got inside with some trouble and found seats after scanning carefully through the overflowing hall.

The first performance was by Ustaad Shahid Pervez. The melodies of his Sitar were spell bounding. Even the hum of the strings was so enchanting. Specially the last piece that he played was just amazing. I almost held my breath through it. The Tabla was also amazing. Next performance that day was by Begum Parween Sultana. I had heard her long back on one of the television talent hunt shows. But listening to her live was captivating. But due to time restraint we had to leave in the middle of her performance. But whatever I heard has got inscribed in my memory forever :).

The second day was all the more vivid. It started with a performance by Pandit Ullhas Kashalkar. Though I am not the right person to ask about it...as I am not much inclined towards Vocal...but I can definitely say that the people around me enjoyed it to the most. I sat through the performance just waiting for the one performance I had been waiting since my uncle told me about the show. And atlast he came.

As truly said by the hostess, we Indians have the privilege of having two such artists who are not known by their instruments but their instruments are know by them. I was dawned with the privilege of listening to Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma. Everyone just waited for him with an excitement. He took some time to adjust his instument Santoor. Such small instrument and yet so much of sweetness in the sound..its really amazing. Even while he was adjusting it, it was music to my ears. I was wondering if this is so melodious what it will be like when he actually plays it. And it was something out of the world. It seemed to me that the music played by the Harps of the Heaven can not be more melodious. I was taken into a different world. A trance followed it. Time just flew by and my ears were blessed and my senses treated well. Everyone in the hall was just mesmerized and awed by his magic. There was complete silence. All you can hear is the ethereal sound from the Santoor. His hands moved so dexterously over the instrument, it appeared as a sculpture is chiseling the marble. When he finished he got a standing ovation. But the junta got greedy, they wanted more. And so he played Raag Pahadi in the end. I wanted it to be everlasting. But alas, all good things come to an end :(.

Oh my, what a performance it was. I am smitten by his music. The sound of those strings are still echoing inside my mind. I would recommend all of you who love music and melody, to grab a CD of his and experience the best of the best concord. Truly the Indian Heritage and Culture is beyond distinction.

Encounters with Faces

Face, the most important element in a human's appearance. Its so intriguing, how a face plays with your mind and sets opnions. Your first impression of a person is strongly based on the face of the person. The face personifies the image of a person. Its so strange, that we can trust a person more if we have seen his/her face. Until we see someone, we always have a small doubt in the corner of our mind.

Doesnt matter that the face should only be beautiful. Faces can be not beautiful but still charming and luring. Some faces are more touching, some you can trust instantly. Some faces, you loathe at the first glance itself, and have a tough time dealing with that person. But one thing, again a strange fact, you tend to soften for a face, once you start seeing the face quiet often. You can actually start liking a face, even if you wanted to turn the other side on the first time.

Faces are mysterious. Some faces are expressive, telling you the unsaid too. Some faces are stoic, completely indifferent from what actually is. The worst is, some faces are deceitful; acting as a mask on the reality. I have become wary of faces, dont know they project the reality or are fraud. But still, faces play a very important role in my description of a human being (not just looks). I wonder, will I be able to get the niche of finding out whats behind a face. I think I almost have it. But somethings are so unpredictable that all your statistics go haywire; and faces fall into this category.

Faces will always perplex me, sometimes making me comfortable, sometimes making me despise, and sometimes leave me with lots of questions unanswered. But still it plays a major role in charaterization of people carrying these faces. So happy face reading everyone!

Here is an interesting article I found, once I started writing this.

Facial Prejudice: Face and Personality.

Clueless Scribble!

I have been trying to write something for a long time. Writing gives me a sense of satisfaction. So, I started to think...what should I write. Many things came to my mind, politics, corruption, media, communal riots, traffic blues, natural calamities, war and peace, etc. But, there is already lots written, read and ignored, stuff on these topics. Coz these are the usual masala that you can read tons of articles on. I had to think something different.

The other thing I could possible write was about my life. Now, there is another small problem to it. My life's story, if taken out my name, can be identified as story of so many people around me. That makes it non-unique. On that, a thought came to my mind. All of us are bound by so many things in life. We are bound by the society, by traditions, by the people we love, by our own narrow mindedness. Sometimes I feel, as if I am a captive in my own house. When I lie down on the bed, I feel that the ceiling binds me. It would have been so good, if I could ogle at the handsome Moon, and be envious of the beautiful stars. When I am on the roads, the traffic binds me. It would have been so good if it would be a muddy path that disappears into lush green woods with a magical mist around (almost a fairytale...right).

But I am bound, and I dont have the means to break this bound. I really adore those people who could divert themselves from the narrow line placed in front of them, and chase their dreams. I also dream, of freedom, of breaking free of traditions and follow my passions. I also want to hold the hands of life and walk towards the misty woods. I also want to whisper to the wind and fly with the clouds. But I am bound...but I am bound.

My New Mobile

I recently upgraded to a better handset than the basic model I was using. And its such a relief to switch to colored screen from the black and white screen :D. I suddenly have so many things to do with my phone :).

Have a look at the specs. And here are a few pictures of the phone:

Armaggedon

“Circa 2218 anno Domini…

The Armageddon has occurred… The Earth has been destroyed… Luckily, only a few years back, MARS had been discovered habitable for mankind… To ensure the survival of life, a few days before the Armageddon, a select few people from Earth were moved to MARS… This select few consist of an equal mix of males-females, literates-illiterates, young-old, Hesperian-Oriental etc… Along with them, go an equal mix of living / non-living things considered vital in human eco-system…

I am one of that select few!!”

Blue was looking awesome, as always, from the small window of the craft that was shuttling between Blue and Red. This was the last shuttle and then the chapter called earth will be shut forever. With a thousand questions running in my head and a lot of apprehension, I set foot on Red.

The life has changed, the meanings have changed; the world itself has changed for me. It was only two more days when the world I was used to, will be swiped out of existence. And all I could do is sit and watch the Blue’s destruction. But still I have thesoul left in my body; a sky, though of crimson color, is still above my head; I can still walk on firm grounds; and above all I have the spirit to explore a new world, spread out in front of me. With a heavy heart, I bid adieu to the world I had known, to reach out for the unknown and started the most gruesome journey I ever had.

The rucksack at my back, the sunglasses on my eyes, adjusted for a bigger sun in this world, and a mask for oxygen, I looked more like a Hitchhiker on a trail of the galaxy; remember “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”. To my amazement there was a bus service taking the immigrants from Blue to the place considered home on this not so conducive planet. I took the bus and was in a flash of a second at the entrance of a huge building resembling the white house with a huge wooden door.

As the doors opened, I found the first trace of activity going on inside. It was much like a small township being developed indoors. I strolled towards the reception looking at the ceiling, which was quiet a simulation of the sky on Blue. The receptionist was a pretty lady with blonde hair. She asked me my passport to Red. After some clicks, she handed over an envelope and a key and directed me towards the escalators. Inside the envelope, I found currency notes of crimson color. I reached my room #1130 and with the key in, an automated voice asked me for my name. I pronounced my name loud enough for the entire floor to hear and the doors flanged open. Inside, the room was the size of a regular studio apartment in DC. It had all the means for a human to survive on Red.

With the money stuffed into my pockets, and all the necessary amenities into my rucksack; I locked the room and set out to look for a means to move around. I found a small car that uses the ever abundant solar energy with a good amount of oxygen, enough for a person to survive for 90 days and two for 45 days. I bought the car and was in a jiff to leave the place, but my eyes landed on a small shop selling pets. It was a good idea to have a pet and bought a cute little squirrel to jump inside the pocket of my jacket.

I took out the car on the barren roads of Red and stepped onto the accelerator. I thought it to be much similar to the drives I had through the deserts of Blue, but the sudden burst of gas just next to the path I took made me realize that this is not going to be a cakewalk for me. I stuck my eyes to the path ahead and drove on. There was a trail left by someone else, good to know that there was another crazy immigrated to Red. I diverted from my chosen path to follow the trail and concentrated on the path ahead, looking around for something that would attract my attention.

I finally found it. It was a garden inside a glass house. I parked the car near the door to the glass house and stepped inside. The place was amazingly kept. It was filled up with all the beautiful plants and shrubs and even trees from Blue. I heard someone call out, “Didn’t you read the board outside?” He was an old man; heavy glasses resting on his nose, wrinkles round his eyes and hair all gray. I said, “Sorry?” “It says trespassers not allowed. So just get out of this place.” I didn’t understand, after all it was only a garden. “You dumb struck or what? Now don’t wait till I call the security.” the old man furious. With a note of apology I came out but didn’t want to leave. Out of curiosity, I started walking along the periphery of the glass house. It was quiet big for a garden. I was appreciating the collection of the flora inside, which suddenly started turning weird. The plants I could see now were different. They were moving, sanguine in color and scary to look at, resembling predators of all those fictionla movies I had seen. Didn’t know, which category to put them under, flora or fauna?

Now, I was all the more interested in finding out what the hell was going on. I was so engrossed that I didn’t see the grotesque shadow like figure next to me. It was of a security guard of some sort. As I was about to say something, he punched an injection into my upper arm. Everything blacked out.

When I woke up, I saw myself in a small cell with nothing but a small peep hole. My belongings were taken away and so were my keys of the car. I was baffled. Trying to calm my heart rate down, I gave reasons to myself like, this, probably, is a nightmare. But it was not, it was worse than that. I was devoid of all the senses of time and direction, felt like a lost soul in the huge huge universe. I heard a squeak, and the squirrel jumped out of the pocket. I got an idea. It was my only chance. I sent out the squirrel through the peep hole hoping for it to return with something I could use for. There was a sound of some sort of babble outside and the door flanged open. The two security guards were fighting with each other. They shot each other. I ran out, picked up the squirrel and started carefully down the corridor. I was passing by a closed door, when I heard something about the Armageddon. It was a familiar voice. With a little pressure on my brains, I realized, it was the voice of the president of the “Project Red”.

The voice was remorseful; for they had caused the destruction of Blue. As the fact dawned to me that the Armageddon was human triggered, a conspiracy of the governments; a thunderous sound made me almost deaf. Everyone started pouring out of all the doors and kept running, ignoring the intruder inside. I too, followed the steps. Once outside, I could see the fireworks in the sky. Blue was in huge flames, Moon was cracking apart; the war of good and evil had begun. Another shrill, and to the horror of all supposedly safe humans on Red, a huge chunk of moon flying across the sky, was descending right on the spot. Panic struck, people were running from death, which was inevitable.

The war ended with the end of the creators of the war, humans. The galaxy rested in peace thereafter.

Hanging in the middle...

I had a funny incident today. In the afternoon, as me and my friends started for the lunch. We took the second elevator for going upstairs to the 7th Floor. There were quiet many people inside, say about 10. The elevator was going at a steady pace and by the time it was about to reach the 7th floor...Boom...there was a huge sound and the elevator stopped. But the doors didnt open. My friend was standing next to the user panel, so she pushed the Open-Door button quiet a number of time but to no avail. Somebody yelled push 6th Floor button, we can go down. It didnt work. Somebody suggested to press any damn button. Nothing worked. So we just kept pressing the alarm button. Please somebody come and take us out. Another voice came, call the reception. A person tried from his cell...but damn the airtel network...there was no signal. Thankfully, my cell had FULL B-) network. So I called up the reception and told the receptionist that we all are stuck in the lift, send someone to rescue us :D. She said people are on their way and we will be out soon. Till that time, people started talking...I heard someone asking to call parents, some were worried about their insurance :D. And after gruesome 10 mins, the lights in the lift went out and the door opened a bit. We could clearly see that we were somewhere in the middle of the 6th and the 7th floor. And suddenly, the lights came on and the doors got closed and the lift started moving downwards. It didnt stop anywhere but directly on the 3rd floor. Everybody rushed out. It was such a relief to finally be out of the lift :D.

Changing the looks!!

Hello Everyone!!

Well I am trying to change the blog appearance, so kindly bear with the intermittent problems like the font color. I am in the process of changing it, but due to some problem I have lost the connection with blogger :-(.

Will be able to bring back the blog into a readable form by tommorrow :-).

Flying high in the sky...

I dont know why, but somehow I had never had any flying experience till now. But a few days ago, I finally made it to the sky. I had my first fligh experience. The experience was so overwhelming, I thought of writing a post on it. So here I am to share what I felt when I had wings :-).

My first flight's departure time was 8:45 P.M. and out of before-the-time habit I had reached the airport at around 7:30 itself. After doing the checkin and getting my first boarding pass ever in my hand, me and my friend looked out for a good place to sit and look around. By the way, I didnt like the bangalore airport at all. It was no match to what I had imagined the airport of the silicon valley of India to be, an utter disappointment.

Well we chattered away looking at people, thinking about the wedding we were going to attend in Delhi and Beep-Beep, I got a message. It was from a friend telling me "Its raining hard". 'Oh My God'. We both turned immediately towards the terminal gate nearest to us to have a look at whats going outside and indeed it was raining heavily :-(. And then we heard the announcements, due to bad weather the outgoing flights had been delayed. I was wondering, "Why this has to happen to me?". But cant help it, so we sat around for some more time. I thought of taking some snaps for my memories of the first experience of the airport. As I ducked into my handbag to fetch the camera I realized...oh Shucks...I left my batteries inside the baggage :-(. So with a heavy heart of missing on the oppurtunity to capture those moments I sat quietly listening to Radio Mirchi and counting each and every second to the departure.

Finally the call for the security check for IT208 was called out. Me and my friend jumped off from the seat and headed towards the security check. Once outside the terminal, we realized that it was still pouring heavily from the sky. Due to all the sudden rush, there were not enough coach vans to take us to the flight. So we had to wait till other coach vans were fetched. Slowly the van took us around airport and neared our flight. It was such a good thing to see all those huge manmade birds standing in and around the place. And with the rain it was all the more exciting :-).

We boarded the flight and I got the window seat :-). Was just peeping outside to see the rain and the other flights. Once all the passengers had boarded they started with the welcome-on-board and instructions to be followed during the flight duration. The instructions were shown by the very gorgeous Yana Gupta on the small TVs in the front. Waise....the airhostesses were also not less than Yana Gupta :D. Anyways, it was time for the take off...I was already loaded with so many instructions from my well-wishing friends about the effects of take-off, that I decided to take their advice and stuffed my ears with cotton wool. The engines running, the aircraft started to move...it took around 5 mins for the aircraft to reach the runway. It was simply an awesome sight. The aircraft started picking up speed and with a jerk the front tyres were off the tarmac and slowly the rear ones too. We were flying....yoooohoooo... :-). The aircraft was in a tilted position and moving steadily upwards. The TV monitor in front of me was telling me the altitude, speed and the outside temperature continuosly. I had some weird feelings in my stomach whiles the ascent upwards, but the scene outside the window was too good to worry about all that :D. I could see the banglore city in the darkness, it looked as a sky beneath with thousand bright yellow stars. Slowly the rain against my window had started to be completely horizontal and then drying off. I could see beneath the dark clouds that were showering over bangalore. In sometime the flight hit the altitude of around 10,500 m above the land, the speed was somewhere around 800 kmph and the outside temperature was around -40 degrees...whooooo..that made me feel cold inside :D.

The flight was meant for to be of two and half hours but due to air traffic near the Delhi airport, the flight was hovering over Agra and later over Delhi. Finally we were told that we are landing. All passengers sighed for relief of finally getting off the plane. The descent was also quiet an experience for my stomach and my ears...I felt as if my ears were closed out. But it was overall a good experience :-). We set foot on the tarmac at around 12:30 am..the scheduled arrival was 11:15 pm :D.Though I had experiences of delayed flight and all, the feel of flying in the air for the first time was too good :-).

My flight back was also an experience. It was ontime :D...he he he. But the best part was that it was a morning flight :-). So I could see the clear blue sky from my window and white cotton balls underneath. If I try and imagine heaven, it would have a similar flooring :D. Overall the experince in the air was too good :-).

Khayali Pulao

Our Brain is one of the best cooks of this world. It can cook the most spicy, chatpati and delicious stories. Now this is one khayali pulao (or rather a virtual date) cooked by me and my friend :-D.

She is from b'lore and he, from hyd. One fine day she doesnt feel like sitting in the office anymore, calls him and asks him to take her to a movie. He, like any other guy :D, takes the next flight and comes to b'lore. After a lot of heated discussion they finally went to watch a movie. In the interval there was popcorn and cold drinks, cold drink with two straws :P.

After movie was the question "What next?". He feels hungry and asks her out for dinner. She wants dinner in a candle-lit restaurant :D. So they decide to go to a restaurant overlooking Husaain Sagar Lake. They took the next flight to Hyd and soon were sitting on a romantic dinner table :D. It was the perfect place, a candle lit table laden with good food overlooking the lake with the moon-lit sky above. Everything seemed so perfect, but is there a perfect world?..naah :D. She found something wrong with the food, it was the smell of egg...and she is allergic to it :D. She was not able to eat any more. He asks her for a ice-cream and she replies with a blush "One big sundae and two spoons" :D.

They planned to go out on a two-wheeler ride and he asked her to drive!!, she happily agreed. It was a black Honda Activa. She sped thorugh the lake side road, he started feeling tensed for the speed but she didnt care a bit, she was enjoying the chill and the air passing through her hair. He starts nagging for high speed and says that he shoudnt have trusted her. Screeeeeeeeech and she gives the keys to him [-(, her soul was hurted..how could he not trust her. He is sorry for his distrust and begs her to drive again :D. She is so ecstatic about it and she speeds up again...but oopssss the bike wont go beyond 80. She stops the activa and demands for a bike. Poor Him, he goes and gets a CBZ from a friend of his for her to drive :D. They are again off in the air enjoying the night and the moonlight at a fast pace ;).

Suddenly the bike comes to a halt. They are confused, fuel seems ok, and everything else seems to be fine but the bike wont start. They look around for someone for help and realize that they are in a very deserted place. Its dark and gloomy, she starts hearing strange sounds and is very very scared. He tries all the metal in him and kicks the bike for its stubborness @$@%#% :D. They dont know what to do next. He gets an idea....aah what a timing :D....asks for her mobile, after a long search in her small yet difficult to find anything bag, she declares that she forgot her mobile in the restaurant :D. He is furious, and she, as any other girl, starts crying :D, which he couldnt bear :P. He consoles her and calls for a cab from his "Only 2 Rs. Balance" mobile :D (talk of resourcefullness - 2 Rs saved for emergency :D)..

The cab will take 20 mins. For those 20 mins they click some cutie cutie snaps around the place ;) :D. Within 20 mins the cab was there and they hopped in. He asked the cab driver to take it to airport and then to his house. On this she got really upset, she insisted him to drop her home in banglore and then come back :D. So they fly on the latest flight to bangalore and reach there at 1 am. With a romantic good bye they part on the airport and thus ends the virtual date :D, with promises for more - A world cruise perhaps!...Lolzz :D.

So how was the pulao?? :D :D.

City of My Dreams!!

This one is for all of my friends from school and college and yup for all those people who hail from the wonderful city called "Bhopal".

I was kind of away from the city for say three years. And when I got the chance to be their again...I just hopped on the train and headed for the city. I had anticipated many changes and was kind of apprehensive that this modernisation might have changed my Bhopal. So, when i reached Bhopal, I kinda stepped out of the train with wary steps but full with excitement :-). It was 1:00 A.M. , the city was silent but it still looked so beautiful, as a lady draped in darkness. I just couldnt wait for the dawn to break so that I could go around and see the brighter side of it.

The day was all the more thrilling, starting from Jawahar chowk...my last home...then down the New Market main road, Top N Town, Roshanpura naka, down the road to Ravindra Bhawan, off to Lake side, Bharat Bhawan, and then the most beautiful view I saw in days...our very own 'Bada Talaab'. Then off to Kamla Park, Gauhar Mahal and swiftly onto the VIP road. Wow, the ride was so good, the same road on which I drove almost daily for four years, so many memories. While coming back I saw the perfect sunset, Sun sinking into the water of the Lake. The day was mesmerizing, set in the city I love the most :-).

During my drive through the town I noticed some very good things. Firstly the roads, after driving on the roads...rather streets of bangalore, bhopal roads were like the haven :-). I wish I had a bike and could just fly on the roads of Bhopal :D. The other thing that caught my attention were the murals on the squares and the road side walls by tribal people. I liked the concept of keeping bad posters and advertisements from creeping-in on the road side walls :-). And it looked pretty neat and artistic :-). I came to know that Bhopal was actually promoting a lot of art from nearby villages and tribal areas.

Well, next day I started off early in the morning. And this time, I covered the other side of the city. Starting from my house, through newly built Platinum Plaza (must say...amazing to see such structures in bhopal), then from Nankay (my regular petrol bunk) to the Link road, crossing Mayur Park (my childhood favorite) and from Chinar Park (place for our very entertaining GMs :D) taking a turn towards 5 no stop, Subhash School (abhivyakti garba nights...ooohh), then Bitthan Market (one of the most happening places now), towards 10 no. stop. Gosh it was a long way down the memory lane. But truly the best moments of my life spent over here.

Bhopal has always been the city of my dreams, and if not for practical reasons, I would love to spend the entire of my life in this peaceful city, amidst the lush green gardens and placid blue lakes. For me its the pradise, the ultimate city to live in :).

A Long Laccha Making Seesion!!

Last night my dear friend vini came over my place for a night stay. We both were meeting alone after a long time, so thus started out laccha making session at 11:45 in the night. We started with a topic that took all sorts of twists and turns and finally we landed up discussing anything and everything under sun ;-). This laccha session ended with one of us ludhkofying at 4 in the morning :D.

But those four and a half hours were so refreshing. It reminded me of my college days, we used to have long laccha sessions, talking hours together for no reason. And the best part is you dont even feel tired and sleepy once you are in the 4th gear of laccha-gaddi :D. Though the next day will be completely sluggish and a complete waste. But I dont mind a day of sleepiness for those few tension-free hours of excitement and complete fun :-).

Thanx Vini for coming over and making that memorable :-).

Wedding Bells..Ding Dong...

No baba...am not getting married. But have noticed that so many people around me are getting married. The wedding bells are going on and on from all directions. There is a line up of marriages for me to attend ;-) (....means lotsa fun and masti for me :D).

But it seems as if all the hearts are pounding around me. Everyone is hit by the cupid. Everything is so mushy-mushy and sweet, I am worried that I might become diabetic :D.

It seems its the match-making season again :D and there are many hearts getting united. Now what shall I call this...a chain of "barbaadis" or a grand fete of good food and masti-masala for others :D. Whatever its good for me...so I am so happy about people getting "barbaad" :D.

Anyways...here is me wishing all the couples getting united, a very happy married and loveful life :-).

Kabhi Kabhi

Main aur meri Kine...
aksar ye baatein karte hain
road achi hoti toh aisa hota
flyovers hote toh waisa hota
potholes ke bina jhatke kitne kam hote
manholes ke bina sadak kitni chikni hoti


Main aur meri Kine...
aksar ye baatein karte hain
traffic na hota toh aisa hota
speedbreaker ke bina waisa hota
pollution ke bina hum khul ke saans lete
signal ke bina hum hawa se baatein karte

Main aur meri Kine...

Siskiyan

Tode saare khwaab maine,
bikheri saari khushiyan.
Maine hi chupaya chand ko,
gira diye saare taare asmaan se.
Mitaya maine hi indradhanush ko,
chura li phoolon ki khusboo.
Khud hi bichaye raaste pe kaantein,
bujha di jeevan se roshini.
Bhare maine hi aankhon mein aansoo,
cheen li labon ki hansi.
Choda maine hi zindagi ka aanchal,
chuta ummeed ka daaman.
Reh gaya mere dil mein dard,
aur meri aankhon mein Siskiyan.

Red Means Stop

I was really amazed at seeing "Red Means Stop" written on one of the signals in bangalore and started laughing that do this need to be taught to people. But lately it seems it is required. I guess many bangaloreans dont know the meaning of red in traffic signals or else they have become color blind.

Recently, I have seen this trend too many times in bangalore, people breaking the traffic signal rules and speeding across a Red Signal. With a woofing traffic on the roads, this habit is a very fatal one, not just for them but for everyone else who are driving on these roads. I have myself escaped quiet a few accidents because of others breaking the signal. And the worst part is, they dont even accept their mistakes. Say them something and they scoff at you. God, what kind of educated people are these?

I guess we need to spread this message around and have more stricter system to avoid this. Atleast teach people that "Red means stop".

When!!

When I look at the moon,
I see you smiling at me;
When I glance around the stars,
I find you winking at me;
When I try to look at the sun,
I feel the intensity of your love for me;
When I walk on the shore,
I see you rushing towards me;
When I hear the birds,
I hear you singing for me;
When a breeze passes by me,
I feel as if you embraced me;
When I hold a flower in my hand,
I see you admiring me in my lap;
When I am standing in the rain,
I feel the slight touch of yours on my face;
When I smell the fresh earth,
I smell your breath in it;
When I see the mirror,
I can see you in my eyes.

Dream...

Toh mar jao”, he said as he got up and started for the house.
“Tum yehi chahte ho na ki main mar jaon”, she said with a calm voice sitting on the chair, “Then do one thing, mujhe utha ke wahan phenk do.”
He stopped, looked at her with all the ire he had inside him and leaped to pick her up. She felt the grip of his hand across her waist and a sudden jerk and she was in the air and then splash, into the water. She saw him walking away into the house through the thin film of water across her face.
The world started sinking in front of her eyes. The sky was drifting away; the sounds were fading with every passing fraction of a second. All her life flashed across her eyes and she could hardly think anymore. Within few moments she had reached the bottom of the pool, bottom of her world and the wick of her life was out.

Though I don’t see dreams usually but this one I had seen during my train journey and was marked distinctly in my memory.

Coming Home!!

As I opened the door, a heavy gust of wind blew on my face. My nose got filled with the smell of the fresh earth. My eyes were bejeweled by the sky, full of shinier stars than what I usually see. I stood there holding the bars and peeking outside. The chill was making my hands ache but the feel of the air and the environment was not letting me come in and close the door. All the pain was subsided by just one feeling, presence of being in the place I longed to be at. At last, I was back at home.

My Base Shifting!!

Last week was a very eventful week for me. With my Demo on tuesday I suddenly didnt have any work left to do...gosh its so difficult to sit idle after a long month of only work in life. But I had a really nice week. Many things worked out and many changes happened. My comapny shifted to a new and much bigger building and thus even I had to shift into a new place. Searching a house in Bangalore is the biggest headache of life...phew...but with much efforts from me, my now-roomie, her friend and my best friend...we finally found a decent place to stay. Thus I had a complete shift of the base...from working place to living place...that too a drastic change of living in a PG and in a house. But I had one of the best sleep in bangalore in my own room though all my luggage was spread across the floor...but whatever it was my own room...the feeling was so good.

With a week filled with no work and so many changes...I feel replenished and fully charged to work again. Seroiously one should have some time off in between of the work to experience the life and enjoy the moments and refuel oneself :-).

An Orgy this weekend

After much planning and postponing we finally had our Paratha Party at Mipple's place. And thus started a TLTE orgy :-) and loads of fun filled hours :-).

Well the time when we were supposed to reach at the venue (Mipple's house) was 11:30 and as usual I was the first person to reach there and waited for another half an hour before Adi turned up. As Adi came, Mipple took him to fetch the ingredients for the party leaving me alone in the big big house...well I didnt mind that part ;-)... but i dont know why guys take so much of time to get things :-?...anyways in the meanwhile Vini and Samyak came and Samyak left to get Prankul as he didnt knew the way. And what good is Vini...she was stuck to her mobile phone as usual...why dont the Fevicol people take her in their Ads :-D. So I just timepassed around listening to RadioCity.

Then came Mipple and Adi...and with that loads of work to do :-D. We started with first washing the vegetables..mind it samyak washed the tomatoes (some work he did ;-) ) and then Prankul, Adi and Vini were given the work to start cutting the stuff for salad and also chillies and Ginger. And inside the kitchen me and Mipple started the work for making the parathas. I was really impressed by the way Mipple made the dough...never knew guys can be so good at it. Finally me and Mipple were ready, he with the dough and myself with the potato filling...yeah not to forget...Samyak was the person who helped me with the spices ;-)....but ohh...where is the ginger....our very own vini aka ginger lady was still cutting ginger :-D...but finally it was added leaving some ginger still in her hand to be cut ;-).

Then started the real work of making the parathas...with Mipple with the belan and myself with the spatula...it was an awesome though tiring experience of making parathas for so many people...in between we had these people coming in and shooting the making of the parthas...in the end Vini came to bake the final paratha...for which we all...mind it...even the guys had to give her loads of instructions ;-)...and then the surprise part...Samyak tried his hand at the belan and made a fine paratha resembling a map of ummmmmmmmm....dont know :-D...which only he had to eat.

With the parathas ready and waiting to be devoured..it was so difficult to resist...but :-( Prankul was busy with a special call ;-)..finally we had to pester him and get him inside to start the party :-D. We all just relished on the food we had prepared with so much of effort. And in the end me, Mipple and Vini did the cleaning part...with Mipple at the sink, myself cleaning the kitchen and Vini cleaning the living room and ofcourse Samyak to pass us the dust collector :-D. And we ended the day with a huge bumps session for Samyak. Thanks a lot Samyak..this was my first literally bumps giving experience ;-).

This was one of the best times I had in b'lore. With the spices we added spices of masti..loads of laughter and fun...with music and not to forget a very short-lived antakshari...and lots of dancing and making fun of each other...with photo sessions going on and also some movie making :-D. I never knew that the food made with friends tastes this good. It was the taste of our friendship and the sweetness of it made it so much memorable. Thanx a lot for the wonderful time and I hope I have many more such times to keep on adding to the golden memory of our friendship :-).

Giggles to Guffaws

Hee Hee Hee Hee Hee...
He He He He He...
Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho...
Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha...

I have neither gone mad nor am I taking any laughter sessions ;-). But lately I have started noticing how people laugh. And believe me, its really very interesting and damn entertaining :-D.

Every person has his/her own unique style of laughing. Some have a very sweet barely audible giggle and some have close-your-ear types roaring guffaws. Some people laugh with a hesitation and that creates a very strange sound. Some are bindaas types who just laugh openly. But any type of laughter, its so contagious. Once you hear a person laughing, ok fine you might be able to control not to laugh but, wont be able to stop yourself from atleast smiling :-). Laughter actually tickles your heart, dont you think so ;-).

Have you ever watched kids laugh. Its really a marvellous sight to see them laugh. Once started, its really difficult for them to control their laughter, I guess. There's is so pure and innocent laughter that it just steals your heart.

And I dont know why but most of the females hesistate to laugh openly. They will just smile widely or giggle a bit. Is it against the rules that a woman laughs aloud? Anyways, am least bothered and laugh out as I wish to :-).

Some of the laughs that have been distinct from others are:

• my friend's elder brother, infact he was the person who inspired me to start noticing laughters. His is out of the world, can-listen-from-yards laughter, which I simply adore :-).
• One of the laughters that will definitely make you laugh is that of our very own Navjot Singh Siddhu. It was that laughter that made me laugh, more than the jokes in the 'Great Indian Laughter Challenge'.
• The other one I like is of my cousin brother here. He also just laughs with an open heart. Though he is quiet boisterous in his laugh but its the feel-good laughter :-).
• One laughter that is famous worldwide is the Gabbar laughter.
• One of my friends from college. She is also a kid when it comes to laughter. Infact, if you dont stop making her laugh she will be holding her stomach and rolling on the floor :-D.
• The best and the sweetest laughter I have seen and heard is of my nephew. He is just two and a half years old and I just love his laugh. And its so easy to make him laugh, just show one finger and he starts giggling, touch him with the finger and he bursts into a guffaw...wow...I can right now see him laughing aloud and m rejoicing in his laughter :)).

Its so very true, Laughter is the best medicine. It makes you forget your worries and makes you feel so light. So laugh out and laugh like you have never laughed before :-).

"Life is no brief candle for me.
It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment,
and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations."
- George Bernard Shaw

I read this quote on the first page of the novel I started yesterday. Liked it a lot so thought of sharing it. :-)

Past Few Reads

Lately, I have tried to read more variety. I have come out of the world of books from the likes of John Grisham, Mario Puzo, Erich Segal etal. I had some interesting reads and am here to share my experiences about them :-).

Jonathan Livingston Seagull
This was the first novel in this novel novel reading session of mine :-D. A very small one, can be finished in half an hour but having a big impact. It doesnt have a word written about humans, its all about seagulls, yet it teaches us how to take challenges how to look out of the box. Its all about pursuing what you feel is the right thing, not what everyone else is doing. And apart from this, the book has an excellent collection of snaps of seagulls throughtout. I am not a good writer, so might not be able to write the gist of the book very clearly, so I ask everyone one of you to check out this one. And I will soon try to get my hands on another Richard Bach book.

To Kill a Mocking Bird
This was a very sweet and warm novel. It was set in the backdrops of a small town in US. Narrated from the view of a small girl, it is a slow yet interesting depiction of the life in a small town. Its about the mindsets and how folklore works. Though its a simple story but it never lets boredom slip in. A nicely and effectively written book.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time
I got this book as my birthday gift. The title itself made me curious enough to start it immediately. It is really a complete turn around from what I usually read. The book is about a 15-year old boy, who is different from normal human beings. He is devoid of human emotions and has a more of a computer in his head rather than a human brain. He is kinda autistic person with a sharp brain which is a complex calculator. The world from his eyes is fetching. Though towards the end it becomes a bit draggy, but overall a good read. Thanks mipple for gifting that book to me :-).

God's Debris
A book from the author of "Dilbert", Scott Adams. This book will baffle you, make you think, make your mind go topsy-turvy. According to the author its a thought experiment. It really makes you, atleast for time being, challenge the very facts and basis of life. It boggles the mind to think in a very different direction, contradicting the set thinking we develop through our lifetime. This book is meant for all those people who like to venture into the unknown of the psyche, to unleash the imagination and go on a adventurous trip in the wild thoughts. A must read for all the people who like adventure and mysterious things.

Blasphemy
Oh My God!! will be the first reaction, if one asks me about the book. Written by Tehmina Durrani, the award winning author, this book is a fictional story based on a girl named 'Heer'. It is a heart-wrenching story of torments and evils done in the hide of religion. It portrays a satan protecting the religion. But its becomes an overdose of brutality and filth. It really makes your heart ache and filled with anger and hatred. God forbid, this kinda thing should never become reality. This book shouldnt be read if one just wants to have entertainment. It tells you the tale about how low a human can go, how much devil can captive a human mind.

I had a great experience reading these out of the way novels. And thus I am going to continue reading different stuff and explore in the realms unknown to me.

Was it a year??

[Firstly, a very happy new year to all the people who drop by my blog :-)...hope to see more traffic this year ;-) and sorry for updating late...was damn busy with work.]

2005 - Was it really just one year? It seemed like a decade to me!! So many things happened, so many things left behind, so many things new in the life, so many changes in and around me. It seemed as if I am living somebody else's life.

Jan, 2005 - I stepped into bangalore with stars in my eyes. I was full with apprehension but with lotsa zeal to tap into a new world, a new life. But as time went past, I realized that this was not what I had dreamt of, the life, rather the world, was vastly different from my imagination. I experieneced so many new things. And my craving for my former life kept on increasing by each passing day and night. I started cribbing for my decision of doing my internship. I was totally irritated by the new life. All I used to do was live in memories. I was not only missing the recent things in my life, I started thinking about and missing the long lost and previously forgotten days. I was at loggerheads with the present and didnt want to come out of my past.

But as they say, time heals all wounds. So were my wounds healed, but in the process of healing I was transformed. I was no more the same old kosha, I underwent tremendous changes, many good and a few bad too. I became more calm and serene...I lost my innocence towards the world. Now I know this world and am a part of it.

Till now I have only written about the things that I lost. But it was an year of give and take. I gained as much as I lost. I met and made many very good friends. Though its a part of life to make new friends but for me the number just soared in leaps and bounds. I, being a born introvert, had never expected to make so many friends. For that I will definitely thanks orkut. This was indeed the first time that I made online friends. But as time passed I realized that its not wise to have toooo many friends. You loose the closeness with friends in trying to keep up with all. Things became tangled up, life became so complicated. You tend to realize it when ypu have many many friends, and loads of work and deadlines approaching. I had never experienced this before. Where was my care-free life, Where was my always ready with a solution attitude? I suddenly started feeling much matured and old. It was as if the childhood of a child was snatched away. The sky was devoid of its moon.

One more change that I saw was, I got a bit detached from the family life. Living alone and with friends made me little less sensitive towards family. Which I am gonna change in this year, coz ultimately its family, which is utmost important. And I dont wanna loose on that front ever.

The other major thing in 2005 was becoming responsible and start my job. I faced many problems initially in adjusting and adapting to the work environment. I still am in the process though. I gained a sense of responsibility, a sense of belonging. I felt independent, confident. I now know that I can survive in this world.

Another milestone added in my life was - blogging. Blogs helped me improve on writing, though I still feel that I am an amateur, they hepled me to understand myself, detangle my random thoughts and organize them, they were a gateway to my unexplored regions.

Overall, year 2005 was the most different and the lengthiest year till now of my journey of 24 years. It will always be etched in my memory as a milestone year.