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.

Another Leaf from my diary

Life, What does it mean to me
a game, a path, a war, a prayer
or just a creation of GOD.

Whatever it is, its so beautiful
filled with the colors of joy
like a sunshine in the clear blue sky.

Its pure, like the water
of the rivers that flow down
the mountains of the world.

Its as vast as the universe,
the universe, which has baffled
each and every of us.

But a life is a life,
it can be as huge as an ocean,
or as small as an ant.

It can be as pretty as a rose,
and as ugly as a corpse,
depending who owns it.

Some Beautiful Moments

I had not written about some things in my account of the Habba. And the things had even slipped out of my mind. But when I was going through the snaps taken that day, that face brought back a smile to my face and all those small small but beautiful moments :-).

Well, there was this sweet little girl sitting in front of us. For her, I guess we were the performers :-D. But it felt really nice to have her attention, to make her laugh, to make her dance like we were dancing. She was soooooooo cute, we even took a snap of her with due permissions from her mother. But seriously, Kids give you that happy-happy feeling :-). They are so pure-hearted, no dirt in their mind. They remind of the good times I had in my childhood. So children will always be close to my heart :-).

In the other incident, we had turned into kids ;-). We attracted many a stares towards us by making soap bubbles in the air and that too standing on the chairs :-D. This was the most fun part of that evening. I was just thrilled and kept on blowing bubbles in the air. It again brought back some memories of my days in BITS...how me and my friends had blowed bubbles for hours together and had become an object of glance by all the passer-bys.

And last but not the least, I drove a bike. yippppeee yooooohoooooo....well this was not the first time..but yes it was after a long time :-). I am not that bad at driving the bike B-). And with few more practices like this...I will be ready to give a tough time to guys ;-).

I dont know if anyone will read this post of mine. But I am writing this coz its about all the small things that one has. The big moments are very few. That doesnt mean one cannot be happy for the rest of the time. Its these small small moments that give you Big Happiness. And writing about these things today gave me another round of that happiness :-). So, this post is for all those tinsy-winsy things that are the elixir for me to live happily in this world :-).

Saathi!!

This is a reply to a question asked to me a few days ago....

Can I forget,
Meeting a person like him?
Can I forget,
The long late night talks we had?
Can I forget,
The pampering I get from him?
Can I forget,
The "yes" for anything I say?
Can I forget,
The adoration I get from him?
Can I forget,
The things I could do, just coz of him?
Can I forget,
The best mentor I had in my life?
Can I forget,
The person to whom I can tell anything?
Can I forget,
Those eyes, that face, that smile?
Can I forget,
One of my closest friend???

The Mega Giga Events

From Friday night onwards there were three mega events as a part of bangalore habba in palace grounds. Fortunately or unfortunately i could attend only two of them. Here is my account for those two.

9th Dec:

This was the day when my ears were blessed by the enchanting music from two of India's leading personalities. One was, the living master of bansuri, Padmabhushan and PadmaVibhushan Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia. And the other maestro, one of the best known classical vocalists in India, Padmabhushan Pandit Jasraj. First, it was Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia who entralled the audience in the divine sound created by a simple bamboo stick. I, wondered, how can a instrument as simple as a flute create so much of magic. And I really admired his stamina, for he could pump in so so much of air into it for such a long time..phew!! The next was a solo performance by Pandit Jasraj. His voice was charming, soothing to hear to. Then came the best part of the show, the jugalbandi. It was like a play between two gods. The audience was held spell bound. The performance was so gripping, that I guess nobody moved. Time just flied away and it was 10 pm in the night. The show came to an end. But it left me with a yearn for more. I was satisfied, yet had a pine to listen to it all the way again. I can still close my eyes and listen to the bansuri...bringing a smile to my face. :-).

As soon as the performances by the maestros was over, we started and were coming out. I was on the second step, when I heard them say "Dhol Foundation"...I instantly turned around and asked my friend if we can see this too. Most of the people had left. But believe me, whoever stayed back would have never regretted for that.

The Dhol Foundation is a UK based band, led by Johnny kalsi. The band has five drummers...dhol waalahs, one on dholak, one on drums and two on guitars. The band has fuses the urban music with the dhols and music from the villages of punjab. This was their first performance in India. And the audience just gave in to these dhol waalahs with their "electric" dhols (yup...even i saw it for the first time). Overall, the numbers were too good....make u tap ur foots and even jump. The intensity of it I saw, when there was an elderly grey haired man jumping off his feet on the rhythm of the band. I could hardly see anyone sitting during the entire act...it just filled everyone present with so much of energy and enthu. Anyone fond of percussion instruments (which are my fav instruments) should not miss out on the "Dhol Foundation".

11th Dec:

Next in pipeline was the "Bollywood Nite". We reached their on the right time. We just came in and the show was on a roll. The first performance was by a singer called Ishaan. The moment he sang the first song of the show, we thought...are we at the right place? Shall we just get up and leave? The next two songs were just adding fuel to the flame. But then came in the next performer, Lalit pandit, of the jatin-lalit fame. At that time we were like...ok. He sang some of the best numbers of his career.

Then came the best part of the show. Performance by my fav, Shaan :-) :-). The public also just went wild with Shaan on stage. He started with his first song for jatin-lalit, "Tune mujhe pehchaana nahin" from movie Raju Chacha. And then came a series of all his hit songs. My favs like "Musu Musu Haasi" and "Tanha Dil". You can see the magic of his voice everywhere, people swaying back and forth with every tone of the music. Girls going just over the top on this good looking and ever smiling hunk. He even danced for the song "Main Aisa Kyon Hoon" and "You are the one for me". And he ended his performance with the biggest hit of the year, "Dus bahaane karke le gaye dil" :-) and he took away the hearts of the all the people present in the palace grounds.

Then came a singer with one of the most sweetest voice, Alka Yagnik. She sang some really good numbers. The environment became so soothing with her melodious and balming voice. Followed up by her was a High-Energy performance by "The Dance Diva" of India, Yana Gupta. The guys just went crazy for the beautiful dame on the stage. You should have heard how the public roared and revelled.

After all the dancing and singing, there was time for some ramp walks. The first fashion show was from the Pantaloon Stores. Then was the marvellous collection from the studio of Vikram Phadnis. Got to see some of very good designs and yes ofcourse some very comely models and ooohhh some hunks too ;-).

Then Alka yagnik came again and sung yet another set of songs from her long list of hits. And lastly the day was called off with a superb item number from Yana Gupta. And with this the Bangalore Habba came to an end. I had a nice time during this Bangalore habba and will look forward to it with all the more eagerness next year :-). Till then bbye bangalore habba!!