Break

Exams approaching..
Would be back next week....

Cya till then.......

The Green Grass

Its not the question that matters..
Its the answer actually..
The question HAS to be asked to the RIGHT person..
Coz all the other answers would take you nowhere...

Sitting in my 4 by 4 cubcile I wondered...
What does it take to move from this cramped cubicle to a classy cabin !!!
Someone shouted from adjacent cubile..
"Get an MBA..Thats what I would do.. And in 2 years times I would be in and u still be in this dingy 4 by 4"

Hmmmmm...

A month later the adjacent cubicle was being cleared..
The fellow resigned..
Moving to some B school it seems..
This followed by numerous mails and pics of "fun" he was having there...
It sure DID look like fun...

Hmmmmmm...

Anyways, the job suck..
Why not give it a shot...
And if HE can do it, so can I..
That was the worst thing to take on ego I must say...
A few months later, even my cubicle was being cleaned off...

A few later here, that 4 by 4 seems to be the best place to be in the world...
Those war rooms..
Those one on ones...
Those S1s..
Those con calls..
Those STs..
Those late nights...
Those sad coffees...
Those stake sandwiches...

Each of them seem to be the BEST things life has to offer..

And the best part..
The pay cheque at the end of the month...

In an attempt to get that Honda CRV, I parted with my Discover also... :(

If nothing, atleast I was "financially" independant..

Now, sitting in this huge library I wonder..
What does it take to get back to that 4 by 4...
Even 2 by 2 would do..

Everyday someone or other go bankrupt..
Someone or other does a fraud..
70,000+ job cuts in a month worldwide..
More than 20,000+ on the axe..
People are dying for a job..
And I donated mine...
Voluntarily..
What on earth was I thinking????

Life is indeed hard...
In comparison with everything else..

The grass as usual is greener on the other side...

God knows where the world is heading to..

Wada paao stall seems to be the best option right now..
Or bhajiya...
Even a mughlai paan stall would do...
Or may be singing in trains...

My economics prof says society pay more to educated people..
Even more to graduates..
Even more to those with "professional" degrees..
Even more to those with a "masters" degree..

I say BALLS to him..

Ordeal

Am tired of people asking me my daily schedule..
Daily routine..
Daily time tables..
How I go about the chores...

Blah blah blah...
Followed by more blah blah(s)..

Read this once and for all..
Nd dont eat my head ever again...

Dobara mat poochnaa...

8:00 AM

Alarm rings..
Alarm snoozed..
Still gotta time !!!

8:15 AM

15 minutes more !!!

8:30 AM

Mmmmmm.. ya ya.. getting up..

8:40 AM

O shit.. am late !!!

Million dollar question..
To bath or to brush??
Billion dollar answer..
Neither..

Yuk!!!

Whatever...

You'll be sleeping anyways...

8:45 AM

This stinks..
This is not ironed..
Just wear anything you eediot..

8:50 AM

Wheres my name plate damn it !!!

8:55 AM

Shit shit shit...

8:58 AM

Awesome...
Made it...

9:05 AM

Zzzzzzzzzzzz...
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....

This is how my day starts..
Everyday..
Well.. Almost...

Reaching the class in time is the first ordeal...

10:30 AM

Get up dude..
Class is over..
Lets go for breakfast...

11:00 AM

Dont tell me its her lecture again !!!!
Zzzzzzzzzzzz...
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....

12:30 AM

What??
Next lecture at 3 ??
You are my BESTEST friend....

Zzzzzzzzzzzz...
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....

2:45 PM

The moment of realization..
I havent come this far to sleep..
Am here to study..
Focus..
Concentrate..

This is what I call "mid life crisis"
Focussing is the next ordeal..

3:05 PM

Zzzzzzzzzzzz...
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....

5:00 PM

Cricket??
TT??
Football??
Jogging??

7:30 PM

Did I brush teeth in the morning???
When did I bath last??
Should I now??
Or can wait !!!

This part of the day is called "THE BIG ?"
Where in life throws questions one after another and you stand dumbstuck !!!
Ordeal of indecisiveness...

8:30 PM

Aaarrrghhhhhhhhh...
Same old stale dinner...
Not again !!!!!!!

9:00 PM

The moment of realization...
The sequel..
And just like all the sequels...
It sucks..

9:30 PM

Library?
Leadership hall?
Einsteins den?
Dorm?
7-11??

10:00 PM

What??
We got a quiz tomorrow???
THREE of them???
Am screwed..
Why did I come here??

This is the better part of the day..
Ordeal of race against time...


12:00 AM

How much dude??
2 down 2 to go....

2:00 AM

Done..
DONE??? ASSIGNMENT ALSO???
We got an assignment also???????????
@#$*%^&&*%%#$%# ......

3:00 AM

Whats the limit??
3 pages.. 1000 words...
Shit..

4:00 AM

Done.. Whats more for tomorrow??
Naah... That would be all...
Come down for an ice tea..

4:30 AM

This part of the day is the BEST..
After a HARD day's work..
Go to the dorm..
Yank in the AC..
Pull over the blanket..
Ordeal for hoping tomorrow be an easier day...

Zzzzzzzzzzzz...
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....

The cycle repeats the next day..
In exactly the same manner..
Covering exactly the same events...

Sunday ho ya Monday...
Everyday..

Bull Shit

World population: 6,706,993,152
Zodiac Signs: 12
Zodaic per head: 558916096

Now..
How can 558916096 people have the SAME forecast everyday ???

How can 558916096 aquarians succeed in their jobs today?
How can 558916096 capricorns would loose the one they love today??
How can 558916096 geminis would find a long lost friend today???

Makes sense to you?
Not to me atleast !!!

And its not that only a section specific believes in it..
Fan club ranges from illiterates to corporate honchos..

Had it been palmistry, it still might have made some sense..
Its indivialistic...

But daily horoscopes ?????

And if this wasnt enough we have a set of people who matche horoscopes before marriage...

The basis of which is the birth time..
The location of stars and the moon and sun and what not at the "birth time" !!

Can someone tell me WHAT exactly is a "birth time" ??

Biologically, a child is "born" as soon as it is conceived..
How in this world anyone gonna get THAT time ???

Even if you say its the time when child comes out...
How much out??

Head?
Toe?
Entire body???

Do we have someone with a stopwatch calculating the time???

Given the speed of universe, the position of stars change in a matter of seconds !!!!
Why should someone be stamped "unlucky" for a faulty clock in the operation theater?????????

Everytime we are down in deep shit, we look upto the stars and curse them !!!!
Bloody what the hell have THEY done to make your life miserable??
By the laws of light year, they are shining from the time, not even your great grand fathers were in picture..

Its all simple and plain BULL SHIT..
In which I fail to understand why people believe..

Cant we have faith in us??
Cant we believe in something called "hardwork"??
Something called "dedication" ????
Something called "passion" ??????
Something called "will" ????

What can those innocent stars can do if you slept entire night instead of preparing for the big day????

Ya ya now dont irritate me more...
I know there can be N number of arguments over this...
Religious..
Mathematical..
Cultural..
Of all sorts in between...

I dont care..
I dont give a damn..

From where I stand...
I just see a few stars...

Lighting up a dark sky..
Showing us the way..

Faire-la-Fete

Finally, the day arrived for which we all worked like cats and dogs..

And it canvassed the emotions depicted in lines below..

I never had a slice of bread,
Particularly large and wide,
That did not fall upon the floor,
And always on the buttered side

Somewhere in heavens, some Mr.Edward Murphy was happily having is hot dog when he saw us...
The sadistic part of him conquered the sensible..
The magic wand was waved..
WHHOOOOOOOOOOOSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHH.......

Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong

And by god it did...

The mails bounced..
The faculty ignored..
The funds werent approved..
The collections fell short..

The AC zonked off..
The dance song zonked off..
We repeated...
And as luck would have had it, it conged off at EXACTLY the same point again....

Come the singing event, the microphone went dead..

Come the emcee, the microphone started screeching...

I feel sorry..
For the audience...
More so for the performers..

We all worked so hard..
The sweat..
The pain..
The time..
The effort...
All seemed to go for a toss..
Exactly when it wasnt supposed to..

At this point I remembered by previous blog..
I shat in the pants..
Any moment there would be eggs, tomatoes, curses, boooos and what not...

And I was wrong..
One of the rare moments where I liked being wrong..

It was as if God shoooed away murphy and had pity on us..

The crowd was patient..
The crowd was empathetic..
The crowd was supportive...
The crowd was encouraging...

This is not what we usually see in such cases..

I was already in love with my batch..
The evening made it grew exponentially..
Not only ours, the senior batch also was VERY supportive..

Yaa, there were a few hootings, but those kept up the humor content of the show...

After a hard day's work, everyone gatehred to have a nice time..
We tried and we hope they got atleast some of it..

At the end of the day, EVERYONE came and gave a hug..
As a token of appreciation..
For the efforts..
With a pat on the back and a smile "Make the VDay better"...

Point noted people...
The next one would be way better...

Thank You

Yesterday I turned another year older..
Nothing great about it..
I turn old every year..

Infact everyone turns a year older every year..
Big deal...

Out of the country..
Among new people..
Expected 3-4 to come...

Boy was I wrong...

So many of them...
So many..
Almost everyone..

Doesnt matter they came out of love or hatred..
All that matters is that they came..

There was cake all over..
There were rounds of kicks..
There were pictures..
There were cheers..
There were smiles...
There were songs..
There was encore..
There was fun..

There was pain..
But it was nothing when compared with the pain of entering into the new year alone..

There was dirt..
But it was cleaner than a shining face...

There were tears..
But they were happier than an empty smile...

The senti me got even sentier...
The mental me got another chance to go bonkers...

I have seen people wishing for atleast one kick...
Just one...
One spatter of cake...
Just one...

That pain is way more than a swollen ass...

Am still overwhelemed..
Am still foundered...
Am obliged...

Many of them have asked why am I so quiet since then??
Its just that am choked...
Am happy being just numb for the time being...

Call me delirious..
Call me nuts..
Call me mad..
Call me idiot..
Call me old...
Call me uncle...
Call me whatever...

That was an evening to remember...
I almost cried..

THANKS A TON ALL OF YOU....
THANK YOU...

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to meeeeeeeeeee........
Happy Birthday to meeeeeeeeeee........

Happy Birthday dear meee...

Happy Birthday to meeeeeeeeeee........

Yesssssssssssssss..
Its my bday today...
Have turned another year older...
I am the uncle...
The old uncle..
The old buddhaa uncle....
The old buddhaa weak uncle...

Buddha needs rest now..

Going to sleep..

Goodnight..

The Living Legend

I write..
Everyday..

At this rate, by the end of this year, I would have 365 blogs..
Or rather 365 short stories...
How about getting those published???

Cool no !!!

Bhatti ki kahani...
Bhatti ki zabani...

Name fame money royalty...
Booker also may be...
Critics also...

By god..

I would be famous...

My parents would be so proud...

Bhatnagar sahab, aapka ladka to heera hai heera...

Now, dont demoralize..
Dont say its not worth printing...
Its not worth reading...
Its not up to the mark..

Am not writing for an exam..
I dont have to be grammatically correct...
I dont have to be politically correct..

If MF Hussain can splash 3 bottles of paint on a canvas and call it modern art and get millions out of that bull shit, why cant I ??

Whats wrong with my bull shit???
Atleast it makes SOME sense...

You never know, someone might make a movie out of it..
Who might get an oscar or two...
Awesome...
Life gonna rock...

I can take a beach holiday in miami on context of getting inspiration...
Or hawaii..
Both I would say...

Meri Kahani Volume 1
Volume 2
The Best of Meri Kahani..
Meri Kahani Reloaded..
Meri Kahani Again...

Amazing...

Now I dont care if ecocomy goes kaboom..
I got an alternate career..

What do u day?
Should I get them published all in one go??
Naah...
50 at a time...
That would give enough volumes..
Element of curiosity u see would make people lined up outside the book stores the night of release...

My books would be referred as a text in schools..
My stories would be case studies in management classes...
My life would be showcased in documentries...

The living legend...

Huiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii..........

By god...
I sure can day dream...

Bye...

Where did the Glass Go ???

There were optimists..
Who saw the glass as half full..
There were pessimists..
Who saw the glass as half empty..

Then there were debates for centuries over whose outlook is better...
And yeah, they are still arguing..

Over the time, we have evolved to a new generation..
Who doesnt see the glass at all..

No optimisim..
No pessimism..
Pure and simple "In your facsim"...

Ask them why?
Pat comes the reply "why bother?"
And they get back to their respective PSPs and iPods..

No ifs..
No buts..
No worries..
No questions asked..
No answers expected..

Outlook towards life?
Dont bother me and I wont bother either..
You can keep the glass also with you..
And do whatever you want with the water in it...
And flash a sign meaning "Gen X" (so much for HCM, gen X was supposed to be 70s)

Mention "Gen X" and three quarters population will make a face (reflecting disgust)
They obviously dont approve of them..
May be they dint get to do things in their times..
May be they dint get things this easily..
May be their lives were not as comfy..
May be whatever..

But what "Gen X"s fault in this??
Why do you stamp them for being irresponsible, inefficient, indifferent??

Dont be under the impression that these are clueless.
They are brimming with ideas.
They work way more than you used to do in your hay days...
They earn more..
They enjoy more...

They still come home on time..
They still have dinner with parents.. (Thats a different thing they leave home the moment parents hit bed :) )
They still care for olds..
They still carry the age old traditions..

They are more confident..
They tend to risk more..
They fail..
They get up..
They get going again..

Just coz they dont want to stick to monotonous 9-5 work cycle, doesnt mean they arent serious or they dont know where they are heading...

Wrong..
They VERY well know...
And thats the only reason, they change line of work the moment they realise this is not for them..
They dare..
They explore..
They truly follow the concept of "vasudhaiv kutumbkam"..

They dont care about the glass..
The concept of half/full doesnt exist for them..
They would rather have water from the tap itself..

Time to rephrase the saying ???

Dance to Someone Else's Tune

Dude...
It was good...
It could have been better..
Add a little bit of this here, reduced from there.. It would have been awesome..
Food was not upto the mark..
Catering sucked..
Decorations were pathetic..
Invites were shabby..

Rings bell??
Anyone??

Yes...
Its exactly what you think it is...
Its cribbing..
Cribbing for a job not well done..
Criibing for a performance that was not good.. In the eyes of the beholder..
Critics as some might say...

It happens all the time..
Fingers are pointed..
Voices are raised..
Opinions circulate...

Once for a change appreciate the hard work people put back stage to put up a show..

NO ONE..
Absolutely no one wants to be a part of a flop show..
Everyone puts in their best foot forward..
Everyone wants the show to be a hit..
But sometimes it doesnt go the way u want it to be..
Big Deal...
Shit happens...

If you cant applause, keep quiet god damn it..
Silence is the worst feedback...
They'll understand..
Or if you think you are better at it, show your mettle next time..

But I guess, thats the fate..
This is the destiny..

Despite working asses out..
Day in and day out..
While others were happily sleeping..
All they get is "hmmm ok..." (they as in those involved)

Its tough to make everyone happy at the same time..
Something or the other would go wrong..
Some plans might backfire and backup plans might backfire even more..
Despite heavy opportunity costs, all we get is brickbats..

Its always easy to dance to someone else's tunes..
If you suck, blame can always be delegated...

Ask the same people to be in their shoes for an event..
Right from raw material to the final product..
Right from the invites to the good bye...
Right from the brainstorming to the final presentation...

They might come up with a better event, but in the process they'll understand the pains linked with it..

All I want to convey is to think..
Think before you point fingers...

Clap a lil less if you dnt like the event..
But why frown??
A little round of applause can work wonders for the upcoming events..
Booing is so very easy and so much "in" thing..
But the real test of the character is keeping the cool when you have the full authority to go all guns blazing..

Dont praise..
Dont "high five"..
But dont go overboard and kill them either...

Being a performer and organiser I know the pains it takes in an attempt to give a few light moments..

If not for anything else, appreciate the gesture atleast..

A Day in the Life of a Toilet Paper

Hi

How many times you used the phrase "in ur ass" today??

Do you have any freaking idea how it feels to be "in ur ass"..

Everyday..

Litreally..

No you dont..

Coz I go there, you dont...

I know the pain..

I know how it feel when a hand reaches for me and shoves me "up his ass"..

That too full of filth..

Full of crap..

Full of SHIT..

I must have done some sins..

Big ones that too in some prehistoric births to see days like this...

Am rough..

Am ugly..

Am subjected to the most unhygienic places..

Am urs "toilet paper" or "jacks roll" as some of the sophisticated you might like to call me..

So much for the sophistication..

Made from the worst kind paper..

Kept in the darkest of the places..

Handled by the rudest of the people..

Folded, torn and what not...

Am not even allowed to stay alive in water...

While other so called "facial tissues" can..

Why?

Why so much injustice to me??

When my siblings found place in most of the coziest aromatic places..

Held by softest of the hands..

Felt by curviest of the curves..

Why am I kept at all the stinking places??

Why am I always wet??

Why am I always tortured??

Everynight I pray for a better tomorrow..

But no..

Its a shitty morning every day..

Day after day..

Asses..

All kinds..

Round flat flabby bony hairy...

All running for me..

Life begins with shit..

Life ends with shit..

From shit hole to shit whole...

Ya ya I can take honor of making people ready to take further shits of the world..

I can take the honor in keeping the world a cleaner place..

I can take the honor in being "bio-degradable"..

I can take certain similar honors..

But not much of an incentive for what I go through each day..

I need more respect...

I need more visibility...

May be an award or something...

For making world a greener place..

How about a day dedicated to me ??

Atleast on leap years !!!!

But it doesnt work like this..

What we wish is hardly what we get..

We wish gold..

We get shit.. (atleast the color u got)

We wish happiness..

We get shit..

We wish love..

We get BULLshit...

Lets try wishing for SHIT someday..

I might get something else.. (amen..)

Else its a shitty world anyways...

Ciao..

Smother

You like people..
People like you..
And every things flows the way it should be..

Then people come close..
More close..
Even closer..
Till the extent they extent they become suffocating...

Dude...
Give some space...
Give people some time to break ice themselves..
Too much too soon doesnt work all the time...
I guess it never does..
Atleast not with me..

Read the body language..
Read the subtle hints..
Read the obvious hints...
Read the dotted line...
Listen for the sarcasm..

Dont make people disgusted all together next time they see you..

What could be the dawn of an awesome relation, becomes hatred..

Its all give and take..
Give time..
Take time...
And if it doesnt seem to work, dont try too hard..
LEAVE...
LEAVE for the time being if not for ever atleast...

Sometimes, rather most of the times, we think about other's reaction from our perspective..
Everything seems right in our head..
Result??
Hatred, annoyance, back biting etc etc etc...
As I said, from our perspective, everything seems rosy..

Lets test it..
Lets keep distance..
From a few...
For a few..
See the reactions...
Trust me, the experiment will really tell you whom to fall back on and whom to just say "hi" and move on...

All said and done, let me think for a moment if I also do the same??? ;) ;)

For that matter, even I mail, call, sms people and expect them to be in the same frame of mind and respond in a similar tone...
One page mail in reply for a page mail...
And what happens when I get a one liner??
Or do not get anything at all !!!!

I think..
I curse...
I crib...

What happens to the logical thinking, I just blabbered above??
Naah..
All null and void..
You gotta crib when you gotta crib... :)
I might be igniting some "smothering love" feelings in some other part of the world...

Shit..

How can I be sensible and asshole at the same time???

Hmmmm...

Let me give some more space to whom I love...
Doesnt matter if theres already too much in between...

After all..
Reading something similar and going into retrospection mode would be the last thing I would ask for...

This Man's Life

DISCLAIMER : I AM IN NO MOOD TO WRITE TODAY. JUST TO KEEP UP WITH
THE RESOLUTION, POSTING SOMETHING WHICH WAS
WRITTEN SOMETIME LAST YEAR...
LETHARGY AT ITS BEST YOU CAN SAY BUT ANYTHING TO KEEP
FROM LOOSING YET ANOTHER RESOLUTION... ;) :)


I was so sure I wanted to be a singer.
Nothing was going to change my mind.

My family approved Totally.

Then my cousin, whom I idolised (then, not now), became an engineer.
That did it.
I followed suit.

The 4 years in college made me realize the decision to change dreams was the best.

During placements, after a dozen interviews, where I had close encounters with the inflated egos of other software professionals, I managed to get myself a job also.

I think my success at landing the job lay solely in my ability to look most interested as the guys interviewing me spoke blatantly about their lives and the deals they clinched.

My new life had begun.

Microland Bangalore: The hot new destination for the UP ka Bhaiyya.

I soon discovered that I did not land myself a job but a 24/7 personality referred to as the NE.
I am like a doctor on call but without a purpose.

My day typically starts by waking up early morning to chat with a client in Hong Kong.
And at times I end the day staying up all night to chat with the one from US.

In between, my life is interspersed with mundane tasks of making N number of calls to vendors and clients with miniscule details on Electronic Engineering.

NEs also excel in MS excel and outlook. Whether its a prospectus for modem reset or whatever deal, I had to ensure that the grammar is accurate and the language legally perfect. I have to scrutinise every word and then make hundreds of spell checks (alright, I am exaggerating, but only slightly).

There are periods when I managed to catch just four hours of sleep daily.
What I love about the job is the breaks.
What I hate about the job is the appraisals

Let me tell you something about it

On papers, it can be breathtakingly inflated figure.
To get it, you have to do two things.

The first: Work like a dog to contribute to the SLAs.

If you are passionate about teamwork, ML is certainly not the place for you.
It is more of a dog-eat-dog culture. You are on your own.
Since you are paid according to the tickets you work upon, it works out to be a very individualistic environment with everyone jockeying for a large slice of the bonus cake.

The second: Suck up to your boss.
That's right. Be a sycophant, even if he is insufferable.
Smile at him.
Say the right things.
Nod when he makes a good point.
Don't disagree too much when he does not.
Grovel at his feet.

Your appraisal is not going to be calculated according to some predetermined formula.
It is solely dependent on your boss' whims and fancies.

I'm sorry, but...

After my first year, I looked forward to the appraisal with glee.
I was the 'hot new kid' on the block after all.

One morning, my boss calls me and tells me that I am being transferred. I would be reporting to a new guy in his place. Come bonus time, the 'new guy' calls me in for a chat.

"I believe you have done really well in the past year," he starts.
I liked that beginning.

"Unfortunately, since you are new to THIS site, it would not be fair for me to rate you on basis of perfomrance on the previous project ." (Warning bells began clanging in my head.)
"So I am afraid, all bonuses are going to be equal this year."

I headed to the nearest pub to drown my sorrows.

The following year, I was totally demotivated (can you blame me?). Subsequently, I did not contribute much
Come appraisal time, he pompously tells me that he cannot give me a huge appraisal since I did not work as well as was reported earlier.

Hit the pub again.

If that still sounds cool, consider yourself walking around like a zombie most of the time, looking at the bright monday morning sun, even though your biological clock frantically tries to adjust as if it has crossed three time zones in two days.

Has anyone seen my social life?

The ridiculous working hours ensured that my social life is a memory of the past.
It dropped in direct proportion to my appraisals.

Moreover, there is no one interesting in office to hang around with now.
In fact, the first thing that hit me when I walked into the office the other morning was the negligible amount of women.
Where are the women??
Did ML no more hire women???????

The office is full of men.
All types.
The young, the balding, the paunchy relics.

So, when my school friend invited me to his wive's birthday bash, I jumped at it.
Finally, I cornered a nice girl. "Hi, My name's Ashish. I'm a NE."

"How nice," was her retort.

That's it????? How nice???????????

Obviously, she had no idea who (or what) a NE is.

Later, I was told this was one of the worst pick-up lines in the world.
After a fairly disastrous attempt at polite conversation, I was kind of relieved my friend sauntered over to join us.

"I'm a software prosessional," was all he had to say to get the glint in her eyes.

"Wow! That's so cool! Your job must be so exciting!"

Hell! Why did I take this job?

Does that mean I quit?
Will I come back tomorrow morning?

I think so (have not figured out what else to do).
After all, the paycheck makes up for the crap...

So much for the Romans

They say, when in Rome, do as the Romans do..

They say singapore is a FINE city..
There are fines for bloody everything..

You will be charged for indecent exposure if you happen to roam inside your home naked, even with all the curtains and lights down..
You will have to spend a year in jail and 10,000$ fine if you "smuggle" chewing gum into the country..

But..

30 days..
30 days is all it takes to gather guts..
30 days is all it takes to break the rules...
30 days is all it takes to spreads the Indianism...

Cross the road from a no crossing zone..
Cross the road when the pedestrians light is red..
Zoom over the "give way" zones..
Pee in a bush..
Spit on walls...

I know I know, you wouldnt even care for these back home..
But to do it HERE..
Man.. You need to have balls of steel...

For the initial few days, it was a different story at all...
Wait for the light to turn green..
Doesnt matter if its 3 in the morning..
Doesnt matter if the roads are empty..

No staring at girls..
Doesnt matter they are in a bikini aur even less...

No leaks..
Doesnt matter your bladder is on the verge of bursting..

Call it fear...
Call it "keeping the Indian flag" high..
Call it whatever..
As one of my friends summed it up nicely..
"Entire nation's pride is on you when u r out.. Tomorrow's news paper would have "An Indian was caught breaking the rules" "...

But..

30 days..
30 days is all it takes to gather guts..
30 days is all it takes to break the rules...
30 days is all it takes to spreads the Indianism...

The 2nd most spoken language at this place is Tamil..
To an extent that the announcements at railway stations are done in Tamil..

Then why not have something more of the things from the same country..
Now, we dont give a damn if we are jaywalking, shouting, littering or doing anything "Indian" here..

No no..
Am not spreading any negatives about the nation..

Its just that we are not used to be bound by SO many rules..
The patience HAD to give up some day...
After all why should I keep quiet after 10pm lest my neighbor gets disturbed??
This is insane...

So much for the Romans...
We are too much of an Indian to put a leash on..
Atleast I am..

The flag WOULD be kept high..
But to expect me to keep my dog quiet would be a lil too much...

Till then...
The lifes tough..

FOR THEM...

Lessons from a Gulab Jamun

Hi

I am a gulab jamun..

Gulab whatt???

Gulab Jamun..
And today I would be telling you the art of savouring me..

I was initially round, but with liberization and quest for innovation, gave me a few other shapes and sizes..

And yes..
I am sweet..
And hot..
And everything good you could have asked for..

Over a period of time, people, keeping pace with the fast lanes, have forgotten to enjoy me..
They just gobble, burp and move on..
This is just not done..
Am not made for just gobbling up god damn it..

Am supposed to be relished..
Bite by bite..
Drip by drip...

Am best enjoyed when hot..
In pairs..
And I gel best with ice cream (preferrably vanilla), for that hot n cool effect..

Take a healthy serving..
Find a secluded corner..
And forget all your worries for atleast a quarter of an hour..

Take a small piece..
Blow it cool(lest u want a burnt mouth)..
Close your eyes..
Put it in..
Roll the tongue all over..

If done properly, you wont need to bite or swallow..
And you'll feel me for atleast 60 seconds after that..

If you do, you have mastered the art..
If you dint, lets do it again...

Incase, I get too hot, theres ice cream by the corner to cool off..

Its not just me, I believe you humans have become indifferent to all the emotions of life off lately..

Everyday I see hundreds of you wheezing past me, without caring to look around..
Without caring to admire the beauty..
Without caring to appreciate the nature..
Without bothering about emotions..
Without love..
Without care..

Dont know where and why they are running all over the place..
For whom?

They claim for their loved ones..

But when was the last time they spent an evening with them???
When was the last time they were home for their kid's bday??
Were they there when their kids took their first step??
Were they there when their kids spoke their first words??
When their old lonely parents needed them??
When their distressed wives needed a hug???

I might be just a stupid gulab jamun, but why cant you see that I can??

Stop running around..
Take a break..
Set your priorities...

Its a beautiful world..

And once you do decide to enjoy..
Do not forget to relish yours truly..
The gulab jamun..

R.I.P.

In fond memory of all the bankrupt organizations, blogger is on leave today...

See ya tomorrow...

In Quest

Why do people blog?
What IS a blog in its first place??

Some say, its just an online daily diary..

Ok, then why would anyone like the entire world to read his personal page?

Some say, its a platform to express your views..

And as the legend goes, theres no credibility on blogs, so whats the point of wasting some time every day doing research on current affairs or anything for that matter only to be regarded as "worthless" in a matter of minutes??

Some more say, its a way to vent out daily frustrations..

As long as it makes another human life a less miserable, seems ok...
But still, why BLOG of all the things??
Play, listen to music, watch a movie...

What is it in a blog that everyone seems to be crazy about??

Its the latest fad these days..
Those without a blog id are looked upon as prehistoric..
Everyone everywhere is talking about it..

And a fad is nothing but an orgasm..
It builds up, reaches a peak and dies down...

Same here...

More than 90% of the IDs in circulation on the moment wouldnt be in use for more than a year atleast..
About the same number of users would have forgotton their IDs also...

I can bet my life on it...

My knowledge over the content might be limited but I also heard blogs are an excellent means of building "public relations", 'business relations" etc..
Another dimension to already exisitng means of building relations???
Any takers??

Then there are a few which poses queries over the web..
And I thought, there are online forums for that all this while...

Informatory, travel blogs !!!
Again, the relevance???
As in, whats important for me, could be useless for other..
What I like on my holiday, might suck for someone else..

Its all upto us how much we believe the content served to us..
We believe, the writer to be sensible enough to be giving an honest opinion over the web..
Isnt it too much of a risk?
I mean when there are more credible resources available for research, why rely on blog?
They might be true..
But what if they arent??
What if theres just ONE wrong blog..
And what if YOU happen to be the one rederring it???

Why am I being so sadist?
Why am I being so anti blogging???

No I am not...
After all I do scribble some bullshit every day..

Someone just asked, why do people blog?
And none of my answers, went down well with him..

Anyone out here in the blogosphere, who might be reading this is most welcome to pour in some food for thought...
I just need ONE good answer to shut the asshole up..

Just one !!!

The Little Miss Sunshine

It takes just three seconds to make a first impression..
Three more seconds to make perceptions out of that impression..

A lil here and there, and 10 seconds is all it takes to conclude, if we gonna see/talk again...

All this happens when we havent even HEARD the person..
93% of our "first impression" is NON VERBAL..

Same thing happened with me..

Yellow suit, white bag, mostly an expressionless face(barring a formal smile if eyes happen to meet), glued to mobile...

Impression : Attitude !!!!

Perception : Not the kinds I would befriend....

Then suddenly a voice came...
"I want to talk to him"..
Everyone turned..
The finger was pointed at me..
Everyone laughed..
I was like "shit.."

And the rest as they say is all history..

Made that day was a bond that has grown stronger with wach passing day..
That has stood the tests of time..
That has raised many a conspiring eyebrows..
That has made people wonder, how can 2 person with just "chicken" in common can be stuck by their bums like forever ????

Friend, rival, competitor, partner in crime, PJ Queen and an absolute treasure to be with...
Bangalore stories, gossips, adventures, discoveries would find her name in every second sentence...

You wouldnt even realise when this little bundle of joy turns into a bundle of energy and makes evrything bright and chirpy in a 10km radius..
She is one of the rare species that can make ANYONE come out of his/her shell in a matter of seconds..
All she needs is to point a finger..
Thats all.. :)

A girl whose a girl in ALL the ways..

Fussy
Classy
Fumbly
Mad
Confused
Fragile
Irritating
Talkaholic

And the much cliched,
Funny
Sweet
Cute
Charming
Beautiful
Hot etc etc etc....

Who knows exactly WHAT to wear where, what to say, what NOT to say, WHEN to say, WHEN to be quiet and how to get things done the way SHE likes..
And mind you, she wont go in a shell if hurt, rather come all guns blazing till you die.. (No, you cant win..)

And yes,she REMEMBERS..
Each and every bad thing said about her.. (good things are so many to keep a count of so madam happily forgets)
And would make you sit and remind each one of them till you plead guilty in the court of honor.. (No, you cant win again..)

I owe 90% of my lingo to her highness, and I must say, it has made me pretty popular in EVERY circle exclusive of her.. (plagiarism at its best)

Had it not for her, I still might be a gumto sitting in a corner..
Alone..

I never admitted, but she is indeed the acme of everything nice and good I could have asked for in an alien place..
THE best thing right from day 1..
Girl, I dedicate my stay at Bangalore to you..

I guess, "first impression is not the last impression" was definitely penned down for this day..

How wrong was I..
How could I think what I thought... (No.. am not telling)

In case, you are wondering whom am I talking about??

Am talking about the most energetic bundle of joy..
Am talking about the cutest ear to ear grin..
Am talking about my best "heights", "goobey", "thu" and "hhpppttthhhrrrrrr"..
Am talking about my little miss sunshine..
Am talking about my GUMTI..

Love you !!!!!

Basic Principles

People make sure that they are good at something..
People make sure that they BE good at other things..

Have something as your core competency..
Be the champ in it..
Try and excel at stuff you are not strong at..

Makes sense???

It should..

After all thats the very mantraa of success..

Know something of everything and everything of something...

Jack of all trades, master of none would take you no where...

You did the same mistake at college...
You didnt learn..
Repeated the same at work..
You didnt learn there either...

No wonder you are in the same position today yet again...
How much more time you would take to learn ONE SIMPLE THING?????

Its not gonna help..

Theres no time..
Do the things right the FIRST time..
There are NO second chances..

I wonder why you didnt realise this for so many years...
If you still havent realised it, then you should pack your bags and go back home

You are not here to have fun..
You are not here for sightseeing..
You are not here to make friends..
You are not here to find soul mate..
You are not here to showcase your sports skills..
You are not here to showcase your singing talents..

Now dont give me the bull shit, that life is not about books and exams only..

True, its not..
But life is ALL about learning..
Book or no book, doesnt matter...
And unfortunately, these exams only would open the doors to the place where you would flaunt the other learnigns..

Onus is on you..
If you are sad today coz you are below average, then you should be..
Know what others did that you didnt..
And know it fast..

Life has given one last chance to prove your mettle..
Entire life is on stake mate..
ONE LAST CHANCE to make or break..

Forget the honky ponky fancy trends..
Stick to the age old cliched sayings..
Stick to the basic pronciples...

Now get lost and dont show me your brooding face ever again...

Sunday

Today is Sunday

Sunday is a holiday
Sunday is meant for recreation
Sunday is for meeting friends
Sunday is for movies
And if nothing, sunday is meant for sleeping thoroughout the day

But wait..
This used to happen last year..
And the year before..
And the year before the year before..

Not anymore

Today the only significance of sunday is that you dont have to get up early.. (doesnt mean that u dont HAVE to at all)

Rest all is null and void..

Movie, rest, friend, lazing around etc are all extinct..

Its only kick ass or get kicked out..

Welcome to GMBA, Singapore..

Where the concept of weekend is non exsistent..
Where the concept of leave is not heard of..
Where the concept of "take it easy" puts you at the last of the queue..
Where the concept of "tomorrow" puts you god knows where..

You cant even fall sick..
I mean how sick is that???

On the account of "managers of today HAVE to beer pressure and take shit and emerge victorious", we are given every shit one can think of...

May be a few years down the line it all would make sense and I might be thankful for such hecticity (is there a word called hecticity???)
But now I WANT TO CRIB..

CRIB CRIB CRIB

I WANT TO SLEEP FOR GOD's SAKE..

Mummmmmyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy....

I should have married...
Wife would have shouted, slapped, ordered, bossed around, but all that still would have been a lesser torture than this...

You should always listen to your parents...
And parents should never let kids take there own decisions...

Aaaaaarrrrrggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...........

Why why why why why why why why..... (Ya ya its plagiarized.. throw me out... NOW)

Whose idea was it to do the 1 year course???
Whose idea was it START the 1 year course in the first place?????
Go kill him...

Anyways, now that I am here, let me do what am supposed to do here...

Bye for now...

PS : Dont tell anyone about these cribs. I love this place... Seriously...

Gloam

How many evenings you have seen in your life??
How many of them you can recollect??
How many of them stand out??
How many of them are special to you??

Now I dont know about anyone, but personally I have a few to cherish..
Choosing the best among those few was a lil tricky, but then the one evening am referring to is so so so close to heart that it wins hands down...

It all happened a few years back..

The morning was awesome..
Afternoon as usual sleepy..
But suddenly by the dusk, the room got bright..
So bright as if someone has asked sun to come to the room instead of setting down..

That evening is itched somewhere for ever..
That evening changed it all..
Had I had any idea, of things to come, I would have the cure for itch then and there..
But alas...

Now some 4 years(almost) later, I realise that the twilight has become the best part of the day... (Mazaak mazaak main mazaak ho gaya life ke sath)

She has been a partner in crime..
A punching bag..
A cribbing bin.. (dustbin takes enire world's shit... cribb bin takes... )
A helping hand..

Always thirsty.. (a drink or two actually are healthy)
Always ready for movie (or 2.. or 3.. at a stretch)
Always ready for a game of "who insults more" ( I am loosing 2-5 overall)

The mystery how she became from no one to some one who precedes everyone has the likes of FBI, Scotland Yard scratching heads...

In case you are thinking am talking about dusk, then please go kill yourself...

One of the rare species who have heard the REAL uncensored me..
Who is patient enough to take bull shit.. (makes a count actually to be strategically used later...)

Sometimes I look at her and wonder what the hell God was thinking????
I guess he was not sure what exactly he wanted...
Of the 9 months, am dead sure, he would have made her girl for 4.5 months and boy for 4.5.. (Just fate that it was "girl" at the end of 9th)
She has traits of both genders.. EQUALLY..

Irritating like girls..
Sensible like men..
Emotional like girls...
Practical like men..
Irrational like girls..
Real like men..

(Ya ya am chauvinist.. so what??)

Sophisticated like girls..
Disgusting like men..
Classy like girls..
Dingy like men..
Caring like girls..
Irresponsible like men...

(Am still chauvinist...)

Fussy like girls...
Messy like men....

She knows EXACTLY what is in mind..
EVERYTIME...
It cant be conincidence all the time..
It cant be "chumma" all the time..

I dont have to pretend..
I dont have to think twice..
I dont have to break head too much...

One of the major reasons, I would like to go back to Bangalore.. (Have a lots of score to settle :) )
The void is as big as her to fill up..
The time spent with her was among the most cherished..

By the way, if in case you havent murdered yourself, and you are still wondering am talking about dusk, then please stop...

Am indeed talking about dusk..

The dusk..
The twilight..
The evenfall..
The gloam..
The evening..
THE SANDHYA...

Keep rocking babes..

Clothes First or Detergent ??

Overheard at the Washing Queue..

A: "Dude, should I put the clothes first or the detergent ??"
B: "No idea.."
A: "I put clothes first !!"
B: "Hmmm.."
A: "Oh shit !!!!"
B: "Pardon !!!!"
A: "Instructions say, put detergent THEN clothes !!"
B: "So??"
A: "I mean.. I did the other way round !!!"
B: "Again.. So???"
A: "You sure it wont be a problem???"
B: "Who gave you an admit here??"
A: "No.. Just wondering..."

A loud bang..
Blood on the floor..
"B" collapses..
He banged his own head on the wall...

Sounds familiar anyone?

How many times even we have behaved like "A"
Blindly following the instruction manual..
Freaking ourselves..

Do you ever wonder if lemon should be squeezed first or should sugar be put first while making lemonade??
Do you ever wonder if salt needs to sprinkled first or the chilly powder??

Wasnt "A"s query as trivial?
What happens to our common sense at times??
Why we make a fool of ourselves sometimes??

Ok Ok chill..
I know am over reacting...
We all do this at our first times..
Extra cautious..
Extra worried..

1st day at college, 1st day at work, 1st date and everything which has "1st" prefixed to it..

Even "A" wouldnt bother next time around...

Now lets come to "B"
Was he born Einstein????

Why he forgot he also was in "A"s shoes once?
Wasnt it his responsibility to guide rather than being sarcastic??

Why we all forget our own shortcomings??
Why we NEVER forget to point finger at ANY given chance??
Why we get pissed off whenever we are on the receiving end??
After all its all give and take..

If you love pointing out mistakes in others, then you must be prepared to get scrutinized too..
If you cant take criticism, then for god's sake keep your mouth shut..
Or atleast dont whine later..

It sounds all so simple on paper and I might sound philosophical or preachy or whatever...
But you cant deny, NOT cribbing about someone who pointed a finger at you at any point of your life....
Doesnt matter whatever his/her intentions were..

"The point is", we dont like to be told by OTHERS that we are not good enough..
And it hurts even more, if we believe the person is inferior to oursleves...
Our egos just can handle the humiliation...

"B" might still be alive, if he would have been a little more rational...
"A" would be feeling a lil less guilty, if he would have been a little more practical..

The world would have been a much better place to live if we were a little more patient...
A little more sensible..
A little more forgiving...

Just a little more....

4th Block - 4th Floor

Times have changed..
I have ballooned a lil..
I have lost fair amount of hair..

But certain things, as they say "Some good old things never change" havent...

Flashback

Manipal
2001-2005
4th Block
Hall of Residence for Girls

All shapes and sizes..
Tall, short, fair, dusky, sweet, cute, hot, not so hot...
All kinds..
Homely, outgoing, shy, outspoken..

Fast Forward

Singapore
2008-2009
4th Floor
Floor of Residence for Girls

All shapes and sizes..
Tall, short, fair, dusky, sweet, cute, hot, not so hot...
All kinds..
Homely, outgoing, shy, outspoken..

The places are different..
The faces are different..

Intersection of set Manipal and set Singapore will result in a single element set..
No prizes for guessing its, yours truly....

The point am trying to make here, there is some uncanny similarity(besides me) between these two places..

I have got an equal treatment from the 4th block/floor residents...
And equal means EQUAL..
No discrimination at all...

NONE OF THEM AT BOTH PLACES TALK TO ME

I mean what is it with colleges and me??
I never seem to have a single friend the way I have at school and at work....
Not that am dying for them, but its just a question am looking answer for...

I guess theres a shield God puts around me the moment I get admission...
I get invisible..
No one sees me...
No one hears me...
No one..

Or he puts something in all the female eyes...
I get invisible..
No one sees me...
No one hears me...
No one..

Or he comes in their dreams and instruct them to ignore me...
Or he makes me the ugliest one alive whom they choose to avoid...
Or he makes my unconscious mind hate them all..
Or he makes their consious/unconsious mind hate me...

May be its the number 4..
May be they dont talk to me at humid and coastel regions.. (They ignored me at Bombay also)

There HAS to be some mystery around it...
I cant afford to join another college to disprove the theory..
I need to get to do it this time...

By God, I will...

The Battle Continues

Have nothing in specific to write about today.

Entire day was spent in sleeping..
Slept in the morning..
Slept in the evening...
And about to sleep now also....

Its not even 12..

And despite all the lethargy, theres nothing that I missed doing otherwise..

Played TT..
Attended classes..
In fact watched a movie also...

Despite that, am all set for tomorrow..
No backlog..
Doesnt necessarily mean that am gonna ace the quizzes tomorrow, but still the very feeling that theres nothing left, is overwhelming...

Now the hyper enthusiastic (enthu cutlet, as one of my "impuls"ive friend would have christened them) you would point finger saying theres work outside academics also, but I choose to ignore them...

Simply coz I want to bask in the glory of satisfaction that for once in life have nothing to catch up to..

I can keep up now rather...
Some one tried explaining me difference between catching up and keeping up a few days ago..
I dont know what exactly he said, but am sure it has got to do something which am feeling now....

The reason being simple..
It was a ZERO procrastination day..

A time for everything, and everything at its time..
And for a change, it worked...

I wonder why something as simple as keeping up with the schedule gets so tough?

Forget the things which are imposed...
We dont keep up with our own goals...
With our own dreams...

Ever wondered why?

Did I hear procrastination??

kaal kare so aaj kar stepped aside for aaj kare so kal kar and you wonder how when what why...

The BIG P is infused in us the same way google is..

It asks us to sleep when we should be working...
It asks us to play when we should be eating..
It asks us to do all the wrong things at all the wrong times...

Some might argue, its not P but its the BIG C (conscience)..

A mighty C can move mountain if it wants to..
An honest C can make me feel like today everyday...

But I see all the mountains are still at there respective places...

Reason...
Simple dude.. the BIG P..
What happened to the C then??

Its a question, even I do not have the answer to...

The fight between P and C is as stale as the food in the cafeteria..
Still it continues with the same vengeance...
Everyday..

Today it was victory of C for me..
Tomorrow P might overpower again...

Signing off for the day, hoping C to be victorious everyday... (atleast for 2009)

Hasta la vista...

As a Matter of the Fact

People say I have changed..
People say I am on drugs...
People even say I am gay...

And then there are new set of people who are still dazzeled by the sheer awesomeness of the phenomenon called Bhatti.. ( I love being narcissist :) :) )

To cut the long story short, I havent done any of these things...

Come on man...

Accuse me of being a chauvinist..
Accuse me of being an asshole...
Accuse me of being an sadist...
Accuse me of being a showoff...

That would make a better sense..

But personality change??
Naaah....

Have you ever thought HOW much effort it takes to build up an on and off screen persona??
Why on earth would I want to give up on 26 year's hardwork??
It doesnt make any sense..
Neither to the technical side..
Nor to the economist side..
The trade off as they say is not good enough..

Drugs???

Why would a drug need a drug himself???
Elaborating this would be the heights of narcissism, so I leave it to your consious to decide..

Close your eyes..
Put your hands on the heart and ask yourself..
Can bhatti be so weak?
If anyone out here know me the way I want them to, they would have got the answer by now...


Now come to the funniest of them all...
Gay??

Heights...

Blame it on uncle sam's nephews, who corrupted entire world's thought process..
Cant a guy share his lunch with another guy?? (Its recession folks... cost cutting)
I bet my life if anyone out here comes and tells me that they have MORE fun with girls around...
And when am talking about fun, I mean fun..
No sex involved...

(Now all my girlfriends who might end up fuming reading this.. We'll settle this off the records.. )

There are some other facts and figures against the prosecution, which speak for themselves, but cant be presented here on account of incomely behavior in public..

People...

Am a lazy person.. I wont take the pains..
Am sane.. Drugs are for timids..
And I love details regarding their first bicycle to the last cycle when it comes to girls...

PERIOD..

Fifteen Pages

If Only..

Most of us, at some time or other in their lives would have come across this..
For sure...

"If only I could turn back time... I would blah blah blah...."

I had the same feeling today.
Not coz someone gave a high end philosophical gyaan..
Not coz I was part of some high intensity "save the world" campaign...

All it took was 15 pages of a text to shake my entire existence..
FIFTEEN PAGES...

Thats it..

All my life I was happy and content doing things which no one did (Read Newton and Einstein)
All my life I was happy and content being part of the fraternity who make things better (Read Edison and Bell)

I was happy..
I was content...

Then the inevitable happened..

15 pages..
1 hour...

Thats all it took to shrugg off the beliefs of 26 years..
Thats all it took to make me think..
Thats all it took to make me realize theres life outside Galileo, Schrodinger, Diodes, Transistors..
In fact, thats all it took to make me realize that everything outside them is INDEED LIFE.

Why the hell would I like to know who made the black and white TV color?
I would be more happy, if someone could tell me, why my dad still owns a black and white?????

He very well knows the efforts and pains of making black-white into eastman color.
Who knows he might be the part of the research team also..

But at the end of the day, I still see 2 colors on my 14 inch idiot box.
Why wouldnt my dad HAVE something he made himself???

U know why?

Coz he cant afford it..
Thats all...

No amount of current in a resistor or energy in a capacitor could explain me this simple fact for ages..
No momentum or acceleration could explain why I drank milk without bournvita..
No gravitation or magnetism could explain why I went school walking while others had cycles..

Seven and a half years, I did something only coz everyone else around was doing the same..
Much like a toad in a well, I failed to see other aspects of life..
Had not been for those 15 pages, I would still be living in the myth that life is ONLY about technology..
Had not been for those 15 pages, I would still be living in the myth that my life is about the decisions I MADE.

Today I feel like going back in time and undo the decisions that shaped my life thus far..
It makes much more sense..
It looks more realistic than ever..

(How different/better/worse life would have been is still a topic of debate which has been ignored for obvious reasons :) )

Today, the logic behind "You win some, you loose some" makes more sense than the debate over light being particle or wave..

Simple observations..
Simple correlations..
Simple facts..

And you realize, why your mom wants to reach the vegetable market before anyone else..
And you realize, why your dad would not take you out on summer vacations..
And you realize, the trade off in leaving a well settled job and jump into education in such recession..
And you realize, the decisions in life are rarely black and white but have shades of grey..

And above all, you realize that THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A FREE LUNCH.

Mile Jab Ham Tum

ACT I

How many times you wondered about the kind of people you gonna meet at a new juncture of your life ??

Will they like you??
Will they be like you??

Will YOU like them?
Will they be any close to the people you would be leaving behind?

Wont there be comparisons?
Wont you be trying to find resembelence to a known face?

How would you make yourself likeable again?
How tough it would be prove yourself allover again?

Well atleast I had these reservations while leaving my home away from home Bangalore, a month ago..

Bangalore, a place where I spent some of the BEST years..
Met some of the most amazing people I could have..

I thought, this is it..
Life couldnt be any better..
Place couldnt be any better..
Friends couldnt be any better..

Curtains down...


ACT II (Not the popcorn u idiot)

Sitting in the bus am trying hard to listen for the attendance..
Not for mine, but for atleast one name with whom I can connect with...

Then someone announced Lokesh..
Lokesh Mudgal..

Before I could turn back, the hand was raised and lost in the crowd..

Next 20 minutes were blank...

Then we met..
And rest as they say is all history..

Within a few days, was made a bond which has made people around jealous to the brim..

The jantaa is not used to see either of us alone...
If Bhatti is seen, then Loku HAS to be somewehere in a 10 inch radius...
And vice versa..

People havent come up to the terms, how can 2 people be such close friends in such short time in such a cut throat rat race?

For me, I am at peace..

I just needed one soul whom I can trust, with whom I can be the way I am, who'll lend a shoulder to cry on, who'll pat the back for a job well done, who'll kick ass for screwing up things..

I think I got one...

He is just a mirror image..

Almost the same size..
Almost the same weight..
Almost the same physique..

In short, we are almost the same assholes, who god thought should be together..

I mean only two people were found snoring in the VERY FIRST session of their orientation..
And those were us.. :)

Each passing day has made the bond stronger, to an extent that having a nightmare is better than imagining the coming year without him around..

Thanks God..
Thanks Loku..

That Afternoon of January 2006

2006 had just started..
It was a warm afternoon of January (Manipal has only 2 seasons; Warm and Rainy)

Happened that day was something, the ghosts of which will haunt someone till the end of eternity...

To beat the heat, they decided to go for a game of bowling (The "they" part cant be disclosed on request of anonymity)

They could have easily gone for a movie, if "beating the heat" was the only objective.
But that was the ONLY day in Manipal, when money didnt matter..
They could spend AS MUCH AS they can..
And when its "show off", they were partners in crime and bowling it was...

Ozone..
Here they come..

A few french fries and cool blues later, the "THEY" were almost on verge of "YOU" and "I"

It was almost as if India won the Football World Cup beating Brazil.

There was moon walk on one corner..
There were celebrations on one corner..
There were high fives on one corner..

There was mourings on the other..
There was silence on the other..
There was pain on the other..

Not only someone lost..
He was humiliated..
He was thrashed..
His ego was crushed..
And he NEVER got a second chance till date to salvage the broken pride...

God was cruel..
God IS cruel..

1 misaimed shot...
Just 1..
And it was all over..

Sometimes there are no 2nd chances..

Lesson learnt?

Never boast...
Whatever is up, can come down anyday.. (Is some Ponting listening?)

Be modest..
Be kind..
Be nice..
Even more when you are at top (Even under the satin ;) )

Coz it takes JUST ONE misfire to ruin the castle...

Someone is still living the ghost of that day..
Someone is still basking in glory..

Have no Fear

Isnt it funny how similar circumstances can evoke different reactions from different people..
For that matter, even the same person will show different traits under same test conditions....

Ever wondered why?

I tried breaking my head for ages on this but couldnt get any answers.

Some 24 hours ago, I was worried about the choices I made..
Some 12 hours ago, I prepared myself to fight, come what may...
Some 5 hours ago, I was confident that everything around is perfect..
And now at 0 hours, am happily squeezing out some words without giving a damn about the quizzes and the presentations tomorrow (technically today, but I prefer sun over clock)

What has changed in the last 24 hours?
Nothing...
The place, the people, the surroundings...
Not a leaf has moved from its place..

Then????

Even I dont know...
My best guess would be, its not the surroundings, but what YOU make out of it matters the most..

Circumstances would never be in our favor..
The glass would always be either half or full..
Something or the other would go wrong..
Some decisions will backfire..
Some plans will not go as intended...

You cant emote differently for every experience..

As I learnt a few days ago, contingency is the need of the hour...

Plan A fails, switch to Plan B
Plan B fails, Switch to Plan C
All the plans fail, come up with a plan then and there....

Cribbing would be of no use...
Throw those self help books in gutter..

If "YES WE CAN" can make someone a president..
"YES I CAN" can atleast make you a happier, a content soul..

Make the best of the choices you made...
Its AS wild for everyone around after all..

Cheer up..
Gear up..
Get going again..

Have no fear...

The Call of the Wild

Accounts.. Finance.. Journals.. Ledgers.. Balance Sheets.. Annual Reports...

Whats happening to me?
I am an engineer....
I am a senior network engineer...
Why am I doing all this?
How can I be remotely bothered about A=L+OE ??

Wake up child wake up...
Smell the coffee...
See the sun...
Its not the same old cozy world you used to be a part of a few days ago..

But it was a dog eat dog culture earlier also..
It never shook me..

The dogs have gone wild now..

How am I supposed to tackle then?

Get wild son..

Not possible...

Eat or get eaten...

There HAS to be some other way around...

There isnt..

I dont believe you..

You would one day...

I doubt..

Better realize sooner than later..

What about the cliched aspects of being nice to be treated nice?
Smile and world smiles with you..

As you said..
They are cliched..

I dont belive you..

You would one day..

And I thought I had seen everything..

Its 2009...
You havent seen it yet..

Whats in store?

Everything..
Pain, Love, Hatred, Happiness, Tears, smiles..

Sleep?

Thats not for you this year..

I dont believe you..

You would one day..

But why wilderness??

You asked for it..

No way!!

Yes child...

I dont believe you..

You would one day..
You would one day...
You would one day....