The Post

Contact lenses

2011-09-18T20:25:00.000-07:00

My eyes have gotten to that irritating, in-between state, whereI can just about do without wearing glasses, but wearing them makes everything looks so much clearer!

But when you want to watch television lying down sideways, glasses are painful. I thought of finally moving on to contact lenses.

But getting lenses in the US meant an appointment and a visit to the doctor, which my laziness didn't let me do. I instead called my brother in Bombay and got them delivered from there.
All excited, I opened the parcel to not find a case for the lenses. I ordered a set of 3 immediately on Amazon, and waited two days to get them. I was now ready to watch tv!

I had never wore lenses before, and had no idea how complicated wearing lenses for the first time is. A contact lens, being so delicate, can be held in both directions. The direction with the greater convexity is supposedly the correct direction. I was absolutely unable to decide which was the correct direction, so I started trying. I poked my eye for half an hour, and after my eyes were as bloodshot as I've never seen them before, I gave up.

The next day, I turned to Youtube to teach me how to put on the lenses. A ridiculous quack explained the procedurein great detail, but my trials still did not succeed.

I took these lenses to San Francisco, where I was visiting my sister, to learn from someone with experience. She had gotten her Lasik surgery done, so she did not have any solution for the lenses. She taught me how to do it, but only in words.

After a month of giving my eyes some rest from my poking, I took up the task again yesterday. Voila! The left eye lens was friendly enough to stay in! Now that I believed that something was not wrong with the shape of my eyes, I poked my right eye with more determination and finally succeeded. I cried; mainly due to the poking, but also in happiness!

I went to a friend's housewarming party after that, and he pointed out he thought I cried and came! After hearing my story, they started a conversation about how if you sleep with contact lenses on, they could end up stuck inside your eye and could require surgery! So I came home last night scared but ensured I took them off before sleeping.

I woke up in the middle of the night, and thought I was still wearing them. I ran to the mirror and started poking my eye. When you wear lenses, it's easy to forget you're wearing them, especially with my not-so-bad-that-I-require-glasses eyes. After nothing came out of either eye, I checked he case and realized I had taken them out the previous night! So much for watching TV!

Neighborhood watch - Chinatown

2011-08-01T21:07:00.001-07:00

Neighborhood watch - Chinatown

One day at work, we got talking about food in Chicago; supposedly the restaurant capital of the country. Everyone raved about Chinatown; the hole-in-the-wall shops, the cheap goods, and the brilliant, open late at night, restaurants.
So I met up with a couple of friends to celebrate 4th of July at the immigrant neighborhood. We went to Lao Sze Chuan; probably spelled in Indian as Lao Schezwan. The place was quite busy; a half hour wait at 8.30pm. Once we were seated, no one came to take our order for 15 minutes, supposedly since the kitchen was too busy to accommodate all orders! Of course, we hadn't expected great service. The server simply said No to most of the requests that my vegetarian freind made! After he finally did take the order, we waited another half hour for the food to come.
Upto this point, our expectation of Schezwan sauce was that of a red, hot, sour-ish sauce. The Sze Chuan gravy turned out to be transparent, bland, sweet-ish. It is only then that I realized how Chinese food for me, was still the Indian-Chinese that I ate at Mainland China!

City, matters.

2011-06-19T18:54:00.000-07:00

June 6, official or not (I'm unsure), is a date etched in my mind as the start of monsoons in Bombay. I share a love-hate relationship with the rains there. Five years back, I hated the rains; but since, I absolutely love them.

Rains for me meant getting out of the building extremely armed, with a wind-cheater (I don't really know how that's spelt) and an umbrella, but both in the bag. It was about getting drenched. It was about making that run from college to Shot Club, and then trying to dry out the skin between the thumb and the forefinger so that I could cue. It was about going to Dhiraj for the coffee. It was about morning drives to the beach, and trying to park an enormous Innova in the by-lanes of Juhu. It was about avoiding the puddles on the ground while trying to kick the football.

It was about cursing the rain, while ever so loving it.

India and the youth

2011-06-07T21:00:00.000-07:00

When the UPA government came into power, India went berserk proclaiming the decreasing age of the politician. The focus was on Rahul Gandhi, Sachin Pilot, Milind Deora, Jyotiraditya Scindia and the likes, who seemed weirdly out of place but welcome in the leadership. Everyone revelled in the representation of youth, and how Indian politics would change forever.

It surprises me then that today, two people who are revolting for national causes, paint a very traditional picture. The common man responds more to these two more than he does to Rahul Gandhi's farmer protests.

The reason is the cause. I haven't read a lot about the farmer protests, so I won't comment further on that. However, the demands of Anna Hazare and Baba Ramdev are in sync with most Indians. If there is provision for the money stashed away in foreign banks to be brought back, who wouldn't want it. It's like telling a child that you have his chocolate, but making him cry for it, and still not giving it to him. Cruel. (Well, unless the child has bad teeth, in which case, get him treated, teach him to brush his teeth, and then let him eat the chocolate.)

I understand the government's apprehension to telecast the Lokpal Bill committee meetings live. The Indian media is irresponsible. Every word said by anyone's dog is dissected and twisted and edited to create sensational instead of accurate news. (I wonder what happened to the live phone conversation between India TV and the Cama House terrorist on 26/11?) However, when you take responsibility to lead a billion people, the least you can do is think before you speak.

The government has two and a half years left to rethink its ways. The Indian of today is difficult to please, because he has started to think.

From home to work

2010-06-28T20:11:00.000-07:00

I skip down four flights of stairs to get out into the sun.

I walk to the train station with a hundred other people heading in the same direction.

I get into the train, which reminds me of the Bombay Local.

There are people holding on to the handrails, doors, whatever else they can find, and other hold-able objects. Still, almost half of the train is reading a book, either physically or on one from the Kindle or the iPad. The other half is listening to music.

Once at the station, I speed-walk past everyone else, and there are others who speed-walk past me. It's the morning exercise.

Sometimes, I hear a little music on the station, good music.

I get on to the next train which is usually a little emptier. It is now that I take out the book I am to read.

I get through 10 pages and I'm ready to get out of the train.

I walk past the security guys, the badge-in machines and get into one of the 8 elevators.

I pick up cereal, a banana, sometimes a toast or bagel, and coffee and head up to the 23rd.

Thus my day starts.

Phase 2: The friend

2009-09-13T20:04:00.001-07:00

Since coming here, I have come to know a lot of people, who have of course become friends by now. However, there is a slight difference in the definition - not actually the definition, but the line differentiating the friend from the acquaintance.

It might be because of the short span of time that I have lived here that I feel this, but the fact that there are such less people who you can actually talk normally with; in your own language, about things that you would normally talk about back home; that whoever can at least listen and respond to such conversation automatically becomes your friend.

People you hang around with are your friends, and then there is no necessity of being close to them.

Phase 2: Commencement

2009-08-10T19:36:00.000-07:00

My mom sat with me in the afternoon; asking if I was ready for the new phase in my life. She thought I was, and so did I.

The flight to Newark was full of some of the best words written to/for me; with the upgrade to Business from Brussels onwards adding a lot to the excellent experience.

Jersey City was hot, to say the least. I was ready with a sweatshirt in one hand, and a raincoat in the other. The weather was sure to play a large role in this new phase of my life.

After a smooth immigration and an excited hug with my sister, we moved on to her house. The living room was a guy's dream; a 32" Sony LCD, a Harman Kardon sound system, a Playstation 2, a Nintendo Wii, and the Rock Band Set. I spent a couple of hours singing, drumming and playing the guitar; obviously out of tune.

The next few days passed by in eating different cuisines having really large portions, roaming around Manhattan like it was Bombay, experiencing Eureka-like moments for some engineering problems, and cooking a little bit of food.

We drove to Pittsburgh on the Friday. After a brilliant brunch of eggs, sausages and the world's yummiest pancakes, we arrived at the Steel City. Pittsburgh at night was quiet, to an extent that we felt a little scared walking back to the hotel at 10.30 pm; but that is how Pittsburgh is, not unsafe, but quiet.

Most of the next day was spent apartment hunting and settling down. We took a tour of Carnegie Mellon and fell in love with it.

America has really impressed me; at least with the food if not more. In the 10 days I have been here, I have had Indian, American, Italian, Mexican, Middle Eastern, Chinese and Thai food. On my list next are Polish and Spanish.

It has been a good first few days of the new phase!

Choices

2009-03-17T12:22:00.000-07:00

The choices you make depend on an uncountable number of factors. This is why the world goes on. A little variation disturbs everything remotely connected to it.

Going up.

2008-07-24T14:04:00.000-07:00

I love going up the stairs.

I hate coming down the stairs.

I'd rather not go up if I have to come down later.

Scindia Stories #1 - SM973

2008-07-09T04:02:00.000-07:00

I arrived at Gwalior station with a huge black trunk and a 16-inch suitcase. I was in a daze; I do not remember at all the trip from the station to Gwalior fort, where the school was. It was afternoon.

I was in Dattaji house. Apparently, our housemaster, a Mr. Sanjeevan Bose was out of town with a school contingent, and one Mr. Dhirendra Sharma was helping out the incoming 'new boys'. We were also introduced to the house matron Mrs. Handoo, a tall, heavy built woman, who looked extremely sweet to the parents, what with that over enthusiastic smile of hers. All 'new boys' were queued up in a veranda and weirdly, some teachers and some 'old boys' were trying to clap hands to gain attention. They would go 'Clap clap' and shout 'Quiet please'.

Now, the parents were asked to leave the premises. I could see tears rolling down my mother's eyes. I was holding mine up somehow. After the simultaneous emotional exchange between 65 new boys and their parents, we were assembled again for a talk.

During the talk, we were given ID numbers, that would last us for our Scindian life. I was allotted 973. We had to tag everything that was ours with our initials and this no. So, for my Scindian life, I became SM973. My underwear was tagged, my shampoo was tagged, my shoes were tagged, and basically everything was tagged with a permanent marker.

Later through the years, whenever my clothes or shoes were dirty even after a wash, the matron ready with a stick in hand would summon me and give me a nice beating on the palm.

Although it was supposed to last me only for my Scindian life, SM973 has stuck to me even ten years after Scindia. My previous phone lock code consisted 973.

Scindia Stories - Prologue

2008-07-09T03:57:00.000-07:00

I had a little history regarding boarding schools. In the 1st or 2nd grade, I had appeared for an entrance examination for Welham Boys, and when the result came out and I realized I was admitted; I tore off the result. I simply did not want to go.

So it still confuses me as to why I enthusiastically suggested that I be admitted to the Scindia School, Gwalior in the 4th grade. It may have been because of the stories of Mussoorie International School that I had heard from my sisters.

Whatever the reason, the three years in Scindia were the fondest of my schooling life. In the following series, I will write incidents and tales that I remember from Scindia.

Desire

2008-06-19T12:16:00.000-07:00

A list of the few things that I would want to have.

1) BMW 530i

2) Tag Heuer Grand Carrera Calibre 8RS Chronometer

3) Mont Blanc Meisterstuck Solitaire Silver Fibre Guilloche

4) A Hugo Boss Suit

5) A Vincent van Gogh

6) Signed copy of all Jeffrey Archer books

7) Cristopher Tolkien signed Lord of the Rings

9) Sachin Tendulkar signed bat

10) Arsene Wenger and Thierry Henry signed football

11) Pink Floyd signed The Wall

12) Bose Lifestyle home entertainment system

13) Arsenal Football Club

Do they say lucky no. 13?

The Indian Premier League - A delayed review

2008-06-12T10:33:00.000-07:00

A few years back, when the South African cricket team visited Australia, a new rivalry was born; that of arguably the greatest leg spinner the game has ever seen and of a flamboyant young captain leading the resurrection of a tattered team after an unsuccessful world cup campaign. Shane Warne and Graeme Smith never became the best of friends.

Come 2008, and suddenly, the two fierce competitors were bought by the same franchisee in the much fancied Indian Premier League. By the end of the tourney, Smith declared Warne as a 'fiery old man' and said that they 'got on like a house on fire'.

Now that is what the IPL has done to the sport of cricket. Even one Mr. Sourav Ganguly is now happy to work closely with one Mr. Ricky Ponting, something that seemed unforeseeable in either's careers.

No sport is friendly, but it must be played in the right spirit. The IPL was no different. At the opening ceremony itself, each captain signed the Spirit of Cricket statement, confirming that they intended to play in respect of the game. Another incentive for promoting sportsmanspirit was the Fairplay Award, which took into account a team's behaviour with their opposition as well as the umpires.

It might seem surprising that the Rajasthan team eventually won the IPL. They were touted as the weakest link, they had an accented English-speaking captain, they had no Indian superstar cricketer. However, they had desire. Warne's want to win a game from the most miserable situation was infectious, and it thus showed in the performances of youngsters like Shane Watson and Yusuf Pathan.

One might argue that the famous Harbhajan-Sreesanth slap incident did not do much for nurturing sportsmanspirit; but it is clear that neither of these players have behaved saintly in their past careers, so to blame the IPL for such an incident is not correct.

The inaugral IPL did its bit to promote the game of cricket. Old enemies became pals and respect grew amongst contemporaries. Cricket still remained the gentleman's game, although the viewership grew amongst ladies and children as well.

Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai

2008-01-28T10:19:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I went to the IIT for Techfest's night event, Laser Floyd.
Now, the last word in the last sentence is enough to draw me, and maybe a couple of more people to the event. So, there it was, a Laser Show from some group from America with Floyd's The Wall playing in the background.
Let me be frank. The laser show was not something brilliant. I think I saw the same kind of thing at our college fest two years back, maybe on a little smaller scale. And just to praise my college a tad bit more, I think the idea of having a live band in Vayu perform along with the laser show was much more exciting.
Anyways, what I loved about the show was the crowd. I would so wish that kind of a crowd present for an event I organize. Even before the show started, the mexican waves had begun. After a couple of rounds of hand-raising fun, there was the flashing of mobiles. It so reminded me of everyone holding a candle during Scorpions' Wind of Change performance; I did not imagine cell phones could be so visible from 25 mtrs.
All right; people who had not heard any song from the album came just because they thought it cool to attend something to do with Floyd, but the spirit of the crowd was enough to make you want to go to that place year after year. Imagine an open air theatre, filled with almost 6000 people, all waving their mobile phones in the air. Pretty decent.
It's things like these that make me even more fond of the IIT; forget the education bit, it's the IIT experience that's the real thing.

That brilliant, er, yeah, film!

2007-12-08T04:56:00.000-08:00

There is this certain scene I've seen in various movies, English and Hindi (I do not really watch other language films unless they're dubbed and brilliant.); an intelligent director presents a passionate story to an audience which does not appreciate it. Khoya Khoya Chand has a similar scene where the audience walk off from a premiere of Shiney's directorial debut.

I have a strong feeling Sudhir Mishra is trying to lend a little humour in that scene. He probably knows a lot of people watching Khoya Khoya Chand would want to walk away.

It is that kind of a movie. No, you do not want to walk away like you did while watching Jhoom Barabar Jhoom. A lot of people would walk away because they do not relate to the ideas of the
director.

Khoya Khoya is one of the better movies, for me. With the brilliant acting of Vinay Pathak, Soha, Shiney and even Saurabh Shukla, it takes you back to an era my age has not seen. The arty Bengali director, the beautiful Muslim actress, the eccentric producer, the typical UP lad; amazing characterization.

The movie is not so much about the cinema in the 60s as it is about people in general. It portrays the relationship between a group of persons so beautifully that you sometimes wonder if you're really only watching a film.

I liked Chameli, but I have yet to see Mishra's other baby, Hazaron Khwahishen Aisi. Even though, I'm positive that that will again be a good watch.

The day after

2007-10-11T12:03:00.000-07:00

The randomness of day is a good research project.

What do you do when you have time to kill, three hours, to be precise. When you cannot play Jetman just for the fact that others will think you're the biggest jerk. When India is playing so horrendously that you don't feel like watching and cheering. When the music runs out on your cell phone or your battery gives up. When there is no one you can sit with for more than five minutes. When all your assignments and journals have been copied complete.

Difficult situations these. My response: I go to the Energee waala outside college, make random conversation with him about how bad India is playing, come back. I sit with this one guy I recognize in canteen. I talk to him for five minutes. Then I get up and walk out to my car for no rhyme or reason. I throw in my bag and walk back to college. I sit with that one guy and girl again. Once they stop showing much interest in me, I get up to walk outside again. Time doesn't fly you know. Damn.

Realization

2007-10-03T09:49:00.001-07:00

Realization strikes, suddenly. After all the busy days of the past month, just yesterday, I was contemplating why I was behaving differently to certain circumstances which have occurred in the past.

I was never the expressive person. I used to be content even with no one around me, no one to talk to. I was never the expectant person. This has changed now.

I've become that extremely sociable person, who always needs people around to feel comfortable. I can't sit alone for hours now; not even with a book, my usual substitute for people. I know why this has happened. I've gotten close to a few people in the past few years, who've caused me to become this way. I do not know if it's for the better or worse; I'm just in a very uncomfortable territory right now. I need to know myself better.

That Siddhesh Mehra, who never cared what others thought of him, has started paying attention to it. I do not like it this way, but I do not know how much trying to turn myself back into the old me will change things.

For now, let me be.

Plagiarism

2007-10-03T04:52:00.000-07:00

This article has NOT been written by me. I came across it while searching on Google. Credit goes to the writer, Huzaifa. The blog can be found at http://axshuzaifa.blogspot.com/2005/12/ieee-vs-csi.html

IEEE v/s CSI

The following article was written by me for my college magazine in 2004.
I.E.E.E. and C.S.I. are the student chapters of the Electronics and Computer Department respectively. Needless to say, they are the best of friends.

IEEE v/s CSI

Every now and then one comes across a stage in life which teaches you the difference between right and wrong and how to face hardships. It teaches you morals, ethics and things like why soldering irons should be cooled before putting in pant pockets.
Yes, I am talking of college festivals.

Every year the IEEE and CSI societies hold their college festival. IEEE and CSI date their origins to primitive times when two cave men first discovered the dog. The first cavemen taught the dog how to stand, eat, run, talk and cook food, but all the dog did was roll over and play dead. He called this programming and formed CSI. The second caveman passed a direct electric current thru the dog’s leg. When its tail moved frantically up and down, he called it DC to AC rectification and formed the IEEE.

Traditionally these two societies have been bitter rivals, each trying to outdo the other. Their festivals are the hallmark of the semester. CSI calls its festival PROTOCOL which is Latin for “Our-classrooms-are-better-than-the-principal’s-office.” IEEE calls its festival TECHTRIX which is stands for “We-claim-to-have-more-members-than-the-Congress Party.”

Protocol was the first fest to take place. While preparing for the event it was decided by the core committee that the college walls were looking faded and dirty. So let’s put up garish red posters over every inch of the walls and cover them up. Around 3 million billion killion dillion posters were printed (conservative estimate) and plastered everywhere. There were posters on the stairs, the canteen, the windows, even on the lift doors. Posters would turn up in the most unexpected places like the bathroom cubicles, the labs, the terrace and even in the canteen Pav Bhaji.

IEEE was now faced with an acute free wall space crisis. Someone on their committee decided to hang their posters from the ceiling. Now this is a good idea, especially if you are 8 ft tall and have a rubber neck. For others it was a chance to show off their archery skills. Contests were held during lunch (“Alright let’s see who can hit the poster. Keep your pens and rubber bands ready..FIRE”)

Both the festivals have budgets large enough to wipe the debt of certain African nations. Events like Treasure Hunt are closely guarded secrets. Nobody knows the checkpoints except the organizers, the event heads, the volunteers, their families, the xeroxwala, the liftman, security guards, the canteen waiters, and of course the government of China. Robotics is another keenly contested event in which 20 year old engineering students try to get rid of their ‘geeky nerd’ tags by playing with toy cars.

I have to mention the laser show which was part of the CSI fest.
It was a twenty minute show that had enough lasers to send western Maharashtra on an 8 hour power shortage. CSI proudly claimed it to be second in magnitude only to Bappi Lahiri’s wardrobe.

Not to be outdone IEEE redecorated the college entrance. Disco balls and black curtains were put up to give the feel of an authentic *Technical Festival*.

Looking back on 2004, I have to conclude that it was great fun. The fights, the bickering, sponsor stealing and the occasional glimpse of an empty wall space.
Can’t wait for next year.

About Sport

2007-09-01T11:32:00.000-07:00

I play a lot of sport. I think I'm decent at some of them. This is my theory of sport.

1) I love to play against a pro if I play decently.
2) I hate to play against a decent player if I play pathetic.
3) I love to play with people who I used to defeat but they now defeat me.
4) I hate to play against an amateur if I play like a pro.

Personal theory.

Viruddh Gandhi

2007-08-07T10:58:00.000-07:00

This one wouldn't have come, but for the incessant abuses Manmeet hurled at me whenever I met him; in person or online. This one's for the aviator.

I'm not convinced Gandhi was Mahatma. It is probably because I've not read enough about the man to deem him Mahatma. He was a good man, powerful rather. There had to be something about a man who could single-handedly influence the second-most populous nation in the world. The aura, of men of that stature, people like Gandhi, Hitler, Luther King; is irresistible. These men inspire me, although none were Mahatmas.
Why this article? Well, I saw Gandhi, my father. Whatever the Times of India or other newspapers thought, I believe the movie was brilliant. From the depiction of a stubborn Gandhi, always knowing the right, a soft father, longing for the love of his son; to the wonderful portrayal of Hari Gandhi, the wasted son of a celebrated father: the emotional relationship is beautifully played.
I had expectations from this movie the first time I heard about it at the IIFA awards. Fresh from watching the Aviator, I almost hoped for a Scorsese-style biography. What I got was different from Scorsese; but was equally brilliant. It is small things I like about direction; the shower scene in South Africa, staying away from the infamous train incident in SA, not indulging into much outside Gandhi's family, images of Akshay Khanna as a Satyagrahi in the later parts of the movie.
It is rather rare that I feel this kind of fervor after watching a movie. The last time I felt it was after The Departed. Rang De Basanti before that. I say Anil Kapoor chose an apt movie to start his production career. Nice.

The dream

2007-06-06T09:46:00.000-07:00

Now just the other day, I was discussing dreams with my friends, while cursing myself for not remembering them. They gave me vivid descriptions of their dreamy escapades. So, today, to my surprise, when I woke up, I realised what I was dreaming. Now c'mon, that was an experience for me. So, here it is.

#include fantasyland.h
Now, a senior of mine had shifted to Australia while we were still in school. So now, probably a couple of years later, I meet a girl outside who I faintly recognize as that senior's sister. She's getting some land dug in an open ground in front of school. When I go to enquire out of curiosity, I learn that she's a telecommunications engineering student and she was doing a project on telecomm in India. So she was trying to get to the MTNL lines.
/*Pause. Some days later. */
I meet the same girl again, getting the same digging done, but now right in front of my building. I say hi to her once again, and get talking. Turns out we share a nice rapport. I give her my contact number, and we go around Bombay for a couple of days. We start liking each other, and the day before she's leaving for Australia, she comes to my place. We are in the elevator, and I tell her I like her. She smiles. I hug her. She does not refuse, but she does not respond.
/*Pause. Next day.*/
Next day, she does not call before leaving. I cannot contact her because she does not have a cell.
Some days later, she calls from Australia. I complain about not meeting her when she left, and she says she felt awkward right after the hug. But that, to make up, she was sending me a gift.
Suddenly, I see myself holding an album. Pictures of mine and hers', with apt captions and messages.
/*I get a phone call. My dream ends.*/
end dream

Now, now, before someone asks; I can't remember who the girl was, neither who the senior was. The telecomm engineer in me appeared in the dream. And then, the photo album must have been because I was searching for pictures to put up on Facebook yesterday. Dream analysis ends here. It was a nice little dream. But probably even a little influenced by the James Bond flicks I've been watching rather religiously for the past few days.

The insect

2007-05-03T11:10:00.000-07:00

Imagine this.
You take an oath never to kill an insect.
Now, an insect keeps climbing on your face even though you push it away a couple of times. What would you do?

Of people

2007-04-04T11:04:00.000-07:00

OK. So there are people who work in my house.

Instance 1: Pandeyji
Pandeyji has probably seen me for more time than I can remember. So whenever he enters the house, he greets me with the words Boss. Now, it's fine to call me Boss, but not when it sounds like Bose. Not as in the Bos(z)e audio systems, but the Subhash Chandra Bose types.
Imagine, everytime I see him, all I hear is "Bose", and it drives me crazy. So much for the patriot in me!

Instance 2: Manoj
Manoj is 18 years old. He's indispensable to me. So now, he was trying to decipher what the Laughing Buddha in my show case meant.
The following are his words:
"Ye to woh hi hain naa ji, woh bhagwan jinhone macchli pakad li thi. Yeh buddhu bhagwan hain na?"
God, I could not stop laughing when he made Buddha into Buddhu. Lord.

Poetic Moods #6 Distress II

2007-03-30T06:12:00.000-07:00

My grandfather suffered from a brain stroke on the 6th of October, 2002. It took away his speech, and left him paralyzed on the right side of his body. This is for him.

His fingers clenched around my wrist,
he held me tight,
a quiet look of desperation,
I trembled at that sight.

His eyes so still,
pleading to me in exasperation,
the worried smile,
I cursed my incomprehension.

I relived that old night,
had it struck again?
without those words he had long lost,
I could almost feel the pain.

The sudden relax,
his grip lost my hand,
he responded to my excited worry,
on my feet I could again stand!

Poetic Moods #5 Her

2007-03-12T10:29:00.000-07:00

A little shade of the unorthodox,
she looks into those eyes,
And then she comes to understand,
there's someone who never lies.

She's pretty, she's smart, she's sensible,
she's all that you would wish,
yet she's not available,
she's happy as she is.

There is so much more meaning,
it's difficult to explain,
but for a friend like you,
it's all simple and plain.

When you feel uncomfortable,
I know exactly how it is,
But damn, I do not know,
Is there anything else to this?

Russell that!

2007-03-03T11:00:00.000-08:00

So then; I wasn't supposed to be there! I did not have the passes. All those people who are thinking of me as the perfect bitch who went without them knowing, let me tell you the whole thing.
It was the last show Russell was doing in Bombay on this tour. And so, like an expectant fool, I went to Andrews thinking that an idiot would come there offering me passes for the show. I reached there to the sight of one of my sisters friend selling tickets to another guy. I cursed the traffic. I waited with a friend for another hour with no luck. No one was generous enough to give me that so desired pass. We waited, and the show started. Then, we went to the entry gate and gave the organizer the most agonized look that we could. Sympathetically I think, he told us that he had only one ticket with him to sell. Tempted, we bought the ticket and waited for someone as helpful to give us the second ticket. When that person didn't come, my friend suggested we toss a coin and the winner goes in; no point wasting more time outside. I agreed and my luck! I got the ticket. Center seat, 1st row!
Sorry Raj!

Roger that!

2007-02-18T12:04:00.000-08:00

You have these times when you are in front of legends. People who have written a part of history. And then you don't realize that thirty years down the line, when history is being read, you would be the lucky one to have come across it.
So today, I watched Roger Waters perform live 10 meters away from me. For the idiots, Waters is the major lyricist and composer of Pink Floyd, along with giving vocals and guitars in most songs.
The gig started with the usual Floyd antics; sparks running across the stage, exaggerated lighting, and beautiful music. Before we could realise, the classics started coming in. When songs go beyond the music, it is then that you really love them!
Then there were people, lots of them; Indians, Australians, Britishers, French, Hippies; cigarettes dangling from the mouths, some flaunting Bacardi bottles in their pockets, shouting out to random people about even random things; all part of a typical rock concert.
I had a wonderful time. With Guns n Roses last year and Roger Waters this year, I'm silently praying for Metallica next year!

Poetic Moods #4 The Arsenal

2007-02-12T09:41:00.000-08:00

A rush hour!
A big game!
A bunch of stars!
Adorned with fame!

Some in their car!
Some by the train!
They come from far!
To chant the name!

We say welcome to the Emirates!
And we go a goal down!
We see you in that ecstatic state,
Oblivious to the oncoming frown!

So many times before!
Hadn't you already seen?
What we had in store!
Through what even the reds have just been!

One from Robin!
And the second from Henry!
Oh, what a win!
Another comeback to the Arsenal gallantry!

The thunderous roar!
The walk back!
The voices into the air soar!
Now it is time to relax!

Poetic Moods #3 Distress

2007-02-07T06:28:00.000-08:00

This is for Manmeet. I wrote this in the flight thinking of you.

I shook in mid air,
with just a head rest to stare,
for the other I didn't care;
and I waited!

There were only clouds outside,
the one beside me cried,
I was on an adventurous ride;
so I waited!

A voice over the speaker came,
all the consolation was now lame,
I had never experienced the same,
but I waited!

Something from the top fell,
and I felt my head swell,
all the sweat that I could smell;
I waited!

A little orange and a lot of pink,
and still the sun would not sink,
I had no heart to think;
hence I waited!

With a thud it was all over,
a smooth path for us to hover,
never was I to be so sober;
and the wait ended!

Then and Now: Part 1

2007-01-31T11:15:00.000-08:00

Then:
Yh, those were the days. I was captain of the Junior team in the 6th standard at my boarding school. We were bowling for the trophy, as in I was bowling the last over for the trophy. The opposite team needed 5 runs, with 4 wickets remaining.
Ball1: Wide
Ball2: Wide
Ball3: Caught back by the bowler.
Ball4: Wicket. Caught in the slips
Ball5: Wide. Run out while trying to steal a single.
Ball6: Single.
Ball7: Wide.The match was over. Apparently!
It was 1998. Then, a four off a wide delivery was declared as four runs and not five as it is now. The scorer had made a mistake and given it as five. The match stood tied with three balls remaining. Those three balls were to be held the next day.
The next day we had a science test (and we all were serious about studying, at least I was). The morning, I missed my prep time (study time) and practised for those three balls.
After lunch, we went for the match.
Ball7: Missed outside the off stump. Collected by keeper.
Ball8: Missed outside the off stump. Collected by keeper.
Ball9: Missed outside the off stump. Collected by keeper. Run out.
Yh, so we won by the rule of wickets. I was picked up like I had just won my team the world cup. The match took away my interest in cricket. I did not want to hear the name of the game. I never played serious cricket after that.
That was then.

Exciting day!

2007-01-30T09:30:00.000-08:00

This is someone's exciting day!
"
I wake up at 9 for an 8.30 lecture. (Yes, that's *exciting*)
Then I miss the lecture and sit in the canteen (How very **).
I sit in the canteen.
I sit in the canteen.
Then, I get a brainwave to go to Brio /*Corrected on request*/. (**)
Then, we sit at Brio. We talk, get excited about the place we've come to.
Then, whether we have tuition; according to home, we always do.
We go to U Turn during that time. (Very **)
After that, we go to 11 echoes for dinner and talk. (** **)
Then, I come home.
"
EPILOGUE
Once upon a time in Bombay, there was a person who told me that my life was not exciting enough, because all I ever talked when asked how my day was was the exact course of events. So, I asked how that person's day was more exciting than mine; and the above is the response!

Poetic Moods #2: Red

2007-01-27T12:42:00.000-08:00

On the surface, I see a creature;
he toils in the night, and tries to rest;
just then something strikes,
and the creature meets its death.

When the surface is revealed,
and the curtain is raised;
a hand appears,
Unaffected, unfazed.

The hand is blooded,
and the creature lies there;
the black of his body,
smeared red in despair.

It could have caused a disease,
or an epidemic, the hand said;
there will always be another one,
for this one dead!

A day in my life

2007-01-21T10:39:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was the most proper day in my recent life.

1) I woke up in the morning to go to Borivali to play a football match. As I reached Andheri station, I realised that I haven't got my ID along; and we needed it. So I got down at Jogeshwari and went back home to collect my ID. I rushed back to Borivali. There, they didn't even ask for the IDs. But the proper day went on, and I managed to lose my ID. I DIDNT EVEN PLAY THE MATCH, I WAS ON THE BENCH FOR 50 MINUTES AND ALL I DID AT BORIVALI WAS LOST THE ID WHICH I HAD FORGOTTEN AND THEN GONE BACK TO COLLECT!

2) So then, we came home. In the evening I had another match at VJTI. So I went to Andheri station, and all my idiot friends bought harbour line tickets, because they thought Kings Circle was closer to VJTI. So it was, but then harbour line trains come within half an hour of each other, and we had just missed one of them. Yh, so we got late. We reached there; warmed up; and I realised I wasn't even in the squad there. Frustrating! I went to VJTI to cheer the team.

3) I was supposed to be running for the marathon today. After winning at Borivali, we were told that the next match would be today. Thinking that I would anyways miss the marathon, I didn't collect the shirt number. At VJTI, I came to know that there was no match today; and still I would miss the marathon. Aargh!

4) There was a Siddhesh who played against us at Borivali; and there was a Mehra who played against us at VJTI. So, both Siddhesh and Mehra played, but Siddhesh Mehra didn't play.

Off again!

2007-01-01T10:49:00.000-08:00

Its just that time of the year when I start to travel; and last year was good travel. Kerala, Lonavala, Europe, Delhi (i know)..
And this year starts with Nainital. But as always; hopeful destinations for this year:
Ummm.. Delhi (perpetually there.. not hopeful, im sure ill be there atleast twice in the year)
America - I wanna go meet Didi.. please
England - Arre thats to on the way tto the US only na.. so Ill stop there for a couple of days
Goa - I just want to go there, feeling aa rahi hai..

Plagiarism

2007-01-01T04:03:00.000-08:00

I just loved this one on the front page of the Times today:

There are two Indias in this country.
One India is straining at the leash, eager to spring forth and live up to all the adjectives that the world has been showering recently upon us.
The other India is the leash.
One India says, give me a chance and I'll prove myseld. The other India says, prove yourself first and maybe then you'll have a chance.
One India lives in the optimism of our hearts. The other India lurks in the skepticism of our minds.
One India wants. The other India hopes.
One India leads. The other India follows.
But conversions are on the rise. With each passing day more and more people from the other India have been coming over to this side.
And quietly, while the world is not looking, a pulsating, dynamic, new India is emerging.
An India whose faith in success is far greater than its fear of failure.
An India that no longer boycotts foreign-made goods but buys out the companies that make them instead.
History, they say, is a bad motorist. It rarely ever signals its intentions when it is taking a turn.
This is the rarely-ever moment. History is turning a page.
For more than half a century, our nation has sprung, stumbled, run, fallen, rolled over, got up, dusted herself and cantered, sometimes lurched on. But today, as we begin our 60th year as a free nation, the ride has brought us to the edge of time's great precipice.
And one India - a tiny little voice at the back of the head - is looking down at the bottom of the ravine and hesitating.
The other India is looking up at the sky and saying, it's time to fly.
INDIA POISED - our time is now

There is a reason why I picked this up from the Times and posted on my blog.
Newspapers are read one day and thrown away the next; but I want this part of today's paper to remain with me.

Turn ons

2006-12-30T14:13:00.000-08:00

I was just thinking what kind of things can impress people:
In the 4th standard, girls thought I was too cute.
In the 6th standard, a girl loved the speed with which I typed (So much for being a computer addict)
In the 7th standard, a girl liked me because I was good at Maths
In the 8th standard, a girl liked me because I irritated the hell outta her.
In the 10th standard, a girl liked me because I kicked her out of something I was handling.
In the 11th standard, a girl liked me because I had nothing against anyone.
Enough! I'll come to the later years a few years later.

World Press Photo

2006-12-29T04:35:00.000-08:00

Now I'm not much into all this, but I got to know from a friend that there was a photography exhibition in Nariman Point. A curious interest in photography and nothing else to do drove me to the Express Towers, where the World Press Photo Exhibition was put up.
The photos were, as expected, beautiful. Now the exhibition had been put up in two separate rooms; and to no surprise, one of them was filled with only tragic pictures: of a girl being stabbed in the face, of earthquake and hurricane victims, of gang violence, and of famished children. So much for the state of the world today!

Cricket

2006-12-19T09:28:00.000-08:00

Its amazing how you, can speak right .. Aargh...
Its amazing how one win can make you forget all the losses of the near past.
With Team India looking more like Tame India in the one day series, the test series has taken a great turn.. what with India scoring their first in SA.
There were moments in the match which you just cannot forget for a long time..
Day 1 - Glimpses of Sachin; Dada is back, and back with a bang!
Day 2 - Shreesanth and Zaheer, God!
Day 3 - The return of the VVS; Shreesanth does a number!
Day 4 - Old Lord Kumble strikes the blows! Blood.. aargh.. Beer bath! You thought they would spare you, Dhoni?
Day 5 - Victory is a day old!

Thought monitoring

2006-11-25T12:55:00.000-08:00

For people who know me, I've been sensible! I'm positive they will agree. From staying arrogant to being straight forward, I know myself as I'd like to be.

But then, there are these moments; these times when I think I'm just too right. I should be wrong at times. It gives people more of a chance to get close to you. If you portray yourself to be unaffected by anything, you put yourself inside a shell; and don't give any reason for others to try and break that shell. And then the worst part comes: for all your life, they who you thought knew you, understood you; go away, stop understanding you.

These are just moments. As much as I think about it, I know I will never do anything that I feel wrong. I'm just what I am. And I'd stay this way!

Pest Control

2006-10-01T12:45:00.000-07:00

If you were wondering why I was quiet for so many days, it might have been because of the increasing number of unloved living beings in my bathroom. There have been spiders, cockroaches, mosquitos, and insects which I couldn't identify. So they kept me busy.
First I tried using Baygon cockroach spray. Next day, I found only two in the bathroom. Encouraged, I tried the same spray in the air to get rid of the unidentifiable insects. Next day, I found more of them; and thought to myself; maybe the cockroach pesticide wasnt working for them. I could only think of them being like mosquitos, and so I put a Good Night mosquito repellant in the bathroom for the night. No effect. Then, I sprayed Hit Mosquito Spray all over the bathroom, and voila, most of them were gone. Another night of Hit got rid of them.
If this sounds like an insect repellant test; it may just have been it. Practical testing of three prominent brands in the market.
Best buy: Hit Mosquito Spray (Only Rs. 63/-)

Robotics and PC controlled circuits

2006-09-03T02:46:00.000-07:00

I have developed this rather new interest in robotics in the past few days. I was checking out these sites for wireless control circuits to try building a robot and came across such things that excited me to the core. Umm, from building a PC controlled oscilloscope to wirelessly controlling electrical equipment, wow. I am excited to start building such things; and am sure it will be as exciting as it seems now!

Mumbye

2006-06-16T03:55:00.000-07:00

So I am finally leaving day after. After months of planning, I still do not know my itinerary yet. We will see. All I know is that I am really excited that I'm going, all alone. It's going to be loads of fun. Would love to keep posting from there if I get a chance.

Ah. But I will miss Mumbai. Just the other day my friends were asking me why I was going for so long, and I was all like, I'll have a real good time; but now that I'm on the verge of going, I have already started missing Bombay. How will I be away for so long. We will see!

Arjun Singh 6/6/6

2006-06-05T13:55:00.000-07:00

A caricature by me of the man himself.

"Walking on crutches, and making India do so too."

ANA Company

2006-06-05T11:53:00.001-07:00

OK. So it was my first trip abroad. It was 1998. I was travelling to Zambia with my sister to visit my aunt.
Now, Zambia is a country which grants visas on arrival. So it was a much unplanned decision that I may go. We booked my ticket and went to the airport. There was a hitch with the airline, and so we went to the Airport Manager at Mumbai airport. Every two minutes, he kept explaining to us (in his South Indian aiee-aiee-o accent) that we needed to get an ANA company form for me to travel. It was weird. We had never heard of any company with that name, leave aside relating to travel. Further more, I had never travelled abroad before and knew nothing about any such form.
After racking our brains, we understood what the manager was actually talking about. Surprise, surprise, he was explaining to us that we needed to have signed the Unaccompanied Minor form, or I would be travelling at my own. Huh. So much for a UM form.
At the end, I ended up travelling without one; my sister travelling as a UM.

of brazilian samba on punjabi songs

2006-06-01T10:26:00.000-07:00

It is a phase, it seems. Just today I read about Isha Koppikar and Shahrukh Khan being obsessed with the PlayStation 2, when I thought to myself; ain't I too?

To be honest, I have been playing around 2-3 hours of PS2 everyday since we bought it, even when my exams are going on.

It is funny; Harwani betting on winning a game (laugh), Manmeet dancing on the Punjabi song which plays in the game menu, Tanay's tactical genius, Panno challenging everyone and then losing, Shreya and Taha passing wild-ass comments, and each partner of Manmeet shouting at him for his solo dribbling gameplay; it is sure funny.

It is a mania. Dunno how long it will last, but when we could buy the PS2 just for playing FIFA on it, I'm sure it would last long!

Airport woes

2006-05-15T11:27:00.000-07:00

In the recent past, I have been to the Mumbai airports a couple of times to just come back exasperated.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Airport, Santacruz
There is constant policing to prevent people from parking near the terminals. I do understand why even then, people are happy to take rounds of the airport rather than park their cars in the Airport Parking Facility; the bloody parking costs Rs. 50. Now, not even ten rounds of the airport would burn a litre of fuel in my car, so why should I park it for the price of a litre? As a result the parking is half empty all the time, and the Authorities still do not learn to reduce the price. Sigh.

Sahar Airport, Andheri
All these hotels in Mumbai need to take care and train their staff (read: hotel car chauffeurs). It is pretty embarrasing to stand next to them while they go about cat calling every foreigner that exits the terminal, waving their boards above their heads. And even better, when the person who they have come to pick up finally responds to their frantic waving, they issue a "Good evening" and a "Aa gaya saala gora" in the same breath. 'Atithi Devo Bhava' or something was the government's campaign, wasn't it? Sigh.

Cry baby, cry

2006-05-11T10:06:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I cried. Well, I think it is fine to once in a while cry to yourself; it helps to understand yourself a lot better, if you know what I mean.

36 China Town

2006-05-06T14:15:00.000-07:00

I don't understand why Indian directors just cannot grow up! I mean how can you print in the movie that a particular scene is placed in Mumbai, and then show vast deserts and mountains and lakes.

Then you try and make the film into a funny flick by giving horrendous dialogues to an equally horrendous actor, who goes by the name of Kapur.

And to top it all, you have a certain Tanushree Datta, a Payal Rohatgi, a Tanaaz Currim and even Kareena Kapoor displaying ample skin to maybe compete with Tanisha of Nikki fame.

Add to it Himesh Reshammiya's music, and there you have it; a pathetic movie which will surely be labelled as a box office hit!

Surprise

2006-04-24T10:45:00.000-07:00

It happens so often now on birthdays that I was ignorant not to realise.

Heres what happened. I went out with a couple of friends for bowling yesterday. And one of my friends was all into his phone. I asked him who he was talking to and he ignored me. I didn't make much of it. He asked me of my plans after bowling and I told him I was going out with my family.

These friends of mine land up at my place five minutes before I am about to leave, and I am shell shocked. I was just so happy to see them. One by one, each one entered, and I looked as dazed as I ever could. So all the phone calls were leading to Siddhesh's house then.

Thank you guys for coming though. It really made me feel nice.

Drawing

2006-04-22T08:10:00.000-07:00

After nearly two months of engineering drawing, I switched to drawing portraits, after three years. Three years back I had made one of Sachin, and a few other cricketers. This time around, I tried my hand at my new favoured footballer, Cesc Fabregas. Hehh. The face is not recognizable but any football fan would recognize the frame and the posture of Fabri..

Firefighter

2006-04-11T11:02:00.000-07:00

I was sitting by the PC trying to work out a way to understand the Linux interface, when my mom suddenly shouted panic. I rushed out to see a small fire gaining wind right above the electrical board. The bell, which was placed right above it, had somehow caught fire. The stupid maid suggested throwing water over the fire; that would have surely electrocuted us. I picked up a doormat and banged it right on the bell a couple of times. The fire went out and luckily, it did not catch the electrical board. Man it was a scary day. Soot flying all over the house, even to my room and dirtying my laptop. The wall has now turned black and there is still a lingering smell of burnt plastic.

Highlights of the day - Saturday March 18 2006

2006-03-19T06:38:00.000-08:00

- Munaf Patel bowled brilliantly

- Yuvraj Singh came to field at the third man boundary and the whole North Stand erupted in chants of KIM SHARMA, KIM SHARMA... Yuvi turned around and gestured to slap the crowd. Two minutes and the crowd started to chant SORRY, SORRY.. then came the surprise.. just as Yuvi turned to acknowledge the crowd, they chanted... @%#&!@ banaya, bada mazaa aaya.. It happens Yuvi..

- WE WANT SAURAV chants erupted as soon as Dravid dropped a catch

- The usual SACHIN SACHIN was on, but attempts to get the Mexican Wave started proved futile, with the East Stand refusing to cooperate

- All in all, a boring day's play, with neither the batsmen scoring at a quick rate, neither the wickets falling..

All the attention

2006-03-07T03:52:00.000-08:00

It sometimes happens that you suddenly get so much attention that it seems unknown to you and you end up doing things people do not expect of you.

A person who has been in those unnoticed few ever since school, where he was neither too good nor too bad, for him to be known; if he is suddenly noticed and famed for a good thing of his or by chance of no one better being there with him..

Everyone starts talking about him, and then a few months down the line, you realise, is he really that good? And then your brain replies, "No, I mean he might be OK, but nothing that you have not seen before." And by then, you have raised that person to such a pedestal that bringing him to himself is a tough task.

Sizzler woes??

2006-03-05T05:59:00.000-08:00

I did this in probably the 9th standard, and it works even now..

Kya aap Yoko jaane ke liye tadapte hain, aur phir vahaan pahunch kar ek sizzler bhi nahi kha paate? Do you call the waiter half way through your sizzler to clear your platter? I have the answer. Siddhesh Mehra presents to you the 'Sizzler woes to wows', your best way to finish a Yoko sizzler... (I know its cheesy, but I wanted this para to be this way)

Now once you have got the sizzler of your choice in front of you, and once the sizzle has burnt your face with the smoke, you decide to pick up the fork and start with the fries. Do not tempt yourself to put the fork straight into your favourite food, chicken in my case. In fact keep it till the end. It is a sure way of getting through your sizzler. You eat the fries, and the other vegetables. Remember to eat onions and mushrooms later because they are the most likely to burn your tongue, if you haven't already. When your stomach says enough, you will end up with the chicken on your platter. Now obviously you cannot skip that. Thats what you came for. Remind yourself of the name of the sizzler 'Sizzling CHICKEN in *your choice* sauce'. And there you have a reason to eat all the chicken. And then probably your friends sitting next to you, who haven't read 'Sizzler woes to wows' will stare at you in admiration.

Hehh. I just love Yoko.

The Metro Ride

2006-02-18T06:12:00.000-08:00

When you think of railway stations in India, you expect a crowded, dirty place with so much noise that two people standing a foot away need to shout. Forget about sitting in a local train. (Now now the New Bombay stations are an exception)
But think again. Go to Delhi, travel in the metro there, and I am sure you will come out impressed. With working escalators and clean floors, the stations are beautifully made.
Picture this. In a car, a ride from Delhi University to Connaught Place takes around an hour; if you are lucky and the traffic is moving. Contrast that to the metro, which takes fifteen minutes and leaves you in the heart of Connaught Place. You get a place to sit easily; it is centrally air-conditioned (obviously) and even for a first-timer, there are enough signs and boards to have a trouble free journey.
Mumbai needs a metro. Though it has been passed, I am sure it will be years before such a project will be undertaken in this city. Why, we do not know? Remember the Bandra Worli flyover?

School

2006-02-02T08:22:00.000-08:00

I always wonder why my parents decided I should go to a boarding school when I was just in the fourth grade.

It was a brave decision; and to say that I also wanted to desperately go to a boarding school was another thing. I had always been in awe of my sisters who were in Mussoorie International School. My sis never failed to tell me how much fun they had in school, besides the independence they got.

So I, who had torn an acceptance from Welham Boys in the second standard, suddenly wanted to join a boarding. And then, I was at Scindia School, Gwalior.

I did not know then, that I would have to bathe in ice cold water in the even colder winter, or that I would have to eat tasteless food for three years.

What I did know was that I was to live on my own for those years. I would be introduced to so many people from so many parts of the country, that I would later be able to distinguish a Bihari from a Bhaiya. (Most people in Bombay confuse between the two.)

There was this fascinating person I met. He was a German guy, of German parents, not an NRI. And surprise, surprise, he was a Hindi teacher.

I went to so many places. Went to Bangladesh, went to Ajmer.

Good my parents thought I should go to a boarding school. Everyone should.

Lacklustre

2006-01-29T10:03:00.000-08:00

After watching movies as rang de basanti, there is a definite surge in the minds of many people; to do something, extraordinary.
But I ask, what if I want to do something? I do want to, but I am just not able to.
Whenever a movie portraying all those patriots is released, I have a feeling of guilt. I put myself in a predicament which I do not know how to get out of. I know that in five years, I will be in the US and paying taxes to the country who would have already charged me a bomb for the education there.
When my father gives me money to buy a painting for the house, he trusts that I would spend the money on a nice painting. If I get a bad painting, the next time he would go and get one himself, not tell me to buy.
We; at least I, have lost trust in the government I'm giving money to. But what do I do. I don't step into it, I keep paying. And I know the country is going to the dogs. But I am too scared to come forward and take something into my own hands.
I lack the courage. Because if someone does come forward, he will die in this vicious political circle. So it will probably need another few courageous people to save the country. I know I can't do it, unless I suddenly develop a will so strong that a miracle does happen.
This post is more of a confession. I today know that there are certain ties to me with my world, that will never let myself be carefree. And I believe that that is very necessary for someone to do something of such a stature.

Poetic Moods #1 Black River

2006-01-28T00:05:00.000-08:00

Water rustling, we could hear;
the lights on the sides in the night, see;
A sight one would love to behold;
A river joining the Arabian Sea.

So we told the flat owner,
we wish to buy,
An apartment,
so beautiful as thy;

A golf course is coming up, Mr;
he told us with a smile;
What more could we ask for;
A beautiful view for a mile.

So we bought the house,
And came to stay;
And then,
to our utter dismay;

It was a drain;
the rustling sound;
The Black River they called it;
all around.

We called the flat owner and asked about;
the river and the sea;
He said "Don't worry Sir;
In ten years you will also have a Black Sea!"

posts and comments... post comments

2006-01-26T03:25:00.000-08:00

hey guys. when u post comments, please leave your names. It is pretty tough to keep guessing who is commenting on which post.

eminem songs and cricket woes

2006-01-25T09:28:00.000-08:00

Sometimes such incidents chill you out. OK. So I was keeping wickets while playing cricket at this ground in Juhu. The bowler was a lousy one. But one of the balls just bounced off the pitch (may be off a stone) and bang; it crashed into the batsman's spects. The spects broke and the guy went down. Now I didn't even know this guy. I rushed to him and asked if he was fine. But it was so chilling; I mean what if even a small piece of glass went into the eyes. The guy could have gone blind. Phew!
I was watching Eminem on VH1 one of these days and I never knew Eminem was a Micheal Jackson himself until I saw those yankees going mad outside Times Square. I just wonder what Eminem has in his songs. There is a lot of emotion. And then there is this frank confession to himself. He does not seem to have any pretence. I mean that guy could go to the Grammys and accept an award without so much as a glint on his face. I would not be able to do it. Amazing.

cheese balls jalapeno poppers and broad shoulders

2006-01-21T10:49:00.000-08:00

I was at a friend's party yesterday. One of my friends actually thought I had started gymming et al. He told me he could not recognise me at first glance (I meet this friend 5 days in a week). I supposedly have developed broad shoulders. Huh. None of the girls told me this. But still, I take it as a compliment; and keep hoping that it comes from a feminine mouth next.
Moving on from the broad shoulder episode, the highlight of the party was the CHEESE BALLS *jalapeno poppers*. I had more than fifteen. Yummy. The cheese oozed out just as I pricked the toothpick into it. We had a great time.
By the way, I actually went to the gym today!

purani jeans

2006-01-17T09:55:00.000-08:00

wow. You feel great when you talk to a person who you last met 6 years ago. It is exciting, to say the least. You start remembering things which were kept in an unknown corner of your mind which you never opened in those years. Hehh. I met a friend last year after 8 years; I met a friend today after 6 years. I hope to meet more of such feeling. Brings in a little bit of tickle in the stomach!

That inner feeling

2006-01-13T10:20:00.000-08:00

I had only heard it but now I think it must be true. OK fine, I travelled on the 1st of January; it seems I will be travelling the whole year. Two days out of Kerala, I was in Lonavala; now with my family. It turned out to be a comedy of sorts. I was so excited to be on a vacation after a vacation; but somehow I just could not wait to return to Bombay again. Something funny was going on in my stomach. It was as if after Kerala, I was expecting those bunch of friends to be with me in Lonavala too.
And so driving on the Expressway as fast as I could (with all the nagging from the rear seat); I came to Bombay. Then I went for tutions where I was going to meet the Kerala bunch today after the trip (exclude Ajmera's bday please). Hah, so they were happy to see me. There were a lot of "Hey"s and "Lonavala and all, huh?"s from them. But then when I was finally settling down in the class, one of the assistants came and told me, "Listen, you have missed the first class, so it is better that you come tomorrow and attend that lecture instead of sitting for this lecture straight away." Hah. What was that all about? But I was at least happy; happy to see the Kerala bunch.

Down South

2006-01-10T21:25:00.000-08:00

I don't know if I would have gotten close to so many people in the four years in college had I not gone to Kerala for the Industrial Visit (hehh.. that is what they called it). It was wonderful. I actually never knew that Kerala had hills too; I thought it was just beaches. But it would have been better if we were given more time on the beaches; I mean two hours was just not enough. Beedi, mingi, and a lot of other things; it was great.

Charlton 0-1 Arsenal

2005-12-27T09:53:00.000-08:00

I was relieved. Ljunberg missed a sitter. Mhyre made a few amazing saves, but it was the young lad from Spain. Jose Antonio Reyes. I was just getting desperate for him to score. He did; but I'm not so convinced by the Drogba-like finish. You shinned it in Jose, but as they say, they all count. After all, that is how Chelski defeated Arsenal at Stamford Bridge. Go gunners!

Taking my own decisions

2005-12-17T10:05:00.000-08:00

From today, I have decided that I will take my own decisions. In the past, a lot of my decisions have been influenced by what people thought or would think. I think now I am mature enough to influence my own decisions.

Dunn worry anyone

2005-12-16T06:55:00.000-08:00

listen please do not think im depressed or anything. it is just that i wrote what my state of mind was on the other day.. just a little bit of thinking.

broke a glass

2005-12-14T09:39:00.000-08:00

It is amazing when they say 'he broke the ice'; I mean no one literally breaks the ice. Well I literally broke a glass today. It has been a few distressing days. Had it not been for the awful cold, I would be on my flight to Swiss in three days. People around me have stopped being normal. The ones that were always abnormal still are. I have so many people who talk to me; my friends; but I still feel out of the scheme of things. Does that happen to people? Or is it only a passing phase which will get over as I get on with the four years that I have in college? I again say to people who should: Go break the ice.. you are not literally breaking it.

It juz happens

2005-12-12T06:53:00.000-08:00

I just fail to understand people. What is going through a person's mind at the moment is not what remains there. One moment a person tells you something; the other he does the exact opposite. Maybe it is not His will to make us understand. Maybe it is not for us to think. But then, isn't it a natural thing to think about a person who you care about and think care about you?

The Post

Contact lenses

Neighborhood watch - Chinatown

City, matters.

India and the youth

From home to work

Phase 2: The friend

Phase 2: Commencement

Choices

Going up.

Scindia Stories #1 - SM973

Scindia Stories - Prologue

Desire

The Indian Premier League - A delayed review

Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai

That brilliant, er, yeah, film!

The day after

Realization

Plagiarism

IEEE v/s CSI

About Sport

Viruddh Gandhi

The dream

The insect

Of people

Poetic Moods #6 Distress II

Poetic Moods #5 Her

Russell that!

Roger that!

Poetic Moods #4 The Arsenal

Poetic Moods #3 Distress

Then and Now: Part 1

Exciting day!

Poetic Moods #2: Red

A day in my life

Off again!

Plagiarism

Turn ons

World Press Photo

Cricket

Thought monitoring

Pest Control

Robotics and PC controlled circuits

Mumbye

Arjun Singh 6/6/6

ANA Company

of brazilian samba on punjabi songs

Airport woes

Cry baby, cry

36 China Town

Surprise

Drawing

Firefighter

Highlights of the day - Saturday March 18 2006

All the attention

Sizzler woes??

The Metro Ride

School

Lacklustre

Poetic Moods #1 Black River

posts and comments... post comments

eminem songs and cricket woes

cheese balls *jalapeno poppers* and broad shoulders

purani jeans

That inner feeling

Down South

Charlton 0-1 Arsenal

Taking my own decisions

Dunn worry anyone

broke a glass

It juz happens

cheese balls jalapeno poppers and broad shoulders