And so it continues ........

A trip down into the memory lane of old posts dug this out and paved the way for this post.

Sally: Awritee Mr. Wannabe funny guy consider this your lucky day.
Harry: Ouch lady is it just the morning air or are you always this cold?
Sally: So how often do you go around asking out waitresses?
Harry: Well lets see Mondays and Fridays, Sundays if I am doing overtime. What about you? What do you do besides running errands on rainy days and joining complete strangers over breakfasts?
Sally: Well you see with customers like you there isnt time left for much else.
Harry: Have any time left for your boyfriend?
Sally: Now that's a loaded question, hope you dont intend to spend all day digging up my history.
Harry: Didnt know you had all day for me.
Sally: As a matter of fact I dont actually and that's why I gotta head back to my shift now.
Harry: If you insist, well have a good day and take care of your boyfriend's girlfriend for me.

Was good while it lasted

All good things must come to an end or so they say, but instead of mulling over the impending end I guess we are better off appreciating the great run they had and how good it was while it lasted. This post is dedicated to one of my favorite music directors from Bollywood who have always had a bunch of songs on my playlists as I was growing up. The broke into Bollywood when music was beginning to make its presence felt after almost a decade and a half of dying a slow death at the hands of mindless action flicks courtsey the angry young man who was no longer so young. Although they had been composing for a lot longer they hit the big league in 1992 with hits like Khiladi, Raju Ban gaya Gentleman and of course JJWS. Pehla Nasha was a huge huge smash and it is always a pleasure when it plays up on my shuffle every single time. Their next stop was Kabhi Haan Kabhi Na one of SRK's best performances to date with the evergreen hit Deewana Dil Deewana busting charts in all countdowns. The followed it up next year in 1995 with their biggest smash in DDLJ. Tujhe dekha to ye and Mehndi Laga Ke still sound as fresh as they did the first time around when I heard them at schol when love fever was sweeping across the nation as ppl did come and did fall in love. They had a couple of quiet years following this big effort but they still found time to compose some of my favorite numbers with Baahon ke Darmiyan from a very underrated Khamoshi and Ek Din Aap and Chaand Taare from Yes Boss by them. Their music really hit the roof in 1998 as they churned out one hit after another in Ghulam , Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai, KKHH, Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya and Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha. Opinions may vary but barring some compositions like Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and a few others you could sense they were past their peak at that time. While they managed to churn out some lilting numbers like Mujhe Raat Din, Is Deewane Ladke Ko and Tune Mujhe Pehchana Nahin and some numbers from Mohabbatein I thought they got back to their kind of music with Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani but unfortunately the movie was a washout at the box-office. They started losng their prominence in the industry and even had to share composing credits in K3G. SRK showed is faith in them by retaining them for their home production and they repaid it by chalking up another great score for Chalte Chalte with numbers like Chalte Chalte and Tauba Tumhare ruling charts. The bagged Hum Tum on the basis of their performance and showed they still had what it took to compose ageless music witht the title track from the movie. However trouble was brewing apparently between the two and creative differences forced them to announce their split in 2006 while releasing their last composed piece of work Fanaa. If you have managed to lay your hands on the album you shall know that they have decided to go out in style stamping their class all over the album with tracks like Chaand Sifarish and Dekho Naa. All I can say its been great having this asociation with you and thank you for all those hundreds of songs and all the millions of memories associated with them.

Blogfessions

I was very dissed when I couldn't get the url meagainstmyself.blogspot.com for my blog.
I actually had to check the spelling of 'catharsis' before titling my blog.
I used to be paranoid at one time of someone hacking into my account and deleting all my posts.
That multicolored square at the bottom of my page does let me know who all are visiting my blog.
That figure for the number of hits is slightly bloated by my visits to the blog.
I find it very hard to let go of my last posts.
I wait around anxiously checking my post every 5 minutes till I see the first comment on it.
If it wouldnt have been for totti 148 thoughts would have died a quiet death within this restless mind of mine.

Food for thought ... or thoughts for food

Sorry has gotta be one of God's most fascinating creations or something made in devil's own workshop.

With an appreciative audience in place ........ lightening can indeed strike the same placetwice.

C (N,2)

People, billions of them going about their own lives who would appear as queer lil dots for someone watching our lives from a distance. These dots move about in their predefined spaces. Some of these dots dare to dream big and they step up the rung to get noticed by other dots often leaving behind trails people fondly refer to as legacies. These dots go about crisscrossing with other dots. In fact do we ever realize how many lives we touch or could touch in a single day. Come to think of it say there were N people in this world of ours and everybody met everyone a simple math would put that number close to C(N,2). However that's would a case of exalted exaggeration. But still we do cross so many lives without ever bothering to think about them. Come to think of it you would cross the paths of hundreds of new people every single day and you wouldn't ever get to know them save for a stray road accident, a dropped wallet, a misdialed phonecall etc. As a kid it always fascinated me to just observe people and try to imagine what would be going on in their lives at that particular moment. So even as I drove around with dad on the streets, I used to just observe people sitting up in the back-seat. Now don't imagine me as one of those weird 'Haley Joel Osment' kinda kids but then I thought it was a great way to kill time to guess and second guess people. To try and imagine what their professions were, if that scowl on their faces was due to a bad day at work, whether that radiant glow was a ' it's not Dove, it's LOVE' statements etc. Often I would just smile at faces passing in cars wanting to get someplace they didn't want to be in the first place, at faces bracing up for the worst waiting around in the doctor's waiting rooms, at faces eager to shout at me for no fault of mine because they were shouted at by someone for no fault of theirs recently. More often than not these faces would break back at you with a smile. Try it doesn't cost a penny and you will get to hear a 'Thanks for making my day' more often than not.

I really dont know what the hell I am talking abt

They say life is governed by the choices that you make. Every person comes across an infinite number of choices which shape his or her life in infinitesimally different ways. Out of every choice made a 'could have' is born, which creates many 'might have been' parallel universes. Come to think of it your reading of this blog is a conscious choice that you are making right about now. I know a lot of you might argue that point saying I just happened to stumble upon here and et all but the fact is here again right about now you have a choice of leaving this post right HERE. So as I read this out to a fractured audience I would like to ask you do youreally think made a difference by chosing to be a part of a group that reads this post in its entirety. Would your lives really be any different as a result of this choice or would you just go on now with your usual run of the mill lives? Also I am guessing that almost all of you that did start reading this post have gotten around to the very end. So does it really mean that we actually do have a choice or is it just a fuzzy little thought by which we humor ourselves.

ET
ETA
eat
eta
Te
Edit...
Revert to "et"

again
Agni
aging
gain
gin
Edit...
Revert to "agin"

choosing
chasing
cheesing
cosing
hosing
Edit...
Revert to "chosing"

entirety
entity
entreaty
entirely
introit
Edit...
Revert to "entirity"

Let it fly

A recluse who would love to meet the whole world
A traveller at heart who hates change
An eternal optimist who dislikes risks
A futurist who loves the tool of retrospect
I surprise myself at how the smallest of things
Will make me a picture of gloom or a bundle of joy
A complete lack of mystery makes the enigma
What you see is what you get with me
Still today as these words fly
I wonder aloud Who am I?

I heart NJ

The fact that the gas prices have hit the roof is common knowledge for all US residents but I never knew it would be the new topic of my latest blog title so soon. Well anyways I had been putting off filling my tank not being pleased at what I used to see up on the price charts everyday. I was banking on my reserve 2.5 gallons to get me back home today from work when Mr.Murphy jumped out from his grave to give me another discourse on his most famous theories. My car just stopped midway on the road and I barely managed to pull into a side street which had a sharp incline as a result of which I couldn't even park by the side of the street properly. As I hoped it was just an outta gas problem I called up the Mazda roadside assistance who after a tonne of questions (the best way apparently to deal with a roadside EMERGENCY) told me help would be on the way in 75 minutes. As there was not else to fall back on I decided to patiently wait outside of my car by the sidewalk. As I waited I was amazed to see the number of people who slowed down looking to see if I needed help. A lot of them almost screeched to a stop before driving on reassured by a wave of the hand from me. A lot of them just gave me a 'Hang in there' smile. I must say I was very touched by all the concern and love shown by everyone (especially all the hot chicks). It also goes on the warmth and human side of New Jersey a state that is often ridiculed for not being the prettiest or richest. This really really cute girl even offered me a ride to the next gas station after pulling her car by. I had to refuse coz of that darned roadside assistance I had called up and also coz otherwise I would have been sub-consciously praying for my car to break down every :). All of it ended well as help came in the form of this Mexican guy who kept calling himself 'AAA help' (his only English words btw) for some reason. He filled me up with gas and asked for a fiver very matter of factedly (well forgot 'Five dollars' also counts as English). I gave him the money being overjoyed at the fact that my dear car was up and running again and also coz in some way he reminded me of the postmaster back in India who used to ask for cash as their birthright after delivering a money order or a letter bringing in good tidings.

My world this week

With just about 12 hours of sleep in the past 80 hours crisscrossing across 4 states my current state of mind is getting pretty close to being a big BLUR. The past week has been a real tight squeeze coupled with the lack of sleep I am sitting feeling like I am sitting inside a giant floating bubble that I am hoping doesn’t go down anytime soon. Its been a week where I have sampled the best of what the corporate world had on offer, putting up at the classiest of hotels, sampling the finest of foods and sipping the finest of wines. Its also been a week where for the first time in my life I have realized how muchI can long for home cooked Indian food after this time I reached a breakpoint while dining at a restaurant, when my body simply refused to take in even a bite more of that food. It’s been a week where friends from all corners of USA united back at Penn State for one a common religion that has come to be known as cricket. We had a good run finishing runners up but as they say ‘You never win a silver medal, you always lose the gold’. But no regrets we probably lost to a hungrier opposition who would well to keep the trophies polished for us for the next year and remember the fact that ‘People do get third time lucky all the time, its just tougher to pull off a threepeat’ ;)

Excuse the randomness of this blog, I am kinda groggy even as I type these words out.

S***** R***** T********

Remember the time when he waged a battle on a 22 yard strip soaked in his own blood while you were more busy engaging in a round of Mario or playing with your barbie.
Remember how in the early 90's he repeatedly waged losing battles standing out as a teen aged 'man amongst the boys'.
Remember the time when he steamrolled your list of role models catapulting himself right to the top in a nation starved of heroes.
Remember the time you jumped all around the house as he snatched victory from the jaws of defeat with that legendary last over against South Africa.
Remember the time he waited around patiently for a desert storm to blow away before unleashing a hurricane of his own forcing a legendary Aussie to rethink the age old adage of cricket being a team sport.
Remember the time when you cursed the entire Indian team after they tamely surrendered to our sporting arch rivals while he wept alone in the dressing room.
Remember the time you kept gushing on seeing the banner 'I've seen God. He bats for India' while reminding yourself it wasn't for you.
Remember the time you discovered how underdeveloped your vocabulary was compared to your friends at college as you watched him being given 'Shoulder before wicket' in Australia.
Remember the time you almost cried as his tearful eyes glistened as he looked heavenwards a few days after his father's death as he made a return to national duties.
Remember the time you jumped for joy when he upper cut Olonga and Shoaib over third man for sixes during very crucial junctures.

Now REMEMBER nobody absolutely nobody disrespects a man who has given unparalleled joy to a nation of millions and put his ass (read back and elbow) on line every time he has gone out in the middle. And if you think a couple of bad series is all it takes for you to write his obituary then I demand seeing the revised versions of Lara's and Hayden's obituaries on my desk tomorrow. So if you really think you know his game better than 'The Game' himself then I suggest you quit messing around with your mind and wait around to grudgingly applaud him when he comes back and takes back the place that has been his for the past 17 years.

Passing thought Part quatre

When you are angry the next time around ask yourself whether you are pissed coz shit happens or because you are part of the pile?

Work lessons

Before I launch into this post I must give you all some background about the company I work for. I work at a manufacturing facility that produces gypsum wallboards that a majority of the western world uses to construct houses. As I sat down with my boss a couple of days back discussing how to tackle a particular problem that I was supposed to look into to ensure problem free manufacturing of these boards. I had discussed the problem with another another manager and he had expressed not much hope of handling the problem anytime soon. So as I conveyed this to my boss he sat there smiling before handing out these words of wisdom "Always remember one thing, it doesnt matter what A says or B says. For that matter it doesnt even matter what I say. Always remember that A, B or I are only signing your checks, its those boards that are paying you those checks. So as long as those boards are running you will be happy and that's all that should be influencing most of your future calls at work."
Dazed I sat there looking at him thnking Wow it should be quite an experience working for you boss.

Good looks = good books ?

In this fast paced world where first impressions count does it actually help if one actually happens to be good looking. Does it give certain individuals an unfair but distinct advantage over a lot of other people. Would they be more successful in getting their cup of coffee on time in a crowded Starbucks? Or say have slightly more success in handing out some lame flyer to a bunch of largely disinterested people? Would they be able to stay on the sane side of the fine line separating harmless flirting and eve (or adam) teasing? Would they stand a better chance at making through those harmless intern positions? Would they be attracting more hits on their blog irrespective of the garbage they are churning out everyday?
If so we are a society obsessed with cosmetic beauty and we need to be looking at ourselves harder at the mirror everyday. Now if only I would be able to find mine.

A love song for no one

I can't say which is prettier
My earliest mental picture of you
Or the first sight of you every single day
You say I am a good listener
I guess its just coz you are talking
As I sit rapt staring
Watching you talk animatedly
The sunshine filtering through those locks
Muttering a muted thank you
Hoping not to blink
Living every moment of my perfect world

Coz home's home

Its been a little over a month since a very important day in my life went by kinda unnoticed. Feb 7 is an important day in more ways than one. Not just because it was my first day at the first professional job of my career but also because 4 years down the road from this date I plan to be back working in India. Yes that has always been the intention and the higher studies and the first job in States have always meant to stepping stones to bigger better things in India. Its a thought that was ridiculed by friends at college whenever we did get down to discussing the more serious things in life (and that wasn't very often by my count) and something that has been met with a 'ya right' smirk and 'we'll see after 2 years' statement. So well to set the record straight its been almost 3 years now since I arrived here and if anything the desire and will still burns bright, if anything stronger. Also to quell any stereotypical notions that might be creeping up in any of your minds I must let you know that this country has been great to me, given me a lot of love and respect and an opportunity to make something good of my life. Its just that home will always be home. Even animals for that matter venture out for food, to mate or to work but at the end of the day they return to a place called home because home will always be home. Because USofA for all its charms and glamor can never hold a candle to India and don't get me wrong on that one. I am sure this post would have never happened if not for USA and also I am sure any American will tell you the same about America. Because a lot more goes into my definition of a good life than just dollar bills, things like friends, family, your countrymen walking through the streets that you stroll in breeding a sense of familiarity, the familiar corner shop etc etc. Well I guess you kinda get the idea so wipe that smirk off your face the next time you hear me say I am heading to India in 4 years and send me a reminder on 02/07/10 if you are still around reading this blog.

P.S. Came across this old post while digging through my blog, thought I might put it up as I dont think a lot of ppl actually got see it as this blog was in its infancy then.

You bring sunshine to my life :)

The points don't count and the numbers don't matter (and believe me when I say that)

Thank you

This might not be what I was willing to say
But then there might not be a better way
You've stood by me through testing times
As I have sweated through the grind
So as time plays the wedge that might drive us apart
To a new beginning a new start
A flood of emotions that I am swimming through
Brimming on the top is a big Thank you

We are like this only

Most of us go through our lows in life. We all go through the pits where we actually look around and wonder aloud that out of the 6 billions other that walk this earth with you, "Why me God, why?". Most of us make it out of those times to go on to very successful and happy lives. Ever wondered why then we make such heroes out of those survivors, why we hero worship praising their courage and grit. I feel there's a survivor in all of us and if we last its not because we are heroes, it because that's human nature to battle the odds and emerge either unscarred or battle bloodied. Blame the way he made us or as for all the disbelievers start believing in evolution.

The week of firsts

The last week's been a busy one coupled with a lot of firsts. It kicked off with my first ticket, first towing away of my first car and followed by my first second ticket soon thereafter. The misery continued into a first lonely Valentine's day (I know I might be pushing it here but play along). Wednesday was supposed to my first payday but the money never made it as the check was mailed to my old address (I still haven't seen the face of it yet). The tone improved slightly over on Thursday with the successful accomplishment of the first task assigned to me at office. The week capped off with a miserable session of my first attempt at skiing in sub zero weather conditions (yes I am enjoying my stint seated on the pillow thank you for asking).

A picture does say a thousand words

Indian fans make themselves heard at the Lahore cricket stadium and I personally thought she cut a pretty cute picture

Adios my friend

He stared at the needle swinging to and fro between 60 and 80 markers each time he passed the '65 mph Zone Fines Doubled' signs. He never liked long drives anyways, it left him with too much time to think. As his mind dawdled, his mind always flashed back to that day as his cellphone had rung for one last time before slipping out of his lifeless hands. Life hadn't been fair he had thought as he spent the next few months spent in a daze. A daze broken by an email the previous day from one of his dream companies asking him to come over and interview with them for a position. However the 3 hour drive to the interview was always going to be a downer coupled with the fact that he had gotten a little late in leaving home for the interview. So as he scorched the highway he looked around idly at the cars he was streaking by. He scanned the road ahead for possible overtaking opportunities as he drove onwards to an overhead pass. Suddenly he noticed some movement from the corner of his eye and looked up to see this guy hanging over the guard rails of the overhead pass as if he was going to jump off onto the road below. This couldn't be happening as his mind dreamed up a visual of the guy jumping down on his car blood splattered across his windshield of an out of control wildly spinning car, he could safely forget about that interview for sure then. He couldn't brake suddenly in the express lane without causing an accident so he just closed his eyes as he almost came underneath the overpass. Seconds passed by for what seemed like an eternity before he opened his eyes again and looked up. He could hardly believe his eyes as his eyes met a smiling face as the guy waved him good bye. Seconds later he heard a loud crash followed by the sounds of countless cars skidding all over the place. He smiled and waved goodbye.

MS (my super) Office

I have been wanting to blog for a couple of days but lack of any issue that generally makes my blogs type themselves has prevented me from doing so. I have mixed emotions of leaving State College, in fact I honestly cant say what my feelings are on leaving that place that has played home from over 30 months. I don't think it has really hit home that I am finally away, there's a part of me that knows that its just 4 hours away somewhere on a lonely weekend in the near future.
The first professional full time job of my fledgling career started off well on Tuesday. No I didn't walk into my office to a thunderous applause with people lining up to hear me give a big grand speech on my feelings of being part of the Lafarge family nor have I walked into the office realizing that I forgot my pants at home, nor the fact that I had been very cleverly tricking my teachers into giving me those degrees been discovered yet. I set a record time reaching my office a good 4 hours after leaving home, people who have ever driven around in the NJ traffic or gotten lost there can start sympathizing right about now. I was welcomed to the office premises by my HR guy named Nelson literally as he had to eventually drive down to a place I was parked at so that I could follow him back to the plant. It didn't turn out to be such a bad day as he told me that the company would be offering me pay for Monday and Tuesday and that I could wear jeans and polos to work (I know that doesn't mean much to a lot of you but that has always been part of the office wear at my dream jobs). As he gave me this good news over a paid for lunch, he also extended me an invitation for a lunch on Wednesday. Who says there are no free lunches in the corporate world?

Rang De Basanti

As the screen fades out and the titles begin to roll you step out with a weird feeling with your mind heavy with the gravity of what you have witnessed and that's when the full impact of what you have seen in the last 2 hours 40 minutes kicks in. The feeling's akin to being punched in the stomach with all the air knocked out of you. Only this time its the air of indifference and nonchalance with which you have always thought about words like nationalism and patriotism . The movie will make you laugh, it will make you cry, it will threaten to explode that lump that shall be your constant companion in the second half of the movie, hell it will even make you more Indian. If not then you have lost a part of you that will never ever return unfortunately for you.
The first half is a non stop ride of fun and laughter where in you will see a brand of humor not seen since Dil Chahta Hai. The director takes you on this fun trip while introducing all the characters ensconced in their happy go lucky lives while he hits you hard in the second half with a change in the tone of the movie that reaches a crescendo in the climax of the movie. Aamir is going to need a new box of superlatives to describe his performance and proves conclusively that no other Bollywood actor can make you laugh harder or cry louder. The rest of the cast matches step to step with him putting in career best performances etching out an ensemble performance not seen since Lagaan. I will not like to disclose any more about the movie because I want every one of you reading this to watch this movie. As I left the movie hall in a state of daze without uttering a word for 5 minutes I was probably left with more questions than answers. And for once I was very very grateful to the movie for that.

Yesterday once more

I got up yesterday hoping to talk to my HR representative wanting to go over my benefits and package while trying to push him into increasing my remuneration package by whatever amount he could. As the discussion veered towards the salary he started to explain about how he also had a higher offer from another company and how he settled for this one because the company and the work environment were more important to him. I was thinking about how to counter this argument and bring up the question of a raise in the pay package when he suddenly dangled a goodie bag in front of me which in retrospect seem really trivial. I was so enamoured with this goodie bag that I immediately gave up pushing my argument for a raise. When will I ever grow up? :)
Later that day I got myself all worked up thinking about the million small things I had to do before leaving this place for my new job I finally got myself to sit down and pen down a list of things to do and worked on it for an hour. By the time I was finished with this to-do list I was so happy with myself that i just switched on my S-Mac (that's my IPod nicknamed the Sound Machine) and just lay on my bed for 3 straight hours listening to songs on shuffle. So much for the to-do list :) .Btw 2 lines that really called out for my attention from this marathon music session:

Socha na tha zindagii aise, phir se milegi jeene ke liye
Aankhon ko pyaas lagegi, apne hi aansu peene ke liye
by the inimitable Gulzar writing for 'Dheere Jalna' from Paheli

Meri Lou Havaaon Se Jhagadkar Lee Uthi,
Mere Har Andhere Ko Ujale Pee Gaye
Tune Hasken Mujhse Muskurane Ko Kaha,
Mere Man Ke Mausam Gulmohar Se Ho Gaye
By the upcoming and multitalented Prasoon Joshi writing for 'Jeene ke Ishaare' from Phir Milenge

A last parting shot to all those frustrated with their job search. Don't give up on it, you will get a job only when you are meant to. For those of you luckier ones it will thankfully be a lot sooner :)

1/24/05, 4:18 pm

Its been a long time coming but after what seemed like an endless wait, a phonecall spiralled life headlong into the beginning of a journey that will take me away from a place that has played home for about 2.5 years ...... but if i had a nickel for every time I would complain in such a scenario I would need another one to rub the two together. This entire period involved in job hunt has been plain painful, made even more hard by the fact that I didn't really have my family around for comfort who have been essentially part of my support system for the first 22 years of my life. There have been a lot of temptations along the way, companies offering easy IT jobs after a purported training period with them. Thankfully I have managed to stay strong in the light of such situations refusing to work for a firm that aims to essentially wipe away 6 years of education and the toil and sweat associated with it even though it seems like the easier path to take. I have been to places where I have met people who run businesses about faking up to 5 years of work experience on resumes. Thankfully I have refused to be a cow in this herd rather wishing to gain my first job on my merit rather than based on a bundle of lies. May be it was a combination of all the above factors which made the 4:18 pm conversation all the more sweeter or may be it was just my heart telling my mind I told you so for all those times when it had told me to keep faith in my abilities and have patience.

Feedback forms

Have you at any point of time in your life been subjected to forcefully fill out feedback forms? Have you ever wondered what is the the purpose of these pointless feedback forms and whether anyone even bothers to look at them before they find themselves devoured by paper shredders? If the answer to the above two questions is yes and absof******lutely then you are at the right place.....read on. Thinking about the worthlessness of these feedback forms it suddenly struck me that these forms could be used constructively for people coming out of failed relationships. I mean who better to assess you than a person you has just yanked you out of his/her life because you weren't competent enough be it a former boss, lover etc. I do realize the sheer impracticality of this notion considering the acrimonious note on which most relationships end coupled with big mudslinging matches, verbal bouts, destruction of valuable memorabilia acquired over the course of the relationships but its the sheer preposterousness of the idea of makes me pen down this blog. Only if you could hear from this person about your shortcomings and how you could improve your conduct in the future. There could be a standard rating system on these feedback forms which could help you grade a particular individual on his/her traits from the mundane ones like honesty, loyalty, emotional availability, to other standard topics like sense of humor, looks and physique, IQ, to the other risque unmentionables. Once this feedback form gets to you don't you think you would go on to be a better individual in life who can go on and forge stronger relationships?

A Poser

What is it about a certain blog that makes you want to keep returning for more? Is it that you get hooked onto its certain saccharine style and keep returning for quenching that addiction. Or is it the sheer unpredictability of certain blogs that lets your curiosity keep getting the better of you. Do you think that a blog that use a set pattern and has a certain style running through all its posts will score higher on hits or will people keep returning at a blog that rather tends to shock (or pleasantly surprise) with varied styles and topics?

Life

If you could stop every atom in its position and direction and if your mind could comprehend all the actions thus suspended, then if you were really, really good at algebra you could write the formula for all the future.
from Arcadia a play by Tom Stoppard

A lot of us go through our lives either consciously or sub-consciously believing the gist of the above statement either partially or in its entirety. We try and plan our next second, minute, hour, day, year and our future with the help of trivial tools like alarms, planners, schedulers, resolutions and plans without realizing the real deal is living for the moment and enjoying the glorious uncertainties of life. Either all of that or we just suck at algebra.

Imitation is the best form of flattery

If imitation is the best form of flattery I gotta admit I am flattered and flattered and flattered and flattered. Btw I gotta give it to this guy, he's got some nerve to drop by at my site and even leave a comment on my latest post. I might have let it pass but you even got my name wrong goddammit.

P.S. For all those of you who are wondering why some of the the links lead to dead pages the person who had ripped my posts has taken them off his blog after tending an apology
Btw did I mention he wrote in saying he had removed all of my posts he had copied onto his blog. But when I last checked he has removed only 2/4 of my posts that he had ripped. Guess he really forgot how many and from where he had copied posts, kinda pathetic aint it?

F.R.I.E.N.D.S.

One of my favorite movie moments regarding friendship has always been the shot from DCH where the 3 friends stare longingly into the sea perched high above on the ruins of an old fort. As Sid tells them that they are like the 3 ships out on the sea who will head off in their own direction their separate paths charted by waves of destiny, Sam stares at him disbelievingly and tells him 'Hum dost the, dost hain aur dost rahenge' (which for the uninitiated means we have always been friends, are friends and will continue to remain friends) in typical Bollywood fashion. That somehow for me has managed to put a finger on friends and friendship as battle between believers and disbelievers, the optimist and the cynic, the one who manages to move on while the other desperately tries to cling on to a mutually shared joyful past and a lot of other things.

Friends for me are like chocolates. Most of us love them as we enjoy them for their sweet taste and the sweet aftertaste they leave behind lodged behind in the back of our teeth. We enjoy our share, identify our favorites and always know where to go back for more. Chocolates like friends come in a variety of flavors. some are like te regular tried and tested milk chocolates who are always there for you whenever you need them, some are mint flavored coming into your life like a breath of fresh air, some are like dark chocolates, dark and mysterious at first but ones with which you form the fondest bonds, some of them have a hard exterior only for you to discover a surprisingly soft caramel fudge center.

Friends for me are people for whom physical proximity ceases to be an issue. There are people whose names jump out from your phone book on a boring weekend afternoon as you will be filled with an inexplicable curiosity to catch on with what going on in their life and before you realize that its actually 1 am in their part of the world you are pouring your heart out to them. Sure there are the awkward silences but you don't have to pretend that you have another call is coming your way. You walk through those silences because even through the unstated silence, runs a thread of years of history and because you are the believer, the optimist and the one who desperately tries to cling on to a joyful past.

O Blogger where art thou?

It feels like I am actually coming off an extended break from blogging even though my blog the date on my last post tells me otherwise. Quite a few things have however happened since then including the ushering in of the new year capping off a so-so 2005 that ended in my first new year's eve away from home (and Times Square) and Penn State has finally lived off to its burgeoning football tradition by earning a hard fought and ugly victory at the Orange Bowl. Personally life seems to have ensconced itself comfortably in a state of limbo. May be that has been one of the many reasons that this blog has not seen much activity of late coupled with the fact that I have been kinda lazy and my laptop has conked off. However there have been quite a few ideas that have been brimming in this head off late and I am guessing this blog should experience a splurge in posts in the coming days..........so keep yourself posted and Happy New year to all of you all.

Suspended animation

The journey's been long
But I've stayed strong
The road limbers down to this large door
Somewhere behind which things I long for lie in store
I wait underneath holding out hope
Its about time life threw me a rope
There's another road its winding and long
I don't think that's where my heart belongs
I could call out asked to be let through
However a lurking fear wont let me do
I don't want him to not let me pass through this station
So there my life lies in suspended animation

Mirror mirror on the wall

It had been a great week, life after taking some real cheap shots at her had finally cut her some slack. So much so that she had finally realized her childhood dream of becoming an actress. The shooting was scheduled to commence tomorrow and may be that was one of the reasons why she hadn't been able to stop beaming as she had pranced around all day doing nothing, a bundle of nervous energy. Although she was working in one of those low budget horror flicks she realized that beggars couldn't be choosers and was banking on the fact that it might go on to become a sleeper hit bringing her bigger and better roles thereafter. As all these thoughts filled up her pretty lil head she tossed and turned around in her bed unable to get any sleep. After an hour of similar vain attempts she finally put on the lights and decide to just re brush her hair to kill some time. As she settled herself on the edge of her bed in front of her dressing table she got a weird feeling of being watched. However she soon dismissed the notion as she pulled out her hairbrush and began doing her hair. She looked at herself in the mirror and there in she saw a face that would launch a thousand products tomorrow and go on the become the swwetheart of millions around the globe. As she scanned her perfect face with her perfect eyes she was again aware of a feeling of an intent pair of eyes watching over her. As her comb got caught in a little tangle in her hair she looked at an unfamiliar pair of eyes staring back at her from the mirror. Her reflection in the mirror gradually pulled its hands out of the hair, crossed across its chest, its gaze chillingly transfixed upon her staring blankly.
As her pictures slumped over the script were splashed across all newspapers the next day most stories stated that Act 1 of the script of the murder mystery was very realistic, a little too realistic if some tabloids were to be believed.

Stuck in a moment

Woh ek ruka sa lamha

Guzar jaaye tab bhi baaki hai

Jo tham jaaye to mera saaki hai

Pilaye jaata hai jaam-e-zindagi

Jee leta hun ek baar fir

Isse pahle ke guzar jaaye

Woh ek ruka sa lamha

A List

Some time and a lazy weekend back a friend of mine was telling me about how he thought certain characters from Bollywood flicks would make such perfect girlfriends. As we got discussing this particular topic at hand in detail I was pretty surprised at the fact at how much commonality there was between such a dream list. This got me thinking as to how such a list would have been so ideal at all those instances where I have found myself at a loss of words when asked about my ‘type’. Wouldn’t it be so much easier if we just were able to say X in Y movie is my ideal girl because part of the allure of movies has always been the characters it throws at you. While you admire some of people on screen, cringe at a few others, you always somewhere down the line fall in love with some others and their quirks stay with you long after the movie is over. In a utopian world life would be so much easier if we could all pick out such a character for us.
P.S. for the record the list consisted of Sonali Bendre from Sarfarosh, Rani Mekherji from Saathiya and Preity Zinta fromDil Chahta Hai (bear in mind that we were discussing characters from Bollywood specifically) but if I were to guess Meg Ryan would feature prominently on a similar list for Hollywood. Do you have a similar list too?

Try this (on second thoughts dont)

I was going through a list of worst pickup lines when I came up with this real stinker that should make a top tenner any day on any such list :)

Are you God's most perfect creation or did I run you a distant second?

Blogservations

As I sat wondering about where bloggers around the world get their post ideas and inspirations I came up with the following tidbits.
A lot of ppl claim to come up with blog ideas while taking a shower as they claim it clears up their head, wonder if that means a strict no no for shower caps.
Some ppl claim to get ideas while perched on the most comfortable seat in the house or should I say the restroom, they claim it helps them to get that elusive final push.
Some ppl just realise that their published biography is never going to see the light of the day and just blog obsessively about their day to day routines.
Some other just blog ranting about their day adding spice with ripostes which they probably always wish they had come up with at the appropriate times
Some ppl just use their dreams as a source of inspiration as it gives them a chance to play editor thereby effecting minor changes from the original dream version like placing oneself in hero’s role even though they played the villain's sidekick and editing out the R rated portions
Some ppl often blog about their hidden and unfulfilled desires which is probably a good thing because I am guessing going ‘Sweeite I really wish your Mom would take that trip to Iraq she has been dreaming about lately' or discuss prospects of you being in your boss’s seat and owning his cubicle with him isn't such a good idea
Some blogs can be classified as the TMI (too much info) blogs where ppl like to delve into their personal lives often describe abt how its that time of the month or about how they spent every single evening of their mundane nightlife minute by minute.
Some ppl just have a bunch of pictures showcasing their skills with their cameras as they happen to be big time posers or clickers.

That's about all I had to say and looking back at it it seems to be quite a random post but then so is life...isn't it?

Go Figure

A part of me has always been a little peeved as to the fact that all my (attempts at) prose have always been in English. I have always marveled at people who write beautifully in Hindi making full use of the nuances of the language. So for all those times when I have wondered WHY I cant pen down something in Hindi:

Kabhi Kabhi (Sometimes)
Yaadein Aati Rahein (Memories kept coming back to me)
Fir bhi (Still)
Hum tum rahe (You and I remain)
Ajnabee (Strangers)

Two things come out very clearly out of the above. Firstly at least now we all know WHY :) and secondly I wont die wondering. Sorry for subjecting one and all to my first and last pathetic attempt at it.

Life is beautiful

Most of us have been brought up being told to respect the sanctity of life and that we don’t have any right to take away any individual’s right to live. However as a kid as I tried to grasp the complex issues of life, death and other issues in that ballpark I remember noticing many divisions created by man concerning this very simple rule for the sake of our convenience that have probably blurred as I have grown older. I used to wonder what gave man the right to consider the human life as the most important life form in the entire chain of species. I used to think if being at the top rung of development gave us a right to classify and rank life and say that the life of a person is more important than that of chicken, cow, deer or even an insect. How can we scream murder at the event of a death of a human being and still not bat an eye lid when announcing hunting seasons across the globe for pleasure, or squashing a bug or a mosquito in our living room or even while eating non-veg during various meals? How does the eating of plants after killing them place the vegetarians on a higher moral ground to read out lectures to the non vegetarians? How can a killing of bugs in houses by use of pesticides be differentiated from the mass genocides in various countries by a hate propaganda driven government? Should the killing of an ant squashed beneath some kid’s feet attract lesser attention that the death of some gangster shot dead by a stray bullet just because the former doesn’t stare us in the face? For that matter should the assassination of a world leader attract more of our attention span than say the death of a child after starving from hunger in a third world country?
Just some points to ponder over as I tried to get through my initial observation as to how we have placed the human life above all other life forms that have co existed with us for ages even though we all were probably treated to our share of lessons on how a life is a life no matter who it belongs to.

P.S. On a lighter note have any of you ever wondered that even though we are told that the soul never dies and its only the human body that dies, HOW the world population keeps on burgeoning by every passing minute?

Posers and Clickers

After the last post and an inexplicable global out pour of sympathy and pity (which is totally welcome btw) for me I have decided to stay away from writing any posts for a while which might be deemed as remotely relating to my personal life :).
For all those who think I am here to start a debate on digital cameras vs. the film cameras or the merits of a photo albums as against the digital picture library you couldn’t be more wrong as right now right here I will TELL you digital cameras are the best thing to have happened to the world of cameras since the invention of the ………camera. Also photo albums will always continue to hold an old school charm over the digital pictures. Now that I am very that we are on the same page with regard to the above issues I will come back to the 3 things that constitute the making of a photograph i.e. a poser, a clicker and a ….camera. What is that again…..we have discussed that before. Oh ok all the more better as I can go ahead and address some real issues with the rest of this post now. So returning to the real issues we all are familiar with the posers and clickers of our own treasured world of photographs. The posers are people you will invariably find part of every possible picture that you might possess provided that he was within a one mile radius of the pic being taken. It does not matter whether he/she is a 6 month old toddler or a 60 year old veteran, whether the picture is taken atop the Mt. Everest or under the depths of the pacific, whether they are dressed up in a tux or barely finding time to put on their birthday suits, they will always find time to make it to the picture and beam a 400watt dazzler rendering all you flashes redundant. These are people who have hypersensitive ears that prick up at the sound of a camera click and possess superhuman powers to put in just in time dives in front of flashing cameras that would even put Jonty Rhodes to shame. These people are often mistaken to be the birthday boy/girl at birthday parties, the most active and ever present member of vacations, what the hell they can even be often confused as the only ones celebrating New Year on those New Year parties. On the other hand of the spectrum are the clickers a breed who continued absence from all pics leaves them fielding questions on what they have doing all these years? They are the reclusive sort who would much rather prefer a behind the scene role wielding the camera. These people will hold a mysterious majority possession of all those dream cameras that you drool over after those commercials. They have all the possible concepts about lighting, camera angles and all other possible facets of photography figured out already. They will often to found in every tenth picture sporting an awkward face forming part of the foreground.
The lines between the posers and clickers are not very hard and fast and blur on a lot of occasions with not the best of results necessarily. A poser will avoid being a clicker at most times deliberately leaving behind his own camera home to avoid missing out on being part of pics. However occasions when a poser if forced to be a clicker via means of threat or emotional blackmail will result in a lot of deliberate out of focus and horrible set of pics to avoid any such future torture. In the case of a role reversal a clicker will show up in pics sporting a very very rusted and not so toothy smile and a general impression that he/she would have given his/her right hand off to be anywhere else other than the pic.
So in this world divided into posers and clickers which camp do you stand in?, unless of course if you are a camera ……….Sorry bad joke :)

Estranged

Here's a follow up post on acrostics.

Emptiness threatens to turn all encompassing
Subservient as a means to the end
There's no love lost
Ripples of a love that has been lost
And to think someone said it's all fair
Now one should look to the future they say
Ghosts of the past haunt me every second
Endlessly I would rather die trying
Definitely preferable than being eaten up alive

Toy Story 3

After surprisingly having made a lot of sense with my last post its time I pip the other end of the scale with some unmitigated kitsch.

One day the three of us decided to fly off the shelf
With great pride I present the adventures of I, me and myself
First on my way there was this duh called George Bush
He couldn’t even speak properly I screamed Shhhhhhh
Next on my way I saw this kid known as Harry Potter
He was worried though something abt all the competition from LOTR
Anyways I moved along till I saw this Aishwarya Rai
Must say I was dazed till I saw her pet monkey Vivek Oberoi
Heartbroken I reached some caves belonging to an Osama Bin Laden
Gosh he looked mean, I kicked is ass as he kept crying for pardon
This was all there was of my first adventure
However I shall be back if this journey finds favor
Your comments are the sponsors keep em flowing
So my journey around the world can keep on going

S W A D E S

I love that every second person on the street is a walking map quest
I love that the traffic cop round the corner let me off two days in a row for not wearing the helmet after checking the empty contents of my wallet
I love it when my mom cribs about my neighbors not returning her utensils
I love it when mommy makes sure she sends over the every bowl of new dish she tries out to my neighbors
I love it when my mom tells my maid she’s gonna cut her money for the days she doesn’t show up for work
I love it when she makes she adds a Diwali bonus on top of the complete maid's salary at the end of the month
I love that my neighbor’s kid spends more time in my house than his own
I love that everyone on my floor in my apartments is like one big family
I love it that everyone waves back to school kids waving from their school buses
I love it when every second car I ask a lift from stops over readily (even more when the driver is a pretty female)
I love that I can always run next door to ask for curd or salt or sugar with a small bowl in my hand
I love it that I’ve never missed a day of school the days I missed the bus and my dad was on tour thanks to my neighbors
I love that the owner of the house whose window panes we broke the previous day is playing cricket with us the next day
I love it that I have no idea how many friends of mine are Hindus, Muslims, Christians or Sikhs
I love it when I see crowds in the stadium give a rival team a standing ovation during their victory lap after a cricket match
I love it that the poor water vendor makes sure he gives out a free glass of water to the street side beggar
I love when the neighborhood ruffian makes sure he gives extra breathing room for the old lady standing by him in a crowded bus
I love it when a critical accident victim doesn’t always have to depend on the blood bank for a bottle of blood to live
I love it when I see this pony tailed guy with 6 piercings bends down to touch his elderly’s feet at the airport
I love it when the neighborhood toughie stand in a corner and feed stray dogs biscuits when no one’s watching
I love that I don’t need stupid excuses like thanksgiving and Christmas to get together and meet up with my family
I love it that even at 2 in the night standing alone in the middle of a lonely alley I feel at HOME

This post is inspired by all the above and a million other reasons which make India the best country in the world and Delhi the best place to be in the world, Pointy's latest post, all the emotions that come to the surface whenever I listen to 'Ye Jo Des Hai Tera' and the sickness that needs to be classified as the most communicable and fastest spreading one - homesickness.

Life's Mastercard

Boarding the 10 am route no. 623 everyday: Rs.8
A bunch of flowers along with a box of chocolates: Rs.75
Bribing the girl's hostel guard for 3 years: Rs. 1,500
Small marriage reception consisting of friends: Rs.3,700
Honeymoon in the backwaters of the Venice of the east: Rs.42,000
Four months of court hearings for alimony settlement: Rs.5,00,000
Waking up everyday hoping to find her on her side of the bed: Priceless

Wats cooking !

I remember back in 3rd or 4th grade having made fun of this guy in my class when he went ‘My mom is a good cooker’. I must have hurt him real bad or something because I am sure he cursed me such that the words ‘My mom is a good cook’ (as he stood corrected thereafter) have come to haunt every passing day of my life for the past two and a half years. As I left the comforts of my home I discovered that I didn’t really cover myself in glory when it came down to cooking. I mean leave aside the fact that my mom really kick ass any day anytime anywhere when it comes down to cooking and that I even hung around the kitchen a lot more than my brother (ah ok I will admit it was for grabbing the first hot paranthas off the pan or to lick away the cake mix off the beater or something), the plain fact was that I just couldn’t cook to save my life at that time. I mean back in India I used to look at those cooking shows disdainfully as to how people could make a living just cooking up stuff on TV and then getting to eat it too. I mean what was all that, it was a literal TV telecast of the saying baking your cake and eating it too and well while you are at it please collect your paycheck on your way out too. Also I could never understand why they always would never give out the correct amount of salt to be put in the stuff they prepared on TV always going 'salt as per taste' (or swad anusar as I recall). I mean what was with that, there’s always a right amount of salt that needs to be put in any dish and that is exactly why you have the salt mixed in all dishes served to you at restaurant and nobody gives out salt pouches along with served dishes. Anyways I realized pretty soon that this attitude had not stood me in good stead as I set down to prepare my first meal after coming to States.
So I decided to take it easy with my first outing and went in for a real easy dish on the Indian cuisine – the khichri (for the uninitiated it is a simple steamed mixture of rice and pulses). So while you might think that I should have managed to pull it off without a hitch and set myself on the road to becoming the best cooks ever I just have one special tip. You never ever make khichri with something that physically resembles salt but is quite the opposite chemically and in taste. Well it wasn’t as bad as you are picturing it in your mind, I somehow managed to salvage the dish. Anyways after my baptism by fire I have practiced hard over the past 2 off years at this art (the trick is to always have a taster in place who is not really 'you' :) ) and I have gotten better at it. Unfortunately I realize most of my fellow men are not quite so blessed with that kind of time or manpower to bump away as testers, or even blessed with skills to pick up the tricks of the trade so fast. So I just thought it would be fitting if I ended this post with tricks leant on my journey on how they can recover their food in case they have thrown in an extra ton of salt in it. I know this may sound like a piece of cake too all you females out there but do you realize that there are millions of guys in this world cooking for themselves who go hungry for over 100 reasons (out of which none match the reasons for which ppl in Somalia go hungry and that in itself speaks a lot). Well so back to my master class you can always go for the tried and tested adding another ton of water and telling your room mates that you were extra considerate in preparing curry for them. Another additive that can be used in these scenarios is curd, it is absolutely undetectable in the end result and works like a charm. The third and my favorite technique is to add another ton of chili powder. Any person eating this dish in its eventuality goes numb in the tongue after the first bite itself and even in case he survives the first bite he always drinks tons of water, end result being a relatively appreciative room mate who feel pretty full (so what if it’s just on water).
Bon appetite ppl (pray I can get to the safe comforts of my Mommy’s cooking sometime soon) :(

Confessions

I cherish the moments when we stand with each other
I cherish the moments when we stand up for each other
I cherish the moments when we stand by each other
In fact you know what
I even cherish the moments when we can’t stand each other

World's first blog story (6)

You can read the complete rules of the blog story tag at Rohan's blog, where every tagged blogger adds his or her own twists to the tale, and the story progresses in this manner. Here's my bit in bold.

He had always known that silence spoke volumes, unfortunately it was in a language he failed to decipher on most occasions. A long pause. He stared for what seemed liked ages. It made little sense. May be it wasn't meant to be. He shrugged and looked at his friend. The pregnant silence was ruptured by his friends intermittent sobbing. Today was Diwali, it was supposed to be the "Festival of Lights", but things were different tonight. "Lights out", yelled the Jailor. The lights went out and the virgin night was silent and dark again. But, then was he reminded of his lover whose murder brought him here. All of a sudden, the summer heat in the cell, felt dreadfully cold, when, every moment of his past life flashed in front of his eyes as he stared at the writings on the wall. It was scribbled all over, by previous inmates of the cell. Murderers, as they called them. But maybe there were not murderers, he thought, just like him. Maybe they were just misunderstood. After all, he had to kill her, so he could be sure, that she would never feel pain again.
He had loved her from the moment he gazed into those blue green eyes, he had loved her when those very eyes had looked at him beseechingly for the last time and he had loved her for every passing second in between. But all this was lost on the anti euthanasia lobby who had vehemently screamed murder as his case had hit the headlines.

Didn't realise the tag would find its way back home soon. The story is being actively tracked at this blog for all those who care to know. I also tag Sagnik to take on this story further.

World's first blog story

I guess we have all seen the power of the blogging community whose full force was felt recently during the IIPM fiasco. As I fully realized the reach of the blogosphere I thought that I should use it in a constructive fashion and combine it with the tagging phenomenon to come up with the world’s first blog story. Every member on the tag chain gets to pen down a line in this story after reproducing the text verbatim as it has reached him/her along with the name of the person that tagged him/her. Everyone after penning down their line gets to tag one person but make sure the person you tag is a regular visitor to your blog and doesn’t take ages to do his share of the story as in case a lax occurs in the chain the story gets held. This is not a one time only tag so any person on the chain once can be tagged again if desired. The end result should be a pretty big blog story which propagates around the world with everyone contributing their share of their creative juices. The great thing is that the chain can be easily followed forward or backwards from absolutely any blog that is part of the chain and is good fun coz everyone just has to write one measly line. Make sure you reproduce the above text whenever you add your bit so that everyone understands the whole concept behind this tag. So well here’s the first line.

He had always known that silence spoke volumes, unfortunately it was in a language he failed to decipher on most occasions.

And well I also get the honor of making the first tag. So Totti consider yourself tagged do write asap (its critical to this tag’s success remember).

Happy Diwali to all of you.

P.S. A blog reader could do with some help on the evolution and status of English slang. Ppl interested in helping out can go through the last 2-3 comments of the previous post and volunteer accordingly.

The story continues......

I had kind of forgotten about this piece of fiction I was writing until reminded of it recently so the story continues here.

Sally: So what do you do other than ask waitresses to join you for breakfast.
Harry: Oh that's just a thing on the side, only for Mondays you see.
Sally: Impressive the resume keeps on getting better by the minute.
Harry: Add my immunity to sarcasm to the list by the way? Anyways how was your weekend?
Sally: The usual laced with all the mundanities of my life. How was yours?
Harry: Nothing too exciting, went camping with a bunch of friends.
Sally: Hey that sounds likes fun, I've actually never gone camping.
Harry: I uess its ok, hey what have you been drawing on that napkin, looks like we have quite an artist here.
Sally: Ah its nothing
Harry: No really you are pretty good. I suck at art, I used to be one of those kids who couldn't even draw that house beneath the mountains from which the sun is rising drawing properly
Sally: Everybody has their own thing, you have the survival instinct from that camping thing. I personally could never survive the jungle.
Harry: Well you could mebbe hunt down some prey with your paint brushes and pencils
Sally: Aww but I am vegetarian.
Harry: Well then mebbe you can do portraits of lions and bears and ask them to repay you in kind with fruits and vegetables then.
Sally: Yeah sounds like an idea
Harry: You better be good, I have heard those bears are kinda touchy :)

The Century

As any self respecting cricketer will tell you the century is a very important landmark in the history of well......absolutely anything. So as this blog turns a 100 posts old I shall give you all a rundown of the history of this blog.

It all began inspired by a tree of thoughts in the rundown shambles of rediff blogs where it was battle of me against my self. All this while loads of people had continued unnoticed and as I read through their thoughts and confessions that I asked myself who is sane after all? Anyways I started penning down my random thoughts from a confused mind in apparent zero noise. My initial writings were as random as a spider on a keyboard but slowly but steadily my random thoughts I moved onto a pattern discussing the days of our lives as life means drama. That’s when the blog became a chimera like monster spewing off opinions and thoughts questioning times when things didn’t make sense or did they? I gradually began to thread the broken verses of life and things seemed clearer as I began to enjoy it all. I had to it was jus’(so much)fun. So many people joined in with their stimulating vibes along the way and soon I was on cloud nine. And even though I fall into my bouts of blogger’s blocks (U should know that the lazy shall inherit the earth btw) the writing is on the wall this blog is here to stay.

"Main akela hi chala tha janibe-e-manzil magar Log sath aate gaye aur karavan banta gaya" ('I started all alone towards the goal/ (but) people kept joining and it began to turn into a caravan')
By Majrooh Sultanpuri

My sincerest apologies to anyone who frequents this blog and whom I might have accidentally missed out in that collection.

The sequel

Even thought I wasnt so big on the 55 word poem tag I did an off the cuff bit in the comments section in response to this post , later decided that I might as well as put it up on my blog.

Buried my emotions
Returned to my life
Some things aren't meant 2b
She was my brother's wife

Soon the spark went out
They were constant fights
And we made a connection
Though I knew it wasnt right

They frown upon us
My brother calls me a rogue
I know I've found the one
Anyways lesbianism is in vogue

There's my shot at 55 with a twist :). Shall not be tagging anyone, ppl visiting this blog are welcome to come up with their own versions.

An excercise in nothingness

Its was all around there was so much talk
It sent me thinking what if I fell prey to the blogger’s block
If you got pressing matters you better head your way
Coz in this post I must warn you I have nothing to say
Would I waste a post discussing the ‘phenom’
Or would I just hit back with loads of posts packed with venom
Would I like others hope to bag a tag
Would I just spew crap and just get my first flag
Guys I know this is heading nowhere you need not read any further
Get back to your important lives before you scream murder
May be I will discuss a favorite movie or a song
Mebbe just write some crap and hope ppl play along
Guess I could compose some prose
Or just give all those cricket fans their regular dose
This is a post about nothing, nothing’s new
I had warned you, guess curiosity got the better of you
Don’t blame me my drafts were out of stock
So this was the one way I could overcome the blogger’s block :)

Better and Best

Have you wondered why there’s this extra bit of magic in all those good things when they happen to us the first time around. Picture your best friend dreamily recalling his first love over a coffee, or your mom as she gets all animated when she talks about the first steps you walked as a toddler, or your colleague at office recalling the time when she got a promotion, or even things as trivial as the time when you recall your first snowfall or the first time when you went home to your overjoyed family holding a trophy in your hand. All these occasions always seem to hold a special place in your life and whenever you remember them the cobwebs somehow seem to disappear from your memory and the flashbacks always seem so much less hazy. For a lot of us these things will happen again for some of us they won’t but the point is these things that hold a special place in our life give us most joy and are the best the first time around and no wonder they sit on such a high pedestal in our collection of memories.
On the other hand all the bad things in life be it the time you had your first heartbreak, or the first time you left home for the first time, or even something as extreme as the time you heard about the death of a near one hurt so much the first time around. They give you most grief because they catch you unprepared for such an adversity as you wallow in your grief. But note how much better you handle such situations the second time around. I don’t know if its something about your mind that steels you the second time but its always better the second time around.
This leads me to conclude that the good things in life are the best the first time around while all the bad things that happen to us are better the second time around.

College tales

He sat there in his hostel room playing what he decided would be last game of cards before he called it a day. As he was mid way through the game he heard his cell beep announcing a new message. He lifted his phone half expecting to see some stupid fwd but what he saw was to change this night into one wild ride.
This is Sxxxxx here I m msgin u from my new no. there’s big trouble at the girl’s hostel need help
He checked his watch that ticked a lil over 1 in the night as he disbelievingly checked the msg again. He had secretly nursed a crush on this female for years and mebbe this was his big break. He made a quick exit from his room telling the guys present there that his brother had had an accident and he had to rush out. As he rushed out from the boy’s hostel he texted back.
I am on my way wats the big problem
As he trudged towards the girl’s hostel a kilometer away he got a text back saying.
A big bitchfest has broken out at the hostel and my room’s been locked from outside.
On receiving this message he quickened his steps hoping no physical harm would come to her. He called her up but his calls were unanswered for some reason. As he tried to send another message he got a call from her but it got disconnected before he could answer it. Stupid networks he thought to himself. He texted her anyways saying
Keep calm I am halfway there just stay inside your room.
He got another call from her but that too died out before he could answer it. He was getting really concerned about her as she hadn’t msged back. He decided to msg her back.
I cant pick ur calls, getting disconnected after just one ring.
As he reached halfway he crossed a bunch of potbellied guards who he knew would be nothing but trouble. The girl’s hostel had a strict curfew policy for guy’s venturing anywhere nearby after 10 and this was already 3.5 hours past curfew. He however walked upto them hoping he would calmly explain the situation and then let himself pass through them eventually. However they seemed in no mood to listen and they just grew more agitated with every passing minute asking him to return to the guy’s hostel in no unclear words. Just then he got another message.
I thought I could bank on you but I don’t think u r gonna make it
This just made his resolve stronger and he got into a big argument with the guards which eventually ended with him getting some series ass whooping from the sticks with which the guards zealously guarded the hostel. Sore assed and heartbroken he eventually beat a retreat back to his own hostel after sending in one final message.
I really tried my best to come over but the guards just wont let me through. Do you want me to call up your hostel warden or the Director or something.
He got a hasty reply to that message which said
No no don’t do that, that wont be necessary we’ll try and work something out here
So he trudged back to his hostel and stayed up most of the night thinking about he have been a real hero tonight to the one that mattered had those stupid guards not interfered. Anyways he got up in time to catch breakfast in the mess with his friends. It was then that he heard a remark that made his ears perk up.
“You know what I think they should put some cushions up on these mess chairs, it would be a lot easier on some sore asses.”
An all knowing smile broke out at the table buried in
“Wtf Rohan that was really underhanded. You are going to hell for this you @$##$$####@%$%%^^^^&%$%#%##%%$”

This was easily one of my most memorable days of my hostel days when we made this guy in our block walk all the way to the girl’s hostel using just a stupid cellphone while tailing him all this while with a big bunch of ppl hidden behing the trees and shrubs on the college campus. Sure it did cost us some money on those msges but it was worth every penny and eventually we had quite a story to tell backed up with all those text msges we had on our phone as evidence. Don’t feel too sorry for the guy he would never have spoken to her anyways, he probably did get to talk to her once or twice recounting this very incident for all you know :)

Passing thought part trois

Make sure you know what you are running for so as you know to stop in case you just happen to stumble over it sometime.