Pages From My Book Called Life

3 killed, 60 hurt in protests across Maharashta

2006-11-30T09:06:00.000-08:00

Yes.. 3 people died today in Maharashtra. Why?? Because of some alleged desecration of B R Ambedkar's statue in Kanpur. People can do weird things at times. An agitation in Maharashtra because of some alleged desecration in a place which is like miles and miles away. Why do not people show such unity and brotherhood when it comes to doing something constructive, something beneficial?
I await the day when people, thousands of miles away, join their brothers in doing something good for mankind.

Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna

2006-10-15T21:38:00.000-07:00

I got nothing much to do over here during weekends. I sit up watching movies all day. Today, I watched the much-spoken-about "Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna". The movie made no sense to me. I could just not relate myself to the movie. Lemme tell you why..

Here's the plot: The story revolves around 2 unsuccessful marriages between SRK-Priety and AB Jr-Rani. SRK-Priety have been married for 5 years now and they have a kid. SRK, a former footballer, is now a small-time football coach. Priety is out working at a high position in a big company. Rani is getting married to AB Jr today and she meets a stranger in SRK on her wedding day. Rani and SRK talk to each other about why she should get married to AB Jr when she does not "love" him. She questions him of what if she marries him now and she meet the love of her life after marriage. SRK convinces her that after marriage, if you don't look for love, you will not find love. (All this chat with a complete stranger on her wedding day. Wow!!). 4 years later, SRK is having problems with keeping up to his very successful wife. Rani is married to AB Jr but is not in love with him. And then, bollywood style, Rani and SRK meet again in this huge city of New York. (Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna, remember). They try to get help from each other to save their breaking marriages. Ultimately, they end up falling in love with each other. Priety and AB Jr come to know the truth and decide to end the marriage. SRK and Rani have ended their relation and decided to keep mum about their divorce. 3 years later, AB Jr is getting married. Rani is his best man. Priety turns up for the wedding. Rani realizes SRK's marriage is also broken and she goes, gets him and they live happily ever after.

As I said, this made no sense to me. Why?? Because of the usual bollywood melodrama involved?? No.. Ok.. here's why.. I strongly believe that 2 people should get married only when they are sure that they can live with each other for the rest of their lives. They should be ready to accept the good and bad qualities of their partners. I belive sacrifice is a part of every marriage. And if a couple is ready to do this, I don't see a reason why should there be this concept of a divorce. I belive there is no such thing as perfect love. I believe if a couple really love each other, they do not need the help of a third person to solve their problems. If they cannot solve a problem themslves, they have made a mistake of assuming they are in love. No.. I don't know what love is.. and, I don't think I will ever know.. All I know is that you don't have to be in "love" to have a successful relationship. All you need is a little bit of caring, sharing, time, understanding, sacrifice etc etc.. I think these are the ingredients of any successful relationship. Maybe, this is what they call "love".. a mixture of all of these..

Oh man!! I can't belive I could write such a huge post on a bollywood movie...
Moral of the story: When in the US, make sure you have a vehicle to get around else you will end up watching crappy movies, analyzing them, and then blogging about them on weekends..

"A walk to remember"

2006-10-15T13:01:00.000-07:00

I have watched this movie twice in 2 days and I can watch it all over again. Its a beautiful movie that portrays the love between 2 different individuals, Landon Carter and Jamie Sullivan, wonderfully played by Shane West and Mandy Moore.

The first part of the story is pretty normal when Jamie changes the spoilt brat Landon's life. She teaches him to believe in himself, makes him have a goal, gets him to work towards it. Everything was going fine for Landon and he believed that Jamie was the girl for him when the story takes a twist. Jamie reveals she is a Leukemia patient and the world falls apart for Landon. I am really touched by the final few moments of the movie.

I remember this scene after Jamie's death: Landon has secured admission into a medical school and he comes to share the news with Jamie's dad.
Landon: "I'm sorry she never got her miracle. "
Reverend Sullivan (Jamie's Dad): "She did. It was you. "

Awesome movie. You get a chance to watch it, do not miss it. Also, check out the song "Only hope" by Mandy Moore herself.. I love this song.

The blog evolution

2006-10-11T13:11:00.000-07:00

I have been blogging for more than a year now. At first when I heard about people blogging, I did not know what it was or what it meant. Then with the help of a friend, Denzil and I started a blog. It felt great. We had an online diary where we could scrap out our minds and the world could read. It was a medium for us to communicate our thoughts to the world.

When I was a kid, I read people used to maintain personal diaries. These diaries were "personal" in the true sense. Nobody was allowed or supposed to read these diaries. Then came the Web log, popularly known as the blog.

Blogging is considered to be a diary on the Web, similar to the personal diaries that people maintained. But the diary is no longer personal. People can now read through other’s blog and even comment on them. People now have a medium to speak their minds and let the world know about their thoughts. I consider a blog as a medium to being social. Blogs have helped so many people connect, thoughts have been exchanged, ideas are born, discussions take place, and friends are made. Like-minded people often form a blogging community where people exchanges ideas and thoughts. I love the concept of a blog.

Now the latest buzz is a video log or a vlog as the net-savvy people would call it. People have started sharing video clips of their lives with the world. I am strongly against vlogs. Why would people want the world to see what’s going on in their world. We as it is have plenty of reality shows on TV. Reality shows where personal lives of people are broadcasted to the world. Why would anyone be interested in the personal lives of strangers? I like my privacy and cherish my personal life. People, who need to know about it, know about it. The rest of the world can and should please stay out of it.

What’s next? Live logs? Where the lives of strangers are streamed live on the net?? People are going to miss their private lives. It reminds me of the new HP marketing campaign, “The computer is personal again.” I wonder how.. "Life is no longer personal"

2nd Anniversary

2006-10-10T22:16:00.000-07:00

11th October 2004, I first joined Lionbridge Technologies as a Writer.

Today, 11th October 2006, I forgot I completed 2 years here. Thanks to Nicholas for reminding me. After 2 long and wonderful years, I am still enjoying my tenure here. It was here that I met some of the most wonderful people, people whom I will remember for years to come. I have made some real good friends here, cherished times with old friends. It has been amazing.

I hope to continue and enjoy my association with Lionbridge for a long time. :)

2 years since college.

2006-10-02T12:09:00.000-07:00

Yeah, it’s been 2 years and about 2 months since we completed 4 long years in that engineering college of ours. And today, life is different. I could never imagine life would be so different within a span of just 2 years.

It feels like yesterday that I cribbed about getting up early in the morning, the long bus lines, the crowd in the bus, long horrible bus rides. I remember waiting on platform number 5 for the 9:42 Titwala local which was the official train for all Jondhaleites. The train travel was fun. I remember friends completing assignments, reading up notes, pulling Ali’s leg. It was fun. Then those long rickshaw queues to get to college and then the walk to college from the pharmaceutical college. Nothing will be worse that that 5 min walk. I remember spending hours in the canteen, playing volleyball, planning for movies almost every week. It was fun.

2 years and 2 months later, life is so different. I no longer need to get up at 6:30. can go to office at whatever time I want to. I always thought it will be fun not to get up early for college. But now, I kinda miss it. It was exciting getting up early and rushing to the bus stand by 8:15. In college, I had no money but I enjoyed. Today, I have money but no time to enjoy. In college, the entire group was together and we freaked out. Today, we all have the money to freak out but no time to meet up. If ever we meet up on weekends, it’s never the entire group. Somebody or the other is busy with work. And, most of the time we meet, what do we talk about? Job opportunities, salary packages, work at office. Its sad.

2 years and 2 months later, I am reminded of this scene from “Dil Chahata Hai”. Akash, Sam, and Sid are sitting on the walls of Aguada fort in Goa and staring at the open sea and the ships sailing. They talk about how they were together and freaking out now but some years down the line they may not even have the time to meet each other. Back then, it was just another movie scene. But, when I think about it now, I realize its not just a scene from the movies. It’s the story of every college kid. Every college kid has a wonderful group he enjoys being with. In college, he thinks his friends will be with him all through life having fun. But life has something else in store. Though everybody wants to be together, they cannot. After passing out, every person goes out into this world chasing a dream.

That’s exactly whats happened to our group. Thakur is in NY with Kandu doing their MS. Sardar is in UK for higher studies. Jhurani is in New Zealand. Denzil is busy with his work in Accenture. Now that he has been absorbed by Accenture, responsibilities have increased, work hours have increased. Shirish is busy with his own job looking for better opportunities. Prashant is off to get trained as a Major in the Army. Atul has his own business and it has kept him busy. Naveen works in the same office as I do but we rarely meet. Amit is off to Pune working. I heard he does come to Mumbai on weekends. Rehan just left for Scotland. Sanjit is busy looking for a gal to marry; now that he is settled in HP. Ali is climbing the ladder of the mobile antennas pretty fast. Great going, Ali. It’s been ages since I spoke to Parag. Gala is lost in the streets of Ahmadabad. And I do not know where I am. Sometimes in Mumbai, sometimes here. When I am in Mumbai i spend half my time in office. :(

Hmm.. Its been a long post… you must have realized by now.. Yes, I have no work as of now.. Just wish everybody is successful in fulfilling their dreams, come what may. All the very best for your future, wherever you are and whatever you are doing.

Crocodile Hunter

2006-09-21T23:04:00.000-07:00

Its been days since Steve Irwin's tragic death. But, it looks like the world has still not forgotten this great animal lover.
I haven't been his greatest follower but I did know what he was and what he did. Its sometime weird, you never know who a person is until he is no more around to be recognised. I only knew him for his show on Animal Planet, "Crocodile Hunter". But after watching all the shows in tribute to this man, I realize who and what he actually was. Sad, I could not appreciate the work this person did while he was alive.
My deepest sympathies with Terri Irwin and her 2 little kids. Hope his family can carry forward his wonderful legacy.

The Labor day weekend

2006-09-03T00:57:00.000-07:00

Its 1 in the night now and I am writing this post. You know wat inspired me to write at this time?? I was reading the first few posts from Denzil' blog about Animal Kingdom, our Goa trip etc.. Man, it was soo much fun... It kept me up till now.. It will be so much fun to read this stuff say 10 yrs from now.. Thanks to this wonderful concept of blogging, we will be able to relive our good ol' college memories.. :)

Its a long weekend here.. And guess what I did on the first day of the weekend.. I managed to get lost in the streets of San Diego.. :) What started out as a simple evening walk turned out to be some of the moments I will remember for a long time to come..

At 5 in the evening, I decided its time to get out of the room and take a stroll.. Today, I decided to venture into streets I had never been to before.. It was fun.. just walked through the beautifully paved footpaths.. nice greenery on either side of the pathway.. I was enjoying the walk.. clicking pics of views from the pathway.. It was very silent and lonely.. I was the only one walking on these pathways.. There were shrubs of oranges on my left.. Mountains far away on my right.. It was nice to be walking all alone on these pathways enjoying nature...

It was 7 and I decided to head for the hotel.. but u know what I lost my way.. I hd thought of following the old joke where u tell a person to take a left, then a left again, and then again a left and u get back to the same place.. So, I took a left, then a left and again a left thinking I would get back to my hotel.. but unfortunately, I was wrong.. I reached a place called Poway, whih is about 3 miles from where I like... man.. did I walk that far?? Lucky for me, I had a cell phone this time around and I called the hotel for directions.. They were surprised to hear I walked that far.. The directions they gave me got me nowhere.. so I decided to go back the same way as I got here.. so I took the same pathway to get back home..

I could just not imagine what I saw... the pathway which seemed so nice and quite about half an hr back was so different now.. It was eerie.. It was creepy... The nice orange shrubs on the side was scary and the crickets were not making it any easy for me.. The local people always talk about coyotes.. they say its common for coyotes to walk out off this greenery after dark.. and I was scared.. Imagine a guy who is scared of dogs meets a coyote.. I would have been soo dead.. But, I gathered courage and walked thru listening to music on my iPod.. Finally, I reached the hotel at 8:25.. Man, wat an experience..

Now that I managed to walk back safely, I feel it was funny.. But then, I admit, I was shit scared... Lucky for me.. I did not have to exchange pleasantries with the coyotes.. :)

Studying in the US

2006-08-25T15:58:00.000-07:00

A few days back, I was talking to a friend of mine who recently got to the US to do his MS. He was telling me how difficult it is to be studying in the US. At first, I thought he was joking. I always had the impression that studying in the US was fun. I thought, if I am having fun here, he should be having a ball with 4 other guys of his age in that little apartment of his.

Later, I actually thought about this. I realized life must be so different for him here in the US. I am staying in a nice 3-star hotel where I get a nice buffet continental breakfast in the morning followed by a drop to my workplace. In the evening, I get the vehicle again to drop me back to the hotel where food is ready for me to hog on. I am paid 45$ a day to have the 2 meals of the day which does not cost me more than 12$. Also, while I am away at work, my room is cleaned, the bed is made, and the room is heated. I enjoy all the luxuries.

Now let me put myself in my friend’s shoes and see how life looks.
Scene 1: (in India)
I am running around to get my visa, transcripts, recommendation letter etc in place. Then run after the travel agent to get my tickets. I need to find the lowest rates. There is no company to sponsor my tickets. L I finally manage to get tickets on the cheapest airlines. Next, my luggage. I am not going on a short vacation, am going for a good long 2 years. 2 bags of 23 kgs each are the permissible limits. I spend days deciding what to carry and what not to. Packing is finally done. 24 hrs for me to fly and some @#$@$@ decides to plant bombs in flights to the US. Am screwed. Security tightens. Lots of restrictions on the things I can carry. 24 hrs to go and I unpack all my luggage and pack again. There is chaos everywhere. Security beefed up at the airport, customs, immigrations.. oh man.. I am drained..
Cutting a long story short, I am dog tired by the time I board the flight. :(

Scene 2:
Due to the security checks, flights are delayed and I miss my connecting flight to the US. The airline officials are good enough to give me tickets of the next flight which is about 6 hours from now. Wow.. stranded in London airport for 6 hrs.. Sounds good?? Of course not.. not with the bombs being found in London. We cannot roam about. I sit bored in the transit lounge for 6 hrs before I board the flight. Finally, I make it to the US.

Scene 3:
I get to the room I am supposed to stay with 4 guys I have met just once before flying from India. They seemed good fun then but I see them as different people here. 5 guys, 2 bedrooms. I manage to grab a room with another guy. I am too tired to unpack so I hit the bed immediately.

Scene 4:
I get up quite late as usual and guess what I see? The cupboards look neat and full of clothes. But, unfortunately, they are not mine. My roomie decides to unpack and has all his clothes nicely stacked in the cupboard. On enquiring, I learn that the cupboard is not full and my roomie has left 2 tiny racks untouched and empty for me. Wow! Thanks roomie. :)

Scene 5:
My other 4 roomie decide to cook food. I am happy. I am famished and could do with some food. But to my surprise, every roomie gets out their individual utensils and packets of Maggi to cook. Everyone, including me ofcourse, has a sumptuous meal. But its been 7 long days here and my roomies still decide to prepare their individual meals. :(

Scene 6:
I get a job! I am working in a tiny restaurant where I am being paid 6$ for each hour of my effort. Its not as easy as I thought it would be. I am tired by the end of the day and in no position to go home and cook my meal. (Buy food?? I am a student here remember.. and this 6$ an hr will help me pay my fees and rent. Students in the US are supposed to cook)

That was it. I can imagine how bad his life can be. I just cannot imagine myself going to bed without a meal. :(

I agree, buddy. Studying in the US is not easy. Hats off to the people who manage to finish their 2 yrs of education with flying colors here in the US.

My Cousin at the SAF games

2006-08-23T23:39:00.000-07:00

The past few days have been very memorable for my young cousin sister, Lekha. Why would it not be? Imagine a 15-year old girl enjoying international success.

She has been in Colombo for the past weeks preparing hard for the ongoing SAF games. She has been doing great in all national events but this is the first time she was on the international scene. All her hard work to date has paid off now. She won 6 gold medals at the SAF games. She also posted a new games record in the 100m butterfly event. Her 1:04.51s effort bettered the existing mark of 1:05.82 set in Islamabad two years ago.

Way to go, Lekha… We are all so proud of you.

First week in the US

2006-08-20T16:40:00.000-07:00

Its been a week now since I got to the US.. Well, almost.. Its been pretty hectic.. Got here Monday night and got to work early Tuesday morning beating the so called jet-lag.. Nah, jet-lag does not affect me, I could have slept through Tuesday anyways.. :)

Work, work, and only work kept me busy the entire week… I did not go out anywhere the entire week.. ate the packets of Curry noodles I brought from back home.. Watched a couple of movies though.. “The Ron Clark story” staring Matt Perry is a wonderful movie. Atleast I like it. It’s the true life story of a famous story of an American teacher named Ron Clark. It’s a must watch if you like soft drama..

Mini arrived here last night.. Some company at last. :)

Planning to go out this week onwards, see the place, enjoy my second leg of the US.

Cleaning the cobwebs from my blog.. :)

2006-07-13T05:38:00.000-07:00

The past 2 weeks has not been the best Mumbai has been through. But, yeah, Mumbai has seen worse. Kudos to Mumbaikars for keeping up the city’s spirit. It took these people less than 12 hours to get back to its usual hustling-bustling self. Hats off, Mumbai!!

Ok, guess enough is being said about the incidents that ripped through Mumbai over the last few days. I’m not gonna add to it. :)

I was out of the blogging scene since a looong time. Was kinda bored to sit down and write. But feels good writing after such a long time. Unlike Mumbai, nothing much is rocking my life these days. :( Same ol’ stuff , work, sleep, work… :(

World cup is over. Football fever is coming down. Looks like I’m quickly gonna catch the F1 fever soon.. :) All of a sudden, F1 seemed to have vanished… But, I’m sure it was just the football virus in the air.. F1’s gonna hit me soon..

Hmmmm.. nothing more I can write about.. no new movie.. no new trek.. Yeah, guys lets trek.. I wanna go to Lohagad again.. Any takers??? ;) Or maybe Rajmachi this time around…

Was really bored this Sunday.. Had planned watching a movie.. but a political party screwed our party.. :( All political parties should be banned… The only party in town should be our party… :) Lottas fun, loud music, loads of DVDs, cool cars, mean bikes, sexy babes, wild beaches, and lottas moolah.. what else would a guy my age ask for??

At times, I think.. for those who are grinning.. yeah.. I do think.. :) A nice, cosy house, friends, soft music.. the perfect ingredients of a great time..

Not just another forward

2006-05-24T02:12:00.000-07:00

Am not writing anything today.. thot its a long time since I checked my blog.. was here to clean the cob-webs.. :)
This is one of the few forwards I really like. Most of the forwards I receive are usually of the "shift-delete" types.. Not this one.. Kinda cute, kinda touching.. a nice read.. :)

10th Grade
As I sat there in English class,
I stared at the girl next to me.
She was my so called 'best friend'.
I stared at her long, silky hair,
and wished she was mine.
But she didn't notice me like that,
and I knew it. After class,
she walked up to me and asked me for
the notes she had missed the day before.
I handed them to her.
She said 'thanks' and gave me a kiss on the cheek.
I want to tell her, I want her to know
that I don't want to be just friends,
I love her but I'm just too shy,
and I don't know why.

11th grade
The phone rang. On the other end,
it was her. She was in tears,
mumbling on and on about how her
love had broke her heart.
She asked me to come over because
she didn't want to be alone, So I did.
As I sat next to her on the sofa,
I stared at her soft eyes, wishing she was mine.
After 2 hours, one Drew Barrymore movie, and three bags of chips, she decided to go home.
She looked at me, said 'thanks' and gave me a kiss on the cheek..
I want to tell her, I want her to know that I don't want to be just friends, I love her but I'm just too shy, and I don't know why.

Senior year
One fine day she walked to my locker.
"My date is sick" she said, "he's not gonna go"
well,
I didn't have a date, and in 7th grade,
we made a promise that if neither of us had dates, we would go together just as 'best friends'.
So we did. That night, after everything was over, I was standing at her front door step.
I stared at her as She smiled at me
and stared at me with her crystal eyes.
Then she said- "I had the best time, thanks!"
and gave me a kiss on the cheek.
I want to tell her,
want her to know
that I don't want to be just friends,
I love her but I'm just too shy,
and I don't know why.

Graduation
A day passed, then a week, then a month.
Before I could blink, it was graduation day.
I watched as her perfect body floated like an angel up on stage to get her diploma.
I wanted her to be mine-but
she didn't notice me like that, and I knew it.
Before everyone went home,
she came to me in her smock and hat,
and cried as I hugged her.
Then she lifted her head from my shoulder and said- 'you're my best friend, thanks' and gave me a kiss on the cheek.
I want to tell her, I want her to know
that I don't want to be just friends,
I love her but I'm just too shy,
and I don't know why.

Marriage
Now I sit in the pews of the church.
That girl is getting married now.
and drive off to her new life,
married to another man.
I wanted her to be mine,
but she didn't see me like that,
and I knew it.
But before she drove away,
she came to me and said 'you came !'.
She said 'thanks' and kissed me on the cheek.
I want her to know that
I don't want to be just friends,
I love her but I'm just too shy,
and I don't know why.

Death
Years passed, I looked down at the coffin of a girl who used to be my 'best friend'.
At the service, they read a diary entry
she had wrote in her high school years.
This is what it read:
"I stare at him wishing he was mine;
but he doesn't notice me like that,
and I know it. I want to tell him,
I want him to know that
I don't want to be just friends,
I love him but I'm just too shy,
and I don't know why.
I wish he would tell me he loved me !
.........'I wish I did too...'
I thought to my self, and I cried.
Some Times ........... Some Where in Life It happens ............. .

Required: Censor board for newspapers

2006-05-02T22:18:00.000-07:00

32 massacred in J&K.
30 feared dead in a tragic bus accident.
4 killed in Gujarat riots.
Indian engineer beheaded in Afghanistan.

This is what I have been reading in the newspapers over the past few days. I remember, when I was in school, my teachers and parents encouraged me to read the newspaper daily before leaving for school. I enthusiastically used to get up early in the morning and read the newspaper before packing my bag for school. I remember our teacher used to discuss the news with us daily in the morning. It was fun.

But times have changed. With the kind of news hitting the headlines daily, I will never encourage my children to read the newspapers. I sometimes wonder, if violent films need to pass the censor board why should newspapers be freely distributed. Violent films need to go through the censor scissors in order to avoid the spread of violence. Censor boards ensure that the minds of children are not getting corrupt by watching such movies.

Why should such laws not apply to the newspapers? Newspapers go to almost every house in India. Children read newspapers. If violent movies influence children, I guess violent write ups and photos also affect the delicate mind. I suggest having a censor board for newspapers also. Every news paper should be rated before it is sent out for distribution. Sounds funny? Yeah, it does sound funny to me too, but I guess that’s the need. Else, I would suggest parents read the newspapers, decide if it’s good enough for their children to read. Hide the newspapers from your children if they are too violent.

The future of the society is based on what the children of today see, hear, read, speak, and most importantly, what they think. Children’s thoughts are influenced easily by what they see, hear, and read. I believe children should be able to have an imagination of their own, based on what they read, see, and hear. I can imagine the kind of imagination today’s child would have. The only thing that today’s child is exposed to is violence, terrorism, sex, homicide, war etc. I can clearly see what the future would look like in such a scenario. The future is no better than our today.

Its pay-back time!!

2006-04-28T07:10:00.000-07:00

I know this guy since a very very long time now.. Its been almost 11 years now.. This guy is crazy, witty, a huge F1 fan.. and dunno what else.. Actually this guy is still a mystery.. He admits being a psycho.. All his ideas, thoughts are psychic.. Yes,, many of you must have guessed it by now.. I am talking about Denzil.. An amazing character.. Loves pulling everybody’s leg on their birthdays… Now its your turn dude.. Though a bit late.. I can assure you, its gonna be harsh.. All secrets revealed..

I have seen different shades of Denzil all through these 11 years… I first met him in school and we almost instantly gelled… We had a huge group in school.. in school, he was a quite and studious character.. I remember him in a marathi play.. Guess it was a play on Shivaji.. This guy was playing the character of “balu”.. he was a instant hit.. Most of our school teachers started recognizing him as “balu”.. It stuck with him right through schooling days..

Then in college.. I remember, the craze for Pool and snooker had just started when we were in school… It was cool to play pool then.. We guys from college used to go to a near by pool table to play.. One fine day, we were in the middle of a very engrossing game. It was Denzil’s turn with the stick.. He places his hand on the table.. realizes there no powder to give him the desired friction.. smears powder on his hand. Satisfied, he positions his hand again.. But wait.. he needs to adjust the cue stick.. Fine.. a break once again.. And finally he is ready to play.. Hands in position.. takes aim.. moves the stick up and down 2-3 times.. and then a wild push.. Guess what happens.. Prrrrr.. a nice sound.. whats that.. his cue stick manages to miss the ball.. hits the table and rips off the nice, green velvet off it.. J Man, it was fun.. To top it all.. Denzil pats the cloth back and is ready to take position for his next chance.. We managed to slip off.. Had we been caught, we would have a lot to pay up for..

Got lots more to write.. but am in office now.. am getting ready to leave.. to tempted to post this as it is.. Will keep these little posts on Denzil coming..

My Idol!

2006-04-24T23:33:00.000-07:00

I was watching this talk show the other day. The topic under discussion was Rahul Dravid and his captaincy. People had a lot to say about him, good, bad, and the worst. People had words of praise and disgrace for him.

What wrong has Dravid done? Absolutely nothing. I fully support Dravid in whatever he has done. There were allegations that Dravid had influenced the selectors into dropping Saurav Ganguly. He has been instrumental in cutting short the career of India’s most successful skipper, Ganguly. I completely disagree.

Ganguly has only himself to blame for his downfall. The selectors have done nothing wrong in showing Ganguly the door. His performance showed no sign of improvement. The selectors should have ditched him a long time back. He was a burden on the team. I believe a person leads by example. To be a good leader, you need to show people the right way. Ganguly himself did not have a clue of what he was doing, how on earth could he have lead 13 other people? A leader should be able to command respect. You gain respect by your performance. You cannot rest on the laurels of the past for too long. And, Ganguly was doing exactly that.

I admire Dravid for what he is today. I remember the days when he was dropped from the Indian team due to his performance. But he did not crib. He worked hard. He earned a call back. And he came back a different player. He had adapted himself so well to the shorter version of the game. I remember commentators saying “Dravid is a wonderful player. One day matches are not his cup of tea. Concentrating on test matches can actually make him go down as one of the greatest test cricketer ever to have played.” This did not deter Dravid. He worked hard, fought back hard and now he is where he is. He is today considered to be one of the finest cricketers to have played the game.

I admire him for his fighting abilities, never-say-die attitude, leadership qualities, ability to stay away from controversies.. and lots of other things. When people had written him out, he fought his way back to the top. He leads by example. He commands respect from every member of the team. New, bright prospects have got chances to play, and shine under his reign. These same new players were continuously in and out of the side when Ganguly was leading. These players have now become the backbone of the team in a span of 3 months which is just amazing. Dravid has never allowed himself to be pulled into any kinda controversy.

But, the most impressive part about Dravid is his performance. Nothing, on or off the field, can affect his performance. All the pressure from the media about the Dravid-Ganguly captaincy issue had absolutely no effect on Dravid the player.

I admire Dravid, the player, the leader, the fighter.. Way to go, Dravid!

Nothing special.. just felt like writing

2006-04-21T08:11:00.000-07:00

Nothing much to write about today. Thanks to the BEST strike today, I got home early. I took my vehicle to work today. The traffic in the morning was tiring. Somehow, I feel the Mumbai traffic is sadly increasing by the day. I love driving but the traffic here does not let me enjoy my drive. But, the only advantage of staying in Mira Road is that the Ahmedabad highway is near by. That’s one highway you would love to drive on. I love driving there. Last weekend, Denzil and I drove up the road there and went to a small temple amidst the forest on the sides of the road.

Another lull week went by. Not much work in office. Today was the only day, I actually did some kinda work. I organized a “Fun-day Friday” contest for my team. We had a serial story writing contest. It went off pretty well.. Everybody looked to be having fun.

Was listening to the music band Jal perform on channel V today. They were pretty impressive. Especially Shazi, the bass guitarist. Like the music he creates. Jal can create some wonderful music. Not quite impressed by their vocalist, Farhaan, though. All in all they are a good band. Mahesh Bhatt is doing a good job by actually bringing in musicians from neighboring countries to play in India. First, Jal and now this song from Gangster “Bheegi Bheegi”. Heard the song is by a Bangladeshi band. Pretty cool song. I guess Emraan Hashmi is in the industry because of the music in his moves, else I doubt he would have lasted this long.

Another weekend ahead.. lets see whats in store.

SALMAN IN JAIL!!!! Yawn.. Whatever...

2006-04-12T02:12:00.000-07:00

Yesterday’s newspaper had the first 5 pages to cover the hot story of these days, Salman Khan in jail. A celebrity sentenced to jail for 5 years. And all this for what? Killing a rare chinkara??

Kudos to Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Brijendra Kumar Jain for being brave and honest enough to pass this verdict. Is it not wrong to kill poor animals? So what if he is a celebrity? Celebrities are supposed to be idols to children. They cannot go around killing poor animals and running over footpathers. I fully support and am proud of the bold decision taken by Chief Judicial Magistrate Jain. People say Salman is paying the price of being a celebrity. Celebrity or no celebrity, he is a criminal and criminals should be punished.

The press should not be publicizing the fact that Salman is in custody. For God’s sake, he deserves it. Dedicating 5 pages to him makes no sense to me. Looks like this is gonna continue for a few more days.. The media is gonna continue sympathizing with Salman..

Salman spending 5 nights, 5 weeks, 5 years, or even 5 decades is not gonna affect any of us. There are better things we should be raising our voice against. The government has decided to raise the minority quota once again. At this rate, we are once again gonna go back to the days of Independence. But this time, it will be the opposite. The so called minority class would be ruling. The “Open” class people would be looking out for an Ambedkar to fight for them. Why wait that long? We should stop this from happening. When in today’s world we talk of equality and stuff, we cannot be reserving educational seats and jobs for a certain class of people. Where is the democracy of the country going? Democracy means equality, equal rights.. Where do you see equal rights these days?? Raise your voice against such issues rather than feeling sorry for what a celebrity (sorry, criminal) is going through.

The lives of several kids depend on the verdict the government takes. Deserving candidates are gonna suffer if the proposal is accepted. Everyone is supposed to be given a fair chance. Everyone should have an equal chance to fight for the vacancies. Caste, religion, or anything for that matter should not be a deciding factor. Merit should be the sole criteria.

I just wish and hope to read some thing related to this in tomorrow newspaper. Not on some corner of the page, but as the main headlines.

Frustrated

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

Am really frustrated with life... Job getting to me.. no work at the moment.. got to spend 9 hrs in office doing nothing.. its killing me.. don't wanna be at home.. don't wanna be in office.. don't wanna be in Goa.. I don't even know why I am writing this.. just wanna throw out my thoughts somewhere...

I wanna buy a bike.. get out on a friday night.. with just abt 100 bucks in my wallet... ride upto a lonely place.. maybe a beach, or a hill.. somewhere away from the city.. wanna sit there the whole night staring at the stars.. nothing on my mind.. just me, and me.. no one else.. will carry my iPod with me just on case..

Dunno what I would do on Saturday.. won't come home.. just ride on.. spend Saturday night again in a similar way.. Come back only on Sunday night..

I don't wanna spend the weekend at home.. wanna spend one weekend only for myself.. I don't wanna have my friends also with me.. Dunno why I would wanna do this.. but wanna do this once.. Fed up with people trying to interfere with my life.. people telling me what to do and what not to..

Wish I had a bike.. and the guts to walk out of my house just like that.. without informing anybody of my where abouts... Am not asking for much.. just some time for myself.. :(

Childhood memories!!

2006-04-04T10:29:00.001-07:00

Just a class pic. This pic was clicked when I was in Sr. KG.. Quite nostalgic..

Back in India!!

2006-03-31T00:54:00.000-08:00

My 10th day in India after 3 and a half long months in San Diego. Its kinda fun to be back in India but back of my mind I know that US is a far better place.

Life has not been very exciting as it used to be. Nothing to work on, no parties, no weekend outings. Days are all lull. I chalked out a lot of stuff to do when I get back to India. But, nothing has inspired me to actually get up and going on those tasks. I had planned on every weekend parties and outings. I had planned to go clubbing. I had planned on a lion safari to the Gir National park. So many things to do, but I guess its the Mumbai heat that has put me off.

Gone are the days when I used to await weekends. Every weekend used to mean something special. Every weekend there was a party or an outing planned. But no more. Everybody has a schedule of their own. I have not had to time to meet up will all friends and listen to the tales of the Goa carnival they went to. Hate this kinda life... :(

I love the US kinda life. To follow that kinda lifestyle, we need to:

Live for the day. Forget about the future and enjoy the present. In India, we don't live for themselves. We live for our future generations. We work hard earning money for our grandchildren to enjoy. We forget that we have a life of our own. And this is not gonna change.
Spend some time for ourselves. I spend 5 days a week slogging in office and the other 2 days is making up for it. Most of us don't have a life during weekdays. In the US, the work culture is different. They work on an hourly basis. They, therefore, work for no more than 8 hours a day. They have the remaining 16 hours to themselves. They indulge in theor hobbies and other activities during that time.
Improve on our basic infrastructure. I love the infrastructure there. Love their roads. the roads there really make you feel like going out and cruising on them. Here, I am dog tired when I reach home. I am not awake for more than 3 hours after I get back home.

There is a lot more that I would love to point out. But am too tired to write. The travelling here drains you completely, physically and mentally.

The bottomline is US is a far better place to stay in. I remember hearing a debate on how the US culture spoils the children or NRIs. I know the culture cultivated in children there is bad. But, I believe, children are a mere reflection of their parents. Our children will do exactly as we teach them and not what they see in the society. So those of you who have the US culture as the main point of debate, I am sorry, you should blame yourself if your children are spoilt brats.

I know that there are a lot of Indian lovers cursing me for this. But, we got to digest the truth. We need to work towards making India a better place. I too love India and thats the reason I wanna make it better.

Back after a loong time!!

2006-02-27T11:04:00.000-08:00

Hello..
At last I managed to take soem time out of my busy schedule.. I have had so many things happening over the last 2 weeks... Life has always kept me on my toes over the last 2 weeks.. Apart from the usual busy weekdays, I have had very exciting and fun-filled weekends to keep me busy..

Last Saturday, 18th Feb 2006 0100 hrs, we were all in a rented minivan on our way to the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas. It was a loong weekend.. We had a three day weekend.. We decided to make the most of it.. so there we were in the van, lond hindi music after a long time.. Reminded me of the days when i used to blast music in my car.. :(

We were 6 of us. Pravin and Pratik had invited us to join them on their tour. It was Pratik who was driving all through the night.. I got behind the wheels at about 5 in the morning.. It was a long drive.. We reached the Grand Canyon at about 10 in morning after a long 9 hr drive..

We were there the whole day, enjoying the natural wonder.. We had many breathtaking views of the Grand Canyon.. It was freezing cold there.. The Colorado river that flows through the Canyon had frozen.. Wat a sight.. a flowing river frozen.. It was amazing.. We also got the chance to have a small snow fight.. :) It was exciting..

We then left the Canyon and drove to a place called Kingman in Arizona. We spent the night there annd left for Las Vegas early Sunday morning. On the way to Las vegas, we stopped over at Hoover Dam.. I thought the Hoover dam would be some huge dam that I had imagined it to be.. But the Hoover dam was not as great as I expected it to be..

We then reached Las vegas in the afternoon at about 2. Vegas did not look as exciting as it seems to be in the afternoon.. We had lunch, got to a hotel, changed and slept.. We got up and left the hotel at about 6 in the evening and man.. This was the vegas I was looking forward to see... Beautiful place, awesome lighting.. looked completely different to what it looked itn eh afternoon.. I understood.. this was going to be a loong night...

Vegas has this street usually referred to as the "strip". This is where all the action is. The Strip is the home to about 10-12 7-star hotels... Each hotel is based on a unique theme... We visited each of the hotel.. Each hotel was great in it own way..

But the best hotel I liked was called the Venetian.. It was based on Venice... Venice is a place where the most popular (or should I say only) mode of transport is water. People in Venice use boats to go around city... This hotel also had boats to take you through the hotel.. The boats were rowed by Italian boatsmen. these boatsmen would also sing italian songs for you during your nice romantic boat ride.. Imagine going through a 7-star hotel in a boat.. I was very impressed by this hotel..

Other hotels were based also great.. There was an hotel based on Paris.. They had a half scale replica of the Eiffel tower. We went up the tower and the view from there was just breathtaking.. We could get an arial view of the entire Vegas city.. all lit up and beautiful.. A hotel named New York New York had this replica of the Statue of Liberty.. it was great..

Another hotel worth mentioning was the Bellagio.. The Belklagio has this beautiful fountain show outside the hotel.. They have this huge pond outside the hotel with fountains in them.. These fountains dance to the music played in the background... It was amazing to see the water dance and make various patterns and designs according to the music..

We got back to our hotel only at 4:30 Monday morning.. tired and sleepy... But we managed to get up at about 10 in the morning.. We had a show to watch.. It was a nice comedy show in a hotel called Stratosphere.. It was a nice show to watch..

It was then tie for us to make our way back to San Diego.. We reached San diego at about 11 in the night.. It was the end to a long and exciting trip to the Canyon and Vegas..

We clicked about 500-550 pictures during the 3 days.. I managed to post most of them on the link below:

http://public.fotki.com/PPKSTB/

And this is the end of the loong post too.. I will keep you posted on my birthday blast sometime later..

Arnica tagged me!!!!

2006-02-07T23:47:00.000-08:00

Four jobs I've had

Mearsk Sealand - was a data processing officer there for 3 months.
Lionbridge Technologies - joined as a writer in the Netg dept.
Don't see myself changing another job in the near future.. atleast not for a year now.

Four movies I can watch over and over

Remember the titans
Saving private Ryan
Jerry Mcguire
Maine pyar kiya.. ( I dunno why.. I like watching this movie)

Four places I have lived

Bandra.. I was very young then.. not even a year..
Chennai.. for 13 long years..
Mira road.. Am here since 1996
Dombivli.. stayed here during my 4 yrs of engg college with Denzil and Amit.

Four television shows I love to watch

Not much of a TV person
Try to watch "That 70's show" whenever I can.
Love watching sports channels.

Four places I have been on vacation

Pondicherry.. when I was quite young
Kodaikannal... quite some time ago..
Goa.. need I say anything..
many places near Bombay over weekends..

Four of my favourite dishes

Love chinese food
Love pani puri
any kinda Indian food.. fed up of having pizzas and burgers..
Chole..

Four websites I visit daily

google
blogs of friends
gmail
nothing else.... I think google takes me to most of the sites I surf to..

Four places I would rather be right now

Its 12 in the night now.. I rather be in bed dreaming of some beautiful gal in an equally beautiful car in some exotic location.
In India, with my friends... or better still, here with all my friends...
Driving up to some country side village..
Lionbridge (mumbai).. I have friends having lunch there as I am writing this... Its 1:30 there..

Four bloggers I am tagging

This is wrong.. This is cheating... Everybody has already been tagged... nobody left for me to tag... :(

2006-01-17T20:37:00.000-08:00

My Music

Long time since I actually wrote something... the work and lifestyle here does not give me enough time to actually pen down the thousand thoughts growing in my idle brain.

Over the past few days, I having been spending most of my time downloading my favourite music. I have been coming back from office and logging on to my P2P client almost immediately downloading my favorite music.

I just love my hindi songs...I like and listen to many songs... but if I were asked to put down my favorites, they would be:

Koi Fariyaad by Jagjit Singh. This song from Tum Bin is one of my best. I love the way Jagjit Singh sings. I don't think he has a great voice but he really knows how to use his voice to suit the music. This guys puts his soul in his songs and I think this song should be one of his bests. Love the lyrics.
Ae Kaash from Kabhi haan kabhi naa. Brilliant song. Brilliant lyrics. If I were to dedicate a song to the lady in my life, this would be it. I would vote this as the most romantic song I have ever heard. Anyone knows of a song more romantic than this, please let me know.
Hai apna dil toh aawara. I don't know which movie this song is from or who sang it. All I know is that I love this old classic. Love the lyrics of this songs.. Think this song suits me well.. :-)
Dil chahta hai from Dil chahta hai. Amazing song from an amazing movie. Everytime I listen to this song, it reminds me of the fun Denzi, Naveen, and myself had in Goa. I dream to travel to Goa in an Porsche Boxter convertible with all my friends together with This song playing. Do dreams come true??
Pehla Nasha from Qayamat se Qayamat tak. An awesome song sung by a singer I don't quite like, Udit Narayan. I don't like the kinda songs he sings, but this song was a classic that will be remembered by many as the most romantic song.
Tum Bin from the movie Tum Bin. The music in this movie is just mindblowing. The lyrics of this song touches the soul.
Purani Jeans by Ali Haider. This song reminds me of college days. Ali Haider has wonderfully brought out the college memories into this wonderful song.
Yaaron by KK. This song from Rockford is just as good as the movie. The songs and movie rocks. The ultimate dedication to your nearest and dearest friends.
Suuno Na from Jhankar beats. This movie has some wonderfully remixed songs from the olden days. But, I like this song the most. Lovely lyrics, touching music.
Ae Zindagi from Saadma. S.P Balasubramanium is awesome in this song as he always is. But, the combination of Kamal Hasan and SP makes this song a classic in my playlist. The lyrics are so true and touching that it touches the soul.

This list could just go on and on.. I still wanna continue with this list but have no time.. But, will just jot down some songs I really love listening to:

Baahan ke daarmiyan from Khamoshi

Maine pyar kiya title song

Ghum hai kisike pyar mein

Do dil mil rahe hain from Pardes

Tumko dekha by Jagjit Singh

Hume tumse pyar kitna from Jhankaar beats

Yeh haasein waadiyan from Roja

Pal by KK

Ghum sum ho kyun by Shaan

Ishq hota nahi from Joggers park

Aawarapan from Jism

2006-01-10T12:58:00.000-08:00

Go Goa, Animals.

So finally, Goa is gone see all the animals on the loose… :)
Wow.. this is gonna be a treat for the Goan public. Goan public is gonna enjoy the carnival even more this time with the animals from Mumbai joining in the fun…

Way to go, guys.. But I am surprised, you guys gave Atul the responsibility of booking the tickets :) Well, it seems Atul has got the tickets booked. :), though I will believe this only after you guys go to Goa and come back.. God knows which tickets you must have booked.. :) I also heard someone is really angry about something.. Is it true, Atul, that you have forgot the surname of Tarzan.. and conveniently put in his nickname on the ticket.. I wish this is true.. :)

Guys, lemme tell you something you should do in Goa:
1. Buy vodka from the supermarket at Calangute beach and have sips even before you pay for it.. :)

2. Walk the beaches 3-4 times up down searching for rave parties.. (I know Naveen will surely make you guys do this)

3. Do not return back to the room late in the night.. you should return back early in the morning.

4. All of you should indulge yourselves in rigorous crunches every morning..

5. Arrange for tickets or better still passes to Tito’s. Heard its an awesome place.

6. Go on the ferry ride only if you have chicks with you. Last time, we were physically on the ferry but mentally enjoying with the chicks..

7. Rent a vehicle to travel around.. and the one who is driving should not drink.. Which means Denzi should learn to drive soon…

8. Prepare “Comps” for the night show.. Let him sleep early and then you guys can make merry with him.. ;-))

9. Click good photos and send it out to me.

10. Organize a RRF (Rehan Relief Fund).. Generously contribute 10-20 bucks and help him buy a USB cable… Please.. (Denzi , please pay my 20 bucks.. :))

For those who can make no sense of this post, you need to read about our previous Goan experiences.

Cannot think of anything more now.. But will surely update more advices here.. Keep reading.. :)

2005-12-29T23:36:00.000-08:00

My Christmas Dinner

I will keep this short and sweet...
25th December 2005. My first traditional Christmas dinner...

Nazarena Washburn had invited us (my PM and myself) to her house for dinner. She came to pick us up at abt 2 in the afternoon.. It was a long ride to her house.. Her house was beautiful. Awesome.. It was somewhat like my dream house.. The house was on a hill.. Very few houses around her's.. The house was huge... It had a nice cute pool outside.. They had setup a nice table next to the pool.. with comfortable chairs around it..

The view from her house was breathtaking.. Once we settled in her place, we went down with her to pluck oranges and tangerines from her orchard... She had a nice small orchad of oranges... nice bright orange trees...

Once back, her mom had prepared nice Indian pakodas for us.. It was good.. Her mom is actually a muslim having her roots in Kashmir. However, she was brought up in Guyana.. Naz was born and brought up in England... Naz's father was a Hindu... Then Naz married an American and settled in the US..

Then we had a nice dinner with drinks.. Dinner had the traditional turkey, meat, salads, puddings, mashed potatoes.. etc..etc...

Next, we had a round of poker.. America's favorite card game... We are now experts in the game.. and ready to explore Las Vegas.. :-))

Nothing more.. will write more later..

2005-12-19T21:43:00.000-08:00

I Miss Home.

I miss my parents and sister. No matter how much I used to argue with them back home, I must admit I miss them now. I enjoyed the love-filled arguments we used to have almost every hour I was at home. I missed the way I used to shout and try to stay out of home many times. :-)
I miss my friends. I miss all the time we used to spend together. I miss the Bandra meet almost every Sunday. I miss getting back home late on Sundays from Bandra.
I miss my Dad shouting to wake me up every morning. I miss my sister getting up because of the loud shouts from Dad. I miss her hitting me to wake me up and then she going back to sleep again.
I miss my car. I miss riding my car on these beautiful roads. I miss using my car for every small odd job. Here, I got to walk to get to the supermarket. I hate this.
I miss the Indian gals. :-) There are many gals here, but none as good as what we have in India. Indian gals are the best.
I miss the long bus drive to office every morning. I miss pulling Pratichi's leg every morning in the bus wih Denzil. I know, even when I get back, I will have to pull her leg all alone. Denzil will not be there any more. Am very happy for Denzil. He's got his dream job, finally.
I miss my weekends back in India. I miss getting up late. I miss having breakfast at 11am on weekends. Here, I need to get up by 8:30am. The hotel stops serving breakfast at 9:30am even on weekends.
I miss Bollywood. I miss going out to movies with friends and family. I wanted to watch many movies back home. I wanted to watch "Home Delivery", "Ek Ajnabee", "Bluffmaster", "Kalyug", "Neal 'n' Nikki", and the list can go on and on... Dare any of you guys watch a movie without me. And if you already have, please don't tell me that it was a good movie.
I miss the great indian soaps. I used to crib a lot when my folks used to watch it all night without fail. But I guess I have got used to it. I miss Indian television. American Channels are not that interesting.
I miss cricket. I miss playing my favourite sport. I miss playing cricket almost every weekend morning.

I can surely write more. I will write more as and when I miss something.

2005-12-13T13:43:00.000-08:00

My First Day @ HP

Am in office now. Today is my second day. I do not have much work to do. Think this is a good time to pen down a few lines about my first day in office at HP.

Monday, the 12th of December, was my first day at HP. My project manager, Marilyn Allison, picked me up from my hotel at 9. We drove to the HP campus. She showed me various stores and markets on the way that I could find useful. The drive was not long. It took us about 20 minutes to reach HP. She drove me around the HP campus which is quite huge.

Marilyn then had my access card done. (I don’t like the card. My photo has come out bad in it, as usual). She had some work to complete so we went up to her cubicle. What a place it was. A long area with plenty of huge cubicles in it. One could easily get lost. It whole place was decorated a bit for Christmas. There were blue colored balloons hanging from each cubicle making it all the more confusing to find your way. There was big flamingo hanging from the ceiling over Marilyn’s desk. The next time I want to look for Marilyn, I know what to look for. The flamingo is now the only way I can find my way to Marilyn’s desk.

While Marilyn was completing her work, Kimberly talked to me about the project. She gave me important links that could help me and yes, She gave me an egg-shaped chocolate with a little toy inside it. :-) Kimberly then took me around the entire floor.

It was lunch time at 11:30. Marilyn had planned to take me out for lunch. Tonya Stefan, Alecia Hunter, and Nazerena Washburn were to meet us at the restaurant. Marilyn said that they have decided to go out to their favorite restaurant for lunch. We drove up to the restaurant and guess what the restaurant was called – “Passage To India”. It was an Indian restaurant!! Marilyn told me that they really loved Indian food.

The 5 of us thoroughly enjoyed the nice Indian buffet. The food was wonderful. We had rice, dal makhani, nan, butter chicken, tandoori, gulab jamun and much more. It was hard to believe that we could get real good Indian food in the US. And even more to believe that the Americans love the Indian food.

After lunch, I accompanied Tonya to my cubicle. The cubicle is huge. I have a big cubicle just to myself. I have the toy from inside the egg-shaped chocolate (the one Kimberly gave me) to decorate my cubicle. I had no work yesterday. I was just reading through some material till about 4:30. Then I called the hotel and had a car to take me back home. It looks so good. You just need to come out of the building and a nice car awaits you to take you back home.

So that was my first day. I enjoyed it to the fullest. The best part was the Indian hotel and the Indian food. I loved it. :-) And not the mention the people here are great. :-)

2005-11-06T22:59:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, an interesting article in the newspaper caught my attention. The article read about management tactics MNCs used to reduce the stress level in their employees. Reading the article distressed me. I can imagine how good the employees may feel.

Rock climbing, horse riding, river rafting, paragliding are the tactics MNCs are employing to fight stress. MNCs, nowadays, organize such events on a monthly basis to avoid stress. There are several professional companies in the market that help these MNCs arrange these events. Imagine working in such a company where you got to dedicate yourself to such extreme sports and get paid for it.

I have always loved extreme adventure sports. I always wanted to engage myself in such sports but never had a chance. Expect for horse riding, I have never practiced any other adventure sport. The horse-riding thing also didn’t last for more than 2 daysL. Actually, any kinda adventure sport excites me. But, being a typical Piscean, water excites me the most. Thinking of sports like White water rafting, water surfing, water rappelling, water skiing, scuba diving etc send chills through my spine. During my recent trip to Goa, I experienced the thrill of riding a motor scooter at about 90-100 Mph on the blue waters of Calungute beach. This was my first experience at water sport and I thoroughly enjoyed. Speed excites me. And speed on water is just an added bonus. I have had several experiences of speeding on road when I drive at over a 100 Kmph on my car or my friends bike. But, speeding on water in a different experience. Million and millions of tiny water droplets hitting your face, jumping over the huge white waves is a real thrill. Miss Goa for this.

I want to indulge myself in such sports. But these sports prove to be a bit too expensive. But what the heck. Its exciting and this is what matters. I know of a place in Virar where people enjoy paragliding from the high mountains. But, dunno why, I am scared of heights. But, I wanna give it a try. Just to remove the fear from my mind.

I have yet another dream in life. (Pisceans love to dream.. J) I wanna go north and experience white water rafting on the wild rivers flowing from the Himalayas between November and February. Any person interested in dreaming with me about the same (and accomplishing it also some day), stay in touch.

2005-11-01T21:27:00.000-08:00

It’s been a long time since I last put up a post…

Work and only work had kept me busy.. But, last week I did manage to pull out some time for myself.. I had been on a vacation with my family to Goa and a small village in Karnataka called “Chitrapur”.

Goa is not just a fun place.. Goa has a lot more to it than the 3 B’s.. (beaches, babes, and booze)… What Goa is not known for is its rich heritage.. Goa has got some really beautiful and enchanting holy places. And this time, I had been to Goa to visit these places.

We reached Goa on Saturday night… We went to a temple called Mangeshi… My parents told me it is the abode of our family deity.. We were supposed to put stay there…But unfortunately.. the administrative staff had left for the day, leaving up stranded at 10 in the night in a small town like Goa.. Luckily, the driver of our vehicle knew a few people around.. He made arrangements and got us a room in another temple nearby.. After the hectic day, we had a nice wash and managed to hit the bed by about 1..

Shantadurga temple (We spent the night here)

We had decided to attend the early morning puja at our family deity temple.. We got up at 5.. and reached the temple by 6:30.. just in time for the rituals to begin.. For the first time, I realized how beautiful an early morning could be.. Mornings are different in smaller towns like Goa. Nice and chilly, pleasant, birds chirping.. and to add to it all, the sounds of the bells ringing in the temple early morning makes the day..

Mangeshi Temple in the morning

I vividly remember a flat in Malad that I had seen.. It was in a very peaceful area, and the windows open out to a temple.. I wish to build my home in a place like that..

After the rituals in Mangeshi temple, we transferred all our luggage to our room in Mangeshi temple and left to see all the other temples in Goa..

The other temples were also beautiful.. and huge.. yes, all the temples were huge.. I wonder where do these people get the moolah to build such huge temples and maintain them.. Each and every temple of Goa was huge..

We came back to our room tired at about 9.. Every Monday, the deity at Mangeshi is brought out and a small procession takes place.. We were lucky to be present there on a Monday.. I was really enthralled by the decoration, lights, and music… I was especially thrilled watching a small boy, maybe 5-6 yrs, play the drums.. he was awesome..

We spent the next day visiting beaches, other tourist spots and some shopping… We were to leave for Chitrapur the next day..

Will talk to you abt Chitrapur in my next post soon...

Truly speaking.. Goa is a very beautiful place.. It has something for everybody…

2005-08-21T22:45:00.000-07:00

Missing Shwets

Its the first day in office since Shwets left. We are all missing her. I now realise, what she really meant to me. Few of the things I miss are:

A beautiful, charming, smile did not greet me "Good Morning" today.
Nobody to offer breakfast. (though shwets did it only when the food was not good enough)
Nobody reminded me to come on IP. (though I rarely forget)
Nobody will respond to my IPs saying "Kya hmm???".
One person lesser now to call me "Pappu".
Nomore IPs with the text "chop chop".
Nobody to bug me on IPs from today.. :(
Nobody to ask me to refer to coordinates in the stylesheet.
Nobody to ask me whether I kicked the network cable.
Nobody to make me use Word Web anymore.
One person less to trigger 'Pappu Kaands'.
Nobody to delegate their work anymore.
Will not hear the word "Shuddup" anymore.

I can go on and on with this list... But if I continue.... i guess other will have to write such mails about me.. As i would be kicked out of here... Nice to have a wonderful friend like Shwets...

And btw.. think Shaju is gonna occupy Shweta's place....

2005-08-21T22:41:00.000-07:00

My Personality Type

Your #1 Match: INFJ

The Protector
You live your life with integrity, originality, vision, and creativity.Independent and stubborn, you rarely stray from your vision - no matter what it is.You are an excellent listener, with almost infinite patience.You have complex, deep feelings, and you take great care to express them.
You would make a great photographer, alternative medicine guru, or teacher.

Your #2 Match: INTJ

The Scientist
You have a head for ideas - and you are good at improving systems.Logical and strategic, you prefer for everything in your life to be organized.You tend to be a bit skeptical. You're both critical of yourself and of others.Independent and stubborn, you tend to only befriend those who are a lot like you.
You would make an excellent scientist, engineer, or programmer.

Your #3 Match: ISFJ

The Nurturer
You have a strong need to belong, and you very loyal.A good listener, you excell at helping others in practical ways.In your spare time, you enjoy engaging your senses through art, cooking, and music.You find it easy to be devoted to one person, who you do special things for.
You would make a good interior designer, chef, or child psychologist.

Your #4 Match: ISTJ

The Duty Fulfiller
You are responsible, reliable, and hardworking - you get the job done.You prefer productive hobbies, like woodworking or knittings.Quiet and serious, you are well prepared for whatever life hands you.Conservative and down-to-earth, you hardly ever do anything crazy.
You would make a great business executive, accountant, or lawyer.

Your #5 Match: ENFJ

The Giver
You strive to maintain harmony in relationships, and usually succeed.Articulate and enthusiastic, you are good at making personal connections.Sometimes you idealize relationships too much - and end up being let down.You find the most energy and comfort in social situations ... where you shine.
You would make a good writer, human resources director, or psychologist.

What's" Your Personality Type?

2005-08-10T09:45:00.000-07:00

Photo Session at Lionbridge

It was a lazy afternoon sometime in January at Lionbridge. I remember being busy at David’s desk trying to complete the Logo quiz that was hot stuff that day. David and I were rackling our brains to get the answers right. We did manage to get a few. We needed help. Sahil and Pradeep came to rescue. So four brains began working over the quiz.

All of a sudden, the gals come over with the digicam they borrowed from Peter. They had plans of going down and having a photo session. 10 minutes they said and we are going down. Next moment they were off to the washroom to give themselves a final touch of make up. (I still wonder why do gals put on artificial material to achieve something that comes naturally to them…yes beauty) ... Think I am being a bit too dramatic here...

Dave and Nishant decided to go down. Sahil, Pradeep, and I convinced them that we would be down in a few moments and sent them ahead. Think these guys actually expected us to join them as we had said we would. We kept receiving calls from them to call us down. But, we guys just didn’t feel like going down…. (dunno why.. you can call it ego, attitude… whatever)… Finally, these guys gave up... It ultimately dawned upon them that we guys won’t be joining them down…. They went ahead with their photo session… these are some of the pics they clicked down…

Friends forever.. Dave and Nishant

Dave, Nishant, Sapna, and Shwets

After the photo session, they were really mad at us… They gave us an earful and dragged us to get some pics with them… (but not before another round of makeup…).. This time the venue was the smoking zone.. the staircase of Lionbridge… This time it was all 10 of us.. sorry 9… (anu was busy helping some new joinee feel at home…. Nah… just joking.. guess he wasn’t in office that day..) We did manage to capture some really memorable moments in the otherwise smoky and dull smoking zone…

All of us... missed you Anu... and shwets too
(she was the photographer)

I guess we guys did not do the best thing by not coming down… We should have… But thanks to you guys for dragging us to the smoking zone to click some really memorable pics that we can cherish for life….

2005-08-06T22:55:00.000-07:00

Hi all...

I am yet another commoner smitten by this bug called 'blogging'. Me a 23 year old guy from Mumbai, India. I am a computer engineer who graduated from Mumbai university in the year 2004.

I dedicate this post to some of my very good friends I made at Lionbridge Technologies.... We are..sorry were.. a group of 10 guys and gals who joined Lionbrodge at around the same time...
I vividly remember meeting Nishant, Minal, Shweta, and Sapna when I was called in for the interview. I remember Minal goig blah, blah, and blah about something I don't exactly remember... Shweta and Sapna were quite... Shwetha says I was also blabbering (I don't reemember this though)... I never thought this small meeting would lead me to a life long friendship...

I joined Lionbridge a month later. The first day I joined, 11th October 2004, David joined with me. David was a fresher like me.. My first impression about David was wrong... I expected David to be a very quite guy.. But... (Alas) I was wrong... (The only time I remember he was quite was when Nisha said something to him when Shweta, Dave, and I were having food.) Jinesh too joined on the same day as I did. We were alloted our workstations. Dave got a seat next to Nishant... This is how i got introduced to Nishant... Nishant is a very cute, chubby looking guy with a great sense of humour...

A few days later, I remember talking to Sapna...( We had a common friend, Bhakti)... Sapna then introduced me to Minal... Dave and me got to know Sahil and Pradeep through Nishant... Anu, as usual, introduced himself to us in his unique manner (Hi. I am Anurag from Obra.) .. He used to do this with every newcomer..He believes in making all new comers feel at home...

Till now, we didn't know each other all that well... 4th January.. (am sorry if I'm wrong.. I just can't remember dates) Shweta's b'day changed it all... Nishant's b'day was on the 2nd... Shweta and nishant decided to treat us all together... this small treat on mezzanine flooring of Juicy Stuff led the path to our friendship...

After this treat, we have had several other treats, outings,and movies... Though a lot of convincing takes place before every plan... we manage to make a few of it atleast...

Today, we are just 4 of us who are still together at Lionbridge... Shweta also will be leaving us this friday... So, next week, its gonna be only Dave, Jo, and me at Lionbridge... Just the two of us (Dave and me) pondering over our lunch boxes... I fear even thinking of those days... Neways...Life has to move on....
I wish you all the very best in life wherever you are....

I remember 'Dot' asking how I was at forming friends during my interview... I had answered saying that I don't easily mix with people but once I get to know people I do get along well... She replied saying that it was very difficult to make good friends at work.... and I had agreed with her.... But I thank you all for proving 'Dot' and me wrong....Thanks for being such wonderful friends...