Typo Rulez
I have been asked by lots of people to spend some time taking care to compose my blog entries carefully.The Problem is I hardly have time to blog and do whatever I can before I leave office as my computer at home condescends to Boot up before my prying eyes. So I have decided that this Blog will be typo free and more carefully typed.
I had a good weekend..spending a lot of time with myself,what I wanted to do in life,examining my life for the past 2 years,my follies,my greatest experiences and some other mixed moments.Never haveI felt so recharged on a Monday Morning.Mentally planning on a sunday for the week ahead,so much so infuses unrestricted enthusiasm and that is what I am experiencing.
2/27/2006
2/24/2006
Gokarna Trip:Part 3 -Om Beach-Half Moon beach-Paradise Beach-Gokarna
This part of the trip started on a lovely note,when I lunged forward in the boat and saw dolphins floating closeby in the sea and took out my camera.But the problem was the waves, that was lashing the boat,which used to deposit huge amounts of water in our boat,and leave my bag and my clothes wet.So I decided to play safe,keeping my camera inside the bag and just admire the lovely scenery all around.At this point our attention was solely on the boatoarsman,who seemed to have a diifferential rate pattern for each of his customers.We paid around 50 bucks per person for the trip while the others were exhorbitantly charge around 75-100 per person per trip for the 15 minute journey from Gokarna Beach to Om Beach. The funda here on such trips is to have some one in your gang,who know the local Language and thanks to Arry,we minimised a lot of money in the trip,by not giving in to the rates these local people of Gokarna offered for travel.
As soon as we touched Om Beach, there was a sense of elation as we saw that the beach was a huge one and an amazingly picturesque beach with the lands jutting out and forming a formation of the hindi alphabet OM...(Thats why the name OM beach ).
OM Beach is a famous destination for foreigners due to the lovely beach view and trekking options it has to offer other than the relatively secluded environment and I was already seeing lots of foreigners all busy sunbathing.
Sunbathing was a concept we could not subscribe to as we anyway get baked in Chennai in the simmering Perrennial heat wave.So we decide to just sit there and take a walk around the beach.After the walk...we remove our clothes..and with the bare essentials walk into the water to find that the depth is not that much and nor are the waves that powerful.So a guy who doesnt know simming like me, has a ball in the water by just jumping in and out and staying in there...waiting for the waves to come and move you.OM beach's captivating sceney had me in the water for about a couple of hours after which OM beach'stemperature was threatening to beat the summer record set in Chennai.We got off there ...and waited a while to dry our bodies..while we observed many foreigners swimming long and quite deep into the ocean.
It is actually a little embarrasing when you have a foreigner wearing one skimpy top showing 95% skin right next to you,and mind you...that is the height of tempation.With nothing much to do on a lonely beach,one's eyes hardly misses such darshan...as even if you look in another direction there's a another lady sunbathing in that direction.This is what God calls the Problem of plenty.
After enough gawking and gazing, our stomach grumbles and we decide to go to a shack for lunch and the lunch of Chappati/Nan/Gobi Manchurian served there seemed to be much better than the food we get in Hotels in Chennai.
As we are enjoying the delicasies of North Indian food, in the few chairs next to us all of a sudden a lady takes of her top and has a tiny dress that more so confirms that she wears something on top,but functionally as a cover it doesnt seem to be of any use....Not that we mind... :-)
Well Even Biology would'nt have taught me so much about the female anotomy as the Gokarna trip had taught me in a couple of hours on Om Beach.
After a sumptous lunch we walked on braving the heat, in the name of adventure treking and met a couple of Israeli babes on the way,who apparently wanted us to convey something to a person on the next beach regarding her accomadation and little did I realise that in the next beach, this lady had booked the last available accomadation on the beach,which meant we could'nt get a shack to stay on Halfmoon Beach, the next beach.
Half Moon Beach,was a smuch smaller beach and was even more picturesque and this was "hotter" than OM Beach, given the fact that some ladies needed to be reminded that they needed to cover their most valuable assets from prying eyes.This is where I saw a topless woman...and decided I have had enough gnyaan in a day and decided to rest.We rested for a while on the beach...in a secluded spot.. speaking about our "AMERICAN PIE" like trip so far,when we get shooed away by another Britisher,who says since her towels and other accesories were there that was their private space.We didnt want to protest and create a scene..so we respected their privacy and moved on closer to the ocean and decided to plunge into the sea.
It was here while swimming I met 3 Israeli girls and 1 Belgian teacher,where they were speaking about why they loved Indian Beaches on the west so much.All of a sudden they digressed to Hinduism and other spiritual talk...and I was quite suprised to know that they knew more about Hinduism , than I ever bothered to Know.
Promiscuity on the beach is something thatt's the norm here,but it hardly affected us,we had come for a pure beach trek..and got some lovely trekking routes...and in a foreigner infested place,such things are pretty much expected.2 of those Israeli girls were so beautiful, that If I felt like saying a dialogue of a foreign minister"Lets go 1 step ahead in cementing Indo-Israeli Relations in peace ,harmaony and seclusion. But the problem was the mind always detects such signals from the heart as "lust signals " and thrashes it then and there by reminding me of Targets,Pafe views and Home.
After the "unconquered Israeli" assignment ..we resumed our trek to Paradise beach and in the journey to Paradise beachwe had to climb huge rocks and mountains that were a tad slippery ,due to the Moist Moss and Lichens.This trek was a trek,where we got lost in our admiration of the place and the lovely views we had got to shoot pictures that we missed the route and got lost into a forest which took us farther away from Paradise beach.Even though we were wasting our time,This was the time we really enjoyed the trek as we bruised our legs amidst Thorns, bushy outgrowths and some sudden jumps due to the lack of a proper path.
We almost broke our legs and fell into an elephant trap as we jumped just ,avoiding the elephant hole and landed safely on a set of wooden twigs thatwere already broken...and some of those sharp pointed edges punctured our enthusiasm and also our legs to an extent.Our legs were bleeding slightly and just as were about to give up we see land, we see pretty young israeli things walking about at a distance.WE let out a war cry that we have reached the destination...and slowly walk towards the beach.
Paradise Beach is one of the best beaches and the most secluded , peaceful beaches are beyond this.We look for staying the night here and explore teh other beaches around...but heart says yes and legs say no...so we abort our plan...and we realize that this place doesnt have any medical facilities ...and hear that only 1 boat leaves this place in the evening.So we decide that since we are not very clear with how we plan to reach Goa tommorow to catch our flight to Bangalore,It would be better if we get back to Gokarna and plan our trip from there. So its bye bye Paradise Beach...and we begin the journey back to Gokarna by the beach.
This Boat journey scared the shit out of us and the high tides in the sea literally made us go in a sinisoidal 70 degree angles to the water..coming in and out ..and thankfully my camera survived and so did our bag...and we had our heart in our mouth throughout the return journey.
TIP : Never start later than 5 45 pm on a sea..as the tides are high during Sunset and the boats,even if motor powered are prone to capsize if a big wave hits the boat.
We thanked our stars after we reached Gokarna Beach and spent some time in the sand making castles and waiting to absorb the sunset.
This part of the trip started on a lovely note,when I lunged forward in the boat and saw dolphins floating closeby in the sea and took out my camera.But the problem was the waves, that was lashing the boat,which used to deposit huge amounts of water in our boat,and leave my bag and my clothes wet.So I decided to play safe,keeping my camera inside the bag and just admire the lovely scenery all around.At this point our attention was solely on the boatoarsman,who seemed to have a diifferential rate pattern for each of his customers.We paid around 50 bucks per person for the trip while the others were exhorbitantly charge around 75-100 per person per trip for the 15 minute journey from Gokarna Beach to Om Beach. The funda here on such trips is to have some one in your gang,who know the local Language and thanks to Arry,we minimised a lot of money in the trip,by not giving in to the rates these local people of Gokarna offered for travel.
As soon as we touched Om Beach, there was a sense of elation as we saw that the beach was a huge one and an amazingly picturesque beach with the lands jutting out and forming a formation of the hindi alphabet OM...(Thats why the name OM beach ).
OM Beach is a famous destination for foreigners due to the lovely beach view and trekking options it has to offer other than the relatively secluded environment and I was already seeing lots of foreigners all busy sunbathing.
Sunbathing was a concept we could not subscribe to as we anyway get baked in Chennai in the simmering Perrennial heat wave.So we decide to just sit there and take a walk around the beach.After the walk...we remove our clothes..and with the bare essentials walk into the water to find that the depth is not that much and nor are the waves that powerful.So a guy who doesnt know simming like me, has a ball in the water by just jumping in and out and staying in there...waiting for the waves to come and move you.OM beach's captivating sceney had me in the water for about a couple of hours after which OM beach'stemperature was threatening to beat the summer record set in Chennai.We got off there ...and waited a while to dry our bodies..while we observed many foreigners swimming long and quite deep into the ocean.
It is actually a little embarrasing when you have a foreigner wearing one skimpy top showing 95% skin right next to you,and mind you...that is the height of tempation.With nothing much to do on a lonely beach,one's eyes hardly misses such darshan...as even if you look in another direction there's a another lady sunbathing in that direction.This is what God calls the Problem of plenty.
After enough gawking and gazing, our stomach grumbles and we decide to go to a shack for lunch and the lunch of Chappati/Nan/Gobi Manchurian served there seemed to be much better than the food we get in Hotels in Chennai.
As we are enjoying the delicasies of North Indian food, in the few chairs next to us all of a sudden a lady takes of her top and has a tiny dress that more so confirms that she wears something on top,but functionally as a cover it doesnt seem to be of any use....Not that we mind... :-)
Well Even Biology would'nt have taught me so much about the female anotomy as the Gokarna trip had taught me in a couple of hours on Om Beach.
After a sumptous lunch we walked on braving the heat, in the name of adventure treking and met a couple of Israeli babes on the way,who apparently wanted us to convey something to a person on the next beach regarding her accomadation and little did I realise that in the next beach, this lady had booked the last available accomadation on the beach,which meant we could'nt get a shack to stay on Halfmoon Beach, the next beach.
Half Moon Beach,was a smuch smaller beach and was even more picturesque and this was "hotter" than OM Beach, given the fact that some ladies needed to be reminded that they needed to cover their most valuable assets from prying eyes.This is where I saw a topless woman...and decided I have had enough gnyaan in a day and decided to rest.We rested for a while on the beach...in a secluded spot.. speaking about our "AMERICAN PIE" like trip so far,when we get shooed away by another Britisher,who says since her towels and other accesories were there that was their private space.We didnt want to protest and create a scene..so we respected their privacy and moved on closer to the ocean and decided to plunge into the sea.
It was here while swimming I met 3 Israeli girls and 1 Belgian teacher,where they were speaking about why they loved Indian Beaches on the west so much.All of a sudden they digressed to Hinduism and other spiritual talk...and I was quite suprised to know that they knew more about Hinduism , than I ever bothered to Know.
Promiscuity on the beach is something thatt's the norm here,but it hardly affected us,we had come for a pure beach trek..and got some lovely trekking routes...and in a foreigner infested place,such things are pretty much expected.2 of those Israeli girls were so beautiful, that If I felt like saying a dialogue of a foreign minister"Lets go 1 step ahead in cementing Indo-Israeli Relations in peace ,harmaony and seclusion. But the problem was the mind always detects such signals from the heart as "lust signals " and thrashes it then and there by reminding me of Targets,Pafe views and Home.
After the "unconquered Israeli" assignment ..we resumed our trek to Paradise beach and in the journey to Paradise beachwe had to climb huge rocks and mountains that were a tad slippery ,due to the Moist Moss and Lichens.This trek was a trek,where we got lost in our admiration of the place and the lovely views we had got to shoot pictures that we missed the route and got lost into a forest which took us farther away from Paradise beach.Even though we were wasting our time,This was the time we really enjoyed the trek as we bruised our legs amidst Thorns, bushy outgrowths and some sudden jumps due to the lack of a proper path.
We almost broke our legs and fell into an elephant trap as we jumped just ,avoiding the elephant hole and landed safely on a set of wooden twigs thatwere already broken...and some of those sharp pointed edges punctured our enthusiasm and also our legs to an extent.Our legs were bleeding slightly and just as were about to give up we see land, we see pretty young israeli things walking about at a distance.WE let out a war cry that we have reached the destination...and slowly walk towards the beach.
Paradise Beach is one of the best beaches and the most secluded , peaceful beaches are beyond this.We look for staying the night here and explore teh other beaches around...but heart says yes and legs say no...so we abort our plan...and we realize that this place doesnt have any medical facilities ...and hear that only 1 boat leaves this place in the evening.So we decide that since we are not very clear with how we plan to reach Goa tommorow to catch our flight to Bangalore,It would be better if we get back to Gokarna and plan our trip from there. So its bye bye Paradise Beach...and we begin the journey back to Gokarna by the beach.
This Boat journey scared the shit out of us and the high tides in the sea literally made us go in a sinisoidal 70 degree angles to the water..coming in and out ..and thankfully my camera survived and so did our bag...and we had our heart in our mouth throughout the return journey.
TIP : Never start later than 5 45 pm on a sea..as the tides are high during Sunset and the boats,even if motor powered are prone to capsize if a big wave hits the boat.
We thanked our stars after we reached Gokarna Beach and spent some time in the sand making castles and waiting to absorb the sunset.
2/23/2006
Gokarna Trip Part 2- Trek From Gokarna to Om Beach
After having our lunch we saw a road leading to the beach and we decided to explore it and as the road went on swerving into Rather light starving roads,covered by the huge expanse of 100 feet Chariots on the road, we crossed the temples and the road led to the beach. As we travesed through the roads that led to Gokarna Beach,we felt were lost in a space warp ... as if travelling back through time,seeing houses with pyols and open verandahs with pillars adorning the door way and houses having wooden windows.Gokarna to me is a land that is steeped in history as the small place makes you feel as if you were transported to the early 19th century.
We decided to pay our respects to the Shiva temple that was en-route to the beach.I dont remember doing much in the temple as I just admired the structure of the temple and the mystic aura surrounding it,while my friends were more relegious in praying to gods.Unluckily the Gokarna temple is not like the Anjaneyar Temple in Nanganallur in Chennai,where they give prasadam to every devotee who visits the temple.So with no Prasadam I decide to march on ...to the beach to survey it.The beach looked absolutely stunning..it was just like the awe one had in the opening scene of the movie Titanic,when the ship was showcased in all its splendour.The music bells and the special effects seemed to play on in my mind...from nowhere.
We briefly trekked around a few mountains and had some jay walking before we deiceded to call it quits and get back to the beach to fling ourselves in the ocean.After an hour of playing in the water,we got back to our messy room
We went back and had food at a place called Pai's restaurant,which seemed to be a decent restaurant in that area.There is a certain Gokarna International,which also seems decent as far as lodging is concerned,but they seem to have their vegetarian hotel booked in bulk for bus passengers , so Pai seems to be the best option.There is this Prema Restaurant just before the beach,but I guess the hotelis just a 10 seater..so once cant expect to be served instantly.
The next day we started out at 7 am and as we walked across the beaches and were walking across the sun's rays.We came across a boat and decided to take the boat.
After having our lunch we saw a road leading to the beach and we decided to explore it and as the road went on swerving into Rather light starving roads,covered by the huge expanse of 100 feet Chariots on the road, we crossed the temples and the road led to the beach. As we travesed through the roads that led to Gokarna Beach,we felt were lost in a space warp ... as if travelling back through time,seeing houses with pyols and open verandahs with pillars adorning the door way and houses having wooden windows.Gokarna to me is a land that is steeped in history as the small place makes you feel as if you were transported to the early 19th century.
We decided to pay our respects to the Shiva temple that was en-route to the beach.I dont remember doing much in the temple as I just admired the structure of the temple and the mystic aura surrounding it,while my friends were more relegious in praying to gods.Unluckily the Gokarna temple is not like the Anjaneyar Temple in Nanganallur in Chennai,where they give prasadam to every devotee who visits the temple.So with no Prasadam I decide to march on ...to the beach to survey it.The beach looked absolutely stunning..it was just like the awe one had in the opening scene of the movie Titanic,when the ship was showcased in all its splendour.The music bells and the special effects seemed to play on in my mind...from nowhere.
We briefly trekked around a few mountains and had some jay walking before we deiceded to call it quits and get back to the beach to fling ourselves in the ocean.After an hour of playing in the water,we got back to our messy room
We went back and had food at a place called Pai's restaurant,which seemed to be a decent restaurant in that area.There is a certain Gokarna International,which also seems decent as far as lodging is concerned,but they seem to have their vegetarian hotel booked in bulk for bus passengers , so Pai seems to be the best option.There is this Prema Restaurant just before the beach,but I guess the hotelis just a 10 seater..so once cant expect to be served instantly.
The next day we started out at 7 am and as we walked across the beaches and were walking across the sun's rays.We came across a boat and decided to take the boat.
2/21/2006
Gokarna Trip Images
Part-1 Chennai to Gokarna
The Train journey from Chennai started at Central Station with the Chennai Bangalore Shatabdi Express at 5 30pm which we boarded just in the nick of time and was sweating profusely after the mad rush from office as we didnt have some items,s o we had to rush to the market and buy some essentials before we boarded the train
Since I was sweating, I decided to refresh myself with some sprinkling of water on my face and was taken aback when I saw the clean washbasin that was there.In the 2nd class compartment in other trains the most hated spot to go was the washbasin with different varieties of hydrogen sulphide emerging from the washbasin.Generally ,My feeling is that the 2nd class washbasins should also be given some importance in terms of cleanliness and should not be discarded the way it is being done right now.
The train journey was over at around 10 40 pm, leaving us 20 minutes to get off the train and dash across the station to the Majestic bus terminus at Bangalore and we ran like wolves who's tails were set on fire...and I guess somewhere in that melee I happened to have lost my mobile phone. This photo was taken once we boarded the bus.I must comment on the KSRTC bus service,which takes so much care in providing excellent bus service..to its commuters that it is such a pleasure to expect to travel on the Karnataka tourist buses.Tamilnadu ought to take some lessons from Karnataka and give better service ramping up the rather horrible bus services we have via SETC.This was not the usual Rajahamsa but was a rather comfy AC bus under the brand name AIRAWAT.
We reached Mangalore at 5 45 in the morning, greeted by some mist ...and found our way to the station after some haggling with the autowallahs over paying 30 bucks for a 4 kilometre ride.Our train,supposedly the Mangalore Madgoan Express had been re scheduled only that week and was to run at 7 30 am instead of the 6 50 start and that gave us some extra time to use the toilet facilities and eat some breakfast.We had a mild confusion as this train said "Mangalore Verna " Passenger... and we had a tough time finding that this train was indeed our train.
After we boarded the train, at Mangalore station...Our train chugged out of the lovely Mangalore city and had barely travelled a few kilometres,it decided to reduce its kinetic energy by stopping at this station called Kankanadi,which I guess is a part of Mangalore,but more of a suburb.The station above in the picture is Kankanadi and had a lovely feel of Malgudi around it.The platform was showing signs of senility with cement slabs cracking due to the high alternating frequency of the morning chill and the afternoon heat,and between the newly developed cracks were strains of wildly growing weeds and grass, on which were scattered hundreds of plastic tea cups alternating with plastic wrappers and half eaten food parcels.
Meanwhile a group of rather Irate passengers of city bred start to grumble over the train is remaining in stationary motion,even as an express train is passing over like a wind who's back was soothed with a Hot Iron rod. One can guess that these passengers are definetely from IT companies when they start using jargons like Productivity,Efficiency,Relaiability comparing the train to their mega dollar process oriented IT Company.
Was I irittated that the train was late ? Not at all ...I felt I had all the time in the world,I was able to see beauty in whatever stood in front of me.The chirping of birds amidst the reddish something flowers on a leafless tree cutting across the sun's rays was a sight to behold.
As Planned I got started on my fiction/short story novel that I wanted to do for a very long time.This was just wahat I wanted ..a place where no crowd was there... no shoving and pushing..no cacaophony .Just me and the 20 od passengers in 72 seater reserved compartment. This book should be out in the next six months .I have started to frame the outline of my book and have also hired a typist to publish my thoughts from my handwriting to the text that You see on screen . And the position goes to My mother..who has consented to be the editor as she feels I write too much about sex these days ..and wants to curbe my literaray urge to write on those topics.Will she succeed wont she ...time will tell .
After 5 hours of journeying on the 2nd class Konkan Railway train..I get off at PARADISE ....Gokarna Road.The station is a lot better than I expected ,but still resembles the fictional Malgudi in many ways.There are no buses outside the station.One has to walk from Gokarna Road..station for about 20 minutes along a muddy way in the hot sun to reach the bus stand.Auto's and Taxis do ferry people to the bus stand or the town but after demanding the fare for the journey from Chennai to Bangalore. Thank goodness,My friend Arvind,who had come from Mumbai..(we met at Gokarna Road)thankfully knew Kannada and somehow found out that it was not worth taking a cab,so we decide to walk it to the bus stand ...and giving us company were 2 cute Israeli babes who ask us directions..and I am nice soul..who decides to help them out.
We reached Gokarna Town at around 1 30 in the afternoon and got into a lodge close by the bus stand.It was called "Vaibhav Lodge" which gave " L I V E 'able rooms for 150 a night.We checked into the hotel to empty our stomachs which had gathered enough crap in the name of food and to wash our dirty bodies.The Lunch in the hotel was not so good,we decided to have some basic kannada Thali meals and the Food was hardly palatable...but what was not palatable was to see that we were the Only INDIANS in the hotel other than the hotel propreitor.We had British,Israeli,Bellgian and other nationalities staying at our place.Clothes were used only as a minimal measure to wear,with half of them prefering to keep their clothes short.Guys wore shorts or just a waste cloth around their body... with inners being a fairly alien concept for them.With the Women, they had clothes that just covered their bare minimums. On seeing this ...all we guys did was to stare with a michievous look at each other...knowing that this was just the tip of the iceberg...On reflections..as I type this ... I know my thoughts may sound a little peurile,but that's the magic of beaches in Gokarna here.
The Place or the city is just a 3 lane city with one lane leading to the beach directly.The city has so much of an old world Charm resembling those typical south Indian Middle class homes of the 1950's,so similar to the world which R.K Narayan Presented via his books.
The Beach was the most awesome thing in Gokarna....More about this and part 2 of the trip tommorow.
Part-1 Chennai to Gokarna
The Train journey from Chennai started at Central Station with the Chennai Bangalore Shatabdi Express at 5 30pm which we boarded just in the nick of time and was sweating profusely after the mad rush from office as we didnt have some items,s o we had to rush to the market and buy some essentials before we boarded the train
Since I was sweating, I decided to refresh myself with some sprinkling of water on my face and was taken aback when I saw the clean washbasin that was there.In the 2nd class compartment in other trains the most hated spot to go was the washbasin with different varieties of hydrogen sulphide emerging from the washbasin.Generally ,My feeling is that the 2nd class washbasins should also be given some importance in terms of cleanliness and should not be discarded the way it is being done right now.
The train journey was over at around 10 40 pm, leaving us 20 minutes to get off the train and dash across the station to the Majestic bus terminus at Bangalore and we ran like wolves who's tails were set on fire...and I guess somewhere in that melee I happened to have lost my mobile phone. This photo was taken once we boarded the bus.I must comment on the KSRTC bus service,which takes so much care in providing excellent bus service..to its commuters that it is such a pleasure to expect to travel on the Karnataka tourist buses.Tamilnadu ought to take some lessons from Karnataka and give better service ramping up the rather horrible bus services we have via SETC.This was not the usual Rajahamsa but was a rather comfy AC bus under the brand name AIRAWAT.
We reached Mangalore at 5 45 in the morning, greeted by some mist ...and found our way to the station after some haggling with the autowallahs over paying 30 bucks for a 4 kilometre ride.Our train,supposedly the Mangalore Madgoan Express had been re scheduled only that week and was to run at 7 30 am instead of the 6 50 start and that gave us some extra time to use the toilet facilities and eat some breakfast.We had a mild confusion as this train said "Mangalore Verna " Passenger... and we had a tough time finding that this train was indeed our train.
After we boarded the train, at Mangalore station...Our train chugged out of the lovely Mangalore city and had barely travelled a few kilometres,it decided to reduce its kinetic energy by stopping at this station called Kankanadi,which I guess is a part of Mangalore,but more of a suburb.The station above in the picture is Kankanadi and had a lovely feel of Malgudi around it.The platform was showing signs of senility with cement slabs cracking due to the high alternating frequency of the morning chill and the afternoon heat,and between the newly developed cracks were strains of wildly growing weeds and grass, on which were scattered hundreds of plastic tea cups alternating with plastic wrappers and half eaten food parcels.
Meanwhile a group of rather Irate passengers of city bred start to grumble over the train is remaining in stationary motion,even as an express train is passing over like a wind who's back was soothed with a Hot Iron rod. One can guess that these passengers are definetely from IT companies when they start using jargons like Productivity,Efficiency,Relaiability comparing the train to their mega dollar process oriented IT Company.
Was I irittated that the train was late ? Not at all ...I felt I had all the time in the world,I was able to see beauty in whatever stood in front of me.The chirping of birds amidst the reddish something flowers on a leafless tree cutting across the sun's rays was a sight to behold.
As Planned I got started on my fiction/short story novel that I wanted to do for a very long time.This was just wahat I wanted ..a place where no crowd was there... no shoving and pushing..no cacaophony .Just me and the 20 od passengers in 72 seater reserved compartment. This book should be out in the next six months .I have started to frame the outline of my book and have also hired a typist to publish my thoughts from my handwriting to the text that You see on screen . And the position goes to My mother..who has consented to be the editor as she feels I write too much about sex these days ..and wants to curbe my literaray urge to write on those topics.Will she succeed wont she ...time will tell .
After 5 hours of journeying on the 2nd class Konkan Railway train..I get off at PARADISE ....Gokarna Road.The station is a lot better than I expected ,but still resembles the fictional Malgudi in many ways.There are no buses outside the station.One has to walk from Gokarna Road..station for about 20 minutes along a muddy way in the hot sun to reach the bus stand.Auto's and Taxis do ferry people to the bus stand or the town but after demanding the fare for the journey from Chennai to Bangalore. Thank goodness,My friend Arvind,who had come from Mumbai..(we met at Gokarna Road)thankfully knew Kannada and somehow found out that it was not worth taking a cab,so we decide to walk it to the bus stand ...and giving us company were 2 cute Israeli babes who ask us directions..and I am nice soul..who decides to help them out.
We reached Gokarna Town at around 1 30 in the afternoon and got into a lodge close by the bus stand.It was called "Vaibhav Lodge" which gave " L I V E 'able rooms for 150 a night.We checked into the hotel to empty our stomachs which had gathered enough crap in the name of food and to wash our dirty bodies.The Lunch in the hotel was not so good,we decided to have some basic kannada Thali meals and the Food was hardly palatable...but what was not palatable was to see that we were the Only INDIANS in the hotel other than the hotel propreitor.We had British,Israeli,Bellgian and other nationalities staying at our place.Clothes were used only as a minimal measure to wear,with half of them prefering to keep their clothes short.Guys wore shorts or just a waste cloth around their body... with inners being a fairly alien concept for them.With the Women, they had clothes that just covered their bare minimums. On seeing this ...all we guys did was to stare with a michievous look at each other...knowing that this was just the tip of the iceberg...On reflections..as I type this ... I know my thoughts may sound a little peurile,but that's the magic of beaches in Gokarna here.
The Place or the city is just a 3 lane city with one lane leading to the beach directly.The city has so much of an old world Charm resembling those typical south Indian Middle class homes of the 1950's,so similar to the world which R.K Narayan Presented via his books.
The Beach was the most awesome thing in Gokarna....More about this and part 2 of the trip tommorow.
Feb 21 over the years
1983 : Your's truly was born at 12 am in Hyderabad
1988 : I remember celebrating my birthday for the first time,as I wanted the typical conical cap,pink ribbons just like it was in the movies ...and lo it did happen,thanks to mom and dad with a pineapple cake to boot...and of course a lovely greeting card from my grandfather all the way from Nanganallur to Delhi. The guests for my birthday were only 2 people, My Mom and Dad :-) .
I also remember going to Man Mandir in R.K.Puram Delhi for the archanai and puja..that one normally performs .
1989: Spent my quietest birthday not even distributing chocolates as I could'nt eat chocolates during that period,as I had my tooth broken by a pujabi classmate in a mock boxing contest.
1990: Again a quiet birthday,but the last one while in school at Delhi, remember being gifted "THE OCTPOUS ENCYCLOPEDIA" by archana, my dad's colleagues daughter.
1991: This time the birthday happened and so did a small party in my adayar home , with all my 2nd floor friends coming into wish me birthday wishes.
1992: Birthday was spent flirting with my first crush (4th standard ) with a cute bengali chick called Swati Bukyalkar ...and creating my own colours in felt pens..in what I felt would be the Indian uniform for the 1992 worldcup..which was to start the next day.
1993: After being tired of buying conventional t shirts and shorts, I decide to have an unusual birthday present and decide to paint my own T shirt..with the letters INDIA in front and KARTIK behind..which for the next couple of years made people stare at me.Those were the days when cricket fever was at its max,and I would play cricket with that shiirt, have coloured pads on my leg, apply my mother's fair and lovely cream to resemble the White Zinc cream that cricketers(especially the australian bowlers)used to have when playing cricket.
1994: was in 7th standard... and spent the birthday quietly giving chocolates to my close friends and started a new ritual , the namaskaram to my grandparents which started to be firstsourcce of big time pocet money...of 100 bucks during my birthday.
1995: First time , somebody treated me on my birthday...my mother and I were taken by my mother's sister's folks to a place called Nilgiri's nest for a dinner and I dont seem to realy eat so much then..and decide to finish the dinner as early as possible and get back home to have a early snooze as I need to wake up at 2 30 am the next day to watch the India vs Australia one day match to be played at Dundedin in the New Zealand Cricket Centenary.
1996: It was called Crickets greates year by Prime sports (now Star Sports)..and it sure was.I remember giving a treat for the first time after my friends at school literally forced me into giving one .... the treat was 60 bucks worth of samosas,pepsi,puffs among 4 people and I felt like I was a millionare giving away Charity.On my birthday which happened to be my nandhee...(which is done a day before the upanayanam) I sleepily got up and saw water heater warming the water near the bathroom and sleepily felt my hand into the water to see how hot the water was , totally unoblivious of the water heater and lo....got the first electric shock of my life.
Those days the Coke,Pepsi cans were the "in -thing" and with the world cup on .... I decided to treat my cousins to some Coke ..and bought three coke cans ...and had a crazy hobby of collecting many empty soft drink cans...to showcase on my cupboard that I had drunk all of these..and treasured them as if they were vignettes meant to be preserved.
This birthday was all the more enjoyable as the whole family was at my place , during my upanayanam and nobody moved out to the kalyana mandapam,untill the India -West Indies match at Gwalior was over.
1997 : Again one of those really cool birthday's spent at Besant nagar beach with my close friends and when I was short of cash my friend Ram pitched in some of his money to pay up the bill...
1998: This was spent just going to the temple and drowning myself in my CBSE text books as the public exams were nearing.
1999: One of my most quietest birthday , with half the people forgetting in my family as it was overshadowed by my cousin's housewarming ceremony.
2000: Again another birthday lost in the din of the Board exams
2001: 18 till I die !!! This was the song I heard in the morning on my walkman ...as I turned 18 that year and in typical rebelious fashion...I didnt want to go home and go to the temple and have a quiet birthday.I got off my college bus ......simply roamed around alone....walking across the whole of adayar,with my walkman to my ears ... feeling the self glorified fact that I am no more a kid after turning 18.
2002: Birthday treats become more localized and outsourced...as I treat my friends by asking them to come to a symposium at Hindustan engineering college and enjoy the lunch there.
2003: My first major hole in the purse...treat classmates to a huge bill at Pizza corner.
2004:My first birthday spent all alone ..in Pune ... as I Go there for an interview for the MBA program at Symbiosis and treat myself to a Maharshtrian special called SPDP (Sev potato dahi papdi ).First birthday I discover the pain and joy of being alone in a big city.The pain being my health was bad then,and joy being ..Pune was BABE LAND ....
2005: I give three rounds of treats to my college friends, Close friends and then Infy friends at the Dominos outlet in Infosys Chennai and learn how easy it is to get swayed by emotions in giving multiple treats only to see that the bank account is damaged to an extent :- )
2006:
I was planning an outing but am reconsidering because all these treats these days for birthdays do not have any outlet for talking and spending a good time remembering the good ol days ...but just a eating fest where people gorge at your expense...and after finishing a heavy meal... they remember to wish me along with all the burps and belches.People and friends start expecting treats in bigger and more posh hotels as the pay cheque increases....but according to me , the star status of a hotel hardly matters.As long as you are able to enjoy the day and are able to feel special on that day with your friends, it hardly matters where you have food at udipi hotel or chola hotel.I realize this , my friends dont .... :- )
Ask me and I would love to spend time just sitting on the bench of a railway station or the beach eating groundnuts with masala.Nothing equals the that joy.... and simple arrangement where one is able to converse a lot with his special friends and also enjoy the day.
1983 : Your's truly was born at 12 am in Hyderabad
1988 : I remember celebrating my birthday for the first time,as I wanted the typical conical cap,pink ribbons just like it was in the movies ...and lo it did happen,thanks to mom and dad with a pineapple cake to boot...and of course a lovely greeting card from my grandfather all the way from Nanganallur to Delhi. The guests for my birthday were only 2 people, My Mom and Dad :-) .
I also remember going to Man Mandir in R.K.Puram Delhi for the archanai and puja..that one normally performs .
1989: Spent my quietest birthday not even distributing chocolates as I could'nt eat chocolates during that period,as I had my tooth broken by a pujabi classmate in a mock boxing contest.
1990: Again a quiet birthday,but the last one while in school at Delhi, remember being gifted "THE OCTPOUS ENCYCLOPEDIA" by archana, my dad's colleagues daughter.
1991: This time the birthday happened and so did a small party in my adayar home , with all my 2nd floor friends coming into wish me birthday wishes.
1992: Birthday was spent flirting with my first crush (4th standard ) with a cute bengali chick called Swati Bukyalkar ...and creating my own colours in felt pens..in what I felt would be the Indian uniform for the 1992 worldcup..which was to start the next day.
1993: After being tired of buying conventional t shirts and shorts, I decide to have an unusual birthday present and decide to paint my own T shirt..with the letters INDIA in front and KARTIK behind..which for the next couple of years made people stare at me.Those were the days when cricket fever was at its max,and I would play cricket with that shiirt, have coloured pads on my leg, apply my mother's fair and lovely cream to resemble the White Zinc cream that cricketers(especially the australian bowlers)used to have when playing cricket.
1994: was in 7th standard... and spent the birthday quietly giving chocolates to my close friends and started a new ritual , the namaskaram to my grandparents which started to be firstsourcce of big time pocet money...of 100 bucks during my birthday.
1995: First time , somebody treated me on my birthday...my mother and I were taken by my mother's sister's folks to a place called Nilgiri's nest for a dinner and I dont seem to realy eat so much then..and decide to finish the dinner as early as possible and get back home to have a early snooze as I need to wake up at 2 30 am the next day to watch the India vs Australia one day match to be played at Dundedin in the New Zealand Cricket Centenary.
1996: It was called Crickets greates year by Prime sports (now Star Sports)..and it sure was.I remember giving a treat for the first time after my friends at school literally forced me into giving one .... the treat was 60 bucks worth of samosas,pepsi,puffs among 4 people and I felt like I was a millionare giving away Charity.On my birthday which happened to be my nandhee...(which is done a day before the upanayanam) I sleepily got up and saw water heater warming the water near the bathroom and sleepily felt my hand into the water to see how hot the water was , totally unoblivious of the water heater and lo....got the first electric shock of my life.
Those days the Coke,Pepsi cans were the "in -thing" and with the world cup on .... I decided to treat my cousins to some Coke ..and bought three coke cans ...and had a crazy hobby of collecting many empty soft drink cans...to showcase on my cupboard that I had drunk all of these..and treasured them as if they were vignettes meant to be preserved.
This birthday was all the more enjoyable as the whole family was at my place , during my upanayanam and nobody moved out to the kalyana mandapam,untill the India -West Indies match at Gwalior was over.
1997 : Again one of those really cool birthday's spent at Besant nagar beach with my close friends and when I was short of cash my friend Ram pitched in some of his money to pay up the bill...
1998: This was spent just going to the temple and drowning myself in my CBSE text books as the public exams were nearing.
1999: One of my most quietest birthday , with half the people forgetting in my family as it was overshadowed by my cousin's housewarming ceremony.
2000: Again another birthday lost in the din of the Board exams
2001: 18 till I die !!! This was the song I heard in the morning on my walkman ...as I turned 18 that year and in typical rebelious fashion...I didnt want to go home and go to the temple and have a quiet birthday.I got off my college bus ......simply roamed around alone....walking across the whole of adayar,with my walkman to my ears ... feeling the self glorified fact that I am no more a kid after turning 18.
2002: Birthday treats become more localized and outsourced...as I treat my friends by asking them to come to a symposium at Hindustan engineering college and enjoy the lunch there.
2003: My first major hole in the purse...treat classmates to a huge bill at Pizza corner.
2004:My first birthday spent all alone ..in Pune ... as I Go there for an interview for the MBA program at Symbiosis and treat myself to a Maharshtrian special called SPDP (Sev potato dahi papdi ).First birthday I discover the pain and joy of being alone in a big city.The pain being my health was bad then,and joy being ..Pune was BABE LAND ....
2005: I give three rounds of treats to my college friends, Close friends and then Infy friends at the Dominos outlet in Infosys Chennai and learn how easy it is to get swayed by emotions in giving multiple treats only to see that the bank account is damaged to an extent :- )
2006:
I was planning an outing but am reconsidering because all these treats these days for birthdays do not have any outlet for talking and spending a good time remembering the good ol days ...but just a eating fest where people gorge at your expense...and after finishing a heavy meal... they remember to wish me along with all the burps and belches.People and friends start expecting treats in bigger and more posh hotels as the pay cheque increases....but according to me , the star status of a hotel hardly matters.As long as you are able to enjoy the day and are able to feel special on that day with your friends, it hardly matters where you have food at udipi hotel or chola hotel.I realize this , my friends dont .... :- )
Ask me and I would love to spend time just sitting on the bench of a railway station or the beach eating groundnuts with masala.Nothing equals the that joy.... and simple arrangement where one is able to converse a lot with his special friends and also enjoy the day.
2/20/2006
Numerology on people born on february 21st
Being born on the 21st day of the month (3 energy) is likely to add a good bit of vitality to your life. The energy of 3 allows you bounce back rapidly from setbacks, physical or mental. There is a restlessness in your nature, but you seem to be able to portray an easygoing, sometimes "couldn't care less" attitude. You have a natural ability to express yourself in public, and you always make a very good impression. Good with words, you excel in writing, speaking, and possibly singing. You are energetic and always a good conversationalist. You have a keen imagination, but you tend to scatter your energies and become involved with too may superficial matters. Your mind is practical and rational despite this tendency to jump about. You are affectionate and loving, but very sensitive. You are subject to rapid ups and downs.
that just about describes me ... all bouquets can be sent to 9840974563 or to my comments box
Being born on the 21st day of the month (3 energy) is likely to add a good bit of vitality to your life. The energy of 3 allows you bounce back rapidly from setbacks, physical or mental. There is a restlessness in your nature, but you seem to be able to portray an easygoing, sometimes "couldn't care less" attitude. You have a natural ability to express yourself in public, and you always make a very good impression. Good with words, you excel in writing, speaking, and possibly singing. You are energetic and always a good conversationalist. You have a keen imagination, but you tend to scatter your energies and become involved with too may superficial matters. Your mind is practical and rational despite this tendency to jump about. You are affectionate and loving, but very sensitive. You are subject to rapid ups and downs.
that just about describes me ... all bouquets can be sent to 9840974563 or to my comments box
Gokarna Trip
One of the best trips I have had in recent times .I felt I could have explored a bit moer,had I planned a little better,but I cant really blame myself..as the local bus timings at gokarna are not published anywhere on the web. Now that I have been there..I know how I can plan an ideal trip next time around.Expect a detailed travelogue... in 48 hours ...with pictures and video.
One of the best trips I have had in recent times .I felt I could have explored a bit moer,had I planned a little better,but I cant really blame myself..as the local bus timings at gokarna are not published anywhere on the web. Now that I have been there..I know how I can plan an ideal trip next time around.Expect a detailed travelogue... in 48 hours ...with pictures and video.
2/17/2006
Life across white sand beaches
I am about to discover that a little later in the evening.I have just reached Gokarna,which supposedly is worse than even madipakkam,in what I have seen of it now.I guess I havent seen much of the place yet... so I should not really pass a judgement.
The bad news is that I just lost my Motorola Mobile...and so has my friend Kishore...and right now we feel down in teh dumps.Yet to come to terms with reality that we have lost our mobiles.
I am about to discover that a little later in the evening.I have just reached Gokarna,which supposedly is worse than even madipakkam,in what I have seen of it now.I guess I havent seen much of the place yet... so I should not really pass a judgement.
The bad news is that I just lost my Motorola Mobile...and so has my friend Kishore...and right now we feel down in teh dumps.Yet to come to terms with reality that we have lost our mobiles.
2/16/2006
India Vs Pakistan Videos from the 4th match
I heard that a few people in the US were following the videos on my blog as they couldnt get the match feed there.For those souls I managed to spare sometime during my lunch break to go to the nearest hotel and capture some match videos. I realise how mad i was to watch even a glimpse of match videos in the post CAS regime before I bought the set top box.I usd to stay up late,scanning news Channels for that elsuive 30 secnd cricket match highlights/wickets..so I can feel the urge to see some clippings of the "mother of all battles" so for all desis and non desis ...here u go.
I was quite suprised to see Pakistan Struggle their way to 161...but I wont be able to watch the rest of the match as I have a train to catch this evening at 5 30 to Banglore.So any nice souls who happen to read this blog pls do sms the scores if possible.
So enjoy the videos...
I heard that a few people in the US were following the videos on my blog as they couldnt get the match feed there.For those souls I managed to spare sometime during my lunch break to go to the nearest hotel and capture some match videos. I realise how mad i was to watch even a glimpse of match videos in the post CAS regime before I bought the set top box.I usd to stay up late,scanning news Channels for that elsuive 30 secnd cricket match highlights/wickets..so I can feel the urge to see some clippings of the "mother of all battles" so for all desis and non desis ...here u go.
I was quite suprised to see Pakistan Struggle their way to 161...but I wont be able to watch the rest of the match as I have a train to catch this evening at 5 30 to Banglore.So any nice souls who happen to read this blog pls do sms the scores if possible.
So enjoy the videos...
Back to Bengaluru
Today I would be making the journey to Bangalore, the first leg of my journey to Gokarna.Bnagalore evokes a lot of memories from my side as I remember,not so long ago..infact 16 months ago Corporate Life began there for me and taught me so much in that 2-3 month sojourn during my training at Infosys.I learnt to dream and how sometimes Dreams can be that proverbial balloon which could get easily priced as there are thousands of pin prickers around to make their balloons flow.
I went to Bangalore as a young kid, out to explore a new world and came back a mature man to Chennai.What made me ...aware of a world that existed outside the exiled world of madipakkam was the fact that I was to fend for myself for the first time in life and handle all dissapointment and hapiness all alone.I got know the attitudes of so many people and learned to separate the saints from the sinners.There were times when I felt alarmingly lonely then,but I guess those were one of the best days of my life,where I learnt so much by making mistakes.
At this moment,I'd like to acknowledge the enjoyment I had in Bangalore to my roomies Seshu and Srikanth toward enlivening my life...in a otherwise gloomy black green screen with shades of yellow written all over..and screaming ..." Mainframes is alive and kickin" ....and it sure was kickin..me all over. But I somehow braved bathless days and sleepless days to pass my training getting past the corridor of uncertainty.
In Life one always must go through a lean patch or a coming of age trip outside home ..all alone..only then will one know the power of inner feeling and would learn not to depend on anyone for emotional support.I remember then...I was just recovering from my operation and the sedatives in terms of the medicenes I had for my post operation recuperation made me snore like an ogre treating the mainframes as a Japanese movie premiere.
I also learnt that Brigade road is what makes Bangalore sell,but once you go there you realize that there are a 100 roads that have vehicles going at 5 km/hr with miles and miles of waiting traffic...than beatiful babes who cajole you around.It was like a mirage that I misread all the way from Chennai and when Start reality dawned on me ..I was fed up of Brigade Road ..and decided to star gaze on the chicks on offer on Hosur road...but even before I could gaze my attention, I was married to Mainframes and had a very tough time divorcing mainframes.
I guess I wont get time in this trip to see the Infy Campus again,but would definetely get to meet some college and Infy Office buddies after my flight lands in Bangalore from Goa.I do have a plan to make it on a weekend to either the Mysore campus or the Bangalore campus and relive memories in the garb of a visitor and not an employee.
Here are some pictures of the Infosys Bangaloe office
Today I would be making the journey to Bangalore, the first leg of my journey to Gokarna.Bnagalore evokes a lot of memories from my side as I remember,not so long ago..infact 16 months ago Corporate Life began there for me and taught me so much in that 2-3 month sojourn during my training at Infosys.I learnt to dream and how sometimes Dreams can be that proverbial balloon which could get easily priced as there are thousands of pin prickers around to make their balloons flow.
I went to Bangalore as a young kid, out to explore a new world and came back a mature man to Chennai.What made me ...aware of a world that existed outside the exiled world of madipakkam was the fact that I was to fend for myself for the first time in life and handle all dissapointment and hapiness all alone.I got know the attitudes of so many people and learned to separate the saints from the sinners.There were times when I felt alarmingly lonely then,but I guess those were one of the best days of my life,where I learnt so much by making mistakes.
At this moment,I'd like to acknowledge the enjoyment I had in Bangalore to my roomies Seshu and Srikanth toward enlivening my life...in a otherwise gloomy black green screen with shades of yellow written all over..and screaming ..." Mainframes is alive and kickin" ....and it sure was kickin..me all over. But I somehow braved bathless days and sleepless days to pass my training getting past the corridor of uncertainty.
In Life one always must go through a lean patch or a coming of age trip outside home ..all alone..only then will one know the power of inner feeling and would learn not to depend on anyone for emotional support.I remember then...I was just recovering from my operation and the sedatives in terms of the medicenes I had for my post operation recuperation made me snore like an ogre treating the mainframes as a Japanese movie premiere.
I also learnt that Brigade road is what makes Bangalore sell,but once you go there you realize that there are a 100 roads that have vehicles going at 5 km/hr with miles and miles of waiting traffic...than beatiful babes who cajole you around.It was like a mirage that I misread all the way from Chennai and when Start reality dawned on me ..I was fed up of Brigade Road ..and decided to star gaze on the chicks on offer on Hosur road...but even before I could gaze my attention, I was married to Mainframes and had a very tough time divorcing mainframes.
I guess I wont get time in this trip to see the Infy Campus again,but would definetely get to meet some college and Infy Office buddies after my flight lands in Bangalore from Goa.I do have a plan to make it on a weekend to either the Mysore campus or the Bangalore campus and relive memories in the garb of a visitor and not an employee.
Here are some pictures of the Infosys Bangaloe office
2/14/2006
Valentine Day Blues ... My Take
The Pessimist in me says
I never thought love as a concept could be so easily marketed and packaged in a pink cellophane accompanied by red colour baloons and some last minute so called romantic,bad poetry on a simple piece of card,that is sold at 10 times the price forces fools like us to dig deep into our already half empty purses .So the expression of love is more so measured by the romantic accoutrements that is presented to one's Valentine and not by the depth of emotions in one's organ called the Heart.If You ask me Honestly ,This Valentine's day concept is a universal joke that is created by some Harvard university passout who just found a new way to churn money and a good way at that too.The very concept of creating a formula for love seems so interesting from a business point of view,but so much sucks from a individulaistic point of view.
Whatever happened to pure unconditional love that is supposed to hold fort 365 days a year.Why should love be taken out and flaunted gaudily in shades of pink and red ....all over the newspapers or websites on just a single day.Every thing from a RIN soap to a Utensil to a Camera is sold using the Valentine's day concept.
Romantic love was supposed to be spontaneous and no treated as a RED switch which glows on the 14th of February every year ,which leads to the guy taking his girl to overpriced dinners in overbooked restaurants which are Red all over and leave u RED after the bill erodes your bank account..all in the name of love,when you are halfway through the month and only a fraction remains in your bank account.At least if the community is so bothered in promoting love, why does the Information and broadcasting ministry have to pass censor on all the lovely movies on Star Movies and HBO cutting all the scenes where the hollywood babes give us a glimpse of how they make Love.Anyways to hell with the I & B Ministry .. we always have lovely tools on the net and BSNL Broadband to make us feel better :-)
Valentine's day may be a RED letter day in the annals of lovers ..but is a curse especially for the singles.It is what they call a S.A.D phenomenen (Singles Awareness Day).On no single day can a guy/girl who is single ...can feel the punch so much like the dreaded Feb 14th.These poor singles seeing all the mushiness around are pressurised to look for any similar member of the oposite sex..to find solace and bask in the moonlight and then if things go wrong tend to scream "Mera Number Kab Ayega "
All that mush at somepoint is going to make the single guy/girl ...search and rummage through their old music collection listening to "Jab Dil hi Toot Gaya ...toh jeekar kya kaarenge".Even if you are relatively happy being single..it feels frustrating to know that your best friend is too busy following the "Figura pathu friend-a cut panra " policy while your friend's girlfriend actually happens to be in your company's big project team,which you never got to know.That girls incidentally after having Monday morning software bugs,starts to camouflage her love bugs also ....which is so much girlish...having feelings and camouflaging and expecting the guy to open up.
Between all this there is a DMK or a PMK or a Shiv sena which starts condemning any activity that is remotely feminine.They hold protests and drive out couples even if they are married..as they quote "Indian culture doesnt permit such heinous,prurient acts of love declaration" thus weakening the average Indian's otherwise volataile memory which taught the world what the Kamasutra was.
Not to forget TV Channels who would use this oppurtunity with Mobile phone companies to have ludicrious SMS contests which would have Mandira bedi screaming aloud (in that purposefully low cut dress, that reveals no skin except her cleavage) " viewers if u love ur boyfriend ...then sms SEX to 8888 and win a free trip to Tempation ISLAND and in the midst of this wild sms sending spree there would be the odd young school going couple,who would by mistake send an MMS instead of an SMS, that focusses on some self flattering love making admiring melons and banana's ..which incidentally would also be available in the next one hour across the Chennai Beach Railway station in the CD flooded Porn world of Burma Bazzar.
Jobless are those who waste their time knowing fully well what happens on a Valentine's day .. and still keep asking "How was ur valentine's day".Even jobless are those ... who waste the productive hours in their office sitting and Reading Romantic Blogs and the worst category of jobless people are people who spend time composing this 4 paragraph drivel (and yo !! thats me ...).
An optimistic me will talk on the positives of Valentine day... when I finally get a girlfriend...(My astrologer keeps assuring me every year that I will create history by marrying at 21..and I keep getting younger for him :-) )
so till then ... I suggest to one an all , just as the president gives the address before dwlai to have a safe cracker bursting diwali that "Have a peaceful ,low expectation Valentines day as Valetine day brings in relationships,and in a relationship the expectations are too high...and that leads to a outlet called dissapointment,which sets the heart plummeting and driving crazy ...and other than the marketing people..its now time for the Doctors to take over and make money
Long Live Valentine's day ..it contributes 10% to India's GDP in just 1 day.
Sachinnings
Some of Sachin's shots yesterday.
I felt Sachin was not at his best,but somehow managed to score at a fast clip.What still keep Sachin good stead is the fact that his trademark straight drives and gentle timing through the covers were spot on.
He still is quite far from the pugnacious free flow Sachin that we have known for 16 years.But I must say that 16 years is quite some time and His mind must be thinking of the various injuries he's had over the years,so he's cut down on some lesser percentage shots,which involve lesser returns and also pose a huge risk.
Right Below Sachin's Video is Dhoni's innings .Dhoni played a wonderful hardhitting innings which ensured India didnt fall prey to the phenomenen of "fallin like nine pins " once the lynchpin Sachin departed.
Some of Sachin's shots yesterday.
I felt Sachin was not at his best,but somehow managed to score at a fast clip.What still keep Sachin good stead is the fact that his trademark straight drives and gentle timing through the covers were spot on.
He still is quite far from the pugnacious free flow Sachin that we have known for 16 years.But I must say that 16 years is quite some time and His mind must be thinking of the various injuries he's had over the years,so he's cut down on some lesser percentage shots,which involve lesser returns and also pose a huge risk.
Right Below Sachin's Video is Dhoni's innings .Dhoni played a wonderful hardhitting innings which ensured India didnt fall prey to the phenomenen of "fallin like nine pins " once the lynchpin Sachin departed.
2/13/2006
Short-Story writing
I am a Piscean,and by nature I love dreaming a lot. But the fact is that in Todays Dog-eat-Dogg world, by the time you have dreamt something big, there's always someone who had dreamt of that earlier and as soon as rinse your face after that wonderful dream,you realise in the Morning local newspaperthat that dream has already been accomplished by some prodigy...and thus dreams have gone on over a period of time to remain unfulfilled.I have had lot of such dreams,and the only way to fulfill that is to create a virtual place where all of that happens the way I Want. So I have decided to take my interest in writing a step further by deciding to pend a story.
I guess going by my mind's hunch, it should be something to do with Fiction..and I plan to inaugarate it ..in my weekend tour to Goa.
Why writing all of a sudden ? Well I have lots of wonderful parallel debates going on in my mind,but frankly no time to collate and pen my thoughts.So have decided to a CTRL-ALT-DEL on life and go have a peaceful 3 day tour in this place called Gokarna.There are a few isolated beaches there.I just hope to get inspiration by going for a long walk across the shores with the waves lashing across me and other than that, just laze around and observe the environment, people around me ..and savour some lovely moments than ..staring at the computer monitor for 12 hours a day.
My Mind,body and soul require some respite from my work schedule and fast paced life.So am eagarly counting the hours before I board the Shatabdi express at 5 pm on Thursday at Chennai Central.I havent packed my bags yet, but dont plan to carry much luggage..just a bag with 2-3 sets of clothes..with 2 sets of shorts for chill-axing on the beach. I Just hope some Bacpacker brings along a hammock ... there to lull me into sleep.
I am a Piscean,and by nature I love dreaming a lot. But the fact is that in Todays Dog-eat-Dogg world, by the time you have dreamt something big, there's always someone who had dreamt of that earlier and as soon as rinse your face after that wonderful dream,you realise in the Morning local newspaperthat that dream has already been accomplished by some prodigy...and thus dreams have gone on over a period of time to remain unfulfilled.I have had lot of such dreams,and the only way to fulfill that is to create a virtual place where all of that happens the way I Want. So I have decided to take my interest in writing a step further by deciding to pend a story.
I guess going by my mind's hunch, it should be something to do with Fiction..and I plan to inaugarate it ..in my weekend tour to Goa.
Why writing all of a sudden ? Well I have lots of wonderful parallel debates going on in my mind,but frankly no time to collate and pen my thoughts.So have decided to a CTRL-ALT-DEL on life and go have a peaceful 3 day tour in this place called Gokarna.There are a few isolated beaches there.I just hope to get inspiration by going for a long walk across the shores with the waves lashing across me and other than that, just laze around and observe the environment, people around me ..and savour some lovely moments than ..staring at the computer monitor for 12 hours a day.
My Mind,body and soul require some respite from my work schedule and fast paced life.So am eagarly counting the hours before I board the Shatabdi express at 5 pm on Thursday at Chennai Central.I havent packed my bags yet, but dont plan to carry much luggage..just a bag with 2-3 sets of clothes..with 2 sets of shorts for chill-axing on the beach. I Just hope some Bacpacker brings along a hammock ... there to lull me into sleep.
India Vs Pakistan Cricket
Last match India certainly gave Pakistan a rude shock. The turning point , in my view was the quiet start Pakistan had after Kamran Akmal got out and the 2 wickets following Akmal, that of Youhana and Inzy.Pathan swung the ball really well .
Click on the Video Below to see the three pakistani Wickets.
I guess this series has just started to get predictable as Chasing seems to be the "in " thing which is far more easier than setting targets.
So I expect the side winning the toss to Field first and the rest of the three matches would be heavily hinged on the toss.
Last match India certainly gave Pakistan a rude shock. The turning point , in my view was the quiet start Pakistan had after Kamran Akmal got out and the 2 wickets following Akmal, that of Youhana and Inzy.Pathan swung the ball really well .
Click on the Video Below to see the three pakistani Wickets.
I guess this series has just started to get predictable as Chasing seems to be the "in " thing which is far more easier than setting targets.
So I expect the side winning the toss to Field first and the rest of the three matches would be heavily hinged on the toss.
2/10/2006
Tiruttani Tamasha
Tiruttani is a small 4 lane town enroute to Tirupati along the Chennai Arokkannam rail track. I totaly forgot that one my colleague had his wedding and only later did I realize that the whole Office was preparing to catch the 4 30 Thirupathi Passenger Train.So I lost no time in confirming my prescence for the 2 hour train journey to attend my colleague's wedding reception.
This was taken just outside the train , as we were about to board the train.I remember this list was of vital importance to me when I was living in Bangalore during my Infy Training days.Invariably the probability of finding a chick in a compartment was as high as 5/72 along the Chennai Bangalore route and that,I remember was the point of attention for some of my friends and me .Our algorrithm was simple .Select * from List Where Sex = Female and Age 18<>25 (and if possible please make them sit near me ) .But sadly on the Tirupati passenger Alaipayudhey type experiences cannot be expected..so I shut my inner expectations and sat down to check out the country side through the window seat.
There are times ,when Hunger makes you forget what's good for you stomach and what's not.The samosas served for Re 1, had more oil in them , than aloo masala ,but these are the times when mind says no,but stomach says yes.
This caught my fancy in Arakkonam Railway Station. Were the Railway Police upto any branding campaign for promoting themselves.I found the name a tad strange though,so it finds it's way into my blog.
5 POINT SOME-ONE
I learnt yesterday how some of my friends and colleagues were so peeved to find out that their height was only 5 point something ..and no where near 6. We found a height measuring device near our Hotel lodge. So all the 5 pointers were initially dissapointed , but the sumptous feast later in the night camouflaged for the 5-point something feelings.
With the decibel levels really high ..in the marriage halls , I did not want my ear buds to commit suicide , So i decided to roam about the country place ..and found the Railway tracks an ideal place to just drift away along with my colleague.
Some times a walk along a lonely railway track is so much peacefull and gives me an exalted state of mind.This was one such occaission.
THE GOAL -ACCOMPLISHED
OF Eating , of course ... but as Murphy's law goes , I generally eat more when I tend to pay from my pocket than when eating for free.Any way my foibles stay only with me :- )
The Kalyana Mandapam had a unique policy , as you see in the above photograph.They have huge framed pictures of the couples who have married there so far,which kinda explains the popularity of this marriage hall in this 4 lane town.Its actually nice publicity and a lovely way to remember that " so and so's marriage was held here"
This is actually not the Temple , but the railway station at Tiruttani which oozes relegius fervour as the station is made in the form of a temple.
Tiruttani is a small 4 lane town enroute to Tirupati along the Chennai Arokkannam rail track. I totaly forgot that one my colleague had his wedding and only later did I realize that the whole Office was preparing to catch the 4 30 Thirupathi Passenger Train.So I lost no time in confirming my prescence for the 2 hour train journey to attend my colleague's wedding reception.
This was taken just outside the train , as we were about to board the train.I remember this list was of vital importance to me when I was living in Bangalore during my Infy Training days.Invariably the probability of finding a chick in a compartment was as high as 5/72 along the Chennai Bangalore route and that,I remember was the point of attention for some of my friends and me .Our algorrithm was simple .Select * from List Where Sex = Female and Age 18<>25 (and if possible please make them sit near me ) .But sadly on the Tirupati passenger Alaipayudhey type experiences cannot be expected..so I shut my inner expectations and sat down to check out the country side through the window seat.
There are times ,when Hunger makes you forget what's good for you stomach and what's not.The samosas served for Re 1, had more oil in them , than aloo masala ,but these are the times when mind says no,but stomach says yes.
This caught my fancy in Arakkonam Railway Station. Were the Railway Police upto any branding campaign for promoting themselves.I found the name a tad strange though,so it finds it's way into my blog.
5 POINT SOME-ONE
I learnt yesterday how some of my friends and colleagues were so peeved to find out that their height was only 5 point something ..and no where near 6. We found a height measuring device near our Hotel lodge. So all the 5 pointers were initially dissapointed , but the sumptous feast later in the night camouflaged for the 5-point something feelings.
With the decibel levels really high ..in the marriage halls , I did not want my ear buds to commit suicide , So i decided to roam about the country place ..and found the Railway tracks an ideal place to just drift away along with my colleague.
Some times a walk along a lonely railway track is so much peacefull and gives me an exalted state of mind.This was one such occaission.
THE GOAL -ACCOMPLISHED
OF Eating , of course ... but as Murphy's law goes , I generally eat more when I tend to pay from my pocket than when eating for free.Any way my foibles stay only with me :- )
The Kalyana Mandapam had a unique policy , as you see in the above photograph.They have huge framed pictures of the couples who have married there so far,which kinda explains the popularity of this marriage hall in this 4 lane town.Its actually nice publicity and a lovely way to remember that " so and so's marriage was held here"
This is actually not the Temple , but the railway station at Tiruttani which oozes relegius fervour as the station is made in the form of a temple.
2/09/2006
Elton John Blues ......
After seeing the Elton John News, of Gay marriages, My eye seems to have develpoed a fetish for spotting anything abnormal.This was recently shot near Sathyam theatre on the road leading to M.V .Diabetes Centre.There was a huge hoarding for a Vasundhara das music concert.
And I rub my eyes and see that the travel company has a strange name "Gay Travels" and that tickled my funny bone.Long Live Elton John and his band of followers
After seeing the Elton John News, of Gay marriages, My eye seems to have develpoed a fetish for spotting anything abnormal.This was recently shot near Sathyam theatre on the road leading to M.V .Diabetes Centre.There was a huge hoarding for a Vasundhara das music concert.
.jpg)
And I rub my eyes and see that the travel company has a strange name "Gay Travels" and that tickled my funny bone.Long Live Elton John and his band of followers
.jpg)
2/08/2006
Astro Fundae
This is what this site had to say about me
The native will be bold, courageous and pushful. Will not be timid. He will be fond of money. He will have much interest in sports and adventure. The native will have a philosophical bend of mind. He will be attached to spiritual or educational institutes. He will easily make friends. He will be honest and will not care for other's feelings while speaking truth. The native will be full of optimism and look for the brighter side of the life.He will not be short tempered and will take any action after due consideration. He will like to work in large organizations. The native will be a good manager of things. He will be cooperative and will have many friends.
Considering the negative side the native may become obstinate to a fault, and may not listen to other's point of view. He may work towards his goal very slowly missing many opportunities. Glutton tendencies may surface up. He may become very short tempered.The native may choose his partner after a great deal of thinking. He will be a loyal and devoted husband. He will attend to the needs of the family. He will be fond of his partner and children. Will be a dutiful husband.
If u find any anomalies in this report , if u know me across the web or personally feel free to send a comment or two .
This is what this site had to say about me
The native will be bold, courageous and pushful. Will not be timid. He will be fond of money. He will have much interest in sports and adventure. The native will have a philosophical bend of mind. He will be attached to spiritual or educational institutes. He will easily make friends. He will be honest and will not care for other's feelings while speaking truth. The native will be full of optimism and look for the brighter side of the life.He will not be short tempered and will take any action after due consideration. He will like to work in large organizations. The native will be a good manager of things. He will be cooperative and will have many friends.
Considering the negative side the native may become obstinate to a fault, and may not listen to other's point of view. He may work towards his goal very slowly missing many opportunities. Glutton tendencies may surface up. He may become very short tempered.The native may choose his partner after a great deal of thinking. He will be a loyal and devoted husband. He will attend to the needs of the family. He will be fond of his partner and children. Will be a dutiful husband.
If u find any anomalies in this report , if u know me across the web or personally feel free to send a comment or two .
Predictability versus Creativity
This is a raging debate in my mind as soon as I board the local suburban train , while standing on the footboard amidst the clutter and din of the people rushing in and out . Where does one want to be in life ? and what are the mind tools one needs to get to his/her goals .If this question is put to most of us, we would respond by saying any position or hierarchy in a certain organization.but to get at this further,I've shortlisted 2 tools that drive careers .
Lets dissect this a bit in detail. We generally work hard to make sure that we get things in place and things are in order so that we feel comfortable with a system in place.That is precisely the reason why software use is so prevalent. That is a step towards ensuring predictability.To make sure one's constantly reaching optimimum levels of predictability , one needs to put in lots of effort sifting through numbers and studying to get a relationship between the numbers to support some theory,else place a new theory with the given numbers to attain a minimum level of stability or predicatability.But so much time is spent on first reaching this peak called Precitability and much more time is spent on staying there.
What happens as a result of that predictability is after working so hard,in achieving a level of predictability , when you see success,it is like getting to see light at the end of a long dark tunnel and one's mind deviates towards relaxing and after the relaxing binge , there is a general tendency to let the system do the talking as one has achieved a certain degree of predictability.No one is prepared to work hard all over again.In that process , the creativity suffers . Why one may ask . Creativity does not involve any tangible benefits untill the idea is fuelled into motion , while the predictability operation of analysis offers benefits as when some analysis is done and that is the safest way to just be on track,while creativity is similar to hype ...it pushes you to dizzy heights or drowns you in an abysmal nadir.
When the mind vacillates between achieving optimimum levels of both (predictablity and cretivity both suffer alternatingly and all that seperates success and failure is how we mix and match both these factors amidst the tight schedule one has during work. This may seem a tad boring ,for a topic ..but I chose to blog on this as more often than not,what determines one's career growth is ultimately how well he/she play their cards mixing and matching creativity with precitability. To sum up ..Predictability is like laying a foundation on which you envisage a burgeoning building while creativity helps you plan how cool the building looks like that will tempt a customer to buy it, as a building with cool looks ,without a foundation is like an idea without an implementable base.
So here I am ...approaching 23 years of my life, yet to find the optimum balance between the above 2 factors and living in the wonderful thing called hope , that I will crack this code someday in the near future.
2/07/2006
CORPORATE LESSONS
A man is getting into the shower just as his wife is finishingup her shower when the doorbell rings. After a few seconds ofarguing over which one should go and answer the doorbell, thewife gives up, quickly wraps herself up in a towel and runsdownstairs. When she opens the door, there stands Bob, the nextdoor neighbour. Before she says a word, Bob says,"I'll giveyou 800 dollars to drop that towel that you have on."After thinking for a moment, the woman drops her towel and standsnaked in front of Bob. After a few seconds, Bob hands her 800 dollars and leaves.Confused, but excited about her good fortune, the woman wrapsback up in the towel and goes back upstairs. When she gets backto the bathroom, her husband asks from the shower "Who was that?""It was Bob the next door neighbour," she replies. "Great," thehusband says, "did he say anything aboutthe 800 dollars heowes me?"
Moral of the story: If you share critical information pertaining to credit and risk in time with your stakeholders, you may be in a position to prevent avoidable exposure
Corporate lesson 1
Got this as a forward , but it rocks for sure !!
A man is getting into the shower just as his wife is finishingup her shower when the doorbell rings. After a few seconds ofarguing over which one should go and answer the doorbell, thewife gives up, quickly wraps herself up in a towel and runsdownstairs. When she opens the door, there stands Bob, the nextdoor neighbour. Before she says a word, Bob says,"I'll giveyou 800 dollars to drop that towel that you have on."After thinking for a moment, the woman drops her towel and standsnaked in front of Bob. After a few seconds, Bob hands her 800 dollars and leaves.Confused, but excited about her good fortune, the woman wrapsback up in the towel and goes back upstairs. When she gets backto the bathroom, her husband asks from the shower "Who was that?""It was Bob the next door neighbour," she replies. "Great," thehusband says, "did he say anything aboutthe 800 dollars heowes me?"
Moral of the story: If you share critical information pertaining to credit and risk in time with your stakeholders, you may be in a position to prevent avoidable exposure
Corporate lesson 1
Got this as a forward , but it rocks for sure !!
2/06/2006
Visibility Blues-When Chennai became a Hill station
I got up this morning unoblivious of the dense fog that had descended over the perenially sunshine infected Chennai.The visibiliyt on the road was just 50 mts as I drove my Bike.The trains anyways didnt have a problem maintaining the speed as they hardly have to worry about traffic on the other side , unless a suicide prowler is uding the tracks as his escape route to heaven. The best place to feel the mist early in the morning is undoubtedly the Bridge that occurs between Saidapet and Guindy station where visibility was zero ...as if one were floating on heaven especially if u happen to have ur legs perched on the footboard (pretty similar to a Titanic effect..without Kate though )
The first 4 photos were taken between 7 am and 7 45 am and the final one below just shows that todays fast moving worls hardly has time to admire nature,each one busy sms'ing his friend, passing on that rather churlish joke , forwarding it for the nth time and people busy in preparing for his exams or at the most yack about how AMMA is better than M.Karunanidhi .
2/04/2006
Thanks giving
A BIG thank you to all readers of my blog , I have seen my page view grow exponentially in the last one year from 5000 to 33000 as of today. I was reminded of doing this post around the same time last year to celebrate 5000 hits :-) . So looking forward to another year of excitement and blogging.
Enlightenment
Buddha got enlightenment under the peepul tree but not wanting to follow his path I decided to not trod the beaten path.Had i decided or was decision imposed on me ? You will soon find out.
It was in late october in 1991 ,and a rainy one at that , when I was going to school , sitting behind my mother in her TVS Luna and I was fervently praying for the school to be declared a holiday, just as another 7 year old would when the rains are threatening to pur any moment.Just as anticipated ,My school had been closed due to the rains ,when I happened to reach there.Now me being a small kid and fresh to the environs of Chennai, My mother did not want to me to go back home in the local bus, so decided to take me to office so that she would not be late to work by dropping me home.
She was working in a 5 Star Hotel in Chennai and her cabin was next to the MD's cabin (the MD was on leave that day ) and I found the MD's cabin pretty good to explore around some books.But my mother amidst her work and tension , realized that having me around was only going to increase the accelerator on her tension. She didnt want me to go beyond any unchartered territories (Read other people's cabin ) and so banished me to a life of exile by bribing me with a strawberry ice cream to a room, where I was asked to stay for the rest of the day,after which my mother would come and pick me up.
This room had a TV a couple of Beds , some accessories which ladies use like lipstic,bindi , powder and nailpolish neatly arranged near a mirror. I got onto the bed and felt the mattress and was soon about to doze off when a couple of ladies entered and enquired who I am.After all the "samathu" intros that I gave them , I went back to closing my eyes and they went about combing their hair.Soon enough another beautiful lady came in (I realize she was the receptionist ) .I guess she was called Becky ...and she came and even as she was talking she slid her hands into her shirt button and coat buttons ,complaining how humid the Chennai weather was.
Soon all that was remaining on her was just her panties and Bra and I didnt understand why these aunties were in "Puppy shame mode" .They thought I was fast asleep but , when an aunty strips herself down to her barer minimums and trying to optimize the minimality even further, there's little a small boy like me could do to close my eyes. The ladies were discussing about some guy and how she went out with him and the fact that he's a blah blah blah from alwarpet and he has a wife. I didnt know how to react as this was the first time that I was seeing the female form in "puppy shame mode" and was trying to shy away from not seeing the curves and mountains ,which were so clearly visible.
By and large , I have been shamelessy open in my questioning and am thankful my instincts didnt take over that day ,else would have gone and asked "aunty why are you in puppy shame " . If one aunty was'nt enough there were a couple of more ladies and the strip show continued al unoblivious of a small boy on teh ebd sitting by them.That was my first hand experience of watching a lady dressfully whether it was asari or a coat or a skirt.
The only expression of emotion from my side was bewilderment and shock at seeing 30 plus and 20 plus aunty's 2 steps from being nude or "puppy shame " .An aunty even asked me which film had i recently seen and boy if that question was asked today , I would have instantly said the film being unobliviosuly shot in this room.It was a tough thing keeping eye contact with the aunty and speaking and my eyes veered down below her neck right into her breasts and since there around 4 of them like that in different directions of the bed, there's actually no place u can look at and talk.When I look back at that I now feel like getting to those lovely theories of time travel and time machine which i said was crap when Arther Clarke and his fans ruled the literary world.How wonderful it would have been if some scientist had done his proper homework on time travel, I would love to get back there and see what it feels to be like now. So this was an enlightenment of a different kind and I was never the same "samathu pulay" aftre that and I am thankful to God for having given me an oppurtuity to appreciate's nature's best made wonders and compare them all in 1 room.
Me being a little kid there , and having brushed up the with the practicalities of the "law of diminishing marginal utility" at having gazes at the same pair of things , I slept off only to wake up at 6 30 when my mother came to the room and I spoke of my Puppy shame adventure and she had a sheepish grin at hearing my story .
I was reminded of this last night when my mother and I were just reminded about my childhood advetures and misadventures.
The Uncle's shop
This was a signboard in a hotel near Peter's road right opposite to Sathyam Cinemas called Krishnas which is run by a couple . The food that we had was alu paratha and fried rice for lunch for a very affordable 35 rs per plate (Include Lassi too) .I've never come across such homely and tasty food anywhere in Chennai ,at least in the north Indian hang outs that I have had food in. More so what struck me was the sheer warmth and simplicity of this place and the message that was put up. Thanks goodness I discovered this shop else I would have to land myself at the atrociously high priced Saravana Bhavan Self service hotel, or the AC Saravana Bhavan where a dosa according to the waiter there costs just "77 rupees" .
So next time I see a movie at Satyam cinemas, I know where I am heading !
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Statcounter Tracker
