Singapore Story....

Singapore Diary

18-10-2007



Here I am in a Foreign Country for the First ever in my life. I landed sleepy eyed at the airport. Airport was too different than what you find in India …well how different can a airport be….Soon was facing the immigration official..routine questions answered, custom checks done, I was speeding away in a taxi. Nothin seems than what you have seen in India, It only seems better. The pockets of neatness, order and greenery which you see in India are spread over the place. And what beautiful roads….they would be such a pleasure to drive. No one even shifts lanes without using the indicator. Traffic just zooms about, yet very silent. It was so long but I was yet to hear anyone honk. It took a vehicle blocking the road to elicit a few honks. Buses were comfortable and orderly and zoomed with an abandon yet unseen by me.

So many Indian faces around, more so tamilians……the taxi driver was blaring tamil FM and tamil songs. Soon we were in the hotel. Nothing different here. Same as you find a 5 Star hotel anywhere in the hotel. The most boring place was the hotel room . It was luxurious, was great to have rest. But that was not why we were here.

So we went out. Amazing orderliness. Iam yet to see a cop around this place. Traffic is managed with such amazing efficiency. Signals are so cool , Especially pedestrian signals. Everyone follows the rules. The cars stop to let the pedestrians go at certain yellow signals. Skyscrapers were amazing. We sat at a café at roadside in a busy traffic junction at a prominent office point here. Yet silence reigned around. Cars just zoomed past silently. Winds keep blowing giving such a calm feeling. Had some tasty Chinese food. Had my starbucks debut. Realised that my office is just a few mins walk from the hotel. And there is food plaza sort of place near my office. It had all kinds of food- Japanese, Chinese, Thai Indian, Western …and so on at very affordable prices. We would be having a food festival over the time of our stay.

That’s for the day..Lets see how the tour shapes up . Office starts tomorrow… 

19-10-2007

The First day in Singapore office. Wherever you go in the world, office does not change ..rt?? ..  Anyways it did manage to make a difference, it was not as good as the Bangalore office. Iam yet to make sense of the coffee machine and the tea bags over there. Only thing I could get right in the pantry was the Coke. Rest all the attempts to make coffee and tea went haywire.

The lifts here send your ears buzzing when they go down. At that speed it is natural, when you have to go some 20 floors in less than a minute it is almost like a free fall.

Today tried some Chinese dishes at the Food place, iam yet to register its name. Food was not too great , not too bad either. Work was cool, well it always is when it starts. Then after some time it starts strangling. And you lose interest in maintaining the same enthusiasm and would want to finish it off as soon as you can. Anyways lets see how this turns out. People at office were quite cool.

Lets see how the weekend goes about.

20-10-2007



Hey here is the first weekend in a foreign country… the urge to party was tempered with an apprehension about the unknown……and the fact that I watched movies late into night did not help matters. So by the time I got up it was lunch time. So had lunch and spilled out into the city.

Decided to explore “Little India”….. And landed up at the nearest Metro Rail Transport station…. It was really cool….. very neat, organized and pretty affordable and fast. Reminded me of Delhi and its Metro…... pretty much the same in fact.

Landed in Little India. Well felt like I was back in India… seems like in all respects…even saw a cop for first time in Singapore ….he was givin a parking ticket to someone looking like of Indian origin…  …anyways it had everythin like India ….more like south India….temple all Indian restaurants.,…..visited Musthafa shoppin centre……it had everythin….except a place to sit…by the time we were done goin around it…we were exhausted with all the walking……so wrapped it up with some food and were on the way back……

As I go about this country, I have noticed a lot of things…people are very cordial….everyone is treated with respect irrespective of their profession…manners is adhered to…….

Everything out of line is fined…and fined heavily…….that may go a long way in ensuring things are in order…but lot of stuff is internal as well..people do have the internal motivation to adhere to rules…..its more a respect for the rule rather than the fear of fine on violation which seems to be driving the orderliness….

Anyways a day of weekend as gone by….lets see how tomorrow goes by……

21-10-2007

Second day of the weekend…..Its a Sunday and we realized that most shops are closed here on Sundays….So decided to goto Paulo Ubin….Heard a lot about it….its island off the Singapore coast…..and renowned for its natural beauty ….

So we hired a taxi and went to Changi village….From there took a ferry to Paulo ubin……it was quissentially an dtropical island…..and it remined me so much of kerala…..well nothing much difference here between the two places…..

We hired a couple of bicycles and went about exploring the place…….it was quite fun goin around cycling and also taking our snaps…..Had quite some fun….but it was not a new discovery …felt like we were back in india…….spent some time sitting at the beach…..but this was not much of it when compared to beaches back home .,....Anyways the tiring journey had its toll..soon we were in a mood to land back home….The taxi driver while goin back was the talkative sort….He kept harping on about good stuff in singapore…was quite the informative sort……..

Anyways the fun has ended …it is time to get back to work from tomorrow..lets see how the week goes by……………. 

22-10-2007

Another of those weekdays…but first Monday in the foreign land……was not a great start…rainy day..and we were late to start……perfect settin for those Monday mornin blues…decided to hire a taxi to office…but soon realized..tht in tht peak hours with traffic signals..it would have been quick and ofcourse cheaper to walk..so from tomorrow..strictly walking……to the office I mean…

Office was cool..we were will and truly into work……it was quite fun…..so on tht front it is quite cool till now.,…..we were the last guys to leave from the office……

Today atlast the coffee machine puzzle was solved……..had some gud coffe…( better than the last 2 days..even if not entirely good…..  …. )

This place has got very little dust content…..even the shine on smy shoe has not gone even after a couple of days after polishing…..Clean water and clean air are issues which seem to be given importance….low noise too… 

23-10-2007

Another of those routine weekdays..even being in a foreign country makes no difference…I think it makes it even more worse…no social life..no friends…..no bindas attitude….nothin…work…and come to the room…got to explore this place further..neighbourhoods are done…..soon have to go further……

Lots of work would be fine..opportunity to learn

Lets see how the rest of the week rolls up………

24-10-2007

Funny day..nothin much rolled up today..some work….then it petered out..then it was cool for most of the day…..had some fun with the mails ..and snaps….It was birthday time at office and they got some thai food today…..it was nice…not too good..may be not for a first timer…..enjoyed it………

I observed that here lifts travel very fast…even when there are not many floors to be traveled….also the elevator..its not the comfortable cruise as in India..but it is more of a thing in hurry to carry people to their destinations…even in the malls and not only in the metro rail stations where such a hurry is warranted…..may be it reflects ths style of the people….



25-10-2007

One more day in this land…and life goes on…office and stuff….its all the same……well lemme luk for little things that are different here……people here are nice in their own little ways..for a couple of days running…some one or other comes and keeps givin me new kinds of sweets….iam getting to test new kinds of culinary delights here…..thats nice…

26-10-2007

Another similar day at office…work , mails and stuff……life goes on..weekend has come..lets see if it brings about any difference….. …here I get to go on lots an dlot of escalators..and I broke the record for the longest escalator I ever got on to …so many times over and over again…..I miss driving a bike overe here….may be it’s the longest break I ever had from drivin a bike…for ..wht like 7 years…may be…..and by the end of this trip…may be longest break from drivin I guess…ever since I was a kid…..

I went to a Chinese restaurant today…….and ordered some thing called crispy noodles..what I got was some thing like American chopseuy drowned….in some egg yolk kind of a solution…….it was all in all..some kind of stuff..which I could not even comprehend,……but in any case..managed to eat it..as I cud not afford to be hungry…..had to do with fruit juice..when I returned to the hotel room….

27-10-2007

Today is the weekend …..one more weekend in the foreign land…..this time decided to explore Chinatown here……this was a nice little quaint place….full of shoppin for little items…at cheap prices….more like the sarojini nagar market of delhi…

There was also a Mariamman temple at this place….and we also visited a Buddhist temple….it was quite beautifully built and …was quite a peek into the Buddhist culture and mythology…the stories the tell of Buddha are quite different from what is told in india…..well they do have a much fancier version of the story..but it is expected..everyone does have their versions of same story…what is mythology for one is religion for someone else……..

Then we did some roaming around…and were back soon into the hotel…with some more time to kill…we hit the pool….it was quite a small pool..but we had a relaxing stint at the pool….

End of one day of the weekend..lets see how the next one goes about…….

28-10-2007

2nd Sunday in this foreign land…..today decided to explore the ever famous Sentosa islands ……We took a mrt….and then took a monorail to the islands……..

We headed straight to the beach….lots of people who were having a good time there….but I think we could not find these beaches quite attractive….i realized today that waves are quite the same here….these are very calms beaches…more of the backwater types…..and the heat was also quite oppressive so decided to explore other things….

This island had different kind of stuff…there was 4 d magix…which was a sci fi adventure rides of sorts…….then there was luge ride and skyride……which was a mix of go karting and bikin..more a thrilss fare..then there was images of Singapore which takes you through the history fo Singapore…there was fort silos..which gave a insight into the fort styles of early English people who settled here…….also merlian which was a fantasy of its kind….then there was the underwater world..which gave quite an insight into the water world….it was quite fun with the underwater beings all around you……there was also the butterfly park which had around 1500 varieties of butterflies…….and at the end of it we saw a dolphin show…it was quite remarkable…seeing these sea beings doing all sorts of tricks……jumping through the loop..playing with the ball…kind of stuff…..

We went quite ballistic with the photographs..as usual…..on the way back had quite some good seafood….it was nice experimenting…it was my friends turn to get stuck..with sticky watery kind of stuff….but anyways…..he waded through it…literally

But it was quite a fun day……its back to office from tomorrow..lets see how this week goes about…..

29-10-2007

Hey here is Monday again….but instead of the usual Monday morning blues…I had a good and spirited start to a day……I don’t know why……..but soon all the enthusiasm fizzled out…… because the access deadlock still continues……and it is not quite fun anymore…but are we ready for the other slog…..still don’t know..will manage it I feel when we come to it…..

Towards the end of the day….the team from office invited us to a outing for evening snacks…had some nice satay….and some good chinese dishes……..came back…had a nice bath……and a nice dinner to finish it off…one more day goes by…. 

30-10-2007

Another boring day goes by……..had breakfast for a change…..and then had pizzas for lunch…for a change..again…..and then had dinner by 730 …for a change again……discovered a shop..which had a sorta clearance sale….had good deals all over…gotto visit it sometime to buy somethings…..got a new goggles….it was quite nice…..nice deal…..anyways one more day rolls over……

31-10-2007

After another routine day at office…we decided to goto Little india once again…we hit the Mustafa centre once again…this time we also went to the other side of it……..such a large shopping centre…and so many milling crowds……..

We hit the shopping racks again…and we bought some things this time…Got some good deals…..and we were so exhausted at the end of the day…well after walking all over such a large shopping place..we were bound to….and then we had such a hard time waiting for a taxi…..such a long queue and no taxi was lining up………finally managed to get one….and soon we were back at homer..and soon sound asleep…

1-11-2007

Hey a new day..and a new month..suddenly realized the year is rolling to a close…..this year seems to have rolled by so soon…not many things have sttled down or changed…that’s what it seems surprising that such a long time has passed…thinking of the day…today was a holiday back home..every year I used to cry that I don’t get this holiday in Delhi…and I thought I would get this once iam back in Bangalore or Hyderabad…but no use….nothing this time also…

We met our new boss today..seems like a cool fellow…..

2-11-2007

Another routine day………..at the office…towards the end of the day our boss and some other colleaugues invited us for some drinks…….had to have some beer…and it was too good in any case…..

After that had dinner and went walking …and realized that this place is quite small…we reached Chinatown after just walkin a few paces…….went around the place and came back and watched some movies..before sleeping off……

3-11-2007

Another weekend…and we do not seem to be going to malaysia anyways……so this time we went to Clarke quay….atlast went to a plce which seemed different and distinctly Singaporean…….this was besides the River…and such a beautiful place to hang out.. and lot of nice restaurants and bars……so much of a chic crowd…..there was such a beautiful view across the river…..had a good time….and atlast had something distinctly new……..

Came back to Lao pao sat……..and tried out some seafood..one of my friends ….tried oyster rice,…with some not so good results………..anyways he ate it all……and lets see what happens with him.. :P.. 

4-11-2007

Seems like the last Sunday in Singapore……not much to do…..went to Orchard road …such a nice shoppin place…….lots and lots of malls…with lots of stuff to shop………that is if you have something to shop….if u r really ina mood with cash to boot…here we go…so much of it…

As for viewing pleasure.,..it was good..but not too great…since its all there in India now…..;nothn new..nothin to be astonished at…….anyways….had good fun going around..as sual had problems finding a taxi…..shoppin places…u cannot help…..

Anyways came back tired..and down and out..end of the day….last week in singapore..  lets see how it goes about….

5-11-2007

One more Monday…well today things seem to be moving..a training program…and it took all the day…some progress on the access front…….so stuff moves on…did some shopping at last on the sale thing….spent a quite an amount..lets see how it goes about….


6-11-2007

One more day at training…and it was quite cool…..today by end of the day..there was a twist in the tale…..it seems that we may have to stay longer in Singapore…or may be come back later..lets see ho it goes….

We went to the Fullerton hotel side…..it was besides the river and a lion spewing out water…it was quite a view and we had quite agood time with the photographs…..the scenario was beautiful and breathtaking….. 

7-11-2007

Looks sure that iam gonna return by this weekend…..and boss said he is gonna discuss about the next trip on Friday…lets see how that turns up……

So we landed up at Little india to complete the final round of shopping…..we went around picking up all the things needed…..and lot more unneeded…and anyways after all that….came back exhausted…lucky to find a taxi much sooner than the last time…..the previous outing had braced us well…and today was a much focused shopping operation…
2 more days to go..lets see how it turns out.. 

8-11-2007

Hey its diwali time….and here iam ina foreign country…..they celebrate it here also..but not the cracker show as we have it back there……

Anyways we cancelled the zoo trip..as we were not in the mood and anyways we were gonna come back again……so we will have this later…..Went to orchard road..as my friend needed to have some last round up done…..had some nice Japanese food…..

So onemore day left in this country…atleast for this trip……so lets see how it goes….. 

Last day was as uneventful as it goes...... we planned our return journey to airport as we do back in india..and ended up landin in airport a good 2 hrs ahead of schedule....had an uneventful flight journey.and landed back home well and good and having enjoyed a nice trip to a lovely country....

"If" ...by Rudyard Kipling

This is a poem by Rudyard Kipling....this conveys a lot..."if only" we could be like this.... :)

This is the poem that "rajesh" character in "happy days" movie is asked to recite by "shreya madam".....

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too,
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream--and not make dreams your master,
If you can think--and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings--nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much,
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son!

--Rudyard Kipling

Travails of South Indian Men....

Got this as a Fwd....cud not stop laughing at the authors amazing sense of humor........

This article is posted by an IIM A Student...It's really funny andaptly called "The Travails of Single South Indian Men of ConservativeUpbringing" a k a "Why We Don't Get Any..."

Yet another action packed weekend in Mumbai, full of fun, frolic and introspection. I have learnt many things. For example having moneywhen none of your friends have any is as good as not having any. Andafter spending much time in movie theatres, cafes and restaurants Ihave gathered many insights into the endless monotony that is the lovelife of south Indian men.

What I have unearthed is most disheartening.Disheartening because comprehension of these truths will not changeour status anytime soon. However there is also cause for joy. We neverstood a chance anyway.What loads the dice against virile, gallant, well educated, goodlooking, sincere degas, malls and tams?Our futures are shot to hell as soon as our parents bestow upon usnames that are anything but alluring. I cannot imagine a morefoolproof way of making sure the soothe male child remains singletill classified advertisements or that maternal uncle in San Franciscothinks otherwise.Name him "Parthasarathy Venkatachalapthy" and his inherent capabilityto combat celibacy is obliterated before he could even talk. He willgrow to be known as Partha. Before he knows, his smart, seductivelynamed northy classmates start calling him Paratha. No woman in theirright minds will go anyway near poor Parthasarathy. His investmentbanking job doesn't help either. His employer loves him though. He hasno personal life you see.By this time the Sanjay Singhs and Bobby Khans from his class havesmall businesses of their own and spend 60% of their lives in discosand pubs.The remaining 40% is spent coochicooing with leather and denim cladmuses in their penthouse flats on Nepean Sea Road. Business is safelyin the hands of the Mallu manager. After all with a name like BlossomBabykutty he can't use his Rs 30,000 salary anywhere. Blossom gave upon society when in school they automatically enrolled him for CookeryClasses. Along with all the girls...Yes my dear reader, nomenclature is the first nail in a coffin ofneglect and hormonal pandemonium.

In a kinder world they would justname the poor southern male child and throw him off the balcony. "Yesappa we have named him Goundamani..." THUD. Life would have been lesskinder to him anyway.If all the women the Upadhyays, Kumars, Pintos and, god forbid, theSens and Roys in the world have met were distributed amongst theArunkumars, Vadukuts and Chandramogans we would all be merry casanovaswith 3 to 4 pretty things at each arm. But alas it is not to be. Ofcourse the south Indian women have no such issues. They have nameswhich are like sweet poetry to the ravenous northie hormone tanks.Picture this: "Welcome, and this is my family. This is my daughterPoorni (what a sweet name!!) and my son Ponnalagusamy (er..hello..).."Cyanide would not be fast enough for poor Samy. Nothing Samy does willhelp him. He can pump iron, drive fast cars and wear snazzy clothes,but against a braindead dude called Arjun Singhania he has as muchchance of getting any as a Benedictine Monk in a Saharan Seminary.

Couple this with the other failures that have plagued our existence.Any attempt at spiking hair with gel fails miserably. In an hour Ihave a crown of greasy, smelly fibrous mush. My night ends there.However the northy just has to scream "Wakaw!!!" and you have to peelthe women off him to let him breathe. In a disco while we can managethe medium hip shake with neck curls, once the Bhangra starts pumpingwe are as fluid as cement and gravel in a mixer. Karan Kapoor or JatinThapar in the low cut jeans with chaddi strap showing and see throughshirt throws his elbows perfectly, thecynosure of all attention.

The women love a man who digs pasta and fondue.But why do they not see the simple pleasures of curd rice and coconutchutney? When poor Senthilnathan opens his tiffin box in the officelunch room his female coworkers just dissappear when they see thetamarind rice and poppadums. They have all rematerialised around BobbySingh who has ordered in Pizza and Garlic bread. (And they have thegall to talk of foreign origin.)

How can a man like me brought up in roomy lungis and oversizedpolyester shirts ever walk the walk in painted on jeans (that makes abig impression) and neon yellow rib hugging t shirts? All I can do isdon my worn "comfort fit" jeans and floral shirt. Which is pretty lowon the "Look at me lady" scale, just above fig leaf skirt and featherheadgear a la caveman, and a mite below Khakhi Shirt over a red tshirt and baggy khakhi pants and white trainers a la Rajnikanth in"Badsha".

Sociologically too the tam or mallu man is severely sidelined. Anaverage tam stud stays in a house with, on average, threegrandparents, three sets of uncles and aunts, and over 10 children.Not the ideal atmosphere for some intimacy and some full throated"WHOSE YOUR DADDY!!!" at the 3 in the morning. The mallu guy of courseis almost always in the gulf working alone on some onshore oil rig inthe desert. Rheumatic elbows me thinks.

Alas dear friends we are not just meant to set the nights on fire. Weare just not built to be "The Ladies Man". The black man has hip hop,the white man has rock, the southie guy only has idlis and tomatorasam or an NRI account in South Indian Bank Ernakulam Branch. Alas,as our destiny was determined in one fell swoop by our nomenclature,so will our futures be.And of course in the case of a nice arranged little love story, theagony does not end there. On the first night, as the stud sits on hisbed finally within touching distance and whispers his sweet desiresinto her delectable ear, she blushes, turns around and she whispersback"But amma has said only on second saturdays..."

Rules of Failure....

Got this as a fwd....Not sure about its authenticity...but the stuff is good anyways...

Bill Gates recently gave a speech at a High School about 11 things they did not and will not learn in school . He talks about how feel-good, politically correct teachings created a generation of kids with no concept of reality and how this concept set them up for failure in the real world.

Rule 1 : Life is not fair - get used to it!

Rule 2 : The world won't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

Rule 3 : You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.

Rule 4 : If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.

Rule 5 : Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: they called it opportunity.

Rule 6 : If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them.

Rule 7 : Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.

Rule 8 : Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

Rule 9 : Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. Do that on your own time.

Rule 10 : Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

Rule 11 : Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.

Just dont wanna Accept some truths in life....

Lyrics from a song in a telugu movie "Bomarillu"...found them interesting......

nammaka tappani nijamaina nuvvika raavani chebutunna
enduku vinadO naa madi ipuDainaa
yevvaru eduruga vastunna nuvvEmO anukunTunaa
nee roopam naa choopula nodilEnaa
endaritO kalisunna nEnonTarigaane unna
nuvvodilina ee Ekaantam lOna
kannulu terichE unna nuvvu ninnaTi kalavE ayina
ippaTiki aa kalalO nE vunnaa

ee janmanta viDipOdi janTa
ani deevinchina guDiganTanu ika naa madi vinTundaa
naa venuvenTa nuvvE lEkunDa
rOju choosina E chOTaina nanu gurtistundaa
niluvuna nanu taDimi ala venudirigina chelimi ala
taDi kanulatO ninu vetikEdi alaa

nee snEhamlO veligE vennellO
konnaaLLaina santOshamga gaDichaayanukOnaa
naa oohallO kaligE vEdanalO
ennaaLLaina ee naDiraatiri gaDavadu anukOnaa
chirunavvula parichayama sirivennela parimaLamaa
chEjaarina aaSala tolivaramaa

On the same lines another interesting quote:
If Loving you is Wrong I dont want to be Right.....

On a Photographic Journey

As they say "A picture says a thousand words".....here are a few millions

Happy days..........

Was listening to the songs from this movie "Happy Days"......so sorta struck in a nostalgic wrap.......A throwback to the engineering days...so now get urself a tortoise coil...( mortein goodknight..or whateva...).....and lets get started...oh come on.....we r now on a flashback mode...........

Engineering days...I was lucky to get thru them b4 they switched to the present mode of being run like junior colleges........those were the times when u felt like u were kings of the world..the whole world was at ur choice.....we had this defiant streak...which just led us to live life on full terms..(or atleast i thot so....)

One bus pass and u had the whole city @ ur disposal......classes were meant to be for attendance.....books were for library and studyin was strictly restricted to exams..and results were in binary mode..(pass/fail).....

Hangin on the footboard was an art to be perfected.....tuckin a shirt was for highly special occasions.....mobile phones were for "rich " kids....bikes were prized possessions...which gave you access lot of things considered "privileged"....

Cricket matches defined ur existence.....canteen was the most frequented place....(..library steps come close )parties were meant to be rare occassions ..( it still is for some people)...at end of a hard day....money was pooled to buy a cool drink....lunch boxes were exchanged frequently.....last bench gang was a sacrosanct cult......Aims and ambitions were retrospective definitions......

All desires unfulfilled were locked away " when i earn i will do this...when i become big rich and famous will do that...." lots and lots of them..most of them lost their meaning.........lot of new ones previously unthought kept croppin up...........

It was a world wrapped and protected...the big bad world was still away.......college was our feifdom..infact lot of small feifdoms..which were meant not to be disturbed by one another........everyone was the protaganist of his/her world....

Friends ..the Be all and End all of those times...days started and ended with them........plans were made and destroyed for them........parting at the end of those years was the hardest......a few memories and u were oozin nostalgia...everythin tht u cursed durin those four years seemed lovely.......u visited the college and ur mind saw all those memories floating around......u r transported 2 a new world...infact a very old world....a world where u thot u were the happiest...........

and now where are all those...memories seem sweet.... people who made them have changed.....ambitions have been achieved...but u have nothin 2 prove to anyone.....all those unattainable things have fallen into your lap...but u have grown bored of them..........new ambitions, new plans, new people and...a new world...and making memories all over again.................


Enjoyed life then....enjoyin life still....will continue to do so.....methods may change....but aim is to enjoy all the same...what is correct ..and what is wrong is a moot point...cos at the end of the day its all relative.......

Freedom....

Exhilaration of freedom ……….the joy of liberation….regaling flight of the spirit……..some of the thoughts that are getting to my mind…..

Last few days have been a revelation…the last few notes of discontent have gone from the symphony of my life…i am in perfect sync with my life…i am not getting used to it but i am enjoying it..realizing it cud not have been better for me………..

It may seem cynicism for many……..but I have seen life from the other side and I can perfectly understand that they cannot understand my perspective..they are too lost in flow of life..blinded by the blur of elementary ecstasy and momentary mesmerization………..

I am still a perfect believer of magic in life..but I don’t want to be fooled by hand tricks…

I realize that I am still able to live my life on my own terms…..I realize only my ambition and passion can restrain me , put constraints on me and stop me from doing something I want to do. I realize that i have not been forced consciously or subconsciously to do certain things people seem to be enjoy doing.......I realize that I am yet to make a compromise with my life,. I am yet to force myself to accept that this is the best I can get and I need to change myself to keep it with me….I realize my options are still open, my ideas are still mine, my aims still dictated by my likes and dislikes…I realize I am still free……

Enlightenment..

Thoughts ..they just keep coming and going…its like a mish mash of cryptic codes ..perfectly making sense when alone …but not making up anything when seen in the big picture…on the whole nothing to state in a complete perspective…and then voila…..a moment of clarity when everything falls into place ….everything starts making sense…words come in perfect sync….make perfect meaning on the whole…its in one such moment of clarity that I write this…

I know for sure that I hate people clinging onto me…..but ofcourse there are people …….I would do anything to make them cling to me .. ;)….but of course they have no stated intention and unstated intuition to do so….but again what about me… have I changed …..have I undergone a complete metamorphosis…..have I …(as they say )…..moved on….lemme put it like this….

I still feel sad for the missed opportunities …but I have stopped crying…..
I still miss those magical moments ….but I have stopped yearning for them……
I still dream about those endearing possibilities….but I have stopped drooling over them….
I still feel happy on those flashes of unexpected attention…but I am not getting excited…
It is still the happiest part of my existence…but I am more than satisfied with lesser bouts of joy….

On the whole….It is still the fireworks show of my life,. .but I have decided not to light it up this time…Got other things to do….

Well coming back to where I started……well how do people take it..with people clinging onto each other so much…..in these days when people are movin on so fast in life…when relationships are being made and broken in no time..why am I talking about people clinging on….well nowadays as long as someone is with someone..it is just not being “with” some one…it is just clinging onto someone…….i mean its as if…they are sole purpose of their existence …….mails from them all the day….phone calls from them all the day…..meeting them whenever possible…...oh come on …get a life…..relationship is meant to be a support structure…not “the structure”…….well is not subtlety a virtue anymore???...cant some one just be there and still make the other just feel secure in their love and affection and not need to state it by all these acts……cant anyone just be secure in the knowledge that some one wants them as much if not more as they want them…do they need so much reassurance………well coming back to original hypothesis of this being a time when break ups and pretty much the norm…..well is this clinginess the reason…..I think it’s a matter of choice……simple case of marginal utility…people when they cant act out the clingy part….or cant take the clingy part just move on…..but only if they have a choice….if they have one they move on…but with the lesser mortals who feel they don’t stand a chance outside …..they keep up with clingy bingy..until they start believing it’s the actual thing……the stuff which was supposed to be the “good to thing” becomes a “need to do” thing…..thing which used to generate surprise becomes a expectation…..life becomes a drama being acted out….only that players themselves don’t realize they are still acting out a part…they become the part……If this is the way…..I am better off not acting….

Bangalored

Hmm....now I am at Bangalore.....once known as garden city...now its full of parks..Tech parks, IT parks etc i mean....a new beginning i say...and its been cool till now...i mean literally..weather is a breeze..with a breeze blowing always......very nice weather.....a new job....cool work environs...an excitin future ahead...everything seems rosy...

Well anyways time to buck up and get into groove quickly..this is gonna be a helluva excitin ride......

This place is nice for its people and weather.....but traffic is at its other end....horrible is an understatement.....even crossing a road is an ordeal....riding a bike seems like a road rash game......only difference is that ....this is level 9 and above ( tht game has 5 levels)....

Now I need to start afresh...make new routines, make new relationships...both professional and personal.....well anyways pointers seem that is gonna be better.....

I will miss Delhi...nothin like that...but time to move on......Most probably onto better things.....

An ode to Delhi

Life is funny..whenevr i fall in love with something that is taken away from me......Oh I am missing Delhi so much....



I miss

• Dilli di kudiyaaan..well top of the list huh....:P


• Dilli di galiyaan.....best driving experiences of my life..esp driving at mid nights....on bikes...open top cars...oh tht was fun....


• Dilli Ki Khaana.....no place is such a haven for a foodie..esp the non vegetarian stuff.....


• Dilli and the weekend getways...best travellin experiences of my life so far...


• The places to hang out...so many of them......


• Coffee at nescafe in iit...


• lyin on the grass in iit circle and watchin the star...


• watchin the well lit city from iit roof top at the midnight.....


• watchin hundreds of movies courtesy iit lan....


• goin to a movie at will...


• zoomin on bike in the newly built highway..


• havin chai at the busy traffic signal at sassi's....


• Rollin up in bed under a razaai...in delhi winters...


• gadgets at Nehru place...


• t shirts in sn market...


• icecream at midnight near India gate


• splurgin money on impulsive shopping....


• and so much and so much more.....

Last but the best..my frenz.....some of the best days of my life....Esp with karthik vicky......annu marut.....and ofcourse raghav.....( he is stil arnd at bangalore)....Fun times with asif and subbu....takin humor 2 new levels....

Delhi was a most excitin phase of my life...where perhaps I learnt most important lessons of my life.....combusted, imploded, thought i was finished...but picked myself up again.....up and fightin again..with renewed energies and new ideas.......hopin to make a difference.....

Fight

There are times when darkness engulfs you, despair spreads its wings around you, you feel defeated, down and out. Well here we have a God sent opportunity to show what we are made of...
Its the time to Fight...

Every one who has fought has not won, but one thing that is certain is everyone who has won has fought and fought well at that..Fought tooth and nail..fought till the very end....But never gave up.

I do not know if I will win, but atleast i would like to go down fighting. Even if Iam not remembered for my victories, I would like to remembered as some one who fought ......and fought well.