Make a difference

When I initially thought of writing this, I had some topic in mind. But yesterday, while talking to a friend, I thought of something else. But this new idea, I guess, is not actually enough to make a new post. Hence am going to merge the two. Can’t exactly use the word “merge” as the two topics can be viewed as entirely two different unconnected subjects and one can relate them too, if one wants to...

Actually, I was talking to a very good friend of mine. He taught me something. I liked what he told and was happy that I have learnt something good. Then thought, “y cant I just pen these points so that others who want to, can benefit with it?”…

Hey... Can u guys tell who the best teacher is? I feel that “life is the best teacher”. No one can teach u what life can…

Actually, I was not like this before. Things used to happen, I used to react and then wud just carry on. Never used to analyze the situation and learn from it. My roommate, in this case, was exactly opposite to wot I was. Even if something wrong happened, she would say “I have learnt from this”. I always used to wonder wot she cud learn from such situations???

But now I realize that a person can learn from the smallest of incidents… Growing old doesn’t actually confirm that u r growing wise as well. If u try to learn, each day, each moment will make u wiser…

I am the kind of person who wud buy anything just coz of the very simple reason that "I liked it". I don’t actually think much before getting it. But a friend of mine wud never do that. He had two pair of shoes. If he saw another good one in a showroom, he wud appreciate it but never buy it. If only the old ones got spoilt, he wud buy new ones. I used to think that he was stingy. One day he told me : “ there is a difference between wot u want and wot u need. U shud be able to differentiate the two.” It was a grt lesson indeed. Sad part is that I understood wot he told but haven’t implemented it so far. Probably, I will do that when I have more responsibilities to shoulder.

What I am going to tell now is wot I learnt yesterday. It was actually an explicitly told lesson. My friend, yesterday, told me the difference between another set of words. Ie. “listen” and “hear”… I guess, when someone scolds u, say for an example when a mother scolds a kid, the kid always “hears” it n not “listen”. Even if u go to a satsang and just hear the entire speech, u r not going to gain anything. But if u “listen” to it and try to understand the meaning of wot is being told and try to imbibe it, u will learn many a things, for sure…




Many of my friends have been onsite in the near past and many are still there. Since I haven’t been to a foreign land, I have always been curious to know their experiences. They tell me “people over here are so polite. Almost all their sentences precede or succeed with lotsa thankus and sorrys”… Some say “India is the best place... But only if it was a lil cleaner”… In this last statement the second part can be replaced by “... but if only the traffic wasn’t this bad”, “…but if only the infrastructure was better”, “…but if only the ….”. The list is endless…

But tell me very frankly… when u say u want your country to be better , who do u think will do that if not u???? if ever, after getting down from a bus, u have thrown the tickets on the road or the pavement, u don’t have the right to complain about the cleanliness. If ever while traveling in ur car, u have thrown the chips or biscuit cover on the roadside, u don’t have the right to complain.
If u urself keep honking wen behind the wheels, u don’t have the right to complain about the noise on the road. If ever u have broken the traffic rules, u don’t have the right to complain about the bad traffic either.
Do u really talk politely to others everytime??? If ever u have shouted at someone angrily for him/her having stamped on ur feet in a crowded bus or for any such petty things, then u don’t have the right to complain about other ppl being impolite either!!!!
Well… India is superior to other countries in many matters but still...like the case of the reasons of India being inferior to other countries is endless, so are the reasons of we not contributing enough to make the place a better place to live in!!!!

If all of us realize our responsibilities, we can make a difference for sure. We need not be a president or a prime minister or a minister for helping the country grow. If all of us understand our responsibilities and work accordingly, v can change many of the bad things around us.

Actually, even if we understand the expectations from us as a son/daughter, a brother/sister or a friend or any relation for that matter, and try to play the role well, v can have a better relation. Its said that “ if u love someone, say I love u, be it a friend, ur parents or whoever for that matter”. But just telling someone that they are ur best friends isn’t enough. Well… “actions speaks louder than words”. isn’t it?... Hope u got wot I wanted to tell…

Hey, we guys work hard at office rt? In our professional lives, v have our set of roles n objectives defined and ve have to work to achieve it. At the end of 6 months or so, our performance is measured and v get the appraisal accordingly. Because of this, v work hard to achieve our goals.

In our personal lives, no one sets any such objectives. But does that mean that we wont work to achieve our implicitly defined roles??? Does everything needs to be told to us explicitly?? Cant v, own our own, understand our roles and responsibilities as a son/daughter, as a family member, a friend, an employee, as a citizen and work accordingly. If all of us understand this and act accordingly, I am sure that the world will be a better place to live in…

Each one of us has the capability to make that small beginning which will end up making a big difference…

Moving Thoughts...

Hey guys...What do u do when u sit alone and have nothing to do? Probably u will try to pass ur time doing something that u like.. ie. ur hobbies probably.. wot if u r not in a mood to do that either???
Probably u too will do the most easiest thing.. ie.. think… Obviously I cannot tell wot exactly one will think. Actually, I happened to ask this stupid ques to one of my friends and he answered “ well.. that depends on wot m thinking about “… :)

As Yudhishtar had very correctly said, “The fastest thing on this earth is nothing but ur thoughts…”

Ever wondered how v connect things wen v think n hop from one thought to the other with in a fraction of a second???.. V might be in Switzerland this moment n at home, in our cozy rooms in the next …
Here I have just tried to capture some of my moving thoughts…

NB: Shall just bullet the thoughts to demarcate them and for the easy understanding of the reader that I have actually jumped from one thought to the other… In some of the thoughts, I might have reached at a conclusion n some will be left as a question for u to answer, as I haven’t been able to find an answer myself.. Probably, ur views might help me find the answer m looking for...Obviously, u can tell ur views even about the thoughts I have concluded upon.. ur views may vary or u may agree with me .. depends on how u feel about it.. So lemme start now.. :)

a) I saw a book yesterday that said “Speeches... that changed the World”… But do u think that a speech can influence everyone equally???
Had met one of my big bosses a few days back and he was trying to encourage us n inspire us by telling some stories about the difference between the two different forms of carbon: the graphite n the diamond.
The way he spoke was influencial… But it didn’t have the same effect on everyone.. Some reacted by telling “kya pakata hei”.. some said “ wen u r in a mood to listen to bedtime stories, u shud go to him”..
But, I doubt, if anyone actually tried to grasp wot he was trying to convey us… m not saying that I understood it all, I cud make out a few things that were within my reach.
Yes, that’s the point… U actually understand how much u want to and is based on ur level of knowledge about the topic...And also obviously on ur willingness, and the state of your mind..
In case u r wondering wot made me think about this, wud like to tell that it was again, as always, coz of a friend of mine..
About my last blog, he commented by telling that all my sketches are very close to “emotions”..
Well.. if u think deeply, they are. If u probably think in a different way, theya aren't. Its all about the way u look at it.. Telling frankly, I had not looked at them with that angle but I was appreciated for a thing which even I never knew it reflected :)..
Just look at the painting below n tell me wot u feel it talks about… Probably if all of u tell ur views, v can appreciate the capablility of the human mind... Ur views reflect ur nature and ur circumstances.. ( As does the CRBT tone that u set for ur phone :)... he he he wondering y such an unrelated comparison?? actually had read an article in the paper that says that the CRBT tone u set for ur mobile actually speaks a lot about u, ur likes n dislikes n ur nature. True indeed !!!)...
Anyways, dont forget to tell me the meaning of the painting below, that u feel, is...

I guess… It is wot u think that u can c, not wot u c..

b) Guys, next thought is not exactly philosophical... Its more of a concern than anything else…
During a celebration, v were just enjoying ourselves... One volunteer came up with an idea that v play antakshari. All agreed. She asked us to split into two groups. I felt pity on the way v think still, wen she told the names for the groups that she had come up with. She told “one team will be called south n the other north. So split urselves accordingly”... In case u have not understood already, she was telling that the ppl belonging to south India to form a group n those from north, to form another one... Wasn’t that a very narrow minded idea coming from very educated ppl like us???
No one had any problem with those names n hence no one objected. Well... neither did I. But I feel proud to say that I chose to be a member of the team “NORTH”... Not that m ashamed to say that i belong to south. I wud have chosen the team “SOUTH” in case I was actually a north Indian…
Well... aren’t v all Indians first and then a Mallu or a Marathi or a Kannadiga???

c) Recently I got a forward called “a piece of cake”… The message it gave was : “Wen v ask ourselves why does he make us go thru all the difficult times, v don’t realize that what/ where these events may bring us. Only he knows and he wont let us fall. V don’t need to settle for the raw ingredients, trust in him and c something fantastic happening”…
Obviously, it is a positive message which probably conveys that : “believe in god.. all that happens, is his way of making u strong and he has plans for u.. a future much brighter than wot u ask for”.. A positive thought indeed...
Even wen v console our friends or near ones, v say that “dont worry...all that happens, happens for gud, god must have kept something better for u”... I am not a nastik but is it actually true?????
I do wonder many a times if “all that happens,ACTUALLY happens for good”…

d) Hey ppl, u do agree with me rt that v talk to ourselves?.. I guess, everyone does that. Obviously v dont talk aloud to ourselves but inside us, v do. Well, m not asking or talking about the scientific explanation as to y it happens or wot exactly it is :)… Hey, that’s actually another thing I can think upon I guess…
Well, lemme continue with wot I had intended to write…
Which language do u use wen u talk to urself???? Thinking????
Some might actually talk in their mother tongue, some in Hindi or English or any other language…
I guess, it’s the language that v are most comfortable with, that v use wen v talk within us…
But, in my case, it actually keeps changing. Wen I was young ( oops I still AM!!! :) ), so lemme put it as, wen I was younger, I used to talk in Hindi. ie.. during my school days. Later when I went to college, I guess I used to use my mother tongue as well. Wen I started working, it was a mixture of Hindi and English and now its more of English.
Well.. its not that my proficiency in those languages has fluctuated during these years. It was probably the influence of the place I was staying in. Since during school, it was mostly North Indians who where around me. Even others, used to communicate in Hindi itself. Since my college was in Kerala, and mostly my friends used to talk in Malayalam, and I guess that proves the ingress of that language in my thoughts…Now, since here most ppl use English, probably that’s y I too think mostly in English…
I wonder if this funda of fluctuation holds good as a general principle for others as well…or is it that I change too fast according to the surroundings???

e) This topic about language reminds me of another incident that happened… A friend of mine who is a mallu too, used to talk to me in Hindi. Another mallu happened to notice this and commented to my friend saying “ kyo dikhava kar rahi ho, mallu se Malayalam mein nahi baat kar sakti???"
Now that friend of mine deliberately tries to talk to me in Malayalam. Which I find a lil odd…
Well.. v were comfortable that way, why did the other girl have a problem??
It had nothing to do with her. She was nowhere related to it either. Neither did it used to harm her nor help her in any way.. Then y did she have to pass that comment. And y did my friend change her ways coz of a comment which shudnt have actually mattered to her???
Why cant v live our lives the way v want to, the way v feel like??? Why do v have to think what others feel about it even if the matter has, actually, nothing to do with them????
This is one thing that hurts me a lot… y do the decisions of my life , no matter how small or big, depend on even those ppl who don’t matter to me in anyway, who are not related to me in any way …and to whom I don’t mean anything either…also who probably wont come forward to help me if m in need …

Well.. I guess I have again ended up writing another too long a post to be of interest to others.. So I shall just wind off here keeping the rest of my moving ( and wild to some) thoughts for Moving thoughts – Part II… :)

The Art of Sketching

After u guys finish reading or rather, being more precise.. finish seeing this post, m sure that u ppl will complain that the caption is misleading. Y m saying so is that, if u probably search in any search engine with this caption, wot u r gonna get is "many sites n books" talking about the do's and dont's of sketching or maybe some guides to learn "how to sketch"..

In no way, is this post going to be a guide to any of those rules ( he he he the major reason for that is that "m not aware of any of those" :).. ).

Well..This post will have some of my sketches that i like ( which, probably many of u have already seen) and most of them will have a description as to y they are special to me..

So... here it goes .. :)

Those experienced hands..

Eyes...

These are two of my sketches which i like a lot for no other reason but that " they were different"..wen i looked at the original pics, it catched my attention as they looked very simple but still had so much meaning n so many feelings in them..Wondering y i said "the original pic"?.. hmm the reason is that i completely lack imagination in case of sketching :( . If u ask me to c something n draw, i will do that pretty well. But if u ask me to imagine something n then draw.. m sure that the output wont be appreciated :(..
Well.. coming back to the reasons, another very obvious reason is that, they came out as wot i wanted them to :) .. When i showed these two sketches to one of my friends, he told one ambiguity in each. Hmm.. so heres a game for u guys... can u spot the error?????? Oops.. i guess i shudnt have asked u to spot the error.. u know y??? Recently, I asked my cousin brother to tell me one similarity between me n him. He thought for a while n then said " v both work for the same company". Well, that was obviously a similarity but was not wot i was looking for. So he tried again. He said " v both belong to the same family". Wen given another chance, he told " v both are the youngest one at home". He actually came up with many such similarities that v had but not wot exactly i had in mind :(
Getting wot m trying to tell???? I mean to say that.. if i ask u guys to find the fault, probably u ppl will have a look at the sketches as a critic n will come up with many errors which may or maynot have the one that m talking about and i wont obviously feel good to hear about faults in my sketch :( . So guys, leave the game aside n lets move ahead with some other sketches... :)

Grandpa n kiddie :)

This is one of my sketches that tops my fav list. Nothing great about it probably but its very close to my heart. Actually one day i was very upset about something n was feeling very low. I didnt want to sit in a corner n brood. So i just took my pencils n started sketching. It took me probably an hour or so but wen I was done with it, I realised that in that one hour, I had not thought about the thing that had spoiled my mood even once. I was actually amazed coz if I go low, it actually takes me a long time to come out of it. Probably, that is wot a hobby is supposed to be.. something which u enjoy doing n which can take u to another world .. away from the things that hurt u..

Small Girl..

I like this sketch for the very simple reason that " I found it cute :)". When I sent this sketch to some of my friends and asked them as to "which word will u use to describe this pic?", many told "Black" .. Plssssssssssss dont ask me why Black ok!!!! ;)

Lady.. NB: No description for this..

Software Professional's life is... The speciality of this sketch is that "this was the only sketch for which i have ever got a prize"..
Actually that prize was the result of a united effort by me n one sweet friend of mine who gave me the idea... Thanks again dear friend :)..

Hmm.. that brings me to the end of this post.. Know wot guys??? If u ppl have read my post "the power of caption", then I had mentioned in that, that I had attended a lecture by Kalyan Varma about Wildlife Photography. He showed us a slideshow of his photographs and proudly told us the story behind each. Actually, when I was talking about my sketches, I got that same proud feeling that he wud have got at that time :)...

Actaully, I had uploaded many of my sketches in Orkut but one person in my friend's list told that I was doing "self advertising" :(... I wasnt completely deterred but that did make me think.. Had wanted to post my sketches in my blogsite long back, but maybe, that statement was holding me back. But guys, dont u think that v shud do wot v want????.. n not bother too much about wot others tell??? After all "It's my Life" yaar.. and i have got this opportunity to live only once.. If I dont do wot I feel like, then probably.. that wont be the real me!!!!

My New Year Celebrations...

Long back, when dad was in service, the beginning of a new yr used to be marked by a formal party in the Officer’s mess with all the other families in the colony. It used to be fun but somehow was more of a formal thing.. V used to have some games n dance n then the dinner..
Then dad retired n v landed back to our home town where 31st dec. is not a special day. It comes n goes like any other day.
If I was at home (was staying in College Hostel at that time which is in another far away district of Kerala), me n mom wud watch the “special New Year programs” on TV till 12, then wish each other and sleep. Dad being very particular about his daily routine, wud sleep on time. If bhaiya, didi n jeeju were at home, v wud all exchange some cards n gifts and then sleep off..

After finishing my college, I landed in Mumbai for my first job.. Got the company accommodation in a place called Lodhiwali which probably cannot be called as a part of Mumbai. It was a self sufficient colony in a secluded place far away from the madding crowd. It had everything in it, a small mall (where v used to go every Sunday for our so called weekly purchase, had our iron wala, a tailor n a small bakery. At times when v used to get late for the bus, had to run till this place to catch it :) ), a nice football ground (which was multipurpose.ie. at times it used to transform into our holi ground during holi, it’s stairs which used to transform into the place of our “adda” every evening after the tiring office hrs) , a mess where v all used to have our breakfast n dinner, an indoor badminton court n a gym, a school n wot not..Yup, n not to forget.. it had a hospital canteen with a very friendly “anna". But most important thing, the colony had all my friends staying together in our small world called " the SECTOR E ":)…
Oops.. I guess m deviating from the topic.. Just was remembering the beautiful place n the times v had…
Yup, back to the topic now!!!

The kind of New Year Celebrations I had after that can be summarized as below :) :

31st Dec 2003 – 1st Jan 2004
Venue : Sector E, Lodhiwali, Pune Panvel Road :)
Ppl invited : All GETs
Plan : Games, Dance Masti, Camp Fire n yup.. Dinner
Wot I remember now about it : Lotsa dance masti, fun, dinner, photographs with the GET gang,
A special one with my Mota Bhai :).. Calls at 12 to home and to some other friends in Pune having fun in their own way.. followed by the Jammed network :).. n ya…. Antakshari with some who didn’t want to go n sleep though it was well past 12 or probably 1… Not to forget, few songs by a “MOTU uncle” who stayed near by which seemed to be never ending to me or probably, all of us ;)…

31st Dec 2004 - 1st Jan 2005
Venue : Gayatri Apartments, Koper Khairane + Pune next day
Ppl invited : Leftout ppl of the R-Gang who didn’t have any other plans :)
Plan : Oops.. nothing actually.. just a small get together with hmmmmmmmmm nothing planned :)
Wot I remember about it now : A party with my very sweet friends. Lil dance with even the worst dancers on the floor. No food till 12 :(, confusion about the restuarent to go for dinner. Yup, snaps of the dance masti, n at the restaurant. Decision on Jan 1st to go to Pune. Landing in Pune well before afternoon, n visit to almost all “Pune Friend’s” homes. Visit to Saras Bagh, lotsa photographs n very sweet memories…


31st Dec 2005 – 1st Jan 2006
Venue : Hotel Sadanand, Pune
Ppl invited : The R-Gang, their friends, their friend’s friends,their friend’s friend’s friends n not to forget..their family too :)
Plan : A party organized by the Hotel, which had a DJ nite + Dinner of course
Wot I remember about it now : A “New Year Bash” (as I term it as) where I met new ppl and got new friends. Lots n lotsa dance, discovered some grt dancers, masti n lotsa masti… People who v thought might need some encouragement to come on to the dance floor, just surprised us by their energy n their style :)...

31st Dec2006 – 1st Jan 2007
Venue : Chennai
Ppl invited : me, my cousins n an uncle
Plan : Dances n songs by professionals, Dinner
Wot I remember about it now : songs I cud not understand n enjoy :( , a fabulous fire works show at 12.. n yup... fun time with family :)

Well, wanted to hit a hatrick by celebrating the new yr in Pune this yr too but coz of many many reasons, cud not make it :(… This yr, it was good n I did have fun but somehow… somewhere… something was missing.. I guess it was the company of my very dear friends who because of sooooooooo many logical reasons are now scattered in different parts of the world (literally!!!)…Don’t know if all of u felt the same but me missed u guys n our parties a loooooooooooooooot this time…:(
Hoping that in the years to come, at least once v all will welcome the new year together the way v used to do…with obviously many additional ppl to the R-Gang ( I mean all u ppl’s life partners n yup the sweet "next generation R-gang" too.. I mean the kids :) )...

Friends

* Person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard.
* A person who gives assistance; patron; supporter:
* A person who is on good terms with another; a person who is not hostile
* A member of the same nation, party, etc
* A member of the Religious Society of Friends; a Quaker.

Well, this is what a dictionary defines a friend as.
Hmm… I disagree completely with what is stated in the last two sentence.
Anyways, forget what others define it as... I shall write wot friends mean to me...

Well, before that, just one question. Who is the first friend you guys made and are you in touch with him/her even now???
In my case, the first friend that I can think of, came into my life when I joined my school in the 1st std. He was my class mate and also a family friend. I knew no other language other than my mother tongue at that time. And the language used by my
Classmates in school was mostly Hindi (Don’t remember if English was ever used as a language for communication though it was supposed to be an English Medium School. English was always just a subject!!! ).
I still remember, I had once cried in the class during the Hindi period because of the miserable situation I was in as I could not understand what was happening around and was not able to talk to anyone either. My Hindi Sir (Ram Sir, My fav teacher :)...I know you all must have had your favorite teachers while in school...) consoled me telling not to worry and that I would pick up soon. Well, I did as he had said, thanks to him and my first friend :). That friend had been staying outside Kerala since birth so he didn’t know his mother tongue properly. So we had a mutual sharing and he taught me Hindi and I taught him Malayalam :).
There I learnt my first lesson of friendship that it’s all about helping each other and understanding each other.
Since he used to stay in the same colony as me, we used to be together after school hours as well while playing.
Since our dad’s jobs were transferable, we went ahead with our lives in different places and continued with our studies in our news schools.
Well, not in regular touch with him now but yes, since he happens to be a family friend too, so have a track as to what is happening in his life.

Have made many friends after that but don’t worry, m not going to list all of them… Anything that happens for the first time in your life remains special always rt.? Be it the first friend, first love or the first job. So just mentioned about my first friend, who still is dear to my heart :)

Well, will surely write what friends have been to me… Friend is …

* someone with whom I don’t have to think before talking

* someone who understands my mood from the way I say hello over the phone.. n if m upset, asks me “aye ashaaaaaaaaaaaaa… aap udas hein?”…

* someone who when upset, calls me up n says “ was feeling low, wanted to talk to someone so called u up”… or I wore the jacket u gave, so called u just like that…

* someone who takes out time for his friends no matter how busy or occupied he is

* someone who thinks that m still a kid and gives me advice for almost everything… I complain that M grown up now but somehow I like the way they care

* someone who feels more happy than me if I have a reason to celebrate…
When I got into my present company, that friend was happier than me :).
Well, this applies vice versa too… Recently one o my friends got into his dream company and I was more than happy for him :)

* someone who prays for me everyday n someone for whom I pray * one troop with whom I cud choreograph dance steps for any song for no particular occasion and no particular reason… those were my KT days…

* someone, when I was leaving Mumbai, asked me “ mera chotu jaa raha hei??? “.. sweet the sentence was… but not as sweet as the person who told it :)

* someone who threatens me that they wont talk to me if I don’t leave my bad habit of wasting food!!! Hmm.. yup, friends accept u the way u r but at the same time, correct u wen u go wrong…

*ppl with whom u go for long drives… ( hmm reminded of all those ride to the palm beach road… sitting near the so called lake and having a chat)… those good old days!!!

*The gang with whom I have had many memoral outings

*ppl with whom I have had lotsa memorable tea breaks in office…

*ppl of whom I am reminded of, when I listen to some song or see a movie… like RHTDM reminds me of someone, Veer Zaara and Kal Ho Na ho of someone else…. any guesses, who is this RHTDM fan???????

*Ppl who read my blog no matter how bad and still comment saying “I appreciate it” ;)… ( he he he even the ppl who criticize are welcome, pls don’t get me wrong here… was just referring to one sweet friend of mine)…

*ppl who give u the “obviously expected surprise” at midnight on your birthday with a cake and lotsa gifts… The usual way of your roommate switching off the lights telling she wants to sleep, then the door bell ringing at 12, and then rest of the gang entering with the cake and the lit candles singing “ happy birthday to uuuuuuuuuu”… Oops and the birthday bumps that follow… well, most of the girls used to escape this but me being light weight was always a pray of “ ek aadmi per pakdo , doosra haath pakdo and swinging in the air :(… fun it used to be but….

* Someone who replies to each and every mail of mine with a reply to each and every line :)

* Someone who mails me and tells that “ I always care for u and though u r elder (He HEE :)) I always treat u like a younger sister only”

* Ppl because of whose call, I used to get scolding from mom telling “agar ghar pe aake bhi doston se hi baat karni thi to ghar kyo aayi???”… hmm thanks to the free cell the company had given and the free roaming facility ;)

I got a forward recently about wot celebration means. Heres my version of it:
Celebration Means......

U passing out of college / School
Lose contact with almost all
Get a call from one of the sweet friends after an yr
And u realize that u still have the same comfort feeling with that person…

One normal evening,
Four friends,
Hot cup of tea (made by me or anyone of them),
Hot “friend made” poha as snacks …

Two roommates
Bottle of olive oil
Head massage
Heart to heart talk

Plan to go for lunch
And a lil drive
End up reaching the Amby Valley
Sitting under moonlight and chatting

One early morning walk
Friends meeting in the (lodhivali) mess for tea
End up planning for a trip to shirdi the same evening
And it materializes!!

A dance party organized at a friends flat
Lotsa masti
Moonlight dinner on the terrace

Cooking together in the kitchen
Me fainting
Roomie running to catch me
We laughing over the incident later on

Staying in guest house away from the rest of the gang
Finding a like minded girl there
Changing the old gloomy place into a lively girls hostel kinna atmosphere

Me going home
A friend coming to drop me
Waiting in the station for the train
Chatting endlessly till it comes
And a sweet goodbye though leaving just for a week

Someones birthday
Dinner in golden Punjab or Chenab or wherever
Clicking photographs

Well… if I go on listing like this, it will become endless I guess… but the punchline still remains the same…
" To celebrate all you have to do is spend your Time with your loved ones."

Hey ppl, would like to tell you guys, that the “best times of my life are the times I spent with u all”…
I cherish every single moment with u all…

Would like to tell each one of u today that…

You are one of life's PRECIOUS finds,
You are all the things
I could wish for a friend.
And i think to myself
just how lucky I am
to have u in my life...

You all will always be special To Me...

The Auto Strike

For me, the week days usually starts with my friend waking me up. Then me rushing to get ready for the office, walking till the bus stop, bus journey till the Electronic city entrance (which without traffic should not be more than 10 mins but the bad traffic stretches it to anywhere between 20-30 mins), then a ride in the shared auto from the EC entrance till the office. This shared auto is usually packed with around six passengers (I actually mean 6 passengers and including the driver makes it a total of 7 ppl in one rickshaw) for which the auto driver used to charge Rs. 5/- per head. If you take an auto separately, you will have to pay Rs. 20/- which actually if you see the meter, should not be anything more than the minimum. Since, it is outside the city limits, so the drivers make their own rules and their own fares. Well, life was going pretty smooth as I too had accepted these rules.
The scene at the auto stand is usually very systematic. All autos will be in a queue. Six passengers will squeeze into one rickshaw, it will move ahead, the other auto in the queue will come forward, it will get filled and the queue moves on.
One morning, I found some confusion among the passengers at the stand and not the usual systematic flow. People were reluctant in getting into the auto. Was wondering what had gone wrong. Well, came to know later that someone had complained against the auto drivers for packing the autos with six passengers. So the police had commanded them not to take more than three ppl in an auto. Well, I thought that was a proper thing to do. But, obviously that meant a loss for the drivers of Rs. 15/- per ride. And it was pretty obvious that they wont take it so easily. So, they found another way out and increased their fare from Rs 5/- to Rs. 10/- per head. I too was reluctant to get into the auto hearing the rise in the fare. Well, but had no other option as had to reach the office on time. I paid the fare but decided to complain to the police against the hike.
But due to some reasons, couldn’t go to the police station that day.
In the evening while coming back, I found that again the drivers were taking 6 ppl in one auto and the fare was again reduced to the usual 5 bucks. May be someone had done what I had intended to but did not ie. had may be lodged a complaint. Well, not sure about the reason of the change but, ya I was comfortable that way so didn’t bother to enquire either.
Well, today morning, when I had just started to the office, a friend called up and told that the autos were on strike and that she was walking down to the office from the EC entrance which will probably take around half an hour. I had to make some arrangement for myself, so called up a friend and asked to pick me up.
Though reluctant initially, but he agreed. That made me realize that may be I was asking too much of a favor. So decided not to pester him and find some alternative.
Reached the EC entrance to find many software engineers working in the many IT companies in EC waiting there for some bus to come. After a wait of may be 10 mins, a local miny bus came and ppl ran and got into the bus. Well, the rickshaw drivers had a problem with this. So they went and quarreled with the bus driver and made everyone get down. This was too much to take. I searched for the police standing there and complained to him (can read it as “fought with him”) telling that the auto drivers didn’t have the right to stop other buses. And that it was the duty of the police to stop them from doing so. Well, as expected, he had nothing much to say and was taking the auto drivers side. Have no clue how much he was paid by the drivers for being their “friend”.
Well, I had to get to the office so had to think of something to be done.
So thought of calling up the transport in charge of my company. On calling him, before I could narrate the whole story, he told that the company has arranged for a bus. I thanked him and kept the phone down.
After a wait of another 5-10 mins, a bus came. I couldn’t recognize it as my company bus but just thought it might be.
People started getting into it. But as soon as they entered, the driver asked them for money. I was horrified and was wondering how could my company think of making money even in such a situation.
I called up the transport incharge again to ask about the same. He told that, that was not my company bus and that it was just on its way. It reached in another five mins and I reached my office, though little late, thanks to the auto strike.
On reaching, the first thing I did was send a “thank you mail” to the transport incharge for making the alternate arrangement and also for attending all the calls and responding well. Though it was doing his duty, but I felt it was necessary to appreciate it as he had done that very well.

Have seen movies depicting the police as corrupt but saw it today… I wonder how one can trust them and with what hope a normal citizen will approach the police…
Well, have no clue what will be the result of the strike and how long it will continue?
Just hoping that the goverment and the auto drivers reach at some conclusion that is best for both the general public and the drivers too.

The Human Nature

Ever thought of this topic??? “The Human nature”…
Very vast one of course and cannot be covered in just one post. U can consider this as the first part and the rest of the parts may or may not follow depending on my mood :)...

Hmm so there comes a human nature… being moody…
I have met many ppl in my life and all have different different nature. No two person I have met who have same nature. May be similar, but never the same.
Well, God would have done a lot of hard work to create so much of variety…

Well, I have many friends. Some are happy go lucky kinds who don’t get worried about anything, and some who take everything seriously. Some who are always ready to do just anything for others , and some who are very much self oriented or selfish, whichever way u like to call it. Some are not at all moody, some are. Some are confident, and some lack it very much. Some have a positive outlook towards life, some see only the negative aspect of life. Some like to have a smile on their face always, some prefer to have a grim expression. Well, the list doesn’t end here, but I better not make it an unending list… Hmm you can read an “etc” after the list. (A very intelligent word it is: etc. It makes people believe that you actually know more than what you have stated ;) ).

Add 10 points for yourself, if u have a nature that comes before the comma in the above list. (eg. In the sentence: Some like to have a smile on their face always, some prefer to have a grim expression….if u fall in the "like to have a smile on their face always category", add on 10)
and if your total adds up to 40 or above, you are a good human being…
he he he obviously, I am kidding.

Well jokes apart, there exist some strange kinna ppl on this earth who cannot see anything/ anyone other than themselves. These kinna ppl are called the selfish kinds. Which ever circumstance they face, they somehow tend to think as to “how is it going to affect me?” they never think “if I do it this way, will it help others”. Well, not many ppl think in the later way. Its very difficult to be selfless but I guess it wont be that difficult to think in this way “It should affect me positively and should not hurt others too at the same time”.

Recently met a kind who have a problem accepting their faults. Is it that difficult to accept your fault if u know that you are actually wrong. They somehow analyze everyone else on this world other than themselves and point out other's mistakes but somehow never see the mistakes they themselves make. And even if someone points it to them, they have a problem accepting it. They prefer to ignore it rather than accept the same. Well, if you ever have a problem with someone and you realize at some point of time that you are wrong, then accept it. Say sorry, and of course “mean it”!. Believe me, it doesn’t hurt at all. The other person will only appreciate your gesture.

Hmm, another category, and a very interesting one: the “Mr./Ms. Know it all” kinds.
Well, these people seem to know about just anything and everything under the sky. And will have a view about just everything and seem to have experienced and faced every possible situation. Hmm, they also feel that they are “Mr./Ms perfect” :)

Some are mature to the core. And some at the same time are just too immature.
Have met ppl who are just too mature for their age. They think everything in a very logical manner. They know: what to do, when to do and how to do. They, actually can, face just any situation.

Have a friend who faces life very coolly. And u know? He never had to struggle for anything so far, as far as I know. He has got all that he wanted and never had to ask for it.
Probably, if you think positive, you will get positive results. And vice versa.

Will u believe it? A friend of mine was asked to go as an external examiner in his college after 5 yrs of passing out and he accepted it without thinking twice. Well, it’s not that easy to judge a student if you yourself are not thorough with the subject. And it’s only very natural to forget what you studied 5 yrs back. Well, what he showed was confidence in himself and also it proves his memory and intelligence too.
Ever wondered why we forget what we studied in our previous year’s classes but somehow tend to be able to recollect the lines of a song that, may be, you would have last sung 10-11 yrs back???
Hey, will tell you a funny incident that happened to one of my friend during her college days. I know I am deviating from the topic, but I don’t mind it :).
Well, she realized the fact stated above and hence decided to make use of it in a positive way. What she did was, she replaced the lyrics of one of her favorite songs with the formula that she had to memorize. It was fitting perfect with the tune of the song that she had selected. Well, the D day came, and luckily the same question came in the paper. She was very happy to see that question. But, fate had some other plans for her :(. She could recollect the song and the tune perfectly but could not recollect the lyrics that she had put in!!!! I guess, that’s life ;) ha ha ha

Well, coming back to the topic.

Another category is the “too good to be true” kinds.
This phrase is used for ppl who seem to be sooooo good that they cannot be true.
Hey, ever met a kind that is too good and true at the same time?
Well, I have. I actually know two ppl who fall under this category.
You wont believe it but, they think about others before thinking about themselves. They somehow don’t have any kind of jealousy, or any ego. They accept their faults graciously...
Well, I find myself lucky that they both are very good friends of mine :).

To be contd…

NB:

1)Hmm, now don’t ask me what kinna person I am :)

2) Hey ppl, there is one important thing that I would like to tell you all. Kindly donot misunderstand that I classify my friends. My friends may not be perfect, they may have negatives in them, but they are my friends and i simply love them just the way they are :). Must have heard rt, that "noone is perfect untill u fall in love with them":)...

3) Also, want to tell that when I have made a conclusion about someone's nature, I have done that after analysing them well and knowing them well enough for a long enough duration as making a conclusion about a person by meeting him/her only once or twice would be a wrong thing to do. You will, most of the times, reach a wrong conclusion in that case as the mood or reaction of a person are mostly influenced by the situation n circumstances too.