So like (at least) the last 3 years, this year too I watched the sun rise.
Though I must admit it was VERY cold and swinging on the swing (even very slowly) was a stupid thing to do in such a situation. Yes I did go back to my room and searched for my sweater (which is something super rare in my cupboard which is why I own only 1 - I mean who wears a sweater in Mumbai unless you like ride a bike at 6 AM regularly or something). But I had no luck. So I went back out with my bed-sheet (stupid again because I shouldn't have bothered - its so thin anyways) and not my blanket because my blanket would have either go dirty on the swing or if it go dragged on the terrace floor (which is super dusty except for about 5 mins after the maid cleans it). It's a blanket and not a shawl you can fold around yourself and walk about.
Anyway this year wasn't so impressive. Even leaving aside the cold. The night didn't turn to day in a beautifully dramatic fashion. Instead the sky was shades of oranges and blacks and then just light blue. No moon. No morning star. Nothing :(
Also I could finally see the sun at only 7:30. I think I was a little foolish of going out at 6:45 (especially after knowing that the sun would rise at 7:11 [according to some website]). But I guess hope is always good. And honestly I was sort of sleepy. It was after all the most 'hectic' New Years Eve.
Like every year there were interesting observations this year too.
The horizon was orange and there are lots of under construction buildings around. Seeing those building and all the cranes around them was quite eerie. I don't know why but it was. Maybe childhood ghost stories about haunted places and the 'not yet light' bit.
But of course made me think about what this city is becoming. I remember when it was rare to see building over 5-6 stories (with exceptions like maker towers and usha kiran and the likes). Now it's rare to see building that are being built with only 5-6 floors. Like some smart person told me 'when there is no more land left to build building on, the only way you can go is up'.
For me my sky line is changing. And nothing proves that more than the fact that before when the sun used to rise on Jan 1st I could see it at the horizon. Today I have to wait for it to rise above a building :(
I know lots of people would wonder what the big deal is with that but when you grow up believing certain things should be a certain way, it's difficult to accept things that change that set notion.
I saw these 2 people (elderly) walking on their building terrace across the lane. For them this looked like just another morning. 1st of January meant nothing. They were up there at 6:30-7:00 AM as they are everyday (assuming they are seeing as how the walk looked like a routine). I always wonder about those people for whom the day is just like any other (like the dhobis who are at their routine every year - this year I didn't hear them though). For most of them I am sure it is not a choice but part of their livelihood. The other people who don't seem to care are older people. I guess for them it's just that all this 'celebration' seems like a youngsters thing or that they celebrate their New Year on another day in other ways.
This year I felt that the birds were extra loud. But of course that isn't the case. The birds are as loud as they are at any point in time. It's just that the surrounding is so quiet that they seem loud. Only after did I hear the train whistle did the point come to me. Now we rarely hear a train whistle except very late in the night or very early in the morning or on a very quiet afternoon. Just goes to show how things 'are' so different under different circumstances.
I thought about how uneventful 2008 seemed but how quickly it seemed to have passed. I also thought about 2009 and realized that it either might be the most uneventful year (in recent times i.e. the last 6-7 years) or the most interesting. This is going to be my year in more ways than 1. Or at least the first 6 months.
One of my resolution for the year is to be better prepared for 1st Jan 2010. Warm clothes and warm coffee to keep the cold and sleep away. Also maybe next year I will try to go to the building terrace and see if I can catch the sun at the horizon. Will also take pictures maybe. Hopefully I will end up buying a new camera this year. Not that I don't like my current one, but it's not the best thing around to capture unforgettable moments.
Here's wishing everyone a brilliant 2009.
Thursday, January 08, 2009
Thursday, January 01, 2009
Waiting for the sun to rise...
Here I am at 5:11 AM, not wide awake but not half asleep either...waiting for the sun to rise.
For some reason I always watch the 1st sunrise of the New Year. And since I am not the kind of person who would wake up (and stay up after having slept properly) to watch night turn into day, I always end up staying up till 7 AM or so.
This year sunrise is going to happen at 7:11 AM but obviously it will get light by 6:30-6:45 AM or so, which makes it better because I have a little over an hour to waste away.
Last year I wrote down in the early dawn why it was that I though I have made this a ritual. I sounded very lame with the whole 'new day new beginning' rubbish. Honestly I don't think it's symbolic because I don't need this symbolism in my life. Accept and move on is something I tell myself to do all the time.
I think there are 2 other reasons I do this every year -
1) When I first started doing this I think it was as a sign of rebellion. You know someone staying up till 7 AM to do something like wait for daybreak is not something that my parents really understand. I think the first few times I told them I wanted to do this (back then maybe the symbolism was needed) they would tell me to shut up and go to sleep. I honestly don't know how many times I have done this but I remember 3 in the past distinctly with 2 happening the last 2 years. It's a great feeling to actually do something you want to do, which people don't think you should bother doing.
2) I rarely see a sunrise. When I was in school once in a while I would catch one either because I was studying too late or waking up too early to study or to go for sports day or to attend some extra tuition etc. Now it's not important to see a sunrise. Not important at all but I like it. I like how night turns to day. I love watching the moon in the early morning. I love the different shades of blue the sky turns in the span of a few minutes. The chill of the early hours. I love 'feeling' life come alive around me - the birds chirping, the sounds of the dhobis washing clothes somewhere, a few people venturing out for their morning walk. The last star fading. I guess I love the idea of watching such rapid (beautiful) change happening. Since on New Years, I am up till at least 3 AM usually, it firstly becomes a lot easier to stay up and secondly if I watch the sunrise on the 1st of January itself, I fill I have finished a task I was suppose to compete at least once in the year.
Wow enough of rambling. It's 5:23 AM. The net sucks, I have a stand-by CPU which doesn't even have MS office forget my documents, music, videos etc. So every minute just seems very long. I do have the CD 'Rock On' (which I haven't seen as yet) but I will have to go to the hall and unlock the doors and turn everything on etc and I am too lazy.
Well anyway don't know what I will do for the next hour but I am sure I won't sleep before 7:15. No way am I going to stay up this late and miss the sunrise.
Happy 2009 :D
For some reason I always watch the 1st sunrise of the New Year. And since I am not the kind of person who would wake up (and stay up after having slept properly) to watch night turn into day, I always end up staying up till 7 AM or so.
This year sunrise is going to happen at 7:11 AM but obviously it will get light by 6:30-6:45 AM or so, which makes it better because I have a little over an hour to waste away.
Last year I wrote down in the early dawn why it was that I though I have made this a ritual. I sounded very lame with the whole 'new day new beginning' rubbish. Honestly I don't think it's symbolic because I don't need this symbolism in my life. Accept and move on is something I tell myself to do all the time.
I think there are 2 other reasons I do this every year -
1) When I first started doing this I think it was as a sign of rebellion. You know someone staying up till 7 AM to do something like wait for daybreak is not something that my parents really understand. I think the first few times I told them I wanted to do this (back then maybe the symbolism was needed) they would tell me to shut up and go to sleep. I honestly don't know how many times I have done this but I remember 3 in the past distinctly with 2 happening the last 2 years. It's a great feeling to actually do something you want to do, which people don't think you should bother doing.
2) I rarely see a sunrise. When I was in school once in a while I would catch one either because I was studying too late or waking up too early to study or to go for sports day or to attend some extra tuition etc. Now it's not important to see a sunrise. Not important at all but I like it. I like how night turns to day. I love watching the moon in the early morning. I love the different shades of blue the sky turns in the span of a few minutes. The chill of the early hours. I love 'feeling' life come alive around me - the birds chirping, the sounds of the dhobis washing clothes somewhere, a few people venturing out for their morning walk. The last star fading. I guess I love the idea of watching such rapid (beautiful) change happening. Since on New Years, I am up till at least 3 AM usually, it firstly becomes a lot easier to stay up and secondly if I watch the sunrise on the 1st of January itself, I fill I have finished a task I was suppose to compete at least once in the year.
Wow enough of rambling. It's 5:23 AM. The net sucks, I have a stand-by CPU which doesn't even have MS office forget my documents, music, videos etc. So every minute just seems very long. I do have the CD 'Rock On' (which I haven't seen as yet) but I will have to go to the hall and unlock the doors and turn everything on etc and I am too lazy.
Well anyway don't know what I will do for the next hour but I am sure I won't sleep before 7:15. No way am I going to stay up this late and miss the sunrise.
Happy 2009 :D
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Can't believe 2008 is over (just a few more hours to go)...
I don't know. The year just seemed to fly by. Been a mixed year for me. Over all its not the kind of high I felt on 31st December 2007.
Lots has happened this year too -
1) I quit my job (and waiting to be 'self'-unemployed)
2) I decided I was going to learn things that always fascinated me as a kid (started a little origami, juggling and beat boxing)
3) Joined a web design class (finally) - even though I am not looking for a career change or won't be super good at design.
4) A bunch of friends moved out of the city :(
5) The Goa off-site was brilliant. Like every offsite training this one was such a great learning experience. Learned new things about people, situations and myself. Many thanks to the company I work at.
6) The best part of the year has to be the creation of 'Deepali Naka'. Many thanks to Raamesh, team Junoon and Bala.
7) Became friends with a lot of new people and friendlier with a lot of people I was always friends with. Also this year I found a lot of dislike towards some people - which isn't typical of me but I am not ashamed for being hateful towards some.
8) Got my own domain :D
9) The economic crisis and the terror attack were the strongest reasons for this year ending on the most terrible note possible.
10) Diwali was shockingly quiet this year. It was quite upsetting.
11) Figure that nearly everyone wants to get me drunk. Haha that's something everyone will have to wait for for a very long time if they can manage at all.
12) Went up north. Saw the Taj. Lived in Mathura for a few days. Had the TV on all the time (9xm or whatever that music channel is) in the hotel room.
13) Put on more weight :( thanks to sitting at home the last 2 months.
14) Was real sad that Michael Crichton passed away. I wish he has some 15 unpublishes novels stacked away which they will publish in the coming years :(
15) Learned a little cooking :) It's not at all difficult and I am not at all bad at it. Of course it isn't something that I would do everyday.
16) Parted like hell in Feb-March and hated every minute of it.
17) Died of the cold weather in Jan-Feb. Realized I don't like the cold at all.
18) Had to start taking Calcium daily because apparently I had a deficiency and don't take enough milk or milk products. Got terrible aches and pain in the first have of the year. Scared the hell out of me. But it's all good now.
19) Cleared MCom with a 1st class :)
20) Visited Essel World (maybe after nearly 2 decades :)) It was great fun.
21) Had the craziesttttt laugh sessions at work - Sumita in the bus, Skin Aging Cream and Meeting Khatam Ho Gaya for example.
22) Haha got quite used to the Facebook re-design but I still don't click any ads.
23) Found LiveScience.com. Totally love it.
24) Got killer ear pain (for the first time in my life) and took anti-biotics (again for the first time in my life) to cure the ear problem. [I suspect is it still not totally gone].
25) Chatted with Zoom after agessssss :)
26) Realized that I am better at learning things when the learning is in an Audio-Visual format.
27) Had a cavity this year :(
28) Figured out that my sleep cycle is dependant on me and I am not dependent on my sleep cycle. Managed a 12-8 AM sleep cycle for over 2 weeks (which I thought was impossible).
Well I am sure a lot more things happened but can't remember anything more. This is a nice long enough list though.
See you in 2009.
Lots has happened this year too -
1) I quit my job (and waiting to be 'self'-unemployed)
2) I decided I was going to learn things that always fascinated me as a kid (started a little origami, juggling and beat boxing)
3) Joined a web design class (finally) - even though I am not looking for a career change or won't be super good at design.
4) A bunch of friends moved out of the city :(
5) The Goa off-site was brilliant. Like every offsite training this one was such a great learning experience. Learned new things about people, situations and myself. Many thanks to the company I work at.
6) The best part of the year has to be the creation of 'Deepali Naka'. Many thanks to Raamesh, team Junoon and Bala.
7) Became friends with a lot of new people and friendlier with a lot of people I was always friends with. Also this year I found a lot of dislike towards some people - which isn't typical of me but I am not ashamed for being hateful towards some.
8) Got my own domain :D
9) The economic crisis and the terror attack were the strongest reasons for this year ending on the most terrible note possible.
10) Diwali was shockingly quiet this year. It was quite upsetting.
11) Figure that nearly everyone wants to get me drunk. Haha that's something everyone will have to wait for for a very long time if they can manage at all.
12) Went up north. Saw the Taj. Lived in Mathura for a few days. Had the TV on all the time (9xm or whatever that music channel is) in the hotel room.
13) Put on more weight :( thanks to sitting at home the last 2 months.
14) Was real sad that Michael Crichton passed away. I wish he has some 15 unpublishes novels stacked away which they will publish in the coming years :(
15) Learned a little cooking :) It's not at all difficult and I am not at all bad at it. Of course it isn't something that I would do everyday.
16) Parted like hell in Feb-March and hated every minute of it.
17) Died of the cold weather in Jan-Feb. Realized I don't like the cold at all.
18) Had to start taking Calcium daily because apparently I had a deficiency and don't take enough milk or milk products. Got terrible aches and pain in the first have of the year. Scared the hell out of me. But it's all good now.
19) Cleared MCom with a 1st class :)
20) Visited Essel World (maybe after nearly 2 decades :)) It was great fun.
21) Had the craziesttttt laugh sessions at work - Sumita in the bus, Skin Aging Cream and Meeting Khatam Ho Gaya for example.
22) Haha got quite used to the Facebook re-design but I still don't click any ads.
23) Found LiveScience.com. Totally love it.
24) Got killer ear pain (for the first time in my life) and took anti-biotics (again for the first time in my life) to cure the ear problem. [I suspect is it still not totally gone].
25) Chatted with Zoom after agessssss :)
26) Realized that I am better at learning things when the learning is in an Audio-Visual format.
27) Had a cavity this year :(
28) Figured out that my sleep cycle is dependant on me and I am not dependent on my sleep cycle. Managed a 12-8 AM sleep cycle for over 2 weeks (which I thought was impossible).
Well I am sure a lot more things happened but can't remember anything more. This is a nice long enough list though.
See you in 2009.
Seene mein jalti hai armano ki arthi...
Can't believe how many people pinged me about this nick. Most people wondering how I managed this much of Hindi hehe. To all those people I speak decent MUMBAI Hindi. Nothing wrong with my Hindi except maybe the pronunciation of a few words.
It's a line from a song (Emotional Atyachar) from Dev D.
My post about the song - http://itsallaboutmynicks.blogspot.com/2008/12/emotional-atyachar.html
[Can't believe how many people don't like this song]
It's a line from a song (Emotional Atyachar) from Dev D.
My post about the song - http://itsallaboutmynicks.blogspot.com/2008/12/emotional-atyachar.html
[Can't believe how many people don't like this song]
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Kids today...
Seriously man I can't believe it.
Am chatting with my 11 year old cousin. It's crazy and hilarious.
Now firstly I must say my cousin is using his sisters laptop. I'm thinking whattttt no wayyyy. I don't have a laptop to use. Anyway moving on, when I was 11, I don't even remember using the phone in the house. Of course it is sort of complicated because there were many reasons for not using a phone back then at that age. Firstly Re.1 (I think that was the charge if not more) back then was a big deal for a phone call (or at least when you grow up in a frugal family). Secondly who do you call? School friends you meet 5 times a week? Thirdly what do you talk to them?
So anyway my point is the way kids live in todays modern techno-savvy world. Or at least the privaleged few do.
Anways the conversation quickly shifts to me not being able to go to their house for dinner tomorrow because I am going for a movie - Madagascar 2. My cousin pleads for me to take him. But I can't cause my tickets are already bought. So I promise him to take him for the next animated film that comes out. Well of course there is already another one running - Jumbo. So I tell him I'll take him for Jumbo. And he is all happy. So we figure when we should go and sort out a date. I tell him we will go to Sterling and he says he wants to go to Metro because at Sterling you don't get hot dogs. So I am like 'you want to watch the movie AND eat hot dogs (he said burger first and I said he could have a Subway instead but then he corrected himself and said hot dogs. Now I didn't know you get those at Metro [being veg and all] forget anywhere else).
So I start teaching the kid about what a rip-off Metro is (even though I end up there more often than not) and he is being a little stubborn about it and says that Metro is a good theatre. I assure him that Sterling is good also and that in Sterling he could watch 2 movies where as for the same price he could watch only 1 at Metro. He finally gives in and says he is only interested in the watching the movie.
So all set. I don't know how the kid managed to extract a movie outting with me but well all credit to him for it. Going to check reviews of Jumbo - heard it's not good. If that's the case I think I am going to end up watching Madagascar 2 twice.
Oh and I can't even beginnnnnnn to think about how much his sister is going to taunt me for never ever offering to take her for a movie. Damn family can be difficult.
I wanted to record the real time conversation but didn't save the chat :(
(damn it why doesn't everyone use Gtalk or why doesn't MSN save chats to hotmail accounts?)
So I am just going to copy paste some of the tweet I put up while I was chatting -
Am chatting with my 11 year old cousin. It's crazy and hilarious.
Now firstly I must say my cousin is using his sisters laptop. I'm thinking whattttt no wayyyy. I don't have a laptop to use. Anyway moving on, when I was 11, I don't even remember using the phone in the house. Of course it is sort of complicated because there were many reasons for not using a phone back then at that age. Firstly Re.1 (I think that was the charge if not more) back then was a big deal for a phone call (or at least when you grow up in a frugal family). Secondly who do you call? School friends you meet 5 times a week? Thirdly what do you talk to them?
So anyway my point is the way kids live in todays modern techno-savvy world. Or at least the privaleged few do.
Anways the conversation quickly shifts to me not being able to go to their house for dinner tomorrow because I am going for a movie - Madagascar 2. My cousin pleads for me to take him. But I can't cause my tickets are already bought. So I promise him to take him for the next animated film that comes out. Well of course there is already another one running - Jumbo. So I tell him I'll take him for Jumbo. And he is all happy. So we figure when we should go and sort out a date. I tell him we will go to Sterling and he says he wants to go to Metro because at Sterling you don't get hot dogs. So I am like 'you want to watch the movie AND eat hot dogs (he said burger first and I said he could have a Subway instead but then he corrected himself and said hot dogs. Now I didn't know you get those at Metro [being veg and all] forget anywhere else).
So I start teaching the kid about what a rip-off Metro is (even though I end up there more often than not) and he is being a little stubborn about it and says that Metro is a good theatre. I assure him that Sterling is good also and that in Sterling he could watch 2 movies where as for the same price he could watch only 1 at Metro. He finally gives in and says he is only interested in the watching the movie.
So all set. I don't know how the kid managed to extract a movie outting with me but well all credit to him for it. Going to check reviews of Jumbo - heard it's not good. If that's the case I think I am going to end up watching Madagascar 2 twice.
Oh and I can't even beginnnnnnn to think about how much his sister is going to taunt me for never ever offering to take her for a movie. Damn family can be difficult.
I wanted to record the real time conversation but didn't save the chat :(
(damn it why doesn't everyone use Gtalk or why doesn't MSN save chats to hotmail accounts?)
So I am just going to copy paste some of the tweet I put up while I was chatting -
my 11 yr old cousin is chatting with me using his sisters laptop.mannn how d world progresses...at that age we didnt even use d phone
haha my 11 yr old cousin is a darling on chat. goin 4 madagascar2 tomorrow & he says 'who u goin with?can i come?it will be a pleasure' lol
lol tckts alrdy bookd.tld hm ill take hm 4 d nxt animatd film tht cmes out.he says 'will do but nxt movie u will hav 2 tak me do not say no'
we settled on jumbo. shoot i hope its not damn stupid. anyone seen it already?
11 yr old cuz n myself r checkin our schedules 2 c when we can catch jumbo.this is d most ummm 'different' chat session i have had in ages
haha ths is hilarious.he says he dsnt wnt 2 watch jumbo in sterling cuz u dnt get hot dogs there n u get thm at metro.im jus rollin my eyes
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Emotional Atyachar...
Yup it's a song.
It's quite a crazy song. Don't know why I love it. Sis and Mom get furious whenever it plays but oh man it's just too cool.
It's from the movie Dev D.
Enjoy.
It's quite a crazy song. Don't know why I love it. Sis and Mom get furious whenever it plays but oh man it's just too cool.
It's from the movie Dev D.
Enjoy.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Aye Bachchu...
Another fantastic song or at least the first minute is totally fantastic. I don't the song in totality because it has too many distinctive parts but I totally love the 'lehralo balkhalo bit' and makes the song worth listening to over and over at least the first 1 minute :)
It's from the movie Ghajini
Enjoy.
It's just the trailer and not full song.
It's from the movie Ghajini
Enjoy.
It's just the trailer and not full song.
Maahi...
Such a brilliant song.
It's from the song Raaz - the mystery continues. I don't know why they couldn't call it something else. Or maybe just make 'the mystery continues' seem like part of the movie name rather than a title about the movie.
Enjoyyyyy
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Swinging...
In October-November our swing goes back out onto our terrace. Since it's made of wood it is removed before every monsoon. Which is a pain cause it is big and heavy. Anyway our terrace is the best place to be on a cool December night. It's nice and cool if not cold and quiet and if it's not too cloudy you can see some of the bigger stars.
Anyway I have been sitting on the swing since nearly 2 month and reading or just chilling nearly every other day. But today was different because today I was really swinging like we use to when we were kids. Fast. High.
For some reason it felt like I hadn't done this in years. Maybe I have not. But it was brilliant feeling like a kid again. Feeling butterflies in my stomach for the first few minutes. Pushing harder and taking care to see that it's not high enough that mom will start yelling about the sliding windows of the room behind the swing. Shutting my eye and feeling the wind.
Tomorrow evening I am going to do exactly what I did today.
Anyway I have been sitting on the swing since nearly 2 month and reading or just chilling nearly every other day. But today was different because today I was really swinging like we use to when we were kids. Fast. High.
For some reason it felt like I hadn't done this in years. Maybe I have not. But it was brilliant feeling like a kid again. Feeling butterflies in my stomach for the first few minutes. Pushing harder and taking care to see that it's not high enough that mom will start yelling about the sliding windows of the room behind the swing. Shutting my eye and feeling the wind.
Tomorrow evening I am going to do exactly what I did today.
Sunday, December 07, 2008
Sunday, November 30, 2008
If you had 1 Crore to fight against terror, how do you think it should be spent?
If you would like to answer this question or read what others have to say, please visit Yahoo Answers - http://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081128061222AA0yjrJ
Below is what I have to say -
Below is what I have to say -
This is going to be a long post cause this seems to be the forum where we are discussing this.
I DO NOT believe that terrorism will ever vanish. No matter how hard we try and no matter what we do, there will always be attacks of this kind. There are 3 main things that drive terrorism today (according to me) – brainwashing, funding & training. None of these 3 things are going to go away anytime soon. The end of terrorist attacks is impossible and a world without such attacks will exists only in our minds/hearts & fairy tales. There will always be people who will do the wrong thing. I think it’s important to remember this and chalk out objectives keeping this in mind.
I think we need to see to it that 1) Such attacks are few and far between 2) We can deal with them when they happen in such a way that we minimize loss/damage 3) We deal with the aftermath in such a way that we minimize loss/damage
I don’t think 1 crore is enough and I know that this will have to be an ongoing effort to make any sort of impact
The few things I would love to see (and this isn’t restricted to stopping terrorism) –
1) A better crisis management system in place.
a.This would not just be restricted to the armed forces but would even things like transportation, hospital readiness, information dissemination, etc
b.This system should be able to deal with multiple threats – bombs (big and small), gunfire, bio-weapons, hostage situations etc
c.One central team that will take care of all the problems when the city is under threat and will be held responsible if things go wrong.
2) Stronger punishment for terrorists.
Why are we always doing politically correct things? We should be hanging people like this. Not keeping them in our jails. Do we want more Kandahars? Terrorists should know that if they come in, they will die. Why should you keep such people alive? What cause they are human? Seriously you can kill and eat a chicken which does no harm to someone but such people you want to keep alive?
3) Better communication and information systems during the time of an attack
Everyone is glued to their televisions and top officials cannot answer a simple question like ‘how many people do you believe are in the building?’ That’s ridiculous. If it can’t be told, say it is sensitive information but at least give some estimate. People want to know what is happening around them and if they see such people saying such things, it doesn’t build confidence and that is what creates more panic.
4) Dealing with terror that lingers.
We should have crisis centers or something, where people who are directly affected can get help. Fear is psychological and it’s a terrible feeling. People should have some place where they can go and get help. Being a hostage for instance is a mind-racking experience (I would assume). Such people should get free therapy if possible. This could be for common citizens or people in the forces etc
5) Dealing with ineffective officials
There needs to be an accountability system. Anyone gets away with anything in this country. Someone must be responsible to see that such attacks are dealt with properly. And if screw ups happen, I would like to see a proper punishment being given. Whether it is someone in the armed forces or in politics or in the media, there should be NO EXCEPTION. I mean I am hearing people say that the Gujarat coast guard had warned about the terrorists in advance (could be a rumour) and what were people who are in-charge doing? Sleeping?
A few other things I would love to see is –
1) More religious leaders coming out and condemning acts of terrorism (and no I don’t just mean Muslim priests. Nearly every religion has blood on its hands). Not just some small thing after some attack but regularly and to a big group of people. Maybe we need to create a forum (not an online community) for such a thing. I think something like this will make it a little more difficult to recruit ‘jihadis’. Religion is a nice excuse for terrorism and things must be done to correct this.
2) International pressure AND aid to countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan, etc where there are terrorism training camps. Such places need to be destroyed. Again it won’t stop terrorism but will make it difficult to train people and thus reduce the occurrence of attacks. If the governments are pro-terrorism, there should be ways to deal with it. Maybe we should petition for such things.
3) Better situational education/situational sensitivity for the common man (restricted to the big cities is good enough). Common people should know first aid. They should also know things like not getting in the way of any operation that might be on (like it happened today at Taj). There can be educational documentaries created and aired on TV for instance.
I am sure I can go on. There must be a ton of things that I haven’t even thought of. Will add more later.
I DO NOT believe that terrorism will ever vanish. No matter how hard we try and no matter what we do, there will always be attacks of this kind. There are 3 main things that drive terrorism today (according to me) – brainwashing, funding & training. None of these 3 things are going to go away anytime soon. The end of terrorist attacks is impossible and a world without such attacks will exists only in our minds/hearts & fairy tales. There will always be people who will do the wrong thing. I think it’s important to remember this and chalk out objectives keeping this in mind.
I think we need to see to it that 1) Such attacks are few and far between 2) We can deal with them when they happen in such a way that we minimize loss/damage 3) We deal with the aftermath in such a way that we minimize loss/damage
I don’t think 1 crore is enough and I know that this will have to be an ongoing effort to make any sort of impact
The few things I would love to see (and this isn’t restricted to stopping terrorism) –
1) A better crisis management system in place.
a.This would not just be restricted to the armed forces but would even things like transportation, hospital readiness, information dissemination, etc
b.This system should be able to deal with multiple threats – bombs (big and small), gunfire, bio-weapons, hostage situations etc
c.One central team that will take care of all the problems when the city is under threat and will be held responsible if things go wrong.
2) Stronger punishment for terrorists.
Why are we always doing politically correct things? We should be hanging people like this. Not keeping them in our jails. Do we want more Kandahars? Terrorists should know that if they come in, they will die. Why should you keep such people alive? What cause they are human? Seriously you can kill and eat a chicken which does no harm to someone but such people you want to keep alive?
3) Better communication and information systems during the time of an attack
Everyone is glued to their televisions and top officials cannot answer a simple question like ‘how many people do you believe are in the building?’ That’s ridiculous. If it can’t be told, say it is sensitive information but at least give some estimate. People want to know what is happening around them and if they see such people saying such things, it doesn’t build confidence and that is what creates more panic.
4) Dealing with terror that lingers.
We should have crisis centers or something, where people who are directly affected can get help. Fear is psychological and it’s a terrible feeling. People should have some place where they can go and get help. Being a hostage for instance is a mind-racking experience (I would assume). Such people should get free therapy if possible. This could be for common citizens or people in the forces etc
5) Dealing with ineffective officials
There needs to be an accountability system. Anyone gets away with anything in this country. Someone must be responsible to see that such attacks are dealt with properly. And if screw ups happen, I would like to see a proper punishment being given. Whether it is someone in the armed forces or in politics or in the media, there should be NO EXCEPTION. I mean I am hearing people say that the Gujarat coast guard had warned about the terrorists in advance (could be a rumour) and what were people who are in-charge doing? Sleeping?
A few other things I would love to see is –
1) More religious leaders coming out and condemning acts of terrorism (and no I don’t just mean Muslim priests. Nearly every religion has blood on its hands). Not just some small thing after some attack but regularly and to a big group of people. Maybe we need to create a forum (not an online community) for such a thing. I think something like this will make it a little more difficult to recruit ‘jihadis’. Religion is a nice excuse for terrorism and things must be done to correct this.
2) International pressure AND aid to countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan, etc where there are terrorism training camps. Such places need to be destroyed. Again it won’t stop terrorism but will make it difficult to train people and thus reduce the occurrence of attacks. If the governments are pro-terrorism, there should be ways to deal with it. Maybe we should petition for such things.
3) Better situational education/situational sensitivity for the common man (restricted to the big cities is good enough). Common people should know first aid. They should also know things like not getting in the way of any operation that might be on (like it happened today at Taj). There can be educational documentaries created and aired on TV for instance.
I am sure I can go on. There must be a ton of things that I haven’t even thought of. Will add more later.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Why politicians will never fight terrorism seriously
I remember Asfaq writing a tweet about fire again at the Taj and I replied to him saying 'A lot of people in this city would cry, if major damages happen to the Taj'. After about 30 seconds I realized that it was such a terrible thing to say because here were more than a hundred people dead and I would be crying about destruction of a building? What sort of a low-life am I? And then thankfully it struck me that the destruction of the Taj would have been a PERSONAL LOSS. I didn't know anyone who died in the attacks. I didn't know anyone who was injured. So the sympathy I feel is sympathy. It's a sadness that is distant and generic. About the state of affairs. About what happens in this city. About the insanity the world is facing.
But if something happened to the Taj structure, the sadness I would have felt would be because of personal loss. Lots of memories are linked to that hotel. Most of them when I was younger. It was a place I use to be at. It was a place I ate it. It was a place I would laugh with my family. It was a place where I use to drink cold coffee. Attended wedding functions in its halls. Ran around the corridors if none of the adults were looking. Sat in the lobby feeling so great of being in a 5 star hotel. If something happened to it, Mumbai just wouldn't seem the same. It IS a landmark of this city. It represents history and it represents progress.
This thought got me to the answer of why politicians will never fight terrorism seriously. It's not personal to them. They don't feel the loss. They don't feel the loss of the people who die. They don't feel the loss of the damage to property. They don't even personally get affected by the loss to the economy or the image of the country/city.
We all know that very few of our politicians have this dying love for our country. They have love for power, they have love for publicity etc. An attack on average citizens doesn't affect them. They just make big talks and show fake sympathies and declare big compensations because they want to stay in power or want to get in power. I would love to see what would happen if a lot of politicians and their families faced losses because of terrorist attacks. I am sure they will change lows and I am sure they will make a bigger noise. I am sure they will come down hard on terrorist outfits inside the country and will also come down hard on those outside the country.
I also don't believe that normal average individuals who do face losses in such attacks can really make a difference because they don't have resources. Yes it is all nice to say and hear things like we just need the will. That there needs to be determination and we will achieve what we want. Sorry I don't believe it is doable. You NEED MORE than just the will to make a difference. Even groups of individuals that want to join and help the cause will fall short is what I feel. Unless of course you have so many of these individuals that those who don't want to make a difference become a very small minority.
The government needs to wake up. We need to wake up.
To Be Continued...
But if something happened to the Taj structure, the sadness I would have felt would be because of personal loss. Lots of memories are linked to that hotel. Most of them when I was younger. It was a place I use to be at. It was a place I ate it. It was a place I would laugh with my family. It was a place where I use to drink cold coffee. Attended wedding functions in its halls. Ran around the corridors if none of the adults were looking. Sat in the lobby feeling so great of being in a 5 star hotel. If something happened to it, Mumbai just wouldn't seem the same. It IS a landmark of this city. It represents history and it represents progress.
This thought got me to the answer of why politicians will never fight terrorism seriously. It's not personal to them. They don't feel the loss. They don't feel the loss of the people who die. They don't feel the loss of the damage to property. They don't even personally get affected by the loss to the economy or the image of the country/city.
We all know that very few of our politicians have this dying love for our country. They have love for power, they have love for publicity etc. An attack on average citizens doesn't affect them. They just make big talks and show fake sympathies and declare big compensations because they want to stay in power or want to get in power. I would love to see what would happen if a lot of politicians and their families faced losses because of terrorist attacks. I am sure they will change lows and I am sure they will make a bigger noise. I am sure they will come down hard on terrorist outfits inside the country and will also come down hard on those outside the country.
I also don't believe that normal average individuals who do face losses in such attacks can really make a difference because they don't have resources. Yes it is all nice to say and hear things like we just need the will. That there needs to be determination and we will achieve what we want. Sorry I don't believe it is doable. You NEED MORE than just the will to make a difference. Even groups of individuals that want to join and help the cause will fall short is what I feel. Unless of course you have so many of these individuals that those who don't want to make a difference become a very small minority.
The government needs to wake up. We need to wake up.
To Be Continued...
Thursday, November 27, 2008
It was a long night and it's been a long day. Let's hope we don't have another long night...
I was thinking earlier that no one in this city will ever forget the 26th and 27th of November.
But I know better. Once this is over, people will remember for a few days and they will forget. We will hear stupid things like 'the spirit of Mumbai' and 'Mumbai will bounce back' and rubbish like that. Why can't people understand that the common man doesn't have a choice. The common man can't stay locked up in his house all day long. He can't have police protection 24x7. He can't go live in some other city till he feels like coming back.
When the bomb blasts happened on 11th July 2006, I wrote a blogpost and said
And unfortunately I feel the same will happen again. People will just go back to their routine and very soon forget this incident.
I also realized that more than 2 years ago I also wrote that "we should have a better crisis management plan, we should have better intelligence, we should have harsher punishments, we should demand more accountability". I will change that line today to say that we NEED to have better crisis management infrastructure, more accountability on our government and a better way of dealing with terrorists we capture.
It's tragic how history repeats itself and how we never seem to learn.
But I know better. Once this is over, people will remember for a few days and they will forget. We will hear stupid things like 'the spirit of Mumbai' and 'Mumbai will bounce back' and rubbish like that. Why can't people understand that the common man doesn't have a choice. The common man can't stay locked up in his house all day long. He can't have police protection 24x7. He can't go live in some other city till he feels like coming back.
When the bomb blasts happened on 11th July 2006, I wrote a blogpost and said
The worse part about this blast will be that, Mumbaikars will become survivors and saviors and after 2 days life will be back to normal - and everyone will sing praises about how great the spirit of Mumbai is and nothing will be done to stop this happening again and again and again. I really wish the people of this city would stop accepting these incidents as 'things that just happen' or things that you can predict and prevent.
And unfortunately I feel the same will happen again. People will just go back to their routine and very soon forget this incident.
I also realized that more than 2 years ago I also wrote that "we should have a better crisis management plan, we should have better intelligence, we should have harsher punishments, we should demand more accountability". I will change that line today to say that we NEED to have better crisis management infrastructure, more accountability on our government and a better way of dealing with terrorists we capture.
It's tragic how history repeats itself and how we never seem to learn.
All the emotions....
It's strange how fear turned into anger which turned into sorrow which turned into impatience which turned into numbness.
Been watching news all days and right now I don't want to know anything at all. I just want it to end.
***************************
Numbness turned into anger again. Anger turned into sorrow. Sorrow turned into disbelief (that this was still going on). Disbelief turned into fear (with the channels being blocked and rumours starting to spread).
Will it ever end?
Been watching news all days and right now I don't want to know anything at all. I just want it to end.
***************************
Numbness turned into anger again. Anger turned into sorrow. Sorrow turned into disbelief (that this was still going on). Disbelief turned into fear (with the channels being blocked and rumours starting to spread).
Will it ever end?
Firing and Explosions in Mumbai
I can't stop thinking how such a boring usual day turned into this.
It's 2:10 and the attack just doesn't seem to be ending.
Mumbai has been under terror attacks before. 3 major ones. The 1st one I was too young and the other two hit a city I lived in. But this attack hit home because it happened in South Mumbai. When Mumbai is attacked, I feel the city I live in is under attack but South Mumbai being under a terror attack feels like my home is being attacked. I hate the idea of someone coming to my home and doing what ever the hell they liked.
Also I never remember crying about a terror attack anywhere ever. But hearing about 3 top cops dying just shook me up too much. I mean these were people who walked into a difficult situation just so that all of us could be safer and this nightmare could come to an end. My heart goes out to the police force that lost brave officers today and to the families of those 3 officers.
I keep thinking how messed up could someone be to do something like this. I mean you are obviously not normal if you walk into a station with a gun and then just open fire. Or decide to blow up a place with a grenade. And these were 20 something year olds. They are kids man. Seriously how messed up can someone be?
It's now nearly 4 hours since the attack started and nothing seems to be slowing down. Every hour that has passed since 10:30 has just brought news of more firing and explosions. More deaths and injuries. And the attack got worse when it became a hostage situation.
The security forces weren't prepared for this. How can they be? I mean I keep hearing that there is so much chaos out there. But what else will be there? You don't plan for some 10 - 12 people walking into a place with AK-47s and opening fire. At least not until it happens for the first time. I don't blame the government and I don't blame the police for not being able to finish off this situation faster. There is a limit to things they can do. I do blame terrorist organisations.
I honestly think that if there will ever be a solution found to terrorism, it will be India that finds it mainly because we seem to be the ones that face the problem the most.
I want to thank all those people who messaged and called to ask if everything was alright. Appreciate it.
Deccan Mujahideen behind the attacks. No one seems to have heard of them before tonight but I am sure few (at least in Mumbai) will forgot the outfit after today.
Update - 2:45 AM
80 feared dead and over 200 injured. I remember thinking at 11 PM, when we started listening to the news 'wow thank god the attack has started late. It would have been so much worse if it had started earlier'. Of course back then we were mainly heard about CST and Colaba and my thoughts were focused around attacks on the trains. Unfortunately the focus has shifted now to mainly the hotels - Taj and Oberoi where there is a hostage situation.
I even think I heard a couple of blasts. I remember the first sound going off and thinking 'hmmm firecrackers'. The second one was louder and more distinct and didn't sound like any firecracker I had heard and I thought 'maybe thunder' of course right away I thought 'where's the lightning?' and then thinking that maybe it was some accident at one of the construction sites close by. It was loud enough that my sister came into the hall from the room and asked me what I thought the sound was. She insisted we put on the news - this was around 10:40-10:50 PM and I was like 'are you crazy? What's going to show up on news and that too so soon'. But we turned it on and reports were already coming out about firing and blasts.
Hearing the sound and then listening to the news of terrorist attack reminded me of the blasts in 1993. For a few seconds it felt like I was back in that class in school, sitting in the Marathi lecture, doing some writing. Everything quiet till this huge sound happened, that scared the living day lights out of all of us. The earth shook under us. For at least 5 seconds everyone just froze and looked around at each other not saying anything. And when we started getting 'excited' our teacher told us to get back to our work and went out to find out what happened. After a few minutes (10-15 maybe) we got to know what had happened. Not in detail of course. And obviously we couldn't really understand cause we were 10-11 years old. And I remember the frantic sort of 'evacuation' that happened that day in school. Parents rushing to school to pick up their children. Car pools being organised real quickly. Class teachers making phone calls to parents. Parents living close by offering to take as many children as needed to their own house till their own parents arrived.
Never understood terror back then. Maybe I don't understand it now either (though I have felt real fear in my life - for other reasons). But back then none of us kids thought of horrible thoughts like if a bus was safe enough to get onto, or if we would return home in the evening once we left for the day, or whether our dads would be okay at their office, etc. I think we all think that in this country now. At least every once in a while.
Update - 3:25 AM
F**k man it kills me to see the Taj hotel burning like this. I thought the flames were put off. I hope the fire brigade can put these flames out. It seems to be spreading really fast and I fear the damage it will do if it's not put out soon will be terrible. Both the Taj and the Oberoi use to be our 'hang out' when we had visitors from abroad. Back then there was no Barista and Cafe Coffee Day outlets so the coffee shops of the Taj and Oberoi (and Taj President) was where we would take are guests especially after dinner. Who would have though that this would happen? It's been more than 5 hours since the attack started and it just isn't ending. Shit this is depressing.
The have rounded up 9 suspects for questioning and 2 terrorists are dead.
Update - 10:07 AM
I cannot believe that the ordeal is still not over.
I went to sleep around 5:20 AM cause I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer. Last news update I heard before sleeping was that some 200 NSG persons were on their way to Mumbai and would arrive within 30 minutes. I went to sleep thinking that everything would be over in an hour or so.
When I woke up around 9:20 (had to make grandma's breakfast), I was horrified to see that the ordeal wasn't over. My sister was watching the news and she said that the terrorists are still in both hotels and when I asked her about the Taj Hotel, she said it was still on fire and they kept saying that every time they douse the fire, it starts up again after a while because the wiring is up there or something.
Aren't these terrorists tired? I am tired just listening to the news for so many hours. All my sympathies to everyone who is right in the middle of this.
Ruiyu just called me from China. I was thinking 'wow it's so nice to hear her talk rather than read what she is saying but what a terrible time to talk to her. I can't even really catch up with her and we can't talk non terror stuff'.
I am going to go back to sleep and am hoping that when I wake up in about 2 hours or so, I don't hear news that says 'Terrorists still holed up at Trident and Taj'.
Update - 1.56 PM
I realized how much being an optimist sucks today.
The situation is still on. Hostage situation at the Taj, the Trident and at Nariman House. I thought this would be over before 7 AM. At 10:30 when it was still on, I went back to sleep hoping that when I wake up after 2 hours it will be over. It wasn't. The news at 1:40 was just as grim at at 10:30.
I remember thinking last night 'thank god they don't have bombs'. Today morning hearing Bharka Dutt talk about how such operations happen in Jammu and Kashmir, I realized that the absence of bombs isn't really as good a thing as I thought it was because such attacks are usually done in this manner where these terrorists go in willing to die and do so with guns and grenades. And usually these episodes last long and even up to 48 hours till they finally burn the building down. That last line totally freaked me out. I hope no more damage happens to innocent lives and property. If I can find what Barkha said verbatim, I will copy paste it later.
Update - 8:10 PM
Man how can something like this go on for 24 hours?
I keep thinking whether our police force and all the special squads are messing up. I do understand that this is a huge ordeal and that there are been terror attacks before where people have been held hostages for days but I can't help thinking why things didn't happen faster.
I heard a CNN reporter say 'why wasn't there no intelligence about this?'. Having just watched season 1 of 24 I had thought the same thing too. I keep thinking how cool it would be if real life was a TV show. Where the hero always saves the day. Where good presides over bad. Where miracles happen.
I also keep thinking why it is they can't give us numbers of how many people might have been in both the hotels. This might be sensitive information which they don't want to give out. But by not giving a number, I am wondering if they themselves know. Which is terrible because as part of the rescue operations all the special forces first need to know how many people are there and where they are.
Didn't heard Ratan Tata's interview with the press but read a scroll on some news channel and I think he made a lot of sense. If we know that terrorist attacks are going to keep happening, why not get a better infrastructure into place. It's not just about people dying or property getting destroyed. It is also about the quality of life of ordinary people. Why should people live in so much fear? The government and police should do more to make citizens of this country feel more safe.
Also I am so damn pissed at seeing people walk around the Taj hotel. I mean it's no f*****g entertainment program happening there that people want to come and have a look for themselves. Yes I do understand that curiosity is in our nature but how does it help by creating more work for the armed forces? Also don't they understand that it might not be safe yet? If they so want to be in the midst of things why don't they just walk into the hotel and go knocking on doors? And worse all these people who have no work are pushing each other to be on TV behind a reporter or something. Why are people so retarded?
Update 30th Nov
I had written that I didn't blame the government. Back then a few hours after the attacks started, I didn't. 60 hours to take care of the problem is just unacceptable.
I got so fed up of watching the news. My thoughts were blank more than anything once we hit the 40 hours mark. It felt like I was going indifferent to everything that was happening at the hotels.
Also I am glad I was so pissed about people walking around the Taj. I thought I was being unreasonable. But see it wasn't over. I am glad no one got hurt but I hate when people are stupid.
It's 2:10 and the attack just doesn't seem to be ending.
Mumbai has been under terror attacks before. 3 major ones. The 1st one I was too young and the other two hit a city I lived in. But this attack hit home because it happened in South Mumbai. When Mumbai is attacked, I feel the city I live in is under attack but South Mumbai being under a terror attack feels like my home is being attacked. I hate the idea of someone coming to my home and doing what ever the hell they liked.
Also I never remember crying about a terror attack anywhere ever. But hearing about 3 top cops dying just shook me up too much. I mean these were people who walked into a difficult situation just so that all of us could be safer and this nightmare could come to an end. My heart goes out to the police force that lost brave officers today and to the families of those 3 officers.
I keep thinking how messed up could someone be to do something like this. I mean you are obviously not normal if you walk into a station with a gun and then just open fire. Or decide to blow up a place with a grenade. And these were 20 something year olds. They are kids man. Seriously how messed up can someone be?
It's now nearly 4 hours since the attack started and nothing seems to be slowing down. Every hour that has passed since 10:30 has just brought news of more firing and explosions. More deaths and injuries. And the attack got worse when it became a hostage situation.
The security forces weren't prepared for this. How can they be? I mean I keep hearing that there is so much chaos out there. But what else will be there? You don't plan for some 10 - 12 people walking into a place with AK-47s and opening fire. At least not until it happens for the first time. I don't blame the government and I don't blame the police for not being able to finish off this situation faster. There is a limit to things they can do. I do blame terrorist organisations.
I honestly think that if there will ever be a solution found to terrorism, it will be India that finds it mainly because we seem to be the ones that face the problem the most.
I want to thank all those people who messaged and called to ask if everything was alright. Appreciate it.
Deccan Mujahideen behind the attacks. No one seems to have heard of them before tonight but I am sure few (at least in Mumbai) will forgot the outfit after today.
Update - 2:45 AM
80 feared dead and over 200 injured. I remember thinking at 11 PM, when we started listening to the news 'wow thank god the attack has started late. It would have been so much worse if it had started earlier'. Of course back then we were mainly heard about CST and Colaba and my thoughts were focused around attacks on the trains. Unfortunately the focus has shifted now to mainly the hotels - Taj and Oberoi where there is a hostage situation.
I even think I heard a couple of blasts. I remember the first sound going off and thinking 'hmmm firecrackers'. The second one was louder and more distinct and didn't sound like any firecracker I had heard and I thought 'maybe thunder' of course right away I thought 'where's the lightning?' and then thinking that maybe it was some accident at one of the construction sites close by. It was loud enough that my sister came into the hall from the room and asked me what I thought the sound was. She insisted we put on the news - this was around 10:40-10:50 PM and I was like 'are you crazy? What's going to show up on news and that too so soon'. But we turned it on and reports were already coming out about firing and blasts.
Hearing the sound and then listening to the news of terrorist attack reminded me of the blasts in 1993. For a few seconds it felt like I was back in that class in school, sitting in the Marathi lecture, doing some writing. Everything quiet till this huge sound happened, that scared the living day lights out of all of us. The earth shook under us. For at least 5 seconds everyone just froze and looked around at each other not saying anything. And when we started getting 'excited' our teacher told us to get back to our work and went out to find out what happened. After a few minutes (10-15 maybe) we got to know what had happened. Not in detail of course. And obviously we couldn't really understand cause we were 10-11 years old. And I remember the frantic sort of 'evacuation' that happened that day in school. Parents rushing to school to pick up their children. Car pools being organised real quickly. Class teachers making phone calls to parents. Parents living close by offering to take as many children as needed to their own house till their own parents arrived.
Never understood terror back then. Maybe I don't understand it now either (though I have felt real fear in my life - for other reasons). But back then none of us kids thought of horrible thoughts like if a bus was safe enough to get onto, or if we would return home in the evening once we left for the day, or whether our dads would be okay at their office, etc. I think we all think that in this country now. At least every once in a while.
Update - 3:25 AM
F**k man it kills me to see the Taj hotel burning like this. I thought the flames were put off. I hope the fire brigade can put these flames out. It seems to be spreading really fast and I fear the damage it will do if it's not put out soon will be terrible. Both the Taj and the Oberoi use to be our 'hang out' when we had visitors from abroad. Back then there was no Barista and Cafe Coffee Day outlets so the coffee shops of the Taj and Oberoi (and Taj President) was where we would take are guests especially after dinner. Who would have though that this would happen? It's been more than 5 hours since the attack started and it just isn't ending. Shit this is depressing.
The have rounded up 9 suspects for questioning and 2 terrorists are dead.
Update - 10:07 AM
I cannot believe that the ordeal is still not over.
I went to sleep around 5:20 AM cause I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer. Last news update I heard before sleeping was that some 200 NSG persons were on their way to Mumbai and would arrive within 30 minutes. I went to sleep thinking that everything would be over in an hour or so.
When I woke up around 9:20 (had to make grandma's breakfast), I was horrified to see that the ordeal wasn't over. My sister was watching the news and she said that the terrorists are still in both hotels and when I asked her about the Taj Hotel, she said it was still on fire and they kept saying that every time they douse the fire, it starts up again after a while because the wiring is up there or something.
Aren't these terrorists tired? I am tired just listening to the news for so many hours. All my sympathies to everyone who is right in the middle of this.
Ruiyu just called me from China. I was thinking 'wow it's so nice to hear her talk rather than read what she is saying but what a terrible time to talk to her. I can't even really catch up with her and we can't talk non terror stuff'.
I am going to go back to sleep and am hoping that when I wake up in about 2 hours or so, I don't hear news that says 'Terrorists still holed up at Trident and Taj'.
Update - 1.56 PM
I realized how much being an optimist sucks today.
The situation is still on. Hostage situation at the Taj, the Trident and at Nariman House. I thought this would be over before 7 AM. At 10:30 when it was still on, I went back to sleep hoping that when I wake up after 2 hours it will be over. It wasn't. The news at 1:40 was just as grim at at 10:30.
I remember thinking last night 'thank god they don't have bombs'. Today morning hearing Bharka Dutt talk about how such operations happen in Jammu and Kashmir, I realized that the absence of bombs isn't really as good a thing as I thought it was because such attacks are usually done in this manner where these terrorists go in willing to die and do so with guns and grenades. And usually these episodes last long and even up to 48 hours till they finally burn the building down. That last line totally freaked me out. I hope no more damage happens to innocent lives and property. If I can find what Barkha said verbatim, I will copy paste it later.
Update - 8:10 PM
Man how can something like this go on for 24 hours?
I keep thinking whether our police force and all the special squads are messing up. I do understand that this is a huge ordeal and that there are been terror attacks before where people have been held hostages for days but I can't help thinking why things didn't happen faster.
I heard a CNN reporter say 'why wasn't there no intelligence about this?'. Having just watched season 1 of 24 I had thought the same thing too. I keep thinking how cool it would be if real life was a TV show. Where the hero always saves the day. Where good presides over bad. Where miracles happen.
I also keep thinking why it is they can't give us numbers of how many people might have been in both the hotels. This might be sensitive information which they don't want to give out. But by not giving a number, I am wondering if they themselves know. Which is terrible because as part of the rescue operations all the special forces first need to know how many people are there and where they are.
Didn't heard Ratan Tata's interview with the press but read a scroll on some news channel and I think he made a lot of sense. If we know that terrorist attacks are going to keep happening, why not get a better infrastructure into place. It's not just about people dying or property getting destroyed. It is also about the quality of life of ordinary people. Why should people live in so much fear? The government and police should do more to make citizens of this country feel more safe.
Also I am so damn pissed at seeing people walk around the Taj hotel. I mean it's no f*****g entertainment program happening there that people want to come and have a look for themselves. Yes I do understand that curiosity is in our nature but how does it help by creating more work for the armed forces? Also don't they understand that it might not be safe yet? If they so want to be in the midst of things why don't they just walk into the hotel and go knocking on doors? And worse all these people who have no work are pushing each other to be on TV behind a reporter or something. Why are people so retarded?
Update 30th Nov
I had written that I didn't blame the government. Back then a few hours after the attacks started, I didn't. 60 hours to take care of the problem is just unacceptable.
I got so fed up of watching the news. My thoughts were blank more than anything once we hit the 40 hours mark. It felt like I was going indifferent to everything that was happening at the hotels.
Also I am glad I was so pissed about people walking around the Taj. I thought I was being unreasonable. But see it wasn't over. I am glad no one got hurt but I hate when people are stupid.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Totally lost practice of being a lefty on the mouse...
Well okay it's like cycling (or swimming as I hear), once you know how, you stumble a little when you re-start but in no time are back to the level you were at before you left.
Sanjeev asked me 'So you missing your office computer aren't you?'
And I said 'If yes will make you happy then yes but actually I am missing having a computer of my own. Don't like sharing the machine with a bunch of people'
And it's true. Not that I like sharing to begin with but you know most people like their folders a certain way, like certain types of software, don't like certain types of software, like naming things a certain way, like different sort of wallpapers etc.
Anyway lefty today on the mouse. Tomorrow Mom will be back and so the mouse will go back to the right side.
It was always HILARIOUS when people came to my computer at work and tried to work on it. They would die trying to use the mouse (except Sanjeev and Gautam. Bhavna would stuggle also in spite of having her mouse on her left because she doesn't switch the primary and secondary buttons) . And if they finally managed, they would nearly faint seeing my keyboard. I had at least 10 keys where the lettering had disappeared or were half gone.
To good times :)
Sanjeev asked me 'So you missing your office computer aren't you?'
And I said 'If yes will make you happy then yes but actually I am missing having a computer of my own. Don't like sharing the machine with a bunch of people'
And it's true. Not that I like sharing to begin with but you know most people like their folders a certain way, like certain types of software, don't like certain types of software, like naming things a certain way, like different sort of wallpapers etc.
Anyway lefty today on the mouse. Tomorrow Mom will be back and so the mouse will go back to the right side.
It was always HILARIOUS when people came to my computer at work and tried to work on it. They would die trying to use the mouse (except Sanjeev and Gautam. Bhavna would stuggle also in spite of having her mouse on her left because she doesn't switch the primary and secondary buttons) . And if they finally managed, they would nearly faint seeing my keyboard. I had at least 10 keys where the lettering had disappeared or were half gone.
To good times :)
It's not my fault...
I can't help it if you are stupid enough not to realize that don't don't have to like me.
You can even detest it and let it show. I wouldn't care. Because people I want should like me, I try really hard to see that they do like me so if you aren't getting that liking feeling towards me, it's probably because I don't want you to like me to begin with.
You can even detest it and let it show. I wouldn't care. Because people I want should like me, I try really hard to see that they do like me so if you aren't getting that liking feeling towards me, it's probably because I don't want you to like me to begin with.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Monday, November 24, 2008
Where should it go?...
Stop thinking. I'm talking about a display/status message/update. Man it's like all IMs allow you to have a display message. Then there is Facebook that now has status updates. And there is Twitter. (And I am sure there are a lot more places to put such messages).
And I keep wondering now days which message should go where. If there should be only one across all (which actually can turn out to be a very bad idea) or whether only some should have updates and others shouldn't etc.
Ah well I guess I am some days going to get bored of all these display messages. And of course that day will be the end of this blog (I guess).
And I keep wondering now days which message should go where. If there should be only one across all (which actually can turn out to be a very bad idea) or whether only some should have updates and others shouldn't etc.
Ah well I guess I am some days going to get bored of all these display messages. And of course that day will be the end of this blog (I guess).
Huh...
Weirdest thing happened yesterday. Like most people, I have more than 1 Google account. You can be logged into only 1 Google Account in 1 browser at any given point in time. But yesterday my Gmail opened with one login and when I tried to get my Google Reader, it was logged in with another account. I was quite surprised and hit refresh on both and neither got logged out. Don't know what happen. All I know is that I wasn't hallucinating.
I was wondering how Google or Firefox fixed it and made it work like this. Also I was happy because I remember the days of having to be logged into at least 2 AdWords accounts at the same time and having to deal with a non-tabbed IE browser (very annoying).
Well of course it didn't work after and I am thinking something might have got cached a certain way or something.
Though today morning something weird happened too. I open the browser, type gmail into the address bar and was logged in automatically - I don't think I was too sleepy to have imagined it happening this way. It didn't happen again and I am wondering if my mind is playing games with me and trying to make me feel that all my wishes are coming true hehe.
I was wondering how Google or Firefox fixed it and made it work like this. Also I was happy because I remember the days of having to be logged into at least 2 AdWords accounts at the same time and having to deal with a non-tabbed IE browser (very annoying).
Well of course it didn't work after and I am thinking something might have got cached a certain way or something.
Though today morning something weird happened too. I open the browser, type gmail into the address bar and was logged in automatically - I don't think I was too sleepy to have imagined it happening this way. It didn't happen again and I am wondering if my mind is playing games with me and trying to make me feel that all my wishes are coming true hehe.
Liking the hindi songs that are currently out there...
A huge bunch of nice Bollywood songs doing the rounds.
Dil Kabaddi, Yuvraj, Ghajiji, Sorry Bhai, Rab Ne Banadi Jodi all have a couple of good songs.
Dil Kabaddi, Yuvraj, Ghajiji, Sorry Bhai, Rab Ne Banadi Jodi all have a couple of good songs.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Hoooodeeeeeeeeeee....
Hode is 'damn' (I forgot in which language and I also forgot why I was saying damn....)
Friday, November 21, 2008
Liking the ability to customize gmail even though the themes arent that great...
Let's hope we see a lot more themes very soon :)
Thursday, November 20, 2008
If I don't believe in love nothing will last for me...
Relax. It's just a line from a song :D
I think I am a fan of Dido. Not a die hard one but I do like a lot of her music.
I don't really understand the lyrics a 100% to be honest but the song sounds great.
Enjoy.
[Am assuming it is the right song - don't have sound on my computer currently]
The Lyrics -
I think I am a fan of Dido. Not a die hard one but I do like a lot of her music.
I don't really understand the lyrics a 100% to be honest but the song sounds great.
Enjoy.
[Am assuming it is the right song - don't have sound on my computer currently]
The Lyrics -
I wanna go to bed
With arms around me
But wake up on my own
Pretend
That I'm still sleeping
Til' you go home
Oh
I can't look at you
This morning
I should probably have a sign
That says
'Leave right now or quicker'
You've overstayed your time
If I don't believe in love
Nothing will last for me
If I don't believe in love
Nothing is safe for me
When I don't believe in love
You're too close to me
And that's why
You have to leave
Maybe I slept peaceful
On your shoulder
Your arm warm around my side
But it's different now
It's morning
And I can't face your smile
The second that I feel
Your safe hands
Reaching out for mine
I slip away and out of sight
You've ovestayed your time
If I don't believe in love
Nothing is good for me
If I don't believe in love
Nothing will last for me
When I don't believe in love
Nothing is new for me
Nothing is wrong for me
And nothing is real for me
When I don't believe in love
Why do you care for me?
When I don't believe in love
Nothing is real for me
If I don't believe in love
You're getting to close to me
And that's why you have to leave
And that's why you have to leave
If I don't believe in love
If I don't believe in love
If I don't believe in love
Nothing is left for me
If I don't believe in love
You're too good for me
With arms around me
But wake up on my own
Pretend
That I'm still sleeping
Til' you go home
Oh
I can't look at you
This morning
I should probably have a sign
That says
'Leave right now or quicker'
You've overstayed your time
If I don't believe in love
Nothing will last for me
If I don't believe in love
Nothing is safe for me
When I don't believe in love
You're too close to me
And that's why
You have to leave
Maybe I slept peaceful
On your shoulder
Your arm warm around my side
But it's different now
It's morning
And I can't face your smile
The second that I feel
Your safe hands
Reaching out for mine
I slip away and out of sight
You've ovestayed your time
If I don't believe in love
Nothing is good for me
If I don't believe in love
Nothing will last for me
When I don't believe in love
Nothing is new for me
Nothing is wrong for me
And nothing is real for me
When I don't believe in love
Why do you care for me?
When I don't believe in love
Nothing is real for me
If I don't believe in love
You're getting to close to me
And that's why you have to leave
And that's why you have to leave
If I don't believe in love
If I don't believe in love
If I don't believe in love
Nothing is left for me
If I don't believe in love
You're too good for me
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Very Audio-Visual
I just realized that when it comes to learning I am a very audio-visual person. I hate learning by reading.
Whatever I need to learn should come to me in an audio-visual manner to be most effective and most easily digestible. I also don't mind learning by doing - you know trial and error.
I guess it is my laziness...
Whatever I need to learn should come to me in an audio-visual manner to be most effective and most easily digestible. I also don't mind learning by doing - you know trial and error.
I guess it is my laziness...
Monday, November 17, 2008
Tagging tagging tagging
I have decided never to carry my camera around or at least not take pictures of people (I know). Everyone wants their pictures up on Facebook.
I'm tired of tagging.
I'm tired of tagging.
Sensitive teeth...
Got my cavity filled up and now my teeth (or maybe just tooth but it feels like a bigger area than just a tooth) are sensitive around the tooth that got filled. Annoying. Will call up the dentist tomorrow and ask her if this is normal. My sis insists she went through the same thing nearly 2 weeks ago when she got her cavity filled up.
Man I had forgotten what it felt like to have a cavity fixed. It was actually painful. Of course I was an idiot to go in believing it's no big deal. If I would have anticipated a lot of pain it would have been a breeze but I thought it would be nothing at all. Stupid.
Anyway can't really blame myself too much. Didn't remember what the experience was like.
Glad it's over and done with and I am hoping for the next couple of years that I go to my dentist she says - 'oh nothing wrong with your teeth. They're just perfect'.
Man I had forgotten what it felt like to have a cavity fixed. It was actually painful. Of course I was an idiot to go in believing it's no big deal. If I would have anticipated a lot of pain it would have been a breeze but I thought it would be nothing at all. Stupid.
Anyway can't really blame myself too much. Didn't remember what the experience was like.
Glad it's over and done with and I am hoping for the next couple of years that I go to my dentist she says - 'oh nothing wrong with your teeth. They're just perfect'.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
So lost...
Trying to install wordpress for a domain I bought and am sure I am doing something very wrong cause I keep getting some or the other error.
Man I am so not a self-learner if the learning isn't audio-visual :(
Will have to go back and read everything properly and re-do stuff or I'll just go tomorrow and ask Sanjeev to show me how the needful is done.
Man I am so not a self-learner if the learning isn't audio-visual :(
Will have to go back and read everything properly and re-do stuff or I'll just go tomorrow and ask Sanjeev to show me how the needful is done.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Uploading...
Well not really because it is more like trying to upload...
a webpage.
Aghhhh sometimes I feel so challenged (not the contest type but the retarded type)
a webpage.
Aghhhh sometimes I feel so challenged (not the contest type but the retarded type)
Oye lucky lucky oye
I can't believe the amount of people who asked me what happened or why I'm lucky.
Hehe actually it's 4 words from a song :)
Enjoyyyyyy
[PS - I don't have my sound card or whatever it is installed so can't really hear if it's the right song but it should be - if you don't hear 'oye lucky lucky oye oh lucky lucky oye' somewhere in the middle then it's the wrong video]
Hehe actually it's 4 words from a song :)
Enjoyyyyyy
[PS - I don't have my sound card or whatever it is installed so can't really hear if it's the right song but it should be - if you don't hear 'oye lucky lucky oye oh lucky lucky oye' somewhere in the middle then it's the wrong video]
Friday, November 14, 2008
Porridge Girl...
We my mom is thrilled because I now don't mind eating porridge. I was thinking how come it is that I use to hate porridge before and can so readily eat it now and I realized that everyone has their own preference to how porridge should be - how sweet, how hot, what ingredients, etc
I like my porridge lukewarm, super soft, mildly sweet and without eliechi (don't know mother and grandmothers obsessions with the spice).
Whenever I tried porridge before it was too hot with too much elaichi and sometimes black pepper or too sweet.
Different people...different taste buds. Make me sure that vegetables I don't like eating now, I would like if they was made different.
Of course there is a life lesson here - which is that different ingredients and different conditions make up life. Not one set of conditions or ingredients is right for everyone. Most people might manage with some standards but not all. And if people do accept what they are given and don't like it, they won't be happy. They would prefer having no porridge to having distasteful porridge (unless there is no food at all in which case anyone will eat anything). I think I am saying all this quite badly but you get the picture right...
I like my porridge lukewarm, super soft, mildly sweet and without eliechi (don't know mother and grandmothers obsessions with the spice).
Whenever I tried porridge before it was too hot with too much elaichi and sometimes black pepper or too sweet.
Different people...different taste buds. Make me sure that vegetables I don't like eating now, I would like if they was made different.
Of course there is a life lesson here - which is that different ingredients and different conditions make up life. Not one set of conditions or ingredients is right for everyone. Most people might manage with some standards but not all. And if people do accept what they are given and don't like it, they won't be happy. They would prefer having no porridge to having distasteful porridge (unless there is no food at all in which case anyone will eat anything). I think I am saying all this quite badly but you get the picture right...
Aghhhh my net sucks...
Had a lot of trouble with my internet yesterday and today having problems with my computer. If there is a God I think he doesn't want me online ;)
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Burning Insides...A lot more...
In the previous post where I mentioned home remedies, I was talking about something we call 'kaadah' - its like a spices tea of sorts. I tried 2 variations and it did not help. Variations meaning different spices in the mix.
So anything last night my sister suggests one more remedy when the whole 'take brandy' discussion is happening. She suggests honey and ginger juice (warmed). I don't know why I didn't remember this earlier because I use to hate having this as a kid. Maybe that's why I didn't remember it earlier.
Well fortunately or unfortunately, I had also forgotten to some extent how this tasted. When I had some today, I didn't mind the taste so much as much as how much my insides felt on fire. Jeez this was stronger than brandy honey and black pepper if you can believe me. Anyway I am thinking if I feel like this is killing me, it should be killing all the cold congestion I have.
I'll try this stuff for about 2-3 more days. If it doesn't help at all, I am totally stopping cause this is torture. Of course I think that if I take these things often enough I might just get immune to the sensation.
Anyway time will tell...lets see what happens...
So anything last night my sister suggests one more remedy when the whole 'take brandy' discussion is happening. She suggests honey and ginger juice (warmed). I don't know why I didn't remember this earlier because I use to hate having this as a kid. Maybe that's why I didn't remember it earlier.
Well fortunately or unfortunately, I had also forgotten to some extent how this tasted. When I had some today, I didn't mind the taste so much as much as how much my insides felt on fire. Jeez this was stronger than brandy honey and black pepper if you can believe me. Anyway I am thinking if I feel like this is killing me, it should be killing all the cold congestion I have.
I'll try this stuff for about 2-3 more days. If it doesn't help at all, I am totally stopping cause this is torture. Of course I think that if I take these things often enough I might just get immune to the sensation.
Anyway time will tell...lets see what happens...
Burning Insides...
Man I am so not a pro-alcohol person. If I have to drink it will be highly diluted or something very mild. But mostly I don't drink at all especially since the last 7-8 months.
Anyway I have this cold congestion and home remedies and steaming aren't really helping (maybe doing them wrong or not enough) so Mom suggested to take some brandy with honey and black pepper. So I did and I so don't like brandy (kept remembering 'cognac sharab nahi hoti' dialogue lol).
Well lets hope I don't have to do this too often.
Anyway I have this cold congestion and home remedies and steaming aren't really helping (maybe doing them wrong or not enough) so Mom suggested to take some brandy with honey and black pepper. So I did and I so don't like brandy (kept remembering 'cognac sharab nahi hoti' dialogue lol).
Well lets hope I don't have to do this too often.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Haule Haule...
Song really grows on you. I disliked it the first 2 times I heard it (maybe cause of SRK) but it keeps coming on TV and now I actually like it a lot.
Music Directors - Salman - Sulaiman. They make great music.
Enjoyyyy
Music Directors - Salman - Sulaiman. They make great music.
Enjoyyyy
Friday, November 07, 2008
R.I.P. Mr.Crichton
Michael Crichton passed away on Nov 4th. I didn't even know he had cancer.
Really sad about this because he was my favourite author. Not that his books were so damn brilliant that I kept re-reading them over and over but his style and his topics were like no other. I haven't read any author who even comes close to the skill Michael Crichton displayed in his various books.
1) He wrote about technology
2) He wrote about complex matters
3) He made technology and complex matters simple to understand
4) All his writing seemed so in-depth and at the same time so easy to follow because he would give a lot of details but would put it in such a simple manner that anyone could understand
5) He wrote on varied topics. No two books he wrote were the same (unless you think of Jurassic Park)
He was only 66 years old :(
I think I will always walk into a library and feel bad that there will be no more new Michael Crichton novels :(
Really sad about this because he was my favourite author. Not that his books were so damn brilliant that I kept re-reading them over and over but his style and his topics were like no other. I haven't read any author who even comes close to the skill Michael Crichton displayed in his various books.
1) He wrote about technology
2) He wrote about complex matters
3) He made technology and complex matters simple to understand
4) All his writing seemed so in-depth and at the same time so easy to follow because he would give a lot of details but would put it in such a simple manner that anyone could understand
5) He wrote on varied topics. No two books he wrote were the same (unless you think of Jurassic Park)
He was only 66 years old :(
I think I will always walk into a library and feel bad that there will be no more new Michael Crichton novels :(
If Ellen DeGeneres can sleep at 10 PM
I can manage by mid-night.
Been sleeping before 00.01 Hrs and been waking up a little after 8 A.M.
:)
Of course I didn't have a working computer the last 3 days.
But I am determined. I will sleep by 11:30 P.M. every night and start waking up by 7 A.M.
Sumita I think I'll catch you more in your night than in your day time hehe.
Been sleeping before 00.01 Hrs and been waking up a little after 8 A.M.
:)
Of course I didn't have a working computer the last 3 days.
But I am determined. I will sleep by 11:30 P.M. every night and start waking up by 7 A.M.
Sumita I think I'll catch you more in your night than in your day time hehe.
Ghar jaane de...thhod mori baiyaan....
The lines from the 'Fashion' theme song. Totally love the way they are sung.
Thursday, November 06, 2008
OMG I have a cavity...
I CANNOT believe it. I actually have a cavity. Haven't had one in at least 8 years.
:*(
Was depressed when the dentist today me and I hate that I went for a check up (not out of the blue but lots of pestering from Mom and sisters appointment to get her cavities filled up).
But she said it was still early which is good cause the cavity isn't deep. And will get it fill up in a week.
This totally sucks. I always prided (the word sounds sooooo wrong but it is in an online dictionary) for having good decay free teeth. I guess I have to be more careful.
Worse news was that the dentist mentioned to my sis that fillings might need repair / touch-up every 5-7 years. Damn I couldn't help but think what a crime it is to have cavities early in life. And someone should scare us about stuff like this because I surely didn't know and I would definitely have been less lazy as a kid if I knew the torture never ends.
Rant Over.
:*(
Was depressed when the dentist today me and I hate that I went for a check up (not out of the blue but lots of pestering from Mom and sisters appointment to get her cavities filled up).
But she said it was still early which is good cause the cavity isn't deep. And will get it fill up in a week.
This totally sucks. I always prided (the word sounds sooooo wrong but it is in an online dictionary) for having good decay free teeth. I guess I have to be more careful.
Worse news was that the dentist mentioned to my sis that fillings might need repair / touch-up every 5-7 years. Damn I couldn't help but think what a crime it is to have cavities early in life. And someone should scare us about stuff like this because I surely didn't know and I would definitely have been less lazy as a kid if I knew the torture never ends.
Rant Over.
Monday, November 03, 2008
404...
The error I have been getting on my domain :(
I think it's a blogger issue cause everything else seems fine. Will try again in a day or two to redirect my ppc blog to my domain.
I think it's a blogger issue cause everything else seems fine. Will try again in a day or two to redirect my ppc blog to my domain.
Congrats Bhavna...
[Bhavna K not Bhavna S]
She just got engaged :)
ummm half engaged sorta actually.
Best wishes to her.
She just got engaged :)
ummm half engaged sorta actually.
Best wishes to her.
Saturday, November 01, 2008
The Reach Camp
The Reach Camp - our very own Amazing Race in Goa. Actually it was better than the Amazing Race because there was no selection of people who would take part in it. Everyone had to be part of the race. Why? Because this was our last training activity at our Off-site of '08.
The race was quite simple - everyone would get dropped of at a common spot and each team (all Pinstormers were already split into 12 teams, each consisting of between 7 to 9 people) along with the 'Outdoor Expert' (OE) would have to travel from one point to another across Goa. Sounds simple doesn't it. It actually is easy except that there were a few 'catches' -
1) Each team member was given 1 packet of Tiger biscuits
2) Each team member was given 1 litre of water
3) Each team member was given Rs.20
4) Each team was given 1 map.
5) Only 1 mobile phone per team was allowed and this couldn't be used except to call the organizers and find the next destination to get to once we were at our destination.
6) There was a time limit of 19 hours from the drop off to the final destination.
7) At no point in time was any member of the team to be separated from the group.
Think 19 hours is a lot? Well not for 80 kilometers. Yup 80 kms was the distance we had to cover with only a few packets of biscuits and few litres of water. Of course water and biscuits could be purchased as could accommodation but really what can you do with Rs.140 -Rs.160 for 7-8 people? The organizers were a little nice to us and said that we could buy from them water, biscuits and blankets (remember 19 hours) for discounted rates.
So at around 5:30 P.M. we go dropped to our drop off point and were given our first stop of the race which was at least a distance of 8 kms. Obviously most of us thought we had to walk the race and figure out ways to find cheap travel means etc but then our OE very correctly told us that we could decide. We could walk, take a bus, hitch a ride, run or do whatever we liked to get to the spot. Well obviously we decided hitching a ride is the best thing to do. And obviously every other team decided the same. So here we are on this road, some 100 odd people, all pointing their thumbs outs for a ride. Big city people and some foreigners too screaming out to truck drivers the location of where we wanted to go.
Now the post talks about my team specifically and what happened to us. I don't remember the names of all the places we stopped at but it's the journey that counts. My team consisted of Netra, Savita, Jigar, Manish, Jayant, Vinod and myself and not to forget our OE, Rahul. The guy is a hardcore mountaineer. I believe he has led expeditions to the Himalayas.
So the first van that stops for us, is filled with 6 - 7 people already but the driver tells us to get on. Now that van could had taken about 3 people more but guess how many jumped in...yup 8. Crazy ride with Rahul and Vinod standing on the edge of the van and holding on for dear life. Okay that's a little exaggeration but if they did slip, it would be major injuries for sure. Man I have been in cramped cars many times but never like this. The poor people who were already sitting inside couldn't understand what the hell was happening. The were more like village people and couldn't understand what we meant by a race/competition and having no money and only biscuits and a long distance to cover.
Anyway they were great. I bet they were super happy when we got off at our stop. We gave hearty thanks to the driver and he just kept laughing.
We saw another team just in front of us getting into a mini truck and we ran to catch them. While running I was on the phone with Shekhar (organizer) asking him which is the next stop. By the time me and the OE got to the truck, a huge fight was happening amongst some members of my team and the team members who were already in the mini truck. Oh the other team was super nasty but like they say, all if fair in love and war. So they drove off and we started all over again to stick our thumbs out.
We got into this Sumo and it was brilliant cause this guy was going in the same direction that we had to go and therefore ended up dropping us at 4 stops. Yipeee. Of course each time we got to a stop, all of us had to get off and make the man wait till we got the name of the next stop. He was a nice man. An electoral officer if I remember correctly. By the time he dropped us off, I bet he wasn't thinking nice things about us hehe. At hearing what he was doing he expressed the same sentiment that ALL our drivers who understood what we were doing expressed. That of confusion at how a company can set up such a task and how they can let us out loose in Goa with no money and such a long task.
Well we went on like this for quite a while, some times ahead of teams, sometimes behind teams. The few things that everyone in the team did for the first time which we never thought we would do were -
1) Ride inside a truck - with the driver and his assistants
2) Ride on coconuts - yup a truck was transporting coconuts and we just got on top of them
3) Being drive around by a millionaire in his Maruti SX4
Well my team and Balas team finished the whole race and got to the last point. All the other teams did not have that privilege because the cops found a couple of teams hitching ride and were not amused. I mean they were pissed because Goa after 10 can be quite deserted especially some of the roads that were on our course. And hitching rides especially in trucks isn't really safe. So the game had to be stopped and all the team except both that were already at the last spot were gathered at the Hanuman Mandir and were transported back by the organizers cars and some that were being hired. Unfortunately for the 2 teams that finished, they had to start walking back towards the hotel. Trust me having finished the race and sitting on the sidewalk for an hour and a half and seeing nearly no traffic pass by, to be told that we have to walk back to the hotel cause there are problems with the cops and the other teams, was not fun. Both teams figured that finally we would have to do that which we didn't do much of in the whole race - walk for an hour or two. But what can I say, fortune favours the brave. After about 10 - 15 minutes of walking, we found a mini-bus come along our way. And the driver dropped us to our hotel. Of course he got paid for it.
Anyway great learning from the whole activity. For all those who were involved. Some of the most important lessons from the race are those that apply to nearly everything in life.
1) We all go into the race thinking it would be the worse thing on earth and impossible to complete. It wasn't. It was way easier than we expected and a lot more fun that we thought possible. Life is always different from behind the start line. Only once you start running do you see things as they really are. Being uselessly worried about things before you know enough to be worried is foolish and unproductive
2) Our preconceived notions can we things that hold us back. Every single person in the race was amazed at how helpful the people of Goa were. No one entered the race believing that we would get the kind of help we go. I mean most of us as a strategy decided to stop trucks because car owners would say no to us. Or so we wrongly though. I heard of teams that got up to 8 members into Santro's and Maruti 800's.
3) No matter what you do and how you do it, you are creating an experience. A memory. It will stay with you for life (unless you get Amnesia or something). And each of these memories will be cherished when you look back at them (provided of course they are good memories and that nothing horrible happened to you)
4) If you work together and really hard, you can surpass anyones expectations. We had up to 19 hours to finish the race. The teams that did finish the race did it within 7 hours. Not one single person in any group thought about where they would stop and rest for the night. Even at 11 a lot of tired teams decided only to push further rather than stop for the night and start in the morning.
The race was quite simple - everyone would get dropped of at a common spot and each team (all Pinstormers were already split into 12 teams, each consisting of between 7 to 9 people) along with the 'Outdoor Expert' (OE) would have to travel from one point to another across Goa. Sounds simple doesn't it. It actually is easy except that there were a few 'catches' -
1) Each team member was given 1 packet of Tiger biscuits
2) Each team member was given 1 litre of water
3) Each team member was given Rs.20
4) Each team was given 1 map.
5) Only 1 mobile phone per team was allowed and this couldn't be used except to call the organizers and find the next destination to get to once we were at our destination.
6) There was a time limit of 19 hours from the drop off to the final destination.
7) At no point in time was any member of the team to be separated from the group.
Think 19 hours is a lot? Well not for 80 kilometers. Yup 80 kms was the distance we had to cover with only a few packets of biscuits and few litres of water. Of course water and biscuits could be purchased as could accommodation but really what can you do with Rs.140 -Rs.160 for 7-8 people? The organizers were a little nice to us and said that we could buy from them water, biscuits and blankets (remember 19 hours) for discounted rates.
So at around 5:30 P.M. we go dropped to our drop off point and were given our first stop of the race which was at least a distance of 8 kms. Obviously most of us thought we had to walk the race and figure out ways to find cheap travel means etc but then our OE very correctly told us that we could decide. We could walk, take a bus, hitch a ride, run or do whatever we liked to get to the spot. Well obviously we decided hitching a ride is the best thing to do. And obviously every other team decided the same. So here we are on this road, some 100 odd people, all pointing their thumbs outs for a ride. Big city people and some foreigners too screaming out to truck drivers the location of where we wanted to go.
Now the post talks about my team specifically and what happened to us. I don't remember the names of all the places we stopped at but it's the journey that counts. My team consisted of Netra, Savita, Jigar, Manish, Jayant, Vinod and myself and not to forget our OE, Rahul. The guy is a hardcore mountaineer. I believe he has led expeditions to the Himalayas.
So the first van that stops for us, is filled with 6 - 7 people already but the driver tells us to get on. Now that van could had taken about 3 people more but guess how many jumped in...yup 8. Crazy ride with Rahul and Vinod standing on the edge of the van and holding on for dear life. Okay that's a little exaggeration but if they did slip, it would be major injuries for sure. Man I have been in cramped cars many times but never like this. The poor people who were already sitting inside couldn't understand what the hell was happening. The were more like village people and couldn't understand what we meant by a race/competition and having no money and only biscuits and a long distance to cover.
Anyway they were great. I bet they were super happy when we got off at our stop. We gave hearty thanks to the driver and he just kept laughing.
We saw another team just in front of us getting into a mini truck and we ran to catch them. While running I was on the phone with Shekhar (organizer) asking him which is the next stop. By the time me and the OE got to the truck, a huge fight was happening amongst some members of my team and the team members who were already in the mini truck. Oh the other team was super nasty but like they say, all if fair in love and war. So they drove off and we started all over again to stick our thumbs out.
We got into this Sumo and it was brilliant cause this guy was going in the same direction that we had to go and therefore ended up dropping us at 4 stops. Yipeee. Of course each time we got to a stop, all of us had to get off and make the man wait till we got the name of the next stop. He was a nice man. An electoral officer if I remember correctly. By the time he dropped us off, I bet he wasn't thinking nice things about us hehe. At hearing what he was doing he expressed the same sentiment that ALL our drivers who understood what we were doing expressed. That of confusion at how a company can set up such a task and how they can let us out loose in Goa with no money and such a long task.
Well we went on like this for quite a while, some times ahead of teams, sometimes behind teams. The few things that everyone in the team did for the first time which we never thought we would do were -
1) Ride inside a truck - with the driver and his assistants
2) Ride on coconuts - yup a truck was transporting coconuts and we just got on top of them
3) Being drive around by a millionaire in his Maruti SX4
Well my team and Balas team finished the whole race and got to the last point. All the other teams did not have that privilege because the cops found a couple of teams hitching ride and were not amused. I mean they were pissed because Goa after 10 can be quite deserted especially some of the roads that were on our course. And hitching rides especially in trucks isn't really safe. So the game had to be stopped and all the team except both that were already at the last spot were gathered at the Hanuman Mandir and were transported back by the organizers cars and some that were being hired. Unfortunately for the 2 teams that finished, they had to start walking back towards the hotel. Trust me having finished the race and sitting on the sidewalk for an hour and a half and seeing nearly no traffic pass by, to be told that we have to walk back to the hotel cause there are problems with the cops and the other teams, was not fun. Both teams figured that finally we would have to do that which we didn't do much of in the whole race - walk for an hour or two. But what can I say, fortune favours the brave. After about 10 - 15 minutes of walking, we found a mini-bus come along our way. And the driver dropped us to our hotel. Of course he got paid for it.
Anyway great learning from the whole activity. For all those who were involved. Some of the most important lessons from the race are those that apply to nearly everything in life.
1) We all go into the race thinking it would be the worse thing on earth and impossible to complete. It wasn't. It was way easier than we expected and a lot more fun that we thought possible. Life is always different from behind the start line. Only once you start running do you see things as they really are. Being uselessly worried about things before you know enough to be worried is foolish and unproductive
2) Our preconceived notions can we things that hold us back. Every single person in the race was amazed at how helpful the people of Goa were. No one entered the race believing that we would get the kind of help we go. I mean most of us as a strategy decided to stop trucks because car owners would say no to us. Or so we wrongly though. I heard of teams that got up to 8 members into Santro's and Maruti 800's.
3) No matter what you do and how you do it, you are creating an experience. A memory. It will stay with you for life (unless you get Amnesia or something). And each of these memories will be cherished when you look back at them (provided of course they are good memories and that nothing horrible happened to you)
4) If you work together and really hard, you can surpass anyones expectations. We had up to 19 hours to finish the race. The teams that did finish the race did it within 7 hours. Not one single person in any group thought about where they would stop and rest for the night. Even at 11 a lot of tired teams decided only to push further rather than stop for the night and start in the morning.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Interesting 2....
From LiveScience.com
Ants Prefer Salt over Sugar
Ants Prefer Salt over Sugar
Ants have less of a sweet tooth and more of a preference for salty snacks, at least when they live in salt-poor areas far from the ocean, a new study finds.
All animals — from ants to humans — need salt to maintain their body's nerve and muscle activity and water balance.
Ants, though, typically swarm over sources of sugar because they need it for energy.
But researchers suspected those taste differences might vary with location and tested the salt-versus-sweet preferences of ants at various distances from the ocean, a source of salt.
The study, detailed in the Oct. 27 issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, was sponsored in part by the National Geographic Society and the Amazon Conservation Association.
The "cafeteria experiment" offered the ants a choice of cotton balls soaked in salt or sugar solution. Ants that lived more than 60 miles (100 kilometers) inland preferred the salt solution (which was less concentrated than the sugar solution).
This preference was mainly true of plant-eating ants, since carnivorous ants get enough salt from their prey. (Similarly herbivorous animals such as cows and deer get their salt from salt licks, while wolves and other predators get it from the bloody meat they eat.)
The researchers want to see if this pattern holds for all insects and even microbes. In particular, study lead author Michael Kaspari plans to see if spraying salt on forest leaf litter cranks up ecosystem activity, just as Gatorade improves the performance of sports teams.
Interesting...
From LiveScience.com
Why we love being scared
When you get scared, your heart rates soars, you breathe faster, your muscles tighten, and your attention focuses — all part of the fight or flight response. But when you know there is no real threat, the adrenaline rush can be enjoyable, scientists say.
One explanation for why we love scary movies is that we're not so much afraid as we are excited. Another is that we are willing to endure the terror in order to enjoy a euphoric sense of relief at the end.
A newer idea, put forth last year in the Journal of Consumer Research, suggests horror movie viewers are happy to be unhappy. People experience both negative and positive emotions simultaneously, the thinking goes. "The most pleasant moments of a particular event may also be the most fearful," wrote Eduardo Andrade of the University of California, Berkeley and Joel B. Cohen at the University of Florida.
The best
Alfred Hitchcock was, of course, the master at teasing all these senses. Konzett: "Even though we actually see only a small amount of blood (chocolate syrup going down the drain) and very little gore, if any, in this short two-minute scene, it has profoundly scared several generations of people, especially women, with many saying they are afraid to take showers for days. Very few horror scenes have had this kind of impact."
Even the low-budget "Texas Chainsaw Massacre," often criticized for gore and violence, "actually has much less blood than people imagine, with many of the killings occurring off camera," notes film reviewer and LiveScience columnist Benjamin Radford.
Steven Spielberg's 1975 "Jaws" left an entire generation afraid to enter the water for fear of shark attacks, Konzett notes. Yet Spielberg sidestepped outright gore for the most part, using thumping music, murky water and the constant threat of attack to terrify viewers.
"Films such as 'Psycho' and 'Jaws' capture the helplessness of people, catching them when they are most vulnerable. This is why many decades later, they are still popular among the younger generation in spite of contemporary horror films that are more sensational and filled with blood and gore," she says.
The Updater...
That's who I have become...
I miss being the troubleshooter but this isn't too bad either :)
I miss being the troubleshooter but this isn't too bad either :)
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Aaawwwwww
I love 'Deepali Naka'. Thanks Raamesh Lubna Reshma and Bala :) especially for it not being a one day affair ;) hehe
First Day...First Show...First Time...
I caught the first show of Fashion today.
Haha so damn absurd to watch a movie at 10:30 AM - it's usually the time I am asleep. The good thing is I liked the movie so it was worth waking up and traveling for.
My review of Fashion (the Madhur Bhandarkar movie)
Haha so damn absurd to watch a movie at 10:30 AM - it's usually the time I am asleep. The good thing is I liked the movie so it was worth waking up and traveling for.
My review of Fashion (the Madhur Bhandarkar movie)
Monday, October 27, 2008
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Rangoli time...
Since I am totally artistically challenged and my sis isn't that good with rangoli stuff, so we have no choice but to get a little creative...
This years Rangoli is done. Below are pictures of what the outside of our main door looks like :)
On the left
This pictures came out a little blurred because I was trying to make do without a flash (very slight hand shake and blurred image) cause a flash ruins the effect of the candles and diya. The picture where there is a flash is just too dull.
On the right
No good pic with the candles and diya lit will try and take one tomorrow.
On the whole
We even got innovative with the lights on the top - usually it's just the rice lights (with maybe 1 of the flower thingies - can't believe I can't get a name to it right now) but this year we added a lot more of the flower things and it looks totally beautiful. Looks a little christmasy but I like it.
This years Rangoli is done. Below are pictures of what the outside of our main door looks like :)
On the left
This pictures came out a little blurred because I was trying to make do without a flash (very slight hand shake and blurred image) cause a flash ruins the effect of the candles and diya. The picture where there is a flash is just too dull.
On the right
No good pic with the candles and diya lit will try and take one tomorrow.
On the whole
We even got innovative with the lights on the top - usually it's just the rice lights (with maybe 1 of the flower thingies - can't believe I can't get a name to it right now) but this year we added a lot more of the flower things and it looks totally beautiful. Looks a little christmasy but I like it.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Advised some more...
Me: arre yaar you ppl talk like its the simplest thing in the world
Sumita : but it's also not the most difficult thing in the world..
I hear you...and this just isn't my night to win 'discussions' lol.
Sumita : but it's also not the most difficult thing in the world..
I hear you...and this just isn't my night to win 'discussions' lol.
Advised...
Naman said - when you are cycling na...only the first pedal takes a bit of energy....after that....you are just enjoying the ride.
Well said I say (but only if you know how to cycle ;) hehe)
Well said I say (but only if you know how to cycle ;) hehe)
Sad Smiles...
I had a post earlier about vivid words. Words that when combined draw images. Some how 'Sad Smiles' does that.
The thought came when I was looking at pics of my Nani (she's in Curacao with my Maama) and in none of the pictures is she smiling properly. One place she actually looks exhausted and faking a smile so the term just popped into my mind.
The thought came when I was looking at pics of my Nani (she's in Curacao with my Maama) and in none of the pictures is she smiling properly. One place she actually looks exhausted and faking a smile so the term just popped into my mind.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Animals Stressed Out, Too
Came across this interesting article -
The economy, the election, and myriad other problems are really stressing out ... pets.
When humans get stressed, often their pets take on that stress, too.
"Dogs and cats are very good at picking up stress in people, as are birds," said James Morrisey, a veterinarian at the College of Veterinary Medicine of Cornell University in New York. "I've worked with a parrot who lived with a woman who had a seizure disorder, and the parrot could tell when she was about to have a seizure and warn her."
In addition to carrying the burdens of people, animals — especially wild creatures — have plenty of their own to stress about. Animals will even seek out "comfort food" when they're all wigged out. And stress in animals, as with humans, can be a good or a bad thing.
"In general, the more intelligent an animal is, the more psychological stress it can undergo," Morrisey said. "The less you're thinking about things, the less psychological stress you can potentially be under."
Complete article at - LiveScience.com
The economy, the election, and myriad other problems are really stressing out ... pets.
When humans get stressed, often their pets take on that stress, too.
"Dogs and cats are very good at picking up stress in people, as are birds," said James Morrisey, a veterinarian at the College of Veterinary Medicine of Cornell University in New York. "I've worked with a parrot who lived with a woman who had a seizure disorder, and the parrot could tell when she was about to have a seizure and warn her."
In addition to carrying the burdens of people, animals — especially wild creatures — have plenty of their own to stress about. Animals will even seek out "comfort food" when they're all wigged out. And stress in animals, as with humans, can be a good or a bad thing.
"In general, the more intelligent an animal is, the more psychological stress it can undergo," Morrisey said. "The less you're thinking about things, the less psychological stress you can potentially be under."
Complete article at - LiveScience.com
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Phillip vs Robert
http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=2nvmHdTJNyU
Crazy video. Phillip (on the left) seems to dance where as I find Robert creepy and not really dancing but doing some cool moves or whatever.
Anyway Enjoyyyy
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Raj Thackeray get arrested..
and half of Mumbai is under house arrest.
Either because they are too scared to go out or because if they go out, they don't have a means of transport or because what they need is shut/closed.
It's ridiculous. I mean where the law and order mechanism. I am glad the police decided to do something about all the violence that has happened due to the MNS but they should have worked a little harder to see that no disruption happens to normal life of the average Mumbaikar.
Ah these bloody politicians...
Either because they are too scared to go out or because if they go out, they don't have a means of transport or because what they need is shut/closed.
It's ridiculous. I mean where the law and order mechanism. I am glad the police decided to do something about all the violence that has happened due to the MNS but they should have worked a little harder to see that no disruption happens to normal life of the average Mumbaikar.
Ah these bloody politicians...
Monday, October 20, 2008
Few important things I learned at work...
I already spoke about being 'impactful' by working towards 'being a legend' and by being a mentor.
There are a few more things that are important when you work with people. I am not expert on the subject...far from it actually, but I would still like to leave a few thoughts with who ever is interested in reading.
> Don't disrespect people ever. I know it is impossible to respect all people all the time but that's where tolerance comes in. You go around disrespecting people and they will hate you. And then it's going to be quite fun to work towards a goal...
> Always try and be truthful. If you don't know something, then say you don't know it right at the start when you realize the same. It is always better to tell someone that you aren't an expert but will do your best rather than mess things up later on. Similarly people hate if you have a hidden agenda so be upfront right from the start (unless there are very good reasons not to be)
> Accept your limitations. Accept the limitations of people around you. No one has infinite capacity. Have the right expectations from people. You might need a superman around but superman doesn't exist. Some people will come quite close though if given enough resources so try and see who can be the superman around you when you need a superman and give that person what that person needs to do the 'impossible'.
> There is always a wrong way of saying something. Try not to say things in the wrong way.
> Appreciate people. Not uselessly of course but when they deserve it don't hold back. I learned this lesson a little too late.
> Haul up people if they need it. Don't keep forgiving the same mistake over and over. If people need to be told that they aren't doing a good job, they need to be told that. Again something I failed at in many instances.
> Everyone needs some breathing space one in a while.
> Give people credit even if they had a small part to play in a success. Don't blame everything on someone if something failed. The point of being in a team is that responsibility and accountability rests with the team. Personally I think if it has to be a 1 man show, the leader should always take blame for the failure and let someone else get credit for the successes. This is also an effective way to see that everyone is pulling their weight cause after a bunch of failures, the leader would deal with the weakest link correctly (hopefully)
> Never doubt yourself. If there has to be doubting, doubt your choices.
> A lot of people will give you 'feedback'. You should listen to it. If you think it's crap then just forget it but listen to it first.
> There are 3 qualities that I think are a must for success no matter what you do and I believe all 3 can be worked on -
1) Logical thinkings
2) Attitude
3) Communication ability
[TBC]
There are a few more things that are important when you work with people. I am not expert on the subject...far from it actually, but I would still like to leave a few thoughts with who ever is interested in reading.
> Don't disrespect people ever. I know it is impossible to respect all people all the time but that's where tolerance comes in. You go around disrespecting people and they will hate you. And then it's going to be quite fun to work towards a goal...
> Always try and be truthful. If you don't know something, then say you don't know it right at the start when you realize the same. It is always better to tell someone that you aren't an expert but will do your best rather than mess things up later on. Similarly people hate if you have a hidden agenda so be upfront right from the start (unless there are very good reasons not to be)
> Accept your limitations. Accept the limitations of people around you. No one has infinite capacity. Have the right expectations from people. You might need a superman around but superman doesn't exist. Some people will come quite close though if given enough resources so try and see who can be the superman around you when you need a superman and give that person what that person needs to do the 'impossible'.
> There is always a wrong way of saying something. Try not to say things in the wrong way.
> Appreciate people. Not uselessly of course but when they deserve it don't hold back. I learned this lesson a little too late.
> Haul up people if they need it. Don't keep forgiving the same mistake over and over. If people need to be told that they aren't doing a good job, they need to be told that. Again something I failed at in many instances.
> Everyone needs some breathing space one in a while.
> Give people credit even if they had a small part to play in a success. Don't blame everything on someone if something failed. The point of being in a team is that responsibility and accountability rests with the team. Personally I think if it has to be a 1 man show, the leader should always take blame for the failure and let someone else get credit for the successes. This is also an effective way to see that everyone is pulling their weight cause after a bunch of failures, the leader would deal with the weakest link correctly (hopefully)
> Never doubt yourself. If there has to be doubting, doubt your choices.
> A lot of people will give you 'feedback'. You should listen to it. If you think it's crap then just forget it but listen to it first.
> There are 3 qualities that I think are a must for success no matter what you do and I believe all 3 can be worked on -
1) Logical thinkings
2) Attitude
3) Communication ability
[TBC]
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Go Phillip...Go Phillip...Go Phillip...
Man this guy is too good.
This is Phillip Chbeeb on the show 'So You Think You Can Dance'. Totallyyyy love this style. Not sure what it's called but man if I could dance like that, it would make me happy as hell...
Well now I am just enjoying watching this. Love the wave thing he does.
Another popper you might enjoy - http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=GsyQUwx00vw. I didn't really enjoy his dance so much cause it looked a little toooo creepy. But he does seem like he has no bones AT ALL. The dancer is Robert Muraine (if I am not mistaken).
This is Phillip Chbeeb on the show 'So You Think You Can Dance'. Totallyyyy love this style. Not sure what it's called but man if I could dance like that, it would make me happy as hell...
Well now I am just enjoying watching this. Love the wave thing he does.
Another popper you might enjoy - http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=GsyQUwx00vw. I didn't really enjoy his dance so much cause it looked a little toooo creepy. But he does seem like he has no bones AT ALL. The dancer is Robert Muraine (if I am not mistaken).
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
My personal messages...
I had the opportunity to speak today at my 'farewell gathering' but in my bid to have my speech 'make a difference' I forgot to thank people and say somethings I wanted to say to individual people. So here goes... [Also if I miss someone out in the first round - apologies - will keep adding to the list]. It will always be 'see you soon' and not 'goodbye'.
First for all the lunches I was treated to, major thanks to -
Ratan, Sandesh, Kaushik Monica & Sneha, Vigneswari Sunisha & Archana.
Khushboo - Forever eh? We WILL catch a movie/play some weekend I promise as long as it isn't raining of course. Please don't get us thrown out though ;) Gonna miss all the traveling with you.
Sneha - We did some great work together. Always worked at a team. No functional divide at all :) hehe I'm expecting you to give me a call at least once week and to tell me what happened at home ;)
Yogesh - Man seeing where you are today and who you are today, is a great reality check for me. Keep doing good work. I would have never expected you to perform the way you have. Makes me question my own perceptions :)
Bhavna - Dudeeeeeeee be a little serious in life man. You have the total potential to be right at the top. Just work a little harder. Don't be a Manila girl :P My baby is with you and you better take good care of it. And yes I will miss you.
Mahesh - Can't thank you enough for all the opportunities I have got at work. Also many thanks for helping me understand web usability. Also thanks for the offsite trainings, especially the last two and the management training program. I got to learn a lot not only about other people but also about myself. This company has always been ahead of the curve and I think it will continue to be that way.
Ratan - When you have your 'The Secret' session, please call me hehe I might not believe in it enough for it to do wonders but it will be fun. Thanks for all the encouragement over the years.
Ansoo - Haha I am neither anti-social nor do I suffer from a superiority complex :) One crazy conversation day that way. Appreciate the time and effort you took that day.
Naman - Honestly Naman, every company should have employees like you. You know not only hardworking and doing a good job but also people who have a holistic understanding of what an organisation is all about. Don't get bogged down by stupid things just keep being creative. And stop smoking so much.
Romil - Romil you are the best designer I have worked with. Don't let anyone ever tell you, you do sub-standard work. It will be nothing but a lie. I will miss giving you my small inputs every now and then when you are creating an ad. Also I am hoping I will hear from you a lot more now :)
Beverly - Bev you better be eating your lunch everyday and NOT at dinner time. If I so much as hear you aren't eating, I'll hire people in the company to keep an eye on you. Their job will be to pester you to eat hehe. Good job. 5 estimates in one day is a record btw :) I wouldn't have managed it.
Sanjeev - Your totally a ROCK man. I am very proud that you haven't smoked and had a drink in so long and that in spite of having the freedom and opportunity now, you continue to resist temptation. Also thanks a ton for telling me to stay back so much - no one told me to stay as much as you did.
Sumita - My partner in crime ;) I'm warning you, I better not hear you have been laughing a lot without me. Always remember I am only a ping away ;)
Sudipa, Savita, Mitch - Thanks for getting on a con-call and in chorus saying 'We will miss you Deepali'
Geeta - Thanks for the email. Appreciate it :) Do call me whenever you are in town. Will definitely catch up with you.
Neelofer - Aunty don't bash people up okay. Thoda pyar se baat karo aur logon ko live chat pe bulana band karo :P
Tariq - Pintoo ji I love the name :)
Raamesh - Haha don't go crazy with all the work okay :) Thanks for the 'Deepali Naka'. I love it totally. Also thank for the book :)
Sunisha - Miss Sindy Krawford I will miss all our experiments yaar. To good times...to good times :D Will call you sometime but I doubt we will end up talking for 3 hours at a stretch ;)
Nikhil - Nikhil bhai, kem cho, keep those cool tools coming. Hats off to you for building the number of teams you have :)
Ami - Amiiiiii if I ever do get married (not happening for at least another 2 years if I all) you are definitely invited :) land up even if I forget to send you a card :D
Jayant - Brilliant work at the offsite man. Was glad to have you in my team. You did good. Keep working hard. Keep working smart. Up is the only way for you to go :)
Monica - Monica ben, after so long you came back. Mr.G was missing you so much hehe. Well we didn't work together again unfortunately lol I just kept re-directing your emails to Naman or Bhavna but still, good to have you back before I went on my leave :) Be like your baby - forever smiling and happy :) See I thought I was forgetting something important - going to leave what I originally wrote and add what I had first thought of writing. I don't think anyone changed a perspective of mine as soon as you did. I remember we met at the Christmas party and I had just become a Manager and I was saying how I only got promoted cause it was needed etc etc etc and you said 'Well that's what opportunities are right?'. From being quite negative about a situation I looked at it positively from that day on. Thanks :)
Reshma - Good luck to you Reshma. You have quite a task ahead but I am sure if everyone works as a strong team, you all will not only survive but very soon thrive :)
Jigar - Loved your enthusiasm at the off-site. Stay pump and pump up others also always :)
Viggi - Thanks for the chocolates - reallyyyy nice stuff :) Love how you are focussed on the right things Viggi - stay the way you are. And if you are ever bashing up Amol in the future, one two slaps give him on my behalf :)
Coffey - Please feel free to call me anytime you have any problem and well now you even have Ruiyu for a while to help you out :)
Kavita - Whenever you get super pakofied of lead cleaning, just go down to the team and tell them to stop sending you so many leads hehe ;) kidding. The more cleaning you have to do the happier we all are :)
Mitch - Like the way you think girl. Matured. Lol. Btw go though the AdWords learning center, it will help you tons.
Netra - Netra ji, whenever you need anything on DMI please call me. Also you are one person I will ALWAYS be in touch with cause you know EVERYONE hehe ;)
Bala - Hey Bala, enjoyed the long general discussions we have had on marketing and advertising. Also appreciate always how you will actually come say you like the way I presented something or liked what I said in a speech or training :)
Ruiyu - Ruiyuuuuuuuuuuu you are back and now I am on leave :( but its okay. Glad to have you back :) Do good work. And if I am ever in China you have to take me around all over.
Kavita N - You should stop saying thank you so much. As for help bindas. It's the job of your superiors to help you out and there need not be so much thanking involved ;)
Amit Bharat Vinod- Thank for all the coffee, tea and maggi.
Hetal - Good luck with all the publishers hehe. Please contact me if you are stuck with some invoice, I will come and sort it out. I don't remember if I am actually done with all of those. And if there is anyyyyy jhol whatsoever catch Sneha and Bhavna. Lol kidding.
Sandesh - I created the list you asked for but I don't think you want it ;) It's always interesting to see how much you know on such diverse subjects, especially those relating to traditions and customs. Lol if I can't find an NGO, I'll give you a call. Thanks for sitting through all those sessions where I was giving 'feedback'.
Sunil - Stop getting all those silly fashion magazine clients :P kidding. The offsite was great fun. Especially the Race. I think we wanted to come first really badly cause you guys wanted to come first so badly lol. Drink a little less and goodluck with the studies.
Manik - Thanks for the maska :P Don't worry I will be following your blog for a while. All that information is good for me ;) Btw I am glad you got your own coffee to work - lesser people would have found my habit strange.
Kevin - You're quite naughty aren't you? All that quite boy image is just an image isn't it haha. More and more people are getting to know your secret.
Pradeep - I owe you a crackle. Remind me next time we meet.
Kaushik - Kaushik yaar, bachhon ko Mr.D se bachao. Lol. Man if you get tired of search, think of acting as a career. Totally loved your acting at the off-site. It was absolutely hilarious. My highlight for that evening. Better than Kev in a skirt ;) Sorry Kev.
Few more to go.
First for all the lunches I was treated to, major thanks to -
Ratan, Sandesh, Kaushik Monica & Sneha, Vigneswari Sunisha & Archana.
Khushboo - Forever eh? We WILL catch a movie/play some weekend I promise as long as it isn't raining of course. Please don't get us thrown out though ;) Gonna miss all the traveling with you.
Sneha - We did some great work together. Always worked at a team. No functional divide at all :) hehe I'm expecting you to give me a call at least once week and to tell me what happened at home ;)
Yogesh - Man seeing where you are today and who you are today, is a great reality check for me. Keep doing good work. I would have never expected you to perform the way you have. Makes me question my own perceptions :)
Bhavna - Dudeeeeeeee be a little serious in life man. You have the total potential to be right at the top. Just work a little harder. Don't be a Manila girl :P My baby is with you and you better take good care of it. And yes I will miss you.
Mahesh - Can't thank you enough for all the opportunities I have got at work. Also many thanks for helping me understand web usability. Also thanks for the offsite trainings, especially the last two and the management training program. I got to learn a lot not only about other people but also about myself. This company has always been ahead of the curve and I think it will continue to be that way.
Ratan - When you have your 'The Secret' session, please call me hehe I might not believe in it enough for it to do wonders but it will be fun. Thanks for all the encouragement over the years.
Ansoo - Haha I am neither anti-social nor do I suffer from a superiority complex :) One crazy conversation day that way. Appreciate the time and effort you took that day.
Naman - Honestly Naman, every company should have employees like you. You know not only hardworking and doing a good job but also people who have a holistic understanding of what an organisation is all about. Don't get bogged down by stupid things just keep being creative. And stop smoking so much.
Romil - Romil you are the best designer I have worked with. Don't let anyone ever tell you, you do sub-standard work. It will be nothing but a lie. I will miss giving you my small inputs every now and then when you are creating an ad. Also I am hoping I will hear from you a lot more now :)
Beverly - Bev you better be eating your lunch everyday and NOT at dinner time. If I so much as hear you aren't eating, I'll hire people in the company to keep an eye on you. Their job will be to pester you to eat hehe. Good job. 5 estimates in one day is a record btw :) I wouldn't have managed it.
Sanjeev - Your totally a ROCK man. I am very proud that you haven't smoked and had a drink in so long and that in spite of having the freedom and opportunity now, you continue to resist temptation. Also thanks a ton for telling me to stay back so much - no one told me to stay as much as you did.
Sumita - My partner in crime ;) I'm warning you, I better not hear you have been laughing a lot without me. Always remember I am only a ping away ;)
Sudipa, Savita, Mitch - Thanks for getting on a con-call and in chorus saying 'We will miss you Deepali'
Geeta - Thanks for the email. Appreciate it :) Do call me whenever you are in town. Will definitely catch up with you.
Neelofer - Aunty don't bash people up okay. Thoda pyar se baat karo aur logon ko live chat pe bulana band karo :P
Tariq - Pintoo ji I love the name :)
Raamesh - Haha don't go crazy with all the work okay :) Thanks for the 'Deepali Naka'. I love it totally. Also thank for the book :)
Sunisha - Miss Sindy Krawford I will miss all our experiments yaar. To good times...to good times :D Will call you sometime but I doubt we will end up talking for 3 hours at a stretch ;)
Nikhil - Nikhil bhai, kem cho, keep those cool tools coming. Hats off to you for building the number of teams you have :)
Ami - Amiiiiii if I ever do get married (not happening for at least another 2 years if I all) you are definitely invited :) land up even if I forget to send you a card :D
Jayant - Brilliant work at the offsite man. Was glad to have you in my team. You did good. Keep working hard. Keep working smart. Up is the only way for you to go :)
Monica - Monica ben, after so long you came back. Mr.G was missing you so much hehe. Well we didn't work together again unfortunately lol I just kept re-directing your emails to Naman or Bhavna but still, good to have you back before I went on my leave :) Be like your baby - forever smiling and happy :) See I thought I was forgetting something important - going to leave what I originally wrote and add what I had first thought of writing. I don't think anyone changed a perspective of mine as soon as you did. I remember we met at the Christmas party and I had just become a Manager and I was saying how I only got promoted cause it was needed etc etc etc and you said 'Well that's what opportunities are right?'. From being quite negative about a situation I looked at it positively from that day on. Thanks :)
Reshma - Good luck to you Reshma. You have quite a task ahead but I am sure if everyone works as a strong team, you all will not only survive but very soon thrive :)
Jigar - Loved your enthusiasm at the off-site. Stay pump and pump up others also always :)
Viggi - Thanks for the chocolates - reallyyyy nice stuff :) Love how you are focussed on the right things Viggi - stay the way you are. And if you are ever bashing up Amol in the future, one two slaps give him on my behalf :)
Coffey - Please feel free to call me anytime you have any problem and well now you even have Ruiyu for a while to help you out :)
Kavita - Whenever you get super pakofied of lead cleaning, just go down to the team and tell them to stop sending you so many leads hehe ;) kidding. The more cleaning you have to do the happier we all are :)
Mitch - Like the way you think girl. Matured. Lol. Btw go though the AdWords learning center, it will help you tons.
Netra - Netra ji, whenever you need anything on DMI please call me. Also you are one person I will ALWAYS be in touch with cause you know EVERYONE hehe ;)
Bala - Hey Bala, enjoyed the long general discussions we have had on marketing and advertising. Also appreciate always how you will actually come say you like the way I presented something or liked what I said in a speech or training :)
Ruiyu - Ruiyuuuuuuuuuuu you are back and now I am on leave :( but its okay. Glad to have you back :) Do good work. And if I am ever in China you have to take me around all over.
Kavita N - You should stop saying thank you so much. As for help bindas. It's the job of your superiors to help you out and there need not be so much thanking involved ;)
Amit Bharat Vinod- Thank for all the coffee, tea and maggi.
Hetal - Good luck with all the publishers hehe. Please contact me if you are stuck with some invoice, I will come and sort it out. I don't remember if I am actually done with all of those. And if there is anyyyyy jhol whatsoever catch Sneha and Bhavna. Lol kidding.
Sandesh - I created the list you asked for but I don't think you want it ;) It's always interesting to see how much you know on such diverse subjects, especially those relating to traditions and customs. Lol if I can't find an NGO, I'll give you a call. Thanks for sitting through all those sessions where I was giving 'feedback'.
Sunil - Stop getting all those silly fashion magazine clients :P kidding. The offsite was great fun. Especially the Race. I think we wanted to come first really badly cause you guys wanted to come first so badly lol. Drink a little less and goodluck with the studies.
Manik - Thanks for the maska :P Don't worry I will be following your blog for a while. All that information is good for me ;) Btw I am glad you got your own coffee to work - lesser people would have found my habit strange.
Kevin - You're quite naughty aren't you? All that quite boy image is just an image isn't it haha. More and more people are getting to know your secret.
Pradeep - I owe you a crackle. Remind me next time we meet.
Kaushik - Kaushik yaar, bachhon ko Mr.D se bachao. Lol. Man if you get tired of search, think of acting as a career. Totally loved your acting at the off-site. It was absolutely hilarious. My highlight for that evening. Better than Kev in a skirt ;) Sorry Kev.
Few more to go.
The last mile...has been crossed...
I am on sabbatical from tomorrow. Got a couple of gifts and I will still say it again I hate receiving gifts but it's stuff that I would like.
Thanks for the watch and book guys - both are brilliant - 'time and ideas' :)
Thanks for the watch and book guys - both are brilliant - 'time and ideas' :)
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Lightning Junkie...
That what I am :)
[Not my own picture obviously. Picked it up from the web - I believe from weatherbook.com]
Below is the picture taken by me :( Maybe some day when I have better equipment and technique, I'll take a fabulous picture.
Anyway enjoyed watching the lightning a lot :D
[Not my own picture obviously. Picked it up from the web - I believe from weatherbook.com]
Below is the picture taken by me :( Maybe some day when I have better equipment and technique, I'll take a fabulous picture.
Anyway enjoyed watching the lightning a lot :D
So many nice people :) ...
First it was 'oh what nice people' and I thought people might think I'm being sarcastic.
So I made it 'such nice people :)' and a couple of people still asked me if I was bring sarcy.
Finally I settled on 'so many nice people :)' which is slightly better but can still be sarcastic.
But I am not being sarcastic. I am being honest. I am quite lucky in that way. I have met so many very nice people over the years and the events of the last few months make me realize that people are willing to go out of their way to do things for you, willing to honestly tell you how important you are to them, willing to give you things you want...
Cheers to all the great people I know.
So I made it 'such nice people :)' and a couple of people still asked me if I was bring sarcy.
Finally I settled on 'so many nice people :)' which is slightly better but can still be sarcastic.
But I am not being sarcastic. I am being honest. I am quite lucky in that way. I have met so many very nice people over the years and the events of the last few months make me realize that people are willing to go out of their way to do things for you, willing to honestly tell you how important you are to them, willing to give you things you want...
Cheers to all the great people I know.
Thursday, October 09, 2008
Stop Whining...
I hate when men whine. It really pisses me off.
As if we don't hear enough of whining from women.
I am not being sexist or whatever - it's just that men have a different way of saying things. They don't whine. They might crib but it's more short lived and to the point. Women on the other hand go on and on so I hate when I find men who crib like women. I mean just shut up somebody.
As if we don't hear enough of whining from women.
I am not being sexist or whatever - it's just that men have a different way of saying things. They don't whine. They might crib but it's more short lived and to the point. Women on the other hand go on and on so I hate when I find men who crib like women. I mean just shut up somebody.
Burning Eyes...
Yesterday I thought it was because of the shampoo but since I had a little burning eyes this morning too, the reason is something else...
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
Agh the heat and the humidity - I hate this city sometimes...
But most times I totally love it.
And it becomes quite bearable on hot and humid days once I get into an air-conditioned room :)
Thank god though winter will be here soon. I do wish that it isn't like the last winter though - totally not Mumbai style winter, i.e. cold.
Ya I know I crib too much.
And it becomes quite bearable on hot and humid days once I get into an air-conditioned room :)
Thank god though winter will be here soon. I do wish that it isn't like the last winter though - totally not Mumbai style winter, i.e. cold.
Ya I know I crib too much.
Monday, October 06, 2008
A Wednesday...
If you haven't watched 'A Wednesday' yet, you should.
It's a brilliant movie. At least I thought so.
It's All About My Movies - A Wednesday.
It's a brilliant movie. At least I thought so.
It's All About My Movies - A Wednesday.
Thursday, October 02, 2008
Whattttttttttt theeeeeeee...
Saw some 6 minutes of Big Boss today and whattttttttt crap are they showing man.
There was some holi game or whatever. So okay Dettol got some nice promotion etc and I was trying to figure out which team they would declare as winners.
Anyway after this 'game' is over they show that Mahajan guy talked through the glass to that chick (they have a glass separating the rooms) and asking for a kiss (through the glass itself) and I'm like whattttttttttttttttttt theeeeeee????
And she said no for something so he asks should I come into your room and she calls him and then tells him to take her clothes somewhere or something and hes like you called me for work here? and goes upto her and slaps her ass. I mean WTF are they showing on TV these days man? I walked off cause really can't stand such retarded shit on television.
I don't know what they are producing these days and I really don't understand how people are watching all this crap.
There was some holi game or whatever. So okay Dettol got some nice promotion etc and I was trying to figure out which team they would declare as winners.
Anyway after this 'game' is over they show that Mahajan guy talked through the glass to that chick (they have a glass separating the rooms) and asking for a kiss (through the glass itself) and I'm like whattttttttttttttttttt theeeeeee????
And she said no for something so he asks should I come into your room and she calls him and then tells him to take her clothes somewhere or something and hes like you called me for work here? and goes upto her and slaps her ass. I mean WTF are they showing on TV these days man? I walked off cause really can't stand such retarded shit on television.
I don't know what they are producing these days and I really don't understand how people are watching all this crap.
Mar Jawaan (I say Mar Jaavaa though)
Totallyyyyyyyyy love the song. It's from the movie Fashion - which I am WAITINGGGG to watch. Love Madhur Bhandarkar films - they are full of filth and dirt that surround us.
Funny incident though - a friend pings me and asks what do you mean 'Mar Jawaan'? Some sarcastic take on the army? Do you mean die martyrs or something?
And then I realized the spelling make it seems like - Die Soldiers lol. So changed it to Mar Jaavaa. Lots of spelling variations for it though - Mar Jaawan, Mar Jawan, Mar Jaavan, Mar Jaawaa, etc...
Also got a couple of people asking me what was up with me...who was I dying over etc.
Anyway enjoyyyyyyyy the song
Funny incident though - a friend pings me and asks what do you mean 'Mar Jawaan'? Some sarcastic take on the army? Do you mean die martyrs or something?
And then I realized the spelling make it seems like - Die Soldiers lol. So changed it to Mar Jaavaa. Lots of spelling variations for it though - Mar Jaawan, Mar Jawan, Mar Jaavan, Mar Jaawaa, etc...
Also got a couple of people asking me what was up with me...who was I dying over etc.
Anyway enjoyyyyyyyy the song
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