Bombay Blogger

ADIDAS' blooper in a TV commercial!

2011-04-09T15:21:00.000+05:30

The Same Old Oral-B TVC

2011-03-05T12:27:00.007+05:30

I am sure you have seen many Oral-B TV commercials in your life. The only thing you remember about them, perhaps, is a visual showing the bristles brushing through the unreachable areas of your teeth in a fair attempt to clean all the left-overs of your diet. Right?

Well, pick any Oral-B commercial from the history, that's what you will find. The only part they lay emphasis on, I believe, is the utility of the tooth-brush. With the use of technology, they have more than often come up with commercials to show how the tooth-brush works on your teeth while all you are doing is just randomly pulling and pushing the brush inside your mouth.

Don't you think a concept change is required here? I, for one, have now understood and learned how the tooth-brush works. Almost all the other brands work in more-or-less similar ways. Somewhere down the line there lies a dire need to differentiate the offering - atleast in TVCs.

I think now these utility-based commercials should be given a break and in-turn be replaced with something more humourous and out-of-the box. We all know now that every tooth-brush is used by '8 out of 10' dentists around the world. Tooth-brush companies need to keep this fact away for sometime and focus on providing something that will help us recollect the Oral-B brand the next time we are out to buy a tooth-brush.

Have a look at this 1984 Oral-B commercial. I think this is much much better than the Oral-B TV commercials today.

Don't you think so?

A Day In The Life Of India

2011-02-10T14:23:00.000+05:30

Presentation Lessons from MEGAMIND!

2011-01-27T12:02:00.001+05:30

Presentation Lessons from MEGAMIND!

View more presentations from Saad Ahmed Shaikh.

New Year hopefully brings me back to blogging! :)

2011-01-01T01:18:00.007+05:30

Wow! There goes another year. Well, there comes one as well.

And yes, I am back to blogging. Nah, I won't blog about how rocking the year was. I won't blog about how 2010 had some of the best moments of my life. I won't blog about the masti I had all this 365 days (a week excluded though). And I also won't blog about how I messed up some of the important things in my life. Neither will I crib about me still being unplaced, on my blog here.

You pretty much got what 2010 had for me, right? Not yet, friends. I will disclose that in posts on a later date. Let the secret be! Year 2011 to me raises the biggest question yet - love or lust? More on this later.

What I really wish is to follow my heart in doing what I want to pursue, and having a heart to face whatever follows.

Waqt ka guzarnaa toh kudrat ka dastoor hai

Waqt ke saath chalne pe insaan majboor hai

Kashaakash bhari zindagi hume manzoor hai

Kyunki raah-e-talab pe manzil abhi door hai

Wishing everyone a cheerful New Year. Rock 2011! :)

My Visual Resume

2010-10-08T02:59:00.004+05:30

Hello Friends (and Recruiters too :D)!

Greetings!

Find my Visual Resume below. Let me know if I can fetch a job with this. ;)

My Visual Resume - Saad Ahmed Shaikh

View more presentations from saadahmedshaikh.

Freedom - What's it for you?

2010-08-15T05:19:00.005+05:30

Let me start with the three often ‘said’ words: Happy Independence Day!

‘Said’, because, we seldom do mean this freedom or rather understand how free we are. Oh, no no.. seriously no.. I’m not going to preach Independence or Freedom to my mates out here. I’ll leave that to our friends on TV. However, it was tonight at 00:34 hrs on 15th August(apparently the time when India declared her Independence) that I too updated my status message as Happy Independence Day, among a heap of other similar SMs by friends. That is when it struck my mind, “what exactly Independence/freedom means to us, individually?”

Well, though we say Independence is a matter of ‘object’ and sources to one single reason, that of freedom from Britishers – I, on the other hand, think that it is a matter of subjectivity. Independence to every person is subjective, in a sense that it might mean different things to different people. And while I say this, it is also possible that the same so-called-Independent person has actually no freedom, of any kind; quite possible.

To some 15-year old Sadhna somewhere, the fact that she is getting to complete her education might sense as freedom. Or

To some 19-year old Tina, freedom might be – getting back home late at night. Or

While, to some 22-year old Rocky, freedom might mean – going on a month-long hike to the Himalayas, all alone.

So, the point is – 'freedom' means different for different people.

If you ask me, I don’t really know why I feel independent: probably because I am free to do a lot of things. Even though I can’t point out one single reason for my freedom, I think what should be important is that I feel independent.

I-Day holds a special place in my heart, as a blogger (after as an Indian first). “Why?” you may ask. Well, that’s because as a blogger I entirely enjoy my freedom of thought and that of expression.

Now, may I ask – what is it that you feel FREE for?

Co-incidentally, this happens to be my 100th post. Something to be happy for? Yeah, I guess. Thank you for all the support friends. :)

Looking Back..

2010-07-31T01:36:00.006+05:30

Well, 2 months ain’t a big deal to look back at; but I have had some awesome experiences which make me feel worth looking back. Yes, the internship’s over. What a time it was!

Having a cup of tea with MD every morning is not everyone’s cup of tea. You need a good deal of luck for that to happen.

Oh.. wait wait.. what are you thinking??

Nah, it’s not the Managing Director. Not by any chance. MD = Marine Drive. And I’m ready to ditch a meeting with Managing Director to go to MD anytime. ;) I think, a kind of special marine connection formed in this span of 2 months. It’s not just MD. Even the Worli Sea-face is really good. :)

Let’s rewind.. <<|

Day 1 – Happy. Enthusiastic. Glad to be driving in Bombay.

Day 2 – Still happy. A little less enthusiastic. Happy that I am learning how to drive in Bombay traffic.

Day 60 – Happy, that I don’t have to bear Bombay Traffic any more. Enthusiastic for College to reopen. Glad to have done this internship. :)

Apart from the work itself, had fun downloading unofficially, a 1.25 GB file, playing games at times, music, and a lot of masti. :D

Driving on Sea-link with Arabian Sea beneath was a splendid experience; then, along the Worli Sea-face and finally the Marine Drive. :) Ask me about it: If you want to see calm sea, head for Marine Drive; for fierce waves and hard splashing waters, go to Worli Sea-face; for something even more interesting, go to Bandstand. :P

So here I am. Writing – on my last night in Bombay. It sure has been a hell of an awesome experience. Well, not surprising though – Bombay does that to you! \m/

Signing off,

The Bombay Blogger

Bond.. James Bond. Become One!

2010-07-14T09:31:00.002+05:30

Imagine, you are working for RAW. You are a secret agent. Currently, you’re undercover and dressed up as someone “not to be doubted” for leaks. The fate of whole country is in your hands. You are the messiah men have been speaking about since ages.

In such a case, what do you need other than an alert mind and an extra-efficient brain? Well, this might have sounded more like some Hollywood (Ok, might be Bollywood as well :P), but there indeed is one thing which is indispensable at such times: a Key Logger.

Follow the link and check out the device. Once you have this, even James Bond might envy you, who knows? On a serious note, in a world so uncertain and unpredictable, one cannot even imagine the utility of these spy devices. Take for example, Mini Spy Camera Stick; see the video and you can clearly understand the usefulness of such devices.

Interested, go out and make your own Bond story. You never know, you might just get lucky with a Bond Girl too. :P

Octopus Paul over choosing Indian Football Team..

2010-07-11T09:45:00.009+05:30

When Octopus Paul was asked to make a choice.. Sources say Paul preferred starving to death over choosing an option. :P

*With due respect to the Indian National Football Team. :)

Web Hosting for a Photoblog

2010-06-24T09:36:00.011+05:30

Let me start with the question: What do you do when you can’t find an answer to a question?

Well, the answer is “google it”. Pretty simple, isn’t it?

I have been doing this for quite a time now. The quest for a good website hosting service to host my photoblog has started. I have googled in and out for things related to “hosting” “cheap domain names” “good photoblog templates” “~~megan fox~~” “free website” “best web hosting”, et al.

While going through, I found one website to be really helpful. It has all the information you could imagine about web hosting and different types of them. A pretty much of funda on plugins, seo and content management can also be found.

To take my passion of photography to the next level, I am planning to create a photoblog. Let me know if you come across some good templates. As far as website hosting is concerned, I think I have probably found the solution.

Check out my Album on Facebook. Let me know how it is.

The Marine Drive Experience.. A Soulful Rendition

2010-06-09T12:15:00.008+05:30

It was a Friday – 1837 hours to be precise.

I was sitting at the Marine Drive – the south-end part which is almost in front of ‘once sabotaged’ The Oberoi Trident.

Sitting on a tetrapod, I could feel the splendid sea when the waves hit hard on the shore and some odd drops flew over on me. It is an amazing experience and seems as if the magnificent sea wants to talk to you. It actually does; the sea talks to you, you just need to listen.

It was raining. Not the usual hard-hitting rain for which Bombay is famous. The rain was soft and cold. I always avoid carrying a raincoat or an umbrella lest really necessary. I like enjoying the rain by being in it. Sheltering my body under the umbrella doesn’t mean ‘enjoying rain’ for me.

The Sun had just set in. It felt as if it percolated right into the sea. The sky still had the flavour of Sun – a slight tinge of orange blended with a little of yellow filled the skies. The silhouette of the city’s mega-structures makes the view even more enthralling.

The pacy wind here is a breath-taking experience. Add some rain to it and you have one of the most beautiful experiences of Bombay with you. It is fascinating to see some birds trying to fly against the wind. If you observe carefully, the marine drive is full of meaningful metaphors.

On my left there was a stray dog which was as interesting as the old couple on my right. The dog was sitting happily moving his tail in sheer pleasure. The old man had his hand-in-hand with the old lady and a big black umbrella covering both of them from rain. The old couple did not speak anything at all. They kept looking at the sea as if they were awaiting the rise of something. They kept silent all the time. Well, I guess ‘silence’ is the best conversation sometimes.

The Marine Drive is no less than a ‘time machine’ at times, believe me. The magic of Marine Drive is that it transports you into a different mood altogether. Practice solitude here and you’ll know what I am talking of. You’ll relive the best and happiest of memories while you are seated here.

I sat there for more than 3 hours. Time slipped into darkness and I still could not hear anything except the waves of the sea that played a beautiful rendition of its own.

Light-years away from the worries of life and disconnected with the fellow existence, the soulful rendezvous with the nature seemed to have it all.

Go, have a bite of life.

Translia - (Not) Lost in Translation

2010-06-09T11:20:00.015+05:30

Let’s have a small test here. How many of my readers know what “zabardast hai” means? I am sure all the people who have been speaking Hindi in and out must be knowing this. By the way, “zabardast hai” means “it’s really good” in Hindi.

You must be thinking what made me blog about this, right? Well, it’s while my usual surfing that I got to this website for translation, Translia. It is a website that offers one of the swiftest translation services across internet. I wondered what is the need of such websites when you have so many free online translators around, but fyi try using the above “zabardast hai” with Google translator and you’ll get to know the difference. The context in which the word has been used matters the most, and automated translators won’t help you with that.

Les service de traduction sont nécessaires beaucoup surtout quand vous êtes dans un monde fortement mondialisé. That is exactly what happens when you are doing business in a globalized world. Something greek and latin might come as a hurdle and who knows you might miss upon something important?!

There always is a difference between an algorithm and a human mind. For professional translation services, you need more than just an algorithmic translator, because business matters.

Check out the website here. It has a very cool feel to it.

[V]aste of Space

2010-06-07T10:22:00.004+05:30

Nopes! No brownie point for guessing that it’s about Channel [V]. And if you think that there is a spelling mistake up there in the title, then probably yes, it is a senseless word. But that senselessness is corroborated by the very tragedy which Channel [V] is going through.

I am not that much of a couch potato, but I do keep surfing channels whenever I switch on my TV set. The surfing goes on for around 3 odd minutes and then I finally settle down on the best choice – switching on something that I like or switching the TV off. But a few days ago, I mistakenly switched on to Channel [V] (I am a MTv and VH1 fan btw).

If you have seen MTv lately, you’ll know that it has its famous ‘ticker’ running all the time with lampoons and parodies all over that tickle your funny bone. Something similar was imitated by Channel [V] and they started asking questions about current happenings. One such question I saw that day was “SUGGEST A PUNISHMENT FOR SHINEY AHUJA…” At first I felt bad for Shiney Ahuja that he was being suggested a punishment in public. But then when I moved my eyes down, there was a conversation going on between some random people. Well, can’t actually term it as a conversation though. There were more of love messages than anything else. I pity Channel [V] for this.

Have a look at some snapshots:

Death: Cometh Sooner or Later

2010-05-24T02:50:00.020+05:30

This blogpost is about Death, and all those who think I am turning into writing more of morbid posts can move right away. Sorry, but I really don’t intend to post something that will debilitate you and get you into a depressed mood. I am just making an effort at knowing what lies beyond and how stranger the fact is than what it seems to be.

Off late I have been hearing a lot of bad news of loss of many friends, relatives and people around. One friend shot himself and committed suicide, other was taken in by the sea and yet another was dashed in by a truck; apart from this, a few natural deaths and then a major disaster at the Mangalore Airport. A thousand hopes, dreams, promises, aspirations, all come to a tragic end. All this has forced me into thinking about death and all that lies around it.

I have ultimately come to the conclusion that it’s all about ‘time’. When you have reached the decided time, no one on Earth can defy your death. Death is inevitable. Imagine a young man exchanging an air ticket with his brother, who was to board the flight, but instead he goes on someone else’s ticket and ends up getting killed in a plane that later burst into flames. Happens! I told you, it’s all about ‘time’. Anything will happen when death calls you, and you will eventually reach the place where you’re destined to die – the final destination. Happens!

Well, what if it’s not your time yet? Simple, you don’t die. There are some people who were on-board the deadly flight but still managed to come out alive. Take the case of a lady who got confused between AM ‘n’ PM and missed the IX 812 Flight which killed 158 odd passengers. Or consider a man who could not board the flight just because he was too stuck up with his office work. This is what happens when it’s not your ‘time’ yet. Well, to say so, nothing is in our hands. Whatever has to happen, will happen, no matter what you do.

I may sound a bit strange, but, the beauty of life is in the fact that it ends one day. The pain that people who are left behind go through is a different story. But one has to come to terms with all this someday or the other.

Death is no stranger to us; life sometimes is. Live it, love it and experience the best of times. I hate to end it on a dejecting note, but we have to face the fact – death comes, sooner or later.

RIP, the departed souls.

God speed!

Live life!

Em Bee Aye.. Half Way Through!

2010-05-19T22:52:00.014+05:30

Up and kickin' with my 91st post now. :)

Surely, it’s been a long time; let me update you on my life. I have now completed an year of my MBA programme.. wow! I am now a half-educated MBA. This is what an MBA(like me :P) identifies with:

Using indecipherable jargons in conversations and making it sound ~~difficult~~ professional

Doing stuff at the 11:59^th hour

Spending sleepless nights ~~searching~~ making presentations

Eating junk food for 20 minutes to save time and wasting 10 more minutes instead

Buying and ~~carrying~~ reading Economic Times and Financial Express

Using Facebook as a tool of ~~Social~~ Professional Networking

Switching CNBC 24x7 to keep a watch on hot ~~hosts~~ stocks and shares

Apparently, people have always perceived MBAs as conmen. Trust me on this, MBAs never deceive people; it’s just that their smartness impresses people enough to get conned. And to top the accusation list, marketing specialization is the most besieged; you buy because we have the capability of making you buy. Next time around, think before you say anything like that. :P

This special note goes to all the MBA aspirants around: MBA can do to you what no one or nothing ever could. It surely does teach you to think with a rational bent of mind, and that does not come with books or syllabi; it comes out of the environment you‘re in. Want to get successful, MBA is not a requisite. This reminds me of a beautiful quote by Christine Comaford:

“When it comes to success in business, an MBA degree is optional. But a GSD, which is only earned by Getting Stuff Done, is required.”

So close to reality!

While I am putting up this post, I, for one, am happy that I am half-way through to become one. :)

Happy Half-MBA* Saad!

*provided Saad doesn’t get a back-log in the term papers.. :P

Adios Amigos 2010

2010-05-12T07:00:00.007+05:30

This is the video that we juniors made for our seniors' farewell. :)

Online Tutoring

2010-05-12T06:23:00.004+05:30

Guys, which subject did you find to be one of the toughest? If you ask me, it was chemistry and chemistry problems! Yes, it used to be a fight to find chemistry answers and I ended up messing things. Well, that won’t be the case now, for you have chemistry help just clicks away. Well, why only chemistry? For you is it physics problems and physics answers that trouble? Ah! Then you also have physics help for yourself.

People often ask for recommendations of good tutors. Although we do know a few moderately qualified tutors in our city and around, the prices are expensive and unworkable for most. In places where such tutoring is difficult to find, online tutoring comes to the rescue. I recently discovered what I feel is the best deal in, not only online tutoring, but also in tutoring in general. It is called Tutor Vista.

Tutor Vista is a very powerful online tutoring environment that allows students to schedule and work with tutors at any time 24 hours a day. So this means, no matter where you are, you can always reach them at your convenience. The technology allows the student and tutor to communicate verbally, through typing, and also through a white-board.

All through my life, I have been lucky enough to find schools and really good tutors around. But this will absolutely revolutionize the way things are taught. In places deficient of good tutors, Tutor Vista is the way to go.

Did you hop on to this link to find physics problem solver? Just follow the link then. And yeah, even I need to get some lessons on Maths. :P

*this blog-post is brought to you by your friends at www.tutorvista.com

Just Another Post..

2010-04-25T20:28:00.005+05:30

Hey..

here..

yeah yeah..

it's me.. the bombay blogger..

I know I haven't been around for more than a month; but that doesn't mean you don't remember me! How can you forget someone who taught you to write boring blogposts, shared his experience of meeting Bill Clinton, wrote for a cause, told a story, penned poems, and his very own obituary! Surely this has to be one insane blogger who believes his readers will remember him for the insensible, irrational, illogical and most of all the meaningless stuff that he writes. Damn me!

But, you know what? The sad part is that I am still the same. Illogical and irrational. That's synonymous to the Bombay Blogger. Well, what sense does it make to change something that you've been doing for years and years together?

I don't know why but I feel the need to brief you about my life once again. I know you must be thinking in your mind "saala fir se pakaayega", and my intelligent readers are always right. Toh abhi pako.. :D

To start with, I am in my Third Trimester of MBA now. The seriousness level has seriously dipped to a very seriously low level. Apart from this, the number of people who get irritated by my jokes has risen by 23.7%. Interesting part is that my analysis says that this number will rise to 78.9% by the end of 1st year. Also, I lost another 8 GB pen drive; I am losing in every part of my life it seems. If anyone wants to win, come play with me. :P

Of some things that should bother me but aren't bothering are, my summer internship, my examinations, my missed lectures, my incomplete assignments, my pending presentations, et al. Why? The reason seems yet to be discovered. Besides, I have been making some useless videos which you have probably seen in my earlier posts, and some more. If killing time becomes competitive some day, I would coach people. :P

While all this is happening in and around my life, I still hope to make the best of the unwritten pages in my book; hopelessly trying to make meaning out of something meaningless. :|

This is it for now. This unstructured post shows how I have lost my flair for writing.

I hope I dare to come back.

The Motivator..

2010-03-07T09:33:00.004+05:30

Off late, I have been making more of videos than writing blog-posts. Chalo, not a problem, as long as it keeps me regular on the blogosphere. :)
Do tell me how the video came out. Well, it is not entirely to my credit, not at all. Video clips are used from the movies like Snatch and Goal 2; audio from some other interesting movies.. But still, taking an iota of credit for spending a Saturday night on this won't kill me, right? :P

Hunt The Tiger - An Eye Opener(?)

2010-03-01T23:37:00.005+05:30

A deliberate attempt at Saving Our very own Tigers

Save Our Tigers..

2010-02-20T23:47:00.013+05:30

Imagine.. imagine that you’re at a place alongside a dense forest. It’s night time; the dark has reached its deepest level. You’re alone, completely alone. The only thing accompanying you is a double-barrel rifle, filled with bullets. You are afraid of dark, and of the creatures of the dark. You try to stay awake, but ultimately give in to the drowsiness. You’re asleep; deep asleep. The night slips into a state of quiescence.

Suddenly, you hear something that disturbs the hushed milieu. It’s the sound of bushes rubbing against one another. And, all of a sudden, a tiger pounces right in to your tent. The distance is 15 feet. The hungry man-eater is staring at you. What do you do?

I’ll give you three options; you are wise enough to choose the right one.

1. Happily(or unhappily) become the man-eater’s dinner

2. Expect the Tiger to show some humanitarian mercy and leave you unscathed

3. Grab the Rifle beside you and shoot the man-eater

Any wise man (sometimes woman too :P) would certainly opt for the 3rd option. If you had chosen 1st or 2nd, then ignore this post because it is not meant for you.

Alright, this was the case where you were threatened by the Tiger. But what happens when the very existence of the Tigers is threatened? What happens when the impressive Tiger clan starts to diminish? What would happen if, one day, we could see Tigers only in photographs and movies? What if the ShareKhan logo is the only place we could see a tiger? I am sure we all have answers to these scary questions. Answer is what we’re seeing today, or may be the situation is worse than what has been assessed.

I strongly believe that while tiger poaching is cruel, killing a Tiger in the case as mentioned above is justified. Humans are indeed selfish; it’s not a big deal to kill anybody for money, is it? But how is it that we stop Tiger Poaching? How can we make the difference? Well, we can make an absolute difference by spreading the message. Yes, that’s what I am doing, and you have to do.

I think, in some years, our grand-children would be busy in establishing the fact that the Tigers once existed on planet Earth. I remember watching Discovery Channel where people had proved that Dinosaurs existed. If Tigers could speak as humans do, they would definitely say “Aal Izz NOT Well”.

Off the 1411 left, even if one tiger lives his natural life-span, it’s an achievement. So spread this message.

Share if you care.

Image Courtesy: http://peter.stillhq.com/jasmine/catblog/tigers-tiny-babies.jpg

Reminiscing A Realisation

2010-01-29T22:37:00.002+05:30

Days come
Days go
And time passes
As it always does

Leaving traces
Sometimes scars
Of memories
Of bonds
Tearing the heart
Ripping it apart

Each passing day
Feels like poison
Making me suffer
Neither it kills
Nor it ends

Dilapidated
And the broken structure
Of life
Of dreams
Of future

All I can see
Through the corner of my eyes
Are deeply dark
Dark black skies

And then

And then
A thin ray of sunshine
Piercing through
The dark black clouds
Hits my face

Giving a hope
Of sustenance
Of meaningful existence

Integrating
The pieces of broken life
Some missing
Some intentionally left behind

And as I sum up
The pieces of
My shattered self
Comes a realization

That life is
But a journey
Indeed it is
A game
Of deceiving success
Of educating failure
Of enduring pains

My True Love..

2010-01-21T21:09:00.006+05:30

After writing a host of different fictional pieces, it feels a bit bizarre to write about something factual. Yes, this time around what I am writing (and you’re supposedly reading) is the true account of my True Love. I am sure most of us will identify with it. Here it goes…

My first day.. The day I first met her was a very auspicious day. It was my birthday. Though I feel I have a good memory, I do not precisely remember this day as good as any other day.

Many times you must have come across people who discovered their love at first sight. For me, it wasn’t that at all; it was something different, completely different.

It took me some indefinite time to recognize my love. But, I was inclined towards her from the very beginning, it’s natural I believe. Years down the line, and I realized my affection towards her. The sad part being, I haven’t ever expressed my love to her. Of course, there’s no reason not to, but sometimes I seemed to take things for granted, and that is what I need to stop doing; and I am trying well.

The moments I have spent with her, are some of the best moments of my life, or should I say that ‘the best’ is yet to come? I have cried my problems out to her, and each time she gave impeccable solutions insinuating me the path I should trail on. But there’s no specific reason to justify my love for her. It’s unconditional.

Let’s just say that I am one of those lucky few beings who have the pleasure of having people like her around for a key part of their life. She gives me buoyancy, a sense of confidence and a strong support to lead life my way, the way she taught me.

The day I met her, and today; things have changed, times have changed, but my feelings toward her have not altered a tad. I tend to respect her even more as the time passes.

This lady, my true love, is my life. I am sure everyone has a true love in his/her life. What love can be purer, chaster and more innocent than a Mother’s love? Nothing, I assert! A mother's love is the truest on Earth, don't you think so?

Just in case you haven’t recognized your true love, the closest to your heart... close your eyes, feel your heart beat, and see her.. I am sure you will.

One Step Away From The Edge..

2010-01-14T21:48:00.015+05:30

Last night.. last night was the night I tasted freedom.. it was the day when I almost gave in to suicide.. the only reason I am writing this today is because.. because I pulled back my foot from stepping over the edge of a 21-storey building.. a glimpse at the last page of my diary would possibly speak for what it has been.. a turnaround or rather, say, a reorientation.

31st December 2009

8:00
I just woke up. It was disheartening to see Neha’s sms. All hell had to break loose on this single day??! Sometimes technology makes you realize its nemesis. How many people receive break-up news over a sms?? Not many, I am sure. Watching a 2 year-old relationship turn to dust and the inability to do a thing to revive certainly pinches your heart from inside. And it hurts real bad.

9:00
Rahul, a college friend, apprises me of our exam results, with reluctance in his tone. This reminds me of my father, and the 95% benchmark he has set for me. It also reminds me of a jazzy mobile handset which sounds more of a bribe than the ‘promised reward’ for my achievement. I would have loved to trade those hours and days I’ve toiled for ‘freedom and liberty’ than getting awarded a jazzy 25k mobile phone. But some things are just forced upon you.. and you realize it’s hard to defeat them.

11:00
I reached my college. I could see a host of different emotions rupture from the faces, known and unknown.. some eyes were filled with tears while some with fear. Then I could see Raju with his mother, both very happy.. while his mother could barely stop crying, she was apparently proud of her son’s achievement. Raju scored some 60%, I heard. Lucky Raju, I thought. I proceeded towards the long result list where a crowd of students were sighting the direction of their fate. I scanned the list only to find myself lagging behind at 89.26% with the 3rd rank in my college.

I was, to say the least, dilapidated. The face of my soul was crying.. it felt as if I had brought disgrace to my parents, my family, and more so, to my father. 89.26% satisfied me but my satisfaction did not matter, for my life was tied-up to my father’s expectations and my parents’ status was on stake. I was lost. It felt like a high-flying bird that has been shot in the air, neither dead nor alive, lurking in the state of half-consciousness only to see himself nose-dive into the dark, black and deadly waters of a deep ocean.

13:00
I was afraid of my father but somehow gathered the courage to declare my incompetence. I dialed my father’s mobile number – it played the ‘switched off’ message. I tried it again and again, every 2 minutes. “Did he come to know about the results?” “Is he ashamed of me?” “Do I deserve to be his son?” Such questions bombarded my mind like anything. I took a train to Churchgate. Sitting at the Marine Drive could possibly relieve me of the heartaches, but in vain.

15:00
I dialed my father’s office number.. the secretary refused to connect the line. I was said he was busy in a meeting. I pestered with many requests, but to no avail. Then I thought I should wait. I waited..

17:00
Friends kept calling and I kept ignoring each and every call. People thought I had ‘achieved’ something. But I could not relate to that ‘something’. Every congratulating sms would remind of me letting down a whole lot of expectations. Every hour that passed seemed ever lasting and static. Life was stalled. At 17:47 Hrs I received an sms from my father inquiring about my scores. I was scared. I pressed the Call button but could not stay long as to connect. I disconnected and sent him an sms with my score details. I knew it hurts to read such kind of news on your mobile screen. But then I did what Neha did to me.

19:00
My father called back. I lacked the nerve to receive the call. I ignored. And the next couple of calls, I rejected.

I could visualize my father giving me a piece of his mind. I could see myself shivering, asking for one more chance. He definitely had a lot in mind for me, his plans and his decisions. I messed up everything. My life no longer seemed of any value. I cursed myself for doing what I did. Lost.. lost in love, lost in life.. lost in every damn thing world has. The thought of going back home and facing people was so excruciating that I decided to end my life. This seemed the only way to conclude the agonizing episode of my life. What would my parents feel looking at my dead body? How would society look at them? These thoughts fumbled my mind into reconsidering my decision of committing a suicide. I, at last, gave in.

22:00
I reached my building.. picked the terrace keys from the security guard and took an elevator to the top floor. I opened the lock much too clumsily, making a lot of noise.. but no one was there to hear that. I went near the elevated terrace platform.. dared to step ahead. There I was, one step away from the edge. Chilly winds were forcing me to leap.. I lifted one foot ahead in the air.. and just when I was about to jump, I heard a loud noise..

The noise was that of the steel door.. I looked back ..and saw my father. He was there, standing in silence. My ears felt numb to every noise around. Then he spoke. I could listen to his words clear as ever. “Well done son.. I am proud of you”. Each of his word was resonating in my ears. I could not believe it. I came down to him. He held out the promised 25k mobile phone and a PlayStation 3 Console. I was speechless. The rewards did not matter to me, what mattered were his words.

I felt like a kite gliding in the sky which has suddenly been cut off.. cut off from something that tied it.. something that had control over it.. a kite that is now free to take a path, much desired.

Life sometimes surprises you. It did surprise me. Where one moment I was in utter despair, the other moment brought in a new light, that of hope, love and affection. But yes, life is no bollywood movie where every problem gets solved by the end. The thought of Neha not being with me still killed me. If I have to gain Neha’s trust back, I have to fight back for it..

..toh picture abhi baaki hai mere dost!

Hey.. Is That The Same Old NEW YEAR??

2009-12-31T07:55:00.005+05:30

There it comes - Two Thousand and Ten – A New Year, inciting a hope that the year will be better than the prequel paving a pathway to an even better sequel. Bringing in a bundle of hopes and heaps of delightful moments, this year somehow seems to have it all. I get all elated and euphoric when I look forward to the coming times. Well, looking forward is one thing, and looking back is another. Neither of them harms you though.

At the time when people are really looking forward to something, I somehow feel the need to look back. What did the departing year leave me with? To say, it left me with a lot of memories, some good, some bad and some that I haven’t been able to classify as either of them. Actually, I am capable of listing a thousand sad moments, but then, some cheerful moments pretty easily seem to outweigh those thousand odd sad moments. I have lived some of the best moments of my life in 2009. I experienced the sense of achieving something, something I aspired for, truly. I experienced extreme happiness, love and the true and best shades of friendship. I experienced loss, losing people and things that were close to my heart.

But at the same time I gained a lot, a lot more than I ever imagined. I laughed till I cried, and laughed even more at times. I had some of the best crushes of my life this year. I traveled alone at night. I treasured some moments in solitude. And I don’t know if any of you have ever had the pleasure of standing on a Winter Night on Mumbai Local Fast Train’s footboard with iPod plugged in to your ears playing “A Hole In My Sole” or an equally good hindi number and the feel of cool wind passing through your hair. Trust me on this, try it out! And then, imagine a chilly winter on a November night at Marine Drive with a hot plastic cup of tea in your hand, and you are completely alone, sitting on one of the tetrapods, away from the hassles of the chaotic city life. All this sounds so tranquil, doesn’t it? It was like living a dream that I never dreamed of, it just happened. And then I got some new friends at my new college, making the year all the more exciting. To cut a long story short, I had it all.

And now comes 2010. As the New Year unfolds, it brings along hopes for a brighter tomorrow and promises of great heights to conquer with greater passion. I am looking forward positively on a lot of fronts. Globally, I feel the world should become a peaceful place to live and terrorism should vanish. We should feel more responsible towards our environment and strive to keep the world clean and green. There is an inherent need to show compassion towards less privileged classes of society. Discrimination, whatever its form may be, needs to take a back seat, big time. As a country, India needs to get freedom from the shackles of reservation, eradicate corruption and exterminate nepotism. All this indeed seems a distant dream, though every step towards achieving that would definitely count. I seriously hope that things change. And I will definitely take every possible step towards such a change.

Coming to what I look forward to in 2010, I think I should let some things be behind the veil; things will be better that way :P So I wish you all the happiness, success, contentment, glory, pleasant surprises and a whole lot of bountiful opportunities to come your way this New Year. Live the moments that are full of life; cuz they're something that will make you feel as if life was ‘one big cheerful moment’. Only when you live the moments, the moments live.

Enjoy mortals!

P.S.: My 53rd sense just got stronger, efficient and more accurate. :)

P.P.S.: I am desperately hoping for something to happen. Is it really that ‘hope is a good breakfast but a bad supper’? Well, let’s see!

P.P.P.S.: I have not made any New Year Resolution this year. Atleast I can say I didn’t break any. ;)

P.P.P.P.S.: Guys! Naya saal hai, dhamaakedar shuruat karo.. khul ke jiyo.. be unafraid of future and undaunted by past.. aur life jeene ka mazaa lo.. :)

P.P.P.P.P.S.: Sorry guys.. bhool gaya.. Happy New Year! :D

Identity – Lost in transit!

2009-12-15T20:32:00.003+05:30

From past one year I have been losing many things. First, I lost my iPod from ‘the most secured’ place in my office. If that wasn’t enough, I lost some clothes that I had given for laundry. The person who robbed my clothes picked out ‘the best’ from the lot; left behind the remaining ones. I wonder what made him leave behind the other clothes. And now, the most recent loss – my Pen Drive; it is one of ‘the most’ important thing in my life. All the work I had done in the last 2-3 years, amounting to 7.5 GB of ultra-valuable data, lost in seconds. This loss triggered into me a thought of becoming a scientist and inventing something to prevent such thefts. But sigh, I’ve moved way far ahead to go back to science again.

Among all these ‘tangible’ things I have also lost something intangible. Perhaps, that is my ‘identity’. I haven’t exactly lost it, though some may argue their best to prove that I am characterless, and I too would atleast think twice before accepting their proposition. What I mean by losing my identity, here, is that I am not the same ‘Saad’ that I used to be a couple of years ago. Ofcourse, I am not indicating towards the rate of my body’s metabolism. Over these years, there has been a gradual change in me, my thinking, my views, my thought process.. almost everything.

Off late I’ve been very damn casual about my studies and exams. To be frank, sharam naam ki koi cheez nahi rahi. Citing an example won’t be a problem. To start with, most of my friends would know that I have scored a paltry 4.49 %ile in my CAT attempt. Who other than me would inform them about this?!! One can say that the ‘who cares?!!’ attitude has sunk into me. Very badly! Take another recent example. In MBA, there is usually a ratio of 9:1 of engineers to non-engineers. And so there is an acute shortage of commerce grads in MBA. In the first trimester or semester, we have a subject on Accounts, and commerce grads are expected to naturally top the group. In what I would call a phenomenal irony, I am one of the lowest scorers in the subject, that too, being a B. Com. grad and having a specialization in the field of ‘accounting and finance’. Sounds strange naa?!! Or is it funny?? But that is what’s happening with me. The worst part is that I am exactly fine with it.

I really don’t know what I am getting myself into. May be it’s just a phase of life. Or may be I am turning into one matchless being who likes to whiz in to disaster. Whatever it is, it never bothered me. I am hoping an ‘effortless’ hope that things will change. Somewhere down the line I have lost my identity. I don’t know if you identified with me, but that was what I had to blog this time. I hope next time I come around with something positive to read, if at all you read.

Pains > Blessings.. is this right?

2009-11-07T19:31:00.006+05:30

Let me share with you a story this day
I doubt if I can properly convey
It faded somewhere down the line
From the history, today I bring it back to time

Arthur Ashe was a great player
You probably know him well
It is about this Tennis champion
I am about to tell

He was a great player of his time
Athletic, impeccable and sublime
He rose to success with a lot of struggle
And one would doubt if he really was a muggle

One fateful day, he suffered a cardiac arrest
Though he was resuscitated with a bypass in his chest
10 years later revealed a dreadful fact
The transfused blood was of one HIV-infect

Shocked, aghast hearing the news
With which he later came to terms
He faced it bravely enough
Which the history solidly confirms

Millions of fan-mails dropped-in for him
To commiserate the legend, it filled up the brim
One of the millions simply read
“Why it had to be you?” the letter said

To this Arthur replied in a considerate approach
“50 million children start playing Tennis
Of which 5 million learn to play
500,000 get professional and 50,000 reach circuit, they say

5000 make it to the Grand Slams
And a little lesser get through
4 reach the semis but
2 to the finals and 2 bid adieu

Whenever I won the Grand Slam
And held the cup high and free
I don’t remember ever asking
Asking God “Why me?”

Today, though things have changed
I don’t think its right to ask that question
When in glory I didn’t ask
In pain, I shouldn’t at all”

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ!

2009-10-28T23:07:00.007+05:30

"A for Apple .. B for Ball.." I heard this a few days ago when someone was 'trying' to teach my nephew the core of ABCs. After he got the lessons, he started "A for Apple.. B for Apple.. and went on and on" Funny, but he actually said that! :P

Later I thought I should teach him ABCs, the innovative way:

A for Apple
B for Bada Apple
C for Chotaa Apple..

Just then someone stopped me from doing that. Bhalai ka zamaana nahi raha.. :(

No problem.. the best part, I thought, was that I got a topic to blog on.. If you're thinking I will list out my set of ABCs.. See, you're always right! :)

This is what my life is currently revolving around..

Assignments
Business Plans
Case Studies, Canteen..
Dozing off (During Lectures)
Economic Times (forceful reading), Entrepreneurship, etc
Faadu!!
Getting Late for lectures
Height of everything.. limit's not the word these days!
Internal Evaluations :|
Jokes ..and they have to be PJs :D
Know-nothing-ism
Library
Masti!!
Nestle Coffee (4 times on an average day)
Overexerted and Overexcited (keeps oscillating)
Padhai.. :|
Quixotic ..at times I am!
Roll Numbers and Proxies :D
Saxophones ..sometimes I hear them blow at special moments.. Main Hoon Naa ishtyle.. ;)
Table Tennis ..sometimes I wonder what I am specializing in :P
University ..here all the time
Vacation ..will miss this for a long time now :(
Why not? ..trying it all this time around.. :D
Xerox Copies of notes.. some intelligent students do make notes! :P
Yawn ..can't avoid it during interesting lectures
Zzzz.. Can't help it! :P

P.S.: Couldn't think of an appropriate title. Please condone. :)

A Sparrow Story.. and its morals.

2009-10-17T18:03:00.004+05:30

Guys, today I am going to narrate a short and interesting story which I've heard for almost 4-5 times, all from different speakers on varied occasions. Be it a lecture on Corporate Survival or induction or just a pep talk, I've heard this all the time. I thought I should share it with you people. Many of us have already read it atleast once before. There it goes..

"Once upon a time, there was a recusant sparrow who decided not to fly south for the winter. However, soon the weather turned so cold that he immediately started to fly south. But the time had come, it had already started snowing. In a short time, ice began to form on his wings and he fell flat on the ground, almost frozen to death.

A cow passed by and shat on the little sparrow. Disgruntled, the sparrow thought "First the snow and now this shit, I am going to die". But in due time the manure warmed him and defrosted his wings. Warm and happy, and able to breathe, he started to sing. Just then, a large cat came by and hearing the chirping, investigated the sounds.

The cat cleared away the manure, found the chirping bird and promptly ate him, all at once."

The moral of the story is:

1. Everyone who shits on you is not necessarily your enemy.

2. Everyone who gets you out of the shit is not necessarily your friend.

3. And if you're happy in the pile of shit, keep your mouth shut.

Those are some real conclusions, isn't it? Very much applicable in real life.. kyun? ;)

*Don't mind the twitter birdie.. :P

My First Vote.. comes after a lot of ordeal..

2009-10-13T13:33:00.009+05:30

I have just returned after getting my left index finger marked with some blue-ish ink. Yeah, I just voted! Sounds simple, huh? But what all went behind this is really something that matters. Let me narrate what happened..

I woke up in the morning.. shuffled some hundred papers and folders just to find my voting card.. I finally did find it after some time. I was very excited to cast** my first ever vote, my contribution to my country. I got ready, took my voting card, pan card and some other cards along.. :p

I went to the first polling booth, one that is responsible for my area. It was crowded like anything, no queues nothing.. everyone wanting to check their name first.. are these bloody nursery ka bachhaas..!! Making things more complicated was the name on the voting card, almost everyone had a name different than what it actually is; it was the same in my case..

Finally, after successfully pushing myself in between the crowds, I too gave my card for verification.. The guy there checked it and said “Naam nahi hai”.. I was like “Naam nahi hai toh kya karu who toh batao”.. He told something in Marathi which I could hardly understand.. Just near that booth was one more table where some registers were kept and people were checking their name.. I too checked.. couldn’t find.. already a half an hour wasted.. I thought I should go back.. half way towards my house.. I told to myself “yaar, let’s try once again.. ..but somewhere else”

Now, I was again searching for a booth in my area which would have my name on their list. I found one booth, not much crowded, after walking for around 15 minutes.. I went there and asked if my name was in the list... showed him the card.. I don’t know what that guy was there for, he simply wrote the details of my card on a paper slip and told me to go to some school to cast my vote.. I was happy.. infact very happy that finally I had that slip which confirms my name being on the list and that would let me cast my vote.. I asked someone where that school was, he told me it would be a long long walk.. I plugged-in my iPod and started..

After walking continuously for around 15 minutes, I reached that school.. I was going to vote.. The person at the polling booth checked my voting card and said that I can’t vote here and redirected me to someplace else.. I was pissed off big time by now...

I had a doubt when that guy wrote out the details of my voting card without even checking, but still I thought I would give it a try.. believe me, all the illiterates in India are the ones who are sitting at the polling booths.. x-(

I was now determined to vote. I had decided, come what may, I will cast my vote. It was already one and a half hour that I was out for voting, without even having my breakfast.. I hunted down one more polling booth, with a laptop. It had a software in it which would search the name of the voter in the list. So hardly any brains were required, which I thought would work best with these guys...

Now, the software required 3 fields to be filled of which Name and Last Name were the two, third - I am unaware of.. My name reads Shaikh Saad Ahmed (शेख सादअहमद).. and this was in the Devnagri script(Hindi, Marathi, Sanskrit, etc).. So the guy had to type just first 3 letters of the name and it would flash the name of the voter. It was interesting.. My turn came, I gave him my voting card.. he typed “sha”, the first 3 letters of my last name being SHAikh. The minute he entered it, it flashed all the surnames like “Shah” “Sharma” and what not.. poor guy scrolled all through the bottom to find my name.. let alone MY name.. there wasn’t even one Shaikh in the list.. I found it to be strange.. He asked me to wait for some time and took others’ cards and started searching..

I waited for around 15 minutes and then gave him my voting card again.. And this time I told him to enter the 3 letters as “she” in the last name field.. he said “aisa nahi chalega”.. I told “arey bhai, dekh toh sahi..” he gave in.. hit the return key and there it goes.. all the Shaikhs in Pune listed out right in front of him.. :) But still couldn’t find my name off some thousands of Shaikhs.. :( He too told me something in Marathi, which I later asked him to translate in Hindi and guide me.. he did..

Now, I was at another booth.. I asked the guy to check my name in the register.. he couldn’t find it.. I insisted him to check again... He told “go to the polling station directly.. they will let you cast your vote”.. I was irate by now but the fact that the guy spoke to me in English gave me some hope..

I went to the polling station where it was crowded more than anywhere else.. I tried to sneak a look onto the register numbers and found the one with my number.. I went to the lady over there.. after some 10 minutes or so.. she checked my name in the list.. I found it and pointed it out to her.. I was really really happy this time.. atleast I could see my name there, though the spelling was far from right.. :D

She wrote something on a piece of paper and guided me to the polling room.. I went inside.. a guy marked some blue-ish ink on my finger.. then another guy pressed a button on his machine.. and then I went to a concealed space where I had to press the button and vote.. I knew whom I had to vote.. I pressed the button.. I was overwhelmed with joy.. happiness at its peak.. I came out.. I was smiling all along.. an old guy sitting at the counter wondered why I was smiling.. :P

Just some seconds had passed after voting.. and guess what.. I couldn’t remember which party I voted for.. I still think I pressed the button for some other party.. I am confused.. It probably was the right one.. Chuck it! Atleast I voted.. :D

..all this and they expect people to come out and vote in huge numbers!!

At many points I thought of going back home.. frustrated and irritated by this polling process.. but then.. thing’s have got to change..

Every vote counts.. and my vote will also count, certainly! :)

**I thought it was 'casted'.. someone made me realize that my english sucks by telling me that it was 'cast' and not 'casted'.. Thanks! :D

Life..

2009-09-26T20:48:00.002+05:30

For my previous 2 posts, I’ve been getting “What happened to you?” “Are you normal?” “Everything will be alright” kind of comments, lots of them. Well, to your disappointment, I am normal, alive and kicking. :)

Don’t know why, but these days I am more into thoughts like these. Believe me, I am normal. Just so, even my today’s post is about Life. The thoughts were triggered by a guest lecturer today who defined Life as “something that happens between birth and death” or “a series of experiences”. I mean, these were the most generic definitions one would ever come across. Here, I hold on to a different tangent to the topic of life.

I believe Life is like a car, a motor car. You go on and on and on till your fuel lasts and then you refill. You have people with you. There are people who meet you. In this way, I find a car to be one of the closest metaphors of the term Life.

Have you observed that the wind shield of a car is always bigger than the rear view mirror? Of course you have. But in the current context, it takes on even a larger meaning stating the fact that a person should look forward to what lies ahead, through the wind-shield. But then, the converse isn’t incorrect either; you should always have a rear view mirror through which you can see what you have passed and move along the road with a clearer vision. Do you identify.. or am I the only one?

One more thing I’ve been observing for a long time now: people’s beliefs are increasing day by day in the Zodiac signs. Every morning I find people turning to the last page of Astrology and trying to relate to their ‘probable’ future. C’mon people, are we talking sense here?? Stars are there just to make the skies look more beautiful in the dark. Don’t trust the stars; trust the one who made them. If you want to trust someone, trust yourself, trust God. God knows your future; most of the times even you know, if you’re prepared enough. Kick the zodiac signs out of your life; they aren’t worth even a bit.

Well, that’s not all about life, its just one of the many parts. You start living a life when you experience the power you hold over it. Letting some external factor control it for you won’t satisfy you enough.

Don’t just live.. experience life. Most of the times, life happens when you’re busy making other plans.

You know me, don't you?

2009-09-22T18:19:00.005+05:30

You know me, don’t you?

Oh, you don’t?

Seriously??!

Okay then. I will give a short introduction about myself.

For the starters, most of you are scared of me. As a matter of fact, each soul living in this universe is afraid of me. Some accept that fact, some don’t. It doesn’t matter. What matters to me is my duty. Yes. I have a duty, a job; that I’ve to execute under any cost. Neither you, nor your loved ones, and not even your enemies can deter me from doing my work.

If you think you don’t know me yet, you’re certainly wrong. You do! And one day in your life, I will indeed meet you. At that point of time, you may find our meeting as a blessing or maybe as a torment – all depends upon you. But we will meet for sure. And I will change the world you live in; taking you to a different place altogether. Trust me, I can.. and I will.

If you still don’t know who I am, you’re really busy in this damn world. Take it easy, you are going too fast! Reflect upon your life, introspect, and implement what’s right in the right sense. Because when we meet, it’ll all come in front of you, the way you did and not even remorsed. It is that very moment that you’ll realize you shouldn’t have met me so soon; you will plead for time.. some more time. But that is what I am short of – Time. People call me 'untimely', but when the seconds hand strikes the decided time, I’ll meet you, in all my humility – to execute the work I do.

Now I am sure that you know me very well. But it’s not all that awry, you know?! There are some who anticipate their meeting with me. Yes, there are people; and I tend to like them. It is indeed a pleasure to meet them; such beings are rare, absolutely! If you want to know me well, read my introduction again – you’ll get it right.

In all certainty, I will meet you too. When the time comes, which decides the path of your next journey, I will meet you. Be prepared!

- Death.

Obituary..

2009-09-02T23:13:00.011+05:30

It is with deep regret and profound sadness that we inform you about the untimely demise of Saad Ahmed Shaikh. He left for the heavenly abode last Tuesday at the age of 72, while still healthy and lively. He was on a vacation in the Amazons fulfilling his photographing desire while he breathed his last.

He was a man of substance; he had a vision, and he had the drive to reach and fulfill his vision. At a tender age of 27, he started out his own venture and by the age of 33 he claimed the apex of the industry, which one could only think of. By the age of 45, he had entered into 7 other different domains and ruled the kingdom. While all this success had come to him with sheer hardwork and sincerity, he was a very humble and down-to-earth person at heart. He had certain dreams, only to be fulfilled after he had completed his work. When he completed 50 years, he passed on the supremacy to the young blood of his family.

He was always known to be a philanthropist, but devoted more time to it after retiring from his work. He started several schools for the under-privileged, raised homes for the homeless and also contributed greatly by employing people. To think of him this day, his image comes as a very straight forward and resolute person, ready to do what's right and to set things right.

The spirit of Saad Shaikh could be felt even today when one looks at the impact he has made into the hearts of people, his employees and his very own company. He had a wish that an Obituary be posted on his Blog too so that his friends on the blogosphere could also know where he is now.

We pray to God that the soul of Saad Shaikh may rest in peace.

Guys! Stop celebrating my death, I am still alive 'n' kicking.. :P This obituary is just one of the many activities we had in our Induction at the college. This was aimed at knowing what you 'will' to achieve in your life and what you want to be remembered for. But this came out to be 'over-ambitious' I suppose. :P

Actually speaking, I would retire at 40. :D And the traits of the Saad Shaikh above will possibly never sink in my soul. More than philanthropy(if any :P), I will be remembered for irritating people by cracking gande PJs at absolutely odd moments. I will be remembered for smiling all the time, no matter what I am doing(no matter what.. :P). I will be remembered for morphing friends' photographs into uncomfortable movie posters. And, I will be remembered for useless blogging. :)

Guess what?!! I am happy for what I'll be rememered for. ;)

Not everyone gets such a life, do they? :P

Btw, eulogies invited.. :)

Who is a Shareholder?

2009-08-28T16:06:00.005+05:30

Wow, it feels good to be back here, penning yet another weird post. You got it right, a weird post. :P

Off late, I have been dead busy with the college activities. My previous post and those dreaded thoughts happen to come true with every passing moment. From now on, I believe, the frequency of my blog-posts will decrease tremendously. :( But even then, I have managed to find some time to blog. :)

Being a Management Student now, I have to learn some terminologies of finance too. This post somewhat deals with that. I was wondering Who is a Shareholder?! After pondering over this for almost an hour, an idea popped into my mind. I, like many other people, have the ability to picturize/visualize my thinking and put it on paper; like a graph or a drawing which Srivatsan does (ofcourse, he does it a lot better than me :P).

So, I decided to visualize my thought and put it on paper. But the whole world knows that my lethargic-ness has no limits, and therefore I tried to search for a photograph resembling my Visualization of a SHAREHOLDER. After putting in a lot of effort :P, I could find one photograph, finally.

Here it is. Visualization of a ShareHolder. (Before you check this link, visualize and see what your perception of a Shareholder is. I am sure you'll find it more interesting then)

MBA kicks off in Top Gear..

2009-08-21T17:51:00.006+05:30

After all this Swine Flu and Wine Flu, I almost failed to realise how the Time Flu.. err Flew.. my college was shut down for almost 2 weeks because of this H1N1 thing. And now when I have to get back to college from 24th, several dreadful thoughts are running through my mind.

When I attended the college on the first day(second will be 24th :P), the management scared the living day lights out of us. We were told that initially the timing would be approx. 7 hours a day in the college. Then, after some time it will be increased to 11 hours plus many weird activities like GDs, Projects, Assignments, Presentations, Syndicate activities, etc, etc.. :( And that does not end here, we have lectures even on Saturdays and Sundays, now how brutal is that??

Cherry on the cake..?? Missing right! Because of this shut down, to compensate for the lost time, the timings for our 1st trimester are likely to be increased by 2 hours.. and even the exams won't be postponed.. what the hell is this?

Ok.. you must be thinking Yaar, yeh kitna complain karta hai! well, yeah.. I am complaining.. cuz I have been doing nothing for a year and so much load all at once.. seems difficult to me.. but will get a hang of it in some time I guess.. or probably I'll be hanged.. :P

But, all-day-busy hectic schedule means much more: less time to eat, less time to sleep, less time to eat, almost no time for internet browsing, less blogging and again less time to eat.. its killing, man!

I had assumed, the first days would be all nice, easy and effortless.. I thought my MBA would start in the 1st gear.. but guess what, seniors still think everything above is the 1st gear.. so now, in short - I AM DEAD!

Fall of Fame

2009-08-18T14:05:00.019+05:30

Well, I don't know if my college friends will like this.. but still I would like to exhibit my Fall of Fame on my blog.. :P

This is the same Fall of Fame I spoke about in my About Me. Click on the image to see a full-screen view of the photos.

Enjoy!

My Body-builder friend, Anand Gaur.. :P

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Some more college friends starring in in Heroes.. err.. Zeroes.. ;)

and yeah.. everyone out here is a guy.. and that includes that person in a red girl's outfit.. :P

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Hmm.. won't say anything about her.. she's one friend(the girl in the white outfit :D).. she hated this.. :P

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The same friend again.. had to make this to appease her.. :P

btw, she was pretty much satisfied with this.. of course, she got a chance to share screen space with Shahid Kapoor.. ;)

I hope the title is readable..

***

This is one of my close(est :P) friends..

He supposedly gulped down the whole Complan Factory that too without milk.. rofl.. :D

well, you know where the pic came from.. ;)

***

Ohk.. here we have the two stars of Bollywood.. oh wait.. shit!! I don't remember which wood... knock it off.. they are stars atleast.. ;)

btw, check out that wine glass in the girl's hand..

and both of them here are guys.. :P

***

Now, this is the same body-builder friend you saw earlier.. :P

if you care to zoom, you will notice some nasty intricate details.. :D

***

This is also one of my close(est :D) friends..

if you haven't, notice the title of the film poster.. ..and the tag line too.. :P

Now... last but definitely not the least.. infact, I intended to place this last.. cuz I wanted you to have that last laugh... :P

This is also one of my college friends.. Though he didn't get the comments made on him.. he liked it.. :P

btw, notice his flat abs.. no six or eight packs here.. :D

That was the Fall of Fame I have on my Orkut.. just thought I should share this.. and in no way am I going to tell my friends about this post... they'll surely hang me for this.. :D

Happy Independence Day!

2009-08-15T18:38:00.001+05:30

"At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom. A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new…India discovers herself again."

- Jawaharlal Nehru (on Indian Independence Day, 1947)

Here we go, entering the 63rd year of Independent Republic of India and marking 62 years of complete independence. This is one day that fascinates me a lot. It’s not just because of the flag hoisting, but for a simple reason that on this day, we all, regardless of caste, creed and faith, come forward – integrated – to celebrate the magnificent occasion.

To be true, India is a very young country. At just a tender age of 62 years, she has made developments at such an immense pace, the credit of which may be attributed to the great leaders of the renaissance period. 10 Five Year Plans over, some targets achieved, others still beat a challenge to us. Not bad!

One might compare the growth to that of China and proclaim “Arey bhai, don’t be so proud.. look at China, its growing at an almost double growth rate of ours”. But tell me one thing – do we always have to ‘compare’ to gauge growth/development? And anyways, you can only compare between two equally capable entities. By un-equality here, I mean to suggest the very parameter of culture. For example, China has only one culture (read religion) across its borders, however; on the contrary India has many different religions, cultures and systems that form an integral part of it. Now, assume that you are in need of a job, skilled job, being in India you won’t think of going out of your locale. And that is certainly because of language barriers and cultural barriers you may have to face. Same is not the case with China, or for that matter US of A; you’ll find the same culture, language, tradition anywhere you travel across these countries, hence no barrier. Still, besides, I believe we are a strong contender to China.

That was about our economical development. Now let’s take a glance at our personal independence. Do you think we are really independent? I say, we have taken independence in a wrong light; and have somehow become the slaves of our own independence. Look at the current scenario: Sach ka Saamna.. what the hell?? Don’t we have other essential things to ponder upon? Sach ka Saamna is what’s been going aloud in the Parliament. We need to do a Bigger Sachhai ka Saamna. People are dying, illiteracy is increasing, WPI is increasing.. Get a life people!

Now I am about to write something which many ‘patriotic’ people wouldn’t like to agree on. I believe a part of credit of our success goes to British people too. It is for the very fact that if they hadn’t invaded us, we wouldn’t have known the ‘worth’ of Independence, we wouldn’t have progressed at this pace, we wouldn’t have known English, as a language, so strongly.

Ok, I realize that I have taken (or wasted??) enough of your time on this space. Please value this freedom, it certainly means a lot more than we think.

Wishing our very own Indians brothers and sisters loads of success in times ahead. (Someone wished me ‘loads of free time ahead’ on the last Independence Day and that wish came true.. I was jobless, busy doing nothing.. :P)

“True independence and freedom can only exist in doing what's right.”

A very Happy Independence Day! :) (please ignore if married :P)

A Sincere Request: Every year we see people celebrating Independence Day with fervor, much justified. And in the enthusiasm, we buy National Flags for us or for the children around us. At the end of the day we see it all littered around, on the streets, with people stamping on them with their shoes; this I feel drains out the whole meaning. Please stop people from littering our National Flag, our pride.

One step away..

2009-08-13T20:28:00.019+05:30

Many times in life, there are certain things which you treasure; it can be as material as a wrist watch, a key-chain, a book, etc etc OR it can be as immaterial as a thought. I would like to share something I treasured for so long: a thought.

Just when I had started to learn how to browse the internet, way back in 1996, I had found this interesting piece. It impressed me so much that I kept a copy on my PC then. And that copy survived these many years traveling through different hard-disks and storage devices. But anyways, its central idea was cemented in my mind. I am sure you will also find some piece of learning from this, or atleast I hope so.

_____One Step Away

*If you were just one step away from reaching your goal, would you take that step? How do you know, right now, you're not?

*What a shame it would be to stop making the effort, when just a little bit more would make it all worthwhile. What a shame it would be to have taken all those steps, only to miss the very last one.

*The next step you take may very well be the one that makes all the others count. You owe it to yourself, and the efforts you've made, to keep going.

*No, the next step may not get you there. Yet, what about the one after that? If you keep moving ahead, a little at a time, you will indeed arrive. When you take that final, triumphant step, you'll be so very thankful you persevered.

*At some point success is just one step away. Keep going and you'll be there.

I am sure this has made an impression on your mind too. And remember one thing: A sprinter can't win a marathon without running. :)

Right now, there's one Urdu saying, probably a shayari, that has come to my mind:

_____"jo safar ikhtiyaar karte hain
_____wahi manzil ko paar karte hain;
_____zara chalne ka hausla toh rakh mere dost
_____aise musafiron ka toh raaste bhi intezaar karte hain.."

Signing off.. got to go and take my one step further(and this one's definitely not the last).. ;)

P.S.: Just in case you couldn't catch the meaning of that short Urdu poem above, let me know. I will try my best to translate it. :)

Scarred..

2009-08-12T13:29:00.008+05:30

When the petal of a rose feels like a blade
A thousand emotions yet unsaid
Come to my mind all at once
Causing an ache for some reasons

My heart feels heavier
Each time it beats
The unseen cut that’s made
And it profusely bleeds

Betraying the person inside of me
A friend has killed a friend of me
Killing the trust that held us right
You’ve brought me to darkness from the light

How would I now make a friend
As good as that you did pretend
I hope all people are not the same
You’d know I shudder when I hear your name

I still remember the things we shared
Despite the fights, for each other we cared
For old times’ sake I’m ready to patch
I’m ready to forget those bruise and scratch

To live a life I need a friend
Who’d be with me till the end
But you know, now it all depends on you
If you wish to resurrect my friend in you

Though the petal of rose now feels like a blade
I can overlook the marks it has ruthlessly made
I know that true friendship never ever dies
And for you, my friend, aloud my heart cries

I tied a knot today..

2009-08-11T16:12:00.007+05:30

Yes people! I tied a knot today successfully. After trying a couple of hours, I finally got hold of it. :)

Well, by ‘tied a knot’ I don’t mean getting double.. :P I learned how to tie the knot of a tie.. Now that I am a management student and tie being a part of the daily college dress code, I decided I should learn to tie the tie the ‘right’ way. Of course, I had used a tie in school for 10 years; but that didn’t seem to help. Cuz once I tie the knot on the first day, I used it all through the year. I don’t even remember tying a tie-knot in between.

Anyways, I knew a method for tying a knot, which wasn’t the right way; so I decided to google and find the right way to tie a knot – Windsor Knot. That was it. I tried it again and again until I mastered the art. I sometimes ended up strangling my neck. :P

But one thing I’ve got to say, MY method is much simpler and faster than the Windsor method of tying a tie-knot. Will use it in emergencies though. ;)

PS: I hate wearing a tie and sitting for the lectures the whole day; feels as if someone’s forcing me to study by choking my neck.. :(

About Me

2009-08-08T00:20:00.012+05:30

Friends, I felt I needed a separate About Me page for my blog. So being the lazy lethargic I am, I will paste the About Me from my Orkut Profile.. :P

Ohk!!.. Here I am. Once again.. trying to first figure out what I am and then to let you know. This is the hardest part of life.. absolutely.. atleast for me.. it is..

I guess I am just another soul on the planet Earth trying to find the purpose of my existence… Sounds poetic…huh?! Yeah.. but true to some extent… Life changes.. I change.. and therefore my About Me also has to change.. yes.. but the reality is that I have enough time to do things that are the least important in my life.. :P

I am the most unpredictable person you’ll ever encounter.. just like our Met Dept. with the weather forecasts.. you will find it hard to believe anything that comes from me.. see.. I am myself sayin’ that.. ahan..!! abhi pata chala.. I am honest too.. :P cool.. but some people really think that I am weird.. I don't know why they give me this title but I actually feel nice to stand out in the crowd by being weird... most people aren't weird.. so that's one distinguishing factor.. I like it.. ;)

‘What I do?’.. this question is a mystery in itself.. I do a lot of things... photography.. blogging… music.. etc etc.. I don’t know why but right now I could think of only these three... and I love using ‘etc’... actually there’s one more to the list.. ‘eating’.. yummy..!! that’s one of the things that doesn’t let me down.. especially non-vegetarian stuff.. roasted chicken.. seekh kebabs.. mmmm..!! too scrumptious... I fear my key-board will get wet.. move on Saad.. Ok fine..

My life is not an open book.. or khuli kitaab as people say.. according to me my life is a torn book with the cover page missing... :p bole toh fatela book mumbhai lingo me .. funny.. but again.. it’s true.. 21 years gone and I am still striving to find my goal, a destination... as a matter of fact.. I like it this way.. I keep thinking that I will reach my goal just the next day 'n' find the missing cover page.. and this keeps me going as I never reach my goal.. :P

Saala bahot pakaa diya.. hai naa?!! Bored to death? Well.. if reading this can be so boring... wonder how you’ll feel while experiencing it.. :D.. nah! It’s cool.. as long as I know what I am doing.. be it silly or be it as weird as me.. it’s really cool.. I am used to writing long About Mes’.. but then only people who really want to know me make an effort to read.. this wardens-off the extras..

And yeah!.. do comment on my pics.. let me know how they are.. and please make it a point to visit the Fall of Fame Album.. you'll do anything to feature in it then.. if you won't.. I'll make sure you feature in it.. ;)

Signing off..!! ;)

This was About Me some months ago.. well, I haven't changed much since.. but will edit this as and when I do change.. ;)

Bidding Adieu to Bombay..

2009-08-05T01:00:00.006+05:30

As you guys already know(I know I've shouted this a hundred times :P) that I was in Bombay for a week, I could not blog as much as I usually do. Many of you might be happy for that.. ;) One friend did accept that. :D But now that I am back, though not with a bang, I'll try blogging at a good frequency. :)

So I was in Bombay to get some things done. Also, I had to get all my belongings to Pune where I will be spending the next 2 years of my life. Compared to a bachelor's room, my room's condition was even worse. I still remember the tee I wore on my first day to the college some four years back. While packing things up, I found it the last(you probably know why). It took me almost 7 hours to unload the cupboard and pack my bags; because every 5 mins I found something that had a memory attached to it. It was as if I relived those 4 years in 7 hours, pretty much compact, isn't it?

There were many such things of which I would share select few. Some things I discovered, which with time I had forgotten, were:

1. My Guitar: I had bought it with my savings. I skipped many lunches for that. But when I discovered my guitar, it was covered with a layer of dust; I cleaned it with a cloth... It brought to my mind the tune I had composed, a song I had written; I had even recorded that song using my PC microphone and my voice made it even more unbearable.. :D I didn't strum it for a long time now.

2. My Short Film Script: Yeah! I had scripted a short story.. not just scripted, I had everything in my mind - the angle of the camera, how I'd edit the clip, which audio clip I'll attach, everything.. Only the last step of making that short film could not be completed.

3. My Calculator: Being a BCom student, a calculator is the most important part of my life, or probably was. I was so familiar with the calci that I could repair it anytime.. :) but the situation I found it in that day was unrepairable..

4. My Appointment Letter: I was placed through Campus in two companies of which I joined TCS later. It reminded me of how depressed I was when I lost out on one job cuz of real poor performance in the interview... :( Nevertheless, I got another.. :)

There are many more but they don't qualify to be mentioned here. :P Dirty Mind, its not what you think, its just that they're personal... too personal ;)

So that was the time I bid bye to my Bombay. :(

One thing I hate about myself is that I am always smiling. I have had its disadvantage at many places - when a teacher slapped me in school, when a principal asked for a parent call, in front of my boss, everywhere. The worst part is that I don't know how to express emotions. Recently, the relative I was staying with had tears in her eyes when I was leaving.. I was blank.. what?? what do I do at such a moment?? what should I say?? I just smiled.. I really don't know what she decrypted that smile as.. But that's the problem with me.. I don't know emotions.. I hate myself for that..

Happy Friendship Day!

2009-08-02T11:32:00.005+05:30

A HAPPY FRIENDSHIP DAY to all my blogger friends. :)

On the occasion of Friendship Day, I would like to post something related.. Well, taking inspiration from Sugar Cube, I would also like to post a message log for some of the messages I received till now(since midnight :P).. Here it goes:

Good friends are like Tom and Jerry. Sometimes petty fights and silly crap keeps them apart but they always come back together to run a fun filled long episode. Happy Friendship Day!

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A Star has 5 ends, Square has 4, Triangle has 3, line has 2 ends but the Circle of our Friendship has no end. Happy Friendship Day!

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A special friend is like a potty drop in a shining commode which doesn't go even after flushing a hundred times. You are as special to me. Please never flush out of my life. A potty drop like you smells like an unplucked fresh rose. Happy Friendship Day!

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Few Relations In Earth Never Die. Take 1st letter from each word of the previous sentence and then you will get the unique word: FRIEND.. Happy Friendship Day!

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Friendship is not a big fire that burns all day. Its a small lamp that burns till the last day of your life. Be my friend always. Happy Friendship Day!!!

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Those people who are very close to us, God will always keep them away from us so that we think about them always and miss them each moment, every second. Happy Friendship Day..

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Definition of a friend: My ailment when I am in pain, my letter when I am far, my smile when I am sad, my hankie when I cry, one more breath when I die. Happy Friendship Day!

These were some of the messages I received since yesterday 12. Some because, I could not include those non-veg sms'es; but they still managed to beautifully convey the emotions while making me laugh.. :D

A dedication to some select friends.. I know my friends don't read blogs and possibly have never commented on any.. :P

Here it is..

Ditching a Crow Sh*t..

2009-07-27T20:45:00.009+05:30

The title is apt enough to predict what I am about to write here. Yes - Crow Shit. When it comes to crow shit, every forwarded step matters. A crow has as many as 4 easy options to shit on a person - while walking, while standing, while sitting on a bench, on a bike; or probably I've known only these four till now.

Basically, with regards to crow shit, there are only 2 kinds of people on Planet Earth(No, there aren't any on Mars or Moon but I wish I could transport them there forever :P). First are the lucky ones who just about manage to save themselves from that white excreta(sometimes variations can be found in the colour also :D). Second are the unlucky ones who fail to do so. I have been lucky enough to fall in the first category. Believe me, I've ditched these crow shits almost a hundred times now.

Ok. But what brings this stinky subject to my blog today? Well, there are two reasons:
1. I ditched another crow shit today (btw, that doesn't mean I'll blog every time I ditch one.. :P)
2. I did not have an interesting topic to blog and share with you people.
Hence this uninteresting subject. ;)

So, today I had been to Bombay University to get my Migration Certificate issued. The B.E.S.T. Bus dropped me just on the entrance gate and I had to walk almost a kilometer to reach the Migration Certificate counter. Bombay University has a very vast campus and there's greenery all around. So I was walking on those lanes overshadowed by tall and huge trees. I was walking at my usual pace with constant velocity (which is approx. 13.235 km/hr). Ok I know its getting boring with all the graphic details - let me come to the point. So while I was walking under those tall trees, my cell phone suddenly started ringing. I stopped then and there to pull out the cell from my jeans. At that very point of time, a crow shat... and that fell on my left foot. Had the phone not rung, I'd have not stopped and the crow shit would have fallen straight on my head - lucky me. Since I was in my floaters due to the rains, I just had to pour some water and it all washed out. :)

I have escaped the wrath of a crow many times. Although, this time it fell on me, I was never ever hit by it before.

Well, I have been lucky enough for one more reason - I have an AIRTEL cell connection. Had it been IDEA, I wouldn't have certainly be able to ditch that crow shit. Arey forgot?? IDEA's new campaign tag line - WALK WHILE YOU TALK. :P

Blogging and Bloggers are so into my head...

2009-07-24T01:35:00.010+05:30

It was today while reading a newspaper that someone asked me "Why so serious today". At the first instant, it reminded me of Heath Ledger, Joker from The Dark Knight. But then, when I tried to reason myself and analysed, it hit my mind that the Thoughts In My Bubble Today were very strange. It was sort of Black and White, but still unclear and blurred. I tried harder to question my reasoning, but it didn’t help. Just then, the servant who tries to speak all the English he knows in one sentence told me “iThoughts, you should go outs and have fun”. I replied in his English “I hads fun alreadys”. It was already getting irritating for me and my young cousin asked a question about Squaring a Circle. I decided it was enough and straight walked out of the house and sat down at a coffee shop 3 doors down. I was lucky they had those really sweet Sugar Cubes; I just can’t gulp down a strong coffee.

That’s the thing I love that coffee shop for; after a sip, I am lost into day-dreaming. I am a dreamer myself and I love experiencing Adventures of a Dreamer. I was so into dreaming that I thought that I was Wearing an Invisible Crown, walking in a royal style. Some people out there in the coffee shop thought I had gone insane. One of them actually came up to me and said “why don’t you go to a rehabilitation centre” and I said “I am a Rehab Reject! And being that is cool” and kicked him on his arse; he ran as if his buttocks were on fire.

As I came out of the coffee shop, a Train of Thought was still railing along. I was still confused of what was going into my mind. While walking down the street, I came by a DVD Rental Shop. I saw many titles: horror, drama, comedy, action and what not.. But something that caught my eye was ‘Dexter’s Laboratory’, my favourite. I still remember when someone told me ‘A Cartoon A Day keeps sadness at bay’. Then I picked a pack of DVDs of Dexter’s and walked straight back home. Switched on the DVD, enjoyed, laughed, and relaxed. It felt as if I had discovered a Sunken Treasure. I had a notion that Life sure is a snoozefest, but today I experienced something completely different.

Afterall I am a Bombay Blogge r, a true Bombay-ite at heart.. ;)

End of a legend..

2009-07-23T18:53:00.018+05:30

It's only today, that while searching something through some newspapers I came across a news on Dr. Gangubai Hangal; I was shocked. She passed away on Tuesday, at the age of 97. I just read an article I had posted on my blog about her. I had met her just 2 months ago..

May her soul rest in Peace.

Dr. Gangubai Hangal. The name doesn’t spark anything in the brains, right? Can’t think of anything related to her? Infact, never heard the name ever before..?? Well, that’s fine. The same was the case with me. Until one day, when I had a short rendezvous with her...

Read more..

Tag Here.. no its not the watch company.. :P

2009-07-21T20:18:00.007+05:30

Okay there.. I was tagged by Sugandha of Serious fame, of Thoughts In My Bubble Today!!!.. ;) According to her, I have to complete this interesting tag.. I hope I don't let out my dark secrets.. :p Get to know my ABCs..

The rules:
* Link the person who tagged you.
* Post these rules on your blog.
* Share your ABCs..
* Tag 3 people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.
* Let the 3 tagged people know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.
* Do not tag the same person repeatedly but try to tag different people, so that there is a big network of bloggers doing this tag!

So, here goes my ABC..

A – Available/Single? Double.. :P nah.. kiddin' its still Single..

B – Best friend? A Human :D

C – Cake or Pie? 22/7th piece of a Cake.. ;)

D – Drink of choice? Banana Milkshake

E – Essential item you use every day? Sleep.. I try to use it 24x7.. :P

F – Favorite colour? Black

H – Hometown? Pune (actually oscillating b/w Bombay 'n' Pune)

I – Indulgence? Chocolates

J – January or February? November..

K – Kids & their names? First let me change the status from Single to Double... then I'll name them Saad the I and Saad the II and so on.. :P ..if its a girl, I'll let my better half decide.. :D

L – Life is incomplete without? Strife.. a bit philosophical on that one.. ;)

M – Marriage date? It should be Marriage or Date and I would choose Date.. :D

N – Number of siblings? One elder brother..

O – Oranges or Apples? Apples.. That's the reason we know of gravity(and Newton too).. :p

P – Phobias/Fears? Phobophobic..

Q – Quote for today? Success is relative.. More the success, more the relatives.. ;)

R – Reason to smile? I don't smile.. I laugh.. that too with no reason.. :D

S – Season? Monsoons... that too a Bombay Monsoon feels great.. :)

T – Tag 3 People? Kasabian Girl, Sugar Cube and Srivatsan.

U – Unknown fact about me? I am a somnambulist and a somniloquist as well.. and I am bad at alphabets, sometimes I skip 'em..

V – Vegetable you don't like? Karele ki sabzee.. well, that sounds common but is a fact.. a bitter fact.. :P

W – Worst habit? Ek ho toh batau.. for one, cracking PJs at odd moments..

X – X-rays you've had? Thrice.. Don't ask when, why and where.. :P

Y – Your favorite food? Biryani.. and kebabs and.. darn.. my mouth's watering.. and my keyboard's getting wet.. I'll move on to the next alphabet.. ;)

Z – Zodiac sign? Scorpio.. but I don't believe in stars and their signs.. :P

Thanks Sugandha for this tag.. I got answer to some of the questions I never ever wondered could ever be possible.. :P

Thanks!

Finally..

2009-07-21T00:30:00.006+05:30

After This, tHis, thIs and thiS, there's finally this:

Finally.. my heart’s bpm shot a bit
Finally.. my to-do list will have something more than just ‘sleeping’
Finally.. life’s got some direction
Finally.. I have something to feel proud about
Finally.. I know I’ll use my brains a little more this year
Finally.. the fear has vanished
Finally.. nothingness has taken a backseat
Finally.. anxiousness has stepped up a level
Finally.. I am feeling content about something, actually
Finally.. the wait is over
Finally.. the prayers have been answered
Finally.. I secured admission into a B-School of choice
Finally.. I am awaiting something.. the10th of August.

There was too much of redundancy.. but finally...

How to make a blogpost BORING..??!

2009-07-18T23:46:00.009+05:30

I have been thinking about this for a long time now – How to make a blogpost boring? After a lot of thinking and re-thinking I came to the conclusion that I should think about it while writing a blogpost itself; that would possibly help.

So, what do we need for making a blogpost boring? What makes a blogpost boring? How do you blend those ingredients with exactitude? More importantly, what are the ingredients that help you make a blogpost boring?

Here’s what I deduced from my thinking (and re-thinking.. :p):-

Topic:
It should be hatke. Either it should be as common as Michael Jackson’s Moonwalk or it should be as unusual as George Bush’s Nose or Hrithik Roshan’s third thumb. Make sure you touch atleast one of the two poles apart; anything in between will end up making the post an interesting one.

Approach:
This is something which matters the most. Ensure that you’re confused as regards the topic and have a tendency to confuse the reader as well. You shouldn’t have a straight-forward approach. Make sure you beat around the bush (sometimes beat the bush itself :p)

Content:
It is the skull of the skeleton of a boring post. Try to write every word in an awful way. Make an effort and see that what you write does not make any sense and is terribly dreadful. Re-read if necessary. If you happen to write about something and are too tired after watching TV, copy paste the whole content from Wikipedia, along with citations.

Opinion:
This is the chin of the skull of the skeleton of a boring post. When you write something, ensure that you give out your opinion strongly. But.. but your opinion should be such that it does not matter. If it matters, you’re making a fun out of your post. Stop being silly, it isn’t enough; if you want to sound boring you’ll have to start being ‘ridiculous’.

Photograph:
A boring blogpost is always the one with a photograph, one which is unrelated. Ascertain that the photograph is irrelevant and hardly visible. A black ‘n’ white pic will look better. And yeah.. don’t make the post interesting by uploading your own photograph in a birthday suit.

Words and Sentences:

While you're writing words in an awful way(as stated in 3rd point), ensure that the words are complicated and make the sentence even more complicated. For instance, My friend who had the habit of masticating acetylsalicylic acid segued to pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis from pyrexia, otherwise his health was supercalifragilisticexpialidocious and was living a salubrious life. I am sure you won't risk making your post interesting.

Title:
Last but not the least.. Oops.. Chaste but not the beast, yeah that’s apt. Keep your title free of any ‘adult/mature’ titles, else your only blog-readers, the under-15yrs-children and above-73yrs-oldies , will also stop reading your posts. Keep them pure and chaste. But the title should always be a cliché.

These were some of the ideas you can use to make a blogpost boring. Wait wait wait… Shucks! I started writing this as a normal post but ended up writing a boring one.. see.. now that’s what you call expertise.. yuhoo!! ;)

If you want to see a demonstration of a boring blog, do visit THIS.

P.S.: Whenever you feel like using a smiley, always use either :P or :D. If at all you feel the dire need then use ;)...

Colloquial with Clinton..

2009-07-18T14:39:00.006+05:30

It was just another day for me. I was sitting in the Lounge of Ritz-Carlton New York Hotel. Sipping fizzed lemonade, I was waiting for a friend.. Just then my cell phone rang.. “Hello” I said. “Hey Saad.. Yaar sorry, I am stuck up with something very important, so can’t make it there right now” he said. “C’mon dude, I fly down all the way from India to meet you and..” I complained. “Yeah yeah I know.. but still.. I’ll be late and you know how these meetings are..” said he. I paused for a moment and said “Okay.. I’ll wait.. call me up if you can’t make it at all”. He agreed and we hung up.

While I was awaiting friend’s phone call, someone came from behind and said “Excuse me Sir,” I was surprised. He continued “Sir would like to meet you”. He was a tall man in a black suit and I wondered why he wore black glares in the dimly-lit lounge. I inquired “Who’s your Sir and why does he want to meet me?”. He said “Sir, Mr. Bill Clinton sir”. I asked “Who? Who Clinton?”. He said “Bill Clinton, sir, the former US President”. I recollected “Hell yeah.. I remember him. Okay, tell him to come over”. “Thanks a lot sir” he thanked and went to call Clinton.

After a minute or so, one tall and fair guy in a black suit and a red tie came towards me. As the lounge was dimly-lit, I couldn’t recognize who it was until he came closer and then I realized it was Bill Clinton. He came and sat on the sofa beside me. I acknowledged with a smile.

“Hi, how are you Saad?” Bill asked

“Great.. alive n kicking” I said in my usual way

“So, what brings you here?” he asked

I said, “Chuck that, tell me.. what brought you here?”

“Nah! I got the news that you’re visiting US, so thought of meeting you” he said jovially.

“Oh.. I really don’t know who leaks all this.. well.. anywayz.. so how are you?” I asked

“Hmm.. fine.. but life after retirement hasn’t been all that good you know.. and moreover if your wife’s working.. then its no less than a living hell.. she wears the pants in the house and I get all dominated..” he complained

“Yeah.. I can understand..” I sympathized

“No man.. it isn’t that easy at all.. after wife there’s my daughter.. she is so in the habit of having an assistant that now she makes me handle her dates and boyfriends..” he couldn’t stop complaining

“You’ll have something?” I asked hoping to calm him down

“Nah! But I can order a wine for you.. I know this bartender here since my college days.. he stirs one of the best..” he offered

“Ah.. no thanks.. you know I don’t drink..” I declined

“Oh yeah.. that’s good actually.. even I’m trying to quit..” he said “Even I’ll have that lemonade then, seems good” he seemed to follow me

“Yeah sure.. so that’s good actually” I continued our discussion

“What? Lemonade?” he asked in a confused state

“Nah, about your daughter.. you can keep an eye on her and control her” I said

“Probably, but I’ve had some awful experiences with that.. so can’t really say that..” he disagreed

“Hmm.. so how is life now? I mean you’re the only president to have had 2 consecutive terms, right? Doesn’t that proud feeling sink in you? Why’re you looking so disturbed?” I quizzed him

“Not at all.. Dubya ****** is also another one to share that pride… and anyways what difference does it make? Life’s become so lonely..” he carped

“Lonely.. why? You have Hillary.. aren’t things goin’ fine with her?” I asked

“Hillary.. she’s so damn busy in her work.. it just doesn’t get along right now-a-days..” he said

“Really?! So then what about Lewinsky.. Monica Lewinsky.. don’t you meet her these days?.. I am sure she’s fun to be with..” I uttered with a naughty grin

“Hey… shhhhh!! Don’t take her name here.. please don’t..” he pleaded

I was taken aback. “Why? What happened?” I asked

“I’ve heard my wife has arranged a detective to follow me.. she thinks I still meet her” he whispered

“Sad.. so why don’t you make it clear to her..??” I advised

“Its not that.. I still meet her.. but my wife doesn’t know” he winked

“Yeh.. its hard to leave someone mid-way..” I nodded in agreement

Then we discussed politics, bollywood(and some hollywood too), economy, etc etc.. Then I said I’ll be joining PUMBA B-School this year. He seemed impressed and asked me if I could arrange a meeting with Vice Chairman of Bank of America, a PUMBA alumnus. I said I’ll see.. Then he requested me for some donation for his foundation… and this n that.. He also insisted on clicking a photograph with me. I gave in..

Then my cell phone rang.. “Hello”. It was my friend, “Saad.. sorry dude.. It’ll take time.. around 2 hrs more”. “Fine then.. Lets meet later.. Chal bye!” I hung up in disappointment

“What happened?” Bill asked

“Nothing, OK then.. got to go now.. it was nice meeting you..” I said Bill

“Entirely my pleasure sir..” Bill smiled and said

As I got up to leave, Bill asked “Hey, do you want my limo to drop you?”

I said, “No, thanks.. I have my chopper on the Helipad” and left.

DISCLAIMER
All the characters in the above post are imaginary and any resemblance to anything or anyone living or dead therefore is purely co-incidental and unintended. :P

An unusual dream..

2009-07-13T23:28:00.007+05:30

Dream.

When the expression ‘Dream’ comes to mind, we certainly can think only two of its types:
1. Our goal in life, aspiration, aim, ambition, whatever you call it. This is the type of dream which doesn’t let us sleep until we achieve it.
2. The other Dream is what ‘really’ a dream is; something that we ‘think’ while sleeping; some movie-clip that our sub-conscious mind plays inside. ;)

So, you might wonder, why all of a sudden am I posting about ‘Dream’?!! Well, there are many things which I do all-of-a-sudden in my life; but posting this today has a reason. I had one dream yesterday. It wasn’t an ordinary dream. It was bizarre, strange... something I can’t think even in state of full consciousness by no stretch of imagination.

Yesterday, I slept at 3:30 in the morning, listening to my iPod. I am usually in the deepest level of sleep by 5-5:30(after a long day’s work :p). I don’t exactly remember the time of this dream, but it was somewhere in the wee hours of the morning.

I was in a room; a dark room. Someplace, which is closed from all the six sides; just like an iron box. No duct for ventilation. Not a single ray of light. With only one flat bench of rusted iron to sit, I was there in some mysterious place. I could feel the roughness of that rusted iron on my moist hands. It was some kind of a solitary confinement. It was brutal and inhumane. I am usually not a claustrophobic, but the enclosed space had already started to frighten me, to say the least. I was thirsty. I felt as if I will be famished to death. Suffocation was killing me. Hours went by. I screamed, I shrieked.. But no one seemed to answer them. It reverberated, again and again, in that room, in my ears. Now, I was getting more intimidated hearing my own, ugly shrieks. In the sheer darkness with nothing to see, my eyes started to irritate me. I could feel the fear rise up to my throat. Then suddenly.. then I heard a ‘click’ somewhere. Everything was silent as dead. I turned, routing to the source of that sound of a ‘click’. I saw something open slowly.. very slowly.. I was restless to see what or who it was; and to know why I was there. Then, suddenly, the door opened completely. The incoming light was so bright, I shut my eyes tightly to avoid it. Then just as my vision was getting clear.. slowly I could see him.. a sort of a silhouette was forming.. then as a clear face was taking shape.. Splash!! My mother poured a glass of water onto my face...

I woke up all freaked out. My mom wondered what happened. But I was aghast and tongue-tied, couldn’t speak a word.

Now, I usually don’t remember a dream, but this is something that is clear as a crystal. It’s scaring the living daylights out of me. I don’t know what this would interpret.. I just wish I could see that face.. ..see that person. I wish..

Was that a harbinger of some danger or just one mystical movie-clip my mind played?

The sound of silence.. finally found!

2009-07-11T18:17:00.008+05:30

I have always wondered what the sound of silence is.. how it sounds, if it really does.. I had heard the popular song, Sound of Silence by Simon and Garfunkel, but then that did not qualify as an answer according to me. Then, finally.. the search for an answer ended yesterday night, at around 2 AM to be precise..

Some of you might have read the post about my ‘routine’ these days. Of late, I’ve been hearing lots n lots of music, my ears are always plugged-in to my iPod.. and this goes on to such an extent that even while I’m sleeping, I need music in my ears. Otherwise, its difficult to get sleep. I know this will sound insane but, I hear Metallica while sleeping.. Nothing else matters.. ;)

Ok.. So, yesterday was a bit different: I forgot to recharge my iPod.. so, had to go to sleep without any music. And, when that kind of music bursting in your ears goes off when it shouldn't.. that’s when you hear the sound of silence.. At 2 in the morning.. nothing else.. I could only hear this.. only this...!! (check out the audio hyper-link)

Now that’s what you ‘really’ call the sound of silence, ain't it? ;)

And then, I suddenly recalled the sound that resounded in my ears for a long time, of that when my Principal had slapped me hard.. seedha kaan ke neeche.. man.. that hurt! At that time, it probably suited more as 'sound of violence'.. :P

P.S.: Do check this out. Makes for a good hearing. :) And I hardly slept yesterday..

A piece of Moon..??

2009-07-10T21:12:00.011+05:30

Yesterday, I read strange news about Pandit Jasraj being gifted a piece of moon by his students in US. Wow! What a Guru-Dakshina one may think! A formal lunar deed was offered to the renowned vocalist and the ace of the Indian Classical Music - All this according to the deed signed ‘n’ sealed by a Nevada-based Lunar Embassy.

His students in US have gifted him a 1 acre plot of land which is located in the North-West portion of the Sea of Tranquility which lies near Crater Arago. Sounds confusing, I wonder if even FedEx might reach in time, if at all it reaches. :p

At the very instant, one may feel very delighted.. Ofcourse..!! Who won’t be happy if you are given a piece of land on the Moon..?? But then, when you think in terms of money, its NIL! - Worth not even a penny. Tell me, what’s the use of the land you can’t use? Actually..

I think its like offering meat balls to a goat.. :p Please condone, couldn’t think of a better example.

I am a Muslim..

2009-07-09T23:35:00.009+05:30

I am a Muslim
I am looked at with suspicion
And people can’t help but think
That I am on some mission

I am a Muslim
But still I fear growing a beard
I don’t mean to bother them
But people around tend to get scared

I am a Muslim
I want to wear the skull cap gear
But something that boggles me
That in their eyes I can’t see fear

I am a Muslim
Yet I fear being spotted with The Qur’an
For some people care to think
That I’m devising a flagitious plan

I am a Muslim
Not of those who with airplanes strike
I am a Muslim
Not of those who for killing: explode a bike

I am a Muslim
And I don’t kill people
I fear death myself
And I won’t bomb down a steeple

I am a Muslim
I would never trigger a gun
Rifle, grenade or a bomb
I would never hold none

I am a Muslim
I try to spread Peace
And build a place in Heaven
Before the time I decease

I am a Muslim
The Qur’an guides my way
And the people who radiate terror
Are surely the ones who’ve gone astray

I am a Muslim
Please treat me the same
I am a Muslim
Don’t hate me for my name

I am a Muslim
Who prays five times a day
For peace in this world
To see people cheerful and gay

I am a Muslim
A true Muslim by heart
Regardless of how they treat me
With my morals I won’t part

I am a Muslim
I know that Almighty gives
Sinners go ask His mercy
For I know He forgives

Here's one verse among many which clearly states NOT to kill people. “..if any one slew a person - unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land - it would be as if he slew the whole humanity: and if any one saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole humanity…” [The Holy Qur’an - 5:32]

No matter what the terrorists say, Islam isn't what they're following, for sure.

Decision..

2009-07-09T00:47:00.006+05:30

For quite some time now, I have been thinking about the word 'decision'. According to Wikipedia, Decision can be regarded as an outcome of mental processes leading to the selection of a course of action among several alternatives. Every decision making process produces a final choice.

True. Then why do we always say "Take the right decision" or "Don't hold on to a wrong decision"? Why?

Decision is nothing but 'a course of action that seems right to you(at that time)'. The two important factors to be considered here are:

1. Decision being Right
2. Decision on Time

Now, as far as the 1st part is concerned: One takes a decision ONLY when he/she feels that it is the right thing to do. Obviously, I won't decide something that is 'wrong' or 'not suitable for me'. Besides, the decision being right or wrong can't be said when the decision is made. Its only when you see the outcome of the decision you took, can you conclude that the decision was right or wrong.

Coming to the second part: yes, time is a consideration. Taking a decision on and in time matters a lot. Infact, it matters the most. So, nothing much to say about it. Whenever you take a decision, make sure you take it in time; because time changes and changes everything along with it.

The best part about taking a decision yourself is that you won't regret it later. Getting influenced by others and doing things according to them just doesn't make any sense. Don't you hear Metallica "Life is ours. We live it our way." ;)

A personal example: I was working with TCS. It was just 5 months into the job and I resigned. Everyone around told me not to, especially as there was recession. But still, I did what I felt right, and I did it on time. I don't know whether I am going to get admission this year; but definitely, I don't regret my decision. Because that was mine. :)

At this point, a dialogue from Rocky Balboa comes to my mind "If you know what you're worth then go out and get what you're worth. But, you gotta be willing to take the hits and not pointing fingers at anyone saying you ain't where you want to be because of him or her or anybody." So bloody true!

Isaac Newton and his girlfriend...

2009-07-07T23:20:00.009+05:30

People.. this time I have something unusual to share.. It was this friend who sent me an SMS this afternoon. That message actually was a very bad PJ(Phaltoo Jokes, Poor jokes or Pakao Jokes.. whatever you prefer calling) and I thought I should share it on the blogosphere. So here it goes..

Once Isaac Newton and his girlfriend were going to attend a marriage ceremony. Isaac Newton got ready within no time. His girlfriend took almost an hour to put on make-up and get all well-dressed. Now, the chemistry between Isaac Newton and his girlfriend was good enough.

Newton's Girlfriend: Hey! How am I looking?? (with a naughty smile on her face)

Isaac Newton: Tan C / Sin C

Girlfriend: What?? What do you mean by that!?? (in a confused state)

Newton: Yeah..

Tan C / Sin C

= (Sin C / Cos C) / Sin C

= Sin C / (Cos C * Sin C)

= 1 / Cos C

= Sec C

Hahahaa..!! This was really a bad one. But PJs are meant to be bad. :p

An interview experience..

2009-07-07T00:04:00.009+05:30

CAUTION: DO NOT TRY AND DO WHAT I AM JUST GOING TO MENTION(I know you're clever enough not to :p)

Guys.. This is a scene at one of the interviews I gave for college admission to get into a B-School. Frankly speaking, what I did is definitely wrong. Its amoral to do any such thing. But I thought a lot before doing that. Actually, I asked a couple of friends who had just finished their interview and they said that saying "my name was not on the voters' list" did not satisfy the interviewer. If you're confused as to what I'm speaking about, you'll get to know once you read this:

I'll mention here, only the excerpts from my interview as the 'whole' Interview was long enough to mention here.

Interviewer: So Saad Shaikh, tell me something about yourself (this is the way most interviews start)
Me: Blah blah blah (Definitely not the one I mentioned in my Blogger A/c :p)
...
..
some questions about studies and field of interest, etc, etc..
..
...
..
Interviewer: So did you vote?
Me: Yes Sir! (Though I did not vote as my name was not listed in the voters list. I had made a mark on my left hand's middle finger with the marker pen, which eventually faded and it was hardly visible at the time of interview)

Interviewer asked me to show my hand. I showed. He could not see the mark properly so I showed him by letting my hand a bit closer to him.

Interviewer: Why is the mark so fade? Are you sure you voted??
Me: Ofcourse sir, I did vote.

Interviewer: My mark is still there; how come yours faded??
Me: Sir. Actually, today morning, after shaving I used some after-shave that fell on that finger too. So possibly that is responsible for the mark getting faded.

At this point the other interviewer agreed to me saying After-Shaves and Perfumes have the capability of erasing such marks. So this interviewer also agreed.

Me: Yes sir. The after-shave liquid contains Denat Alcohol which has the capability to fade such marks. It can be found in colognes also.

He agreed.

This was done. Now the next interesting part of my interview:

Interviewer: What have you been doing for so many months sitting at home, besides preparing for entrance exams?
Me: Sir, I am interested in Entrepreneurship so I spend my time devising some business ideas. I utilize my time to develop those ideas and hope to use the potential ones when I get in the race.

Interviewer: So what business ideas do you have in mind? Tell me some..
Me: Said all that I had..

Interviewer: Good.. but you can't do only one thing the whole time, right? So what else you did in your free time?
Me: Right sir. I watch News Channels, watch debates, read newspapers and all that stuff. (Actually, I never did that :p)

Interviewer: So you might be aware about what's happening with the Lankan Tamils, IPL, Politics and stuff..??
Me: Yes sir. A little knowledge about them.

Interviewer: So tell me what are these elections for?
Me: Lok-Sabha. For forming a Central Government. (who doesn't know this :D)

Interviewer: Who's standing up for elections from your constituency?
Me: I said who it was and the situation around.

Interviewer: Ok.. Now tell me.. What number of seats are there in the Lok-Sabha??
(Shucks! I did not know what to say. I was blank. I thought of guessing an answer. But then what if the guess got wrong? Should I guess?? But still I thought I will take a chance even though I hadn't the slightest idea. All this in mere 3 seconds.)
Me: 543 Seats Sir. (Taking a wilder-than-the-wildest guess)

Interviewer: Are you sure? (with his eye-brows forming a serious curve)
Me: Yes sir. Absolutely! (I said as if I was more confident than him :p)

Just then.. the other interviewer said "Pretty close". I asked "I am sorry sir, but what's the actual figure?". He said "its 542 seats". I said "Oh! I am sorry sir"

Interviewer: No. That's good actually, you know that much.
Me: Thanks sir.

Then some more questions here and there, and the interview ended.

When I came back home, I realized that there are 543 seats and NOT 542 as they thought. :p Anywayz, couldn't clear the selection. My GD sucked: had the topic "Only spiritualisation can save the Indian Youth" :( How can one think upon such an immaterial topic in just 1 minute??

Damn!

To be true, when I came back home and thought about it, I was feeling some kind of a guilt inside. Just for the sake of that guilt I'll never ever do it again. It's quite heavy a load for me to bear.

Before I came to life...

2009-07-06T14:40:00.007+05:30

Its just like you find a piece of paper with something written on it. You think its interesting. Then you think of posting it on your blog. But then you think of the copyrights(I don't know who penned it btw). Phir bhi, I'll post it on my blog. :) I added a few lines too. I hope that doesn't take the sentiments away. I hope you too find it interesting.

I remember the conversation I had with Him
Before coming down to the world of whim
Unstructured was I, only my soul alive
I pleaded Him badly to let me vive

I asked Him to breathe a soul into me
And animate my body to life
He advised me against it
And said I’d have to strive

I said I’d bear the light
But bring me to life
I said I’m all prepared
And all set to dive

I said I’m ready to take a bruise
But I want to play in the sand
I said I don’t mind the fights
I am always ready to lend a hand

I said I don’t mind getting scold
I want to sleep in my mother’s lap
I know the world can’t harm me
For I am in my father’s wrap

I said I don’t mind getting betrayed
I want to feel the air of love
I said I won’t hurt anyone
Cuz I know I’ll come back above

I said I won’t beat my child
For I know that won’t be mild
I said I’d love him deep
As you sow so shall you reap

I said I’d love my parents
Till the time I am alive
And in no probability
Against them will I ever contrive

I said I’m aware of the deceptive world
I said I’m aware that it’s a hell unfurled
But still I beseech Thee intensely
For I want to taste the earthly life

- Anonymous

Tale of the two: Advani and Ranbir Singh

2009-07-05T11:30:00.007+05:30

It is very rare that something like this happens. Like, thinking about a topic for your blog, structuring an opinion, thinking of view points, and then when you come to post your topic, all of a sudden you don't feel like posting it.

That has happened today: I decided on blogging on the Fake Encounter of Ranbir Singh and Advani's Objection to EVMs. But both the news are so saddening that I am short of words for expressing my views upon them; even though, brevity is soul of the wit.

1. Ranbir Singh's Encounter
It is very shameful of the Dehradun Police. Ranbir Singh, an MBA student, was so-called encountered by the Dehradun Police while the Post-Mortem report has a different story to tell. The post-mortem report suggests that Ranbir's body was brutally tortured and there were signs of multiple fractures. Now, I believe CBI enquiry should be met with the regards to the case.

2. Advani's Objection to EVMs
Huh! Not much to say in this one. Now, after losing the elections with a big big margin, L. K. Advani wants the Government to adopt the 'long-lost custom of traditional voting system' and leave EVMs at the bay. Advani claims that EVMs have a possibility of manipulating the results. This is a simple case of "Naach na aaye, aangan tedha", its a hindi proverb and suits the situation aptly.

People! We need to get things straight. Dehradun Police needs should be taught a lesson. And Advani needs to understand and come to terms with what's his future now.

Peace.. when comes to pieces...

2009-07-02T20:12:00.008+05:30

Life was in high spirits
Everything was going my way
The face of my soul was feelin’ happier
With every coming day

With no things to bother
And no problems to solve
I was feelin’ even more content
That my life was heading to resolve

But from top of the hill
When I saw the town
I couldn’t help it no more
And it let me down

I saw people fighting for fame
I saw people striving to find the lost name
But all they did was ever the same
They said 'twas all part of the game

One thing of all that worries me today
Is that once cheerful world has become so gray
Sitting on an iceberg I can feel the heat
Trust, Faith and Fidelity have taken a backseat

In a world today where deceit is so rife
I have little hope to live a peaceful life
But against the hope I pledge to do
To get my message clear and through

I feel my ride on the highway must end
For there are many things which refuse to mend
Of surety there are plans I strongly intend
To make my people simply comprehend

The life’s too short to hold a grudge
And you make it shorter when you refuse to budge
So spread the message of peace and love
Throw the swords and feed the dove

Find this poem also published here: http://www.motivateus.com/stories/spread-the-message-of-peace.htm

Thanks. :)

The days that'll never come..

2009-06-30T21:21:00.009+05:30

Oh God! My vacations are nearing an end. Finally, all this will to come to a screeching halt. This brings in a mixed bag of emotions. I am as much happy as I am sad. I know, this is something unusual, but that's the way it is.

The two reasons:
1. My almost-an-year long vacation is going to end.
2. I might get a bit more educated this year. :p

A normal boy would not look forward to the vacation I had(or rather I enjoyed). Especially if that boy is a graduate, out of job, idle(and bored), or is in some similar kind of a situation. Moreover, if its summer, then he'd definitely prefer sitting in the Air-Conditioned Office. Not that I ain't normal, but I enjoyed my vacations despite all of this.

Tell me.. who wouldn't enjoy?? That too when you're getting 11 different flavours of sherbets(in the scorching summer) to taste.. when you can sleep by 3 and rise by 11 in the morning.. when you can watch the TV all day long.. what else do you need man?!! This was something my 'lucky' days were..

My average day is something like this:

\Get up at 10 or 11 AM

\Have break-fast and tea by 12 or 12:30

\Take a bath[optional, depends upon mood..(sometimes on odour)] :P

\Check e-mails, check Facebook, check Orkut, check blog comments, etc etc

\Have lunch at 3:00 PM

\Watch some TV

\Sleep for an hour or two

\Awake by 4:30 or 5

\Check e-mails, check Facebook, check Orkut, check blog comments, etc etc

\Have tea and break-fast

\Watch some TV

\Chat on Yahoo! and Gtalk..

\Have some 'chatpata' snack n keep munching till dinner..

\Still chatting on Yahoo! and Gtalk..

\Watch some TV..

\Have dinner by 9:30

\Again back on Facebook, Orkut, Gmail and Yahoo.. all at the same time..

\Think about the subject to blog on.. (twice/thrice a week)

\Start drafting the blog-post (twice/thrice a week)

\Complete the post by 12 or 12:30

\Listen to music (..while still chatting)

\Sleep by 2:30 or 3 AM

I listen to the music almost every hour of the day, even while sleeping.. :p

There ends my average day! ;)

I will really miss these days.. I don't know if I will ever have such days in my life again(though its too early to say :P).. Oh yeah! All this won't continue cuz there's a possibility that I might get into a B-School this year, putting an end to all those 'luxurious' days. :)

Cheers to the happy days!

As my hopes come to test..

2009-06-28T00:27:00.008+05:30

As my hopes come to test.. the words from my heart describe it best.. either the path to dream will go on or my aspirations be put to rest.. as my hopes come to test...

Dilapidated, I look at the sky
Hoping for a miracle on the fourth of July
Desperate to get a divine deliverance
To help me jump high over the barbed fence

But nothing seems favorable enough
As the time rests on the other plane
I feel a deep cut inside my soul
Disconsolate, I sum up my whole

While I try my best to turn the tide
The luck seems to be on another side
But until I give up the ghost
I swear to swim through the tide

The lessons learnt come back to life
To teach me how to bear the strife
This time it only has different ways
To drive me through the darker days

Life has but been an ordeal
Far from what you’d call ideal
But somehow I like it this way in the end
For you give no excuse when you contend

P.S.: The fourth of July is the date that will inevitably decide my fate.

My 'I-haven’t-done-since-a-long-time' List...

2009-06-26T23:43:00.011+05:30

Lost in the abyss of time.. there are habits; things that you always did. In my blogpost today, I’ll be posting a “I-haven’t-done-since-a-long-time” List. It was just a couple of days ago that I was thinking of all the weird things I used to do. The list comprises of all such bizarre and strange habits of mine. There are some things that I did just ONCE(that was enough). And there are some that I ALWAYS did. Practically, the reason I don’t practice such habits is somewhat uncanny. Even I don’t remember how it all got sunk in the waves of time.

Here it goes:

1. Opened a gadget

Last time was when I opened my remote controlled Racing Car some 7 years ago. I fixed it! :)

2. Snail-Mailed / Postal Mailed

Last time was in August ’07 when I mailed the form to IIM-A for CAT. The result was very interesting '4.49%ile', but not surprising as I knew I had attempted all 75 questions :P

3. Wrote something in Hindi

Last time was probably in my 10th Standard Board exam

4. Watch Cartoon Network

Last time was when I loved watching Dexter.. some 5 years ago...

5. Read Champak, Tintin, Phantom and Spiderman

Last time was possibly 8 years ago, when I started watching Cartoon Network

6. Composed a song for ‘someone’

Last time was over an year and a half ago when I… mmm.. let some things be secret..

7. Played Cricket

Last time was perhaps when India lost the Finals in the World Cup.. :(

8. Drank Banana Juice

Last time was around a year ago when I was in TCS. It was a part of my daily diet. :)

9. Enjoyed a Natural's Ice-cream on Marine Drive, alone

Last time was some 7 months back in the winters along the sea.. an awesome experience… I miss it..

10. Being awake for 2 complete days

Last time was probably 3 years ago on a travel trip to Delhi, Nainital and such places

11. Wear shorts

Last time was definitely 8 or 9 years ago. I don’t even remember the colours of my shorts :P

12. Killed a cockroach

Last time was when I emptied almost half the HIT repellant on one cockroach; but still had to kill it hitting hard with a ‘chappal’. It was almost a year ago.

13. Ride a motor-bike

Last time was possibly 3 years ago in Moradabad.

14. Used a floppy

Last time was when I used to play games like Dave and Mario.. years ago…

15. Prank-called someone

Last time was exactly on 1st Jan 2008 when I fooled a friend as a recruitment officer. Poor guy was on phone with his girlfriend on another line; he ‘dc-ed’ her line in the tempt of bagging a highly-paid job.

16. Thought about my future..

Last time was when I was in 6th grade and aspired to be a pilot... :-o

17. Picked a fight

Last time was in the BEST bus when a ‘seated’ passenger was having trouble reading newspaper. The bus was jam-packed and I was standing. I won! :)

18. Slapped someone

Last time was in 7th grade when I slapped ‘hard’ a friend for teasing me. Sorry Vineet!

19. Hand-write a postal letter

Last time was when I mailed an article to The Times of India, which they didn’t publish :P

20. Swimmed

Last time was around 10 years ago when I used to stay in Pune..

21. Didn't bathe for a week

Last time was when I was preparing for my TY exams. Nah! I wasn’t studying! I thought all the data in my brain would be washed-off… seriously! :P

22. Had a crush on someone

Last time was probably more than a year and a half ago... None after that till now.. :(

23. Typed the whole "www" and ".com"

Last time was long ago before I came to know I can use Ctrl+Enter key-combo for that..

24. Dismantled some electronic item

Last time was in the middle of my TY exams when my calculator went awry..

25. Played Football

Last time was, again, when I was in Pune. I was addicted to it then.

26. Finished reading the whole book in one day

Last time was more than 2 or 3 years ago. A day before my Economics Exam, I started and finished The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho; finished it in 7 clean hours. I found Economics more interesting. :P

27. Spent money online

Last time was when I gifted a Black Forest cake to my family in Pune from my first salary. ;)

28. Cycling

Last time was when I was in 10th grade; used it for commuting between coaching classes.

29. Killed a mosquito

Last time was when there was a power problem and the lights went off at 2:00 in the morning. The population of mosquitoes was such that I just had to clap, 2 or 3 would definitely be dead. Some 2 years ago. :P

30. Stayed without food for a whole day

Last time was when I decided to not eat anything for a cause. That’s a secret cause. Let the secret be. :P

31. Read Zodiac Predictions

Last time was when I continuously followed every Zodiac Sign, but mine, for a week and realized that every Zodiac sign sounded convincing. I, then, knew it was all bogus.

32. Got slapped by someone

Last time was when I was in 8th grade. That ‘someone’ was my Principal. I and a friend were on a long break, the recess was already over 10 mins before. After she slapped, we ran so fast that she couldn’t find out which class we were in :P

31. Played Table Tennis and Carrom

Last time was when I was in TCS. I stayed late in the office to play TT. Almost an year ago.

32. Drank 23 cups of tea in a single day

Last time was when I was in college, 2 years ago, in my final year. That was too much, I realized only later..

33. Read the whole Times of India

Last time was the day on which TCS was going to visit our campus. It’s really irritating to read all that political news..

34. Played a game on PC

Last time was when I played Commandos: Beyond the call of duty, some 5 years ago.

35. Worked-out in a Gym

Last time was almost 9 or 10 months ago when I started working-out in a gym in TCS. I have joined many gyms earlier, some 3 or 4. But the maximum time I have worked-out in a gym is 3 days, not more than that. :P

In hindsight, these things look so bizarre, so strange that, today, I won't even dare to do some of the things I did. The list isn't exhaustive; there are many things which cannot be mentioned here. :P But even today, if I could turn back time and live those moments again.. I would.. without a second thought..

Secret to Success.. is there any??

2009-06-26T00:56:00.005+05:30

I have often seen a sea of books written on the topic of Success. There are many successful authors who reveal their so-called “SECRETS” of their success. Check out some (Bill Bartmann, Richard Koch, William Atkinson)

For one thing, I don’t believe anyone can ever reveal a ‘secret’ to success. When there is ‘success’, the reason for success is very apparent; it is just that some people, in a bid to make money, pseudonym-ise that ‘reason’ as ‘secret’, when actually there’s none.

If someone wants its readers to explore new 'ways', then its fine. But fooling your readers by letting out 'secrets' is simply unacceptable.

Take any example, Bill Gates… Gandhiji.. Dhirubhai Ambani… Warren Buffet.. Barack Obama.. do they have a ‘secret’ to success?? Does anyone ever has a ‘secret’ to success?? No! Whatever they are successful in, there’s a REASON to it; a reason that is as visible as we are. For some, that ‘reason’ is hard-work, for some it’s perseverance, for some it's intelligence, for some it’s ‘something else’… it might be ‘something else’ but it definitely can’t be a ‘secret’.

Be pragmatic! If I had a ‘secret’ to TOP an examination, would I share it with others? Why?? Only to lose my chance of being the Topper!?? No way!

Think people.. think.

Tandoori Bloopers..

2009-06-23T21:21:00.012+05:30

People... now that the results are out, I can finally see a small ray of hope that I'll be busy doing 'atleast' something this year around. Last year has been very topsy-turvy. The happiness of getting a job; the overflow of joy on 30th's and 31st's; then, the resignation with some goals(and hopes) in mind; the preparations for the entrance exam; and then sitting idle for 4 months. I have seen it all. In these last 12 months, I have had my good days and I have had my bad days, can't tag them "best" or "worst". Coz, they're probably yet to be seen.

You have certainly started wondering what all this has to do with “Tandoori” as in the title of this blogpost. Actually, it doesn’t. But the incident that I am about to share happened last year, sometime in January.

I have a craving for non-vegetarian food, especially roasted stuff. I make it a point to visit Mohammed Ali Road atleast once in 2 months. You know, the tandoori chicken, seekh kebab, khichdaa.. they’re so scrumptious. All those mouth-watering food stuffs, delectable, luscious, what to say.. well.. leave it.. my keyboard’s getting wet.. :P

So, after I resigned, I had decided to buy a good decent digital camera with the money I saved, but ended up paying for the coaching class. Coaching Class was necessary to prepare for the entrance exam, may be I could do without it, but I did not take chance. So, already 3 months into ‘rigorous (atleast for me)’ preparation for the CET, I hadn’t done anything else. I didn’t even visit Mohammed Ali Road since many days. And the place where I stayed, Kandivli, nothing of that sort existed. So, I thought I’d go and check out Bandra. A friend of mine had suggested the food there.

So, here I was. After finishing my 7-9 PM class(which ended at 9:45 PM) in Santacruz, I went to Bandra in the hope of relishing something I wished for. Its near Bandra Station, in the West. I entered and sat at one of the tables. The waiter came to take the order. I ordered 1 Full Tandoori, 2 plates Seekh Kebabs and some rotis (I know that’s too much, but it was after a long time).

Whenever I eat non-veg stuff, I make it a point to confirm if the poultry/mutton is Halaal Certified. But somehow, in the desperation I forgot to ask the waiter if its halaal.

So, when he came back with the order I asked him “Bhai, yeh chicken halaal hai kya?"

He misheard me and answered “Sahab, aur kitna laal chahiye”. Hahaha..!! :D

He thought I was complaining about the ‘redness’ of that Tandoori Chicken. Watching this, the person I was sharing the table with also burst into laughter. I then re-framed my question and confirmed that it was Halaal.

Believe me, that day I felt so good. I gave a good number of burps too. I slept peacefully that night. My long-lost desire was fulfilled after all.