Writing after a long time!

Something in me stops me from writing. I have no idea why I do not write. Somewhere at the back of my mind, there are ideas brimming, waiting to be laid out on paper. Its definitely not the lack of time. I waste time by the hours, nowadays, doing absolutely nothing. I am again in an unwanted phase of life, the bench period, that is, the period between projects.

Life as a consultant sucks, when I am not on an assignment. It sucks even more when the market is no good. I have to spend time doing what I hate..prepare for interviews. After a few hours, I am fed up of reading preparatory stuff. I then get 'reader's block'. It is similar to 'writer's block' only that the former is coined by me.

Reader's block, as the name suggests, is the inability to look into a book, or any medium which gives information which is needed to be known for one's benefit. This has happened a few times in high school, and very often during my engineering degree course. At such times, luck plays a very important role in one's life. One does not put any effort of one's own. So if one has to be successful during this period, then its sheer luck..or destiny..or fate. Anyways, one is not actually successful, its just that one has not failed, and that one could do much better.

If luck is not on one's side, then it is good to prepare for the worst.

It is the second day of 2010, and I have not yet seen the sun of the new year.

Yesterday, I got up at 12pm, and forgot to open the curtains to my window. I was busy wasting time on my laptop. When I finally got out to do groceries, it was dark (the sun had set).

Today morning, it looks like the sun forgot to rise. Its been snowing since last night, and its a dull atmosphere outside.

Back home in India, one of my friends in Chennai told me that he would go to Marina Beach at 6am and watch the first sunrise of the new year! How awesome is that!

The last two years have not been great for me. I have been away from home for a major part of the time. In fact I have been home only for a month and a half in these two years. I feel homesick. Hopefully 2010 should be a good year, for everyone.

Let me think about any positive things about me in the recent past:

I have learnt to cook decent vegetarian meals, thanks to my vegetarian roommate.

I have spent time to help some of my friends by listening to their issues (listening is a great help..really!)

I have had the privilege of watching an outstanding movie in the best way possible (Avatar in IMAX 3D)

I have had two client interview calls in a bad time in the market, in the last two and a half months (although nothing good happened out of it, at least I am fortunate to have been given the opportunity ...God knows what exactly they are looking for!)

I have been given the opportunity to play cricket in full cricket gear. (a tiny dream come true!)

I have improved on my table tennis skills (I started playing the game a year back, and I am GOOD now!)

I played a lot of tennis last summer. I also got a chance to play in an open tennis tournament.We reached the Quarter finals! (although there were very few entries for the doubles' event, and we were in the QF just after one win :P)

Wow! I feel better now. On that happy note, this blog ends here! See you!(who??.. whoever happens to read, or follow my blog!)

The baby steps...

I see to it that I try and enjoy every moment of my life to the fullest. But sometimes (actually always), when I think too much, I realize that I am just an ordinary person on this earth, who has spent a moment doing something extremely ordinary. I am here in the US, waiting for a project in my new job as a consultant. I have no driving license. I am in the process of getting one. Two weeks back I gave my driving knowledge test, after I got the company of my friend Saurabh to do the same.
He, like me, had just changed jobs and was awaiting his start date in two weeks. So we spent that free week together, reading up a bit, watching movies, playing carrom, sharing work experiences, cooking etc..He is of the opinion that if one wants to finish a long pending job, and does not find the motivation to complete the job, then one must join forces with a like minded individual, with a similar mission to accomplish. He told me this in one of our philosophical discussions. I said that if thats the case, lets start the driver's licence application process. It would be a wish come true for me to get a drivers license. He agreed. One of our friends had given me the online link which contained a question bank related to the driving test. Over the next few hours we meticulously scanned each of the 172 questions and answers. By the end of it, I was half dead...with boredom. I needed some excitement, some way to know where I was going with this, where I stood in the race for obtaining my drivers license. I needed to give a sample test. I told Saurabh, and he half agreed with me. He was of the opinion that we ought to read through the drivers manual first before starting the tests. It was a friday. In my excitement that day, I had suggested that we give the test on Saturday morning as soon as the DMV office opened at 8. I was in the same state of mind when I pushed for giving at least one practice test first and then, based on our scores, we decide what to do next. We called our respective friends on the phone and got the online links for the driving sample tests.These guys whom we called had obtained their licenses and were driving their own cars already. They were of the opinion that the test is a cakewalk. Listening to them increased my confidence. And with that we gave our first test. The result...we screwed up..I got 35/50 and Saurabh got 34/50. The cutoff for passing the test is 40. I told Saurabh that with such little preparation if we could score this much, then all we need to do was to keep solving sample tests. And thats what we did. At one point we thought of postponing our actual test date. But we did not let that thought grow on us. After around 10 tests, (3a.m.) we were cruising with scores of 45-48. The simple thing about these tests are that 75% of the questions are repeated in every test. Its the final few which are familiar but they are twisted everytime, and they make one think. Although it was just another of the numerous objective tests for us, it was an important one, at least for me, since it was my first step towards driving a car. Till now, I have never driven a car, and I feel sick thinking about it. In this country, every kid begins driving cars from 16 years of age. When I was 16, my dad could not afford a car, and I never had a dream of driving one. My life had blended so well with the Mumbai Public transport system, that owning or driving a car meant, for me and my dad, adding traffic to the already screwed up system. So I had never bothered to learn to drive. I realize that it was a silly mistake on my part, since I, without an Indian driving license, will now have to give the additional road test, which is supposed to be tougher than the knowledge test.
Anyways, Saturday morning, Saurabh and I went over to the DMV office, and by 12pm we were out victorious, Saurabh with the prestigious driving license, and me with the date for my road test three months from then. We celebrated by having a hearty breakfast at Burger King. It was as though a heavy load had been lifted off our head.
Thats exactly my point. So much concentrated fun-filled efforts in the last 24 hours had resulted in us passing the driving knowledge test. When I go to think of it, actually, its nothing great. Every Tom, Dick and Harry does it everyday of the week. I was just happy that I passed a test, however simple it was, after a long time. But there is still so much to be done.
I still need to learn to drive a car!

Sunday Blues

Sunday morning, i got up at 10am, ... in an upbeat mood..inspite of being kicked out of bed by my dad..my dream was a nightmare, so it was better to get up...Upbeat coz I was gonna meet someone...someone special...in the afternoon...
My upbeat mood took a beating when I got an SMS saying she wudnt b able to make it today...
I sat on the net as usual, dunno for what...I met my friend, the one person I can talk to about anything in the world...but who herself feels uncomfortable with me...we started talking, and as usual one thing led to another and we ended up doing wat we do best...argue , fight etc., etc...when we were done, it was past 130 pm, and I hadnt even brushed my teeth...no wonder I heard my mom n dad yelling at me in the background...by 2pm I was done with all my 'morning' chores...i had a good lunch ...sunday so chicken as usual...very well prepared I must say...im proud of the only woman in my life till now...my mother...
I wanted to do something wild...i sat on the net again....just then the bulb inside me lit...i remembered a song I heard the previous day on FM...its called 'the sunscreen song'...searched for it in google...got it!!!...the lyrics...the best part of this song is the lyrics...its advice a man gives dunno for wat n to whom....but the advice is hilarious...Let me share with u the lyrics....
Ladies and gentlemen of the class of '97
Wear sunscreen. If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it.
The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, ............ whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience.
I will dispense this advice now.
Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth.
Oh, never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded.
But trust me, in 20 years, you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked.
You are not as fat as you imagine.
Don't worry about the future.
Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum.
The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4 pm on some idle Tuesday.
Do one thing every day that scares you.
Sing.
Don't be reckless with other people's hearts.
Don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.
Floss.
Don't waste your time on jealousy.
Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind.
The race is long and, in the end, it's only with yourself.
Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults.
If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.
Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank statements.
Stretch.
Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life.
The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives.
Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don't.
Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees. You'll miss them when they're gone.
Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't.
Maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't.
Maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary.
Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either.
Your choices are half chance. So are everybody else's.
Enjoy your body.
Use it every way you can. Don't be afraid of it or of what other people think of it.
It's the greatest instrument you'll ever own.
Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room.
Read the directions, even if you don't follow them.
Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly.
"brother and sister together we'll make it through,
someday a spirit will take you and guide you there
I know that you're hurting but i've been waiting there for you
and I'll be there just helping you out
whenever I can"
Get to know your parents. You never know when they'll be gone for good.
Be nice to your siblings. They're your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.
Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on.
Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young.
Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard.
Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft. Travel.
Accept certain inalienable truths:
Prices will rise. Politicians will philander. You, too, will get old.
And when you do, you'll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble, and children respected their elders.
Respect your elders.
Don't expect anyone else to support you.
Maybe you have a trust fund. Maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when either one might run out.
Don't mess too much with your hair or by the time you're 40 it will look 85.
Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it.
Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth.
But trust me on the sunscreen.

"brother and sister together we'll make it through,
someday a spirit will take you and guide you there
I know that you're hurting but I've been waiting there for you
and I'll be there just helping you out
whenever I can
everybody's free
everybody's free
to feel good"
- Baz Luhrman.
Wild , isnt it...I downloaded the MP3...When I listened to it, the lyrics that poured out of the speaker were different...bolder...wilder...the above lyrics are the class of 97...while wat I downloaded is the class of 98...
Watevaa...my Sunday was made...Evening I took my mom n uncle n aunt n sis to the mall...we had a lot of fun...about that later....now its past bedtime... :)...n b4 the animal in my parents wake up...i gotta sleep...

Practical Solution

Abu Salem is in custody...finally...after years of 'effort'...
Its been one month now, since Portuguese authorities handed him over to the Indian Government...In the wake of all this, I went to the barber's shop this morning...And as usual, the FM Radio was on in full blast...93.5 Red FM to be specific...There is this segment called Angry Ganesan in between sponsored programmes, which is played time and again...
Angry Ganesan is someone like R.K. Laxman's Common Man. One vast difference is that Ganesan is really frustrated, when he brings up some hot current topic, while the Common man is just a silent observer...
Well, Ganesan talks in Hindi with a strong South Indian Accent...Today he talked about Abu Salem...
He says, that this bugger Salem has been caught n kept for questioning for such a long time...The Indian Government had set Rs. 7 crore for his capture. This money includes my income tax money...
A bullet costs just Rs. 15...Just use it to good effect and gimme back my money instead of wasting it more....
Me, my barber and all the people in the Saloon were pretty amused...
But when I think about the whole thing I realize that Mr. Ganesan has hit the nail exactly where it has to be hit... a maniac should be treated like a maniac...and for that the Government should become a maniac (temporarily).

Dunno why, but the movie 'Ab tak Chhappan' keeps coming to my mind as I blog this... ;)

Why o why

For the past few months its been raining cats n dogs in Chennai...All possible depressions in the Indian ocean, and Bay of Bengal are affecting Chennai...Everyone are aware of it...still why is Chennai a venue for an international Cricket test match?...The organizers say that the groundsmen are working hard on maintaining the pitch blah blah blah...why so much effort is put on something worthless as this?...News channels nowadays are at cut throat competition with each other, and they have a separate segment between advertisements (of course) for Cricket and anything related to it. They proudly announce that the day has been washed out due to rains, or due to the advent of a cyclone...A dozen talk shows are held regarding the form of each and every player in the team and out of the team...Former cricketers come and talk their hearts out regarding strategies and expert comments and what not...Not one of them have I heard ask this question as to why venues are chosen without considering the weather condition out there.If it is that venues are decided at the beginning of the calendar year, why cant it be modified according to the weather conditions, a few weeks before?..
I try not to believe that Cricket in India is a money making racket, but I am forced to do so....
Comments are welcome !!

Dark Sucker !!!!!

For years it has been believed that electric bulbs emitted light.However, recent information from Bell Labs has proven otherwise. Electricbulbs don't emit light, they suck dark. Thus they now call these bulbsdark suckers. The dark sucker theory, according to a Bell Labsspokesperson, proves the existence of dark, that dark has mass heavier thanthat of light, and that dark is faster than light.
The basis of the dark sucker theory is that electric bulbs suck dark.Take for example, the dark suckers in the room where you are. There isless dark right next to them than there is elsewhere. The larger the darksucker, the greater its capacity to suck dark. Dark suckers in a parkinglot have a much greater capacity than the ones in this room. As with allthings, dark suckers don't last forever. Once they are full of dark, theycan no longer suck. This is proven by the black spot on a full darksucker. A candle is a primitive dark sucker. A new candle has a whitewick. You will notice that after the first use, the wick turns black,representing all the dark which has been sucked into it. If you hold a pencil next to the wick of an operating candle, the tip will turn blackbecause it got in the path of the dark flowing into the candle.
Unfortunately, these primitive dark suckers have a very limited range.There are also portable dark suckers. The bulbs in these can't handle allof the dark by themselves, and must be aided by a dark storage unit. Whenthe dark storage unit is full, it must be either emptied or replaced beforethe portable dark sucker can operate again.
Dark has mass. When dark goes into a dark sucker, friction from thismass generates heat. Thus it is not wise to touch an operating darksucker. Candles present a special problem, as the dark must travel in thesolid wick instead of through glass. This generates a great amount ofheat. Thus it can be very dangerous to touch an operating candle. Dark isalso heavier than light. If you swim deeper and deeper, you notice it getsslowly darker and darker. When you reach a depth of approximately fiftyfeet, you are in total darkness. This is because the heavier dark sinks tothe bottom of the lake and the lighter light floats to the top. Theimmense power of dark can be utilized to mans advantage. We can collectthe dark that has settled to the bottom of lakes and push it throughturbines, which generate electricity and help push it to the ocean where itmay be safely stored. Prior to turbines, it was much more difficult to getdark from the rivers and lakes to the ocean. The Indians recognized thisproblem, and tried to solve it. When on a river in a canoe travelling inthe same direction as the flow of the dark, they paddled slowly, so as notto stop the flow of dark, but when they traveled against the flow of dark,they paddled quickly so as to help push the dark along its way.
Finally, we must prove that dark is faster than light. If you were tostand in an illuminated room in front of a closed, dark closet, then slowlyopen the closet door, you would see the light slowly enter the closet, butsince the dark is so fast, you would not be able to see the dark leave thecloset.
In conclusion, Bell Labs stated that dark suckers make all our livesmuch easier. So the next time you look at an electric bulb remember that it is indeed a dark sucker.

More Quotes

Humanity is divided into two: the masters and the slaves.

When did I realize I was God? Well, I was prayingand I suddenly realized I was talking to myself.

When I was fourteen years old, I was amazed at how unintelligent my father was. By the time I turned twenty-one, I was astounded how much he had learned in the last seven years.