Sometimes...

Sometimes I ponder.. Where life is taking me..
Sometimes I just want to break free..
Sometimes I wonder, why don't I let it just be..
Sometimes I ask myself, Is this really me?

Sometimes I want to do the things I really want to do,
Sometimes I am so Happy, it all seems untrue,
For times of happiness are so few,
Yet I feel, these times I really don't value.

Sometimes I dream of finding that true love,
But then whats not in my hand, I shall not think of,
Sometimes I wonder is there anything called true love?
So I leave everything in the hands of that man above.

Sometimes I feel like I walked a 1000 miles,
Sometimes I feel I can spread a 1000 smiles,
Sometimes I feel like fishing for stars from the skies,
But I know that the fishing-net I have, wont suffice.

Sometimes I question, why do stuff just for the sake of it?
Sometimes I let it go, as I just am doing my bit,
Sometimes I wonder, why dont I let it just be..
Sometimes I ask myself, Is this really me?
___________________________________________

Sleep......ZzzzzzZzzz!!!

Wikipedia defines Sleep as a naturally recurring state of relatively suspended sensory and motor activity, characterized by total or partial unconsciousness and the inactivity of nearly all voluntary muscles. But for me, Sleep is absolute bliss. On a different note, one must give it to Wikipedia guys who define sleep in such a way that by the time one finishes reading that sentence, he is drowsy if not alseep.

Since, I cant remember when, sleeping had been a "hobby". And I didnt know when this hobby of mine became a "passion". I consider myself one of the forunate few, who can sleep whenever, whereever and however they want. By however, i mean not necessarily lying flat. Sleep gives so much pleasure that even the alarm tone in the morning seems to be the background music of some romantic dream ;).

Earlier in school days (Class 12th to be precise), my dad used to wake me up early in the morning so that I could study. Waking up at 5:30 AM to study was the hardest thing for me. Keeping eyes open at that hour is one thing, and then waking up to do something that put me to sleep a night before is completely different. My grandma used to make coffee for me so that I can stay awake. One cold morning, I was sitting on the floor with a book in one hand, and a coffee cup in the other. I had taken a few sips and then I dont remember what happened for the next couple of minutes. What I remember is that there was a huge brown patch on my T-shirt and it was burning HOT!!! People say that having coffee stops one from sleeping but I think I'll be only one in the world who was woken up by Coffee!!!

Another characteristic feature of my sleeping, is the Dobly Digital Surround Sound that I produce while being asleep. Before your imagination starts running wild, let me assure you, that I have heard that I snore. With the reviews that I receive from people, I can proudly say that this sound can be recorded and be used as an alarm tone :P. Well, whatever you read in this paragraph are the thoughts of other people because I seriously doubt if snoring happens, as I never got thrown out of lectures and meetings.

And then, there have been times when friends have left from my doorstep after repeated bell ringing and calling on my mobile, parents have never forgotten to take house keys along with them so that they dont have to face the consequences, I made plans of playing cricket with friends in the early morning and they had to play with 1 player less, and the list goes on. So well, now you know what sleeping means to me.

And lastly, did I mention that I didnt cry when I was born?? Because I was born on a sunday morning, and me being me.. what else do u expect???

Have I changed??

Noticed how I usually start my posts apologizing for my absence and then I end the first few lines saying that I'll be more regular?? Whom do I apologise to?? No one comes to me and says, "hey, what happened?? Long time no post??" So none of all that this time...I have changed!!!

I used to be a simple, non-adventurous, I-stay-home-on-weekends kinda guy. But all of a sudden since the last 6-7 months, my weekends have been getting over in a blink. Its been like so much stuff n so little time to do. Yeah, its mostly due to the company of friends I have got now. But for my parents, its like a whole new Kartik they are seeing. So for them.... I have changed...

Earlier even on holidays and long weekends, staying at home, sleeping, and watching TV used to be on my to-do list. Maybe a movie or two thrown in here and there. But since November 2008, I have been on 9 or 10 trips!!! And one that I call "THE RIDE OF MY LIFE", a 2000 KM bike ride across himalayas, which was totally Adventurous. A very close friend of mine, after seeing my pics from the ride said, "Kartik Badal gaya hai (Kartik has changed!!!) ".... I have changed!!!

I was a shy, introvert and stay-within-myself guy until not so long ago. Singing in public, let alone speaking, was one of the biggeest fears. But now...none of that whatsoever. Whats the point of having a talent and not showing it off. And yes, I used to be modest too... I have changed...!!!

Talking to girls wasnt my cup of tea. Thats absolutely true (this line is for the girls who know me now :P)!! I used to shy away from doing so. In school, mostly the talk used to be limited to course work. But now...ask the girls who know the "present" me....their numbers are.... ;)
So I have changed...!!

There are a lot of things which didnt change and I am happy that way and there are a few which I would like to change, but all in all this is the way I am and you'll have to bear with it..

PS: I normally try to be funny in my post and to some extent succeed. But this time there is no fun element.. Why??? coz I have changed!!!

Spiti Ride - A Trailer

This video was shot by me on our way to Spiti on Day 2 of the ride. Pics, description and Triplogue coming soon!!!

People in this video - Anshul, Arjun, Imran and Ankur (in the order of appearence)

Biking...Shiking

Am I becoming insane??? This question sprouted in my mind after watching the reactions I have been getting from people off late. I think I would've gotten encouraging reactions had I told them that I am planning to run away from home to become an actor in Bollywood :P.

Ever since I returned from the Rishikesh trip this May, I have had this unbearable itch to go on a bike ride. A really long one at that. Next month end I have a ride planned to the virgin (well.. almost) lands of Spiti. If I complete it, it'll be the longest I have ever done and will surely be the best ride of my life. It'll be one of those tales to tell your grand-children kinda things. More on it later and even more on it when I return. (Trip Log Alert!!!)

As a part of the preparation (read, making the back-side stronger), I am riding to Lansdowne this weekend. Lansdowne is a small, nondescript place in Uttarakhand, about 300 KMs from Delhi. It'll be the first experience of riding in the hills and also it'll be a test to see how much strain I can take. I know that it'll not even be close to what i'll experience in Himachal but some preparation, nonetheless. Thats all I'll be able to afford before THE trip, thanks to me working on Saturdays. Let me not get into working on saturdays again.

So what are my expectations from the Spiti Ride?? Well, let me break it down into Pros and Cons.

Pros:

• Beautiful Landscapes and Scenery
• 2000 KMs of riding - wonder how my bike will fare
• A feeling experienced never before
• Having great friends for company (Let me tell you, its more fun reuniting with Old buddies in real than on Orkut or Facebook :P )
• Time away from the mundane routine life

Cons:

• 2000 KMs of riding - As much fun as it may sound, it will be taxing and treacherous
• AMS - Dont know why but Acute Mountain Sickness worry is there at the back of my mind
• No Ride experience whatsover - This wont be much of a worry thanks to the Been-there-done-that company that I have.
• How much is too much?? - 2000 KMs in 5-6 days @ ~ 400KMs per day - need I say more??
• Toll on the body - this is inevitable

Well in such a long ride there are ought to be a few cons, but I would not like to ponder on them now and tackle them as they come. I know there will be more Pros than Cons.. :-)

So here's me wishing myself a decent enough preparation and waiting for the last week of September with bated breath. Oh well yes, I need to apply for holidays and they need to get approved too.. That aside I am all set and raring to go!!

Kawariya Kawariya!!!

Pondering on for the last few days about what to write, today while driving to Delhi it struck me. Normally I am not an "Opinion Person". I just try to ignore and not put my mental energy on stuff that generally people have opinions about. But the issue (IMO it is a big one at that) that I rise in this post has annoyed me no end.

Driving in Delhi as everyone knows is a pain and with each passing day its becoming even more painful. But every year, during this time there is another activity happening on Delhi roads where certain people, in the name of religion, create unnecessary nuisance. Kawariyas as they are called, collect Holy Ganga water from Haridwar and walk to their respective destinations. People going about their business in a peaceful & harmless way is one thing, but what irritates and annoys me most is the way they have complete disregard for the general public trying to lead their routine lives.

These Kawariyas, as I said earlier in the name of religion, block the busiest of the roads causing kilometers of crawling traffic. There is a lane demarcated for them to use, but do they use it?? NO!!! Of course there are some genuine devotees who carry their earthen pots and walk peacefully, but there are a few young people who run behind bikes, drive tempos which have huge speakers with Blaring (its an understatement) music (religious songs - C-grade songs from films remixed with religious lyrics), and block traffic out of no rhyme or reason. What is more shocking is that the Police instead of bringing them under control help them in their activity by stopping and diverting the traffic. I am not even touching upon the topic where these Kawariyas torched trucks and stoned police vehicles a couple of years ago. I was also one of the unfortunates stuck in the 40KM long jam on the Jaipur Highway.

Compare this with the ongoing Metro contruction in Delhi. Its so well organised and planned that there is seldom any problem. Of course, there are ought to be traffic snarls once in a while but one has to give it to the authorities as they go about their business in a smooth and efficient way. This is where I fail to understand that a major infrastructure project going on since more that 6 years has been running smoothly whereas the Kawariya activity which happens every year for just 10-15 days causes so much trouble for citizens. I dont know when the government will stop worrying about its vote bank and grow up.

I am sure there are a whole lot of people who will agree with me and it is high time someone does something about this. Every year in July-August rains create havoc in Mumbai and the whole thing gets so much footage on TV. People keep complaining and whining about the condition there and its stays the same every year. I think the Kawariya case is an apt comparision, its just that it happens in Delhi and not covered by the News channels makes it a lesser known issue.

If it takes collecting Ganga water from Haridwar and walking all the way to Delhi to solve the problem, then I am ready to do that :-)!!!!!

Whats been happenin...

Hello people.. How have u all been?? Been a while since I posted. I celebrate one year of blogging and then I dissappear!!! So here I am back again and hopefully will be more regular.

Whats been happenin at my end??? Well, a lot of stuff. Both in professional and personal life.

Professional life had been hanging by a thread. Back in Feb I got to know that the company is shutting down its Engineering Services Operations and that everyone will serve their notice period for 3 months, starting April. Suddenly, I was also the Low Hanging Fruit (as someone had put it). I still cannot fathom why, but I never felt the proverbial pit in my stomach. Everyone else was unsure of their future (understandably) and I was behaving matter-of-factly. As my luck would have it, the client I worked for decided to set up shop in India and I was absorbed by them. Looking back on the past few months, the turn of events have been pretty dramatic to say the least but then I have no complaints now and I thank god for bailing me out.

On to the personal front now. So many changes at the work front tend to have their repercussions on personal life. For instance, I dont get saturdays off anymore. Its like half of the "fun" life being taken away. But life has a funny way of balancing the bad with the good by taking away a few pleasures and giving something more in return. So even with saturdays gone, I am having so much more fun. Thanks to the group am hangin out with these days, I call it "the new WE". Makes me wonder why I didnt meet them that often before, despite knowing them for so long. Movies, Dinners, Ice creams, Bike Rides, Board Game Nights, More Movies...phew!!! Saturday eves and Sundays (n weekdays too sometimes) were never so good... :)

(And you thought I was gonna write abt me getting married soon or something?? Well, thats not gonna happen soon for sure...)

Thats about it then.. Am happy being happy these days.. looking for happier days ahead, and for reasons to be more happy :D!!!

One Year of Blogging

I just realised that its been a year and a week since I wrote my first post . Frankly speaking, I never had any inclination towards creative writing (i know this is nowhere close to being creative, but what the hell!!!), and the thought of joining the bandwagon had always been there at the back of my mind. One year ago, I gave in to the thought and its been a decent journey I suppose.

Am not gonna go on writing here and will stop myself from indulging. So this will be my shortest post till date to celebrate one year of blogging. :)

Whatever you have seen till now was just the trailer...Picture abhi baaki hai mere dost..

Unplanned Trip

Sometimes it happens that things dont go as you plan them but then you dont know what's in store for you. So wasting no time writing about what should've happened I am fast forwarding to the point where all the fun started!!!

We guys had 5 days to spend, we were ready with our packed bags and moreover we had an awesome car to drive, but what we didnt know was where to go!!! Yeah thats how our trip began. Oh by the way, "We" consists of me, Imran and Sachin, the same gang that went rafting in Rishikesh (minus our bikes this time). We left Delhi just after the midnight on 20th May, with a map of Himachal in hand.

We had no problems with driving at wee-hours of the morning as we took turns to drive while the other guys rested/slept. After stopping over for a refreshing tea and butter toast at Jhilmil Dhaba in Karnal, we decided that we'll head to Dalhousie first and then decide as the days come.
Not too far from Dalhousie there is a pictureque place called Khajjiar, which according to a sign there, was Switzerland of the East. I cant agree with it more. Here I got the opportunity to try my hand at another adventure sport. I did Zorbing. (curious souls pls follow the link).

Then there was this place called Dainkund. One has to trek for about 30 mins to reach this place. The scenic beauty we encountered on our way cant be put in words.

We met a family on our trek back. The lady of that family asked, "What is there at the end of this trek?", we answered in unison, "there is a small temple" at which she asked again, "Is it worth??" and then our dear Sachin, being the staunchly religious guy he is, said, "Temples are always WORTH!!!!". The look on the lady's face was "unexplainable". :D

Our sojourn then took us to places such as Mcleodganj and Dharamshala. The small and serene town of Mcleodganj with snow-clad mountains watching over was a perfect retreat away from the Delhi heat. After spending a night at MacLoadGanj (Spelling/pronunciation courtesy Sachin) we were off to Ambarsar (Amritsar - as pronounced by the locals).

Our main objective of going to Amritsar was not to see the famous Golden Temple or the Jallianwala Bagh but to have the famous Kulchas at Bhai Kulwant Singh Kulche Wale and also dine at the 100 year old Kesar Dhaba, and we happily skipped lunch for the same. Reaching late didnt help our cause as the Kulche Wala closes at 4 PM, so we headed to Kesar Dhaba. We asked the dhaba guy if there was any food available & he said "Aap 1 hr baad ayiye". We were so hungry that we didnt move an inch and we sat at his doorstep. At which he opened the dhaba specially for us and we had a sumptuous meal cooked in Desi Ghee. While we were eating in, we could see the crowd building up outside the locked doors, wondering who these VIPs are. :P

After a visit to the Golden Temple, mind you it looks heavenly at night so make it a point to see it at night whenever you visit Amritsar, we were good to leave for Delhi. So 3 of us with contented hearts were back on our way to Delhi with a punctured tyre to boot.

The trip that began without a plan, turned out to be great one. We covered 3 beautiful places, Dalhousie, McLeodganj and Amritsar in 3 days, had amazing meals, enjoyed to the limit, sang a lot of songs and drove for about 2000 KMs.

Happy Birthday Sis.....!!!!!

Birthday wishes are endless,
specially when it comes to you,
I have one wish, its simple,
I wish all your dreams come true.

I wish you all the success,
In whatever you pursue,
Happy birthday lil sis,
May all your dreams come true.

Thanks for being my best friend,
and there when I needed you,
though we had a lot of fights,
for reasons only you knew,

My childhood wud've been so boring,
if there hadnt been you,
Happy birthday lil sis,
May all your dreams come true.

How I came up with this,

I have absolutely no clue,

Writing a poem is not easy,
All I can say is, "phew"!!!

I am not gonna lie here,
I'll tell you what is true,
First 4 lines are copied,
Rest all are new :P,
Happy birthday lil sis,
May all your dreams come true!!!

Upcoming Hollywood Movies

Off late there has been a lull at the theatres, thanks to the ongoing Multiplex strike. A friend of mine wrote a great post about the whole "profit-sharing" thing going on, so am not gonna write about it.

With no new movie releasing, the multiplexes are re-releasing old hits. PVR Cinemas recently released "Sholay". Yup THE original Sholay and not the crappy remake. And I wasn't the one to miss this opportunity to watch "The-best-hindi-film-of-all-time". Though there were not many people in the theatre and the print and the sound quality wasnt the best but I enjoyed every minute of it.

So with no hindi movies on the horizon anytime soon I am looking forward to watching some good hollywood flicks coming my way. And there are a few big ones in the offing. Here is a list of movies that I am wating for:

1)X-Men Origins : Wolverine - Being a super-hero movie buff and an X-Men fan, I really want to watch this one. This one apparently has been produced by Hugh Jackman who featutes in the titular role. Am sure he must have gone all-out to make this movie His movie (at least the rushes suggest so). I dont know when this one's gonna release in India. (Trailer, imdb, & wikipedia)

2) Up - Guys at Pixar have this knack of picking up a simple storyline and weaving a dream world around it. If you thought Wall-E was the best Pixar movie, wait for this one to come out. (Trailer, imdb, & wikipedia)

3) Night at the Museum : Battle of the Smithsonian - The first movie was set in the American Museum of Natural History. It was 2 hours of total fun. The 2nd movie promises to be bigger, better and funnier. This one is set in the world's largest museum, Smithsonian Museum in Washington DC. (Trailer, imdb, & wikipedia)

4) Terminator Salvation - Apart from Terminator 2 : The Judgement Day, I havent seen or been a fan of Terminator movies. But ever since I saw the latest trailer on the big screen, I have been wanting to see it. Our very own batman, Christian Bale as John Connor is an added plus. (Trailer, imdb, & wikipedia)

5) Transformers 2 : Revenge of the Fallen - I can go on and on about this one. I am crazy about transformer movies. First one was just awesome. Full on action with ample doses of humour and a hot Megan Fox thrown in for good measure. Again a bigger and better fare expected here. (Trailer, imdb, & wikipedia)

6) Angels and Demons : Based on Dan Brown's novel by the same name. The book is actually a prequel to Da Vinci Code but the movie has been made as a sequel. I found this book better than Da Vinci Code and I seriously hope that this movie is gonna be better than Da Vinci Code. I had read this book a couple of years ago, so I am reading it again and am enjoying it even more now. (Trailer, imdb, & wikipedia)

Thats about it then. Am not really sure when these movies are goin to be released in India, but these, mark my words, are to be watched on the big screen for sure.

For Rafting.....On Bikes!!!

Me: A Three day weekend is coming, lets go somewhere.
My Colleague, Sanjay (All excited): Yeah Man, we should.

We go around asking other people in the office and everyone has some work or the other lined up for the weekend. We have no other choice but to be disappointed. I go back to my desk, sans all the enthusiasm I had before, and for a short while after, I got that (brilliant??) idea. I get back to my usual business of chatting (and you thought I was gonna say....work??).

Me (to Imran - A school mate of mine): What are you doing this weekend?
Imran: Going to Rishikesh along with a friend of mine for rafting. Wanna join us?
Me: You bet, I want to!!!

But there was a catch. Imran, being a hardcore biker, was going to Rishikesh (roughly 250Kms from Delhi) on his bike. And now I had to convince my parents to allow me to go. This part didn't take much effort and I was all set and raring to go on my first Road Trip on Bike, the Rafting part was the perfect icing on the cake.

We (me, Imran and Sachin) left early in the morning on Friday, the 10th of April and reached Haridwar at 11:00 AM. The ride was amazing. What was more amazing was the fact that we just did one halt in between for breakfast. The route we took was pictureque, a narrow road along a canal. What more can one ask for??

We were hosted by a friend of Imran's at Haridwar. I met Rachit and his family for the first time, and it never felt so. We had some good time and sumptuous meals at Rachit's. Plus the funny moments (sad part was I was at the wrong end of the jokes) we had with the Super intelligent girl with superb presence of mind and a superb vocab for a 3 yr old kid, she was Rachit's Niece (More on her on Kids Say...Version 2). After spending the day in Haridwar, we were all set to for the big day ahead. Me and Sachin had been waiting for the day with bated breath, partly coz it was our first time rafting and mostly coz of the description that Imran and Rachit had been giving us. We were really excited albeit a bit scared abt the whole rafting thing (did i, by any chance, say rafting was the icing on the cake??).

We reached the camp (Sea Hawk) at 10:30AM on 11th April and had the most amazing time. I dont have words to explain the fun we had. We did all sorts of R&D with a circular tube kinda thingy that we got. I got to do a bit of kayaking too. Post lunch we (Me, Sachin, Rachit, Imran, Rachit's dad, Amit Bhaiyya and Sheeba Bhabhi) geared up for rafting (some team that was). After a few instructions we were good to go. Rafting takes it toll on the arms but thanks to all the gymming for 2 months I was at ease.

Everyone took turns to sit in the front of the raft. Sitting in the front fills you with such a feeling that you alone are going to be the saviour, come what may. But this feeling was short-lived when the raft went through a terrible rapid and the raft almost became vertical. I lost my balance and I was lucky not to fall off the raft. There were 14 rapids in all, having weird names like Three Blind Mice, Roller Coaster, Initiation, Golf Course etc. Roller Coaster was the one that caused the most trouble. We did jump off the raft once, its called Body Surfing. This involves jumping off the raft and holding on to a rope called the life-line and floating along.

Then came the most thrilling part of the whole trip. The dreaded Cliff-Jump. One has to jump from a 30-40 ft cliff into open waters. For a non swimmer like me that was a huge ask. And once I had gone up I had no choice but to jump, after all I didnt want to be a coward in front of girls who were lining up to jump for the 2nd time. I went to the edge of the cliff, didnt look down and jumped. Those 3 seconds were the longest 3 seconds of my life. Man, that was the "Funnest" thing ever. I am gonna do that again for sure.

Back at the camp, we had a few Gaana-Bajana sessions and yours truly did sing a couple of songs :). After the delicious dinner under millions of stars, we spent the night in tents.

Spent a couple of hours playing in the water the next morning and we were all set to head back home. I was so not looking forward to sitting on the bike again as I was really tired. After about 150Kms, we stopped at Cheetal Grand for lunch and Imran asked me, "How are you feeling?" and I was like "I am feeling great about going back, its just that I can't feel my backside" :P

Like all good things come to an end, this full-of-surprises-at-every-turn trip too did. I made really good friends and had a whale of a time. I might get kicked on my already sore backside for saying this, but I would like to thank Rachit for the wonderful hospitality, Imran for taking me along, and lastly Sachin for taking care of me on his bike ;).

Hoping that this was just the beginning and there are many more trips to come, I am signing off......

Peg After Peg

Had received this from a friend, couldn't stop myself from posting it.. Its too damn funny!!!!

________________________________________________

I never take risk while drinking

When I come from office in the evening, wife is cooking

I can hear the noise of utensils in the kitchen

I stealthily enter the house

Take out the bottle from my black cupboard

Shivaji Maharaj is looking at me from the photo frame

But still no one is aware of it

Becoz I never take a risk

I take out the glass from the rack above the old sink

Quickly enjoy one peg

Wash the glass and again keep it on the rack

Of course I also keep the bottle inside my cupboard

Shivaji Maharaj is giving a smile

I peep into the kitchen

Wife is cutting potatoes

No one is aware of what I did

Becoz I never take a risk

I: Any news on Chopra's daughter's marriage

Wife: Nope, she doesn't seem to be that lucky. Still they are looking out for her

I again come out; there is a small noise of the black cupboard

But I don't make any sound while taking out the bottle

I take out the glass from the old rack above sink

Quickly enjoy one peg

Wash the bottle and keep it in the sink

Also keep the Black Glass in the cupboard

But still no one is aware of what I did

Becoz I never take a risk

I: But still I think Chopra's daughter's age is not that much

Wife: What are you saying? She is 28 yrs old... Like an aged horse

I: (I forgot her age is 28) Oh Oh...

I again take out potatoes out from my black cupboard

But the cupboard's place has automatically changed

I take out the bottle from the rack and quickly enjoy one peg in the sink

Shivaji Maharaj laughs loudly

I keep the rack in the potatoes & wash Shivaji Maharaj's photo & keep

It in the black cupboard

Wife is keeping the sink on the stove

But still no one is aware of what I did

Becoz I never take a risk

I: (getting angry) you call Mr. Chopra a horse? If you say that again,

I will cut your tongue...!

Wife: Don't just blabber something, go out and sit quietly...

I take out the bottle from the potatoes

Go in the black cupboard and enjoy a peg

Wash the sink and keep it over the rack

Wife is giving a smile

Shivaji Maharaj is still cooking

But still no one is aware of what I did

Becoz I never take a risk

I: (laughing) So Chopra is marrying a horse!!

Wife: Hey go and sprinkle some water on your face...

I again go to the kitchen, and quietly sit on the rack

Stove is also on the rack

There is a small noise of bottles from the room outside

I peep and see that wife is enjoying a peg in the sink

But none of the horses are aware of what I did

Becoz Shivaji Maharaj never takes a risk

Chopra is still cooking

And I am looking at my wife from the photo and laughing

Becoz I never take Risk ...

Happy Birthday to me.......!!!!!

I turned 26 today. Since the day little kids started calling me Uncle or their parents started introducing me to them saying "Say hi to Kartik uncle", I figured that I am getting older(or should I say, wiser) now. :)

20th Feb 1983 was the day I came into this world. Looking back, its not been a bad journey at all. 26 years have passed, and I have lived each day to the fullest. So here I make a list of some facts which people close to me may or may not know (and maybe when I look back at it after I get really old it'll be good fun to read).

1) I am a Typical Piscean. I dream a lot. Spend most of my idle time(office time too :P) doing that.

2) When I was born, I didn't cry at all. I guess there was something to that coz even in sad times I try to be happy and cheerful.

3) I am pretty good at remembering dates. I feel very guilty if I forget to wish someone on their day.

4) I was really short when in School. I think at some point, I was shorter than the shortest girl in class and I use to live in constant fear that I will not grow. But thank god, I attained a decent height.

5) I am CRAZY about cricket. I can go on and on about it.

6) I am CRAZY about Hindi music too. I have a knack of remembering the complete lyrics of songs after listening to them a couple of times. And I don't know how many song I know fully.

7) I love to sing as well n do a decent job at that :P. I was quite shy to sing in public when I was young (for those who missed, I-am-26-now part) but now I am not.

8) I love kids and kids love me too... :)

9) Never in my life I have been in a relationship. So I dunno if I am lucky or unlucky in that respect.

10) My full name is Sri Ranga Kartik. When I was being named, my Grandpa wanted "Ranga" to be in the name come-what-may n my mom wanted to name me Kartik. So Sri Ranga Kartik is my name as in I have no family name or surname. Weird???

11) I am completely petrified of wasps, bees and other stinging insects.

12) I wish to get a tattoo done on me someday.

13) I am a Harry Potter buff. At some point in time I knew everything about Harry Potter(Story and Characters) in and out.

14) I always wanted to be an Electronics or Computer Engineer, I had vowed not to study mechanical engineering but I ended up being a Mechanical Engineer and I have no regrets.

15) This point I think everyone knows and agrees with, that I am a nice guy. A guy you can take home to your mom :)

16) Though my dad was a Naval Officer, I cant swim for my life. :(

Of New Year Resolutions

I know its pretty late to write about New year resolutions(& some would say its too early for next year). Actually I started this post way back in January(time really flies) and I have been way too lazy to finish it. I speak about having a kind of creative satisfaction after every post I write(its a kind of feeling that I have never experienced before) and I sometimes am so damn lazy that this post is an apt example of that fact. So here I go.

I have surprised myself lately by actually fulfilling my resolutions for 2 years in a row. Yup thats right. Normally people make resolutions just for the sake of making them, some just make the same resolution every year, and some just dont follow any by saying that resolutions are meant to be broken.

Every year I have the most boring new year's eve. When everyone else is partying away on the last night of the year, am either unwell, or watching TV at home or both. And like everyone else, I used to resolve to spend the next 31st Dec partying and same used to be the case every year. But it was not the case in the year that went by. After mulling over going to Goa, I made up plan to go to Mysore along with a dear friend. And man, did I party...!!! It was the awesomest party ever. Drank and Danced all night till 6AM and then we went to a 24hr Cafe and had Ice Cream (at 6.30AM). Some fun that was....

Next one on my list was to start excercising. This too, I am sure, everyone has on their list. Years were ticking by and I didnt want to look 40 by the time I am 30. So this year, starting Feb I joined a gym near my house. I was reluctant to join at first but a lil pressure from my sister helped. So not only I go to the gym religiously, everyday, even more surprising fact is that I go early in the morning at 5.30. Some dedication that is(aint it??). By the way, I am loving it.

Learning to play guitar is the next one, I still havent started anything on it. Its still March and I have ample time left in the year :D.

Lastly, being the good guy that I am, I dont have any bad habits such as smoking, etc(??), which I can resolve to quit. So am done with the resolutions for this year at least. :)

Note: Started in Jan, published on 13th March 2009

Kids Say....

First things first.. A very happy 14 day old year ;) to all the readers..

In the last 2 months, I made 2 trips to Bangalore. I assume people reading this blog are familiar with the one in November. The second one was when I went to Mysore for the New Year and I had a blast, plus it was a welcome break from the Delhi shivers, albeit for 4 days.

In both those trips there were a couple of funny incidents involving kids and hence the title of this post.

I went to an old colleague's place. We had worked together in my earlier company. I had met his family while they were in Delhi, a couple of years ago. He has a cute little boy of 4. So I was sitting in the drawing room when this lil guy came in.
My Colleague asked, "Hey, do you remember this bhaiyya??"
And this kid goes, "No, the last time I met him, he looked different!!!!!"

On December 30th, I was on board a plane to Bangalore. There was a lady sitting next to me with her son. This kid looked to be about 10 Years old. There were routine safety demonstrations going on and there were routine announcements as well. What was different was, the Pilot was a Lady and everytime she spoke, this kid would chuckle. I wondered what was so funny. When the plane made a smooth landing, this kid laughed and said, "Not bad for a Lady pilot!!!". And you know how his mom responded?? Its the standard 2 words that every man has to hear from every woman, be it a mother, sister, girl-friend or wife, "Shut Up!!!"