A little sweet, a little sour

It has been one complete year. Life has taken a complete turn, I started off as being unemployed and looking to spend a lot of my money on what seemed like a good education and something that would help me take the next step in my career.

I was all set to step in the land of the Queen and start what would have been the start of my rule. I am back to the country I took birth in, still unemployed, the Queen has taken a big chunk of my savings, I have gained some knowledge which I might have done had I stayed back and done some small time course from some University in India!

Yet, all is not lost and I still do not regret this experience. It gave me a lot more than what I expected of it. It failed to deliver what it promised and yet it delivered things that were not part of the contract. Ahhaa..contract! One word that has not left my life so far and has different meanings for me for different reasons. Anyway, getting back, Leeds was an unforgettable experience and one that has left a deep mark.

The day I landed in Leeds and started spending the money, it was a very different experience. I was not comfortable with the thought of spending almost 3 times of what I had earned so far in a country where I will be forced to stay for atleast a year.

The first few months I spent miserly, saving every penny and writing about every pound that I used up. Slowly, things go better and I got a better hold of myself and my habits.

Now back in the city and I feel people here are so poor and unlucky. Having seen youngsters spend pounds as if they were actually making more money if they spend more, I felt the people here could be given a little more for their efforts. I saw this beggar kid who was singing to me that he wanted to eat rice and dal. I know very well that money given to him might not go there yet my heart melted at his innocent look and smile. I handed him a one rupee and a two rupee coin. I thought it would make him really happy and he would be elated. He was happy nonetheless but the next moment he was seen at the next rickshaw trying to convince another man to let him eat dal and rice.

The rickshaw I sat in had a little tiff with a rickshawalla ahead of him as he banged his vehicle and broke his side view mirror. The fight lasted a good 10 minutes and all I did was observe. I did not utter a word in support of either of them and just saw my meter rising with alarming speed. It did not bother me much as I knew that as much as they fought it was obvious that the other guy would not give him any damages as he was too poor and could not afford a cut from his meagre salary. A little later when I got off, I saw the meter rating and it was much more than what it should have been, I promptly took the cash out and gave him the money and did not bother asking to reduce it for the time wasted at the signal.

I did not do him a favour, nor am I saying that I am a generous guy. I just thought to myself, a few bucks here and there might not make a big difference to me, but I know this rickshawalla will feel happy that his amount was not reduced and he got a little more than what he would have.

To see people spending money like there really is no tomorrow and to come back and see people being happy at having made a little extra. I am back in the country, am back to where I belong, and yet I ain't happy.

This small little incident made me think, is it a little sweet or is it a little sour!

Long time coming

I do not know when did I decide this but it seems I am eventually heading back home. One year of staying abroad, making your own decisions - of what to eat and when to sleep! A year of not having to tell your parents when you're going back home, rather letting your flatmates know you are home at 4 in the morning when you try to enter without letting anyone know and yet those stupid whispers wake everyone up! A year of drinking at 11 in the morning and then saying, this country is stupid, who offers beer at 11 in the morning...!

I can keep these coming all day, just cannot afford to do that at the moment though. I am, atleast supposed to be working on my dissertation and be completing my literature review. Lucky that my group mates do not know about this blog nor do they follow it.

Well, to get back to the topic, I have finally decided to head back and not waste my time looking for a job here in this recession-affected country.

It was a tough decision. To choose between a life I have never had so far to a city, country, place where I have stayed all my life and took a break from just to get a better control of my life. The decision was between choosing a lifestyle and choosing job satisfaction. I of course chose the latter.

It is not that a job here in this country would not have given me job satisfaction, but a job back home will have me more interested. The industry I am looking at is at a more nascent stage in my country than it is here. I ideally wanted to learn from the experts here and may be in another 5-10 years go back and apply the same when the users are closer to maturity.

I do not know whether this is the right decision or not, whether this reduces my chances of ever working internationally or not. I have no clue, and I am slightly worried about my future. For the first time in my life I have no clue where my life is going. I do not know if it is headed in the right direction or is it going elsewhere.

In GOD I trust and I know there is someone up there who is looking at me and is helping me. He has been there all this while and will be by my side now too.

It's been a year since I went back home. A year since I met my friends. A year since I saw my parents. A year since I tasted the smell of fresh rainwater over mud. A year since I drove on Indians roads. It's been a long time coming and I hope it's well worth the wait.

We Won!!!

Yes we did it! 2nd April 2011, will never forget this date for the rest of my life. One of the most memorable days of my life. A dream come true not just for the cricketers but for a nation that was starved of a World Cup victory for 28 years. The T20 World Cup victory of 2007 was sweet, but this was sweeter. We played cricket like only we can. Our batting was not at its peak, but our bowling and fielding was. It was really nice to see everyone chipping in, diving around and throwing themselves on the field. The passion, the commitment, the motivation, the momentum, everything was there.

The players dedicated the victory to Sachin but Sachin dedicated it to the country.
The players that made it possible - in their batting order style
Sachin Tendulkar
Virender Sehwag
Gautam Gambhir
Virat Kohli
Yuvraj Singh
Mahendra Singh Dhoni (C & WK)
Suresh Raina
Yusuf Pathan
R Ashwin
Piyush Chawla
Harbhajan Singh
Ashish Nehra
Munaf Patel
Shantakumaran Sreesanth
Zaheer Khan

Coach - Gary Kirsten

Dhoni had been saying for long that Yuvraj's form would be very crucial to India's chances in the World Cup and how right was he! Yuvraj was the Man of the Tournament and rightly so. Scoring 362 runs and picking up 15 wickets, Yuvraj helped India in many ways. Picked up wickets in the middle overs which I think is the most important thing in any form of cricket. If you can find yourself a bowler who can pick up wickets every once a while after your main bowlers have finished their spells then you have a great chance of winning the game. I think this was the aspect that made us tick in this World Cup.

We were struggling with a back up bowler in the initial stage of the World Cup but as the tournament progressed Dhoni started to show more confidence in Yuvraj's bowling and he repaid the faith. Sachin's 482 runs too were helpful but as has been the case, he did not score in the most crucial tie. He did bat well against the Pakistanis, but everyone will agree his 85 off 115 was one of his worst World Cup innings. Luckily for us, it ended in a victory and those runs turned out to be quite significant.

Sehwag failed to ignite after a stupendous 175 against the Bangladeshis in the first game and so did Virat. Although, his 35 in the final will still be remembered along with the unsung hero - Gautam Gambhir who ended with 393 runs and was 6th on the list of the top run-getters of World Cup 2011. In 9 games he scored 4 fifties and scored at a fair clip with a strike-rate of 85.

Zaheer Khan was the pick of the bowlers with 21 wickets and an economy of under 5. He was the reason why India could claw back in most of the games except the final. He was due for a bad game after having a surreal tournament, doing well every time the captain handed him the ball. Luckily his jinx with the final ended and although he went for a lot of runs in the last two overs we still won!

Harbhajan Singh too came in for a lot of criticism and rightly so. He picked just 9 wickets in 9 games at an economy of 4.48. He did a great job of containing but what we needed from him were wickets. He did exactly that against Pakistan. To be fair, he was trying to do it but the opposition know him too well by now and most play him in a very defensive way. A bowler like him needs to be attacked. R Ashwin was the surprise package and did really well in the few chances that he got. The big disappointment was Piyush Chawla. Highly over-rated according to me, he showed people he had some talent when he got 4 wickets against the Aussies in the warm-up game. The lad needs to work on his variations and also needs to understand that the wrong'un can be an option to the left-hander, not the only delivery possible. Andrew Strauss did his best to remind him of this fact but he did not seem to pick that up.

Truth be told, we urgently need a good leg spinner. Amit Mishra is too slow through the air and these kind of bowlers will only be successful against the Aussies as they have proved before. Hopefully the IPL 2011 will throw up some names.

Munaf Patel and Ashish Nehra till the first few games made people remember Ajit Agarkar. A bowler more known to fuck up at crucial junctures and yet be in the team for mysterious reasons. Munaf Patel lacks the fundamental quality of a fast bowler - body language. He comes across as a bowler who has been slapped on the ass by a sugarcane and a iron rod slotted in the backside and then removed. His expression does not change, be it the first over, the fifth or the last over of a final. The few pleasantries that he exchanged with the on-field batsmen too must have been like - Su kare che? Mane maar nai, Dhoni maaari gaand marse pachi...aavjo!

Ashish Nehra who seemed to have lost some form and direction when brought into the World Cup was a surprise selection in the Indo-Pak clash but saved himself a year of trouble by bowling that crucial 49th over and redeeming himself after what happened in the match against South Africa. He had leaked 16 runs of 4 balls and handed victory to the you-blink-and-I-choke-South Africa! And that too against tail-enders who go by the names of Robin Peterson and Johan Botha, both of who are now hailed as heroes in their motherland. They are the only Test nation to have beaten us in this tournament.

A tired lot this must be after a rigorous 6 weeks of handling pressure at its peak. The shutter bugs will not leave their side and they would not mind it too. They have done what Indian teams in the past 28 years could not. They deserve all the credit and footage they are getting. Not sure if they needed to be given extra monetary benefits or any declaration of special wards. it is all our tax money at the end of the day. We should have some say in it, don't you think?

All will not be forgotten very soon but they will force us to. The IPL is here, you know!

The Night

It's been a while since I looked up,
Up in the night sky,
It's filled with golden stars,
That are shimmering away with a twinkle,

I want to be one with them,
See the world that they get to see,
Ride the night and play with the moon,
Watch as serenity fills the air,

Everyone off, dozing away,
A hard day has just gone past,
Another one stares them in the eye,
Yet without a worry they close their eyes,

But for the stars the day has just begun,
They shall twinkle away all night.
Presenting us with their soothing light,
Playing hide and seek with the moon,

It's the night I have longed for,
But somehow I don't have the time,
To look up and gaze at the sky,
The one that's there will soon pass by.

From stupid to something better

I still remember my first blog. I had started way back in 2005 on the insistence of a friend. I had no clue what a blog was and what were we supposed to write. At that time I did not even know that I could write.

It's funny how at times I look at my previous posts and now look at some of my articles and actually surprise myself. I have not achieved much in life yet, but am still proud of myself. I look back at myself when I was a 20-year-old guy and look at myself now and I can proudly say - I am much better now. That 20 something could not even have dreamed to have had a life like mine.

What I was back then, I am actually surprised that I have actually done something decent with my life so far. To being a clueless guy with absolutely no ambitions and no worry about the future I can safely say that this guy knows where he is going. People infact follow this guy and want to know how he got here.

My first post was about how I will put up my lame jokes and funny one liners. From that to now having written almost 10-15 poems, some with actually a good theme and emotion attached to it. I might be funny when in person but sometimes the virtual me is way more serious than even I can handle.

From someone whose first attempt at poetry was so bad that may be a second grader would have done better to someone who actually became a writer and was paid to write!! I am happy how things have turned out.

It's good to know I moved from being stupid to someone better.

Kya Khuda, mazzak kar rahe ho?

Poochta mujhse mera khuda hai,
Poochta mujhse mera khuda hai,
Kya waqt ka hosh hai tumhe?
Kya andaaz hai mahaul ka?
Bewaqt saare kaam karte ho,
Kya tum bhi kabhi soya karte ho?

Jawab mein maine kaha khuda se,
Jawab mein maine kaha khuda se,
Itna mushkil kar diya din guzarna mera,
Har mod par takleef de di,
Joonjh raha hoon main kisi tarah se,
Kya mujhe dekh kar tum kabhi roya karte ho?

Blank

What is it about you that I miss so much?
What keeps me thinking of you so much?

Last night when I checked my mail,
I searched for one of your old mails,

Read it even though I knew it would hurt,
I think I should delete them and then think may be not,

I sent you a mail to an id you don't check,
And am still hoping you reply within a few days,

I don't know what I am doing,
This is certainly not helping as I keep denying,

I wish to move on and I thought I have,
But everytime this loneliness pushes me back a few years,

I sit and look at those lovely days,
When we sat, talked and you were all ears,

To every little thing I said,
Every little moment was cherished,

God! I have had enough, now just make this stop,
And let me go to where I belong.

Time to hit me

Don't know why I chose this title
I guess am just lazy and felt like it
To choose a topic that forces me to act
Do something and get rid of this laze

How I do it even I have no clue,
But sometimes shit comes out and its all new,
I make it a point to write a rhyme,
And force it on every line,

A two-liner or a four,
I will write until I get bored,
This is good for a change,
My poetry is not all about the sane,

Sometimes corny, sometimes emotional,
I try hard and make it proportional,
Knowing the language well helps,
Stopping here to ask what else?

Nothing more to write, nothing else to share,
I should have ended before as I said,
But then again, you know me well,
Sometimes I really, really don't care!

End of Part 1

Add Semester 2 to continue....

Next update: January 24, 2011.

Aah...do not go away, am going to tell you about the highlights of the first semester. Kinda like a recap, eh!

Yeah. So the first part of my PG degree is done and I do not even know where it all went. The semester passed like a breeze. It came, it ruffled a few things and it left.

A different experience altogether I must admit. Looking back now I do realize how things have changed and how they have brought in a change in me. When I first came in here on the 11th of September 2010, I almost like a child left free. I would want to do things just out of curiosity. I would not sleep on time, I ate whatever I felt like, whenever I felt like, bought a lot of things I usually would not. It gave me the kind of freedom I always wanted but never knew I wanted.
I guess most of us go through this phase, some, albeit do it a lot earlier. But as they say, it's never too late.

Well, in my case I have always done things a little later than I should have. So this does not come as a complete surprise. ;)

From my first day when I went to the nearby store to pick up a converter and then buying things I probably would not use until say a few months later, to now having a budget and planning my shopping and even sourcing stuff from only particular shops. I have learnt a lot of things.

I love the fact that during my first week when I did not even know that I was eating half-baked pasta to now almost perfecting it to the T. From not going beyond the simple egg omelette to now having made Gajar ka Halwa. From living a dependent life to living almost on my own. I am really happy and proud of myself and would love to continue this trend.

Now that I have lived the life I always wanted to, its time when I take control of my life. Well begun is half done indeed but you must remember that the other half is still to go.

I need to work hard and keep working to make sure this year turns out to be one of my best so far and I only go from strength to strength.

I did not expect this but it has happened. I do not long for my friends as much, I am much more in control of myself and my feelings. I have made some new friends, who I am ready to trust and forge great bonds with. Right now, they might not be at the same level as my other friends but I have started seeing them in a different light.

From mere colleagues from class, to friends I would call up when times are rough. From flatmates to real buddies. From people I just want to know so that I have some 'firang' friends to now I need them and miss them when they are not around.

These three months have changed a lot of things.

It is vacation time here in Leeds, but back in India it is prime time. People are at their busiest, socializing, attending weddings, making plans for the new year, some new year resolutions. And here, I am trying to wind up my year. Friends have gone to meet family, people are getting serious about their studies and exams. It's funny how things are different on this side of the Indian Ocean.

Right then, it's time for me to get back to work. To promise myself to land a good job here, to study hard and get a distinction, to now make full use of my life and the licence I have to live the life I always wanted to.

This blog is more for me than for the readers. It is for me to remind myself of what I have come here to accomplish.

Thanks guys,

love,

Raging Optimist

Zindagi pechida hai

Meri hi zindagi hai lekin is mein main kam hoon,
Mujh mein, tum ho kar bhi tum nahin ho,
Tujh mein main nahin ho kar bhi main har jagah hoon,

Tum chahe maano ya na maano isse,
Lekin tumhari yaad mein aaj bhi main hoon,
Yakeen nahin hota agar, toh kisi gair se pooch lo,
Us mein bhi agar main na nazar aaya, toh phir kehna,

Hum dono ki chahat ek thi magar thikane alag,
Baat wohi thi magar bahane alag,
Main tumse kaafi kuch keh gaya,
Magar sunne mein hi kami reh gayi,

Tum kehti rahi har dum jo tumne aakhir tak kaha,
Magar main wohi sun raha tha jo mujhe tha manzoor,

Aaj jab mudkar peeche dekha maine,
Toh jaana ki humne rahein hi alag chuni thi,

Main aaj bhi tumhe sun sakta hoon,
Isliye nahin ki tum paas ho,
Isliye kyunki main apna ek hissa tumhare paas chod aaya hoon...

Yeh meri zindagi hai?

Meri zindagi mein main kahan hoon?

Itna sama chuki ho mere andar tum,
Ki ab mujhmein bhi sirf tum ho,
Khud mein hi dhoondhta hoon tumhe,
Phir bhi kahin na milti tum ho,

Baat karne ki koshish jab ki maine,
Tum mujhe mein hi chip gayi kahin,
Maine bahut pukaara lekin,
Ek awaaz na suni tumne,

Aaj bhi dastak deta hoon main apne dil pe,
Is umeed mein ki shayad tum jawab dogi,
Kae saal beet gaye, yeh aadat gayi nahin ab tak,
Jawab toh nahin aaya magar, iss aadat ne ek nishaan chod diya dil par,

Ab main bhool chuka hoon tumhe lekin,
Dil pe reh gaya jo nishaan uska kya karun,
Jab jaana hi tha tumhe zindagi se meri,
Toh kambakht dil ko bhi saath le jaati,

Na nishaan ki takleef hoti, na jeene ki...

The fake weather man!

Leeds has been cold for a few days and Tuesday was no different. Coming back from a friend's house after a session of pan cakes, wine and some wolf, the 5 minute walk from Montague Burton to Leodis seemed like eternity. The chilly weather did not help and for the first time in my life I felt jeans was not thick enough!

It seemed as if somehow the cold breeze was seeping in through my pants. Thankfully I wasn't wearing one of my 'hole' wala jeans. To the surprise of my dear friends and family I did not carry any of 'those' with me.

So anyway, back to what I was talking about, the weather. So it was quite cold on Tuesday night and I was expecting today to be as cold. But to my surprise when I woke up today I felt colder than what I usually do so I decided to check the temperature on the computer. To my horror it read 0 degree!! I was flummoxed and my first reaction was to look outside the window to check for snow! Yeah, come on now, when you come from Mumbai or India for that matter and realize it is 0 degree you will hope there is snow. But surprise, surprise! There was sunshine! The sun was beating down and there was no hint of snow anywhere.

A tad disappointed I was a bit relieved as well. Was thinking the time to wear inners and gloves hasn't come as yet, but the weather man almost had me there. Yet, taking all precautions I decided to wear four layers and a scarf to keep me warm. As it happened, when I stepped out of the building it did not seem as chilly.

My phone too was saying it was 1 degree so I really did not know how what to say. And before you jump and say that may be my three layers had a say in this? No, it wasn't that either. IT JUST WASN'T AS COLD!

Hut saala, aise hi expectation high kiya!! :P

When life gives you a lesson, pay attention!

I do not know what I was thinking when I decided to take up this course here in the University of Leeds.

I was all very happy about having to live all on my own, cooking my own food and leading my life the way I always wanted to. Little did I know that life had more challenges than I thought it did!

Let's begin with the first few days and my first few visits to the supermarket. After spending my first few hours in my room looking at my desk, cupboard and bathroom I decided to open my suitcase and set stuff. I began with promptly tagging my love letter from my dear friend Megha. Which made me realise I needed some pins to put stuff on the soft-board. I realized that the laptop will soon be dying if I did not manage to get its converter. This led me to my first visit to the closest supermarket called Londis. Londis near Leodis, is that a coincidence? I don't know and I don't care!

So, thus began my search and should I say my poor foresightedness. As I entered the shop I realised it had a lot of stuff that I will need to survive the next few days, so I decide I shall indulge in a little bit of grocery shopping. I picked up bread, milk, juice bottle, pins, garbage bags, some sauce, etc.

As always happens, you always tend to buy the thing you need most...never! I forgot to buy the converter I was looking for and instead bought a lot of stuff I could have done without. Well, to be honest, atleast could have done without it for a few hours!

Which brings me to my most favoured shopping destination - Morrisons. The supermarket which is every students' dream and home! I seriously feel that once all of us leave Leeds we will have to de-morrisonise ourselves in order to live anywhere else in this world!

Anyway, coming back to my shopping spree. My next destination was Morrisons as I declared earlier. I was told to buy some duvet and pillows by our taxi guy and my friend Mej. So I jumped right away when I saw some great deals on bedding, etc. I decided to throw that on my trolley. Next came, actually let's skip ahead because the list of things that I saw and I bought will cross the word limit of any blog ever seen or written in the history of a student life. Ok, am exaggerating but trust me you do not want to hear it, rather read it.

So after I am done with the billing I realize I have a little over 4 bags to carry back, I am tired as hell after a long day, i have not eaten lunch and yeah, saving the best for the last, I have to climb uphill for about 20 mins to reach my destination - Leodis!!

So chindi as I have always been and I take pride in that, I decided to walk. Don't worry, I reached my place in one piece. Albeit, with 7 breaks and thank god for the bottles of mineral water that I bought, which by the way I finished before I could reach home, I survived the drain and also caught the fancy of an Indian couple who smiled seeing me and commented after seeing the big bags and the sweat on my brow when the weather in the city was making others wear three layers, "Indian ho? College student, aaah!! Nice, nice! See you!"

So the biggest lesson that I have learnt since coming to Leeds, never go to Morrisons to buy stuff that you cannot carry back. Two, always take friends along when you go there, so you can always share a cab, share the bag and of course, put your stuff in their bag and take it only when you reach home! ;)

As someone once smartly said, always share your knowledge, it will only multiply, not decrease. So I would Smart Alec'ly tell any random stranger I would meet in my student accommodation or in random international meets to never go to Morrisons alone and definitely not buy more than two bags. Of course, most of the times I would be laughed at, yet I would not buckle down and keep reiterating the fact.

So, coming to why I began writing this blog. Well, one incident that just occurred a few minutes back with me prompted me to write down a few others that happened just to have a good build up and for you to have some sympathy towards me as a first timer.

It all began with me having to wear an old pair of socks today morning for my squash appointment. I could have just finished it at 'in the morning' but I added the squash part to show-off! I was wondering how come I was running out of socks to wear since I assumed I had enough to last me more than three weeks. Little did I know that I had already used up around 9 pairs and if I did not clean them urgently I would have to either buy new pairs or just wear old ones. Which is fine by me, but over the years I have kind of started to feel for the opposite gender and their nasal powers and hence would not dare to do the latter.

So, I decided to wash them along with a few underwear and thus I put them all on the floor in the shower room and switched the shower on. I also put some Ariel washing powder so that it could lather up. I was hoping that the granules would mix with the water and I could just soak them up for a bit and hang them all around the room and wait for them to dry. Which is where in-experience comes in, I did not know that the granules would not mix properly unless and until I put them all in a bucket of water and clothes. So now I have a bathroom with 9 pairs of socks, 5 undies, 3 boxers all half wet, half lathered and no place to have bath!

This is the end of this blog, I can only update you about the situation once I find a solution for it or if one of my followers or readers is kind enough to give me a tip!!!

Thanks for reading, I thoroughly enjoyed writing this piece and hope to write some more interesting ones soon!

Adios.

I fall in love too easily...

Funny but true,
I can fall in love with you,
I don't even have to try,
I will start thinking before you ask why,
My friends will not be surprised,
When I tell them I have found someone nice,
The same story will repeat itself,
I will like her and she will abandon me,
Find someone else and give that a try,
Come back to me when she needs a shoulder to cry,
I was, I am and will always be,
The nice guy that you want to see,
To help you forget him and cheer you up,
And rise with a smile when you wake-up,
But am tired now of being him,
Just want to live up again,
Can't help but think of love,
I know I will just never give up!

Thoughts

You are looking for an apple and I am an orange.

When you love someone, do not let them go.

Can someone be as rude as she was?

Tere jaane se, main adhura reh gaya! - This sums up the feeling I have right now.

Living it, loving it!

Don't know where to begin this one from. To think of it, I did not ever imagine I would be doing this. Staying abroad, doing my masters in a foreign country. Life...is in my control.

This is something I always wanted but never knew. Something I learnt thanks to my biggest lesson in life, engineering! Yes, its true, my biggest failure in life has been the biggest lesson for me. It let me find who I really was, it let me dare to take a step back to take two steps ahead. It allowed me to take decisions for myself. It was then that I realized that I wanted to live life my way. When I could make my decision and be happy or sad about it. Be able to blame myself if I had to for anything that was to happen from there on. And I am loving it, living it.

From that time to now, things have changed, but for the better. Life has improved at every stage and it has only given me reasons to smile. I like it this way.

Now I am controlling my life more than I ever have. Earlier I would just do what I would like to but yet be dependent in a way. Now, not anymore. I am liking the part where I wake myself up, I feed myself, I clean up the place and I dirty it. I have to look for everything that I have and everything that I do not. I have to go out and get things what I do not have but want. It has never been better.

Yes, I do miss a few things. Who am I lying to, I miss a lot of things, but then this is something I am willing to give up anything for. I have my freedom!

Have been thinking for a while that I would write about my observations and picks from Leeds. I thought that would be my first blog piece once I reach here. But then again am happy that I have the ability to surprise myself.

Am going to make double use of this blog. I have already written what I wanted to so now am going to use the same blog to talk about the things that I find worth writing about.

First and foremost, getting used to Toilet Paper. It's different, it's weird and at times it seems unclean but that is how it is going to be. Sorry, gross start!
I do not like as many options as you have here. Like choosing potatoes - you have baking potato, baby potato, new potato, large potato and god knows what all!

Electric plates - it took me three weeks to realize the vegetables that I was cooking were undercooked because the electric plates take much longer than what LPG would.

Duvets - I hate them. They are the worst things that could happen to a college student. They are
way too comfortable to allow someone to get out of them. They need to be discontinued with immediate effect.

Mobile phones - not just any of them. There are it seems just two brands in the world now - its either BlackBerry or Apple iPhone. People want it, people have it and people crave it. These are the only three types of people that I see around me now and I am fed-up of them. I hate them, I detest them.

Right now I cannot think of anymore, but I swear when I have a good big list I am going to come back and list them down to remind myself of them.

Technology, I hate you!

All things have their ups and their downs, you like them for a reason and you hate them for another.

Technology too has improved our lives in a great way but today I just want to talk about the bad things that it has done.

Gone are the days when we had one landline, one number. Everyone had to call you from 'their' landline to your landline to speak to anyone in the family. Infact the word landline came only after we started having a mobile phone. Now everyone has it, but it restricts us. We speak to only that person whom we have called, others remain out of the conversation. Gone are the days when to speak with a kid, you had to first speak with the elders, then the middle one and then the youngest. That struggle, that patience, is no more.

Gone are the days when to wish someone on their birthday you would either call at midnight and wake up the entire house or wait till the next morning and wait in line.

Now you can set an alarm on your phone, you can pre-load a card on a website and it will be delivered, you can send a simple cheap SMS. The personal touch has gone, the little effort that you had to make to call up a person has been snatched away by Technology.

Gone are the days when with each Rakhi, sisters would send a small letter, a note to say hi and ask about your health. Thanks to the electronic age, we send e-rakhis. Some sisters still send physical rakhis but the letter has taken a backseat.

Who wants to take the pain to jot down a few lines. They think, didn't we just speak to him last night, so what's the point of a letter. Sometimes, you express more in a letter than you ever would in person or on phone. Try it.

Facebook, another invention from the labs of a certain guy called 'Technology'. People leave a scrap on your wall, they peek at your albums, they keep tabs on your status messages and changing relationship statuses. All in the name of 'socializing'. The gossip mongers are beggars now, they hate this subtle stalking websites. They allow you to find about people with the click of a button, there is no strategies involved anymore, there are no rumours being spread, the aunties of the worlds are cursing Facebook, they've ruined their chai-time talks.

Everyone knows everything about everyone. It's become too easy now.

The fun is gone and I don't like it!

The Rains

Love them, hate them, you can't ignore them, especially when you are in a city like Mumbai. It is just the end of July and the city has already had about 75% of its seasons' quota.

It's not been raining the proverbial cats and dogs but yeah, it has not also stopped in a while. If I am counting it right, it's been almost 9 days since the last dry spell.

Personally, I love the rains, the smell of the first drops on the soil, the greenery it spreads, the fall in temperature, the happy kids jumping in small puddles.

Yes, this blog is more about that. The kids in a puddle and enjoying the rains. The smile that they have and the innocence that they carry.

It was about a few days back, I was on my way to my club to play a game of squash with my buddy. It had just started to rain and I was trying to get my wind-cheater out of the bag. I was about to cross the road when I saw an autorickshaw had got stuck in a small pothole. It was full of muck now due to the on-going Metro work in the area. The rick guy came out trying to free the wheel that had got stuck in the hole.

He was trying to get people's attention to help him out but to no avail. Then suddenly out of nowhere these 7-8 toddlers, dressed in a white and biege school uniform came trudging out of the rickshaw and started pushing it. It was a sight to behold.

As I made my way towards them to give them a hand, I realised they were so excited at being able to get wet in the rains in the name of pushing their vehicle that they actually managed to get it out of the hole!

And the next scene was something right out of a scripted children's show. The kids were literally basking in their glory, rather getting drenched in it! They all left their bags in the rick and were jumping with joy and the innocent smiles made the people looking at them remember their childhood when they would find reasons to get wet in the rains and enjoy the weather.

It was one of the most beautiful sights I have seen in a city which is so busy in itself that it hardly looks at people around.

The rains made me realise one thing, if it is summer that gets people's tempers high it is the rains that gets them down...and how!

Killing the nice guy...

Enough I've had,
Enough of this,
I cannot take it even a little bit,

When you want to laugh,
when you want to have fun,
you come back to me and say let's get this done!

but when it's not needed,
you think oh i have not pleaded
so it's all hunky dory coz he's not bleeded,

It is not that common, it does not happen with everyone and it is a big deal,
think i should just tape my mouth and put a seal,
coz if I cannot deal with this one I don't think i can ever put an end to this,

the decision has been made,
I will not put a lid to this,
no more being the nice guy, no more being the good friend,

am not going to be the shoulder you need,
nor am the friend you need,
I am just going to the guy who do not want to meet!

Sometimes

In love with a face,
In love with a smile,
If I get to see her I stand up and rise,
If not then I try to not think of her otherwise,
She is close to me and yet she seems distant,
Her one look and I would give up my existence,
Weekdays go in thinking about her,
Weekends go in talking about her,
Days, weeks, months have passed,
Still no surety of the future or the past,
Want to just hold her hand,
Hold it tight and say it all,
Don’t know why there is a fear,
If she says no, won’t get to go anywhere near,
At times I think I may not be right,
And then I feel I should just tell her with all my might,
Sometimes a lot can change over a yes or no,
My only problem is I don’t think I can let her go,
The time is right, the time is now,
Hope I do this soon just don’t know how!