Friday, May 26, 2006

Back to Corba

Since last week, I have been back to working on CORBA, something I did a lot a couple of years back. And while I didn't fancy the idea, I had to take it like a bitter pill to swallow, since it seems there aren't too many experts in that area. Feels good to possess a skill that's a rareity in this software job market.
While the initial few things were pedestrian, its the new band of enhancements, that are making me feel pains. Well, add to this the pangs of separation I feel from a certain RD, and its only funny that I have a notion of spearation without really being together.. Sounds cryptic isn't it ?
That underlines the truth of the prophesy that I tend to hang on to certain things, and those thread leaks make my process sluggish. Amazing that concepts in OS can be matched so well to real life. Our life is like a round robin scheduling algorithm, and we keep dong certain tasks over and over again, hoping there are no deadlocks.

No wonder the legacy writers of OS thought of intuitive terms like sleep(), which we do when ee haven't got much to do..
This week, I look myself into the mirror and feel a zillion times better. This morning in fact that ecstacy to see the waiste-line recede like the tidal waters was so messemerizing that I literally started a salsa and followed it up with a dance ball with my image in the mirror.
The winds of change are indeed blowing and I think, a little more thought into my actions will give me exponentially better results.

Friday, May 12, 2006

A much better week

You know what, when its Friday AM and I am blogging, it can mean lot of things.
To make a few guesses myself:
1. I am already in a holiday / weekend mood trying to freakout.
2. The level of frustration is so high, and I don't have a friend around whose patient ears can take the venom I plan to spit out.
3. There is some very exciting news around the corner, and I am dying to share it with folks around.

Being realistic, its none of these reasons really. But just that I am feeling much better about myself than last week. Of course, destiny would argue that when you are sitting on Mariana trench the only direction you can take is northbound. But still I'm gay (no, not Karan Johar eshtyle) that my tryst with fate always has some light at end of the tunnel. Maybe karma decides to punish me for some wrong doings in my earlier births, but also provides a beacon to guide me thru the storm.

Without get more heavy on words, to put it plainly, I am feeling elated since the last weekend, or to put it rightly, in a positive frame of mind and that seems to be showing on my mind and soul.
Last weekend was busy and unlike regular ones when I go in for a voluntary claustrophobia , this time it was time spent outdoors, braving the heat of the MaySun.
Meeting friends and yes, doing another thing for the 1st time was a good experience in general. Sunday too was spent in some external activities with domestic connections, and shopping for trousseaus (curtains) !

This week I took it a little steady in office, and preferred to be laid back at times and enjoy, rather than go into a vicious cycle of cribbing and it helped. Suddenly out of the blue, my exercise routine is shaping up well, and hopefully so will my muscles, over a period of time, with regualar doses of gym workout.
Fixed a lot of small defects in office, and small though they might be, I suddenly realized how much better off I was compared to a year ago, when instability was my relentless companion and things like checkins and defect fixing seemed age old concepts. It feels good to contribute in whatever way to a nice li'll backup software, which is consumed by millions of customers round the world.

Have a presentation to make this afternoon, and that should consume the rest of the afternoon for me, preparing for the same and making ancillary arrangements to marshall stuff.
Looking fwd to this week as a precursor of the good times to come.
Hail the Kingfisher, the king of good times...

Thursday, May 04, 2006

Tumultous times...

These days, things are in a horrible state of flux and the air is full of ambivalent vibes. Atleast for me, on a personal front, its a listless, blase period, and not to say, a negative bias is the order of the day for certain events. I was experimenting with matter waves to turn things in my favor for the past quarter or so, since philosophy propheses the merits of experiment.
The outcome was never close to what I wish it had been; didn't even give me a glimmer of hope that something stupendous would come out. But then that ray of hope kept me going, wishing that the Lady Luck wud bestow its kindness on my gentle soul, later than never.

Incidences of this type make us realize the limitations that are congenial by nature in our deteriorating species. "Where there is a will there's a way" fell flat and i mourned to myself; especially since I thought and genuinely believed that it was 50% of my life (can't get more explicit) !
Introspection is done for the sake of fault finding, but often turns out to be a futile, time-consuming exercise which had rather be spent in real physical exercise LOL.
Maybe I didn't push the limits, and executed a plan, not so perfectly, and will now repent for a while till those bruises get a healing touch. Atleast, regarding the part of experimenting, I can stand tall and put up a brave front, that there was no hesitation to try.
I haven't read Gandhi's 'My experiments with truth' yet, but the urge to do that becomes stronger now, to see how he had the vision to turn his convictions into fruits of freedom.

My convictions work better for the stock market though, and to save the disgrace of any plagiralistic assault on my moral character, alike the one and only Kaavya, I must post a disclaimer as well. May be they are not germinal convictions of mine, but an assimilation of belief in some other people and religiously following their advice. I hope I land a source of conviction in matters of the heart too....

As if these score of events were just minor tremors in a placid ocean, professional concerns of a different nature ensure that peace and tranquil remain in theory and perhaps limited to certain blissful times of the day, which otherwise remain surrounded by dark clouds of uncertainty and a chain of volcanoes, like Mt Vesuvius, waiting to erupt and engulf the calm in its fumes and flames...
Inability to digest injustice has made me a Maverick of sorts, also justifying the name given to our class newgrp, although I wud say that adjective applies to a select coterie including me !
Maybe its just the heat in the system that's getting onto my nerves and makes my blood boil at times. Would the first pre-monsoon showers and the dip in the soaring mercury help calm things down and usher in a new era of greenery and prosperity ! I wonder in these tumultous times.......


Tuesday, April 18, 2006

Blogman's back

I invented a phrase 'Blogosphere' only to find a few weeks later that a leading English daily was already using it. Who knows, maybe they just checked it out on BullishBear and exhibited a classic plagiaristic stunt, perfected by Indian media.
Today's blog title is another bow from my quiver of artistic, prosaic or poetic sense, if u may.

What's a blog after all, its an open ended letter to the Internet community which is glued together with the webspider. And very much akin to a postman delivering letters, these portals of fame deliver blogs, and I fancy calling myself a Blogman !
I hope there is someone sitting in a nook or recess in Antarctica or Australia or Armenia or Ajerbaijan looking fwd to these posts of mine with great enthusiasm, similar to the 'Chitthi aai hai' number' by Pankaj Udhas.

Last week I learnt and imbibed Gandhiji's principle of Non-violence the hard way. While its premature and not in my interest to open that chapter in digital format here, it has given me a glimpse of what can happen when u tread the path devoid of calm and tranquil and resort to uncivilized ways to bring things under control...

The Indian stock market is truely undergoing a mega metamorphosis and at this juncture everyone is either a BullishBear or a BearishBull. Taurus, being my moon-sign, gives me a birth right to be bullish and that perhaps explains the positivity that I exude in general. Not to mention that bulls come with their baggage of weaknesses too, stubbornness, a tad lazy at times etc...Rashiranjan on E-tv Marathi is doing a noble job of enlightening the classes and masses abt these occult things !

Thursday, April 06, 2006

Anomalous blog

It's been a while since I posted my last blog, and its definitely not the case that I forgot abt it suddenly. On the contrary, I opened this blog window on a couple of occassions only to retreat like a 'Ranchoddas' for paucity of thoughts and perhaps lack of time to ponder enough to scribble.

It so happens that a Friday night is very busy on my calendar. There are hordes of pending leftovers to be done in that small window of opportunity, before jaunting home for a nice weekend. Con calls at 20 hours is not the best on the temporal scale to lift sagging spirits on Friday night out, and then there is the status report to contend with, which takes its own sweet time to inflate LOL.
In the midst of this thick, my creative side of the brain says "Hey Akshay ! Take it easy and why don't you do some blogging at this hr". I have been wanting to get rid of this ritual of a sermon if you may every Friday nite, and so today's edition is poles apart from any Thursday tadka or Tehelka.

The Spring equinox came and went past by relatively unnoticed, atleast for me. A couple of weeks ago, I had been to a Bharatnatyam dance rendition by one of my school pals and her troupe and they demonstrated the changing hues and emotions with every passing season, and it was indeed refreshing to watch. This month a few more of my school mates have gone to diametrically opposite time zones, and there are ambivalent feelings everytime some news of this sort trickes in.

I see some pile of workload accumulating on my desk, err email, so .....

Friday, March 17, 2006

Sandwich

I would like to best describe this week as a lackluster one, with nothing happening on most fronts.
Not that the news flow trickle had dried up, there was the odd one like our India office chief being changed, plus a few things that tend to happen in any office. But such has been the dragging effect in general, that it has failed to liven up things.
One kewl thing to point out is this is a boring week sandwiched between 2 exciting weekend.
Last week we went for a nice trek to Rajgad fort, which was replete with the usual fun elements and extreme exhaustion which is inevitable for the non-bohemian person that I am, despite having the crutches of a pretty regular jog workout to support my stamina.
The coming one seems to promise a lot too, with meeting friends and watching a classmates dance concert !
Last Monday my aching body and the lack of penchant for going to office made me take a nice holiday @home, and the day before, it was a thoroughly and once in a lifetime opportunity to watch that Aus-SA match, which is as intense as ever and fiercely fought . It sounded like almost a super human effort to maul the target and the Aussie pysche in that process. Such were the irnoy of things, that a true blood Kangaroo fan like me was supporting the Proteas just for the sheer determination and fighting spirit which was abundant on display. Plus I wanted to be privy to the event and get my time's worth, which I achieved at the end of this run feast.
My defect Q count in office was in a state where the tail was raring to push defects alike our Indian team tail, but unfortunately, no such fortune came along my way.

In the middle of the week, I did a lot of yoga and meditation and have been reasonably high on confidence and self esteem. I have tried doing a 'Manav' of sorts like in the Showman Ghai special Taal, and as they say experimentation is the key to success. I have set my target in mind firmly and want to see whether matter waves, that we learnt in Physics and things like telepathy really materalize. Imp thing to realize is to be +ve in the process and not hope for anything but the best.. I am assuring my fleeting mind and jittery soul that the checkmate is round the corner. Keeping my fingers crossed ..

Happy weekend folks

Tuesday, March 07, 2006

I know what it feels like..

The last fortnight has been nothing short of a roller coaster ride for me. There have been ebbs and crests, reminding us of those gigantic oceanic waves that surfers relish upon.
To share the good news, I got promoted to the next level, and am a Senior Software Engr now ! Time to party for sure .
I just put in a request for new visiting cards today. While I haven't had the good fortune of given Valentine's day card to anyone, business cards are the coward man's ticket to heaven, I feel.
Spring - if there is any such climactic condition in India, brings in its own set of chequered feelings. While on one hand, things looks beautiful, there is that characteristic feeling of solitude and a longing for the unknown ! Swings in the weather from 13 to 39 deg C only manage to keep umbrellas and wind cheaters active in unison.

Sometimes, you hear things about yourself from someone just out of the blue and are caught totally unawares. In fact, as they say, truth is a bitter pill to swallow. An incident on similar lines shook me out of slumber and the very natural phenomenon happened. First of all, I wasn't willing to fully accept my fallacies, and it was almost like my picture perfect image in the mirror was torn apart by a little pebble. Then followed the regular phenomenon, going into a shell. When things go wrong, they have this Saturnine effect of throwing self esteem for a toss and you almost look for an opportunity to curse your existence. I went thru one of the lowest nadirs ever in recent years; but that uncanny knack which God bestowes upon me sailed me through.

I think I have emerged stronger after this period and atleast will consciously try to set things order again.
And I also know what it feels like to FIL .

Tuesday, February 21, 2006

The week after cupid

Its been a week since the Valentine fanfare and things are back to normal, even with love birds, I surmise. Boyfriends must be feeling lighter wallets as they ponder upon the fond memories of Cupid which struck last week, almost as predictably year after year as the Halley's comet does every 76 years.

Celestial megalomania thy name is Valentine's day, for loveless creatures, its a day in vain, which pinches harder and turns nerves of steel like the Steel Moghul Mittal into a listless corpse.

This week has made headlines because the avial flu aka bird flu has finally struck India, another feature in the cap of globalization, where none of us are insulated from the pandemic wonders of the modern world and nuclear weapons are available in countries ranging from the deep valleyso f the Amazon to the rain forests of the Congo and are available in 'desserts' if you wish in the Middle East.
The culling of chicken makes my heart ache, but little do I realize that these chicks are destined to die one way or the other; its just that they do not find a place in the plates and palates of carnovires and omnivores, which are teeming in urban society like never before....

India bt Pak 4-1 and it was a good series to watch and win for the country. The fresh blood that oozes thru the arteries and Aorta of Yuvi and Dhoni is truly remarkable.
Life in office is as medium-paced as it should be... While a routine life sounds a bit boring at times, I think its also something that we look fwd to day after day, rather than surprises at every alley and nook....


Monday, February 13, 2006

Blogging is my birthright

I visited my blog on a couple of occasions last week and my hand was itching to pen down a flurry of assorted thoughts as usual onto my blog. It would have been more of a blob, to computer nerds as against a blog, but Shakespeare's not to be won this round of the battle. Messers Time ensured that there were enough roadblocks along the path to procrastinate my passion to participate in this pluralistic pleasure of pine (err mine) !
Finally, Monday morning blues were conspicuous by their absence, and so I decided at this hour that that a bit of bravado would do no harm to blemish my boisterous self, bamboozed with a bit of bugs.
I don't know why so many alliterations are filling up this void today, but it just goes to prove the point that I have a natural flair for blogging. ha ha.

We had a small g2g of friends last week and it feels good to be in touch. We grabbed a few sandwiches at Subway before going to sip some coffee @Barista. Both these places seem outrageously expensive, and seem to take undue advantage of the heavy walets and purses that young dudes and dames seem to be flaunting around.
Last week has been memorable for my blog as the senses hit 10k and stayed there with ease. The bullish bear in me seems to have manifested itself beautifully and the cornucopia of wealth it is spreading around seems marvelous. The recent happenings on the bourses espouse the spirit of a resurgent India, that stands tall amidst filigreed beauty.
No amount of gerimandering by politicians or filbustering by the likes of bureaucrats seems to stem the tide of energy that we are experiencing. The 'bear' part suggests a word of caution at this juncture so as not to get carried away by the situation.

While Lokmanya Tilak said almost a century ago that swaraj was his birthright, and I feel that 'to blog is my birthright' so are Bharatvasis saying that 'A developed nation is my birthright'.
Don't sit back and enjoy this movement, for our Gita says "Keep doing your duty and the fruits are bound to follow".
Enjoy.

Friday, January 20, 2006

Flames and fumes

While things are sounding rosy on the personal front, it is not as sweet on the professional front.
Circumstances have been responsible for my gullibility, but its also my lack of self-conviction and the fear of failure that this can be alluded to.
I have decided to take this up as a challenge and turn things to my favor at the earliest.
While procrastination has been like my soulmate, I wish to bid adiue to it now and act in the living present. It was some Alice in Wonderland kind of dubious existence that I have been leading for a few years; now when I look around myself, I suddenly feel the world has moved too ahead to catch up. Not that this feeling sunk into me for the first time, but this time, the chasm of potential vs actual has acrued into a Grand Canyon of sorts, and its only the right time to build a Hoover dam or a Golden gate bridge over it to make a smooth sailing in future.

Sometimes, you realize your pitfalls and tend to ignore them, even if it hurts badly, since what kind of life it is if not strewn with shards of glass which we try to trumple underneath our feet, and hurt ourselves in the process, still not accepting the fact that this masochism is no good. There is a nice flat slab of pure, vitreous glass, waiting to cushion you feet, but just that it is a few miles away.
It takes a small pebble to shatter a mirror; and sometimes it takes one small incidence to cause a topsy-turvy in life !! During such times, it is not fair to curse the pebble, in fact its Thanks-giving time, though this one comes in January, not November, since it is enough to awaken the giant within.
I have read quite a few books talking abt realizing the inner potential, and making life successful. But it has been my unfotunate-ness, not to derive an iota of advice and apply it to life. But what sermons from parish fathers and pedagogical gurus cannt achieve, can be learnt from the live experiences in life.

Well, I still remember my new year "wish-list" not to get philosophical in my blogs, but I will treat this one as an exception, though v early in the year and ensure that I take steps to prevent such kind of posts in future.....

Tschus !

Tuesday, January 10, 2006

Happy new year

Wishing all my fans a very happy new yr; I am trying not be modest this time, and taking the liberty that people reading thru my blog admire me for something, if not everything.
Life seems in much better shape and size, so to say, since I have re-paid partial debt to the Earth.
This is by virtue of getting rid of a few kilograms of mass, which has been gracefully docked off my body.
The compliments have flown in from a couple of a quarters and has done my self esteem a bunch of good.
Controversies in India are something as commonplace as potholes were on the streets of Pune a few months ago, when rains wreaked havoc. Firstly, there is the ensuing phone-tapping controversy which has made the govt go weak in its knees. Surprisingly, this symptom can occur when there is either a gush of positive energy or a tide of negative waves floating around. Luckily for me, I belonged to the earlier camp a week ago, when I suffered a blow of voluptuous infatuation. Makes one 'praise the Lord' at such times, since that is how I realize the meaning of his omnipresence.

The other controversy is always "Ganguly", and I believe this will continue till curtains fall on his chequered and illustrious career, but will still be remebered for the controversies that he leaves behind as a Pandora's box, full of legends. I can see beyond the mere coincidence that Raj Singh decided to wear the cap of team Manager to ensure that the Prince of Kolkata felt like a dwarfed nobody, struggling to wear the crown !!

Was watching the 'Legend of Tendulkar' this weekend on Star Sports and it was resplendent with his past glories; I really liked the centuries he made in my land down under, way back in 1991-92. I know pundits and fanatics of this sport will be breathing for my blood, but I am sure that Ricky Ponting, the Tasmnian Tiger will overshadow his record of Test centuries at the end of his illustrious career.

Wednesday, December 28, 2005

Cuff and Cold

It hasn't been the best of weeks for me, atleast on the health front. The troika of soar throat, cough and cold has taken toll on my body. Sounds ironical and difficult to believe, but this bout of illness juts struck me when I was boasting about my well-being to myself.
Sleepless nights have become order of the day and cold gusts of wind lashing the Pune-city do not make things more clement to my fragile, ailing body...

While this is the most vital factors to sag my spirits, it is not the only thing at the back of my mind. They say what you think reflects on your body, and perhaps this diktat is not false. Life is surely not a bed of roses and this manifests itself day-in and day-out as the Sun of life rises to shine brighter. What accompanies brightness for free is the heat, which sounds so warm and cosy during childhood (shielded from parents and well wishers), only to become scorching as time progresses.

My blogs are more intense and replete with the so-called 'gyan' which people do not care a farthing about. And so, its my pre-mature new year resolution to make it more narrative than instructive.
A huge bunch of 73 papers are sitting home welcoming me to visit them and appraise them just like my own appraisal in office is around the corner. One sweet outcome of this exercise is that it makes your pocket feel heavy for a while and forget one's mundane musings...

Planning another outing this weekend, within a fortnight's span this time towards North-East, unlike South-West last time. No, I am not going to quasi-Chinki land, the land of seven sisters. Its just that direction relative to Pune within the confines of Maharshtra Mazha, that I am venturing into this time around. While I would have loved to go to Guwahati for campus recruitments, those plans didn't materialize for the better ! All for the best, they say !!!!!!!!

Wednesday, December 21, 2005

Welcome vacation

The last month was very eventful @office, and I was thoroughly enjoying being a part of the development cycle, where punctures and deflated tyres are part and parcel. And veri alike Forest Gump, its ecstasy to complete the race and emerge victorious having treaded the path thru sun and sand, thru mist and hue and finally having settled down at a nice rendezvous, chewing upon nostalgic elements of the past and taking a sun bath in those fond memories !

This time the timing was a perfect 10, akin to what Madame Nadia accomplished more than a score ago at the Olympics. Nik , Ram and I set sail southwards to this beautiful, virgin sea-resort in the realms of Ratnagiri. Well, since water-ways are not our forte, we stuck to more routine and predictable means of our jaunt by taking NH-4 going towards Bangalore. If I were writing this blog a year from now, the Kannadigas would be jeering and mocking at my contemptous bliss( ignorance is bliss, reads a famous English quote) or rather maliciously witch-crafted anti-Karnataka stance; since Bangalore would be cut-pasted by Bengaluru by then.

The IT population sitting in Silicon valley and other habitats of the US would heave a sigh of relief, for once atleast, since their bread-butter would no longer be Bangalored.
Anyway, popping my stack of thoughts back to the Ganapatipule trip, it turned out to be really successful and refreshing to say the least. Konkan is called the land of Lord Parshuram and grabbing the opportunity to see it twice within a span of 2 months was a record of sorts by itself. It not only duplicated my joy, but actually quadrupled it.

Thursday, December 08, 2005

Light at the end of the tunnel

Its spectacularly true that efforts are means to an end, the final destination. But its imperative to thorougly sweat it out to purify the blood; just like the massochist pleasure we derive during a harsh and enduring work-out. Its a conscious choice to make our body go thru the grind, for even the noble metal cannot be spared the flames of fire before getting that 24 carat certification.
What comes out at the end is so divine, very difficult to put on paper, or even on this web log ...
Its like errotica they say, you got to reach that orgasm , the flashpoint of benediction.
But isn't foreplay equally important ??..This para dedicated to pop-queen Madonna for "Erotica' !

Aurum and Argentum are at close to life time highs and looks like the bullion trade there is relentless, and is now under a new bout of momentum, when money chases gold rather than the other way round. Rationale and pure wisdom are set to rest, when speculation becomes order of the day. I thought these are niche areas for just the stock market, but recent news rounds have proved otherwise. Even commodities like channa or pepper are subject to this chequered cycle of ups and downs, depending on the flavor of spices that punters like....

Life itself is a journey that we embark upon and keep running all life like an endless infinite hurdle race, where embargos are order of the day, whether it is social norms or pleasantries or ettiquetes or that big 'decorum' factor. Isn't the animal kingdom not happier following the jungle raj where 'might is right'. But without being too agnostic of these factors, we need to be like Pied Pipers from that famous Scottish legend, who play to guide the lost and forlorn shipwrecked people around us....Entering the gates of Paradise after leading such a utopian life would be worth every ounce of troubleshooting, I guess. But when things are out of control and incomprehensible, the motivation factor drops down rapidly. Even in a marathon, the Kenyans know that the distance is no more than 42.195 kms, after which victory is guaranteed, but what about death ? Probably being philanthropic in a small way may provide us our small passage to the land of bliss, Heaven, the kingdom of GOD, the light at the end of this dark, murky tunnel !!!!

Friday, December 02, 2005

Big Bad World

Morning was great today; waking up to the chirping tunes of the aviators was so refreshing indeed.
Some bad memories of last evening were almost erased with hopes of a better today.
The jog-yog routine was at its ultimate best.
On top of that I had doned my new shirt sent to us by our US manager...

Unexpectedly, I received good help from diametrically opposite me, in a totally skewed time zone; things looked like they were on a roll. And then this chirpy, bubbly image of the near-perfect rosy life was pricked with thorns.
Why do roses have to follow thorns ? It seems that the law of nature needs to get its due credit and respect.
But when thorns prick from close quarters it hurts hard.

Can't help but getting spiritual; it seems to have answers to allqueries that have been pestering mankind since time immemorial. Why are we so selfish ? Why are we so pre-occupied with ourselves so much so as to forget the parts make the whole... I hate whims and fancies; I would rather prefer someone to be openly animos rather than make a false pretense of solidarity and camaraderie...If wishes were horses, Akshay would fly....

Is this a big bad world, fast collapsing under its own weight; under the influence of the unknown entrophy. How else can we attribute victory of the evil and the setbacks suffered by men of virtue.

Here's Robert Frost quoted 'Asking for Roses'
A house that lacks, seemingly, mistress and master,
With doors that none but the wind ever closes,
Its floor all littered with glass and with plaster;
It stands in a garden of old-fashioned roses.

I pass by that way in the gloaming with Mary;
'I wonder,' I say, 'who the owner of those is.'
'Oh, no one you know,' she answers me airy,
'But one we must ask if we want any roses.'

So we must join hands in the dew coming coldly
There in the hush of the wood that reposes,
And turn and go up to the open door boldly,
And knock to the echoes as beggars for roses.

'Pray, are you within there, Mistress Who-were-you?'
'Tis Mary that speaks and our errand discloses.
'Pray, are you within there? Bestir you, bestir you!
'Tis summer again; there's two come for roses.

'A word with you, that of the singer recalling--
Old Herrick: a saying that every maid knows is
A flower unplucked is but left to the falling,
And nothing is gained by not gathering roses.'

We do not loosen our hands' intertwining
(Not caring so very much what she supposes),
There when she comes on us mistily shining
And grants us by silence the boon of her roses.



Tuesday, November 29, 2005

Blogosphere

Coined this term off the cuff, without much prior thought or deliberation.
Perhaps reflects the impact of the record ingrained upon my mind by Vijaypat Singhania, by conquering the skys using a tool that even toddlers would relate to and use as a trinket at times.
If he made it past the troposphere, I wish my blog makes it's to the blogosphere, where blogging has reached meteoric proportions !
What I liked best about the event was that it was done at a ripe old age when people get less risk averse and want to lead a life of bliss and solitute rather than try such stunts, which maketh the 'Yuva'..His son, Gautam seemed to be glowing with pride and was beaming with pleasure..

Its been about a decade since I moved to the new office . Well, isn't decade supposed to stand for 10 years, but when things are not exactly as expected, a day sounds like a year..
Some good news was in store today morning as I opened my mailbox, the Patent's dinner is finally being scheduled in Jan. and the best part is its Go-GOA; so its going to be just about the perfect time to go there and have a blast.

Thursday, November 24, 2005

Fan club

The other day, I caught up some movie action on ZMZ, and my grey cells fail to generate correct nervous impulses to retrieve that name; now since when have I become forgetful ? Are these the first signs of ageing ? I don't think so, giving myself the benefit of doubt, since I dream well these days. That has marked a paradigm shift in my thought process, since my sub-conscious is feeling the positive vibes and the glow of radiance which the Winter is trying to camouflage !

Mornings in winter are the best, and while Occidental springs bring out the best in people, its winter in India that gives people a chance to flaunt their in vogue shawls, sweaters and what have u ?
I liked this 'what have u' phrase, picked it up from a stock analyst on CNBC. Its truly amazing to see the great strides that Eves of the 21st century have made, especially in the arena of economics, the territory considered the monopoly of Warren Buffet and the hegemony of the folks from Mars...

I have always considered women to be far more superior in their language skills, very few males educated in convents are able to maintain that charm and dignity when they step out of the cosy confines of their Alma Mater. Its probably got to do with the ruff-tuff image that they need to live with all their life, its one of the many burdens that they need to shoulder.

Just snapping off this one, since I need to send one mail pretty soon........

Thursday, November 17, 2005

Movers and Shakers !

Stability is precious to mankind if not the thing dearest to heart. Civilization finds its roots deeply buried into this basic instinct of mankind, when leading a nomadic, bohemian life had caused his worries to multiple and manifest manifold. Well, this alliteration was partly instinctive and partly deliberate, for the purists of the Windsor age, believing in jewels called Figures of Speech.
From the hustle-bustle that is the trademark of any 21st century cosmopolitan city, to the outskirts, this journey tomorrow is, as always, not without that pang in the heart.More often than not, its the fear psychosis, of the unknown. Mankind doesn't like too many surprises, atleast discounting the ones who can be branded as ravagely ambitious.

Baner is not too much of a well known sub-urb, atleast until the recent past. But ever since the floorspace hungry IT population set its eye on this area, the spotlight has been too bright to ignore. One may call it a glow of numerous 100 W bulbs and nowhere close to the Sun or Moon; but one thing is certain, the bhumiputras there have raked in a lot of moolah. If realty costs Rs 2100 per sq ft there, then u know what I am aiming at....

So tomorrow will be time to bid adieu to Pune-1, so close to the GPO and move on to Baner, Pune-something....As some poet has fondly said,
Ring out the old and ring in the new !!

Let the Movers and Shakers come and make merry tomorrow !!

Wednesday, November 09, 2005

Weepy Wednesday

The day began on sound note.
Getting up when my mobile alarm chimes doesn't sound like fighting a battle of panipat any longer. Probably my subconscious has been fine tuned to the biological clock that my exterior is used to.
The ceremonious walk/jog, followed by pranayam etc, almost sounds too perfect to be true for me. But it only proves that 'where there is a will, there is a way" !
Those extra kilos which are piggybacking on my stomach (aare, pounds for you Amrus), must be exhumed from my body; since I believe its not a deserving abode for them....

The week started on a rather rusty note, and the Diwali vacation hangover was too heavy to shed in a hurry. It has taken a couple of days to move from a bohemian, rustic Konkani habitat to the truly urbane Puneri requiem.

Some bad news was brewing in office, and the coffee beans got spilt out today. Its just that, when things are about to sound rosy, some thorn pricks you and brings you from Cloud No 9 to Seventh heaven to the humble earth...And Mother earth is so loving, she preaches the slemn virtues of introspection, the laws of karma and reignites the 'never-say-die' attitude that is my hallmark.
I wouldn't like to be labelled a narcassist, but I genuinely believe I am the Phoenix, who needs to go to the ashes every now and then to be reborn as a better, more evolved and mature individual. Take the world in your stride, not Dinesh, but Akshay !

So, its not that weepy after all, India are doing well in Cricket.
When the going gets tough, the tough get going. But the semi-tough still see lurking shadows of uncertainty, and that makes a gullible guy like me fall into the habit of drawing superstitious conclusions. Its almost like whenever India does well in cricket, I suffer temporary setbacks in life. That's why I live and breathe Australia, rather than India. Go Aussie GO !!!!!!!!

Wednesday, October 26, 2005

Shanghai Noon

Noon is perhaps the best time of the day. Its when a hearty meal has satiated one's appetite and every microcosm of our body is in a slumberous mood. Things around us are generally sombre and peaceful. Important thing, unlike the night blues, broad daylight gives a sense of comfort and safety to the perenially unsecure Homo Sapien.

Whether it be Shanghai or Shirdi, noon is probably no different. WHat really differentiates geographies is the people and perhaps the weather there.
Of course one of these is a commercial hub and the other is a divine abode, a confluence of religious ideologies, perhaps call it a spiritual hub.

Jackie Chan has been romancing Mallika Sherawat off-late, and she seems to doing her PR in full swing. For Mallika, the path is well chalked out, and she seems to have an impeccable roadmap to guide her all the way to Beverly Hills; she dreams big that lady, and she isn't daydreaming for sure. No wonder, her 'efforts' seem to be bearing fruits, which ripen very soon. But remember, don't ripe fruits run the risk of decaying a tad too early...Whatever.

Office-humor is the flavor of the season for me, and shamelessly, it is at the expense of a 'few good men'.
Here are excerpts of something that we managed to conjure for the 'do na' man.

His favorite Bank :- ICICI (Hum hain na)
His favorite film :- Main hun na
His Nike punch line:- Just do it na !

Looking fwd to make this a full fledged collection involving all spheres of life...