Carnivals of Rust

History Created, But at what price !

2011-03-13T16:44:00.000-07:00

The Moon lit up the structure in silvery splash. The dazzle blinded the beholder. The tents were all dark, after a long time, after years of continuous hustle bustle.

She remembered her trek to the banks of Yamuna from her native village in Rajasthan. It was a long march for thousands of them, herded into carts, and some on foot, surrounded by the guards. She was one of the younger women in the crowd. She was thrilled at the journey, along with her husband and friends from the village. The procession used to rest under shades in day time and trek by night. She presumed it was the hot sun which prompted this routine. But later, after weeks of travel, her husband told her the real reason. The guards, physically stronger and taller, were always an attraction to some of the women and vice versa too. The commanders did not want the herd to be antagonized by any liaison between such women and the guards at night time. She could understand, because even she could not resist eyeing some of the guards- they were so tall, fair, with sharp features and so very handsome.!

She could sense the herd growing in size with every passing village. She also saw loads of stones, white, smooth slabs and blocks being loaded on to carts, en route. The larger ones were being pushed along on logs of wood. She could not resist ogling at the shining, dark muscles that bulged out of the bodies of the laborers who were punishing the carts and the blocks.

She also saw many dying of fatigue and heat. A few of the women had even delivered babies. Yet, the caravans never stopped. The herd kept moving.

May be after weeks, or was it months, they reached areas that were greener than the deserts. The sight of the gushing Yamuna was one she would never forget in her life time. The sun’s rays were shining out of the water.

The journey stopped on the northern banks of Yamuna. Tents were raised, thousands and thousands of them. The whole place looked like hundreds of villages flocked together. Yamuna’s hue changed with the thousands of bodies getting washed in it along with their coloured clothes.

She still remembered the arrival of the horses, chariots and the palanquins. It was her husband who whispered to her that it was the Shehensha himself who had alighted from the chariot. His robes were blowing in the heavy wind as he waved at the crowd. His golden ornaments and heavily brocaded dress flashed in the sun. It was his head gear that attracted her more. The Emperor was very handsome alright. But she was not prepared for the beauty of the Queen who was accompanying the Shehensha. Her beauty and fairness was seeping through the thin veil she was wearing across her face. She remembered having lost her breath at the sight.

……………………………………………………………………

The work started off at a brisk pace. The whole bank reverberated with the clanging of chisels on marble. The atmosphere was clouded with the dust from the stone and the moving carts and feet.

She was one of the privileged women who had special tents to stay in, being the wife of one of the select masons and sculptors engaged in the construction. While the ordinary workers and their women had to be content with more than ordinary treatment, her husband and his group were given special privileges. He used to whisper in her ears each night the designs he had in his mind for the windows. He used to spend hours in the tent chiseling out drawings of the design for the next day, on slabs of marble.

She was amazed at the ease with which stones and slabs were lifted and placed on the structure. Finally, when the structure was ready, she couldn’t resist gazing at the dazzle of the semi-finished structure in the moonlight right through the night.

She still remembered the night when her husband and the select masons were huddled together, discussing as to how the semi-globs could be lifted with out damage on top of the structure. She could hear excited, at times heated arguments as to how the same could be done. She could not comprehend any of the details but could guess it had something to do with the final act on the structure. They were trying out various methods using sticks and stones on the ground. This went on for weeks at a stretch. That the problem had been solved was evidenced one night when there was an excited uproar from the group. The whole night they were dancing and merry-making. Before leaving for the site, her husband had told her that all their efforts were going to be rewarded in the coming weeks and that he would not be returning to the tent until the final work was completed. He had also told her in a hush-hush voice that they would get cart loads of gold and silver for the work. He had also told her that once they reached back their native land with the hefty reward, he would also set upon building a structure like the one here. She could not hold back tears of joy when he told her that he would be building it for her, just as this structure was being built by the Shehensha for his Queen. The embrace he gave her before leaving for work would just not fade from her limbs, even after all these past weeks.

She was marveling at the progress in the construction and could not imagine how beautiful the structure would be once finished, even after one of the domes was lifted on to the structure, after several attempts. She was breathless when one night the whole structure appeared completed with five domes mounted on the structure. The full moon enhanced the beauty beyond words. She was unable to take her eyes off the glowing structure, reflecting the moonlight and its reflection in the waters of Yamuna. The sound of drums and horns filled the air form the construction site and she could even hear the shouts of joy. It heralded the completion of probably the most wonderful man-made structure in the world. She was so proud to savour this moment from far. She was so proud that her husband was part of it. Her mind wandered to her village where she imagined a similar structure being erected by her husband for her. He had promised to replicate this “Mahal” as he called it, for her in their village, hadn’t he? She could not wait to return to the village.

And then the wait started. Not only for her but for her fellow women as well, for their husbands to come back. Even after most of the laborers came back, the sculptors and masons had not returned. It was also heard that the Emperor himself had come and seen the “Mahal” and was overawed by its sheer grandeur. He had even said that he had never seen such a marvel anywhere in the world. He also said that he would never want any other structure in the world to be erected to challenge this. For this, he wanted the Masons and the Sculptors to be specially rewarded, so that they would never be tempted by anyone else to construct a similar building. Everyone in the colony was sure that the masons and sculptors had been taken to far away Delhi, for personal felicitation by the Shehensha and to shower them with gifts and rewards. The colony was eagerly waiting for them return in horse-drawn chariots with the booty.

…………………………………………………………..

The horizon flared up with the dust raised by the chariots racing up. The colony woke up as the procession neared the tents. She was one of the first to rush out to receive them. One by one the chariots moved in to stop at the respective tents. It was sudden. The wail was too sharp. She didn’t understand why. She rushed to the chariot that stopped in front of her tent. Inside was a bundle, but her husband was no where to be seen. She rushed up, when the bundle started moving. To her horror, she saw her husband’s face slowly rising from the chariot. There was blood still flowing from his mouth. Before the cry escaped her throat, she saw him limping out, handless from the chariot. She wailed and fell unconscious at the sight of her husband, a maimed, tongueless, armless figure, stumbling out. As more and more of the “rewarded” masons and sculptors struggled out of their chariots, with nothing but maimed bodies and oozing blood as the reward, the glorious structure shown in the far in the moonlight, as the wail of the women rose in a deafening crescendo.

The Emperor had ensured that there would be no rival to his unique gift to his Queen………..

Sigh !! Kash...

An Ode to all the Homemakers....

2011-03-08T04:00:00.000-08:00

Have you ever felt that you are carrying the whole weight of the world on your shoulder? Why is it that only you have to do everything to keep thethings moving? Why should only you struggle to make your house a home?

Well these questions were pondering in my mind on a Friday evening. It was raining heavily and I was completely drenched on the way to my home from office. The first thing I wanted was a nice hot cup of Ginger Tea, Coz no matter what, there is no combination better than heavy rain and hot tea. I rushed to the kitchen only to find that the Fridge didn’t have any milk in it. I braved the rain, went to the nearest departmental store and purchased a carton of milk. I went back to the kitchen, all excited with the thought of having a hot tea. But things were not going my way. I found out that the Gas cylinder was empty. No matter how much I try and extract the last bit of LPG from the cylinder, the burner wouldn’t budge. I was pissed, but there was nothing I could do for a cup of tea. I mumbled a bit but thenrealised the best thing to do is accept the fact. So I decided to watchTV..

The hunt was on for the remote amongst the stack of magazines, CDs, andnewspapers and finally the remote. Switched on the TV, tuned in to themovie category only to be welcomed by a blank screen. There was a message from Tata Sky – “ Dear subscriber, Your services have been temporarily withdrawn for non-payment of the monthly subscription charges. Please makethe payment immediately to resume your services..” OH craap !! I forgot topay the charges.. Bloody hell !! No TV, and that too its a weekend !! Nooo !!

It was a good Friday evening. Our plans for a party had to be cancelled cozof the heavy rains. So I thought of spending some quality time at home allby myself as my roomie had also left for his hometown. But little did iknow what was in store for me!

All pissed off and irritated, I finally decided to catch up with my friends online and I barged into the bedroom to grab my laptop. By the time the laptop was booting up, I had somehow managed to calm myself down. I clicked on the Mozilla browser, and by default hit the Facebook URL. You won’t believe, I was again welcomed by an alert message. – “Dear Airtel Customer,Please pay the current month outstanding amount to enjoy uninterrupted services”.. I was spell bound. Have never felt so frustrated in life. I was like wondering, why is it that only I have to do everything. Why aren’t my roommates concerned at all? But what is the point.With nothing working in favour of me and left with no choices, I decided toread a novel. Still feeling irritated, Pissed and helpless somehow byaround 12.30, I slept off.

But unfortunately, it was not over yet. I had to wake up the very next day,early in the morning as the maid had already come. Still groggy, somehowmanaged to get up, opened the door and went back to sleep, only to be wokenup by the maid, as there was no detergent powder and she couldn’t wash the clothes. I just could not believe it was happening to me. There are so many things to be taken care of in the house. I somehow told the maid to washthe clothes the next day, and finally just managed to doze off again.The door bell goes off again. It was the cook. Yes ! We have a cook. Abachelor’s boon. But not necessarily mine. She enters the kitchen andshouts out a list of things not available ranging from vegetables to atta and so on.. Man I had to finally pay her extra 50 bucks to go buy it andthen prepare brunch for me !! Add to it the additional effort of making her understand how to prepapre the normal roti – sabji without adding herown favourite masalas.. My God !! No one can ever dare to taste itagain... he he...

This was the time when i truly missed my Mom.. It is only now that Irealise how difficult it would have been for her to manage me, my sis, Dad, the maid, the cable wala, the newspaper wala, the household shopping etc etc etc.. the list goes on and on and on.... She never ever made any of us uncomfortable. Whatever we wanted was always available. She used to solely manage the entire household with such great perfection that I had almost taken it for granted. It is now when I have to personally manage these things that I realise the difficulty.

I want to take this opportunity to salute all wonderful homemakers who havebeen making houses as homes for so many years and meeting the needs of the entire family....

I salute u Ma...This one is dedicated to you.. :)

Cheers..Kash !

** This post was written way back on 25th of September 2009. But Re-publishing the same to mark the celebration of the International Women's Day...**

[Well , atleast this is a better way to cover up my laziness of not coming up with a new post.. :)]

Say it once.. But mean it !

2011-03-06T08:09:00.000-08:00

My thoughts... put across in words by someone else... !!

"You may not be her first, or her only. She loved before, She may love again. But if she loves you now, What else should matter?

She is not perfect, but you aren't either, but if she can make you laugh, cause you to think twice and admit to being human and making mistakes, Hold on to her and give her the most you can.

She may not be thinking about you every second of the day, but she would give you a part of her she knows you can break- Her Heart !

So don't hurt her, don't change her, don't analyze and don't expect more than what she can give.. So..

Smile when she makes you happy, let her know when she makes you mad, Miss her when she is not around and most of all Love her like you never loved her before !!! "

--- Words by Bob Marley !!!

Respect !

Cheers.. Kash !

Constantinople and the City of Troy...

2011-03-05T15:45:00.000-08:00

Belly dancing. Bustling bazaars. They all scream Turkey. With one foot in the East and one in the West, it’s an explosion of cultures and influences. And as one can imagine, the results are pretty amazing.

Ottoman mosques rub shoulders with Roman temples. Spice markets sit alongside chic boutiques. And dramatic mountains sweep down to sun-baked beaches. Talking of which, Turkey comes out all guns blazing on the sun, sea and sand front with waters of deepest blue whispering sweet nothings to gold-dust sands. More on that , when I move to Troy… J

What’s best is, most of Turkey’s destinations have lost little of their native flavor. You’ll find sugar-cube towns, old castles and temples peppering many of the key sun-traps.

And if it’s history you’re after, you couldn’t ask for more. Each and every place is a Journey back in time. One can spend hours together gazing in awe at needle-like minarets in Istanbul. The Haga Sophia mosque, right in the middle of the city, lives up to its title of being one of the “Key Attractions” of Istanbul..

The Topkapi castle and the and the Aya Sophia Muezi take you back to the world that was, during the time of Istanbul was Constantinople..

And if by any chance one gets misleaded that Istanbul is all about History, Culture and nothing else, Well umm.. This city of surprises has loads to offer.. ! This exotic country is also moving with the times. If one side of the city is filled with Tradition, (Sultanahmat), the other end (Taksim Square) is ready to show you the ever lively night life. A street filled with eating joints, pubs, Clubs, shops and bands playing songs, people walking aimlessly just to while away time, you have it all…

The most enchanting visit was to the City of Troy, just 4 hours of drive from Istanbul. The History behind that four lettered City is so intense that one can be immediately be transported to the battle ground where the fight between Prince Hector and Achilles took place.. Etched more in our minds as Brad Pitt fighting Eric Bana.. J

Wherever you make tracks in this mesmerizing Middle-East-meets-Europe land you’re sure to fall for its charms in a heartbeat.

For More pictures visit:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/82916621@N00/sets/72157626078335803/

Cheers..Kash !

Anything for a Click...

2010-06-21T08:18:00.000-07:00

At a party one of my friend spills a drink her lovely dress and is all upset that the red wine that may leave a stain on her priced possession. Suddenly she breaks into a beautiful smile when she spots one of our friends clicking the party photographs.In a fraction of a second, she completely forgot her moment of agony and is all set for a best pose for the snap..

Ever wondered how our brains are ususally wired to smile, pose, act the moment you see a camera around.. Well...this is what a camera can do to you... :)

This lil black cube with a lens on one side and a wanna be fotographer on the other (Not always) can at least for an instant make people forget about what is happening and Pose for a snap for an everlasting memory... It is very difficult to capture natural, innocent snaps of the subjects unless it is taken without their knowledge. The xception being Babies and Animals whose brains are not yet tainted by the latest show on Mtv, Fashion Tv and hell of a lot of add ons that come along... Or so I feel.....

Recently, in Goa, We were playing beach volley with a couple of my friends. Suddenly we just stopped the game, Pulled our tummies in and gave the best plastic smile we could manage in the hot sun. All this coz one of our friends wanted to take a casual snap of us playing.. he he.. His attempts to get the natural look failed coz all of us were aware of the lil black cube waiting to capture us, so we wanted to be in the best possible self.

But this was how it used to be some time back. Now with the easy availability if cameras, Social networking sites and digital media, I feel that the current generation prefers to throw caution out of the window. Everyone is vying for their quick shot to fame. The youngsters today are ready to fall to any level if they are sure that fame is bound to follow.

The success of all the silly shows on TV like Splitsvilla, Emotional Atyachar, Roadies, Truth, Love Cash and a truck load of others just go on to prove that Sleaze, Abuse, Sex, Dirty talk, anything, just about anything is fine with the guys as long as they are on TV.In this crazy rush for fame, many often forget the sensitivities associated with it.

Not many have had a pleasant experience always. There have been incidents where the subject often becomes a victim of voyeurism. I believe all this can be attributed to the easy and cheap availability of technology and a media which doesn't think beyond TRP.

I myself being a person who loves photography, would love to see the camera being in the right hands and doing the right job.

Image Source: - Google Images

Are you Listening ???

2010-04-05T09:13:00.000-07:00

I often find myself amidst conversations where I wonder, is the listener actually listening ! Blame it on the non stop nonsense that my talking is often referred to. But how does one actually find if we are sounding "boring" to the listener? Well based on my little research and experience, this is what I have observed.... Read on to find out more....

Repeated, perfunctory responses. A person who says, “Oh really? Oh really? That’s interesting. Oh really?” is probably not too engaged.

Simple questions. People that are bored ask simple questions. “When did you move?” “Where did you go?” People that are interested ask more complicated questions, which shows curiosity, not mere politeness.

Interruption. Although it sounds rude, interruption is actually a good sign. It means a person is bursting to say something, and that shows interest. Similarly …

Request for clarification. A person who is sincerely interested in what you’re saying will need you to elaborate or to explain. “What does that term mean?” “When exactly did that happen?” “Back up and tell me what happened first” are the kind of questions that show that someone is trying closely to follow what you’re saying.

Imbalance of talking time. I suspect that many people suppose that they usually do 80 percent of the talking in a conversation because people find them fascinating. Sometimes, it’s true; if a discussion involves a huge download of information desired by the listener, that’s a very satisfying kind of conversation. In general, though, people who are interested in a subject have things to say themselves; they want to add their own opinions, information, and experiences. If they aren’t doing that, they probably just want the conversation to end faster.

Body position. People with a good connection generally turn fully to face each other. A person who is partially turned away isn’t fully embracing the conversation.

Audience posture. Back in 1885, Sir Francis Galton wrote a paper called “The Measurement of Fidget.” He determined that people slouch and lean when bored, so a speaker can measure the boredom of an audience by seeing how far from vertically upright they are. In addition, attentive people fidget less; bored people fidget more. An audience that remains upright is still interested, while an audience that is horizontal and squirmy is bored.

I often remind myself of La Rochefoucauld’s observation, “We are always bored by those whom we bore.”

Well that is a cursory glance at identifying boredom... Hope it did not bore you guys as well.. hehe....

Image Source: Google Images

Thank you...

2010-02-12T12:00:00.000-08:00

His career graph had reached the spot earlier than he himself had expected. He was so much obsessed with what he wanted to achieve, that he had almost let go of his personal self. He had channelized all his energy and focus towards achieving what he dreamt of !..

His own sense of accomplishment had driven him to a totally different world where he felt that he had to prove himself even more. In his mad quest for success, he had not even realized that he had climbed up the corporate ladder so swiftly that he had left behind many of his friends, many of his colleagues and even his close family members. Sometimes he himself was perplexed at the thought .. “ Against whom am I racing? Why am I in such a big hurry ? Who else do I have to prove? How much more do I need to achieve? When should I stop? “

He was at the Dubai International Airport, he was bound for London for another one of his regular Business visits. He decided to while away the transit time at the airport by enjoying the Dubai Shopping Festival. Suddenly an announcement was made that his flight to Heathrow airport was delayed by an hour. He was done wandering around in the airport. He gifted himself in some expensive watches, perfumes and Liquor, that’s when he decided to immerse himself into his laptop so he could be well prepared for the presentation. In the midst of the crowded lobby filled with people enjoying the festive and shopping mood he was the only person with a serious look on his face, with his eyes perched on the laptop.

Suddenly he catches a very beautiful pair of eyes staring at him. He casually notices and digs himself back on to the laptop screen. Suddenly his heart skipped a beat ! Oh my God ! Was it her ?? He lifted his head up rather hesitantly this time and there she was. It was indeed her. How could he ever forget those beautiful eyes. All of a sudden he felt very weak on his knees. He could feel all of the blood from his body gushing towards his head. He was feeling very uneasy. Unable to hold himself back, he decided to get up and walk away.

Four long years had passed after she had walked away from his life for no possible reason. Every single day he prayed to God that one day, he needs to confront her and ask her Why? But when it actually happened, he found out that he was unable to get a hold of himself. The aura that surrounded him, that of a young and extremely successful executive had shattered to that of a regular guy trying hard to get a hold of his personal self !

Just as he was about to leave, she walked up to him. The moment he looked into her eyes, everything around him had come to a standstill. The life that he had left behind, his past was very vivid and vibrant before him. After a momentary silence and an awkward minute later, she broke the silence with a very feeble “Hi”. Though his mind was screaming with in himself to vent out his emotions, he finally came out with a very courteous greeting. After the exchange of pleasantries, she mustered up the courage to say “I am sorry for what had happened. I truly am.”

He looked into her eyes for a couple of seconds longer, and finally managed to say that , everybody has a right to make a choice and that she had made hers and that she doesn’t need to apologize.

Saying this he just walked away from her still trying to get a hold of himself. He desperately wanted to look back at her, but didn’t. He fumbled with his laptop bag as he found that his hands and legs were no longer listening to him.

The flight to London had announced its boarding and he proceeded towards it. He never got an answer to his question , Why she had done it coz he never managed to ask. But after meeting her he realized the reason for things currently happening around him. This was the reason why he set on a Race, a race with himself. His endless effort to prove himself at every opportunity that came his way. He realized that he should be thanking her for what has happened, as this has only lead to betterment of his life. The flight was taking off to a new destination and so was his life. He let off a smooth smile with her thoughts in his mind and was looking forward to life with a renewed sense of excitement.

PS: A slightly longer post than the usual. Just felt like sharing this short story with all you people..

What a comeback...

2010-02-11T06:27:00.001-08:00

Those of you who take the risk to read my posts, this one is again dedicated to an unknown friend of mine.. the traffic cop who guards the junction on my way to office....

Read post .. [A regular Guy.. may be not...]

Yes. The guy is back in form and I would say, terrific comeback brother. Our man was back in his best presentable form, the sternness was back on his face. The sense of ownership of the road was a silent yet loud message to everybody, His golden aviator shades were shining bright in the sunlight.

It was just a phenomenal revival of the old cop, as mine was the first vehicle he caught for jumping the signal while it was Amber. There was no amount of sympathy or mercy shown to me. At one point even I wanted to shout out to him saying, Dude.. I have dedicated a post on my blog about you, and this is how you return the favor? But alas I could not say anything. Just that he let me off with a stern warning and an advice not to jump signals even when its amber as it can lead to blah blah blah blah…..

After this episode, though I was disturbed, I was also happy at the fact that our man was back. That’s when I thought that everybody goes through a difficult phase in their lives. The sun doesn’t shine on you always. There will be rainy days as well. It all depends on how long you give yourself to make a comeback. I am happy at the fact that our cop was back in action and he was loving it..

How much time did I take to make a comeback? A question I can answer only when people around me tell me that I am the same old chap with a renewed perspective towards life.. Till then I will be unable to give an answer to myself…

Was that Me.. ???

2010-02-08T03:38:00.000-08:00

Well.. Saturday evening.. A time when everyone feels like partying, hanging out with some friends, basically freak out. And here I was at my home lazing out to an extent where my house maid quizzes me why am I sitting at home and not going anywhere..

In fact I was just spending time with myself, and activity which I follow once in a while. Suddenly I get this urge to head out of home, aimless, without any purpose. Just took out my vehicle and headed for a place called ‘Broken Bridge’. This is one of the most secluded places close to Elliots beach, a place rarely visited by many just because of its isolation. It’s a perfect locale for those interested in photography, the reason being its scenic beauty. This was exactly why even I decided to go there.

Yes, Photography is always something which has always excited me and to an extent I believe I should devote certain amount of time for things that keeps my mood upbeat. I believe if I put a little additional effort towards it, I can actually do a better job of it.. But never devoted that additional time...

I have always been this guy who procrastinates things to an extent where the excitement certainly does down.So here I was on a move to change my perception about myself. A task pretty difficult considering the fact that the person in question is me ! :)

Armed with my digital camera and my ever supporting companion, my IPOD, I reached my destination. It was around 5.40 in the evening, with the sun gradually beginning to resign for the day. The sight was just wonderful. A bridge jutted out towards the sea, which is broken half way, which is why the name, the sun setting down giving an orange shade to the entire sea, the waves making that never ending noise on the shore, as if inviting me towards the sea…

I was surprised to find out that I was enjoying the time with myself. With the IPOD playing one of my favorite tracks (Lift_ Poets of the fall), and the camera lens let lose to capture what ever I felt could make some sense. I didn’t even realize that I had spent close to and hour and a half all by myself at the beach clicking pictures and being with self. I just loved the time I spent away from family, friends, bothering thoughts and other excess baggage in my mind and do something which I actually enjoy. Somehow, this thought came into my mind that I was indeed enjoying a date with myself… J

After reaching back home and retiring to bed, as soon as I closed my eyes, I asked myself “ Was it indeed me?” I am not aware of the answer at present, but would definitely love to do it again..

This was one of the pictures I clicked after the sun had set and the waves were getting a bit rough...

Cheers.. Kash !

Not the usual Sunday…

2010-02-05T06:51:00.000-08:00

Well the previous weekend wasn’t a regular kind of chill out weekend. It was more of an action packed Sunday, if put across in the most subtle manner.

The day kicked off with a long ride to the Madras Motor Race track to catch up with the MRF International Motor Challenge 2010. It was an adrenaline pumping session. The race began with the MRF 1600 CC race cars burning rubber (that was the max they could do with their puny little engines). It was fun to watch around 15 cars starting the race with an enormous roar bursting out every little bit of power from the engines. The Local ace Ashwin Sunder ended up winning the race. It was indeed a nail biting finish.

The next session was that of 600 CC superbikes, a race which I have been dying to watch it live. The engine roars of 8 superbikes together on the tarmac was just unbelievable. It was like rock music to my ears. Just to see all the riders decked up in complete riding gear, with souped up rides between their legs and race like there is no tomorrow was an experience of a life time.

Just being a spectator to these superfast cars and bikes had actually charged up my emotions as well. I somehow wanted to race on the track.. So what could the next best option be? Karting.. J Yes.. As soon as the race was over, me and my buddy left for a place called KART ATTACK.. One of the very famous Karting tracks in Chennai. We raced our hearts out during the sessions and it was even more fun as I was completely charged up with the race event in the morning. Some bumper to bumper racing on those karts were really exciting.

Post the racing session, we had plan to celebrate the weekend with a lovely dinner. We headed off to a one of the best Spanish joints in Chennai, Zaras. It was an amazing place to be… An awesome combination of Whiskey Cocktails, Beer, One of the best DJs in town and an amazing company. What more could I have asked for. It was a Funtaastic experience.. ;)

Wait.. The day doesn’t end here. Post the party someone goes – “Hey there is a Sale going on in Levis and the store is open till 12AM. “ Well that was it. All of us headed off to the showroom and for the first time did some shopping at 12 AM and that too when I was off my senses.

All in all it was an activity packed Sunday and I am definitely looking forward for much more Sundays like this one.

Celebration of Freedom !!

2010-01-22T10:48:00.000-08:00

A post which has been pending for a really long time. The 3 musketeers are back again. Once again, I present to you Manjunath, Mohit and Ashwin (Yours truly)..

It was 15th August 2009. and this is the way the three of us decided to celebrate our freedom on Independence day. Apparently this date marks the third anniversary of our first ever biking trip to Gopal Swamy Betta.. So We decided, no matter what we will go on a road trip once again!

The rain gods were out with their full fury this time forcing us to rethink our plans for touching Agumbe – Known as the Chirapunji of the south, It rains like crazy there. So we decided to go to Mysore, spend some time there and get back. So as usual on the day of our trip I reached B’lore on a Friday morning (yeah, unfortunately I am still in Chennai). After reaching B’lore the three of us were just discussing about how wonderful Agumbe would be during the Monsoon season. Suddenly Mohit snapped – Guys, let’s head for Agumbe itself. Screw the rains.. It would be fun to ride in the rains…. Manja quickly agreed to the fun part. Both the guys were looking with great expectations at me. I was like – Wad da heck.. Agumbe it is.. Screw the rains…

Over the years loads of things had changed. Manja had exploded to a level where he actually justifies the Spice girls’ song – “ Two Become One” .. Trust me, the guy has actually doubled his size. I had also bloated up from the puny little college guy to a lazy fat IT professional. The only guy who was fit and unchanged was Mohit. If the riders had changed so much, how can the rides remain the same, ryt? Manjunath had graduated from a Unicorn to a Royal Enfield Machismo 500, (may be he actually realized only a beast can carry someone like him). Mohit had graduated from a 100 cc to a 150 cc Pulsar.. And I had undergraduated from a Rocking CBZ to a pillion rider this time.. Sob sob !!

Manja, quickly turned on the GPS on his mobile to come out with a route from B’lore to Agumbe. And the riute was finalized. Bangalore – Chikmanglore Via Hassan. Hassan to Agumbe via Sringeri. Agumbe to Kudremukh. Once the route was finalized we were off..

We were definitely not ready for the Fury of the Rain Gods this time.. We were spared till the time we were out of B’lore city.. We had a lovely lunch and we headed for our first overnight halt, Hassan. On our way to Hassan it started raining. All we could see was just a shade of white and grey in front of us. Every drop was hitting us so hard as if we were being pricked by needles on our faces. It was extremely difficult to ride. The wonderful cruising speeds of 110 + kms had been reduced to 50s and 60s. Even the loud thumping of Manja’s bullet could not be heard in the midst of the showers. We realized that there was no point in halting, so we kept on riding. It was an amazing experience. Finally we reached our first destination- Hassan, all drenched and wet and finally checked into a hotel. We had to hit Agumbe the next day morning.

We started off the next day morning at 7.00 AM sharp and we headed off to the top most point in Agumbe.

We expected the worst in terms of rains, but we were lucky enough that mother nature showed her mercy on us puny little riders. It didn’t rain at all. And we finally reached our destination all high and dry. The view from Agumbe was just breathtaking. The Hills covered with dense dark clouds and the sun struggling its way through the thick dark covering in front of it. The tree leaves where shining with the moisture of the early morning rains.. It was just amazing !

Our next destination was Kudremukh. It was another couple of hours ride from Agumbe to Kudremukh. The ride was again awesome. We had to cross the Kudremukh wild life sanctuary. It was just an awesome feeling. Dense forests on both sides, lovely roads in the centre and an awesome cloud cover to top it all. We had a long ride to the top. Once we reached there, we just could not believe ourselves. It was an view which can blow anyone off their feet ! We just spend as much time as we could to take in the view, Enjoy the weather, take as many pictures as possible etc.

We also had our own share of little adventures in between. The Monsoon had brought out all the leaches and two of them had found their comfortable spots, one on Mohit’s Neck and one on under my leg.

After the lovely experience we headed our way back to B’lore . Three days of complete cut off from the hustle bustle of the city, no tensions, just the rides, nature and a fantastic feeling of independence. I guess the best way to celebrate our Independence. Just hope that in my life get a chance to go on many more such rides again and again…

Cheers
Kash !

At Peace.. !

2010-01-09T20:15:00.001-08:00

Originally uploaded by Ashwin!!!

Can you give me a better definition of being at peace other than this picture.

Every time I look at this picture my mind is transported to a complete tranquil phase. All I need to do is just close my eyes, and I can actually feel the chill air of Munnar on my face, which is also ruining my hair style ;) Alryt that wasn't needed, but what the heck !

I feel as though there is no immediate destination that I need to reach.. It feels as though time has come to a halt, as though it is waiting for me to catch up with myself !

I dedicate this post to the Mystique and Beauty of this lake placid..

Cheers..

Kash !

Halong Bay_Nature's Marvel

2010-01-09T11:59:00.001-08:00

The one place which actually justifies the statement "Heaven on Earth". Breath taking sceneries, amazingly cold weather, a lovely 2 day cruise through the calm sea, a route filled with unexplored beaches, islands abd caves.. and all this available at just 4 hrs drive through the county side from Hanoi. What more can one ask for?

Well guys thats Halong Bay for you.

Imagine.. 3000 or more incredible Islands rising out of the calm and emrald green waters of the Gulf of Tonkin.. and all you have is a vision of breathtaking beauty. Halong bay is a true work of art, a priceless collection of unfinished sculptures hewn by mother nature's own hands. This place was recognised as a world heritage site in 1994, and is currenlty being considered to be included in the "New 7 wonders of the world".

Actually I was kind of wondering what is this hype around Halong bay. Right from the time I landed in Vietnam, I have been constantly getting to hear that I have to visit this place, else I am missing something in life, This is one must see place in Vietnam and even the New Zealander gal (read my previous post 'Experiences of an oriental World') had told me that she had come all the way to Vietnam to spend a week in Halong Bay. So I had made it a point that no matter what I would definitely visit this place during my short stay in Vietnam.

It was a early saturday morning. Temperature in Hanoi was around 12 degrees and we were off to Halong city. The drive through the country side was just amazing and my tour bus had an amazing blend of crowd. There were guys from China, Austrailia, Spain, Argentina, France and India.. [uhh.. that would be me and my colleague]. A couple of hours later we had reached Halong city, which looked just like a regular crowded port. After spending close to half an hour on formalities like passports,travel passes, tour maps etc, we finally were on the boat. And beleive me, my eyes were actually not ready for the treat they were about to get.

Within just 20 minutes our boat was away from the hustle bustle of the crowded port and we were slowly cruising the the calm sea waters. This place is filled with huge mountains protruding right from the sea water, plus a number of unexplored caves and beaches. I just could not believe that we were actually in aplace like this. Majestic, Mysterious, Inspiring, Imperious... No matter how hard I try, no amount of words can do justice to this wonderful place.

After cruising for close to about 3 hours throught the calm waters, we finally reached the one of the most famous caves here - Hang Dau Go.This is just one of those few caves that have actually been made tourist friendly with proper illumination, walk ways etc. The other not so privileged caves (actually the best caves for adrenaline junkies like me) are peppered through out the lime stone islands of Halong Bay. This was my very first experience inside a cave. The stalacmites were really huge and they were well illuminated to give the visitors a rich feel of the beauty of this place. There were also caves with extremely hostile environments.

Post the visit, we proceeded back towards the boat and had amazing vietnamese food in the boat itself and finally we reached Catba Island by close to 6 PM in the evening. This was our halt for the night. A lovely small little island some 8 hours from Halong city, the place where we started the cruise. I spent the entire evening in this lonely little island with very few tourists. (Most of them spend the night in the boat itslef, without stepping onto land). It was an awesome experience. Away, far away from the maddening crowd, deadlines by bosses, commitments, responsibilities etc. This was the time and place just meant for you to be YOU ! I still remember at one point, I was all alone on the beach late in the night, I was just lying on the Hammock, staring at the star studded sky, cold wind brushing on my face and I just thanked God from the bottom of my heart for bringing me here and I am not ashamed to say that my eyes did moisten up a bit.. :)

The second day had something even better on store. Right from the amazing view of sunrise by the beach to the trekking done at "Monkey Islads", everything was just picture perfect.

All in all, I can understand the excitement and the flutter associated with this place. It truly is a marvellous place and one must find and excuse to visit this place atleast once in her / his lifetime. Gievn a chance I would love to fly there again !!! :)

I am posting a few pics that I had clicked for you to get a feel of this place.. I am deliberately leaving these snaps without any captions as I am sure that your imaginations would describe this place even better... :)

Well, I have just uploaded a few random snaps, but for all of you who are interested to see more can definitely get them at my Picasa web albums...

Cheers..

Kash !

What makes me write??

2010-01-07T11:05:00.000-08:00

Several times I have wondered what is it that makes me write... Well to be very honest I had started this blog just as a trip log when I used to go on frequent biking trips. It used to be just a periodical update on the different places visited, different experiences etc. Even my blog name was riderash.blogspot.com.. :o) Initially I used to enjoy it, but later on when the excitement died down, so did the frequency of my posts.

After a while I did change the content of my blog.. Started writing on two wheelers and automobiles and F1 sports etc, stuffs on which I can go on for hours together. Stuff which really interests me.. But then i realised i wasn't blogging in the true spirit. I was just sharing my interests and views on the latest happenings in the automotive world. I felt as though my blog had become an update centre of the auto industry without doing proper justice to it. Gradually the posts dwindled..

My blog had literally gone on a long slumber as I had completely left it for a while. Though there was always something in me that used to tell me, "Ashwin, Dude, revive your blog man, think of something, do something".. But still there was no action at all.

2008 December.. An incident in my life jolted me so wildly that I was just knocked out of my regular track. It was a really tough time and with no one around I decided to just pen down random thoughts. I realised that this was the place where I could just honestly express myself without caring about anyone else. Unknowingly I started to love the freedom associated with writing in my own space. I could express my opinions on anything..

It was at this point that I realised that all this while I was thinking of a topic to write about, an idea to keep my blog alive, when I actually don't need a particular topic that confines my thoughts. I want it to be boundryless. I no longer felt like - " Oh today I have to post something ". The feeling was more like - " Wow, I can write about this too.. " That explains the current blog name - mymindscribblings.blogspot.com.. A random scribbling pad for the never ending thoughts that flow everyday.

Psst... :o) All this high Funda gyaan on free flow of thoughts etc apart, I should honestly admit that the real reason that motivates me ultimately is the lovely comments that I receive from my wonderful readers who still put up with my crap and the increasing number that you see on the little blue widget below. [Yes.. I have managed to scale up from a poor 31 to a fairly decent 69 on the Indiblogger rankings.. :)]..

Am I letting my free flow of thoughts get tainted by a meagre number game or am I actually expressing my thoughts ... Umm.. I don't know the answer.. I leave it to you guys....

Cheers

Kash !

Image Source

http://www.wpromote.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/pen-and-paper.jpg

| Happy 2010 |

2010-01-07T09:47:00.000-08:00

Many people look forward to the New Year for a new start on old habits. This year I challenge you to a new resolution. I challenge you to just be yourself.... Gift yourself a new soul !!!

Wishing you a very happy and prosperous new year... I know its a bit too late, but as they say"Better late than never"..

Cheers

Kash !!!

A regular guy.. Or may be not !!!

2009-12-24T03:47:00.000-08:00

I commute to office on my vehicle.. Hence a regular victim of all the traffic snarls, crowded junctions, maddening crowd, Blaring horns etc. Almost every day I take around 45 min to cover a distance of 10 KMs, which is not that bad considering the other Metro Standards..

Well the reason behind this post is definitely not the traffic jams I come across, but One dedicated individual who manages it. There happens to be a busy junction which needs to be crossed for entering to my office complex. There was this traffic cop who always used to GUARD that particular junction. This guy was never like the regular traffic cop that one usually sees on the roads. He was always well dressed, with neatly pressed white shirt and Khakhi trousers, Well polished brown shoes, and a very prominent gold framed Shades which used to be in stark contrast with his dark complexion. His stern face was graced by a thick moustache which kind of gave a strong message to the world as to who is in Command !

This guy was extremely strict, used to keep every road user on their toes. When he is in command, no vehicle is supposed to cross the yellow line before the signal, (which invariably is crossed by every single vehicle owner ), No Vehicle is supposed to honk, pedestrians are supposed to cross only using the zebra crossing, no one is allowed to just run across the road etc etc.. All those things which every Indian thinks is his / her birth right, were forbidden when he was around. Even though I have been using the route for almost a year, I happened to notice this chap only when he actually screwed my happiness in front of the entire public.

I was as usual waiting impatiently at the signal willing to zoom by as soon as the signal turns green. Suddenly I see this cop rushing towards me with all the vigor and he shouted at me. It was then I realized that I had crossed the yellow line next to the signal by a few feet. I did so without thinking as there were several other vehicles also ahead of the line. Though I was fuming at him at that time later I realized he was doing the right thing of making the crazy Indian roads a safer place to be. So, after this incidence, I always used to notice him at the signal. He was just the same to everybody who breaks the rules regardless of the fact if he is a pedestrian, a car, a two wheeler, a Bus or even if it’s a COP CAR. Yes I have seen him screaming his lungs out at a police car driver for jumping the signal.

I used to respect him for what he does. Neither the soaring temperatures of the Chennai summers used to burn his spirit nor the heavy rains could manage to dampen his motivation. He was always there at his best possible foot forward.

Off late something has been bothering me. For the past 1 week I haven’t seen him at his post. There was some other cop managing the junction, and the chaos was definitely not manageable by the new guy. At least I feel so. Initially I thought he wasn’t keeping well. Then I thought he might have been relocated to some other place. Gradually this thought just slipped my mind. And everyone including me was back to their usual self, I mean in terms of crossing the line, Jumping the signals etc..

A few days pass by then suddenly I see our cop back at his post. I wished he recognized me, because I wanted to pass on a Hi to him and say how glad was I to see him back on Job. Unfortunately I noticed something different. He seemed to have lost the characteristic sternness on his face. His shirt was half out and was full of creases, He was unshaven, his thick moustache had lot of grey hair peeping out, He wasn’t wearing his shades and to top it all, I didn’t see the vigor in him in handling the flow. Pedestrians were running across the road, Vehicles were jumping signals, bikers were cutting in form the wrong side of the road and to all this our cop was just a silent spectator. Had it been an isolated situation like for a day or so, It wouldn’t have bothered me. But this has been happening for the past one week.

I seriously wish that he gets back to his form and vigor and takes control of what I feel belonged to him. He would have been just another shabby traffic cop for me had I not known how he was, had I not seen how he used to command and get respect from all the road users alike. This is exactly the reason that was bothering me.

I have no idea what he is going through, what is bothering him, but whatever it is I just hope he comes out of it. May be, there isn’t anything that is bothering him, but just that his current state reminds me a bit of myself when I had lost track of life… And believe me its not a pleasant phase to go through!

I hope everything gets back to normal soon…

Cheers

Kash!!!

Experiences of an Oriental World - Hanoi, Vietnam

2009-12-19T02:29:00.001-08:00

I have been fortunate enough to visit Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore etc. But I wasn’t ready for what I had in store in Hanoi, Vietnam. I am dedicating this post specifically to this ever welcoming country mainly because it has risen like a dragon after all the sufferings and troubles. I have used this phrase because Hanoi is called as the "The City of the Soaring Dragon"

I landed in Hanoi on a cold Sunday morning when the temperatures were an all time low during the year. It was around 8 Degrees Celsius. An me being me had carefully packed all my pullovers and jackets safely inside the check in Luggage. Man it was teeth shattering cold all over. To add to my woes, it started drizzling. Here I landed in a Non – English speaking country with my thermal wear neatly locked inside my check in Luggage (The keys of which I had conveniently misplaced), my International calling card wasn’t activated and to my Horror I had lost the tiny bit of paper where I had jotted down the address of the guest house ! Yikes… What a start.. !

Suddenly I recollected I had the address in my Notes inbox. Had to access it somehow. Boy was I lucky.. I just thanked my stars for what happened next.

I just tried accessing the WI-FI available at the Airport and for some stupid reason it wasn’tconnecting to the network. Finally I blew my lid and shouted what the F..!, without realizing how loud I was. There was an astonishingly pretty female next to me. I became all red faced and apologized to her, but the beautiful New Zealander could relate to my feelings very well. She was sweet enough to offer her laptop which was already connected to the network. I pulled out the address only to find out her hotel was just three blocks away from my guest house. I couldn’t believe this was happening. (Trust me such a thing has never happened to me !I mean eeeevvvvveeeer ! J) So we shared the cab, and some chats and also spend some time at the café in her hotel.. Man, I have never been so thankful for using the F word in my life..

I loved Vietnam from the very first day itself… Wow !

Hanoi – Imagine a city where the exotic chic of old Asia blends with the dynamic face of New Asia. Where the medieval and modern co-exist. Hanoi is where imagination becomes a reality. A mass of motor bikes swarms through the tangled web of streets and that is the Old Quarter, which is the best place to check out the Pulse of this resurgent city. The hustle bustle of a regular metro, the calmness of a fantastic countryside, the architectural marvels of ancient pagodas (temples), the Vivid reminders of the past like the war monuments and museums and the ever vibrant night markets and the exuberant night life with more than 1000 night clubs and pubs reveal the spread of this fabulous city.

The more time I spent in this beautiful city, the more I started liking the city. The day starts very early for the people here. All the shops, and Offices are up and running by 8 AM in the morning. The days are really busy for the locals here. The most interesting part is the the lunch break is a solid 2 hours which includes a good lunch and an hour long Nap. Yes, they do take a nap in the office itself.. Neat huh?

The variety of food available here is just out of this world. If you are an individual appreciating N.Veg, then you would be flooded with options. You get Chicken, Mutton, Beef, Squid, Octopus, Snake Meat, Dog meat, Shrimps, Sea Horses, just to name a few. Of these, I did try out Snake meat, Snake Venom wine (One of the most deadliest wine I have ever tasted), and DOG meat !Beat that…

The Hoan Kiem Lake which decorates the centre of the city is the best place to laze around in the evening. It is the epicenter of multiple markets which sell anything from local snacks to watches to shoes to Gold. Apart from this the Ho-Chi-Minh museum, the presidential Palace, the one pillar Pagoda, the Ho-Chi-Minh Mausoleum etc are places that definitely draws the attention of the tourists and locals alike. And it definitely didn’t fail to pull me as well.

For all the while I spent in Hanoi, I was just appreciative of this city which had come up with a vengeance considering its troubled rather ravaged history. I developed a particular liking for the country which has a very strong background it its present state which also reveals the strong fighting spirit of the people who dwell in this country.

A few pictures dedicated to the beauty of this wonderful City...

The snap below was taken at the Ho-Chi-Minh Mausoleum, one of the major landmarks in the city of Hanoi

The snap below is the Presidential Palace of Ho-Chi Minh, where he lived on and off from 1958-69. It is an upmarket interpretation of the traditional rural living and has been preserved just the way "Ho" left it...

The following pic is that of the Army museum and the Museum of Vietnamese revolution displaying the Soviet and Chinese equipment alongside French and US-made weapons captured during years of War fare..

I do have plenty of pictures to be shared. I would pass on the Picasa link for all those who are interested to know further.. I have deliberately not written about one of the best places I have visited in Vietnam - Halong Bay. This was deliberate coz just a plain mention of that wonderful place wouldn't have done justice to it.. Hence contemplating on the idea of Dedicating an enitre post describing the umpteen number of breath taking places i got to see...

Till then.. Ciao Folks..

Cheers..

Kash !

Tag Along......

2009-12-17T05:46:00.000-08:00

I would like to thank Shas for tagging me into this.. I have made an attempt to be as honest as possible...

RULES: Respond and rework – answer these questions on your blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your own, and add one more question to the list.

What is your current obsession? Attempts at understanding What I want?
What are you wearing today? Cargo Shorts and a Sleeveless Tee
What’s for dinner? Whatever is available on the menu in the near by Dhaba.. J
What’s the last thing you bought? Let me make it last Things .. Two Bottles of Jack Daniel’s premium scotch Whiskey, A Watch for myself and Loads of Chocolates …
What are you listening to right now? Always the last to Know – Del Amitri
What do you think about the person who tagged you? A fantastic Blogger.. Someone whose blog is so vibrant and full of action that it doesn’t fail to generate an excitement every time I visit it. This is basically coz the posts are exactly a mirror image of her thoughts without any adulteration.. Her interests in Trekking and Photography reveal her love for nature and an eye to appreciate the same..Hey BTW, would love to see your work of art through your camera as well, coz I share a similar interest in capturing beautiful moments through the lens.. J
If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished anywhere in the world, where would you like it to be? A Bunglow at Munnar, Kerala
What are your must-have pieces for summer? My Ipod, My Shades, and of course, My Bike
If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go? To the top of Alps, Switzerland
Which language do you want to learn? There is something very classy about Spanish. So Spanish it is…
What’s your favourite quote? “Of all the things I have lost, I miss my mind the most.” – Read it on a T-shirt, but just loved it !! J
Who do you want to meet right now? Someone who was and still is very special to my heart !
What is your favorite color? Black
What is your favorite piece of clothing in your own closet? A faded navy blue slim fit jeans.
What is your dream job? To travel around the world, meet all types of people..
What’s your favourite magazines? Overdrive, Autocar, Readers’ Digest, The Economist
If you had $100 now, what would you spend it on? Another one of those expensive Watches
What do you consider a fashion faux pas? Women in Platform heals.. Yikes !!!
Who according to you is the most over-rated style icon? Gauri Khan (wife of SRK) (I stick with your answer Shas.. J)
What kind of haircut do you prefer? Jus the regular trimming..
What are you going to do after this? Work.. Loads of office work to be completed.. Naa.. Doze off !!
Who is your favourite sport star? Lewis Hamilton, F1, Mclaren Mercedes.
What are three cosmetic/makeup/perfume products that you can't live without? My Perfume, Hair gel, Moisturizer. Can’t believe I just said that….
What inspires you? My past..
Give us three styling tips that always work for you: Blue Denim and White shirt, A Cap and My attitude..
What do you do when you “have nothing to wear” (even though your closet’s packed)? I make a compromise and settle for something
Coffee or tea? Coffee it is..
What do you do when you are feeling low or terribly depressed? Music.. love it..
What is your nickname? Ash ,Ashu, Akki.. That’s it.. you cant trick me into revealing everything here....No way…
Which other blogs do you love visiting? The Midnight Sun, Whrahoolz Ramblings, I am Here to stay the list just goes on and on..
Favorite Dessert/Sweet? Chocolate Ice cream..
Favorite Season? Winter..
If I come to your house now, what would u cook for me? I am a very bad Chef, but stil you get a very nice warm cup of Coffee and a fantastic Plate of Hot Maggi Noodles.. That’s what I was actually about to prepare.. Wink wink.
What is the right way to avoid people who purposefully hurt you? Forget about their existence in this world !
What are you afraid of the most? Reliving the past.
If you could undo any one of your past actions or acts which would be that? Would have never said YES !
My Question: What does one have to do to live a Care free life forever?

Bierut.. A Delightful Surprise.. !

2009-12-15T06:06:00.001-08:00

A Perfect Middle Eastern evening settles over the Mediterranean and the Palm lined Boulevards of Central Beirut comes alive with the lights and the Sizzle of the traffic. Scruffy guys in suits exchange the city's ubiquitous English-Arabic-French greeting -"Hey-kifak-ca-va" ? (How are you?), and fashionista babes adding all the glamour that is needed to the most vibrant street in Central Beirut - Monot Street !

Watching the bubbly flows, the radiating smiles, the vibrant and excited levels of energy the easy going, carefree attitude, I could not suppress the insistent question : My God.. Is this really Beirut?

This question popped into my head mainly coz of the flutter that was created the day it was known that I was supposed to go to Beirut, Lebanon, for a customer visit. There were loads of people giving me all sorts of information download about the country's history, the rigidity of the place, the hostile conditions etc.. But their concern was justified...

Only 3 years ago, the city was under assault. And just one year ago, Lebanon was struggling to choose a President. As it finally emerged from all the chaos and conflict, the image of Beirut was tarnished and demoralised. But today, the atmosphere in this wonderful city - a place that much of the world still associates with civil wars, Sectarian strife and Political Assassinations - is remarkably upbeat and 100% charged up !

The fact that the New York Times has named Beirut as the top travel destination for 2009 stays as a record to the statement that the city is on a major comeback ! The city is on its way for reclaiming its title as the "Paris of the Middle-East" !

And boy was I in for a pleasant surprise. Because of the opinions I heard from lots of people before travelling, I had already made up an image about the city, and believe me it wasn't pretty. This whole thing made the entire trip so exciting, basically because any place I visited on my 3 day trip was just hell bent on proving my assumptions wrong about the City..

Be it the all night long beach clubs that line the coast, or the never ending rows of French Cafes, restaurants and eateries, or the very famous Lebanese food, nothing failed to amuse me, and I was just loving every single moment of it. There wasn't anything typical of Middle East associated with Beirut..

I mean, first of all the Primary Language is not Arabic. French is also a widely accepted language. The USD is a widely accepted currency than the Lebanese Pound. The weather is amazingly lovely and finally, one look at the babes and you will know Na --ah ! This place is definitely not part of the Middle East !

All I have to say is that never make an opinion based on what people around you say. Had I backed out thinking that it would be unsafe to visit Lebanon, I would have missed one of the most wonderful experiences of my life....

More on that later... I leave the rest to you guys to decide.. :)

Cheers..

Kash

Guilty or Innocent ?

2009-12-10T04:46:00.000-08:00

I owe a major one to Amrit… I am really sorry for the long delay in completing the tag buddy.. But its better late than never ryt??

So here is it goes and the tag name is Innocent..or Guilty? Please read the rules carefully!

RULE 1- You can only say Guilty or Innocent.

RULE 2- You are not allowed to explain anything unless someone messages you and asks!

RULE 3- Copy and paste this into your notes, delete my answers, type in your answers and tag to your friends..

Asked someone to marry you? Guilty
Ever kissed someone of the same sex? Innocent..
Danced on a table in a bar? Innocent
Ever told a lie? Guilty …No survival without this.. J
Had feelings for someone whom you can’t have back? Guilty
Kissed a picture? Guilty
Slept in until 5 PM? Innocent.. 2PM is the limit… J
Fallen asleep at work/school? Guilty
Held a snake? Guilty
Been suspended from school? Innocent
Worked at a fast food restaurant? Innocent
Stolen from a store? Innocent
Been fired from a job? Innocent.. uuh… Not yet I believe.. ;)
Done something you regret? Guilty L
Laughed until something you were drinking came out your nose? Innocent.. Yuck…
Caught a snowflake on your tongue? Innocent.. Never got a chance till date in 25 years.. Can you beat that???
Kissed in the rain? Guilty… It was awesome :) …
Sat on a roof top? Guilty
Kissed someone you shouldn’t? Guilty.. Still cant believe it happened..
Sang in the shower? Guilty.. Always..
Been pushed into a pool with all your clothes on? Innocent.. Was in my Shorts.. ;)
Shaved your head? Guilty
Had a boxing membership? Innocent.. (Hey Amrit, Did u Add this question???)
Made a girlfriend cry? Guilty
Been in a band? Innocent
Shot a gun? Guilty
Donated Blood? Guilty..
Eaten alligator meat? Innocent
Eaten cheesecake? Guilty
Still love someone you shouldn’t? Guilty
Have/had a tattoo? Innocent
Liked someone, but will never tell who? Guilty
Been too honest? Guilty
Ruined a surprise? Guilty
Ate in a restaurant and got really bloated that you couldn’t walk afterward? Guilty
Erased someone in your friends list? Guilty
Dressed in a woman’s clothes (if you’re a guy) or man’s clothes (if you’re a girl)? Guilty…
Joined a pageant? Innocent
Been told that you’re handsome or beautiful by someone who totally meant what they said? Guilty
Had communication with your ex? Guilty….
Got totally drunk on the night before exam? Guilty
Got totally angry that you cried so hard? Guilty

Wow.. I have scored 26…. Now that’s a pretty decent score I believe.. J

My Apologies...

2009-11-27T17:25:00.000-08:00

My Sincere apologies to all those people, who might have visited my blog only to find that its as dead as before... [Not that many people would have visited, but just to keep my self motivation high, lets assume there has been a huge traffic to my blog... :-)]

The reason being Travelling and loads of it... Some domestic, some International... etc.. I have been longing to share my experiences on the same, but unfortunately never could spare the time for the creative self to get in action..

I am currently in Hanoi, Vietnam juggling around between enormous work related pressures plus enjoying the unexplored patterns of this side of the world....

I would love to share my experiences as soon as I get some time out. But to get myself started, I am completing a tag by Amrit, the only guy who frequently visits my blog and encourages me to continue..... :)

An Ode to Homemakers....

2009-09-25T11:51:00.000-07:00

Have you ever felt that you are carrying the whole weight of the world onyour shoulder? Why is it that only you have to do everything to keep thethings moving? Why should only you struggle to make your house a home?

Well these questions were pondering in my mind on a Friday evening. It wasraining heavily and I was completely drenched on the way to my home fromoffice. The first thing I wanted was a nice hot cup of Ginger Tea, Coz no matter what, there is no combination better than heavy rain and hot tea. Irushed to the kitchen only to find that the Fridge didn’t have any milk in it. I braved the rain, went to the nearest departmental store and purchaseda packet of milk. I went back to the kitchen, all excited with the thoughtof having a hot tea. But things were not going my way. I found out that theGas cylinder was empty. No matter how much I try and extract the last bitof LPG from the cylinder, the burner wouldn’t budge. I was pissed, butthere was nothing I could do for a cup of tea. I mumbled a bit but thenrealised the best thing to do is accept the fact. So I decided to watchTV..

The hunt was on for the remote amongst the stack of magazines, CDs, andnewspapers and finally the remote. Switched on the TV, tuned in to themovie category only to be welcomed by a blank screen. There was a messagefrom Tata Sky – “ Dear subscriber, Your services have been temporarilywithdrawn for non-payment of the monthly subscription charges. Please makethe payment immediately to resume your services..” OH craap !! I forgot topay the charges.. Bloody hell !! No TV, and that too its a weekend !! Nooo !!

All pissed and irritated, I finally decided to catch up with my friendsonline and I barged into the bedroom to grab my laptop. By the time thelappy was booting up, I had somehow managed to calm myself down. I clickedon the Mozilla browser, and by default hit the Facebook URL. You won’tbelieve, I was again welcomed by an alert message. – “Dear Airtel Customer,Please pay the current month outstanding amount to enjoy uninterruptedservices”.. I was spell bound. Have never felt so frustrated in life. I waslike wondering, why is it that only I have to do everything. Why aren’t myroommates concerned at all? But what is the point.With nothing working in favour of me and left with no choices, I decided toread a novel. Still feeling irritated, Pissed and helpless somehow byaround 12.30, I slept off.

But unfortunately, it was not over yet. I had to wake up the very next day,early in the morning as the maid had already come. Still groggy, somehowmanaged to get up, opened the door and went back to sleep, only to be wokenup by the maid, as there was no detergent powder and she couldn’t wash the clothes. I just could not believe it was happening to me. There are so many things to be taken care of in the house. I somehow told the maid to washthe clothes the next day, and finally just managed to doze off again.The door bell goes off again. It was the cook. Yes ! We have a cook. Abachelor’s boon. But not necessarily mine. She enters the kitchen andshouts out a list of things not available ranging from vegetables to atta and so on.. Man I had to finally pay her extra 50 bucks to go buy it andthen prepare brunch for me !! Add to it the additional effort of makingher understand how to prepapre the normal roti – sabji without adding herown favourite masalas.. My God !! No one can ever dare to taste itagain... he he...

This was the time when i truly missed my Mom.. It is only now that Irealise how difficult it would have been for her to manage me, my sis, Dadthe maid, the cable wala, the newspaper wala, the household shopping etcetc etc.. the list goes on and on and on.... She never ever made any of usuncomfortable. Whatever we wanted was always available. She used to solely manage the entire household with such great perfection that I had almosttaken it for granted. It is now when I have to personally manage thesethings that I realise the difficulty.

I want to take this opportunity to salute all wonderful homemakers who havebeen making houses as homes for so many years and meeting the needs of theentire family....

I salute u Ma...

Cheers..Kash !

A Reason to Celebrate...

2009-09-24T12:56:00.000-07:00

It was a regular day in Office.. The same old Client presentations, the same old pretending to be busy etc etc.. Somehow spent 11 hours in office and reached home.. As expected out of a typical Bachelor, the first thing I did was to turn on the Television.

I love the company of some good music especially when I am alone at home. So the obvious choice was VH1. Made myself a cup of tea all the while enjoying the latest number from Lady Gaga. Finally I freshened up and decided to watch a beautiful series on Discovery Channel – TIME WARP.. ( A Genuine statement to people who have not watched it.. you are missing something).. And so I was watching Time Warp and enjoying every bit of it till the inevitable ad break..

I was just staring at the screen when suddenly one ad caught my attention… My Hero, My Daughter… Celebrate Daughters’ day on 27th September, with Archies Cards.. I was like.. Duh.. WTF… Daughters’ Day. Hey... I am not against the Fairer sex or anything like that. I am just amused by the way these Greeting card companies make regular calendar days something really important.. I mean, no one ever celebrated these kinda stuff had these Greeting Card companies not made cards on Mothers’ Day, Fathers’ Day, Teachers’ Day even Valentine’s Day. I mean there is nothing wrong in it, but somewhere I feel the emotional value is getting lost... (I am bound to find plety of differences in opinion in this context)

But now , somehow I feel there has to be a limit somewhere. There is nothing wrong in Celebrating a day specially for someone, but there has to be a history behind it. There is a specific reason why Valentine’s day is celebrated, why Teachers; Day is celebrated and so on. But Daughters’ Day – on what context.. May be I am ignorant or unaware, but I don’t think the significance of an Intense relationship between a Father, Mother and their children should intensify on a particular day! It is something to be celebrated throughout ones’ life…

May Be I am thinking too much.. May be it would be better if I set my mind at rest and enjoy the next episode of Time Warp…

Disclaimer -- I have nothing against the celebration of any day, Just that I personally feel that the significance of certain relationships are lost into thin air behind the marketing gimmicks by a few companies..

Cheers.. I sign off...

Destination Unknown….

2009-09-21T10:19:00.000-07:00

“Kabhi Kissi Anjaan sheher keliye ticket kata ke dekho”… Be Born Again….. these words said by Amir Khan in the latest Titan ad were echoing in my head all the while I was travelling in the Bus…

Everything started with a wedding invite that I received from a very good friend of mine. The D day was on 23rd of August and the venue was a small village somewhere in Tamil Nadu. Well that was the only information I had… Along with a mandate that no matter what I was supposed to attend the wedding at any cost ! However I was assured by my friend that he will ensure I land up safely at the right venue.. :)
You will not believe, I had no clue where this village was till the final date of travel as the tickets were booked by another one of our friends who was travelling along with me to the wedding. Finally, after loads of struggle, I somehow managed to find out the destination. It was close to Tanjore, the haven of traditional art forms paintings and the ever famous Tanjore temple. But still this wasn’t the exact location. But at least I knew where I was headed to – Close to Tanjore… he he..

So we boarded the bus on Friday night and reached the location on Saturday morning 7.30. It was finally when I got out of the bus (No Volvos or AC buses to the destination… Only an old rickety bus, which is probably meant to run only on country sides….) that I realised that I actually am in one of the remotest place in Tamil Nadu that I have ever visited. Apparently the ‘close to Tanjore' was an eye wash made by my friend who probably didn’t want to take the pains to explain where the hell we were off to. I realised that we were around 170 KM away from Tanjore and 380 KM away from Chennai...

Well the name of the Village or rather hamlet was ‘PATTUKOTTAI’. If translated literally into English, meant SILK FORT. It was altogether a different feeling. No hustle bustle of Automobiles, no blaring horns, no busy people running around. There were no Auto rickshaws. Only Govt buses were the means of transportation. That too one bus every 5 hours. One can slightly get a feeling as to what kind of place it would be.

But what changed my perception was the Tanjore – Pattukottai bus trip. I could experience the real beauty of the unspoilt, unpolluted countryside... Long winding (surprisingly well maintained) roads through acres or rather hectares of lush green Paddy fields on both sides dancing to glory to the tunes of the wind. The roads were rarely occupied by vehicles. Cows, Buffaloes, and occasionally the tractors used to crowd the roads near small towns. It was a beautiful experience all in all.

I was feeling totally out of place in a plain Blue Denim and Grey Tee. The rest of the Junta were in the traditional White Dhotis and White Shirt. I could feel as though the entire village was staring at me with amusement. And finally, after a two and a half hour long journey we finally reached the marriage venue.

The entire family was there to welcome us. It was a royal treatment that we got. I was taken aback by the warmth and the affection being showered on us. Suddenly, the feeling that – Oh my God, where on earth have I landed, just disappeared. I was feeling really great.

The marriage was purely traditional with the entire village attending the ceremony. It was a fantastic experience. The way the people of the village were taking pride in being part of the wedding was just too good. Small kids to young men had taken the responsibility to handle the function, from arranging the tables and chairs, serving the lunch etc. The females had taken up welcoming of the guests and collecting the gifts, ensuring that each one of the guests were well taken care of etc..

This made me realise how distinct is the culture with in one state itself. It was a great feeling to be part of the entire function. Pattukottai and the wonderful people will remain etched in my mind for a long time..

Image Source: http://wallpaper4god.com/wallpapers/destination-unknown_299_1024x768.jpg

Was it indeed a giant leap for all of Mankind ??

2009-07-20T10:47:00.000-07:00

July 21st 1969.... God!! Its been 40 long years since Neil Armstrong had set his feet on the Moon.. 40 years. Its definitely a huge deal for the entire world...

40 years of confusion and arguments and conspiracy theories.. 'Did man actually land on the Moon'?? I myself have been facing this internal conflict.. A major part of me wants to believe that Neil Armstrong was the first man, who made a Giant Leap for the entire mankind. But there is a tiny portion in my mind which compels me to think the opposite, No man ever landed on Moon..

This thought is strongly supported by the number of evidences provided by various conspiracy theorists and secondly knowing the fact that the country in question is none other the United States !!!

Whatever it is, I do not want to bring up the issue all over again and take away the charm from this big event. For now this is just a stoic response to a huge achievement of Mankind 40 years ago ! !! To support this even the world is about the witness the longest ever Solar eclipse in the past so many years.. Call it destiny or wat??

The Exciting World of Ads !!

2009-07-19T05:19:00.000-07:00

Ads… No matter how far you run, no matter where you hide, they will hunt you down and sell things that you want / don’t want / never even dreamt of having etc etc… That is the power of advertising!!

I know for majority of people advertisements are something that find there way either into the most interesting part of a match, or exactly at a time when the movie is about to hit a climax!!! This being exactly the reason why they are hated by many…

But for some strange reason, I have always admired the creativity that goes behind the Ads. I have deliberately made an effort to understand and appreciate the way in which the message is being communicated. The more indirect mode of communication, the more interested I am in the Ad..

I believe that the Indian Ad world has come a long way in terms of the punch of the message, creativity and a much bolder theme. In terms of creativity, the first things that pops into my head is the Zoozoo ads of Vodafone. The ads were so powerful, that It has shook the entire media industry, to an extent that the Zoozoos have become the new face of Vodafone along with the “always loved” Pug. Subtle and simple messages were communicated so powerfully that it leaves a lasting impact on a person’s mind ! Kudos to the team behind it...

The other ad which had grabbed my mindshare for a long time was the Happy Dent White chewing gum ad. The message – Eating this particular chewing gum helps in maintaining white teeth, was conveyed so dramatically with an added sense of humor that this particular ad went on to win the best ad in the 2007 awards.

There are a loads of other ads worthy enough to be mentioned here, like the Pulsar 220, 2009 edition ad.. Fastest Indian on road, The latest Yamaha Mobike ads focusing on performance and the Brand, The HSBC Bank ad conveying the message that different people have different needs and loads of others.. Not jotting them down for want of space..

I was earlier mentioning that the Indian Ad world has also evolved into a much mature industry, where bold and strong messages are being communicated. And the best part is that such messages are well accepted by the audience as well, which is indeed a positive development..

For instance, the “Jo Bola, wohi Sikandar” ad on condom was a lot bolder than the older ads, or the Ipill emergency pills ads or the latest matrimonial website ads etc have helped the consumer shed the inhibitions associated with such products from their minds.

Well, all of the above said, I still feel that Print ads are the best, as they convey the message in the best and shortest way possible, which tests the creativity to its limit !! I am just posting a collection of a few of the Ads which I found were really exceptional… So here goes..

A dramatic representation of the power of the Vitamin tablets.. The Plane crashes as it is hit by the ball... Awesome creativity !!!

One of the best Hot Wheel ads i have ever witnessed..

Never ever seen such a lovely Pepsi Ad.. :)

An awesome effort by the IWC Watches. This was done in all the public mode of transporation in Zurich !! Amazing...

The best way to communicate that the particular skin cream is the best !!

This is creativity at its best, i would say. The Crown of the Beer bottle has a picture of the car. The minute you open the bottle the picture of the car is bent, with a message on the inside of the bottle... Dont Drink and Drive !! Awesome !!! Who would have ever thought of this.

Alright.. i am leaving this one for you guys to admire the thought... Go on.. ;)

Well since the Idea behind this particular ad is a bit serious had reserved it for the last. This was published immediately after the Bihar Floods (River Kosi).. The message was .. SAVE TREES, TREES SAVE! Hard hitting, but excellent...

Well, I admit that i got carried away, and suddenly realised the post has becme really long.. So in the interest of the readers I am resisting my temptations to post any more...

But a sincere request to everyone out there... please take a few minutes of your entertaiment time to admire the creativity behind these ads as well..... Thanks...

Cheers Ash....

Not all is up in Smokes... !

2009-07-17T11:29:00.000-07:00

Cigarette smoking is injurious to health..... The first thing that I always read and highlight to people about who I really care....

I have always wondered, what is there in smoking that can make people addicted to it, to an extent that inspite of knowing all the harmful side effects, people just don't quit it... That's when I thought, why not attempt to understand the good things about smoking, not the vices, which takes flak all the time...

So here I go...

Nothing promotes Bonhomie as much as a smoke... Wondering what the hell I am speaking about?? Well... I have always observed this thing, One guy is smoking and there is somebody else who needs a light.. and thats it.. Off they go into a casual conversation.. A cigarette butt usually turns out to be the best conversation starter ever.. You Meet somebody for the first time at a smoking joint, share a light, share some light moments discussing economy, weather, etc etc.. Meet the person again at the joint the next day and there you go.... Good buddies from then on...

A smooth Ice breaker... Yes !! I have often seen this... Juniors going out for a smoke with the seniors.. Its one place where both the parties discuss work casually, off hand without the messy Boss - Subordinate relation.. The uncomfortable silence which usually creeps in can easily be blown away with the smoke.. I have seen guys developing a good rapport with their bosses, even talk about appraisals, better job offers etc over a smoke.. Which is definitely a positive score.. :)

Burn out your worries... "Don't drink and Drive, Just smoke and fly".. This is the motto that keeps the spirit alive, vouches one of my best buddies.. If you are in some tension, something is bothering you, just burn em out with a smoke.. I fail to understand how it works, but it definitely helps loads of people in easing out the worries..

Oodles of attitude....This is one thing that cannot be denied at any cost ! No matter what people say, A smart formal attire flaunted along with a cigarette surely scores on the "COOL QUOTIENT" front !! This is a personal opinion and may not be accepted by all.. I strongly do feel so ..

Well.. that's the best of the lot that I could gather on the positives on smoking.. But I still maintain, none of these have ever motivated me to take up smoking.. and hope nothing ever will.....

Thatz all 4 now !!!

I am Inspired !!!

2009-06-27T13:09:00.000-07:00

It was a lazy saturday morning.. Had a pretty loong night yesterday. So ended up gettin up really late. around 12.PM.. he he.. For guys who dont know me, I am a typical lazy, unorganized procastinating couch potato.. So the very first thing I did was freshened up, grabbed the days' paper and switched on the TV... Was jus flicking through the channels, and there came Spiderman 3.. just wanted to see the stunts all over again so left it onand was also running through the days headlines on the newspaper..

The Movie was on in full swing with all the special effects, graphix and stuff, which I was intermittently enjoying.. The Movie was almost over andthats when our Spidey passes on a statement --

"Whatever comes our way, Whatever battle rages within us, We always have a choice to make...Its our choices that make us who we are, And we can alwayschoose to do whats right!"

All of a sudden, something struck my mind.. I found the statement so powerful that I ran through my DVD stack, played Spiderman 3 again, just to hear the statement again. For some reason, it got registered in my head !!!

Choices... Ever wondered the number of options God had always offered you..Ever bothered to rethink the choices that you have made till date???.. You chose an option which has defined what you are today !! Whoa !! If you ever think of it that way, it sounds so huge, but when you are actually faced with multiple options, the choice that you make mostly, are based on the immediate benefits are short term happiness... It may or may not be right at a later point in time..

I should also agree that there will be times when life does not offer multiple options, and you are left with no choices but forced to pick one that comes your way.. And thats the real challenge. Even though the choice is yours, you may not have the option to choose right !!

Personal turmoils can always hinder sane decision making abilities .. Lifealtering choices should never be taken under pressure. Faith in self should guide you in taking decisions..But I firmly believe that If one always wishes good for himself and for others the choices that he makes eventually may turn out to be right !

So Mr. Spidey, I beleive that we alwaya have the option to choose what isright.... But i must say, It was indeed a powerful statement.

Cheers..
Ash.....

Remember the Time... JAckO !!!

2009-06-27T12:14:00.000-07:00

"If you enter this world knowing you are loved and you leave the world knowing the same, then everything that happens in between can be dealt with" -- Micheal Jackson

Browsing the Internet at 2 in the morning, after a long hard day at work, one doesn't expect anything dramatic...leave alone earth-shaking. One look at CNN website and I was jolted out of my sleepy mood...the breaking news ticker said Michael Jackson, the absolute King of Pop, had been rushed to hospital after collapsing in his rented Bel Air mansion. I sat up straight, said a tiny little prayer but I feared the worst. And so it was. Soon all the channels were saying the same thing -- the King was dead.

I am Upset...it's as if someone I knew, someone real close to me, had died. And he was CLOSE...I've literally grown up listening to him...first as the Jackson Five and then as MJ...he rocked my world.
I remember vividly my dad bringing me the a triple casette pack of MJ "History"(no CDs back then) from one of his trips. I played it morning, noon and night on my Philips deck. I used to continuously play all my favoraite .....Billie Jean, Beat It, Wanna Be Startin Somethin' BAD, Earth Song, Heal the world (one of his best ever) and Thriller, of course.
Sing he could but dance...There was no one who could bring the stage shows alive as much as MJ could !!! He was a God on stage and crotch-grabbing was the only move that I could pull off when on the floor. He had created a charecter of his own by his sense of style -- red leather jacket and glitter glove on the right hand -- and I would want to remember MJ like this for ever...

As for the scandals, that's what sets the stars apart from us mortals. I definitely do not want to remember Jacko for the Scandals he got himself into, but as the creative and genuine Musical Maestro who set the wholw world danve to his tunes !!!!

I along with my close friends had decided to pay Ode to the King of pop in our own way possible.. We went out on a looong drive late in the night with the Car's audio system loaded with MJ's songs and we drove around the entire city playing his songs remembering him for his contribution to the world of Music !!!

Will Miss you Micheal !!!!

Lovely Recession.... :)

2009-06-17T12:36:00.000-07:00

Hmmm.. Everyone was writing about the Global Economic Recession and stuff.. I had decided that not once will I post anything related to that.. I mean the job loss, lesser pay, pink slips and stuff.. Everything sounded so depressing... So I made up my mind that I will not write anything on the recession.. Let the Laws of Economics play its role and bring back the boom..

This was what I kept on thinking till I happened to come across the following.. I found it soo interesting that I thought it is worth to be shared with everyone.. So here goes.. :)

It is August. In a small town on the South Coast of France, holiday season is in full swing, but it is raining so there is not too much business happening. Everyone is heavily in debt.

Luckily, a rich Russian tourist arrives in the foyer of the small local hotel. He asks for a room and puts a Euro100 note on the reception counter, takes a key and goes to inspect the room located up the stairs on the third floor. The hotel owner takes the banknote in hurry and rushes to his meat supplier to whom he owes E100.The butcher takes the money and races to his supplier to pay his debt.The wholesaler rushes to the farmer to pay E100 for pigs he purchased some time ago.

The farmer triumphantly gives the E100 note to a local prostitute whogave him her services on credit.The prostitute goes quickly to the hotel, as she owed the hotel forher hourly room use to entertain clients. At that moment, the rich Russian is coming down to reception and informs the hotel owner that the proposed room is unsatisfactory and takes his E100 back and departs.

There was no profit or income. But everyone no longer has any debt and the small town people look optimistically towards their future.

COULD THIS BE THE SOLUTION TO THE GLOBAL FINANCIAL CRISIS? Or, is there a catch here? A thought worth pondering around huh???

The Complete Man... !!

2009-06-02T09:00:00.000-07:00

Now I definitely can understand why Raymond had come up with this tag line.. It takes helluva lot to be the Complete man....

Why God Why... Why should I know things which are trivial, yet they mange to bother me so much... Y cannot I just remain blissfully ignorant about these little facts, which will help me enjoy myself without worrying much..Before all you guys start wondering about wat I am talking about, lemme just give you a hint.. Its about Fashion, etiquettes etc.. Hold On HoldOn.. I am no Fashion Guru or a Connoisseur of fine arts or manners or something... But its just that, since I know certain facts, there is a subconscious urge in me to stick by them, even if it makes me feel a bit uneasy... How unfortunate...

I know its no biig deal, but just have a look at the list of things I haveto be careful about, just because of the fact that I am aware of it... Hope somebody understands my Misery... :)

Here Goes..

If you are wearing a Blazer, you must ensure that the last button of the blazer is left open. Only three fourths of the cuffs of your shirt should be visible. I never used to bother till i happened to read about it some place.... Cuff Links are supposed to be worn only with twin cuffed shirts. Thankfully, never had the ability to own an expensive pair of Cuff Links..

You are not supposed to wear White sox to office... And I always had a feeling that White means formal and made it a point to wear flashy WhiteS ox for each of my placement Interview... Seesh !!!

The color of your Tie and that of your sox should match.. And here I was thinking that the Shirt and the Tie matching was of most importance.. But hell no ! It has to match with the bloody sox as well.. Well here is some more about ties... The length of the tie denotes your relationship status.. Can you beat that !!!! If the length of the Tie is just above your waist, then you are a Single earning professional. If the length is upto your belt buckle and covering the same, then you are a married man, and if the length of the tie covers the belt buckle and is slightly below the belt, then you are married and you have kids....Thank God, there is nothing to show how many kids you have.. hehe... Man... Every Monday, I struggle to keep the length of the tie just above my waist... Something I woudnt even have bothered had I not known about it..

The Color of your Belt and that of your Shoes should match.. Um Well This is something which I always knew, but never bothered to follow, Until recently.. (An Honest Confession)

The Belt buckle should always face towards the right.. Well I should admit,this is something which I knew right from my school days.. So not much complains about that...

Formal wear mean propoer formal wear, But business casuals definitely doesn’t mean casual wear.. Friday Casuals means -- No Round necked or V necked Ts, only collared ones.. Faded jeans – A strict NO NO.. etc etc.. Something for which my company HR always used to warn me.... hehe...

Monday Formals are different from Tuesday and so on.. Well I have to make a Candid confession out here... This silly guy.. (yours truly) had a belief that any Full Sleeve Shirt neatly Pressed and flaunted with a Matching Flat front trousers means you are in formals... A Mistake which I corrected Longback.. But there are several additions to it as well.. On Mondays it should be only a Light Plain coloured shirt with matching trousers and a tie plus a BLACK Shoes.. Yes.. Brown leather is not meant for MondayFormals..(God only knows howmany people know and follow it as well..) Teusdays and Wednesdays can be a Combo of not too loud Cheks or Stiripes and can be paired with Chinos and Khakis... And Thursdays are the only days wen one can wear a Half Sleeve and still manage to get away without raising many eyebrows..

And now to the most interesting part .. for me that is...– Watches.. For some strange reason it is said that Watches are to be worn on the left hand.. (I prefer in the right hand though, which explain the strage part of it.. he he).. And you cannot own just one watch and be content with it... Wondering Why?? Well here z why.....

Along with Monday formals, don’t you dare to commit the blunder of wearing a Metal Bracelet Watch. It should be a leather strap watch the color of which should of course match with your belt and shoes.. Digital Watches are definitely out of the league till Thursday.. probably you can manage towear it on a Friday..

Shoes.. One thing which I wouldnt want to discuss much in detail here, coz I myself am not sticking on to what ever I am about to say.. So leaving it unsaid .. Wink Wink...

I have no clue as to many of you were even aware of the details ... But I sure hope it should bother you as well the same way it troubles me... Only then my purpose of this post will be served... :D.. And Ladies.. Dont you dare say that Guys dont have to bother much. All they have to do is wear a Shirt and a Trouser... Atleast now you would be aware of the pains we go through for that perfect look.. :)

Well thts about it.. Me signing Off..

Good Times and Bad Times....

2009-05-06T10:07:00.000-07:00

I had this wierd thought in my mind... Dont know if it applies to all, or is it just me !! But anyways.. feel like sharing it .. so here I go...

Why is it that when you are happy and things go on very smoothly, you seldom realize it and hardly appreciate it.... Things are picture perfect.. You are Sorrounded by all wonderful people, good friends and everything is just as you wanted it to be... But when you are living those moments you fail to realize how precious these moments can become sometime later in your life... These moments in life come and go real quick...

On the other hand, when Life moves outta track, when things get difficult, when you feel the world around you is crashing down, You tend to feel every bit of it... Every second feels like and hour... You feel you are stuck in that moment for ever.. Everything that was wonderful earlier turns out to be sour, you will miss all the wonderful people around you and feel all lonely and left out...

Y does one fail to understand Life has its on Peaks and Troughs.. Enjooy the peaks and survive the trough.. The deeper the better.. Coz you will apprciate the next peak even if its a very small one, which might have gone unnoticed if things were always perfect !!!

Whoa !! tht was too heavy a post !!! God... Somebody.. Plz pack me off to the Everst or the Amazon for a few days.. Else I will keep posting such stuff.. :)

Not an Ordinary day !!!

2009-05-05T12:32:00.000-07:00

A Smiling Face doesn’t indicate the absence of Sorrow, but it only indicates that they have ability to Deal with Them.... I just realised how true this statement is...

It was a regular day at office.. The same old Solution Document preperation, the endless discussions to arrive at a Solution, so tht i could tweak the response, deadlines,escalations so on and so forth...

Enough for any guy to loose his senses.. Adding to it the fact of me being equally pissed from morning for some other reason..

It was already 9 in the night.. I was riding back home, praying to reach home ASAP.. All I needed was a wonderful cup of tea, and my muzik collexxion to tak e me to a world far far away....

Phew.. finally home sweet home.. This was the last thought that ran in my head just before I entered the main road !! I am in the main road and Voila.. I have got myself into a wild and crazy collexion of Buses, trucks, Autos, bikes and cars all of em honking wildly to make their way through a heavy traffic... It ususally is never this crowded at this time of the night... The last thing I wanted after a baad day at work... Greeat !!!

Soon even before I could realise, I too added to the already sky rocketing decibal levels by honking my shrill horn to find my way through the traffic...I felt a bit guily for abusing a guy for blaring his horn some time back and now I am doing the same.. Sheesh !!!

My Mood was going from Bad to worse to Mad !! All of a sudden,a well dressed, educated elderly man, jus jumped out from the side of the road asking me for a lift.. I was about to abuse him for his recklessness, when he passed on a Wonderful smile, apologising for his mistake.. The warmth and genuiness in his smile made me forget everything.. And we were off.. As it was the highway, I did not bother to ask him where he wanted to go, neither did he bother to tell me.. After a couple of minutes of uncomfortable silence, I decided to break the ice, and started complaining about the traffic, the weather, and all the trivial stuff jus to keep the silence away.Little did I realize that I was cribbing too much.. The man answered to all the questions calmly, with a smile on his face all the time.. Not once did he get irritated.. I later realized that even My temper had sobered down ...

As soon as we reached Lifeline Hospital, The gentleman asked me to stop the Vehicle.. I will get down here Boy.. Thanks a loot son.. he said, again with a warm smile on his face..I couldnt resist myself from asking, what he was doing at the Hospital at this point in time... And beleive me.. I wasnt ready for his answer.. He said he had a Son of my age who has been admitted in the ICU for the last One week.. He had run out of cash. His debit cards were not working in the ATM with in the hospital.. His vehicle didnt start, so he hired an Auto to the nearest ATM some 5 KM frm the Hospital.. (The place where I picked him up from). since none of the Autos were ready to take him back in the traffic, he had to hitch a ride with me !!!

I was spellbound.. Here is a man who's son is in a critical condotion at the hopital, His ATM card dosent work, His Car wont Start, The Autos wont take him back to the Hospital when its urgent.. Inspite of all this he alwaays managed a pleasant smile on his face, Was not cursing or cribbing about what ever was happening around him..And Here I was who was snapping at anything and everything around me just coz I had a hard day at work !!!

After the man walked into the Hospital, I still stood there watching the man walk in, trying to digest what he just said... Thts wen i realzed the power of smile and its healing power... I dont even remember the name of that Gentleman, but what he taught me in those 15 min that he was with me, is something that I will cherish my entire life..
I bet your Son will be perfectly fine pretty soon..

Cheers...

Know Yourself Better

2009-04-30T12:41:00.000-07:00

This is a loong pending post... Amrit had tagged me in... So here I go.. Letting myself off..
I tagging a few of my buddies as well.. Deepthi, Zack, Dad, UL, Nikki.. Guys.. Plz try it out.. Its interesting... :)

My Responses >>>

1. Were you named after anyone?
Guess my previous post would explain that … Wink...!

2. When was the last time you cried?
Excuse me.. Guyz don’t cry… Bet this is passé…. Apparently it was last evening itself. I was watching Taare Zameen Par.. The last scene, where Ishaan gets the award, I didn’t even feel like struggling to hold back the tears. It was a direct hit at the heart !! And I bet, even the most stoic person would shed a tear or two… :)

3. Do you like your handwriting?
Love it.. Except when I am completely bored.. It gets really ugly…

4. What is your favorite lunch meat?
Prawns.

5. Do you have kids?
Nope..

6. If you were another person, would you be friends with you?
If I were another person, I would have definitely been ‘Good Friends’ with me as I am a very buddy buddy kinda guy…

7. Do you use sarcasm?
Yes I do. Use it a loot to tease friends.. No harm intended though !! But its fun...

8. Do you still have your tonsils?
Yes! No idea why this questions figures in here....

9. Would you bungee jump?
Oh yes, Very baaadly! I never got a chance to try it out have been wanting to do it …

10. What is your favorite cereal?
Rice…I guess… …

11. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off?
Always…. I Neva take em off without untying them.. The only reason behind it being the fact that it would be equally difficult to put them back on the next time with the laces still tied!!

12. If you were to pick your own first name, what would it be?
It would definitely be Ashwin , again…

13. What is your favorite ice-cream?
Chocolate. All time hit in my case....

14. What is the first thing you notice about people?
What kind of shoe, and what brand of Watch is he/she wearing.. Believe me it gives a loot of info on the Personality of an individual. The next thing, of course is the way the individual speaks…

15. Red or Pink?
RED.. I hate anything to do with PINK… it’s a personal thing..

16. Whom do you miss the most?
Ma nephew…. Aryan…

17. Do you want everyone to complete the list?
Yes.. I would definitely expect the people I forward the List to complete it…

18. What color clothes are you wearing?
Faded Blue Jean + White Short sleeve Tee .. :)

19. What are you listening to right now?
Illusions and Dreams – Poets of the Fall

20. If you were a crayon what color would you be?
Black…

21. Favorite smells?
Hugo Boss – SOUL and also.. Fuel - Petrol, Fresh Paint, and Fresh Coffee on a rainy day… Whacky choices huh…

22. Who was the last person you talked to on the phone?
Silly question !!!! Anyways it wouldn’t be of any use here…

23. How do you know the person who sent this to you?
Well, he is my Colleague, my buddy the guy who inspired me to restart this blog which I had almost let it go !!! Thanx a lot mate…

24. Favorite sports to watch?
F1 and Moto GP... The only sports which deserve my precious time before the TV... :)

25. Hair Color?
Black

26. Eye Color?
Brown

27. Do you wear contacts?
No…neither glasses

28. Favorite Foods?
Mexican Red Wave Pizza – with extra cheese and a chilled Coke

29. Scary movies or happy endings?
Depends on the mood!

30. Last movie you watched?
The Day the Earth Stood Still

31. What book are you reading right now?
The White Tiger – Want to find out why d hell it won the booker prize.. :)

32. Summer or Winter?
WINTER alwaays !!

33. Hugs or Kisses?
Both are needed but if I have to chose one, I would prefer a “I am there for you, always” Hug over a Kiss… Waiting with my arms wide open.. ;)

35. Describe your pencil cup?
My company’s coffee mug got became my Pen- stand recently… A White cup with a huge Logo of my company all across the mug !!!

36. Favorite Artists?
Darren Hayes, Nickelback, Poets of the fall, Eagles, Linkin Park, Akon …

37. What kind of music are you into?
Rock, trance, and Hip-hop

38. What is on your mouse pad?
I use the touchpad..

39. What did you watch on TV last night?
The making of Departed, Followed by the Lonely Planet on Travel and Living ………..

40. Favorite Sound(s)?
A Yamaha R1 roaring its engines in the First gear, A Mclaren Mercedes F1 car zipping towards the finish line.. Aah !! Heavenly Bliss !!!

41. Do you sing or play an instrument?
I only sing when I am in the Mood.. I used to play the Keyboard.. My mom still abuses me for giving the hobby away half way through !!!

42. What is the farthest you’ve been from home?
I had a chance to visit Taiwan and Hong Kong in the recent past.. Till date the farthest point from my hometown in Trivandrum, Kerala

43. Do you have a special talent?
I have no idea if it’s a special talent or not, but I have this amazing ability in me to go and spend my time and money on things which I actually never wanted !!! Trust me.. I never learned from my mistakes… hehe…

44. Where were you born?
In a small and sleepy city >> Trivandrum, the Capital of Gods own Country…

45. Favorite piece of jewelery?
A simple , Thin Platinum chain

46. How did you meet your spouse/significant other?
Sob sob.. Yet to find the perfect match….

47. Favorite Song?
That’s definitely not a fair question to ask !!!

48. Favorite Musical Movie?
Sound of Music

Phew.. Finally.. Man It was a loong one.. But Worth it.. I tell you.. Some of these questions did really get me thinking...

Cheers...

"What Do You Mean?? "

2009-04-17T02:04:00.000-07:00

Before you start wondering what this post is all about, let me clarify, I am making an attempt to find out what does my name mean.. All these years, I beleived that my name had to do something with "Ashwamedham", (A Horse..) Like every one else I too have used my name with pride many times.. Corrected people when they spell it wrong (Man I hate when ppl do that...), but I myself never bothered to dig deeper beyond the "Ashwamedham" concept i had in mind.. What a shame.. I dont exaclty know what my name means.... :(

It all happened recently, when I had to travel to Taiwan for a Business Visit. There I happened to meet our client Mr. Ashin Nuhi... During our introductory session, he so beautifully expalined the meaning behind his "COMPLICATED" name, which means bright sunshine in Taiwanese.. (Read-- Chinese).. During our casual chat he somehow , in his broken English, managed to ask me.. So Mr Ashwin, WHAT DO YOU MEAN?? I was jus startled... Then i realised he wanted to know What my name means... Now this I had never thought... Never in my dreams did I think I will be explaining the meaning to Ashwamedham to a Chinese guy..To make matters worse, I myself was not aware as to explain it in greater detail. Thats when it struck to me that i should come up with a more GENERIC meaning of my name, coz i have never bothered to probe beyond what I already knew..

A bit of googling on my name turned out to be really intersting... It threw up a loot of results... I suggest all of you guys who would want to kill some time should definitely do this activity...
he he... Especially in Office.... what say??
Well this is what the worldwide web thought about me.. (or rather, my name)

Ashwin ,also known as Aswayuja, is the seventh month of the Hindu calendar and the sixth month of the Bengali calendars, and also sixth month in the India's national civil calendar, where it is the second month in Shôrot, (Sharad in Hindi) or Autumn

Ashwin also means light in the Hindi language, and Ashvini is the first star that appears in the evening sky, in Hindu constellation it is the head of Aries, or the first of the 27 Nakshatras.

Ashwin also stands for the Divine twins, the "Ashwins" , considered to be the Hindu Gods of vision, in Hindu mythology.

I was surprised by the kind of relations or meanings that my name had.. The next immediate thing I was trying out is to suit the perfect meaning to my name, which matches my personality.. he he.... So i decided to stick with " Ashvini is the first star that appears in the evening sky, in Hindu constellation it is the head of Aries, or the first of the 27 Nakshatras." So now I mean a Star, nad not jus a Horse... A good discovery..

So the next time some chinese guy asks me WHAT DO YOU MEAN? I can proudly Say that I am a Star.... ha ha..

Oh.. Suddenly I have run out of thoughts.... So hmmm.. I guess thats all 4 now.... This is Ashvini the Star.. signing off !!! ;)

Night Trek @ Skandagiri

2009-04-11T00:59:00.000-07:00

Hey Ashwin, I want the analysis reports ready by saturday.. have u run through the application, we need to finish our sanity test and raise alarms with regards unresolved issues. Please ensure tht its done b4 u leave !!!!

" Bloodyhell... u hav to give all the stuff on friday evening itself is it..Ohcrap... Gotta wrk on saturday too..."??"What will I tell Manja... Man I dont wannna miss this trip.. God plzz plzz plzz do something......

"Hey Ravi, The application has crashed. The tech support is not available over the weekend.. We have no option but to push the deadline to Tuesday !!!! (Tht was the engineering team Head,and Ravi is my reporting Boss... )

Oh is it !! thts baad.... I had actually cancelled my plans for the weekend Ravi..... (can u beleive this is whatcame outta my mouth, wen i was actually dying to reach B'lore at any cost......) The next thing i remember is rushing to close my shop for the day... and scooting home to catch the first Volvo to B'lore...

Wat happened earlier in the day .....

Hello.. Hey Manjunath.. (Manja...) Kya hall hai yaar?? Ashwin.. sun... we are off to Skandagiri on Saturday for NightTrekking.... I dont wanna hear anything else, jus that u are joining...

Night Trekking.. Cool yaar.. kaun kaun aa raha hai?? watz the plan??

Our regular gang dude.. Mohit, U, me, Anuj, Abhay, etc etc.. We wil be driving down to the Hills by around 11.30 in the nite from B'lore.... Reach there by around 2 Am.. Start the trek, reach the spot aby around 4.30.. catch the sunrise, and head back to the base. This way we can start off and reach B'lore by sunday mrng 10 am latest...

Wow Manja.. awesome plan.. I am game.. Count me in.. I am booking my tckts to B'lore tonite itslef... c u tomorrow mrng dude... catch u there..chal dude.. c u there..

If u dont make it... Man.. u ll nt c the light ofanother day.. gt it??ha haha.... sure dude... i ll b there.. trust me..

Guess God Did answer my prayers........

And finally I was off... On my way to b'lore.... In the bus i was damn excited.. First of all I was excited abt the fact tht we guys were off on our bikes to Skandagiri.. and from wat I cameto know the roads were jus tooo good !!(We had to take the B'lore international airport highway, which covered a major part of the distance.). The next thing was that we were planning to trek the Hills late in the night.. The eerie feeling itself was a major push factor 4 me.. :)

As planned, all of us gathered at the RMZ Infinity Food court at 11 PM..Had a quick bite at Mac D's and We were off.... By around 12 AM ....All of us had come a loooong way from our initial biking days, esp Manja.. He had graduated from a puny lil 150 CC unicorn to an Ultra macho 500 CC Bullet Machismo... And there was nothing to excite me further.. It was fun riding the two wheelers in a gang.. I had already coined a name for ourselves.. The Night Riders.. he he.. Alryt alryt..this blog is not again going to be on How fast the bikes went, how exciting it was and so on.. Lemme stick on to the night trek itself.. hehe... Bikes anf fast lanes always force me to sway away from the topic... its always a huge effort 4 me to stick to the topic.. Not this time...

Vrrrrooooooooooom.. and we reached Skandagiri.... Easiest way to cutshort the details.. hah !!

It was almost 1.45 Am in the morning wen we reached the base camp. I was surprised to see a lot of bikers and Adventure sport enthusiasts gather up at tht place... and here I wast hinking we were the only ones hu were freaky enough to come out for Night trekking...Silly me..... We were all geared up withTorches, Backpacks, Snacks, Water and all the other stuff needed for our trek..

Guys.. lets follow a common path. We shall not hire a guide?? wat say??This was a unanimous decision though there were minor disagreements .. but finally all of us were game for it... The thought of venturing into the unknown without knowing where the rocky paths would lead us, was in itself exciting. We knew tht even if we get lost in the way, all we had to do was, some how or the other reach the top... :)And we were Off... A half lit muddy trasck lead towards the hills.. Wef ollowed the track..Gradually the street lamps went missing... the small huts and a few vehicles around also vanished, and now it was just us !!!

The Silhouette of the hill we were about to scale under the moonlight was an amazing view... Its majestic hieght and the trecherous path made me doubt my capabilities to scale it !!! But i dint dare say it out coz I didnt wanna be the laughing stock among my friends..... But it was later tht i realised tht everyone felt the same way.. Each one of us at some point in time doubted our own individual ability to scale thehills..

Jus around 20 min into the darkness, the inevitable happned.. We were lost!!! There was no way Up or forward. We looked around and we could see a few torch lights flashing a looong way up, bang opposite to us.. We were on our way to a forest rather than climbing the hill... But somehow we managed ourselves to get back on track..

It was a wonderful Nostalgic feeling for the three of Us.. Mohit, Manja andMe !!! The three of us were immediately taken bak to our college days where we had challeged the Beautiful Chamundi Hills to conquer the Watch Tower.. :)It was like reliving the experience all over again for the three of us,only for the slight difference that we had trekked chamundi with at the mercy of a bright and shiny sun, and here we were trekking in the dead of the night to be the first ones to capture the initial rays of the Sun !! But then as we proceeded the tuff and slippery paths made us realise it is much more than wat we had scaled a few years back...I feelt as if the Skandagiri Hills dint want us to reach the summit and was talking to me in my mind,.. try this rock u freak.. i bet u cant .. U are goingto give up.. This is Skandagiri.. it aint gonna be a cake walk ...remember that.. :) i was lik... alryt... itspersonal now !!!! and put in all my vigour and energy, only to find myself flat on the bushes jus 10 min later..ha ha.

After a continuos climb of almost 45 min, we decided to take a break..Or lemme me put it this way.. We were FORCED to take a break. Big huuge boulders became comfortable double cot beds for us.. All the dudes were flat on theirbacks.. The toughest part is to restart the trekk after the smal break....No body was ready to start off again..Personally it took a loot of effort for me to motivate myself to resume uphill... The way uphill goteven more tougher, with the forests becoming a lot more denser and tracksmore and more slippery....

All of us were walking in a line, with each one of us closely following the one in front of us as the visibility was very poorwith only 4 torches guiding the way for a pack of 10... The best part was no one wanted to be the last one to walk. Guess the hollywood movies are to blame here, where they show the last guyalways being the first one to vanish or to fall into trouble. It was fun to watch the guys racing against each other so tht they are not the last ones inthe pack" :)

And finally .. a gruelling 150 minutes, several " man i cant do it anymore" - Breaks, and multiple Fotography stops later, we finally managed to reach the top!! It was an overwhelming feeling.. We had finally done it.. The first thing I did was, take off my back pack, spot a perfect place to lay at rest my over exhausted body. I was lucky enuf to find out a wonderful place.. It was almost at the edge of the cliff, with chill winds carassing all over. There was a beautiful start studded night sky waiting to be appreciated by us.. It was a fantastic experience... I was in a bedroom higher than the lesser mortals, with Natures' air conditioner bringing the temperatures way down, forcing me to forget it was the last week of March,plus a fantasctic view right above me..I couldnt have asked for more... Oh well except for a Blanket or atleast a Jacket. (It was getting unbearabily cold and all I had was a Roundneck Tee and a Nike tracks to fight the chill winds... )

I was in for a pleasant surprise whrn I saw an Old man, must be in his late sixties, in a blanket inside a small makeshift tent, ready to offer us Tea, Bread omlette and guess what, Maggi!!!! I was shocked when I realised that our Dude 65 (A name i coined for our old man), trekks up the hill every friday, saturday and sunday nights jus to offer these refreshments to people like us !!! Things people do for aliving... Though I enjoyed evey bit of theBread Omlette and the tea, there was a part in me which felt sorry for the Old man !!!......

Ashwin .. Get Up man !!!! The sun is about to rise.. dont u wanna see it.... get up.. get up.. Abe uth be !!!!!

God. Where am I... How come I feel so cold in Chennai... 2 min later. I was back to my senses..Oh yeah.. I am at the top of Skandagiri... I ran with all the excitement to the spot from where we could see the perfect sunrise. The wait was eternal.... And finally we couldspot the Golden Globe slowly rising up.. It was beeeaautiful.. Giri and Anuj had set the mood right by Playing --"Sunrise from the Horizons" on their mobiles. After the sight I thought..Man this was worth the effort !!!

That was it.. Our lil adventure trip ended here... We jus took a break for some time, and decided to head our wayback home...This trip had given me wonderful memories that I will defenitely treasure forthe rest of my life...

I know it has been a really loong post.. hope you are still awake by the time you have reached here.... :)

Me signing Off !!!

This is Me...

2009-04-02T11:50:00.000-07:00

U guyz must be wondering, what the hell is wrong with this guy. On one post I talk about Global Warming, the need to protect the earth and so on , and immediately the next one is about the most extravagent sport which burns money like anything....

But what to do, I am helpless.. I am a confused soul !! :) But i love it this way.. This is the way it is...

F1 2009 !! The Game Begins...Again...

2009-04-01T08:32:00.000-07:00

The Formula 1 2009 season has begun with a bang on the 28th of March. Every year I anxiously wait for March for the F1 season to begin. As Usual, it had to be the Australian GP (Melbourne)which kick started the 2009 season. At times, I always wonder, Y does Australia always get the chance to kick off the season... But whatever, the excitement levels were at an All time high with the change in rules, the exit of Honda, Hamilton being the Champion, Richard Branson entering into the sport and so on....

Speed, fast cars, glamour and of course babes :), are things which used to excite me right from the time GOD decided to put some senses into me.....F1 was all I needed.. It had it all.What ever I needed culminated at one point in F1... I want to express my gratitude to Mr. Bernie Ecclestone for bringing to life the most exciting sports ever.

Have you ever dreamt, what it would feel like to sit at the Cockpit of an F1 car where more than a 1000 horses are revving at the rear of the car, dying to go wild at the slightest tap of ur feet. Can you imagine the Adrenaline rush at the time when the engine propels both you and your car from a standstill to a 100 MPH in just under 3 secs.This is something which i always wanted to feel, but know for sure, I may never be able to experience it. But hey,no one can stop me from dreaming or even better, sit behind the wheel of my Dad's car and think there is a supercharged engine under the hood !!!

But believe me, the view from the driver's cockpit is absolutely exhilarating. Being at the start Grid along with 19 other cars, all of em waiting to tear the tarmac apart, the moment the Light turns green! Every time and in every race, this manages to give me goosebumps, imagine what the driver would be going through! The head rush would be awesome. It always ends up as a battle filed at the first race corner,as this is what decides who is gonna lead the pack.

For those hu do not enjoy or follow F1, this sport may be just about a few identical looking cars running around in circles. My mum always used to curse me for filing up the living room with loud roaring of engines, and a never ending commentary, add to this sudden spikes of excitement in my voice,which was shrill enough to make the next door neighbour's dog runaway.. :) I have tried over a hundred times to make her understand the sport, but alas..all my attempts failed miserably... For her it still remains a colossal waste of money, coz its just cars which run around in circles.
But for those who love the Sport, there is nothing exciting than a RACE weekend !! as the practice, Qualifiers and the RACE happens on a Friday / Saturday and a Sunday.. What more can I ask for.
My fascination with F1 began when I was in class 10th. I never knew anything particular about the sport, apart from the fact that there was a Micheal Schumacher and there is a blazing Red Ferrari. I too was never able to understand the sport much, but since I was fascinated by the sport, it just used to keep me glued to the TV screen. Here I also have to admit, I also used to feel nice in flaunting the fact that I follow F1 (which for me sounded very classy), rather than be the " I am craaazy abt Cricket" kinda guy. :)

As my interest grew in this sport I started understanding the Nuances behind it. I had begun to realise that its not just a matter of high speed. There is a loot of strategy that goes behind each team. What Tyres to use during Qualifying round, Number of times to head for the Pit Stop, Volume of fuel to be filled into the tanks, the gear shifting ratios, the aerodynamix of the car etc etc.. the list goes on. I began to enjoy the game a loot better after I could understand the nuances much better. And believe me its fun top predict which car will head into the pit lane, How many seconds of fuel will go into the Mclaren, which team is planning to change the tyres and so on.. The involvement of race strategy used to make me feel that this sport is unique..It involved looads of thinking and strategising rather than jus lapping the circuit.

There are different types of Motor Sports, like the World Rally championship, The A1 GP, Motocross etc, but nothing has excited me as much as F1. Probably its the panache and the style plus the involvement of Automobile majors like Ferrari, McLarens, Mercedes, BMW etc made me a die hard fan of F1.

My ultimate dream now is to watch an F1 race live in Monaco, coz thts the second track in the world where the race actually takes place on the streets. No separate tracks are built for it..... will be an experience of a life time.

How much i hope, tht instead of me sitting and writing this blog about F1, Wat if i were a Louis Hamilton, or a Micheal Schumacher, or a Fernando Alonso, and there was some other chap working in a software company wastes his time and writes a blog about me... he he.. But alas.. reality bites !!! :) I know for sure, I might have completely bored all you people hu are least interested in the sport, but hey this is one thing tht i really love.. So expect more on this, later !!

Till then, Drive wild, Drive crazy (4 the females), Drive safe on the roads !!! Let the God of speed lead the way !!! Cheers...

Earth Hour !!

2009-03-27T15:24:00.000-07:00

Indeed a sincere effort by the wonderful people hu hav decided to come upwith something so unique, yet so trivial to express a joint concern against global warming !!!Vote for Earth! by turning your lights OFF or Vote for Global Warming by turning your lights ON ont he 28th ofMarch 2009 from 8.30 PM to 9.30 PM irrepective of which part of the world you belong to !

Initially when I got this forward, I didnt take it so seriously at all.. Me not being the typical, oh protect our Earth for our children, our future kinda guy, I thought, who will remember to do such a thing or even who will bother to do such a trivial thing. The Myopic view point had hit me real hard. The only thing pulling me down was a silly thought that how does it matter If i am the only person who is bothered to turn off the lights and sit...How wud it help the global cause of worry.

I never ever realised that, if everybody starts thinkng like me, finally no one would end up doing it... Just a thought... Why do human beings always have the tendency of thinking about what others are doing?? The HERD MENTALITY (hey.. I know very little of HR. so I flaunt the jargons where ever Ican... plz dont mind.ha ha.... ). If you want to do something for some one, bloody well go ahead and do it !! Dont think of others...

I have to admit, I was really surprised by the way the 'Earth Hour' thing had gained popularity. I mean, i hadnt seen any of the ADs, in the so called youth Channels like the MTVs,Channel Vs etc.. or even the latest news providers like NDTV, CNN IBN etc hu didnt care 4 anything other than the IPL venue being shifted out of India which shattered the hosts Shahrukh and Priety Zinta.. Oh comon !!!I think inspite of not getting complete support from the media for the right cause, the Internet (though being partof the same media)played a wonderful part in in giving the "Earth Hour" a shot in the arm. I was in for a warm surprise when I received a mail from my 8 year old neighbour, saying I am doing my bit by participating in the Earth Hour, Are u?? I was just wondering, If an 8 year kid knows her responsibility very well and is ready to contribute towards a global cause, what should be stopping us?

If you do not feel the need, you will always have a 100 excuses to support you ! But if you actually want to do your bit for a safer tomorrow, without much effort, this is the least you can do !!!Another thing which I myself am trying to do is, Spread the Message.. Please do not wait for others to start off and you decide to follow. Like they say.. Be the change !!!!!

To be very frank, I do not know how much my participation will support the "global cause". I do not know will it be of any help at all. But still I think what is wrong in giving it a try.

Its my sincere request to everybody ..... please appreciate the beauty of darkness atleast for one hour, on the 28th... Let us all make it happen !!!

www.earthhourus.org/ -

Ah ! This is Life....

2009-03-25T07:56:00.000-07:00

“I want 2 go back to the time when getting HIGH, meant on a swing, whenDRINKING meant only apple juice, when DAD was the only hero, when TRUE LOVE meant Mom’s hug, when DAD’S SHOULDER was the highest place on earth, when your WORST ENEMIES were your siblings, when the only thing that could HURT you were skinned knees, when the only things BROKEN were your toys, and when GOOD BYES only meant till tomorrow.”

This would have been just another one of those regular SMSes, had I not been going through what I am going through my life at present. This message touched me so deep that, here I am, up at 2.30 AM on Monday morning trying to express my emotions in a balanced way !!!!

In lyf they say, its the experiences that make or break you... I had least expected that my life would take such an unexpected turn. The turn of events were so dramatic that even though I am totally hurt and shattered from with in, when I look back (though i haven’t gone much ahead now,) it helped me realise that life has a lot more to it than what I had in my mind. I know its z pretty late realization for a guy of my age, but hey,its never too late for anything.... [Jus for the record, I am just 25.. :o) ]

Let me start off with an honest confession. I would have never ever written something related to feelings and emotions and values and other related stuff. I was always the guy who used to take things the way it comes... I always used to think, Arrey whats in all this yar? Its all part of parcel of your regular life. But may be I had taken life for granted..Until now that is....

I was always a guy who was content in life. I was happy with the way I was.I never had to struggle hard for anything that I wanted. I was fortunate enough to get everything that I wanted. But what I failed to realize was that, in the midst of all these momentary happiness, I never realized the worth of these things ever........When I look back, I realise how casually I had taken my life.

I was thehappiest guy alive on earth when I got the Bike of my dreams during mygraduation. I was the happiest guy on earth when I got my admission for myMBA. I was the happiest guy on earth when the prettiest lady I have everseen had decided to walk into my life. And I felt I had everything in theworld when I got placed. But as mentioned earlier, I had completely lost myself in this momentary elation.

But there will always come a point in your life when you feel, everything is crashing down on you. Things were all smooth sailing for me, or so I thought. I am happily working in Chennai,frequenting to meet my parents and friends and the usual. Though I too was grateful to god for what I had, I never reciprocated in the same way I was expected to. I failed to meet or rather understand the implicit expectations, that my friends, parents and others had on me. Little did I know that life isn’t always fair.

I had a rude awakening to reality, and that is what has jolted me like crazy. Never in my wildest dreams had I thought that such a thing could happen to me. I suddenly felt as though some one has thrown me off the track. All I could feel was, how on earth could this happen. Things were al so fine. I was expecting, praying that things will fall back into its place. The toughest part was, since I had never faced such difficult times, I had no clue how to handle it. Add to it, the fact of being all alone and Work pressures mounting on your head !! I almost lost it.

Thats when I realized that Life aint always easy. You Think it may be easy, when things move exactly the way you want it to move. But what should be understood is that Life is not always only about you. Its about the people around you as well.

I am thankful to HIM, for whatever I am today. I am thankful to HIM for whatever has happened in my life. I must admit, there has been a paradigm shift in my attitude towards life. I know how important it is to be there for somebody when they really need you. Never ever take any body for granted, even if they are your clooosest of closest pals, thinking that they always understood you well. Never stay away from expressing your love to one and all and so on.....

Please dont take this as some kinda advice, but its just that I have learnt a lot from my own experiences.

All I have to say is that, every little incident that happens in ones life is hinting at something really big and it happens for a reason. Take time out to realize that. Learn to value relations, learn to value what you are and most important, learn to value your life.

I am Bak !!

2009-03-25T07:24:00.000-07:00

Well... hello everybody... Finally I m back.. after a loooooong break.. Well.. there have been loads of things happening in my life in the recent past.. Never got time for myself.. I know its not an excuse.. Well i also admit that I was laazy enuf not to keep up with my blogs...
This time I have decided to tread in to the Unknown. I had kinda limited my posts to my biking trips, adventure stuff and the likes. I am planing to try out some thing a loot different..

Lets c how far it goes.. All the best readers... ;)

Lifestyle Bikes in India

2008-03-30T02:13:00.000-07:00

Is India finally ready for lifestyle bikes??? Well, that’s a question only time can answer. The current changes in the automobile market will be a welcome change for the enthusiastic riders across the country. All the guys who could only dream to scorch the Indian Highways at mind boggling 3-digit speeds can soon turn out to be a reality.

If you observe, the performance segment in the Indian Two wheeler market has never crossed a maximum of 500cc and a puny 22bhp. Any bike enthusiast will blindly suggest the Yamaha RD 350 as the mother of all performance bikes, which was available in India, as there was not a single challenge against it. Even the current leading players in the Country like Hero Honda, Bajaj auto, Enfield etc have limited models under the performance category, all below the 300cc cut off !!

Most of the manufacturers always played the volume game rather than satisfying the thirst of a few and selected hardcore bikers. Almost all the models were aimed at meeting the expectations of the “Average kya hai?” class of customers who saw a two-wheeler just as a mode of commutation and not as an experience. This often resulted in bikes that turned out to look like cycles fitted with motors, totally discarding the ‘experience’ out of biking. This is Unfair !

I am not blaming the manufacturers alone. This is mainly because; even the Govt. has played a spoilsport, when it comes to High-end Sports Bikes. The legal and other administrative issues that have to be met with, including the Homologation process etc has made the import of such bikes almost impossible. The general understanding that such performance bikes have no market in India is a misconception. The Indian four-wheeler segment is a standing proof to the case that High-end Luxurious models do have a market. As soon as the four-wheeler segment was opened up and the process of Import, either as CBUs or part-by –part was simplified, there was a dramatic change in the Indian Car market. Not only it forced the existing Indian Players to ramp up their existing models but also offered a Plethora of choices to the Indian auto buff. Bentley, May Bach, Porche, Ferrari, Lamborghini, BMW, Audi…. Names that we have only heard of before, are no longer unique or something that is Unavailable. Now a days we find these cars plying on the very own highways of Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai etc. We have also sent that BMW has set up its own manufacturing plant in Chennai. What does this say???

It reveals that the Indian automobile market is more ready than it was ever before. With the economy doing well and disposable incomes going up, the market is at an all time high. What I feel is that, the two-wheeler segment will also go through the same boom.

The Good news is that the change has already begun. Gradually, the companies like Yamaha, Honda, Suzuki, BMW etc are coming up with high-end performance bikes in India. Several Adventurous companies have tried their luck at the emerging two-wheeler market. E.g. BMW. In spite of burning its fingers with the Launch of its premium F-650 model in India, BMW is re-considering the option of launching high-end bikes here. This itself reveals that the Indian performance segment for two-wheelers is all set to fly high.

All in all, it seems that the Indian biker, who was always denied his share of Fun, is finally getting what he deserves. Its high time that we one up our riding skills, as the experience is going to take us to a new level. Letz gear up to scorch the roads !!!

Night trips to Chamundi !!!

2007-05-14T21:36:00.000-07:00

Chamundi Hills, the jewel of the Mysore tourism board. I was lucky enough to study in a college, SDM-IMD, right at the base of these hills. The roads leading to the temple at the top of the hill is wonderful and well maintained. The jet black tarmac is properly marked with bright yellow shoulder lines and a pure white divider. Every time i go up the hill, i found it really tough to go easy on the throttle.

I have always wondered, how these roads would look - MINUS THE DAYLIGHT. But thought, it would be very tough to get out of college after the permitted time. Plus i also believed that no one would accompany me to fulfill my crazy dream. (I have to admit, i was a bit scared to go alone). But, pretty soon all was about to change, when Manjunath came to the rescue.

One fine evening, after a long day packed with boring lectures, when i was almost about to crash on to the bed, Manja came to my room asking me if i was interested in joining him on a night trip to Chamundi. I couldn't conceal my excitement which found its way to Manja too. The next obvious choice was Mohit.

After dinner, the three of us met in front of the mess and decided that we will head for the hills at 11.30pm sharp. The odd timing itself gave me a weird and eerie feeling. (Lots of rumors float around the college about weird and bizarre incidents happening in Chamundi, especially during night time). But i was game !

It was a cold, and i mean really cold December night. The 3 of us were ready with our Sweatshirts, Jackets, Bikes and Helmets. It was around 11.25pm. The was nothing to stop us now, or so we thought. As we reached the main gate the watch man blew out a shrill whistle indicating us to stop. It was at this moment when i realized how influential Manja was among the college Staff. All I saw was Manja laughing and chatting with the watchman and the next minute the gates flew open and he was more than pleased to do so. He even passed on a salute to us when we passed through the gates. God only knows what Manja said, but i was impressed.

The open gates were symbolically representing the freedom we got from the busy schedule at college, or so i felt. Soon i could see both Manja and Mohit rev up their engines and vanish into the darkness. It hardly took a few seconds for the racer in me to take control of the bike. It was the best night rides i have ever had in my life.

The winds were chilly. My whole body was shivering uncontrollably beneath the sweatshirt and the jacket. But the best part was that, it was only the three of us on road that night. It felt as though we owned the roads. The roads were well light, and no not with street lamps (There ain't any). It was a full moon and we could see the moon light reflecting off the shiny white paint, which divided the broad road into two halves. That's when i saw Manja turn off the headlights of his bike and race ahead. Mohit followed suit. Though i thought, it was unsafe at first, i too gave in to the temptation and turned off the lights and flew by to catch up with them. The only thing guiding through the pitch dark road was the white divider. I could feel the adrenaline rush when i saw the speedo cross 80km/hr in complete darkness. Yeah, u may think its stupid but it gave the ultimate head rush for a Motorhead like me.

The view point which usually takes around 20min on any normal day, was reached in 7min flat. The pin drop silence of the forests was shattered by the screeching noise of 3 bikes which finally came to a halt. The three of us climbed on top of guard rail. The breeze was strong and painfully cold. The experience was awesome. We spent the next half hour on the view point chatting about the rough days and the tight schedule ahead of us, totally unaware of the fact that we are in the middle of Chamundi forest on a cold winter night.

By around 1.00am we decided to head back to the college. But we took the Nandi temple road. Trust me, this road is scary even during day time, so just imagine how it would be late in the night.... Phew..... This winding road is extremely narrow and is covered with thick bushes on either side of the road and the slightest mistake could push you off the road, deep into the forests, Man its scary !!!

There is a straight stretch of almost 2kms, downhill. The road is at a 45 degree angle. If a vehicle is left idle and allowed to free fall, it could easily cross speeds of 60km/hr. But me not being the 'Regular Guy',could not do the usual things. I just hit the gas
and the speed was mindblowing.The bike soon touched 110km/hr, a forbidden figure even on a levelled road, imagine how it would be at a 45 degree slope! It was as though, Gravity had let me off for a while. There was nothing to hold me back. And to top it all, the road ended with a small hump which acted like a ramp, which threw my bike off the road. For the first time in my life, my bike was airborne. Though i was on air for hardly 2-3 seconds, the experience still manages to send a shiver of excitement through my body.

The fun was not over yet. Both me and Manja decided to drag at the base of the hills. This was the ultimate test of our machines. With a 2km straight stretch as our playground and Mohit as our referee, we set off ! The fun cannot be expressed in words. It was fun to see manja struggling with the gear shifting. He was a rookie u see... he he and i took full advantage of that. His inexperience cost him his victory and won me the title of the hottest rider. :-)

Some things that you do at a particular stage/situation may seem foolish at a later point in time. I have realised that by riding with the lights off and racing, you are not only causing danger to your self but also others. So i have never done that again. But i also believe in living my life to the fullest. There was a part of me which wanted to do it, so i did it.... It was indeed a very good stress buster plus i had one of the best rides of my life. We also got a lot of other interested guys willing to explore the Chamundi @ night.... We showed them the way with pleasure... :-)

LIV 2 RIDE, RIDE 2 LIV !!!

Me and My ride!!!

2007-05-09T00:15:00.000-07:00

Well everybody, speed has always thrilled me. Right from the time i was a kid, i was excited about cars, bikes or for that matter, anything on wheels!!! I never used to get off my bike when i was a kid. I used to do all sorts of stuff on that. I have had some really nasty and bad falls, but weren't just enough to keep me home... I had one of my closest friends, Jerin, who used to join me for long biking rides, the stunts we attempted etc.

I was in my 7th std when dad got a transfer to Delhi. Though i was excited about leaving to a new place, I was really upset at the idea of leaving my BSA back at my grandparents place. Finally when we moved to Delhi, i was without my ride. It took some time for me to find some real good friends in a new place. Aftr a while i started liking the place a lot. I started liking the place even better, when one fine morning, Dad surprised me with a Herecules 5 speed shimano geared Bicycle... It was one of the most wonderful moments in my life. Just like Jerin i had friends here in Delhi too who loved biking. Well, it was always me, Ankur and Rahul who used to go biking into the Green Park (a famous hangout in South Delhi). I used to find those biking trips very exciting.

When I reached tenth standard, we moved back to TVM. I had brought along my bike to TVM and always loved to show it off amongst my new friends. By the end of my tenth std dad had purchased a Hero Winner for my sister. When i entered into Plus two, my interests in bicycles gradually began to die out. I had set my eyes on non geared vehicles. Probably the influence of my friends was also there. And finally, after nagging my parents and my sister for a long time, they finally handed over the keys to me in the 12th std. My gang included Gautam, Shaman, Sajith, Ajin, Dinesh,Unni. All of us used to roam around in our puny little 60cc scooterettes thinking that that was all we needed... he he... But it was all about to change, and that too pretty soon.

Gautam was the first one to graduate from a two wheeler to a Bike. He purchased a Hero Honda Splendour by the end of twelfth std. It was a shocker. The next in line was Unni, who went ahead and purchased a second hand Yezdi. Shaman too moved on by passing his pathetic Spirit to his sister and got his elder brother's Yamaha YBX. Soon i felt that i was the only guy who was stuck with a non gear vehicle. The vehicle that once made me the dude among my friends was no longer exciting. So typical, Ain't it????

Well as i graduated to the college, i found it even more difficult to roam around in my Hero Winner. I used to hitch a ride to the college with Gautam, rather than take my vehicle to the college. Once again the nagging started, but this time it was even more annoying than the one before.. (Of course, it had to be that way, coz wen u think from ma point of view, it was a life and death situation 4 me u know!!!!) Finally all the nagging paid off when i purchased my very first Bike, the Hero Honda CBZ! I can never ever forget the day i purchased my Bike. This was one of the meanest looking bikes of that time and always found its way on top of my 10 best things one should have... Even though the Bajaj Pulsar was available in the market, I never wanted to go for it as CBZ has always been my all time favorite.

This bike had changed my life altogather. The bike brought out the true rider in me. I never used to let myself free before, but now i love doing that. Still miss those days when i used to rip all the way to the college and reach the college way before time... he he... The bike has been through a lot. After some time my bike started to look a little dull to me, i felt the need to spice it up. That when i decided to get it an engine guard, A two piece handle bar and an awesome road hugging rear tyre. Though these fittings were done in installments, with long breaks in between (Well, these things cost a fortune u see, atleast 4 a college goer..). But finally when all was put togather, it was aweosme. It made my bike stand out in the crowd and i loved it. :-).

Along with the good times, my ride has had some real bad times too. It was like a curse on us.. One by one my friends were gettin involved in bizzare accidents. First it was Ajin who crashed his ride on our way to Kovalam. Then it was Shaman, who ran over a street dog only to break his arm. The next one in line was Gautam, one of my closest buddies. He literally gatecrashed into a house severely damaging his bike and his Knee. And guess who was next, Yours truly Ashwin.

But the way it happened still manages to make me laugh. I was on my way to the college when i decided that i should check up on Gautam, as his house was close to mine. I went to his place, spent some time with him, asked him to take care and call me if he needed anyhelp and all the usual stuff and finally left for college. I must have been only a few kilometres from his house, when my bike skidded off the road and crashed into a milestone. I was lucky enough to get out with a pretty bad scratch on ma right knee, but my bike wasn't lucky enough. The damage was more than what the bike could take. In the afternoon i called up Gautam and asked if he wanted to go to the Doctor, as i was on my way there any way.. he he... This was my very first accident and it actually brought me to my senses, well atleast for a few weeks. he he...

For my PG when i moved to Mysore, I took my bike along with me. It was the lifeline for me in SDM. I loved riding ma machine through the less crowded and well managed Mysore city roads. Bikes were one common point between me, Maja and Mohit. We used to go to chamundi hills late at night, after 11.30pm and rip all the way to the top, Some times with the lights off, just to get the adrenaline rush... I know it is foolish but what the heck.... Its because of them that my bike has gone places. During the entire 2 years, with the busy schedule and all we used to some how find time time for biking and we loved it the most.

Now that my course is over and i am Stuck in Mumbai, I am Missing ma ride badly. But i am sure about one thing, this bike is gonna be with me 4 long and is yet to see an even more excitng life along with me. Coz as they say, u can never keep a rider down... can ya?? ;-)

Kerethannoor !

2007-05-07T10:31:00.000-07:00

Kerethannoor lake. One of the most scenic places close to Mysore. This place is around 45km from my college (Read below for details). The best part is the roads that take you to this wonderful place. Almost three fourths of the distance is the Mysore - Bangalore Highway itself. The rest one fourths is through well maintained village pathways. One can actually test his vehicle's limit on these roads (especially the initial 3/4ths) as all u can see for miles is the long winding, broad tarmac, truly a bikers' heaven.

I have heard a lot about this place from my friends right from the first term but could never manage to go there. It finally happened in the very last and final term, when all of us planned a trip to the LAKE PLACID. There were around 16 guys on 8 bikes. It was an awesome ride to the lake. The route also has some real adventure packed roads as u reach the lake. One can find the broad roads narrowing down to walkways in a sugarcane farm.Also the smooth tarmac gradually morphs itself into boulders and i feel only experienced bikers can cross this section. After crossing this small hurdle the road finally leads you to the lake. As soon as you reach the lake one cannot help noticing the hills that surround the entire lake. The view is just amazing.

The first thing i did as soon as i reached the spot was take out my camera and click as many photos as i could. We reached thee by around 3.15pm. All my friends were eager to rush towards the waters for a quick dip, but there was nothing that could distract me from my photo sessions... By 3.30pm everybody was in water having fun. The loud noise and the splashing of water finally caught my attention and i immediately put my camera away and jumped into the water. The water was freezing. The first few seconds felt as though i was being pricked by a thousand needles all over, but it got better after some time.

All the guys and girls who knew swimming were the ones who had fun to the max. I was not so lucky. I tried my level best to stay afloat in water, but failed. But that didnt stop me from having my share of fun. I too enjoyed a lot.

All of us were in water till 5.45pm. The sun began to set gradually behind us. Thats when we decided that it was time to leave. The view of the sun setting into the lake is mindblowing. Even though none of us were in a mood to leave the place, we had to as we had girls along with us. So by 6.30pm we were all set to leave.

We left the place with loads of wonderful memories in our minds very well aware of the fact that we may never get a chance like this again. The ride back to college was exciting. As soon as we reached the Banglore - Mysore highway we just opened the throttles. It was a straight strech ahead of us. On the way we all took a break at the Mangalore Fishland, one of our most famous hangouts.

By around 9.15pm we were back at our college. This will be one of the best trips we had and will always be cherished by me!!!

The Watch Tower...

2007-04-27T22:48:00.000-07:00

I joined SDM-IMD on June 4th 2005. It is an architectural marvel right under the base of Chamundi Hills, the torch bearer of Mysore tourism. From our college campus we gt an amazing view of the eastern side of the hills. Especially the early morning view with the hill covered in mist is breath taking. It was only after a few days of my stay in the college that i happened to notice a small watch tower on top of the hills. It was used by the forest guards in the early years, only to be abandoned after a few years. I always felt that i should try and get to the top of the tower, trekking.

It took a long time of almost six months for that dream to materialize. It was some time in the second term end that we decided to to trek to the watch tower. yeah.. We, Me Mohit and Manjunath. :-) Winter season was just about to begin when we made our plans. On a lazy sunday morning, the three of us set off to conquer the watch tower at sharp 6.15am. From our campus the watch tower was a tiny speck and i was already having doubts about my stamina. But I didnt say a word fearing the comments passed by to other two.

We started the ascend by around 6.30am. It was a route filled with thick bushes and shrubs. The route was tricky and confusing. We were not sure as to weather we were moving in the right direction. But the gut feeling took us or rather dragged us all the way up.

We had let off hopes of seeing walkable or trekkable paths as the route was becomin tougher and tougher. Mohit, the most flexible and energetic among the three would go first and find an easy way up both me and Manja. I could still manage but it was Manja , with is out of shape build, who was a tough time. It was recentle that i had purchased my Samsung Mobile phone, and i was pretty excited about taking pics with it. The view from the hill side towards the city is just mind blowing. We even had the a chance to see some of the rarest species of Spiders. (Mohit is an expert with reptiles, Spiders and other creepy stuff... ). It was a demanding task. After almost an hor and half, we reached the watch tower, or that what we though!!! We had actually reached a place from where we could see the watch tower, but could not climb it, as it was surrounded bu thick thorny bushes from all the sides. I think it was deliberately done soon after it was abandoned, so that no body uses it for any other purpose. The three of us had put in a lot of effort to reach till here and were not ready to give up so easily.

We then decided to take a round about way to reach the opposite side, though we knew it would cost us atleast another 45 min. But we still went ahead with it. This was the most toughest part for the three of us. The path was covered with thorny bushes, slippery rocks. To add to our worries we had even seen 3 to 4 snakes making their way through the bushes. But some how we managed to reach the other end. But it was not over yet. Though we had found our way to the top of the watch tower, the entire way was covered by bushes. We had committed ourselves a bit too much to give up now. Mohit, taking advantage of his lean built, found his way by jumping on directly to the ladder. But both me and Manja had to crawl ourselves to the stairs.

Once we were on top, the feeling was totally different. None of us were feeling tired. The was a sense of accomplishment. We had done something that no SDMite would have dreamt to do. We trekked for 3hrs continuous;y to reach the watch tower. The view from atop the tower is just mindblowing. The entire Chamundi hills could be seen at a glance. We could also see our beautiful college campus from up there. It was so windy up there that we had to hold on real tight to the railings. Both me and Manja were worried about Mohit.. He he...

As soon as i got network on my cell i franctically called a few of my friends to let them know that by the time they were up in bed, I was up the watch tower!!! Manja then engraved our names on the door of the tower. We decided to take a small nap after all the hard work and trust me the experience is one of a kind. I took off my jacket,shoes and just closed my eyes. I could feel the winds rushing by my side. It was amazing.

After spending almost an hour on the tower, we decided to head bak to the college. I must admit that the old and rickety stairs scared the hell out of me. Some how i managed to fumble my way down.

Now comes the best part. All three of us forgot the way down!!! A little bit of confusion took us to the wrong direction. But we never gave up. We some how struggled, crawled our way through the forest and after nearly an hour we reached the road, almost at the top of the hill. The entire experience is beyond what words can convey. We started to walk. All of us were dead tired, but we never revealed our weakness. Finally to our luck a bus was coming our way and we hitched our way down.

This is one experience that i will never ever forget in my entire life. Plus this episode had also made the three of us the latest adventure heroes in college who conquered the watch tower!!!

GSB!!!

2007-04-27T04:23:00.000-07:00

It was a cold Tuesday morning on August 15th 2006. There was an annual sports event being conducted in our college. It was a holiday that we longed for-- Myself Ashwin, Manjunath and Mohit!!! The three of us decided the previous night that we would set off to the one and only Gopal Swamy Betta.(Kannada for hills). The most beautiful hill station i have ever seen in my life. It was 5.45 in the morning when Mohit came and woke me up. By 6.15am the three f us were ready with our Bikes, Helmets and Jackets. The three machines were a Hero Honda CBZ 150cc, a Honda Unicorn 150cc and a Bajaj Caliber 110cc.

We left the college premises by 6.30am when most of the students were lost in their dream world. The very first pit stop was a Fuel pump. Each of us filled fuel for Rs.250. By 6.50am we were off!!!

The best part was that the roads were excellent. Though it was full of fantastic twists and turns, it was also covered with a smooth layer of tarmac. It was a treat for my eyes and for our bikes. Both me and Manja (thats how i call him) were well ahead in our powerful bikes, but poor Mohit had a lot of catching up to do in his Caliber. But he did a pretty good job. The total distance to Gopal swamy Betta was around 86kms. The three of us maintained a steady speed of 70km/hr. It was very tough to control the irresistible urge of just letting the throttle loose as all i could see was wonderful black tarmac inviting me to hit the gas. And inevitably, there were times when i purposefully gave in to the temptation. It was an opportunity to check my bike's limits. I could actually feel the rush when i saw the speedometer touching 105km/hr. All i could hear inside my helmet was the soft humming of the bike's engine and all i could see through the vicor was the blurred images of trees and cars and other vehicles that passed me by.

It was not me alone who fell for the temptation. I could also see Manja trying to catch up with me on his Unicorn. It was fun leading the way and then being lead. At around 7.15am we stopped 4 a small break. We decided that the next stop would directly be a GSB. At 7.25am sharp, we were off again. This time there was No stopping, No turning back, No slowing down.

The three of us ripped out bikes till we reached the GSB Entrance at around 8.15am. We paid the small entrance fee and we were on our way uphill. The total distance from the foothill to the top was around 7km of steep ghat section. I had to lower the gear to 3rd to climb the hill at a comfortable pace. At times even 2nd gear wasn't enough. I can imagine how tough it must have been for Mohit. One funny thing observed was that at the base of the hill it was very warm, bright and sunny. But as we reached towards the top we could actually feel the difference. The roads ahead of us started disappearing coz of the mist. It also started raining lightly. The three of us couldn't help but stop our bikes to enjoy the climate... It was amazing.... This was when i decided to take off my helmet so that i could feel the air. It was getting cold as we moved higher. Thats when i see Manja taking off his leather jacket.. Can you believe that!!!! Me and Mohit didnt wanna act foolish and were tucked inside our jackets.

As we reached the top, all three of us were spellbound. It was terrifyingly windy, Al the roads were wet, It was still raining and the mist made it difficult to see more than a few feet. This was what excited us. While most sane people would find it wise to just visit the temple and go back, we decided to go trekking!!! Yeah u heard it right. GSB is famous for its elephant inhabited forests around the temple. We just wanted to have fun and loads of it... We trekked deep into the hills with almost zero visibility and with rain goddess showering her blessings on us. I was truly one of the most amazing experiences i have ever had! All we had with us to record this wonderful experience was a puny little camera. A 1.3 MP cam which was integrated in my Samsung E880 mobile phone. But it was doing a decent job. Missed a digi cam though...

After enjoying the climate and ofcourse the trekking we decided to head back to the college. It was 12.15pm in the afternoon and the hills were still covered in thick mist. We never wanted to leave the place, but had to. We had plenty of assignments to be completed for tomorrow.

The way back was even more fun. As we reached towards the base we could see the mist fade off and the bright shiny sun smiling at us. It was almost like two different worlds out there. The experience is beyond words. I for the first time in my life entered into a sunflower garden. With the sun shining at them, it was truly a wonderful sight to see all the flowers bloomed to their fullest.

This trip will always occupy the first row in my memory banks. And i am sure it would be the same for both Manja and Mohit. This was a wonderful experience and i would request all the people in and around Mysore to visit this place atleast one, Coz its worth it!!!