Say it once.. But mean it !

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 !

Are you Listening ???

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

What a comeback...

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…

Not the usual Sunday…

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.

| Happy 2010 |

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 !!!

Guilty or Innocent ?

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

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

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??

Not an Ordinary day !!!

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...

This is Me...

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...

Earth Hour !!

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/ -

I am Bak !!

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

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 !!!