Common Wealth Games - I was there

Finally I went to see the commonwealth games or CWG as it is commonly known. And believe me it was a wonderful experience. A friend of mine had asked if I wanted to go to the games and I had said yes without a thought. Its not that I wanted to go but it wasn't also like I didn't want to go. Also such events occur once in years and once in decades in your city; so when it comes just grab the opportunity. I did that thanks to my friend for taking the initiative and booking the tickets. So it was Sunday 10th October that we (6 people) went to the games.
We started from Rohini East metro station and proceeded towards Green Park metro station. The tickets had free metro passes which was really good initiative taken by the Delhi Govt to aid spectators. We got down at the Green Park metro station and took the bus to Siri Fort Complex. Yup the bus ride was also free :). We reached Siri Fort Complex and after going through the security checks finally reached the stadium. We went inside and there it was in front of us - the beautiful Badminton courts. First glance and I knew it was going to be amazing. And I was right. As we entered there was a mixed doubles match going on involving India. Every single point was cheered liked India had won the match; and India did win the match.
The stadium had 5 courts and we switched between courts to watch the matches of interest. There were some closely fought matches as well as many one-sided matches, but every match was enjoyed. When India wasn't playing some other teams got the support of the entire crowd and was duly appreciated by the players. And finally we got to see the badminton queen of India Saina Nehwal in action. The long wait was worthwhile as Saina demolished her opponent quickly and the roar from the crowd was deafening. That was the last match we saw there and started for our next stop - Major Dhyanchand National stadium.

We took metro and then shuttle to reach the stadium to watch the big match India vs Pakistan. After a thorough security check we finally entered the stadium. And one glance of the stadium from one of the open doors and I knew it was going to be amazing. And when I entered the stadium the feeling was simply unbelievable - you have to be there to feel it. There was still more than 30 minutes for the match to begin but the stadium was jam packed. In fact there were more people in the stadium than the no of tickets. Despite having a ticket we had to sit on the stairs; not that we minded :). The view was spectacular to say the least. The floodlights had illuminated the field as if it was midday. The Indian flag could be seen everywhere. The Pakistan team was 1st to arrive for warm-up greeted by a decent cheer. And then when the Indian team came to the field you couldn't hear your neighbour.

With 5 minutes to go before the match started the two teams lined up for their respective national anthems. And when the Indian national anthem began the entire stadium was singing the anthem. Never before had I witnessed so many people singing the national anthem and one could feel the pride everyone was feeling.

The match started and quickly India got their first penalty corner which lead to their first goal. Every time India went into the offence the noise levels increased. Every pass, every dribble was cheered with a loud roar and when India scored the entire crowd was on their feet. You could here people chant - "Bharat mata ki jai", "1 2 3 4 we want one more", "Jeetega bhai jeetega India jeetega" and many more. And there was not a single person who wasn't participating. India won the match convincingly 7-4 and moved to the semis. Many people left the stadium as the match was ending but the majority of the people stayed back for the victory lap. And when it happened the crowd cheered as if India had won the tournament :).
As we came out we had to take the shuttle to the metro station. As I had to go the opposite direction of others I took the 1st shuttle. It was full and people were still trying to board the bus. And inside the bus the chants were still going on as if the match was still on. And the people who were walking along the road towards the metro station also joined in chorus. Finally the metro station arrived and everyone de-boarded the bus. The day was comming to an end.
But overall it was a wonderful experience - something which is hard to describe in words and needs to be felt. Its a shame that so much controversy surrounded the games which kind of makes it certain that such events won't happen here in near future. But then again the organizers, volunteers, spectators and the players have given their best to make sure each event is a success story and Delhi has once again proved that when it comes to participation they are always game. I wish such events happen in future and I would definitely like to go there :)

Aur khud se milne ki saari liney vyast hai...

A few days back I received an SMS from a friend which included these lines -

"Duniya se milne mein hum sab mast hai,

Aur khud se milne ki saari liney vyast hai"

Somehow these lines stuck in my mind and I spent sometime going over these. And I realized that these carry a deeper meaning than what catches the eye; especially the last line - "Aur khud se milne ki saari liney vyast hai" (a translation in English would mean something like 'all roads leading to meeting you are busy'). This line sums up pretty well the way people are today - they have time for everything except for themselves. People are very busy tending their jobs, meeting deadlines, obliging the social commitments, catering to family needs, etc, etc. But when it comes to their hobbies they don't have time; when it comes to doing what they want they don't have time; when it comes to fulfilling their dreams, they don't have time. In fact many people don't even find time to dream, set their goals, tend to their health, relax.

Its strange that people know all along that they need to relax, take a break before resuming their daily chores. But they postpone it to grow further in their career. They feel that a few steps more and then they will be able to be in a better position to enjoy. Once they take those steps they go for a few more steps and the cycle continues taking them to a point of no return. And by the time they realize this they go too far which takes a toll on their body, on their mind, on their relations, on their heart, and they cannot undo it. Some end up being very successful while others don't but the end result in terms of their personal life is same. And then they regret neglecting all the things that should have been a priority rather than postponement.

It brings up the question that what should one do? On one hand you need to find time to spend with yourself but on the other hand you need to be spending extra time in your job to go past your competition which is immense these days. So can one blame you for not spending time on things you like instead of doing things that you must in order to grow in your career. Tricky question. But I guess the answer is simple. Extra hours of work doesn't necessarily mean more output. Efficiency is the key. If you look at the definition of efficiency it is output/input. The more input you put in the lesser is your efficiency. And why would you need to put in extra effort? Because you are not sharp mentally, because you have lots of things on your mind, because you are tired, because you are not happy. And why is it so? Because you are not looking after the most important person that is YOU. And if you don't look after you then your efficiency is going to decrease. And there is a extent to which you can push yourself with the possibility of reviving yourself; post which you will not be able to go back.

So you will have to take it as a priority to look after yourself, pamper yourself, indulge yourself in activities you like without caring about others. No matter what take sometime out everyday for yourself and do what you like. This will not only make you feel good but also help you do well in other things because a well-oiled machine will always give a better performance (here I am taking the liberty of calling you a machine - the best one ever created by the almighty himself).

Go and meet yourself, spend time with yourself and make sure you have a good time :)

Shouldn't I be complaining?

Of late I have been seeing the behavior of a few friends change. That could be just my thought or that could be reality. I would tend to think they are as I see them. I will quote a few instances and you decide for yourself.

Let me start with KS. We have been very good friends for quite sometime. But I have seen some changes in him in the last few months. There have been quite some instances -

He had a self imposed ban on him from drinking and as a friend we (we here refers to a group) never forced him. But one day while travelling to a friend's marriage he didn't refuse on being asked by a guy we met only the second time.

He used to find time for friends but since getting engaged (almost) he has been it seems always on phone. So busy that he didn't even pick a phone of a bus mate who was running a little late.

We were watching movies. In the interval we asked him to bring us some nachos and pepsi to which he refused. Had he been asked by a girl or a relatively new friend he would have brought it.

Earlier he was game for parties but now he always comes up with a 'NO' one way or the other. Not that he doesn't go to parties but its just he prefers going with his team rather than friends.

Earlier he wouldn't mind attending parties even if he himself had to host one. But now suddenly he can't afford to party citing reason that he doesn't have money. But he has the money to finance his fiancé's trip and also to give party to his new project team for no reason whatsoever.

We were on bench for sometime and had loads of fun. He got a project a few days back and since then he has turned busy with little or no work. He prefers sitting on his seat doing nothing rather than sit or go out with friends.

Enough of KS I guess. Lets talk about SS. We were in together in my last project and were a close knit team. One day I saw his status on gtalk saying "Boston, USA". I was surprised and pinged him. He said he had just come. When I asked him why he didn't say anything before leaving he gave all sort of excuses.

Moving over to SG. We are friends since XII standard. Its been some time since we are in regular contact but once a while we do talk. But for last few months he had almost disappeared. I got the news of him getting a job from a common friend. He never bothered to call and share the good news.

Then there's SD. She went to UK on a 2 weeks trip but that got extended. And she didn't even bother to tell this.

There's another SG who is married now and in Bangalore. She booked a new car. she had been telling about buying the car all along but when the day of arrival of the car finally came she didn't bother to share the news. That again came from a common friend.

It seems I am complaining. Well I am; I have a right to do so. I can understand friends not wanting to share bad news but not wanting to share a good news is strange. At least for me. I will be waiting for your comments.

Everything is dependent on others; or is it?

A few days back it was raining as I was going home from office in the office bus. It had been raining for quite sometime and as a result there was a lot of water on the road. We were crossing the Kapashera border (Delhi - Gurgaon border). As I looked out of the window I saw hordes of people walking. It was time for them to go home as well. Most of them work in the factories in the surrounding areas. People in the bus were cursing the rain as whenever it rains the roads are filled with water and it creates traffic jams. And I agreed with them. Then I looked out again and saw the people walking in water logged roads, rain falling steadily on them. Some of them had removed their shoes and were holding them as they walked.

I remembered the days when I had to go through rain in the similar way. I never quite liked that. I remembered the days when I used to travel via public conveyance. I still do that but the frequency has reduced to very low. And now as I listened to the people in the bus cribbing about the water logged streets and as I saw the people outside walking on such street fully drenched I wondered if I should join the people inside the bus in cribbing or should I feel happy that at least I am not out there on the road; I wondered what the people outside would be thinking and should I pity them for having to go through such ordeal (if I may call it so); or should I just ignore everything and sleep for sometime. No point in guessing that I chose to sleep.

It seems to have become the pattern for people nowadays. You look at people who are better off than you and you crib about your life. You look at people who are not as well off as you and you feel happy about your life (or do you feel sad about them - No both are not the same). You see people smiling and feel why can't you smile like that. You see people do things and feel upset as to why you can't do it irrespective of whether you have tried it or not.

It seems strange, doesn't it, that your actions, happiness, sadness, life is dependent on others. Does it really have to be that way? I don't think so. But I see it everywhere, all around; people discussing others rather than themselves. And if I speak to them their response is "you don't/won't understand". And then I decide to mend my own business.

Bio-data instead of Resume :)

K came up to me and said "I committed a blunder yesterday" and here's the conversation that followed -

K - "And you are going to laugh about it"

I - "And what exactly did you do?"

K - "I have made mistakes before but nothing like this. And the worst part is I never realized it"

I - "But what exactly did you do?"

K - "Here's what happened. I had sent my resume to Infy through S. S called me yesterday and asked "Why did you mention your height and complexion in your resume?". I replied that I didn't. To this S said "But the HR was saying you have mentioned these facts". I was taken aback. I went and checked my sent mail and found that I had sent my bio-data instead of my resume."

I - "You mean you send the marriage bio-data?"

K - "Yes."

I laughing now - "You really did that?"

K - "Yes. And S didn't even check it before forwarding it. In fact she saw it after forwarding it".

I laughing uncontrollably now

K blushing "Stop laughing"

I laughing even more

K now getting angry "Stop it will you"

I - "I am imagining how the HR would have felt when she opened your resume oops bio-data"

K - "Stop it"

I - "And then she would be putting it up in the Infy matrimony portal if they have one"

K - ''Ab bas karega"

I continue laughing and soon K joined in :)

Life has a strange way of doing things

Life has a strange way of doing things. Not something you are hearing for the first time - is it? Well I am just stating the obvious which will be followed by some examples which you all would have seen at some point of time.

The days when you are very busy many of your friends will call you; you will have many visitors (welcome at all other times expect for this); your friends will come up with great plans(not at this moment though); even your family and relatives will give you a call; you will have plenty of ideas to blog; there will be interesting updates on facebook; etc, etc.

Then there are days when you have nothing to do no matter whom you dial everyone will be busy; you will run out of ideas for your blog; facebook won't interest you; and nor would anyone come up with something to do (leave alone something interesting); there will be no books/articles to read; etc, etc.

Sounds familiar? Doesn't it?

It even happens with books. When you don't have any book to read your friends will not have anything interesting to read and you won't get across to a bookstore and find something interesting. On the other hand when you actually have a book to read there will be few more comming up in the pipeline; in fact you would happen to be in a bookstore and find many books appealing.

This bit would be familiar with those who have a habit of reading. Others will have something similar to relate to.

Well this is how things happen. Didn't I tell you life has a strange way of working? And I guess you agreed :)

Tomato and Chilly

I have seen people who mix up with others very quickly; while there are others who take their time. It has got nothing to do with the nature or personality of the person but it is just one of the traits which could easily fall under either. And I have friends spanning the entire spectrum. Where do I fall? I will leave this for my friends to answer :).

Sometimes it feels great to find people get in a group in such a way that it doesn't seem that they are new. While sometimes it is very annoying to see someone trying to get involved in a new group. It all depends upon how the person - who is trying to mix up - is perceived by others plus the viewer's own nature. And it varies from time to time.

Thinking on these lines I remembered something told by my dad sometime back. Let me call it the 'Tomato & Chilly' theory. People can be put under two categories - tomato and chilly. If you know a bit of cooking you will agree that when a tomato is mixed in a dish (sabzi) while cooking the tomato blends in the flavor of that dish and adds to its taste. On the other hand if you add chilly it gives its own taste to the dish reducing the flavor of other ingredients. Its more like a tomato dissolves in a dish while a chilly tries to dominate the taste.

Similarly there are people who become part of the group getting involved with the group as a whole and adapts to the protocols of the group. On the other hand there are some who try to mold the group into their own ways. Sometimes people act one way sometimes the other.

So what are you - chilly or tomato?

Toy Story or The story of life

Went to see the movie Toy Story 3 with a friend. It was a 3D film and supposed to be a comedy; rather it was a comedy film. During the interval my friend said "Aren't we too old for this?" It looked as if he was getting bored but I was having fun and I replied "Well I am enjoying the movie. It is reminding me of my childhood days when I played with toys". Yes I played with toys when I was a kid. Most kids do I believe but there are a few exceptions and my friend was one of them. In the second half when the kid (now a grown up going to college) is going to college his mother asks him to separate all his stuff into 3 parts - trash, attic and college. When he starts cleaning he sees his favorite old toys which he hadn't played with for long but which he hadn't thrown away so far. At the same time the movie also shows the toy's perspective towards humans. The movie shows that toys love being played with and love their owners who take real good care of them. The toys dread being thrown away. As I was watching the movie there comes a time when the kid handovers his toys to another little girl who loves her toys. At that moment tears rolled from eyes. My friend asked me what's wrong I said "Nothing".

But why the tears? Was it because I loved my toys and haven't played with them for years now? Well its true that I still love them and still have them. But is the reason for the tears? I guess no. Maybe I was seeing a much bigger picture. Our life is similar to that of toys.

As we grow up we get involved in different things and as we move to next stage we dump the old ones. The things which were inseparable once are not required now. The games we played earlier are now games for the kids; we have grown up. The clothes change, the food changes, the style changes and so does the thoughts. Things get dumped just like toys. Even friends change. We change our jobs. We change our vehicles. The older ones are left behind; not needed anymore. There was a time when we used to force our parents to play with us. Then we grew up and spent time with friends. Then we grew up further and spent time with classmates. Now we spend time with colleagues. At each stage we take up new things and leave back the old ones. That's life I guess.

When your friends change some of your older friends are dumped. When your friend moves on you are dumped. When you switch job you dump your old firm while when your firm fires you you are dumped. When your friend marries their priorities change and so his time spent with you reduces. The more you grow up the less time you spend with your parents.

Does that mean life is all about dumping and being dumped? I guess so. And you fall into both sides from situation to situation. Were these the reasons for the tears? I don't think so. Maybe the tears were mix of all these and much more; maybe I got too much involved in the movie; maybe they were the results of the 3D glasses; maybe something went into my eyes. Was anything wrong? I guess nothing.

Never thought a comedy movie made specially for kids could resemble life so closely. Well I am going to take my toys out and find something to do with them. And you may go and watch the movie :)

Rock On - a few thoughts...

I was watching 'Rock On' for the nth time and still enjoyed it like I did the 1st time. But this time around the movie made me ponder over certain things. Everyone has a past - a life that they lived; some enjoyed it some didn't. People often want to go back to the old times especially the good old times - the times when they were happy, the times when they were surrounded by their loved ones, the times when there were no worries, the times when all they could do was enjoy. Again there are people who want to run away from their past; people who are glad that it is all over; people who had hard times and are now out of it.

While watching the movie when Sakshi delves into Adi's past I was asking myself "Why the hell does she need to do this?" (I mean they had everything they needed). But then Sakshi goes on to say that she wants him to be happy. It all seemed meaningless at that time for Adi as he was leading the life he had chosen and was pretty successful. But then when Adi actually meets his old friends from 'Magic' he seems so much at ease with himself and his friends and they all mix so well that it seemed nothing had ever happened between them. And they were all happy. And this made the whole effort taken by Sakshi worthwhile.

In their lives - barring a few - most people would want to go back to the good old times. Its something people always wanted to do and so it comes to them easily. The moment a football touches the feet, of someone who used to play football, the tricks come back automatically. So is the case with other sports like TT, carrom, badminton etc. How easy it is to go to a old friends home after a very long time and act as if u have always been there, ask aunty for a cup of tea, walk to the fridge and take out a bottle of water. Its so convenient that when three friends get together at someone's place the usual activity (that used to happen when they were in college) takes place without the need for asking. How the lyrics fall in place when one hears an old song which one hadn't heard for long but now one starts humming.

There are lot of such things which brings up the question - why do people move on when they want to hold on longer at the the place they are? It works in different ways. In the movie Adi became successful and so did KD but they let go their passion for music. But Adi never made peace with his past and was unhappy while KD was happy as he had made peace with the past. Similarly Joe and Rob continued their passion and both were not that successful but were happy that they could continue doing what they wanted. But apart from this Joe was overall unhappy while Rob was happy. So what is it that one should do? The answer would be a personal choice. Like in the movie all four of them made a choice and chose to live by their choice until fate brought them back together which made everyone happy. Well life is not a movie...

Being in the situation - An Encounter

Things look so different when you are actually in the situation. This may sound cliche but it is true. I am not saying this because I have been through something similar (I must admit that I have been in one situation recently) but because there are times when you just can't act the practical (read suggested) way. Its not that you don't want to do it; its just that you can't do it - can't here doesn't mean that you actually can't do it but it means you don't feel like doing it. (Quite confusing isn't it - but I believe you have understood :P)

Some scenarios could be leading a normal life after a break-up (this isn't the reason I am writing this blog ;)), returning to football field after having broken your leg while playing football, saying no to something a beautiful girl asks you to do when you wouldn't have done it for anyone else, getting up early for some workout, spending time learning something on a holiday, etc.
All of the above are some scenarios when you don't do what you should ideally do but give in to the situation which - if you ask me - is perfectly fine as long as you don't regret doing it later. The reason I say this is that there are times when people have to decide; and at these times they either chose to do something or not to do them. The situations and choices keep coming - many a times people don't even realize that they had an option to chose as they just go through the flow, which is fine I guess.

So what brings me here to write this blog? It happens to be an ENCOUNTER. Encounter not in the real meaning but an encounter here means meeting your prospective bride/groom :). The term is not coined by me but is unanimously used in my friend circle. And yes I happened to have an encounter about a month back.
Now I am not going to talk about the details of the encounter but I will talk about something else. A lot of my friends are going through this phase and I am helping them find their right partner. Guiding them hasn't been that difficult as I always thought it is not that difficult to judge if he/she is the right person. In fact I had planned the way mine would go if any happened. But when the time actually came all my plans were left wanting; not because they were not planned well but because when I was in that situation I was caught in a hurricane of thoughts. And the thoughts revolved around things that I hadn't deemed that important earlier but at that moment it all took top priority.
Being in the situation really made the things look different. I knew this but never thought it could be so different... and that too with me. But I guess I was wrong and this encounter made me realize this.

What is it with night?......and with Mornings?

I have observed this happen many a times but haven't been able to figure out why this happens. There's got to be some reason but I haven't been able to reason it out.

Why is it that at night your mind is full of different thoughts but in the morning almost all are gone? At night your mind goes through all the incidents of the day; even to days before today - in fact sometimes way back. You remember all the things you always wanted to do, the things you forgot to do and things you could have done better. Your mind starts making sense from un-attached events and tries to form a pattern; as if it was a movie. You feel as if everything was planned and you are just acting it out; which incidentally might be true.

So what all does the mind go through? There's nothing specific that the mind goes through but its a host of a hell lot of things depending upon your mood and how the day has gone.
For instance if you had a bad day at office then your mind goes through the entire sequence of events step by step. It analyzes all the events that had occurred, tries to find a pattern in it and also tries to find how differently things could have been done.
If you had a fight with a friend you again start going through the entire sequence and do an analysis of the entire thing. You tend to criticize yourself or your friend depending upon how your nature is. You also have a decision to make as to whether you should start talking to him or if you should wait for your friend to take the first step. By this time you have an entire list of pros & cons for both sides.

Also at night you are all geared up to formulate plans for the next days. You are all gung-ho to start something new or to start doing things you always wanted to do but never started doing; sometimes you realize your mistakes and make it a point to apologize to certain people; sometime you remember old friends and decide to catch up with them the next day; so on and so forth.
But come morning and everything you planned is gone. You had decided to wake up early and exercise but alas you wake up late. You had decided to call your friends but now you decide against it or postpone it. You had decided to jot down a plan for you but now you don't feel like doing that - in fact you can't even remember the things you had planned.

I wonder at times what is it that a night does to you - its somehow always better to speak to your friends/dear ones; its almost always much more fun to have night-out with friends than any other time; its easier for most people to study at night; its makes it better when you watch movies at night; and so on.
It seems that nights give you the desire or maybe the experience to do things right - it could be related to the end of a journey when you experience the things that went wrong and/or could have been done in a better way. And similarly a morning is like a start of the journey where you think of taking things as they come. Or maybe you feel its just the start and you will have plenty of time to correct things if they go wrong.

Random thoughts ...

If intent and action are not in sync which one to follow?

If you are upset and not trying to hide your feelings and people in front of you don't notice should you mind?

When you are upset and not trying to hide it and your friends can't make out that your mood is not good should you react?
If your friends do make out finally but after quite some time should you be happy that they could make out or should you be upset that it took them so long?

You have a news and according to you it is a bad news; but it is not related to you but related to a friend - why does your mood get affected by it?

When your friend is upset and you try to find out how they are, they get further upset thinking you are doing so because they are upset and feel that you should leave them alone; while you are doing that because you care. What do you do then and how do you react?

Little moments in life

Life often gives little moments. It is up to an individual whether he/she wants to enjoy it or let it pass by. The moments might not seem special and one might ignore it; but here one forgets that no moment is special in itself - its the actions or events that make it special.

For instance consider a few examples:

There's a official party going on. There is large gathering as these kind of parties are few and far between. It is for the duration of 1-2 hours. One has the option of going there or opting not to go and carry on with one's daily chores. Many assume the party to be boring and don't go. Some attend the party but find it dull and find it a wastage of time. There are a few who participate in it and make full use of the time. Which category do you fall? Majority of people fall under the 1st two categories.

One is travelling in a bus or metro. He/She is standing. He/She is just a couple of stops from his/her destination. A seat gets empty as some passenger sitting there gets down. Most of the people would keep standing thinking what's the benefit of sitting for 2 stops. Very few people would actually go and sit for the small duration.

There's a get-together of old friends. Some would not attend it thinking it would be boring. Others attend that. Of those who attend some are just passive who later think it was a wastage of time. The rest do the talking and try to make the most of it.


These were just a few examples; there are many such instances. What I am trying to say here is that people are forgetting to enjoy the moments. They are so caught up in their daily routine that even when they have the chance to enjoy they let it pass by waiting for the big opportunity which rarely comes. The message here is 'Make the most of every opportunity you get and enjoy even when the world is thinking what to do'

Suddenly the world has turned busy

Suddenly the world has turned busy. Or else how have I gone alone? I mean the second weekend running I am at home with none of my friends available. It wasn't like this nor was it meant to be like this. I mean with my mobile full of nos I can't find a no to dial. Oh that doesn't mean their nos are not working; its just that they are all busy. And I can't blame them for being busy as they can't help it. So here I am sitting in front of the computer, on a Saturday afternoon, writing this blog.
Let's look at a few things people are busy with these days -
Marriage is one major factor. Some are married so have to be at home. Some whose marriage are fixed are busy shopping and doing other things including spending a lot of time on phone. Others who are looking for partners, well their weekends are busy meeting prospective partners.
Office is another major reason keeping people busy. Either they have working weeknds - at least one day. Otherwise they are so exhausted with working overtime on weekdays that they can't think of anything but sleep & rest on weekends.
Guests/Relatives have become another major factor. Unplanned visits and occasions are keeping some people busy which they have to attend to and thus are busy.
Other reasons for people being busy is their weekend chores - washing clothes and cleaning for bachelors staying away from home, going home for people whose native place is nearby and household work for people living with family. Weekend courses are another thing that's keeping some people busy (it kept me busy for 2 years when I did my MBA)

These things had always been part but I always found someone :). I guess my luck has run out for once. Its been difficult finding people lately. But I guess what it is doing is allowing me to spend time with me - something which people hardly get time to do. I can indulge in things I have been wanting to do but don't find much time. For instance watching a movie at home with no disturbance, eating my favourite dishes, writing blogs, playing games and planning.
Wow! There are lots of stuff to do and I have been complaining. I guess this sums up how our life goes - "We wait all our life waiting for the right opportunities but often when they come we don't realize that and then we keep waiting". On second thoughts I think I will keep this thought aside and continue wondering what I should do now :)

Watching a movie alone

I am alone at home these days (starting yesterday and for some 10 days). Mom, dad and sister have gone out. Yesterday I decided to go out for lunch. I wanted some company so I started calling my friends to see if anyone could come down. I called some 5-6 friends one after the other but everyone was busy in something or the other and so I was all alone. I decided to go to Shipra Mall and have lunch. I was also thinking about watching a movie. But watching a movie alone was something I had never done before.
I reached Shipra Mall and went to KFC for lunch. After finishing the lunch I thought let me check the show timings. It was 1 PM and there was a show for 'Ishqiya' at 1:45 PM. I had nothing else to do so I bought the ticket. It was 45 mins to go before the movie started, so I started roaming around aimlessly. Since I had no one for company I started observing people. Groups of boys and girls entering and exiting shops, couples moving slowly holding hands, guys trying to get girl's attention, parents playing around with their kids, people waiting for their friends, sign of 'Sale' on almost every shop and many more things.
The entry to the movie area started and I went in. Still 30 mins for the movie to start. I now had a very limited area to roam around. And more and more people started coming in. There were couples lost in themselves, small groups laughing around, some families as well. The only person alone there was me. It was the getting very difficult to pass time. Of course there were a few beautiful girls around but they all had partners :P. Finally the movie theatre opened and people started getting in and taking their seats. I had a decent seat and since I had no one to talk to I hoped the movie is good. The movie was okay - no story as such but brilliant acting and screenplay. Moreover it had Nasiruddin Shah and Vidya Balan - 2 of my favourite actors.

It was my first experience of watching a movie alone. I had never ever imagined me watching a movie alone; but as I had nothing else to do and no company I decided to give it a try. Watching the movie alone is not bad but to pass the time between buying a ticket and the starting of the movie is very difficult, rather boring. Will I do it again? Like I say "Never say never"

A conversation between 2 parts of your mind/heart

Scenario: A friend has returned from a 2 week trip outside India. Its been almost a week and we haven't met yet

Participants:
M1 - one half of my mind/heart
M2 - other half of my mind/heart

Conversation:
M1 - She's back. I should go and meet her
M2 - She is back after 2 weeks. She would be busy
M1 - Then maybe I should call her and find out if she's busy
M2 - If she's anyways busy why bother her
M1 - How about dropping her a mail then. She can reply when she has time
M2 - She wouldn't check your mail right now
M1 - Why?
M2 - You had written to her sometime back giving your blog link. Have you heard from her on that?
M1 - No
M2 - Then?
M1 - She would have read the blog but might not have found time to reply. Or maybe she didn't want to reply on that as it wasn't something people should reply to. After all how many people have you heard from who were on that list.
M2 - Even if I take that why do you want to meet her?
M1 - Its been sometime since we had a good chat. And moreover I am looking forward to my gift
M2 - Are you sure you are going to get one?
M1 - I am hoping so... but not sure
M2 - Then why so much eagerness? You can wait for her to call.
M1 - But why shouldn't I call first?
M2 - Let look at it this way. If you go somewhere and get something for someone what do you do on returning? You call that person up and set up a meeting. You don't wait for the person to contact you. Right?
M1 - Hmm
M2 - And if there's no gift for you then you would be disappointed.
M1 - Actually not. That would set the expectations right for future
M2 - So you won't feel bad
M1 - Not at all. One shouldn't get upset over small things
M2 - Hmm
M1 - So what do you suggest? Shall I call her or wait?
M2 - Do whatever you feel like

Result: This post :)

Kyun dikhaye sapne tu sote jaagte

"O re manwa tu to baawra hai
Tu hi jane tu kya chahta hai baawre
Kyun dikhaye sapne tu sote jaagte"

This song from the movie 'Wake Up Sid' has been playing in my playlist for quite sometime. Today as I was humming this song (yes I do that often and people nearby often ask me to reduce the volume) I started to make sense out of the song, that is, my mind started analyzing the words in the song and comparing it with real life. And I found it quite similar.

To talk of few things why do people want the things they are told not to? Why do people try to do things that are prohibited? Why do people fall in love with people whom their parents won't accept? Why do people hope for things that are improbable?
One answer could be people believe in miracles; think their case is special and different. This can be considered a good thing as well as not a good thing. I mean there would be a time when you will have to draw the line, but that time is not defined. So one may go too far while others may leave too soon. Its a personal choice. I won't say anything more on this for now.

Of course I would love to dream and try to make them true. Whether the dreams are realistic are not only time will tell. Till then - "Kyun dikhaye sapne tu sote jagte"

A strange few days

Its been a pretty strange week so far. And for various reasons; or maybe no reason at all - I mean I know somethings wrong somewhere but don't know what and where. Or maybe nothing is wrong and its just me imagining things. Whatever the case be its certainly not the thing to be in; at least for me.

Lets see what all happened this week:

- On Moday I was in office till 2AM working. Of course I could have avoided it but decided to do it.

- Tueday I spent the most of the time sleeping. In between I watched 3 Idiots.

- Wednesday was pretty hectic trying to finish the work to meet the deadlines.

- Today I didn't feel like working but still had to.

And during this time I was waiting to meet a friend, had an arguement with another friend, was waiting to hear from another friend and now also waiting for a headband. None of this is reason enough for the mood swing which points towards still not having found the cause. Hopefully the thing would go away without actually finding the cause.

What a Team !!!

We have a pretty big team but I will confine this post to 6+1 person. The +1 will be clear as the post goes on. Since I do not know if they would want their names to be published I will use just the initials.
This team has not been together for more than a couple of months but this seems to be a team that knows each other for ages. Everyone is strong in their domains, has sound technical knowledge and with them carry vast experience. And they are all different in their own ways. Everyone, I should say almost everyone, wants to finish their work way before time, are willing to stretch beyond office hours; even work on weekends, but at the same time willing to help whoever needs help - and that too without any complaints. And the best part is that everyone will ask others not to stretch and assure others not to worry and that things will be done; but at the same time stretching themselves to the limit to make sure their work gets done.
Let me give an insight to them now.

MM started as a specialist who was supposed to provide technical help to the team. He was always there to help, and parallely he was going through the ramp up. After his ramp-up was done he got stories (the work items are broken into stories) to work upon. But even then – despite being loaded with work – whenever someone required any help all he had to do was turn around and ask MM, and he was there to help.

RT is the guy who has been in this project for the longest duration and has thorough knowledge of the application. He is someone who always tries to do the things in the best possible way. When someone is stuck somewhere and finds the task a little tricky and calls RT, RT will look at the problem and if he finds it difficult he would definitely spend some time on the problem (where others might just point to google) as he takes it up as a challenge and feels he has something to learn from it. One more thing about RT, rather an incident that happened just a few days back – RT had to go somewhere on Monday morning and felt he might be late for office; so he finished the work he was supposed to do on Monday on Sunday night only.

SS is another brilliant guy. Technically he is excellent and he is also an excellent human being. He stays near the office. So whenever the team has calls with the onsite manager and the manager speaks person to person SS’s turn usually comes last and he has to stay back the longest, but I have never seen him complain. Whenever you go to him for help he is more than willing to help you. And where he feels one has a scope to learn SS doesn’t help directly but points you towards the examples/links which would enable you to not only solve your problem but to learn as well.

KS is someone who keeps the environment enjoyable and makes sure everyone is comfortable. Again technically very strong and has experience working in different sorts of projects. In our team he is responsible for starting celebrating birthday parties in the team, taking the team out for lunch, making sure everyone participates and interacts with each other. With him you don’t have to ask but just the mention of things is enough. He takes up individual’s concern to the proper personnel, doesn’t mind staying back even when he has no work of his own. He even accompanies for tea/coffee breaks when he himself doesn’t drink either. And most importantly he is happy to do these things.

AB is someone who has spent the last 7 years in the US, but when you talk to him he seems one of us. He has his unique style of talking and is the person to listen to when on breaks, especially dinners. He again is technically pretty strong and is always willing to him. One of these days he was stuck somewhere and looking for the solution for quite some time as it was to be delivered that day. KS was struggling with an issue and AB had worked on something similar before. AB left his work and went to KS and helped him with it before returning to his work.

SM is a QA person. He was in our track initially but moved to some other track sometime back. He keeps the area happening with his dialogues; sometimes attempted poetry. And when it comes to work he is a thorough professional. Never afraid to stay late or shy away from working on weekends. I remember one weekend when I was enjoying in a mall with my friends I got a call from him saying that there’s some problem in the build and asking if there is a way to fix it so that he can do the testing. I couldn’t help him then but he spent the next night testing the entire thing once the application was up.

Now moving to the +1 – its none other than PS. PS is the person who was part of this team from the start before deciding to move on. He was the India team lead and a gem of a person. Despite the constant pressure, he always remained cool and made sure that the team remains calm. He also always made sure that there is complete harmony in the team and that no one is feeling the heat. He was brilliant technically and equally good in managing things. I must say he is the person who has laid the foundation for such a good team.

I must admit that I am lucky enough to be part of such a team. I don’t know what else anyone can ask from his/her team. Everyone knowing their work, finishing deliverables on time, always there to help each other and at the same time game for fun. Despite all the pressure the enthusiasm never dies. Probably one of the best teams to work with as everyone is so approachable and helpful and knowledgeable at the same time.

Thanks friends for the wonderful 2009

I have always thought that there are times when one needs to thank people who have helped you in any way. But many a times I miss saying thanks to them and then it becomes too late. So I thought I should take some time out to thank all those people who did things last year (2009) that I remember and appreciate. Of course I won't remember every moment and some people might get missed but I guess its better to at least thank those whom I can recall as I write this post.

The first name that comes to my mind is Manas. We have watched many movies last year together, went on a number of outings and spent many enjoyable moments. He was always there when I needed a friend. A phone call was enough to set up a meeting.
Supreet and Seema who have again always been there to help me figure out things, advised me whenever I needed some and also with whom I could talk freely on anything and evrything.
Minakshi for the wonderful discussions, the coffees and the Goshtba Rice & Mutton Roganjosh treat.
Abhijit Rai for a wonderful message on friendship day.
Sunil Duggal, Ashish Mundra and Pradeep Sharma for helping me learn new technologies and guide me whenever I needed some assistance.
Dumpy for believing in my abilities when I was feeling low and encouraging me always.
Kunal for thinking highly of me (where I wasn't) and always encouraging and supporting.
Hina for keeping the year eventful, her blog posts, the books and the wonderful times we spent.
Shibendu for the pick-up calls.
Rakhi for the numerous Gulab-Jamuns.
Suryakant for the visit after 9 years.
Sahil and Shubhi for keeping the office area happening with their arguements/fights/discussions.
Also Ashish, Deepak, Sudhanshu, Saurabh Sardana, Gaurav Pareek, Saurabh Sharma, Sachin, Pallavi, Saurav Gupta, et al for the wonderful moments.

I would definitely be missing many moments but these came to my mind as I was writing this post. I am hoping for similar and many more moments in the year to come. Thanks...

Goodbye 2009 - A year that was ...

Now that 2010 has arrived I was looking back at the year 2009. It was indeed an eventful year in many ways. It had its ups and downs but overall it was a good year. Let me go through some of the things that happened in the past year (and that I remember as I write this post :))

On the work front it was a year of great learning. Learnt .net 3.0 & 3.5 and got the chance to work in 2 technically challenging projects. Got selected for TRM domain and went through the basics of TRM. Got the chance to work with some highly skilled people and it was a great learning experience. The not so good thing was that I had to shift to Gurgaon office and that increased the travelling time a great deal.

On the travel front I had a few trips with family and friends. The year started with a trip to Jaipur with friends (http://strictly-my-views.blogspot.com/2009/01/trip-to-jaipur.html). Then in summer went to Palampur/Dharamshala with friends again (http://strictly-my-views.blogspot.com/2009/04/trip-to-palampur-summary.html). During Durga Pooja went to Kolkatta with mom (http://strictly-my-views.blogspot.com/2009/10/kolkatta-trip-and-few-realizations.html). And the year was rounded off with a trip to Rajasthan - Jodhpur and Jaisalmer (a blog to come on this soon). In between there was a weekend trip to Chandigarh as well (http://strictly-my-views.blogspot.com/2009/08/chandigarh-and-sleepless-night.html).

There were some strange but enjoyable get-togethers; strange because of different/unexpected reasons. A meeting in Gurgaon that didn't go well. Meeting Saurabh after quite some time had its share of bad news followed with some confessions. A get-together of office cab mates which turned from dinner to drinks. Meeting Suryakant after 9 years was great; but it also led to meeting aunty (Deepak's mom) after many years.

On personal front I bought a house which is indeed an achievement for me but the entire credit goes to my mom for all the effort. Moving to the new house was also great which included buying all the furniture. Watched a lot of movies this year - thanks mainly to Manas. Made some great new friends in Kunal, Minakshi, Shibendu, Sahil, Saurabh, Gaurav, et al. Did a lot of blogging and computer gaming. Read many books. By the end of the year got addicted to Facebook.

There were some downs as well the past year. My Mausi ji is no more. And a dear friend's sister also passed away. Couldn't attend a lot of marriages for weird reasons. Many friends went through heart breaks. I had a few clashes with friends.

But then every coin has two sides; and so does life - it has its share of ups and downs. And like I said at the start there were more ups than downs. And as I wish 2009 a goodbye I do welcome 2010 with lots of hopes and expectations and wish it turns out to be a great year in every way.