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Thursday, November 25, 2004
One of my intelligent friend sent this to me.....
You say "town " and expect everyone to know that this means south of Churchgate.
You speak in a dialect of Hindi called 'Bambaiya Hindi',which only Bombayites can understand.
Your door has more than three locks.
Rs 500 worth of groceries fit in one paper bag.
Train timings (9.27, 10.49 etc) are really important events of life.
You spend more time each month travelling than you spend at home.
You call an 8' x 10' clustered room a Hall.
You're paying Rs 10,000 for a 1 room flat, the size of walk-in closet and you think it's a "steal."
You have the following sets of friend: school friends, college friends, neighborhood friends, office friends and yes, train friends, a species unique only in Bombay.
Cabbies and bus conductors think you are from Mars if you
call the roads by their Indian name, they are more familiar with Warden Road, Pedar Road, Alt mount Road.
Stock market quotes are the only other thing besides cricket which you follow passionately.
The first thing that you read in the Times of India is the "Bombay Times" supplement.
You take fashion seriously.
You're suspicious of strangers who are actually nice to you.
Hookers, beggars and the homeless are invisible.
You compare Bombay to New York's Manhattan instead of any other cities of India.
The most frequently used part of your car is the horn.
You insist on calling CST as VT, and Sahar and Santacruz airports instead of Chatrapati Shivaji International Airport
You consider eye contact an act of overt aggression.
Your idea of personal space is no one actually standing on your toes.
Being truly alone makes you nervous.
You love wading through knee deep mucky water in the monsoons, and actually call it 'romantic'.
Only in Mumbai, you would get Chinese Dosa and Jain Chicken.
You call traffic policemen as 'Pandus" and expect out-of-towners to understand that.
I LOVE MUMBAI!!
Posted at 12:36 am by flyingelephant
The wall
Sunday, November 14, 2004
Its been quite a while I was away.
I did not get time to write, did not find a computer.
Now that I have a laptop of my own and a hotel room internet connection, am back.
In between my travels to Mumbai , Bangalore & Delhi I have to find my new home in Mumbai, new school for kid, arrange shifting of lock stock and two smoking barrels, organise our new company, recruit people, manage the Client who has awarded us the Rs. 300 Crore Project, the tallest tower of India and fall in love with Mumbai.
Big deal.
Right now I am feeling - 24 hrs in a day in insufficient, there should have been 8 days in a week, I should have a matured & "aged" look and may be i am too young to take charge, too old to blog.
They say, Mumbai changes one's fate.
Lets see whats this city has in store for me........
Posted at 04:11 pm by flyingelephant
The wall
Monday, October 25, 2004
Today will remain as a memorable day for me, lifelong.
The day started with the "appreciation letter" received from the Client, for my recently completed project. The special thing about the letter was, it contained personal recognition and gratitude in my <name>. After all “….was instrumental in being sensitive…..”, “….showed dedication towards timeliness…..”, ….performed high quality work”….meant a lot to me. Its really a great honour indeed, to be “printed” for good reasons.
My pride was doubled by the thought that I am leaving an organization, with a feeling that, I have done my job well and I am recognized. I am not a non-entity, or just “an employee”. People have started recognizing me by name.
Hope it’s a sign of a good start.
Today, incidentally was also my last day in the organisation. I was the privileged outgoing colleague to get to select my farewell gift ! Sounds gauche, but it was like that only. No formalities. My colleagues presented me a mask, sourced from Indonesia. Now, every time I see the mask I will remember my great colleagues.
In the farewell party they told me they are going to miss me from tomorrow. A part of “life” from the office is going away.
I will miss you too folks. Thanks for being a good company to me. Wish you all the very best
Posted at 07:05 pm by flyingelephant
The wall
Wednesday, October 20, 2004
Its time. for farewell from another city, friends and colleagues, for the second time this year. Tomorrow is the last working day. Then I am on my own. Fresh start. We are on our own. We are the rule, whether we make or break.
We are floating our own organisation with a bright vision, lot of energy, enthusiasm and great hope that we will create a niche of our own in the world.
No more complaints, no one to complain to. Risk? Yes…calculated. What if it screws up? What if you don’t succeed, think about security. Lets see. Be positive, man, all the great companies in this world started with a handful of people, but they had a vision and solid mettle to show that world another success story.
We have a vision. Strength of People, honesty, integrity. Hard work never fails.
Trust, faith, cooperation, harmony. Swim against the tide. Fortune favours the brave. If there’s a will there’s a way. Think big to grow big. Never say die……….
.
.
.
.
Yes, I am ready to take life head on.
Posted at 06:19 pm by flyingelephant
The wall
Monday, October 18, 2004
Just back from "Gods own country"....but was not really able to meet him/ her. Left a message for him/her requesting to call me later.
Here a summary of the trip for reference. May not be that romantic, but I am thinking of sending to the "Lonely Planet" people.
Consumption statistics-
Total Hours- 207.5
Places visited- 8 cities, 4 towns, 5 villages, 3 places- yet - to- be- named
Hours in travelling- 102.84
Hours slept- 52.8
Hours spent in bed- 62.5
Water consumed- 34.5 litre
Beer Consumed- 12 Litres
Rum consumed- 2 Litres
Cigerettes- 236
photo snaps- 144
hotels changed- 6 times
money- yet to add up
Other interesting figures-
walked- 30 miles
sailed- 65 miles
smiled- always
lost - son's sunglasses, few calories, the sand castle we built
found- time for me & family, a pocketfull of shells, smile of surprise on a child's face after seeing the ocean for the first time, i am growing old, 5 new friends including the waiter in kovalam and the boat driver during the 8 hrs backwater cruise.
The place liked most- Munnar, where the mist starts forming from early afternoon with a slow but steady spread over the lush green tea & spice plantations extended over the mountains till eyes can see and where the dusk rises, before the sun goes down.
By the way, also seen six wild elephants...learning to fly.
.........
Posted at 12:32 pm by flyingelephant
The wall
Thursday, October 07, 2004
In a cold winter night there was a small singing bird out in the snow. It was shivering cold and the bird had nowhere to go, but die helpless. While it was crawling for life, sudeddenly a cow passing by released a load of dung on it. The bird was grossly irritated and disturbed, at first. But the fresh warmth of the dung covered its tiny body, comforted it. Gradually it started feeling good and finally it was so comfortable it started singing. Hearing the tune , a cat, starving in the cold night, dug the small bird out of the manure and ate it.
Moral of the story-
A. Not everyone who shits on you is your enemy.
B. Not Every one who takes you out of the shit is your friend.
Corollary: If you are in a shit keep your mouth shut.
Posted at 12:41 pm by flyingelephant
The wall
Monday, October 04, 2004
1. Sing a song.
2. Play guiter.
3. Be there when they need me.
4. Play bridge with old buddies throughout a rainy day in the canteen at JU.
5. Paint a picture on a Sunday.
6. Appreciate “K” serials.
7. Go to the gym.
8. Grow my hair long like it was when I was in love.
9. Cook a lunch for my family.
10. Settle in life.
11. Go to Kolkata this Durgapujo.
12. Grow a weird moustache & beard.
13. Get rid of my backache.
14. Drink till dawn.
15. Take junior to the neighbourhood park for football.
16. Clean up the junk inside my head.
17. Help her out in the kitchen.
18. Have a garden of my own.
19. Sleep.
20. Wake up early.
21. Go jogging.
22. Get my childhood pets back.
23. Go home early.
24. Fly a kite in Vishwakarma Puja.
25. Get junior play with mud & grass.
26. Wear matrix theme sunglasses.
27. Attend my friends’ marriage.
28. Have egg roll in lunch.
29. Walk around college street.
30. Smoke bidi.
31. Then quit smoking.
32. Have the negatives of First year tour back.
33. Stop.
Posted at 03:15 pm by flyingelephant
The wall
Thursday, September 30, 2004
I am a fool of a husband.
I have done the most miserable mistake a husbnd can make.
I forgot my wife's birthday, today. After remembering for 13 years. After 5 yeas of marriage.
and for no reason...no excuse.
I am sad. I can't just believe it happened.
I think I should go home now. And I wish at least the flower guy forgives me....
Posted at 04:22 pm by flyingelephant
The wall
Wednesday, September 29, 2004
It seems its time to move. Yes. Again. I am changing job, changing city.
As I always believe - no news is good news.
Time indeed passes before we could realize. It's been 7 months we have been in here in Bangalore. Though I like the city, its one of the better cities in India to work and live in, but we are on the move again.
This time, its a fresh start in Mumbai. Its from the formation level, we are the founation, we the people !
They say rolling stones gather no moss ......
But I don't know whether it's too much of a rolling. By December we are shifting to Mumbai, with a hope that my clockwise movement across the country will have a stop.
We just had a beautiful time with Piya & mami spending a couple of weeks with us. We had a trip to Hampi as well. Beautiful.
I have a confusing and complicated travel schedule before we finally move to Mumbai involving Bangalore, Delhi & if possible Kolkata. By December end I hope to systemize everything.
Need good wishes from you, the well wishers.
Meantime planing to visit Kerala backwaters !!
still living large, can't help...
Posted at 11:51 am by flyingelephant
The wall
Saturday, September 25, 2004
This is my first attempt to write something on a webdiary called blog. one of my friend first introduced me to this weblog thing. While she is a good writer and has done her blog a beautiful & interactive one, I fully dedicate my interest in blogging to her. She loves coffee......, talks about literature and probably does not know me at all, but she has the heart to forgive me. She undoubtedly has been my inspiration, and that finally i start writing. I send her all my good wishes.
I am yet to design the page layout and don't really have any clue how to do that. But i think someday i will be able to do it, where i can express better with pictures, quotations etc. and hope i get nice comments too! For the time being, there may be disorganised, uncontextual and unncessary texts. readers patience solicited.
Also i was wondering whatever i write, who will read? I have not decalred anyone about this bolg thing of mine.
OK, lets say, there's always a stating point, like few years back when i first entered the net.
I have met so many people on the net, and still meeting, few of them has been in touch for more than 3 years now...my thirst for knowing people and talking to them is only growing. Its really an exciting and interesting, every time i get in touch with someone and they get converted to a good friend. I wait till they say- " i am comfortable with you", and I reply to them " i like to be as you are, and i don't expect anything from you." They win. I win. I think I should have been somewhere else doing something else, definitely not where I am, doing what i am doing....ok, i am still searching to find the answer.
Why do i keep on adding more and more people iny friends list? May be my interst in human, and to be honest to sharpen my communication quality. Here I dont want to sound intellectual, philosophical or religious at all. just human.
I really don't know what to write, as i am not a good writer. I fall short of words when i want to express something. May be its time to think for sometime.
Like , now i think its enough junk for the first blog. Lets see where do I go from here?
PS: those who believes that elephants can fly are welcome .
Posted at 01:41 pm by flyingelephant
The wall
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Satellite view of hurricane Ivan. Sometimes destruction does look beautiful, when seen from a safe distance.....
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