Vaastu Shastra

Or you can call it Feng Shui if you may. Arrey, nothing to do with that Ramu Verma’s jump in your seats horror flick. Though it’s a horror story alright. Let me cut to the chase…ever since I’d shifted to my previous house around six months back, things had not quite been going right for me. Apart from the fact that it was located in one of the busiest areas of Bangalore, from where I’d to spend an average of 3 hours in transit to and from work everyday, it’s disoriented architecture and lack of sunlight in the rooms didn’t quite help either. And wait, the silver lining of the cloud is yet to come.
My next door(or rather window) neighbours, whose bedroom balcony happened to be just a few merciful feet away from 1 of my bedroom’s window, seemed hell bent on proving their ‘happy married life’ status to me on quite a few occasions.(Now don’t ask me how!) And the baap of all irritations, it seemed their over enthusiastic children had signed a long term contract with some nemesis from my previous incarnation, and thus dutifully started bawling and crying themselves hoarse at dot 5 am every morning.
And to think this was the place I was supposed to return to from a hard day at work.
Charming, very freakin’ Charming!
So ultimately better sense dawned on me 2 weeks back and I along with another buddy of mine started looking for an apartment somewhere closer to work. We fortunately found a seemingly decent 2 bedroom-hall-kitchen in a good locality with 1 balcony facing a lake and another a coconut grove! So we met up with the landlord and lady, who happened to be a cute elderly Sikh couple. My friend started the talk, and was bluntly told that the rent was 10 grands. He tried to negotiate but to no avail. “Step aside and let ME handle the situation now”, I proudly proclaimed. Ahem.

Me: “Ohho Paaji! Tusi Kithon ? “
Translation: O Big Brother! Where art thou from ?
(The remaining conversation in the Queen’s language for your convenience)

Him: I’m from Jalandhar. You seem to know Punjabi too, are you from….
Me: Yes Sir! Straight from the heart of the capital city!
Him: (All smiles) Wah! Now we’re talking! So tell me, would you be staying with your family or….(eyes suspiciously)
Me: No way…just we two bachelors here.
Him: Hmmm…okk…well these are family apartments and we don’t generally give it to bachelors for obvious reasons.(Now I was wondering why everyone said that! I mean are bachelors some kind-of anti social elements for whom a marriage certificate is a pre-requisite to social acceptance!)
But since you’re ‘apna banda’, I’ll be considerate, and that too for 9.5 ! (grins)

Me: Umm sir, that’s really kind of you, but you see we’re kind of new to our jobs…blah blah blah….i’m new to the city….blah blah blah…
Note: Negotiation using sympathy ;)

Him: (It works!) Ohho, I can understand, I was new here once too, and I remember how difficult things were for me then…..hmm okk 9 grands then..
Me: (Pushing for more with my best innocent face) Frankly Sir, our budget was around 8.5, so if you can….
Him: (Tired look) Now I don’t know! Talk to my wife for the rest…..

Me: (To his wife) Oh ma’am….i’m sure you understand….


And of course charming her was easy! :> So we finally got it for 8.5 grands !
So that was how I negotiated an awesome deal and moved into this beautiful apartment, from where I now get this soothing view of a lake from my balcony as I sip my morning cup of tea everyday!

Later, my friend was astonished at how we managed to negotiate so much. “Dude, are you sure….you know…like the place is not haunted or something!”
Hmmm…. I never thought about that! Well, it doesn’t seem to be so far, but just in case it is, then I’ll get another interesting story to share!!
:D

(Pics: From Top – The lakeview from my balcony, middle – the coconut grove from the 2nd balcony, last – Sunset from our terrace)

For Your Eyes Only

Yes, as I earlier said, sometimes a picture can say more than a thousand words. I’ve always been fascinated with beautiful images, and the first thing I invested in after getting my first salary was a good digital camera. Like they say, boys do love their toys, and for me there are just 2 of them right now…my Enfield Thunderbird and a Sony Cybershot P73.

“A Thing of Beauty is a Joy Forever”. The phrase couldn’t be more aptly applied to than beautiful Imagery – “Kodak Moments” that freeze all the special times of our lives in a frame, to be cherished and remembered time and again. It’s sometimes really fascinating to think how these images might probably outlast not just our lifetimes, but that of our entire generations, since technology has advanced so rapidly in the last few decades that humanity born a century ago wouldn’t have imagined in it’s wildest dreams. Imagine having to see real-life images of legends like Cleopatra, Marie Antoinette, Mumtaz Mahal or even the inspiring Napolean, Alexander or Ashoka.

I remember hearing somewhere that if you have to appreciate the gift of sight, try putting yourself in the shoes of a person who has been born blind, and who has never been able to see the flawless beauty of a coastal sunrise, the mesmerizing mist of mountains, the varied hues of a fully blossomed garden in spring, or just the elegance of a beautiful smile.
And maybe then, we would stop taking this God’s gift for granted and start appreciating the beauty in His most simple creations.

I’m not a photographer in any sense of the word, but ever since laying my hands on this wonderful technological toy and going through it’s manual, I’ve tried to make as optimum a use of it as possible.

I’m sharing some of the pictures I’ve been able to capture through this during the last year and a half.

Check them out at your expediency: My Collection so far
(There are 4 different albums in the link)

The Season of The TAG

Ah, you can smell it in the air, can’t u! Yea right, I guess it’s a kind of trend in blogsville these days…..wherever u go someone or another has tagged someone else or another!
So when the entire cyberia seems to have caught the viral, how could I escape unscathed.
First by Ms. Ramblings and then Ms. UnVeilings for the-by-now-famous 8 point tag, and then by Ms. Kiran for the Wild Thoughts tag.
Hmmm, so I guess I’ll take up both the tags in one shot.

The rules(if you don't already know them!) are:
1. The tagged victim has to come up with 8 different points of their perfect lover.
2. Need to mention the sex of the target.
3. Tag 8 victims to join this game & leave a comment on their comments saying they’ve been tagged.
4. If tagged the 2nd time, there’s no need to post again


Target: Female

She should:

1. Be caring and affectionate(obviously!),
2. Have a pleasant personality (that includes decent looks, dressing sense and a warm and friendly attitude),
3. Be witty enough to carry an interesting conversation,
4. Cultivate faith in me and similarly should allow me to put my 100% trust in her,
5. Be mature and not throw tantrums and whims every now and then.(Once in a while should be fine),
6. Be well balanced - neither tooo conservative nor tooo liberal(That's the toughest i guess)
7. Be sensitive towards my sometimes possessive nature,
8. Love me like no other!!


Phew...God help me! :p


Ok now for the naughtier "Wild Thoughts" part.
Hmmm this might be even tougher...anyways...i'll give it a try...



First crush/gf/bf:
My English teacher in Class 5th. Sshhh....Lol.

First Kiss:
My playmate in KinderGarten...hehe...in fact her parents asked me to kiss her for a photograph!

Naughty is:
Being amusing without hurting anyone.It's NOT flirting and definitely NOT bad.

Most mischievous thing you have ever done:
Threw Diwali crackers inside the window of my school principal's office(and ran off) after he'd reprimanded me for some silly thing i hadn't even done.

Would love to go on a date with :
Tough choice.....ok Salma Hayek.

Deep dark fantasy:
Since it's deep n dark, let it b tht ways. ;)

Nightmare:
Losing my loved ones.

Ideal woman:
8 points mentioned above.


Would you ever indulge in a one-night-stand?
I don't think so.

Pre-marital sex:
I'm old-fashioned.

Love v/s Lust :
Love is beautiful and long-lasting, Lust is raw and transient.

If you could , you would :

1. Have 6-pack abs like Dino Morea,
2. Get a woman like Gayatri Joshi,
3. Get the job of Ian Wright(host of the Lonely Planet series on Discovery)


What attracts you most in a woman:

Her hair...
Wits...
Smile...

What turns you off:
Oily hair
Bad teeth


Your motto:
If you think, you can!



Ohkk...been there...done that.
As for tagging 8 others, in case anyone reading this hasn't been infected yet, please consider yourself attacked...err...tagged.

So until next week...Asta La Vista!

Dream On

Darn ….i’m back neck deep in work now. But I just stole out enough time to share my FAVOURITE song of all time…..trust me if you haven’t heard this then you haven’t lived at all! :-p
I’ve set this song as the morning alarm on my Winamp for 4 years now(!) and though I still experiment with some others off and on, i keep coming back to this as it remains my ALL time favourite.
The most inspiring song ever, this can mean different things to different people, but never fails to motivate you to give your best in whatever dream or endeavor you’re pursuing.

It’s called Dream On by AeroSmith.

Check it Out: (Click To Play)

Dream On



Every time I look in the mirror
All these lines on my face getting clearer
The past is gone
It goes by, like dusk to dawn
Isn't that the way
Everybody's got their dues in life to pay

Yeah, I know what nobody knows
where it comes and where it goes
I know it's everybody's Sin
You got to Lose to know how to Win

Half my Life
is in books' written pages
Lived and Learned
from Fools and from Sages
You know it's True
All the things come Back to You

Sing with Me, Sing for the Year
Sing for the Laughter, Sing for the Tear
Sing with Me, if it's just for Today
Maybe Tomorrow, the good Lord will take you away

Yeah, Sing with me, Sing for the year
Sing for the laughter, Sing for the tear
Sing with me, if it's just for today
Maybe tomorrow, the good Lord will take you Away

Dream On Dream On Dream On
Dream until your dreams come true
Dream On Dream On Dream On
Dream Until your Dream comes through
Dream On Dream On Dream On
Dream On Dream On
Dream On Dream On

Sing with Me, Sing for the Year
Sing for the Laughter, Sing for the Tears
Sing with Me, if it's just for Today
Maybe tomorrow, the good Lord will take you away
Sing with Me, Sing for the year
Sing for the laughter, Sing for the tears
Sing with Me, if it's just for today
Maybe tomorrow, the good Lord will take you away......



Right Click the following link and click Save Target As to download…. Dream On(Original)


So Dream On people, Dream On until those Dreams Come True!!!

A Soft Corner

Ok, well, how do I start ? This is about someone special, someone really really close to me.

If there is one thing I hate about myself then it’s the inability to freely express my emotions towards anyone I would really care for(especially face to face).
Nah it’s neither shyness nor snobbishness. I feel it’s a stupid “Guy” thing that’s got into my head from I-don’t-know-where. “Guys DO NOT get emotional.” A bunch of crap, I know, but crap that raises it’s ugly head almost always at the opportune moment. Maybe it’s a self-defence mechanism that I’ve unconsciously built up to save myself from the mental agony (once emotions get the better of me, they simply refuse to leave). Like I remember last year coming out of a theatre after watching the movie “Black” with my family, and while my mother and sister(and almost all females) were openly wiping their moist eyes with a handkerchief, I tried my best to keep a straight face. (Though earlier inside under the safe haven of darkness I’d allowed a drop or two to leave my eyes too! Darn how can I even admit that! )

Anyways, coming back to that special person, I love her so much and yet I don’t remember expressing it to her for a long time now, maybe we’ve started taking each other for granted – Not Anymore.
Today also happens to be the right day to express it – She’s my lovely, charming, amazing Little Sister!
Ah, how destiny has separated our lives onto it’s different paths! Till just a few years back we all used to be together, and now I’m working in Bangalore, she’s studying in Delhi, while our parents live on in Chandigarh.
Yet, how can I ever forget those growing up years when we used to fight it out over trivial things – from which TV channel to watch to who would take the biggest share of chocolates! I can only reminisce and smile over it now.
And the fact that I’ve always been ferociously protective of her (I’m sure any responsible brother would be!). I just recall this one incident when she was two years junior to me in the same school, and only once she told me that some guy in her class was constantly bugging her – I simply went to him and asked him if he knew she was MY sister. He literally went on his knees to apologize and and made her his ‘sister’ from the next day! Lol.
There are loads of other memories but pages and words would just not be sufficient to do justice to all of them. What matters is that those memories would be cherished by me forever.
And now in another year or two she would be married and happily settled somewhere, and then I would be too, and maybe we’ll get to see even less of each other.
But while I still can, let me take this opportunity to express my love for her on her special day – Here’s Wishing All The Joys In The World For You! Happy Birthday and Loads of HUGSSS!

We share the Bond of Blood,
And I shall Love and Protect you always,
To My Last Breath.
(Ok now before I get more senti I’ll mail this to her!)

(That's me and her with Dad on her birthday more than 20 years back.)

Style Vs. Substance

The Eternal question. It’s amazing how the principle of Duality applies in so many places…. Chicken or Egg ? Black or White ? Adam or Eve ? Shaken or Stirred ? Science or Arts ? Pass or Fail ?
Style or Substance ?
- Both.
???

I like people who have some ‘depth’ in their words and actions, people with views that hold some ‘weight’; in other words, people with ‘Substance’.
Mostly such people can be inferred to have a logical and analytical bent of mind, with a precise and practical approach to getting things done. They can also be categorized as people who value the destination as the ultimate goal, even if it means missing out on the joys of the journey.

I shall make no bones about the fact that I hold an equal admiration for persons on the other end of the spectrum – people of STYLE. They’re the ones who’re endowed with a gift of weaving magic out of thin air. Like those who can go on talking for hours together(even though their message could’ve been conveyed in 2 sentences), and still end up in getting an applause from their audiences, all simply by virtue of their ‘Style’. These people have an artistic bent of mind, and mostly have a vague and dreamy way of doing things. In fact, they might not be interested in getting things done at all, as long as whatever is done “Looks Good”. Predictably for them, the journey holds much more significance than the destination.
(In extreme cases they might even miss it).

But the genre of people I admire as well as respect the most are the increasingly dwindling species of the rare kinds who can claim to have a heady combo of both – Style as well as Substance.
They know not just how to bake the ideal cake, but how to garnish it with a proper icing as well. They’re often smart enough to tilt the balance on either side depending on the circumstances. Not only do they get their job done quickly, they get it done gracefully as well.
Metaphorically speaking, they’re the ones who enjoy all the sightseeing during the journey, at the same time keeping a lookout for the destination.

I shall be immodest enough to say that it is this category that I often try to idolize and emulate.

Thinking of Style and Substance in their broader and generic terms, I tried to classify people(whoever came to my mind) from various spheres into 1 or both of these categories. (Just For Kicks).

Mostly Style:-


Hollywood: Jessica Alba, Cameron Diaz, Penelope Cruz, Tom Cruise, Steven Segal.
Bollywood: Celina Jaitley, Sanjay Dutt, Sameera Reddy, Salmaan Khan, Bipasha Basu
Music: Madonna, Jessica Simpson, Elvis, Britney
Writing: Shobha De, Sidney Sheldon, M&B’s.
Politics: Bill Clinton, Laloo Yadav( He’s gotta unique style a’ite!), Jyotiraditya Scindia, Renuka Chowdhary, Rahul Gandhi.
Others: Maharani Gayatri Devi, Vijaypat Singhania, Paris Hilton, Prince William.


Mostly Substance:-


Hollywood: Russell Crowe, Morgan Freeman, Anthony Hopkins, Jodie Foster
Bollywood: Tabu, Rani Mukherjee, Ajay Devgan, Nana Patekar, Naseeruddin Shah
Music: REM , Phil Collins, The Cranberries, Alanis Morissette
Writing: Dominique Lapierre ,Gurcharan Das, Swaminathan Aiyar(Swaminomics)
Politics: Winston Churchill, A.Lincoln, Manmohan Singh, AB Vajpayee, Vladimir Putin
Others: Einstein, Gandhi, Laxmi Mittal, Serena Williams,Tiger Woods



Style & Substance:-

Hollywood: Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt, Al Pacino, Charlize Theron, Gwyneth Paltrow, Salma Hayek
Bollywood: Amitabh Bachan, Shabana Aazmi, Aamir Khan,Sushmita Sen
Music: Santana, Eric Clapton, Kishore Kumar, Shania Twain, Sting
Writing: Salmaan Rushdie, Frederick Forsyth
Politics: JawaharLal Nehru, Arun Jaitley, Nelson Mandela, John F. Kennedy
Others: Richard Branson, Sania Mirza, Muhammad Ali, Sachin Tendulkar




None:-

Hollywood: Kevin Costner
Bollywood: Mallika Sherawat
Music: Mick Jagger,Bjork
Writing: Umm Joseph Heller! (Try Catch-22)
Politics: George W. Bush (who else)
Others: Prince Charles, Camilla Parker Bowles






Maybe I missed out some….do you feel strongly about any people who fit the bill ?

Life is a BEACH !

Well yea, literally(often) as well as phonetically(occasionally). Or at least that’s what it seems to me after spending the last week of last year by the seashores of Bombay and Goa. While Bombay’s beaches had an introspective effect on me (I guess every beach does that if u visit them alone), Goa’s beaches were simply rocking at this time of the year(with techno and trance playing all around, it was difficult to keep your feet still). Ok wait, let me start from the start. (!)

I had not intended this blog to be any kind of a biographical account, but I guess since I’ve had such a rocking time this last week, it would be a waste if I do not keep an account of it.
First a quick wrap-up of my time at Bombay(for the record) - I reached Bombay on Christmas day and put up at my college buddy Pushkar’s flat. Despite it being a lazy Sunday, we were out in almost in no time and I was shown around the Colaba area and we went pubbing at Café Mondegar. Later at dinner we met up with our common friend Tapasya and her sister Stuti, who were both absolutely thrilled with the idea of us going to Goa and insisted that they would like to tag along as well. The next day Stuti’s friend Shweta called up to confirm her seat in the gang as well. Apparently Goa was so popular with these Bombay’ites that they’d been celebrating New Year’s there for the last 4 years in a row. (After being there myself I can now understand why). So ultimately 5 tickets were booked for the Bombay-Goa Volvo for 28th night. The remaining 3 days in Bombay were spent visiting my buddies in Santa Cruz and Andheri, also some shopping as I bought myself a blazer styled leather jacket and some tees for Goa.
So finally the entire gang started from Bombay on 28th night and reached Goa early Thursday morning, then quickly checked in to Pushkar’s friend’s flat in Porvorim. The females were swift to pack themselves into 1 of the better rooms(obviously!) while we had to make do with a couch and mattress in the living room. Anyways, within an hour of our arrival we hired a cab for next 3 days, and the party was on!
I have to mention here that even though I’m not much of a party freak most of the time, yet I guess it was the exotic combination of the destination, the timing, and the contagious company of some serious clubbers that brought out the dormant wild party animal inside me.
The 1st destination that we hit was the popular Anjuna beach, where after some time of surfing the sand in the sun the females realized that this activity was non-hazardous only for the pigment free skins of the scores of firangs who were trying to soak in as much Vitamin D as possible, and so we moved to the shady shelter of a nearby shack for lunch. Post that we scanned the various stalls for some exotic Goan handicrafts, and even though I hate any kind of accessories yet I picked up a chain (just to go with the flow!).
Another noticeable thing about Goa was that wherever we went and at whatever time, the atmosphere was so lively and festive, that it was unlike anywhere I’d been before. No wonder there was the buzz of Amitabh, Shahrukh and Salmaan having checked in the town for Vijay Mallya’s famed party as well. We even spotted a black Hummer at Baga which according to my knowledgeable Bombay’ites belonged to Sanjay Dutt.
Next we reached Calangute and stopped over at a lounge called Kamaki. The ambience was neat though a bit expensive. Now we headed straight for the famous Zanzibar shack at Baga, where Nikhil Chinappa and DJ Pearl were jockeying from 29th to 31st from 5 pm to 10:30 pm( http://www.submerge.in/gallery.htm ). Ah, the first glimpse of those flickering Neon lights and the booming music was enough to send us like hungry tigers on scrumptious prey, and we literally kickstarted the dance mayhem.
After about 2 hours of dancing we took a break for dinner at a nearby shack called Oceanic and feasted on some seafood. (I tried a Pomfret but somehow didn’t like it.) Now we headed for the famous Tito’s where we again gyrated to some pulsating music till about 2 am, and then were so tired of the traveling and dancing that we decided to call it a day.

The 2nd day (30th) everybody got up around 12, and soon made a quick tour of Vagator, where the junta was bored with the same sand and sun so quickly found our way back to Baga. Here we had lunch at Oceanic, then tried some mouth watering desserts at Britto’s (best food in town), before launching ourselves back to the mania at Zanzibar.

Post dinner a quick plan was formulated to check out the No. 1 nightclub in Goa (and maybe in India) called Club Cabana. It was aptly located on the top of a hill from where a flickering searchlight proudly boasted it’s Numero Uno status to the whole of partying town below. It was definitely the highlight of the trip as the crowd was Crème-de-la-Crème, and plenty of models and TV actors could be spotted jiving around. We reluctantly left the place after sunrise around 6 am.

The 3rd day(31st) started with everyone getting up around 3 pm, and even though we were all simply burnt out with fatigue, we were still raring to go. We took a quick tour through Panjim around 5 pm but it was so crowded everywhere that we thought it was better to stay near the beaches. So we again started shopping around Calangute, and around dinner time decided to check out a rave party happening in a club called HillTop. But there was such a Jam of partyhoppers that our cab couldn’t move beyond 500 metres in half an hour, so we thought it better to spend the midnight hour at Baga rather than in the cab.In any case we were told it was useless to go to a rave if you don't do drugs, so i guess we didn't miss much.

So as the clock struck 12, we were dancing away at Zanzi while there were thousands and thousands of people all around as far as the eye could see. There were dazzling fireworks almost for an hour all along the coastline.
On 1st morning I bid a sad farewell to my group, and pushed off to another friend’s home in Panjim where I’d been invited for some delectable Goan lunch.
And then it was time to get back to Bangalore and the monotony of work life. (but I’m somehow sure I’ll be back there soon).

'Oh Milton, if you had ever visited Goa, you would never have written Paradise Lost'. – A popular Goan phrase.

(Some more pics at http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8IZN2LVuzbsRe )