Once upon a time..
1. We used to maintain a dedicated address book for our emails, and used to forward interesting pieces religiously.
2. We used to BUZZ each others on Yahoo messengers just for fun.
3. We used to forward SMSes to each other
4. We used to religiously follow the profiles of people on Orkut, especially their relationship statuses.
5. We used to switch off the TV when Aaila Sachin used to get out.
Life changes, river flows, time changes, priorities shift, new winds blow.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Valentines' Day!
She was waiting for him in front of the posh restaurant on the wintry evening. The love was in air, and the roads were full of couples walking hand in hand. It didn’t need an astrologer to tell that it was Valentines’ Day. The breeze flew through her hair, gently unwinding them. Mumbling, she checked her hair in the pocket mirror. She was a petite woman in her early twenties, a sure head-turner in her college. Her favorite purple one-piece dress was endowed with matching earrings and make-up. Her eyes were looking for someone. ‘These men never come on time!’ she muttered, ‘Even on the day when it matters the most!’
Suddenly her mind went back a year, she was looking for her bogie in Mumbai-Kolkata Gitanjali Express. ‘Damn, it’s at the end of the platform, and I have so much of luggage to carry’ she exasperated. She looked around for coolies but seemingly there were on strike. She was so much tired, that she was about to give up and sit on the floor, and then someone offered to help. She looked up and found a charming person. He offered to help; she was worried at first instant but his friendly voice drove away her anxiety. Incidentally he was also seated in her compartment and in a while, she found her discussing with him subjects ranging from History to Astronomy, from cooking to Philosophy. On reaching Howrah station, she found it very natural to exchange their phone numbers.
He was based out of Kolkata and she was in Mumbai yet Tata Indicom helped them to remain in touch. The number of hours that they chatted per day averaged more than 4 hours. They just forgot about the geographical distance. He liked her personality, she was pretty, mature and understanding! Both of them enjoyed good music and movies and became quite close friends over the time.
Cell phone, google talk, the more they spent time together, the more she liked him. They had spent chatting almost 6 months, and then she decided,’ enough is enough; I am going to ask him!’ For her, he was the dream man, the handsome prince. He was the man of character, of conviction, of belief! And she wanted to go ahead in the relationship.
And suddenly, he told her that he is coming to Mumbai over weekend for some work. She was so elated! She treated herself with an ice-cream. She spent hours surfing the internet, trying to search the best lines. ‘We are going to meet this weekend’, she had thought while memorizing those line.
She loved him, and she was going to see him again after almost 6 months .She had wanted to do this for a very long time now.... and tonight she was going to tell him....
And suddenly her cheeks turned red, she saw her man walking towards the restaurant. He looked so handsome in his blazer, he had changed his hairstyle: Had gone completely bald. Her heartbeats increased,’ It has to be this time!’ She was nervous but was trying her best to meet her composure. In the mean time, the best guy in the world was next to her; they shook hands, exchanged pleasantries and walked inside the restaurant.
The dinner was ordered, and they started talking. She felt the romance in the air. Looking at him, she gave a smile. Her eyes were full of dreams, she was going to propose him and they were going to get married, and live happily ever after. She would see him everyday morning at breakfast, give a goodbye kiss when they leave for office - life would be perfect. ‘Yes, I want a perfect life. Don’t fret, go on! Be positive!’ She took a deep breath, and drank a glass of water. The blood ran into her brain, after all in a short while, she was going to say those lines , he will be positive to her and the rest will be history!
But..But she just couldn’t believe her ears.’ This is just not possible’, she gasped. She felt like losing consciousness. The nervousness started gripping her. She pinched herself. Her clothes were drenched; her face was full of tears. She heard him saying: ‘I met doctors and they said that its cancer………..’, her mind went numb. She couldn’t hear anymore, her smile went awry; the glass in her hand was shattered to pieces.
Trembling with fear, she went to the ladies' toilet. She gasped a sigh once she was in and locked the door from inside. Her clothes were drenched; her face was full of tears. She was motionless for some time; she somehow regained her composure and flushed some water on her face. ‘Oh my God, what has happened, he has Cancer! Unbelievable’ thoughts ran through her minds. ‘Now what should I tell my parents? That I am marrying a cancer patient? What will they feel?’ Thousands of the thoughts started running through her mind. She closed her eyes for a moment, and tried to remember some of the meditation techniques that she had learnt. She took 2-3 deep breaths and her mind started thinking. There were many questions, many unanswered, flurry of emotions, complex situations, analysis and more analysis. And she suddenly stood up firm and determined, she had decided her verdict. She washed her face, looked into the mirror and smiled a little. Come what it may, she was not going to change her decision. She had decided to go ahead with her heart and to support him.
She opened bathroom’s door, and found him waiting nervously at the door. He asked: Are you ok? You were in for a long time! I just came down to say that no need to worry at all. Dear, I came down to the door of the bathroom to tell you that no need to worry. Even though my brother has cancer, it’s in early stage and doctors have said that it is fully under control. So just be relaxed.
As soon as he had finished his statement, before she could react, there was a surprise!! There was sudden blackout in the hotel, and she found only her table to be dimly lighted. And she saw yummie chocolate cake on her table. Before she could speak something, there was a sonorous noise and at the next moment, she was listening to “I just called to say I love you” on guitar being strummed by none other than her prince charming. Tears came down her cheek.
Thank you God, thank you Coolies for going on strike, thank you Gitanjali Express, and the next moment she found herself in her arms. She wished that the music should go on for ever!
Suddenly her mind went back a year, she was looking for her bogie in Mumbai-Kolkata Gitanjali Express. ‘Damn, it’s at the end of the platform, and I have so much of luggage to carry’ she exasperated. She looked around for coolies but seemingly there were on strike. She was so much tired, that she was about to give up and sit on the floor, and then someone offered to help. She looked up and found a charming person. He offered to help; she was worried at first instant but his friendly voice drove away her anxiety. Incidentally he was also seated in her compartment and in a while, she found her discussing with him subjects ranging from History to Astronomy, from cooking to Philosophy. On reaching Howrah station, she found it very natural to exchange their phone numbers.
He was based out of Kolkata and she was in Mumbai yet Tata Indicom helped them to remain in touch. The number of hours that they chatted per day averaged more than 4 hours. They just forgot about the geographical distance. He liked her personality, she was pretty, mature and understanding! Both of them enjoyed good music and movies and became quite close friends over the time.
Cell phone, google talk, the more they spent time together, the more she liked him. They had spent chatting almost 6 months, and then she decided,’ enough is enough; I am going to ask him!’ For her, he was the dream man, the handsome prince. He was the man of character, of conviction, of belief! And she wanted to go ahead in the relationship.
And suddenly, he told her that he is coming to Mumbai over weekend for some work. She was so elated! She treated herself with an ice-cream. She spent hours surfing the internet, trying to search the best lines. ‘We are going to meet this weekend’, she had thought while memorizing those line.
She loved him, and she was going to see him again after almost 6 months .She had wanted to do this for a very long time now.... and tonight she was going to tell him....
And suddenly her cheeks turned red, she saw her man walking towards the restaurant. He looked so handsome in his blazer, he had changed his hairstyle: Had gone completely bald. Her heartbeats increased,’ It has to be this time!’ She was nervous but was trying her best to meet her composure. In the mean time, the best guy in the world was next to her; they shook hands, exchanged pleasantries and walked inside the restaurant.
The dinner was ordered, and they started talking. She felt the romance in the air. Looking at him, she gave a smile. Her eyes were full of dreams, she was going to propose him and they were going to get married, and live happily ever after. She would see him everyday morning at breakfast, give a goodbye kiss when they leave for office - life would be perfect. ‘Yes, I want a perfect life. Don’t fret, go on! Be positive!’ She took a deep breath, and drank a glass of water. The blood ran into her brain, after all in a short while, she was going to say those lines , he will be positive to her and the rest will be history!
But..But she just couldn’t believe her ears.’ This is just not possible’, she gasped. She felt like losing consciousness. The nervousness started gripping her. She pinched herself. Her clothes were drenched; her face was full of tears. She heard him saying: ‘I met doctors and they said that its cancer………..’, her mind went numb. She couldn’t hear anymore, her smile went awry; the glass in her hand was shattered to pieces.
Trembling with fear, she went to the ladies' toilet. She gasped a sigh once she was in and locked the door from inside. Her clothes were drenched; her face was full of tears. She was motionless for some time; she somehow regained her composure and flushed some water on her face. ‘Oh my God, what has happened, he has Cancer! Unbelievable’ thoughts ran through her minds. ‘Now what should I tell my parents? That I am marrying a cancer patient? What will they feel?’ Thousands of the thoughts started running through her mind. She closed her eyes for a moment, and tried to remember some of the meditation techniques that she had learnt. She took 2-3 deep breaths and her mind started thinking. There were many questions, many unanswered, flurry of emotions, complex situations, analysis and more analysis. And she suddenly stood up firm and determined, she had decided her verdict. She washed her face, looked into the mirror and smiled a little. Come what it may, she was not going to change her decision. She had decided to go ahead with her heart and to support him.
She opened bathroom’s door, and found him waiting nervously at the door. He asked: Are you ok? You were in for a long time! I just came down to say that no need to worry at all. Dear, I came down to the door of the bathroom to tell you that no need to worry. Even though my brother has cancer, it’s in early stage and doctors have said that it is fully under control. So just be relaxed.
As soon as he had finished his statement, before she could react, there was a surprise!! There was sudden blackout in the hotel, and she found only her table to be dimly lighted. And she saw yummie chocolate cake on her table. Before she could speak something, there was a sonorous noise and at the next moment, she was listening to “I just called to say I love you” on guitar being strummed by none other than her prince charming. Tears came down her cheek.
Thank you God, thank you Coolies for going on strike, thank you Gitanjali Express, and the next moment she found herself in her arms. She wished that the music should go on for ever!
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Iceland Melts!
Finding parallel with this and this, here is an Ad by HSBC which has become a joke now. This poster was still hanging outside HSBC Premiere shop in Powai (Clicked 1 week ago)
The Ad reads: Which country offers the highest rate of interest in developed world?
Answer: The Icelandic Krona
On back of this, how much clients' money has HSBC burnt there?
Sunday, November 02, 2008
An Ode to Anil Kumble
To start, let me concede that I am not a die-hard Anil Kumble fan. And I still believe that Carl Hooper can turn the ball more than him. But this post is not about his turning the ball, but it’s about his never-say-die spirit (Now Antigua is going to be the most favourite tourist destination of Indians) , and the connection that I have with him which I value and honour the most!
How many of actually remember watching India in a live test/one-day match before Kumble made his debut? The reasons can be varied: Lack of TVs or we were too small to understand (Clichéd on the lines of: Too big to fail). And almost all of us grew along with Anil Kumble’s career. And that’s why we don’t feel as much connected with, say, Murali Karthik or Piyush Chawla as we feel connected to Anil Kumble.
For a moment, I had thought that Matthew Hayden will honour Kumble’s last ball by defending it with utmost respect. Of course had someone else been batting he would have even gifted wicket purposefully to Kumble, but defending the ball was the expectation from a Professional bull like Matthew Hayden. And he might have made up his mind to defend also. But seeing the full toss ball, Hayden must have remembered the words of his childhood coach to treat it accordingly, and he had no option but to dispatch it. At least there is honour in the fact, that the last shot that was played against Anil Kumble was a mesmerizing straight drive and not the ugly slog-sweep that is Hayden’s first love, even before his wife.
And last but not the least, Anil Kumble and most of us will have sleepless nights, pondering over the questions like:
Did he announce retirement at very short notice? May be
Was he indirectly pressurized by media to retire? May be
Did he take Dilip Vengsarkar’s words too seriously? May be
Anil Kumble could actually announce his retirement while playing. He could receive a stand of honour and farewell lap across the ground.
Imagine the plight of 2 W’s of Pakistan and so many other players who had to announce their retirement in press conference and not while playing!
And that’s the ultimate reason why all of us should sleep in peace!
How many of actually remember watching India in a live test/one-day match before Kumble made his debut? The reasons can be varied: Lack of TVs or we were too small to understand (Clichéd on the lines of: Too big to fail). And almost all of us grew along with Anil Kumble’s career. And that’s why we don’t feel as much connected with, say, Murali Karthik or Piyush Chawla as we feel connected to Anil Kumble.
For a moment, I had thought that Matthew Hayden will honour Kumble’s last ball by defending it with utmost respect. Of course had someone else been batting he would have even gifted wicket purposefully to Kumble, but defending the ball was the expectation from a Professional bull like Matthew Hayden. And he might have made up his mind to defend also. But seeing the full toss ball, Hayden must have remembered the words of his childhood coach to treat it accordingly, and he had no option but to dispatch it. At least there is honour in the fact, that the last shot that was played against Anil Kumble was a mesmerizing straight drive and not the ugly slog-sweep that is Hayden’s first love, even before his wife.
And last but not the least, Anil Kumble and most of us will have sleepless nights, pondering over the questions like:
Did he announce retirement at very short notice? May be
Was he indirectly pressurized by media to retire? May be
Did he take Dilip Vengsarkar’s words too seriously? May be
Anil Kumble could actually announce his retirement while playing. He could receive a stand of honour and farewell lap across the ground.
Imagine the plight of 2 W’s of Pakistan and so many other players who had to announce their retirement in press conference and not while playing!
And that’s the ultimate reason why all of us should sleep in peace!
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
TIme Flies..
Exactly 1 year ago, I was rummaging through the lanes of Hattenheim, Germany to find a house.
The housing department at my German university had done screw up and they gave me an unfurnished house. The wonderful owner took it as his responsibility and toiled very hard to give me a liveable room and offered me at very low rent. :)
And in the mean time, I discussed with my room partner that * Life straight forward hota hai to majja nahi aata, there should be topsy-turvey turns.* while munching over bread-butter.
Danke Frau Berg und Her Statzner for making my stay memorable! {Bold part is in English because my German is not very good}
It has been 365 days almost (Sorry 366: Leap year, too trained on this thing :now that I have had prepared for CAT), it feels like yesterday!
The housing department at my German university had done screw up and they gave me an unfurnished house. The wonderful owner took it as his responsibility and toiled very hard to give me a liveable room and offered me at very low rent. :)
And in the mean time, I discussed with my room partner that * Life straight forward hota hai to majja nahi aata, there should be topsy-turvey turns.* while munching over bread-butter.
Danke Frau Berg und Her Statzner for making my stay memorable! {Bold part is in English because my German is not very good}
It has been 365 days almost (Sorry 366: Leap year, too trained on this thing :now that I have had prepared for CAT), it feels like yesterday!
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Training Gem!
Quotable quote on Internet Security:
"E-mail passwords are like underwears. Don't share them with anyone, don't display them in public. And change them regularly."
Friday, May 30, 2008
Deutsche Bahn Revisited!
The story is not mine, but surely worth reading!
**: Ausgang= Exit in German
It is about a boy named Harbhajan* from yet another IIM on exchange program in European Business School, Germany . He was travelling by Deutsche Bahn (German railway) from Frankfurt to Cologne for the first-time ever with 5 of us (Not the 1st time travellers).
On the way, the train stopped at one station.
One of us (To Harbhajan): Which station is it?
Harbhajan: Ausgang**
All of us: ROTFL.
*:Name changed for the sake of privacy**: Ausgang= Exit in German
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