Okay - here's a warning to anyone who has started reading this post - DON'T! Scroll up or down and read other ones which make at least little sense. This one is just as the title says - Random!!!
To start - I hope I finish this post, but then again - I shouldn't really care whether its ends logically.
So what is it that I want to write? Do I want to make statements or ask questions? Well, lets see.... why the hell am I wondering? This is random, hence no rules! I am already beginning to love random!!! (To those who are still reading, get off NOW while you still have some sanity left!!!)
In a random world one would easily be able to walk up to the girl one liked and asked her out! Not go crazy wanting to but never really going ahead and doing it. In a random world, one would just go ahead and follow his dream and not suppress it in the name of practicality. In a random world, one wouldn't have to worry about being careful of people trying to stab one in the back or mischief-mongers who twist your words to use them against you! Now wait a sec, is this a random world I am talking about or a perfect world? Doesn't matter really. One person's randomness is another's perfection. How? Well, simple - a perfect sentence written in Chinese looks random and therefore senseless to me. Hence how the world seems depends on who is looking at it. Also, this proves that ignorance transforms perfection into randomness!
I talk about a random world, then say randomness is at times a view of perfection distorted by ignorance. Ignorance some say is bliss! Maybe that is because there is no perfection in the world, hence people like to feel that the reason for them not seeing perfection is not because the world is a place devoid of perfection, but because they are ignorant and what is around them is in fact perfect, its just that they can't see it and are happy thinking it is there!!
Hence, I too can attain bliss by saying that my life is perfect, its only my ignorance because of which I can't see it. Unfortunately, I am among those unlucky beings who don't like ignorance. It is imperative for them to know or at least try to know the hows and whys of life. However, the more they know, the more they realize how far perfection is... the harder they try to attain that perfection. This goes on till they run out of their greatest strength..... hope!
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Sunday, April 22, 2007
The Bombay Sojourn...
Day Zero
Having a quick dinner consisting of Maggi Noodles, I left for Pune Railway Station at 10:45 p.m. on Thursday, 19th April, 2007 , a good 15 minutes later than I had planned to reach there. Having reached there at 10:50 and quickly purchasing a normal ticket to Mumbai CST, I moved toward the platform where the Mumbai Passenger was waiting. The train was packed. Worse still, I couldn't locate the T.C. from whom I wanted a reservation. At last, when I found him, we had a slight altercation when I insisted that I wanted a receipt for the reservation and he responded by telling me that there was no reservation available, even though a minute ago, he had quoted to me a price for the same. We ended with a mutual consent that each of us should get lost. That in a way was a blessing in disguise for me and also a proof that honesty pays, for the Chennai-Mumbai Express which pulled into another platform was almost empty.
Getting my favourite aisle lower berth, I opened both the windows and looked forward to among my favourite activity as the train started its four and a half hour long journey at approximately 11:50 p.m. I managed to stay awake till Lonavla enjoying the night landscape zoom past supplemented with nice cool breeze, the music from my excellent SE earphones further enhancing the experience. I love traveling by trains as it is - and this, was very close to the perfect setting!
I was woken up by a gun-holstering cop at around 2 a.m. who asked me who I was, where I was coming from and where I was headed, and being satisfied that I wasn't one of the terrorist types - proceeded towards the rest of the compartment. On his way, he was checking the empty berths for any suspicious items. I was a little amazed at first, since this is the first time, I have observed such a thing, but at the same time, I was happy that now, I would feel a little safer with such guys doing their duty well.
I overslept at Dadar, waking up just as the train was leaving the station.This would make me loose an hour, but going by the fact that I love trains, I didn't mind it much. Even an 4:15 a.m in the morning, V.T. (CST) station was crowded with lots of people waiting to catch trains. The main terminus' compound too was full of people sleeping on the ground. At a rough estimate there were at least 1000 people asleep there when I walked by. What surprises and amazes me the most about Bombay is that there is a flurry of activity at all times at the railway stations. The local trains I caught to get to Malad, weren't totally empty as I thought they would be and at Dadar Station's over-bridge, there was a guy selling shirts for Rs 10/- at 4:30 a.m in the morning
!! Finally reaching my destination at 6 in the morning, I fell off to a much need sleep...
Day 1
After a few hours of sleep, my dad, my brother Rohan and I set off at around 11 a.m. to Essel World - among Bombay's best amusement parks. Getting there was fun too since it involved a ferry ride across the Gorai Creek. We had a great day there, getting drenched in the Splash roller coaster several times, and getting our systems flushed with adrenalin in the Zyclone, Thunder and the other scary rides. It was Friday, so we were lucky that there wasn't too much rush and we didn't have to wait in big lines for the rides. Getting back at around 6:30 p.m. after having a wonderful time at Esselworld, and after failing to convince my friends to come to a point midway between Malad and Fort, I relented and left for Churchgate at 7:30. Traveling was relatively expensive since the BEST buses were on strike, but fortunately, Malad Station was only 25 bucks away from where I had put up.
I reached Churchgate at around 9 p.m. and after a little confusion which involved me going to Marine drive while my friend was waiting at Churchgate itself, I finally met my friend there. That was followed by a little path-finding since our cab driver didn't know where Cafe Churchill was and our other friends who were waiting there hadn't given us crisp directions. The food at the small restaurant was quite great. I had a 'Prawns Nirvana', a continental dish, which though expensive was extremely gratifying! Thereafter we walked to Gateway of India, spent some time there and then parted ways. I was lucky to enjoy another night train journey, before reaching home at 1 a.m. and dropping off to sleep after a hectic but enjoyable day.
Day 2
I got up lazily at around 9:30 a.m. and had a good breakfast of scrambled eggs. Our family, including our grandad whom I was staying with, then left for Churchgate. There after my dad and got ourselves a couple of electronic items at Lamington Road, we had an awesome lunch at Delhi Durbar in the same area. The original plan was to explore South Bombay for the rest of the day, however, calls from insistent relatives to come and meet them, prompted my parents to decide that they would spend their time there. I had a friend of mine visiting Bombay, so I decided that I would spend the rest of my day on that front.
I met my friend Radhika and her other friends Zaher and Rajiv at Barista at Phoenix Mills at Lower Parel. We then went to CO - a bowling place where I played the game for the first time. I didn't do too badly for a beginner since I came in a close third among us four. We then decided to go to Worli sea face at around 6 p.m. There we were joined by another couple of Radhika's friends. In gaps while they were busy reminiscing of their college days and catching up on old times, I had the opportunity to take in the beautiful sunset-time sea views. Having spent a
wonderful 2 hours at the sea face, we started heading back. Rajiv was kind enough to drop Radhika and me to Dadar Station, from where we caught our respective trains back home. I reached home at 10, by when, even my family was back. The remainder of the evening was spent chatting with my grandad.
Day 3 - Today
Well not much happened today. We got up early, got packed and left for Pune via the Expressway. The journey was comfortable and good, but nothing compared to the night journey I had in a train 3 days ago.
This was my second trip to Bombay this year and though the earlier one was good, this was much better. All in all, it was a great trip, I had a wonderful time and a nice break from my regular routine. As always, I look forward to many such trips in the future!
Having a quick dinner consisting of Maggi Noodles, I left for Pune Railway Station at 10:45 p.m. on Thursday, 19th April, 2007 , a good 15 minutes later than I had planned to reach there. Having reached there at 10:50 and quickly purchasing a normal ticket to Mumbai CST, I moved toward the platform where the Mumbai Passenger was waiting. The train was packed. Worse still, I couldn't locate the T.C. from whom I wanted a reservation. At last, when I found him, we had a slight altercation when I insisted that I wanted a receipt for the reservation and he responded by telling me that there was no reservation available, even though a minute ago, he had quoted to me a price for the same. We ended with a mutual consent that each of us should get lost. That in a way was a blessing in disguise for me and also a proof that honesty pays, for the Chennai-Mumbai Express which pulled into another platform was almost empty.
Getting my favourite aisle lower berth, I opened both the windows and looked forward to among my favourite activity as the train started its four and a half hour long journey at approximately 11:50 p.m. I managed to stay awake till Lonavla enjoying the night landscape zoom past supplemented with nice cool breeze, the music from my excellent SE earphones further enhancing the experience. I love traveling by trains as it is - and this, was very close to the perfect setting!
I was woken up by a gun-holstering cop at around 2 a.m. who asked me who I was, where I was coming from and where I was headed, and being satisfied that I wasn't one of the terrorist types - proceeded towards the rest of the compartment. On his way, he was checking the empty berths for any suspicious items. I was a little amazed at first, since this is the first time, I have observed such a thing, but at the same time, I was happy that now, I would feel a little safer with such guys doing their duty well.
I overslept at Dadar, waking up just as the train was leaving the station.This would make me loose an hour, but going by the fact that I love trains, I didn't mind it much. Even an 4:15 a.m in the morning, V.T. (CST) station was crowded with lots of people waiting to catch trains. The main terminus' compound too was full of people sleeping on the ground. At a rough estimate there were at least 1000 people asleep there when I walked by. What surprises and amazes me the most about Bombay is that there is a flurry of activity at all times at the railway stations. The local trains I caught to get to Malad, weren't totally empty as I thought they would be and at Dadar Station's over-bridge, there was a guy selling shirts for Rs 10/- at 4:30 a.m in the morning
!! Finally reaching my destination at 6 in the morning, I fell off to a much need sleep...
Day 1
After a few hours of sleep, my dad, my brother Rohan and I set off at around 11 a.m. to Essel World - among Bombay's best amusement parks. Getting there was fun too since it involved a ferry ride across the Gorai Creek. We had a great day there, getting drenched in the Splash roller coaster several times, and getting our systems flushed with adrenalin in the Zyclone, Thunder and the other scary rides. It was Friday, so we were lucky that there wasn't too much rush and we didn't have to wait in big lines for the rides. Getting back at around 6:30 p.m. after having a wonderful time at Esselworld, and after failing to convince my friends to come to a point midway between Malad and Fort, I relented and left for Churchgate at 7:30. Traveling was relatively expensive since the BEST buses were on strike, but fortunately, Malad Station was only 25 bucks away from where I had put up.
I reached Churchgate at around 9 p.m. and after a little confusion which involved me going to Marine drive while my friend was waiting at Churchgate itself, I finally met my friend there. That was followed by a little path-finding since our cab driver didn't know where Cafe Churchill was and our other friends who were waiting there hadn't given us crisp directions. The food at the small restaurant was quite great. I had a 'Prawns Nirvana', a continental dish, which though expensive was extremely gratifying! Thereafter we walked to Gateway of India, spent some time there and then parted ways. I was lucky to enjoy another night train journey, before reaching home at 1 a.m. and dropping off to sleep after a hectic but enjoyable day.
Day 2
I got up lazily at around 9:30 a.m. and had a good breakfast of scrambled eggs. Our family, including our grandad whom I was staying with, then left for Churchgate. There after my dad and got ourselves a couple of electronic items at Lamington Road, we had an awesome lunch at Delhi Durbar in the same area. The original plan was to explore South Bombay for the rest of the day, however, calls from insistent relatives to come and meet them, prompted my parents to decide that they would spend their time there. I had a friend of mine visiting Bombay, so I decided that I would spend the rest of my day on that front.
I met my friend Radhika and her other friends Zaher and Rajiv at Barista at Phoenix Mills at Lower Parel. We then went to CO - a bowling place where I played the game for the first time. I didn't do too badly for a beginner since I came in a close third among us four. We then decided to go to Worli sea face at around 6 p.m. There we were joined by another couple of Radhika's friends. In gaps while they were busy reminiscing of their college days and catching up on old times, I had the opportunity to take in the beautiful sunset-time sea views. Having spent a
wonderful 2 hours at the sea face, we started heading back. Rajiv was kind enough to drop Radhika and me to Dadar Station, from where we caught our respective trains back home. I reached home at 10, by when, even my family was back. The remainder of the evening was spent chatting with my grandad.
Day 3 - Today
Well not much happened today. We got up early, got packed and left for Pune via the Expressway. The journey was comfortable and good, but nothing compared to the night journey I had in a train 3 days ago.
This was my second trip to Bombay this year and though the earlier one was good, this was much better. All in all, it was a great trip, I had a wonderful time and a nice break from my regular routine. As always, I look forward to many such trips in the future!
Monday, April 16, 2007
Do I Care?
The title sounds a lot like a rhetorical question from some popular rock song, but in my case, it is a genuine question I am asking myself. As to why, is not totally clear to me too, but hopefully as the article progresses, we can get some sort of a rough idea at least.
First, let me complete the question - this is not a 'do I care about the world' kind of question. The question in its totality is 'Do I care what others think or feel about me?'
Had I been confronted with this question a few years ago, my answer would have been an outright no. However, as of late, I am unsure of what the answer should be. The thing is, people are always making opinions about you. Most of these opinions are based on how they observe you at a point in time. Sadly, therefore, these opinions are based on assumptions and incomplete information. Moreover, these opinions affect how those people interact with you and value you. Now the answer may seem that - well those who matter - will end up making an opinion about you over a period of time which will be a fair one, while the others don't matter anyway, so why bother? However, this solution weakens, when potentially significant people have to chose whether to interact with you or not. Often, to make this choice people don't have too much time to expend, all they have is their opinion of you in a short period of interaction. Also, in the beginning, people are more averse to accepting your idiosyncrasies than when they know you well. So the question now boils down to whether it is worth living your life trying to make an extra effort in portraying yourself to be something you are not, in an effort to capture potential opportunities or living freely, as you are, perhaps letting go of potentially enriching opportunities at the cost of personal freedom?
I find this a tough choice to make, because I value both equally highly... this is where my quandary lies... I hope to find the answer... but don't really know whether one is possible without making a sacrifice..., which sacrifice to make is a tough choice too...
First, let me complete the question - this is not a 'do I care about the world' kind of question. The question in its totality is 'Do I care what others think or feel about me?'
Had I been confronted with this question a few years ago, my answer would have been an outright no. However, as of late, I am unsure of what the answer should be. The thing is, people are always making opinions about you. Most of these opinions are based on how they observe you at a point in time. Sadly, therefore, these opinions are based on assumptions and incomplete information. Moreover, these opinions affect how those people interact with you and value you. Now the answer may seem that - well those who matter - will end up making an opinion about you over a period of time which will be a fair one, while the others don't matter anyway, so why bother? However, this solution weakens, when potentially significant people have to chose whether to interact with you or not. Often, to make this choice people don't have too much time to expend, all they have is their opinion of you in a short period of interaction. Also, in the beginning, people are more averse to accepting your idiosyncrasies than when they know you well. So the question now boils down to whether it is worth living your life trying to make an extra effort in portraying yourself to be something you are not, in an effort to capture potential opportunities or living freely, as you are, perhaps letting go of potentially enriching opportunities at the cost of personal freedom?
I find this a tough choice to make, because I value both equally highly... this is where my quandary lies... I hope to find the answer... but don't really know whether one is possible without making a sacrifice..., which sacrifice to make is a tough choice too...
Saturday, February 10, 2007
The First Week...
My first week at my new job was quite an experience. If I were to highlight the main difference between my previous company 'AirTight Networks' which was a start-up and the current one 'Symantec', professionalism would be it. Everything was totally organized and processes were in place to streamline everything conceivable. This is not to say anything bad about my previous company which was a great place to work at in its own right, but I was amazed at the way people worked here and at the facilities offered here.
The facilities at my new company are great - my PC seems to have the best configuration in the market, my workspace (cubicle) here has privacy and at least 3 times more room than my earlier one, and facilities like transport, food, recreation and in-house gymnasium make this a great place to work at! The work environment however, is not as open as it was at AirTight, neither is the pace as fast, but this corporate experience is exactly what I came here for. Another good thing is that the work here seems quite promising and interesting!
I hope my remaining experience here is as good as it was in the first week and I have a mutually beneficial association with the company, just like I had with the previous one.
The facilities at my new company are great - my PC seems to have the best configuration in the market, my workspace (cubicle) here has privacy and at least 3 times more room than my earlier one, and facilities like transport, food, recreation and in-house gymnasium make this a great place to work at! The work environment however, is not as open as it was at AirTight, neither is the pace as fast, but this corporate experience is exactly what I came here for. Another good thing is that the work here seems quite promising and interesting!
I hope my remaining experience here is as good as it was in the first week and I have a mutually beneficial association with the company, just like I had with the previous one.
Sunday, February 04, 2007
The 10 Day Vacation of 2007!
Today is the last day of my 10 day vacation. What made this vacation different was that in the course of these 10 days I was unemployed ... peacefully. It was a break I took between my job change. It was quite relaxing because there were no pending responsibilities to get back to at the end of it all. It was a break between a good and memorable tenure well ended with my last company and the start of a fresh stint with my new company.
This break started off with my favourite trek - Torna-Rajgad making it my 3rd trek in as many months. We started on Friday at 10 in the morning and spent the first night at Torna. The sunset on the top of the fort was awesome with a tricky stunt at Budhla Machi, a well cooked dinner and a camp-fire at wind-point being the highlights of the day.
The second day was as usual the most interesting one because it included not only a trip to Jhunjar Machi along a treacherous path, the main trek along the ridge from Torna to Rajgad with awesome scenery along the way and a night climb to the Bali-Killa at Rajgad, but also saw me reunite with a couple of my seniors with whom I had last trekked with more than 5 years ago at Bali-Killa. The food at both times consisted of Maggi which was reasonably well cooked. My day ended late at 3 in the morning with a late night rendezvous with my seniors on an edge of Bali-Killa overlooking Torna.
The final day of the trek was rather lazy as usual, with people being quite tired and subsequently relaxed. In the morning, tea and biscuits constituted our breakfast. However, a sudden flash in some of our minds caused us to go diving in the icy cold water of Bali-Killa's pools. The moment I hit the water, I felt my entire body scream for a moment and then felt pangs of chill streak all over my body. With this dive, I can imagine what the passengers of the Titanic must have felt on hitting the icy water of the North Atlantic Ocean. The trek ended with a good rustic lunch at the base of Rajgad, thus ending the first phase of my vacation.
Pictures of the trek can be seen at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/varun.menghani/TornaRajgadJan2007
The next two days, I spent recuperating from the exhaustion of the trek and also completing some work at home which I always wanted to do, but never had the time to end up doing it.
On Wednesday, at 6:30 a.m. in the morning, I left for Shirdi. I was lucky enough to catch the luxurious Goa Volvo. The journey to Shirdi was extremely comfortable owing to the Volvo's excellent shock absorbers, AC and reclining seats. However, I was unable to get the 'feel' of a journey. Thereafter, I visited lord Sai Baba's Temple and prayed and payed homage to Him. After that, I decided to travel back by S.T. to Pune. Getting a window seat, this was a journey I really enjoyed with the wind blowing in my face and by being able to see the scenery along the way not through tinted glasses but in all its natural colours. Thus ended my second trip and also the 6th day of my vacation.
I spent Thursday getting some more work accomplished and also got a little rest on that day. My day ended with a lovely dinner at Coffee House.
Friday morning I was off again at 6:30, this time headed to the city of Bombay. I was lucky enough to catch the Deccan Queen. Since I didn't have a reservation, I had to make do with a spot near the compartment's door. I enjoyed the view and the cold wind for quite a while before some people wished the door closed as they were feeling cold. I had no option but to oblige, since they were many in number. Thereafter, I spent the remainder of my journey in seats temporarily vacated. Surprisingly, I got to sit for a majority of the time. On reaching Bombay, I disembarked at Dadar and caught a local for Malad. While in Malad, I met with my cousin, my aunt and uncle and also with my grandfather. The main purpose of my visit to Bombay was to spend some time with my grandfather, something which I had neglected to do all these years. The evening was spent with my grandfather and cousin at the Inorbit Mall there, which included amazing demos of Bose music systems and Apple products. The day concluded with a nice dinner at the Mall's Food-Court.
On day nine, my grandfather and I headed for town (V.T.) where we went to Marine Drive and Nariman point and he showed me some important landmarks of the area. The pleasant weather and the view of the sea ensured that our time spent there was quite enjoyable. Our lunch was at the famous Status Restaurant at Nariman Point. Thereafter, my grandfather and I parted company at V.T. station where he caught a local back to Malad and I caught the Mumbai-Kanyakumari Express back to Pune. I specifically chose that train because I love traveling in sleeper coaches. This time I was lucky enough to get an aisle seat all to myself, so I could lie down as well as see the beautiful scenery along the way fly past. The wonderful return journey brought to an end the penultimate day of my vacation.
The last day - Sunday was spent preparing for the new phase in my career and also in personal housekeeping like clipping of nails and cutting of hair. In addition to that, I spent the afternoon in school playing a wonderful game of cricket and enjoying a thought provoking discussion on leadership with the Scouts. The evening was spent enjoying a sumptuous dinner of Pav-Bhaji. The last part of the day was spent writing this log of the events of the last 10 days.
This vacation saw me visiting 2 forts, one town and one city for a total duration of 6 days and all this with an extremely peaceful and relaxed frame of mind.
I am thankful for this well needed (and well deserved I think) break before the start of my new job and hope that I get several such vacations in the future.
This break started off with my favourite trek - Torna-Rajgad making it my 3rd trek in as many months. We started on Friday at 10 in the morning and spent the first night at Torna. The sunset on the top of the fort was awesome with a tricky stunt at Budhla Machi, a well cooked dinner and a camp-fire at wind-point being the highlights of the day.
The second day was as usual the most interesting one because it included not only a trip to Jhunjar Machi along a treacherous path, the main trek along the ridge from Torna to Rajgad with awesome scenery along the way and a night climb to the Bali-Killa at Rajgad, but also saw me reunite with a couple of my seniors with whom I had last trekked with more than 5 years ago at Bali-Killa. The food at both times consisted of Maggi which was reasonably well cooked. My day ended late at 3 in the morning with a late night rendezvous with my seniors on an edge of Bali-Killa overlooking Torna.
The final day of the trek was rather lazy as usual, with people being quite tired and subsequently relaxed. In the morning, tea and biscuits constituted our breakfast. However, a sudden flash in some of our minds caused us to go diving in the icy cold water of Bali-Killa's pools. The moment I hit the water, I felt my entire body scream for a moment and then felt pangs of chill streak all over my body. With this dive, I can imagine what the passengers of the Titanic must have felt on hitting the icy water of the North Atlantic Ocean. The trek ended with a good rustic lunch at the base of Rajgad, thus ending the first phase of my vacation.
Pictures of the trek can be seen at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/varun.menghani/TornaRajgadJan2007
The next two days, I spent recuperating from the exhaustion of the trek and also completing some work at home which I always wanted to do, but never had the time to end up doing it.
On Wednesday, at 6:30 a.m. in the morning, I left for Shirdi. I was lucky enough to catch the luxurious Goa Volvo. The journey to Shirdi was extremely comfortable owing to the Volvo's excellent shock absorbers, AC and reclining seats. However, I was unable to get the 'feel' of a journey. Thereafter, I visited lord Sai Baba's Temple and prayed and payed homage to Him. After that, I decided to travel back by S.T. to Pune. Getting a window seat, this was a journey I really enjoyed with the wind blowing in my face and by being able to see the scenery along the way not through tinted glasses but in all its natural colours. Thus ended my second trip and also the 6th day of my vacation.
I spent Thursday getting some more work accomplished and also got a little rest on that day. My day ended with a lovely dinner at Coffee House.
Friday morning I was off again at 6:30, this time headed to the city of Bombay. I was lucky enough to catch the Deccan Queen. Since I didn't have a reservation, I had to make do with a spot near the compartment's door. I enjoyed the view and the cold wind for quite a while before some people wished the door closed as they were feeling cold. I had no option but to oblige, since they were many in number. Thereafter, I spent the remainder of my journey in seats temporarily vacated. Surprisingly, I got to sit for a majority of the time. On reaching Bombay, I disembarked at Dadar and caught a local for Malad. While in Malad, I met with my cousin, my aunt and uncle and also with my grandfather. The main purpose of my visit to Bombay was to spend some time with my grandfather, something which I had neglected to do all these years. The evening was spent with my grandfather and cousin at the Inorbit Mall there, which included amazing demos of Bose music systems and Apple products. The day concluded with a nice dinner at the Mall's Food-Court.
On day nine, my grandfather and I headed for town (V.T.) where we went to Marine Drive and Nariman point and he showed me some important landmarks of the area. The pleasant weather and the view of the sea ensured that our time spent there was quite enjoyable. Our lunch was at the famous Status Restaurant at Nariman Point. Thereafter, my grandfather and I parted company at V.T. station where he caught a local back to Malad and I caught the Mumbai-Kanyakumari Express back to Pune. I specifically chose that train because I love traveling in sleeper coaches. This time I was lucky enough to get an aisle seat all to myself, so I could lie down as well as see the beautiful scenery along the way fly past. The wonderful return journey brought to an end the penultimate day of my vacation.
The last day - Sunday was spent preparing for the new phase in my career and also in personal housekeeping like clipping of nails and cutting of hair. In addition to that, I spent the afternoon in school playing a wonderful game of cricket and enjoying a thought provoking discussion on leadership with the Scouts. The evening was spent enjoying a sumptuous dinner of Pav-Bhaji. The last part of the day was spent writing this log of the events of the last 10 days.
This vacation saw me visiting 2 forts, one town and one city for a total duration of 6 days and all this with an extremely peaceful and relaxed frame of mind.
I am thankful for this well needed (and well deserved I think) break before the start of my new job and hope that I get several such vacations in the future.
Monday, January 01, 2007
Happy New Year!
2006 is gone, 2007 is here. Another year of my life gone by, another new one to enjoy! As is the norm, one is supposed to make new year's resolutions. So let me get started.
Firstly, I would like to improve my shape and physical fitness levels. I am happy at the amount of improvement I had in this area in the last year, but this year I want to not be only 'decently fit' but 'really fit'.
This year will be 'The Year of Action' for me. This year I am going to make more concentrated efforts at doing things that I wanted to do but could not because of lack of time and motivation. There are many things to explore and this year, I have resolved to explore a good amount of them. I may need to further up my time management skills but I will do it this year. That, I am sure will raise the level of my knowledge and subsequently my overall profile.
Besides that, I intend to grow in my wealth of friends, trek a good amount, travels lots and also make more determined and concentrated attempts at getting into good post-grad schools.
I don't think I have asked for too much of myself and I sincerely hope to work towards and achieve these targets. How far I am successful, time will tell...
Firstly, I would like to improve my shape and physical fitness levels. I am happy at the amount of improvement I had in this area in the last year, but this year I want to not be only 'decently fit' but 'really fit'.
This year will be 'The Year of Action' for me. This year I am going to make more concentrated efforts at doing things that I wanted to do but could not because of lack of time and motivation. There are many things to explore and this year, I have resolved to explore a good amount of them. I may need to further up my time management skills but I will do it this year. That, I am sure will raise the level of my knowledge and subsequently my overall profile.
Besides that, I intend to grow in my wealth of friends, trek a good amount, travels lots and also make more determined and concentrated attempts at getting into good post-grad schools.
I don't think I have asked for too much of myself and I sincerely hope to work towards and achieve these targets. How far I am successful, time will tell...
Monday, October 02, 2006
Dandiya
This weekend I played Dandiya after a really long time. I do have a faint recollection of having played it once before in my life, but I can't exactly remember when or where. So for all practical purposes (FAPP), this was the first time I have played Dandiya as an adult.
It was organized in my society and for the first time again, I went down and interacted with the other members of the society. I have lived here for more than 9 years now, but for some unknown reason I never participated in society activities or mixed around with others in the society. I have undergone a transition from introvert to reasonably extrovert somewhere in the course of the last 8-10 years but this extroversion never really came to the forefront in this regard. Not that there are too many events organized in our society, its mostly the Ganesh Festival in which people interact and socialize, but even then, it was a significant step for me to attend and take part in this event.
I must say it was a lot of fun. I have found joy in sports and trekking in the past, but recently I have realized that music and dance as a medium of expression too, induce a feeling of happiness within me. By music, as of now I mean singing. I can't play a musical instrument yet, though it has been on my To-Do list for a really long time. I don't think I sing well, but it doesn't matter since I don't have much of audience. The dance too, evoked a similar joy.
This experience showed me a new way to attain joy and happiness. Temporary as they may be, the joys of small things hold significant value in my life!
It was organized in my society and for the first time again, I went down and interacted with the other members of the society. I have lived here for more than 9 years now, but for some unknown reason I never participated in society activities or mixed around with others in the society. I have undergone a transition from introvert to reasonably extrovert somewhere in the course of the last 8-10 years but this extroversion never really came to the forefront in this regard. Not that there are too many events organized in our society, its mostly the Ganesh Festival in which people interact and socialize, but even then, it was a significant step for me to attend and take part in this event.
I must say it was a lot of fun. I have found joy in sports and trekking in the past, but recently I have realized that music and dance as a medium of expression too, induce a feeling of happiness within me. By music, as of now I mean singing. I can't play a musical instrument yet, though it has been on my To-Do list for a really long time. I don't think I sing well, but it doesn't matter since I don't have much of audience. The dance too, evoked a similar joy.
This experience showed me a new way to attain joy and happiness. Temporary as they may be, the joys of small things hold significant value in my life!
Monday, September 18, 2006
The End Of It All
Well, over the last few posts, I have been quite impressed by the medical system and facilities. However, there was a dark line in the end. The doctor realized quite late that my grandad was a CGHS patient. He wasn't happy since the amount he would be getting from the GOI wouldn't be as much as he would otherwise. He said that in no unclear terms and also hinted that he wouldn't continue treatment if something wasn't done about it. We agreed that we would pay all his charges, but I was infuriated by his greedy behaviour.
Well maybe now atleast, if you have the money, you can get yourself good facilities.
I guess in the end it all boils down to - "Show me the money, honey".
Well maybe now atleast, if you have the money, you can get yourself good facilities.
I guess in the end it all boils down to - "Show me the money, honey".
Saturday, August 19, 2006
Amazing Medicine Science?
Spending the last few days in proximity to installations related to medical science has not only given rise to a sense of amazement about the field within me, but has also raised certain questions on its use.
First the amazement... I was highly impressed to see the way they handled my grand-father at the Emergency Section of Jehangir Nursing Home in Pune. It was exactly like what they show in English television serials focusing on hospital drama. Within seconds of entering the team at Emergency worked in flawless co-ordination to attach equipment monitoring the vitals to my grandpa and started investigating to get a preliminary diagnosis. I never thought I would witness such efficiency in Indian Hospitals (no doubt the professionalism of the Apollo Group of hospitals was at work here), atleast in the current time period. Even the patient handling at the ICU was highly professional. More so the hospital staff were quite a helpful and compassionate lot. This was quite contrary to my perception of how Indian hospitals generally are. It is true that I make my judgment on seeing only the better part of the hospital - the Emergency Section, the ICU and the Private Wards, since I don't have the motivation to go and explore the general wards, but even this much is quite impressive and I will continue to be all praise for the hospital and their staff unless a reliable source tells me otherwise. I do feel that such professionalism and compassion along with advances in medicinal science makes for a much better healing and life-preserving combination than scientific advances alone.
Now for the questions. I observed that there were a significant number of patients in the hospital who were quite old. The main question I had was - does this magical life-saving science select its beneficiaries only on the basis on how much wealth they have? Shouldn't it be on a need basis instead? As in shouldn't those who are much younger, breadwinners for their family be given a higher priority to survive than those who are aged and have already lived most of their life?
First the amazement... I was highly impressed to see the way they handled my grand-father at the Emergency Section of Jehangir Nursing Home in Pune. It was exactly like what they show in English television serials focusing on hospital drama. Within seconds of entering the team at Emergency worked in flawless co-ordination to attach equipment monitoring the vitals to my grandpa and started investigating to get a preliminary diagnosis. I never thought I would witness such efficiency in Indian Hospitals (no doubt the professionalism of the Apollo Group of hospitals was at work here), atleast in the current time period. Even the patient handling at the ICU was highly professional. More so the hospital staff were quite a helpful and compassionate lot. This was quite contrary to my perception of how Indian hospitals generally are. It is true that I make my judgment on seeing only the better part of the hospital - the Emergency Section, the ICU and the Private Wards, since I don't have the motivation to go and explore the general wards, but even this much is quite impressive and I will continue to be all praise for the hospital and their staff unless a reliable source tells me otherwise. I do feel that such professionalism and compassion along with advances in medicinal science makes for a much better healing and life-preserving combination than scientific advances alone.
Now for the questions. I observed that there were a significant number of patients in the hospital who were quite old. The main question I had was - does this magical life-saving science select its beneficiaries only on the basis on how much wealth they have? Shouldn't it be on a need basis instead? As in shouldn't those who are much younger, breadwinners for their family be given a higher priority to survive than those who are aged and have already lived most of their life?
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Hospitals And ICU Waiting Rooms...
I have spent a good amount of the last 3 days, (2 of them being holidays) in the waiting room of the ICU at a local hospital, where my Grand-father was admitted for a duodenal ulcer. He is quite stable now and due to be moved to a private room tomorrow morning, however, I thought I should pen my experience and my feelings about hospitals and ICU waiting rooms.
Waiting in such waiting rooms is among the worst experiences that one can have in a hospital. The problem being that since your patient is in the ICU, he is in a serious condition, and you are not allowed to go into the ICU to find out how he is. They only call you in if there is an emergency decision to be made or bills are to be paid or medical supplies procured. You are allowed to meet the patient between a few hours allocated for visitors but that is it. You are expected to sit in the waiting room, anxious about how your patient is doing, beside a room full of people sharing the same anxiety as you. Also on your way about the hospital you see injured bodies and wailing relatives. Overall, it makes for a n experience which shows you the darker side of life, the one containing pain, misery and suffering, yet it teaches you to endure such testing times and come out a stronger person, better equipped to handle such inevitable challenges in the future.
Waiting in such waiting rooms is among the worst experiences that one can have in a hospital. The problem being that since your patient is in the ICU, he is in a serious condition, and you are not allowed to go into the ICU to find out how he is. They only call you in if there is an emergency decision to be made or bills are to be paid or medical supplies procured. You are allowed to meet the patient between a few hours allocated for visitors but that is it. You are expected to sit in the waiting room, anxious about how your patient is doing, beside a room full of people sharing the same anxiety as you. Also on your way about the hospital you see injured bodies and wailing relatives. Overall, it makes for a n experience which shows you the darker side of life, the one containing pain, misery and suffering, yet it teaches you to endure such testing times and come out a stronger person, better equipped to handle such inevitable challenges in the future.
Sunday, August 06, 2006
Into All Lives Rains Must Fall
I guess that is the decision the Rain Gods must've taken when deciding upon the state of the citizens of Western Maharashtra over the weekend. Not only that, the generosity shown in disbursing this rain was also truly magnanimous.
The amount it rained today seemed like it could provide enough water to transform a mid-sized desert. It did destroy a couple of my plans and kept me home for the greater part of the day.
However, the Rain Gods did decide to allow Punekars a little bit of social life in the evening, which enabled to me to enjoy a sumptuous dinner with my friends at the Chung Fa restaurant on East Street.
This fun-filled outing was enough to wrap up an otherwise wet and lazy weekend.
The amount it rained today seemed like it could provide enough water to transform a mid-sized desert. It did destroy a couple of my plans and kept me home for the greater part of the day.
However, the Rain Gods did decide to allow Punekars a little bit of social life in the evening, which enabled to me to enjoy a sumptuous dinner with my friends at the Chung Fa restaurant on East Street.
This fun-filled outing was enough to wrap up an otherwise wet and lazy weekend.
Saturday, August 05, 2006
Ant On The Sidewalk
Ever wondered how an ant crawling across a pavement must be feeling? What is its perception of how the world looks like? I had never wondered about this till I experienced it myself today morning when I set out to purchase a CAT form on my bicycle.
Mentioning that I embarked on this 12-14 km round trip to attempt to get my stamina back to respectable levels would be a digression, so let me avoid that and keep to the subject at hand. The bicycle - like the ant is the smallest of creatures on the road. An on undisciplined roads like Pune's it as susceptible to being crushed, like an ant is while crawling on a crowded sidewalk. The bicycle like the ant has no right whatsoever on the road and the onus is on the cyclist to ensure that the cycle is not in the path of the traffic that is zigzagging to avoid the potholes, lest it gets trampled upon and crushed.
I have now experienced firsthand what such creatures must be going through for roughly around an hour, and from today onwards my sympathy towards these tiny creatures has increased considerably.
Mentioning that I embarked on this 12-14 km round trip to attempt to get my stamina back to respectable levels would be a digression, so let me avoid that and keep to the subject at hand. The bicycle - like the ant is the smallest of creatures on the road. An on undisciplined roads like Pune's it as susceptible to being crushed, like an ant is while crawling on a crowded sidewalk. The bicycle like the ant has no right whatsoever on the road and the onus is on the cyclist to ensure that the cycle is not in the path of the traffic that is zigzagging to avoid the potholes, lest it gets trampled upon and crushed.
I have now experienced firsthand what such creatures must be going through for roughly around an hour, and from today onwards my sympathy towards these tiny creatures has increased considerably.
Friday, August 04, 2006
My First Post - As Myself
After blogging anonymously for a while I have finally got myself to blog under my own name.
The main reason why I used to blog anonymously was that one is less constrained in freely expressing his views when people know who he is. There is always a constant feeling of being judged beside the risk of ending up hurting or angering people from your life who you are commenting about.
I still plan to keep and maintain my anonymous blog which will bear some of my more expressive and potentially explosive articles.
Here's Varun signing off...
The main reason why I used to blog anonymously was that one is less constrained in freely expressing his views when people know who he is. There is always a constant feeling of being judged beside the risk of ending up hurting or angering people from your life who you are commenting about.
I still plan to keep and maintain my anonymous blog which will bear some of my more expressive and potentially explosive articles.
Here's Varun signing off...
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