The Usual Suspect?

The US Presidential Election

2008-10-02T10:55:00.002+08:00

A lot is being said, but afew thoughts from my end -

1. I thought I had respect for Mr McCain and then I saw him sadly choose an idiot for his V-P candidate. I am using a hard word like an idiot because a) she believes that the earth is only 4,500 yrs old, b) believes that all of the world is Christians, c) believes that God talks to her (so what stops her from pushing the red button and say God told her to), d) believes that all animals came to Earth on an ark

2. I wouldnt want a person who didnt have a passport till a year back to be the C-i-C (Commander in Chief) of a nuclear superpower in case Mr McCain pops it.

3. McCain is a man of a violent temper and has in the past sneered at anyone who dared raised objections (http://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2008/10/mad_man.cfm) causing anxiety that he would surround himself with yes-men.

4. Obama, of course, sufers from lack of experience and has at times given signs of shifting to please the vote bank, but at least if something happens to him, there is Joe Biden!

The World Becomes Cold

2008-08-30T11:11:00.002+08:00

Though the transition from a close-to-bankruptcy nation to an almost super-power has been a fantastic one, Mr Putin's Russia should have taken some time off and taken a leaf from China's rise to power.

China, which has her own cats in the bag, rose to power in a more gradual and almostn on-conflictionary nature. Foreign policy was aimed at solidifying relationships abroad and with almost all sections of the globe. The west tried to tarnish China's image by talking of faulty products and banning some imports from China here and there, but the Chinese response was not of exclusion, rather it was one of controlled aggression.

The crowning glory was of course the Beijing Olympics, where China showed to the world its majestic performance both in building a totally new city (a lot of friends who went to Beijing say that its been almost totally re-constructed).

Today world leaders approach China with an awe and would want more Chinese presence in matters impacting the geo-political developments.

Russia, however, is different. It could of course be suffering from an inferiority complex; having become an almost defuntnation from a super-power in less than a decad and hten coming back up again. But Russia has her own rulers to blame for hte debacle and its doing it again.

Its commonly knowi that be it Stalin or Brezhnev, neither did anything to project a strong Russia. When I say strong, I mean internally strong. Russia is a continent in itself with far more diverse nationalities. sure the USSR was a strong nation, but eonomically it was a black hole and the sudden fall into almost bankruptcy augurs for that.

Its strength in number is mostly from the Asia whereas its rulers are mostly from the european zone. Its entry into Georgia and the subsequent recognition of two seperatist states as being indepedant could reveberate of the shame Russia had to face when Kosovo was recognised; but this step is rather surprising.

Mainly because the policy makers cite genocide in parts of Georgia while turning a blind eye to Chechnya and the Caucasas. In recognising independance for 2 smaller erst-while states of Gerogia, Russia may have actualy sown the seeds for a separatist movement in their own mother-land.

Frankly, Russia has China and India to thank for her surge in economic prowess for if it hadnt been their need for commodities; Russians would be still selling gas at a 10th of what it is now!

The Q of Marriage

2008-06-28T09:29:00.003+08:00

I have been attending a lot of marriages off late - in less than 12 months - my closest buddy, my closest cousin, 2 of my batch mates and a few ex-colleagues have all gone ahead and said yes at the altar.

On top of that I have my blogging friends always blogging something or the other about marriage.

Also, HK - the great city of bachelors - has seen this rampant obsession of "settling down" - close friends now have families, I am almost always the single guy surrounded by married couples.

If the couples are Indians - the talk invariably surrounds kids, families visiting, shopping for the baby, and other expecting friends. I remember at a recent assembly of this variety - I got very excited when the talk swung to the experiences in the retail store "Toys R Us" only to realise that the parents were talking about their kids being excited and what I was actually refering to was my excited state ... there was an awkward moment of silence and of course, then I was again the bane of jokes...

If the grouping is not Indians then I am the favorite attack point of "someone who needs to get hooked" and rampant (untrue) rumors of being a man with funny tastes ... hmmm.

And since I have given up drinking - my bachelor friends have cut me off from all types and forms of interaction

So I thought I should let their be a blog that in case someone is interested in marrying an impatient, irritable and childish guy ever; then she should be directed to this blog where some important things about me are mentioned -

1. Weekends are for hiking, and being with the outdoors. Shopping in a mall is not Outdoors.

2. Boxing is a sport.

3. Bike is more important than a car.

4. Car is more important than a baby.

5. Pts 3 & 4 imply bikes are the more important B in my life.

6. No TV in the bedroom. TV is a conversation killer and my snoring will get subdued

7. Exploring and growing a relationship means you talk and I listen. My knowledge is non-existent and I would wish it remains so.

8. Tom & Jerry are actual friends, and not just cartoon charachters

9. No ogling at my friends - 2 are lifeguards and 1 an ex- super model.

10. "We need to talk" is the scariest statement ever.

11. The right side of the bed is mine so is the right side of the conversation.

12. My samurai sword remains in the bed room.

13. My dinky car set will only expand going ahead.

And of course I shall prevail (though I know all of you are thinking - "Wishful Thinking")

"Bad Karma", Quake and Americans

2008-05-31T11:06:00.004+08:00

This relates to the recent Sharon Stone statement quipping the recent Chinese earthquake as a result of bad karma

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/film/2008/05/sharon_stone.html

Now, I dont really care what stars do and call for because a) they are the biggest hypocrites in the world - successful, rich and all; but at the same time most prone to depression, manical tendencies and drug abuse.

And b) they are in a position to really do something for the society in general and very few actually end up doing it (prime egs being Indian stars and prime exlcusions being Prince Charles, Bono, Richard Gere, and The One foundation).

So you will rarely ever see me with a magazine or paper which talks about their lives except when I come to know someone has done an amazingly stunning thing (which may be a positive - a rarity) (or maybe another stupid thing - more the rule) or except when I am at the barber shop.

The above being the premise from I am coming where and the following would be my argument and then perhaps an unsaid conclusion.

When I heard Sharon Stone made this statement I went on youtube (where else); heard what she had to said, guffawed a few times and then decided to blog on it.

You see, I am not making a claim on whether whats happening in Tibet is right or wrong - as far as I am concerned; no people shoud be ruled against their wishes or their living standards be subjugated; but this blog is not about the Tibetan issue.

The point is this - what I find quite disgusting is that you are linking such a tragedy with anything relating to karma.

Karma - good or bad - cannot be justified for measuring deaths.

Its the Chinese policy makers who are at fault and not its people. Had the quake affected the policy makers' homes etc then perhaps one could say its justifiable; but no way can you link it to the deaths and tragedy surrounding poor and helpless people like that of Sichuan.

And frankly what has Sharon Stone done to deserve any good karma besides performing adultress activities all over. You may say thats being mean; but hey come on she was an unkown performer before Basic Instinct and we know the remaining.

And frankly, look at how China managed the entire tragedy; bang within hours all supplies were in place and even after 4 days the search for survivors went unabated, money poured in from everywhere (Cathay Pacific raised about US$350K, BNPP contributed more than that); there were banners all over in HK asking for contributions and ppl were putting in upwards of HK$100 while moving in and out - the point being that people in HK and other parts of China felt required to help in this tragedy.

http://www.economist.com/world/asia/displaystory.cfm?source=most_commented&story_id=11409357&intent=readBottom

When New Orleans happened in USA; there were firing at mobs to prevent them from looting. And after 3 yrs of the tornado; life is still not back to normal in parts of Florida. Bombay was up the next day after the rains and the bomb blasts (and I was party to both).

... so whats the karma Ms Stone is talking about?

Most of America has no culture or no history to fall back on - her people are split about being more receptive to gays, Iraq, chosing between a woman, a war veteran and an African-American, they have to sooner or later come to terms with the fact that their geo-political prowess is a hting of the past. Perhaps they will all become an inward looking society.

America reminds me of a closed room with double way mirrors ... all can look into what Americans are doing; but the Americans cant or are too bothered about their ownself to be bothered about it.. which is even worse.

Open to Qs.

I love rags to riches stories

2008-04-29T21:00:00.003+08:00

I have always been very moved when I hear of someone (related or not) really make it big in life (s/he doesnt have to be a known personality), but has just become big after starting from humble beginnings.

Last night I was watching a movie called The Invincible, its a true life story about Vince Papale (a bartender becoming American Football's oldest "rookie). After that I was discussing it with a friend and she rightfully pointed that there can be enough examples to highlight w/o they being celebreties.

In my office alone; I have very senior colleagues who have been (individually) life guard, someone who had to borrow money to buy a suit for his interview, an orphan at the age of 12 (in fact my dad was 1 at the age of 7 and I am so proud of him), and the list is endless. Among my friends I have enough examples of ordinary guys going thru tough times and coming out of it winning.

And it makes you wonder, these guys all started from such humble and in a few cases far below humble backgrounds and just stuck to it.

In fact more on the above discussion (the 1 with my friend), we also conversed on how every one worth his/her salt works for 12 hours at least but not every one makes the same amount of money and that is not a matter of chance (of course luck plays a role) but more to it; it has to also do with what choices we make.

Our choices define us and these need to be made thinking 5 years ahead and not what job and money am I getting right now. Sadly so many of us get caught in that shit and then cant get out of it.

There are so many of us (me included) who just get stuck to shitty things like "oh where am I headed" and "why does this happen to me" when what we need to focus on is just to say fukk it and move on with life.

Self pity is worth that only ... get over it before you get under it.

In short money aint everything; if you love what you do, you are already far richer. That doesnt mean you become satisfied with what you are; but yeah grow.

Life is good and it always gets better.

Things to know before going bike-hiking

2008-04-12T19:48:00.003+08:00

1. There is no such thing as bike hiking ... if someone says this it means he doesnt know how long you will end up carrying the bike on your shoulders and climbing 20-30 feet of stones.

2. Get yourself ass cheeks and I am not kidding; ass cheeks are the best things to have if you dont want to come back with (for men) your you-know-what at one end. For women I dont know how to put it.

3. "A helmet is not something to make you look good in" and trust it when someone says it esp when mountain biking, you may think the overhanging boulder is a bit higher but nope it aint.

4. Have you seen in movies that the bike goes under the person and you realise when that event has happened how close to the fall you were? Well yeah that happens and a lot so get good brakes.

5. One of the best things is to come off a steep and really smooth road and you reach speeds of upto 60kmph on a cycle; it is far too exhilirating!!

6. Carry more water and lesser accessories; you cant answer phones or text someone or reply (get it Ammy? mmuuaah though love you) when the phone is in the bag.

7. Strangely enough all really tough Qs & suggestions about life and work come right when you are on a 20feet straight-up climb and the climb is curving.

8. Believe in humanity and be optimistic - there were 3 of us and Ken punctured his bike about 15kms away (either way) from human populace. Tom said someone might come and someone did and he had a puncture kit in his bag; that was super cool! And the entire thing took 10 minutes - puncture, someone coming and getting the puncture repaired.

9. Have a light and small bike; you dont want a high cenre of gravity and you dont want too heavy a weight to carry around.

Zi Tagg

2008-04-01T10:20:00.004+08:00

Chaitali Patel; this ones for you.

First time I get tagged and it takes me more than a month to revert... very bad I know; but what to do, so much happening in life - see the markets to get a faint idea - then was traveling, blah blah and all the bullshit.

Anyways; Chaits apologies for the delay and here we go

Family: I love family and those who know me; know my love and closeness to family. Think I have written a lot on my family and in general; but I guess the 2 which stand out are the one I wrote when my folks visited me for the first time in HK and then when my friends became parents.

Friends: Funnily enough not written much about this and cant find a reason to explain it either. I guess I just call up friends when I need them and more importantly I know that once I start writing about them; I will just end up letting them all my true feelings for them; after which I wont get invited anywhere!

Yourself: There was this I Know series which went on to I Dont Know and I Want To Know. But think I Know was the best.

Your Love: Written about family already. But I dont have a special person yet.

Anything I Like: I love traveling; so it would be my trips to London, NY, back home,

Anything else I would like to add?

Hmm, how are these for topics?

Pet Peev (which irritates everyone else) - I have a bad habit of irritating ppl and loving it; especially when they get to a stage that they tell you to stop; I just plug on the accelerator.

Thing you would like to change about yourself - stop being lazy!

What I would love to do - Travel and study

What I would hate to do - work till I retire (I know a lot of you iwll be surprised by this, but I dont plan to work all my life, hopefully if life and fortune allows, I will be taking 6-7 months off every 4/5 years and just travel/study)

Ambition in life - Space travel.

Biggest scare - Feeling uselsess

Biggest strength - Friends and family

People to tag - Chaits, Zeeks, Nutty, Anchit, Meera, Nasia, anyone who reads my blog!

Cheers!

In recuperation

2008-03-16T01:05:00.002+08:00

So here I was out of hospital and thinking well a few days off drinks will be a good change and tried that as well; but me bing Guzzler, it didnt last too long..

BAD MISTAKE.

so after a few more rounds to the friendly neighbour hood doc; I decided to be off my name giver for a while.

Its been 3 weeks w/o one and I am pretty vella now; since now I up at 7 am even on weekends; and I can only run for upto 3/4 hours; I am effectively left out of all binges and the lot.

Thus the point of this post .. what do you think I should do?

Options -

1. Learn a musical instrument - violin, guitar (any other ... dont say piano and stuff .. it has to be somehting I can carry)

2. Enrol for a boxing fight and train for it.

3. Traveling? well not much can be seen ovre a weekend unless you know where to head and have someone to go with.

4. What other options?

I have lost my reading habit else that would have been a good option; and I read a lot of magazines anyways so not too keen on novels just yet.

The Must Watch Movie Of 2007

2008-03-01T10:57:00.004+08:00

is not Bourne Ultimatum or Michael Clayton or No Country For Old Men

It is Juno!

The script has been written by a first-timer who is an ex-stripper. What more can you want?

The movie is about this 16 yr old girl who gets pregnant and then she decides to give the baby up for adoption to someone who really needed it.

And unlike other movies on such a theme, Juno is not about adopting the above setup and making it into a drama in which everyone becomes teary eyed and I am like why-the-hell-did-I-agree-to-watch-this-damn-movie-in-the-first-place (read Taare Zamein Par, which Adnan I havent YET watched; though one day I saw the ending and heard the song "Ma" - which was enough to make me watery eyed)

Back to Juno; the pace is brilliant; for the first half of the movie I was smiling all the way and then at the same time you could make out what sort of tensions might come up in the second part of the movie and they do; but the manner in which they come up you are like yeah of course you saw it coming. More importantly the manner in which they get handled are more like hhmm now I didnt see THAT coming in a movie!

I mean you expect shennanigans like people crying and ranting; nothing like that ... just the pace takes it on.

One more thing about the movie is that it hasnt tried to be larger than life - i.e. it has not tried to deal with "issues in general" - abortion, teen-age sex, adoption, divorce or anything like that which you could assume will be associated to a movie like this and perhaps that makes it so special.

Its just that - its about Juno - and not Women Power in general which a lot of movies do turn out to become.

I can go on a lot more but then I dont want to spoil the fun for you.

I think if you all like movies and havent seen this one you are missing out on something.

Hospitals and morphine

2008-02-23T01:07:00.002+08:00

I was hospitalised for 2 nights this week .. it started off as a pain in the stomach to become a sever intestine infection which had to be operated upon

No one among my friends or family were told of this .. because I didnt want too many people visiting the hospital or my folks back in India getting worried and thinking about coming to HK just because of this.

But a few things happened while I was on morphine ... the pain was really bad, I actually thought I was about to see my tummy explode and an alien come out of it like it happens in all sci-fi movies, I, for the first time, thought about death ... and it wasnt pleasant.

I thought about what am I doing in this place, lying on a hospital bed while others are just wanting to spend an extra day more to make it their best day ever and so I realised the importance of living and being there for the moment.

And thats what I am going to do. Live it. And make it worthy.

Cheers and touchwood.

PS: an arbit post ... but hey thats where the morphine part comes in ... I am still on the drip.

Have you ever thought?

2008-02-09T03:34:00.000+08:00

1. If you werent born to the same parents and family who would you be
2. Who decides that you are born as who you are
3. Who decides you will be a Hindu or Muslim or Christian
4. Who decides you would be born in India or US or Iraq
5. Who decides we are born white, black or brown
6. Who decides that the X chromosome will match up or it will be the Y one
7. Who decides you are born a human
8. Who decides that you should exist at all

I always try to think if there was something I could change in my life what would it be? Just one thing.
1. Would it be hitting my first punch which put me onto being overtly aggressive?
2. Would it be being the cause of me breaking someone's heart which I still feel screwed up about?
3. Would it be to getting back in the fight which I backed out of?
4. Would it be my career choice?
5. Would it be nothing?

If there was one thing God would come and say I could do what would it be?
1. World peace
2. Kill all fanatics
3. Take greed & jealousy away as an evil from all people
.... I would say point 3 here.

If you could be one person among the following categories, who would you like to be?
1. A saint like Mother Tersa, Joan of Arc or someone like them
2. A general like Patton, Caeser, Asoka, Alexander, Ghenghis Khan, Temur or Akbar
3. A politician like Gandhi, Churchil, Roosevelt, Machiavelli or Martin Luther (not King)
4. A celebrity like Madonna, Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods or Tendulkar

If you could thank just one person, who would it be
1. God
2. Family
3. Yourself

And finally what would like to be among the following only one choice allowed
1. Sailor like Crusteaou
2. Pilot like Amelia Earhart (w/o vanishing of course)
3. Adventurer like Marco Polo

Return of The Mac

2008-01-26T11:34:00.001+08:00

Markets have been crazy, whether US is into a recession already is a Q mark to which everyone knows the answer but no one wants to accept it, Pakistan has forgotten Benazir Bhutto (thank God; what a useless creature she was), India beat Australia at Perth (yiippeee!), the KMT has come to Taiwan after 8 yrs, Bush went to Middle East w.o there being even a whimper ... so Jan has been quiet a month till now.

Of course India celebrates her 58th Republic Day today; so congrats and well wishes all around.

I did some crazy hiking climbed this hill in less than 6 hours and the worst part was coming down. At one time I was so hungry and lak of sugar, I was ready to eat dog food.

One thing I have been doing is not to get too drunk on a Saturday so I have things to do on a Sunday; so be it being in the gym for 2 hours or just reading on the Net or going for a long hike; it does help to take the un-needed stress and thoughts from your head besides the fact that you dont smoke endless ciggis and drink endless booze... am planning to join jujitsu classes; today is my first day so wish me luck!

To all those who are getting lat to work - well I am the last one on the desk, I just pay a coffee fine i.e. buy coffee for my 2 colleagues.

To all those who are going thru an introspection; try the hiking schedule; guess what I am thnking when I am huffing and panting.. work? NO, markets? NO, about myself! best time.

Cheers!

Proud of being an Indian

2008-01-10T23:03:00.000+08:00

I haven't tested the car yet; but I know how Maruti 800 cc revolutionised how the common man could view a car and OWN one.

Ratan Tata promised a dream to the average India which none of us bloggers are and he has delivered it.

All I know is that he delivered it.

You may say thats its a small one and thats it w/o taxes but think of the millions of Indians who wanted to own a brand new car and now they have a dream to live up to....

Hats off to Mr Ratan Tata for delivering it and I am so effing proud to be an Indian right now because this car is cheaper by HALF at least of the next brand new car ....

Mr Tata you will be remembered as the eptiome of Indian middle class and I thank you for that.

Best regards and wishes for you next endeavour.

Dhirubahi Ambani thought of making money from every Indian; you thought AND delivered the concept of making every Indian proud.

Mr Ratan Tata, you are definitely "Da Man".

Best regards & wishes.

Writer's Blog

2008-01-07T21:33:00.000+08:00

and you know what I am taking a leave from this aka Nutty

Happy New Year

2008-01-01T00:46:00.000+08:00

Wishing You, Your Loved Ones & Your Family (ies)

The Best Of Times Ahead

May You Get All That You Yearn For

Happy New Year

How was yours?

Home - Snapped Up!

2007-12-07T19:53:00.000+08:00

Was in Delhi for 2 straight weeks after 2003; had planned to goto Bombay, Gwalior and Bangalore to meet friends; but ditched all of that.
Just chilled at home; drove around like mad, met with tonnes of relatives; answered the same Q some 456874986438967 million times, "yes looking at someone; will get married soon".
Instead gained some 6 kgs and didnt do even one km of running.

But there were far too many events to warrant any look back option ie look back and think shit should have done this instead; it was a great time and I will surely miss being back home.
Met some relatives of mine after 5 yrs and so much changes in that time its not funny; but what is better is that the family bond remains and grows with time and as cousins grow up and take the mantle form respective parents.

I love taking snaps; I am not a photographer by any chance or dont have it as a hobby even; I own a very basic digicam; but when I go out home or elsewhere I always carry it with me.

There were 2/3 main events which happened on this trip; 2 weddings - my best friends (Amit) and the other of my cousin (Prateek) and the second was me finding some really old snaps of the family which I readily scanned and downloaded on my laptop (so many more remain but that will augur a revisit to Delhi & Meerut - my mom;s hometown)

This one was of mine when I was 5 yr old; I am surrounded by a lot of my relatives (the other kid is my brother) and i have done something really naughty for everyone is smiling and I am visibily "foot-in-mouth-syndromed!

Amit is my best friend and is part of family so when he was getting married; I forced myself onto everyone to make them listen to the Best Man speech. He was willing to pay me not to say it; but I relented from the interesting topcis since I want to get married sometime and when I do, I do NOT want him to return the favor!

The Best Man's Speech ended without much "event" but it was a good one apparently for my mom came up to me and said, "You have finally learnt how not to make a fool of yourself"... so much for motherly affection.

Prateek the guy sitting here with ANOTHER sweet in his mouth and hte 2 of us (my brother and I) are really thick and I count him more as a brother than a cousin; so his wedding was ful of a lot of back-breaking work; where I reluctantly (ahem!) was adjudged the bar-tender. The wedding was fun; I had gone in thinking we will show the old folks (read parents) how its done; but the affair ended up with all moms singing and dads dancing among themselves and with the ladies

Unfortunately the snap of my parents dancing - waltz by the way on Nakhrewali by Kishore Kumar - is on dad's camera.
The wedding was basic, no extra jazz besides me looking like a shaven surd.
By the way for the first time in my experiences at weddings; the mobile bar had enough stock to last 5 hours; with chilled beer & soda, water and an ice-box. Of course openers and ice-picks with machined ice were there!

And finally; bot this baby for my folks for Diwali; she has done 1600 kms out of which I drove 1400kms+; she can touch 160kmph easily. Also did a 360 turn on a Swift (Amit's; after being down 8/9 beers ... not recommended and never doing again!)

Here is my baby!

And yeah do watch Om Shanti Om and Jab We Met. OSO is super cool! and Jab We Met is in its own league for sure.

That's it; great fun!

Of course Air India screwed up the retunr by being delayed 5.5 hours; but ok chalt hai; though I gave some of htem a bit of hell. Anyways...

Until next time.

Shubh Deepawali

2007-11-07T23:01:00.000+08:00

SHUBH DEEPAWALI

Wishing you and your family and loved ones the best of times ahead.

May Lord Ganesha shower the choicest of Blessings on all of you

I will be in India celebrating Diwali at home!

YIIIPPPPEEEEEE!!!!!!!

Girls night out

2007-11-04T01:41:00.000+08:00

Yup you read it right; but before you get your imaginations and your sleazy ideas out; it was a great time; the "gang" included 3 women; all married and settled down.
Anyways it started like this; I had to buy some oil paints for my Chacha (uncle) and the only person was "S" who can put any guy to shame when t comes to partying and can under drink anyone I know.
I call S up and we hunt a bit but cant find them paints, so she calls another friend of hers "N" who loves to paint and so after we buy the paints; we 3 go and have coffee when S tells us that there is a dinner in the night and we can join her; which I was reluctant to as I didnt know D (the person who's place we were supposed to have dinner @) and who would want to be with 3 married women on a Saturday night. but S is a great friend and saying no to her is always tough; plus I can go anywhere for good Indian food (esp when its free and non-veg).
So we (N and I) literally gate crash the party ... and the food was GREAT; lamb rack, kabaabs, sausages, brilliant wine... the works.
All that done; we 4 settle down; the host, S, N and me.

The talk started with guys; even though all were married etc and it was brilliant; it could have been the wine but I have to say that in most Qs raised I had to say yeah well agree with you or yeah maybe you are right; and they were intense Qs, not arty-farty types which some of hte women I know of my age raise (pppfffoooofff); I mean these women ranged from 36-44 and they knew more about me than me I am sure! (since I am not gay).
The talk ranged from pearl panties to Calvin Klein u.ws to babies to mom-in-laws to pesudo bashing to biking to bungee jumping to travels around the world to bachelor parties to dirt biking to maid servants to everything and I was so loving it because this talk wasnt the usual nagging shit; it was true to life actual stuff and they being them (highly cool women) were absolutely cool about telling the other girls where they were wrong and where they were fukking themselves up.
After a while we spoke books; investments; astrology; history; fanatical religious people; US; Russia everything under the sun linked to this century.

When I was on my way for dinner to D's place I had fixed with another friend to meet him at 10; I wounded up at D's place when her kids kept waking up time and again. The time was 2 am; didnt notice to pass by.

It was a great night and I must say some of you women out there are really interesting; but alas you are married as well ... (hehehehehehhehehehehehehe; come on kill me now!)

You repeat history if you forget it

2007-10-21T10:55:00.000+08:00

I am a big fan of geo-politics and more so of history
I love reading wikipedia on an arbit subject I would type in and then keep on clicking away on related or embedded links and seeing what and where that leads me to.

This Saturday I spent a good part of the day reading on the kulaks in Soviet history, then going on to reading on the Soviet history itself and its a pretty dark, sad and un-nerving one.
Soviet Union was ruled effectively by 4 people till it was dismantled; the no of people Stalin got killed or purged as its referred to runs easly into a few 10's of millions and the error factor (ie what the esitmates may be worng by) is something like 5-7mn (its as if you were talking of ants and not people).

Its very strange that a super-power came crashing down in a matter of months post a failed coup; but when you read more into it; its pretty clear that it was bound to happen.
The Soviet society was based on fear; it is estimated that a good proportion of kulaks killed were not kulaks at all; each and every member of the State Police was suposed to show results and they went overboard on it; again absolute dis-regard for human life or any value system.
Forget all that ... how can any govt pass an order to have its own people killed ..? NKVD Order No 99447
One logic a prof in JNU (where I grew up in Delhi) gave me was they were anti-govt; and I was like God what a doofus; you blame America and all its pursuits and you are actually justifying this shit.
In case you dont get it I HATE Communists; they are definitely by far the worst of the lot; Soviet Union enslaved its own people into gulags; invaded and occupied parts of Eatern Europe for a brief spell in the late '60s; put up the Berlin Wall; invaded Afghanistan ... and none of the Commies called any of this an imperialist pursuit;
I mean come on!! What is it then; a call for lunch?

In that country between 1960s and 1970s poets and writers were just picked up and sent to the KGB HQs for interrogation; most were tortured and disposed off or sent out to Siberia. In fact some of those who did sort out their lives in Siberia and improve their lifestyle were again brought back or sent to gulags (slave labor camps)

Whats the point of this blog then?
We are moving into a society which is heading there again.
Look at Russia right now; Russians seem to be happy that they are very rich now and have had good growth coming in; but then thats not ALL thanks to Mr Putin; ok he is a strong man and all that but Russia has more to thank its natural resources esp gas, oil and now the metal commodities.
Putin knows that and thats why he is behaving like a spoilt brat; passing funny comments at embassy meets; cutting off gas supply to Ukraine and EU, going to Iran and offering that nation nuclear fuel. And then the thing of resigning from Presidency only to re-elect himself as PM; simple ways of staying in power.
And thats where the problem lies; Russians may feel wealthy & rightfully so, but they still live in fear; fear from Putin's men (KGB is back, now its called FSB but its far stronger and worse than its predecessor); already free press is an oxy-moron in Russia; and then Putin has Russian defectors and reporters killed in other nations.
An avg Russian has no clue whether European are allies or not as it depends on what side of the bed Putin gets off from ... all this leads to one thing again and thats Russians are going more and more inwards in terms of perspective and not trusting anyone and living in fear.

And thats why I am scared; if the commodity cycle craps out suddenly, and it will sooner or later, I mean crude cant stay @ $90/barrel for long w/o an effective subsitutes coming up (I am talking a few years; not like tomorrow) then Russia will be like a beggar everyone wants to ridicule because of its high handedness at present.
THEN the problem will start; because when economics fails; there is increased rumbling as unasked Qs become more stronger; then the society wakes up and says fukk you. Then you have purges happening again and then you will have a possible war to break out for Putin (or whoever is ruling Russia then) so as to divert attention elsewhere.

It may sound like a far fetched theory; but Russian/Soviet leaders have more often than not used this step to stay in power and this is like a few centuries old.

So much so for my analysis; I think China will be a great eg for Russians to work along as; Chinese are way too smart.
Indian policy and say in foreign matters has improved dramtically but I think we need to be aggressive and have a government without the Commies there.

In case you are wondering why such a long discourse; well the Commies in India have initiated a few changes in the Indian markets and I may be a statistical input no one appreciates; so I wanted to see what exactly are these Commies proud about; Russia/Soviet Union ... no way; China .. well China is far more capitalist than USA right now.
The only possible success stories could be North Korea and Cuba ... well you can have both of them.
And you dont want me to start on North Korea; I can write or 2 days on that country and its "Dear Leader".

Cheerio and all that!

Have you noticed?

2007-10-15T23:33:00.000+08:00

a. The villans in Die Hard or Live Free were not religious terrorists but financial whiz kids AND most were French
b. In Near (Nicolas Cage); the terrorists were ALL French
c. In a few animations off late the swine has a distinct French accent

Whats happening guys? Whatever happened to zi Nazi Germans and da Soviet (Russians) and woh sabh Islamic militants?

Looks like Hollywood has a new enemy or at least a political one.
Is Sarkozy listening; though the timing is bad esp when Sarkozy is cozying upto US and Gordon Brown making a move away; maybe you will have the next movie showing MI6 being infiltrated and planning to bomb dem 'mericans!

Pretty cool ad!

2007-10-06T11:50:00.000+08:00

The previous link got some really bad email responses so I had to remove that get this one in place. Well to undo whatever I had done to upset woman-kind; coz the guys loved it for some reason.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqBy6TgYxTU&mode=related&search=bannedcommercials%20commercial%20wal-mart%20joo%20xxx%20porn%20lol%20pants%20sexypants%20hotpants%20funnycommercial%20hommadevideo%20homemade

Cheers!

Things you dont want to try

2007-10-02T22:35:00.000+08:00

* Never try fixing the brakes on your bike when you dont know where to start from; and if you do try to do that; dont go on a slope after that; especially if it rained the previous night.
* Never kick your teacher hard even if he says you can do that; the rejoinder wont be pancakes or pats on the back. It will be if you are lying down .... later.

Thats enough for today's lessons; tomorrow I meet the Beast again.
Considering the aftermath of the above two incidents; I look forward to meeting her.

I had a vision ...

2007-10-02T00:14:00.000+08:00

This is basically an innate attempt at some 3 ppl writing a stupid novel; or well 1 writing a short story (http://halfsweetnhalfnuts.blogspot.com/2007/09/inanimate-foot-lies-elevated-on-pile-of.html) and the others adding (http://nicenewguy.blogspot.com/2007/10/other-side.html) something on to it; so its just for kicks and not to emotionally hurt or challenge anyone; with me just trying to spoil the poop.
___________
She was dead, finally SHE was dead; after having spoilt so many lives including mine; I couldnt see her make use of Keith.
Keith who has been like a brother to me; Keith who would follow anyone who would be nice to him and not just make fun of his "funky teeth"...

So apparently the maiden had sprained her ankle and was at home; she had noticed Keith go ga-ga over her and hadnt it been for me; it was clear that she would have used and thrown him away as a rag-tag doll as she has with so many others, including me.
So when I finally told Jason and Lars about Keith about what I intended to do; the initial reaction was of course of dumb foundedness and then came the revelation ... can we actually get back at the one who has spoilt the lives of so many whom we know of... but I guess the clincher was when I told them that she was using her "ankle trick" again
The plan was then set and executed to perfection; but the only faltering point was the fact that Keith was spposed to eat some of the donuts as well so that both would get drugged and there would be least resistance from either.

I had prepared the syringe for her especially and though would have hoped to inflict most gruesome pain; we all decided against it; since death was to be given a chance as well.
The plan for Keith was simple; he would have the donut(s); we drug him out and have him dropped over at my place with some alcohol injected in his body to make him feel nice and high when he'd be awake and with a bloody hangover.

But as luck would have it; Keith being the nice kid was busy massaging her sprained ankle when we walked in; and he saw me; had it been Jason or Lars we could have managed something and since he did put up a stuggle the alcohol injection went in a bit too painfully for him.
One thing I mis-adjudged for which we have to decide what to do with Keith now and that is - we didnt realise the poor kid would have already fallen for her...

So he remains gagged and bound till we decide what to do with him ...
_________________________
..... so who would want to take it up from here?
_________________________
Nuttty I hope you dont mind the twist which has come in the tale... I know you are a sport; but still would like to put this disclaimer in as well. MMuuaaahhh!!!
Nice New Guy; THIS is what I call sordid!!

The Neighbor

2007-09-30T01:42:00.000+08:00

It was Nice New Guy and then Nutty; so I thought well what the hell, maybe I can try my hand as well...
____________________________________________________________

"Have you seen the movie?"
The Q was innocuous and out of the blue. I wasnt sure I was the one who was addressed in it; so at first I ignored it. Then she asked me again and this time all eyes were on me.
So just out of the fact that everyone expected me to say "Yes I have and dont want to see it again" I said well, "No, would you like to go for it?"
And she said "Yes; weekends fine with you?" and I said, "Yeah sure"
Ok a little bit of background ... she is THE single most hotty in town but at the same time a sweet old girl; old because well she is 5 yrs my senior and happens to be my sister's groups' heart-throb. And she is a neighbor, living in the big bungalow next to mine.
Me, I am a lazy sod who spends most of his time in the gym and the remaining in books; so not the actual "find" for this girl.

Anyways; so she and I go for the movie and she pays for her part and says we should do this again and I go "yeah whatever"; thinking thats that!
After a few days, I am again with my sister's group skipping thru the CDs in the room and she comes over and makes small talk. I get a little bugged; quite bugged because she wants to talk and I have nothing to talk about.
All I can talk about is what weight I lift and history; neither makes interesting conversation.
But she being her, is nice and wants to chat.
Again all eyes are on me not to offer her a drink and get 1 myself; so going against consensus, I do just that. And we start chatting.
I realise she knows something about World War II and I suddenly get into an agitated argument with her on why Patton was way better than Montgomery and being abusive; say a few "fukks and bullshit" along the way.
She gets annoyed and walks out; and I am like "yeah whatever".

But I want to talk to her; thats the first time I have wanted to be with someone and for the first have needed someone to say "I want to talk with you"
But alas not happening tonight...

The winter is on and I like reading my books in the sun: One day she walks over from her home and says, "I have been sitting watching you for the last few days and you know I have been watching you so why didnt you say hi or anything". And I go blank, as a defence I say; "Well yeah whatever"
"Is that your favorite word?" and I swung back, "Used to be" and as adjoiner say, "So how is Ravi?" (hoping to quell any further conversation, for I know they have broken up)
She gives a bad look and walks off and I go back to my reading.
Again comes the feeling and this time I say, "Hey babes, I know about Ravi; so what happened?"

The conversation picks up and soon we spend a lot of time with each other; out for walks and going for movies and kidding each other.
She gets a few funny comments (about spending time with a sod like me); some from my sister as well but she is ok about it; no one messes with me for I am known to be short of temper and a bit of a bully.
So the time spent together goes unabated.

Then one day she introduces me to someone who her parents want her to get married to; she asks me what I think of him and I say, "Well, he does remind me of a rat".
After that I stop meeting her and time comes for me to move out of my city as I have got a job elsewhere. We had not met since the above incident; I had got back to my books and weights and she to her earlier group.
My sister insists that I go meet her once before I leave and against all in my brain, I go.
My first line is, "So what happened to the guy?" and she says, "He looked like a rat"

We laughed; its been 6 years since that and both of us are still single.

"My eyes seek reality; My fingers seek my veins"

English Tea and much more

2007-09-27T04:39:00.000+08:00

"You want to come to me mum's place?"
My colleague Chris asked me this when it was finalised that we 2 would be going together to London on work
I have always been a GREAT fan of Enid Blyton, Roald Dahl, CS Lewis (among many more) and though I used to get confused why ppl stored food in their ladder (as in seedi); I have always been very keen to see and enjoy the English countryside.
So when Chris asked the above Q; I was like mate you are on!
Chris's mom lives south of Essex in a small hamlet of 400 ppl where obviously everyone knows everyone else and they have their local ghost as well; actually 4 of them; legend has it that the first house that you see when you enter the hamlet has 4 ghosts of sisters who were allegedly killed there. A pity I wasnt allowed to go into the grounds though we tried.
Anyways; so we reached his place at 8am and had the most amazing experience of "sounds of silence"; the hamlet was so quiet it was discerning!
Then followed a drive around the hamlet, followed by scones (no they are NOT muffins but sweeter); tea by the farmside with horses and small farm pets making acquaintance with you. The sun was out and even though it was a bit chilly; sitting out in the sun with a cup of tea and scones just made it worht it.
Lunch/supper (I had supper the first time in my life) was a rack of roasted lamb followed by ash black coffee and blueberry pie.
I KNOW!!!! A perfect English Sunday!!

Anyhow, had to leave the countryside because we WERE in London on work.
London is one of the most beautiful cities in the world; London has been able to mingle the efficiencies (well almost) of a modern city along with the colonial pride it is associated with.
You have ppl riding on horses in the middle of the city's parks; the taxis are imperialistic in appearance and size; and the cabbies are the most helpful in the world. People here actually smile at you and wish you good morning etc if you happen to make eye contact (somewhat like NY)
There is TOO much money here; an Aston Martin or a Lamborghni is very common (though HK has the highest Porches/Ferraris per capita in the world); but somehow out here you always relate the same to class.... the city brings it out.
I managed to do all my inter-city travel via cab because I knew I wont have the time to visit what the city is known for and it was so brilliant one can just imagine what the city would be like in all its glamor and charm of being the imperial capital of the world.

I am way too impressed by London; though have yet to see the darker sides and apparently its pretty bad; but the city has something which makes you feel charmed by it.

Anyways; they are calling my name now; so should rush.

Cheerio!

My worst (?) nightmare

2007-09-22T11:33:00.000+08:00

I started getting this one about a yr back and it has a very good record of recurrence.

I am always in an exam; and almost always at school (think a few times it was college) and I am of the present consciousness i.e. I am giving a school exam so to say when I am 27 because I know that when I look at the Q paper I know nothing but at the same time I know that I can get over it because I have passed my higher studies and have a job and all.

So is this a nightmare or is it my sub-consciousness telling me that if spots of trouble do come across I would get over it?

My interpretation is that the profession I am in will change in the next 12-18 months totally and at present I am not well equipped for it; and I know that; but yaar kaam itna hai ki I cant take time out to get things in place. So lets see what my next step is

What do you suggest?
I know my job is different but still how do you guys sharpen your skills while still at work?

Air India ... watte flyer!

2007-09-19T22:41:00.000+08:00

I was scheduled to leave by the 8:30pm flight from Bombay to HK; I was in town (south Bombay) @6:30; I made a mad dash and called the buggers some 6/7 times and FINALLY got thru the help desk (which if you know Air India is a rhetorical term); and they say sir everyone has come please come fast ... I somehow get to the airport at 7:30 and when I rush to the ticket counter they say sir no need to hurry; flight is 2 ours delayed and I am like excuse me.... anyways gave a good firing to the old aunty sitting there who seemed totally disinterested; so I passed a goofy remark "of course you guys are so used to being shouted at; that it doesnt matter anymore" and well; it didnt ..
So I get into the lounge and am writing this blog from a comp which is an exact replica of the DX360 I used to own some decades back.

So I dedicate this blog to the travails me and some of my friends have experienced.
1. I asked for some wine on the flight, I was given absolutely warm white wine (though I asked for red) and I say excuse me can you chill it and the air-hostess who was I think quite tipsy herself goes "sir, in case you dont know red wine is served chilled; and not white wine"; and I say ok get me a beer then (because who wants a chilled red wine?). Yup beer was flatter than well can pass a sexist remark can I?
2. I asked this uncle (well he was 45 yrs old and still a steward); "can I have some water please?" and he gives me a BIG open bottle and when I ask for a glass he says "pe lo koi nahin dekh raha"
3. A friend was flying form HK to Sg and there was some commotion while food was being served and some curd fell on the carpet exactly b/w the business and the economy class' segments; no one cleared it for 35 mnutes because well; no one wanted to acceed that the fallen curd was on their side... and it starts stinking so bad that my friend gets up cleans it. Instead of getting a thanks; a steward says sir you are not supposed to do that. The new India....
4. Well cockroaches are a common thing
5. Worst was when I waws flying this time to India; started chatting with my co-passenger who narrated this -> "when he was flying to NY the air-hostess asked everyone who was NOT Indian for wine and when this guy got the courage (to avoid a stern look from aunty) to ask for one glass; he was given from a different bottle; anyways he got pissed and said well its quite bad and he was told the others finished all the good one already". I remember last time I wrote how Indians are the biggest racists; well this proved it.

By the way if you are a guy and are sitting next to a hot girl and need to find the right line to strike a conversation with her; just start off with a small laugh so that she looks at you and then go "oh I am sorry I just rememberd what happened to me the last time I flew Air India" and trust me your journey is made

Pretty sad blog I know; but watto do? Flight is delayed 3 hours now ... these buggers know how to kill slowly

I was SHIT scared!

2007-09-12T00:24:00.000+08:00

I have started kick boxing lessons and today I had my first sparring
Though I was all guarded totally (I mean shin guards; head guard) but even then I was so SHIT scared its not funny and forgot EVERYTHING
At one point my trainer id a push kick and I actually fell back ... and when I swung at him he winced and I am like God people do this w/o guards .... man! I so wanna do this!!
Next sparring on Thursday!

I need to get over this fear of loosing you know; once I do get out of it; I will get beaten but then that will perhaps add to it...? You get the drift yeah?

Replenishing My Music Collection Need Help

2007-09-09T16:28:00.000+08:00

This is from both an experimental as well as a replenishment mode -

Or easier would be if you could actually put in your favorite songs and groups and maybe I can do some search on their greatest hits (in case of groups/artists being mentioned); I also promise to burn the combined CDs for all those who seriously contribute.
Those living in Delhi/Bombay/Singapore I frequent these cities often so I can deliver it if needed
Those in HK; ah well anytime
Those elsewhere; I can have the same courierd to you.
I already have some 3000 songs/compositions; I plan to add another 2000 odd more and will have them burnt and sent out to you; and you can pick and choose what you want.

1. I will tell you the kind of groups/songs I listen to; so maybe you could tell me where I can download good quality (I use Limewire for English and Papuyaar.com - Thanks to Adnan) for now
2. What I listen to - Anything but techno and pop.
3. In rock music along the lines of U2, Metallica, Dire Straits, Pearl Jam, Pink Floyd, CCR, Def Leppard (some call them pop but I enjoy it), Bon Jovi (at times); Deep Purple; Led Zep; Nirvana, S&G, Dave Matthews Band, Aerosmith (pretty rarely); Alanis Morissette; Bruce Springstein; Coldplay; Greenday, Nickelback etc
This is what I listen to in rock.alternative.metal; so in case you have any thing more I can look up or if you have access ot songs which are not easily heard like Metallica doing covers on Led Zep or Bono singing Sweet Summer Wine; that'd be great.
4. I am into rap and R&B but those songs you get easily and I have more than cuss words for a decade.
5. In Hindi I am a freak for oldies (but no good site to download music from); esp the likes of SD Burman, Mohd Rafi, Talat, Geeta Dutt, Kishore Kumar; and this is where I really need help besides Western Classical.
6. In movies post 1995; which ones do you think have had good OSTs, I can easily access music on them; so if you have any prefered songs/OSTs do let me know.
7. Sufi music esp Nusrat
8. Last but not the least I have started appreciating Bach, Mozart and Beethoven; so any particular symphonies or if you think I can look up someone on similar lines; esp on the violin. Unfortunately not been able to really appreciate Indian Classical so much; sadly.

I know it s a lot of grey but hey its music! It should be like that!

Cheers!

Watte Life; IT shtyle....

2007-09-05T12:00:00.000+08:00

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2007/09/05/stories/2007090552560400.htm

.... this blog is to all the poor sods who thought IT is a very humane sector
.... I am not being mean; but this is the First time the tech bubble is actually going to burst and then stay there; the dot com burst was for dot coms; this is for IT services. (Alternate view points are welcome; for I may then need to change my investment thesis)

As some of you may know I am in the stock markets and there are two sectors which I hate (from investor point of view) which are Textiles and Pharma

Textiles because these buggers are always raising money and diluting shareholder value and Pharma because it is so bloody opaque; no one knows whats the next drug discovery coming from.

However, my best short (i.e. selling something heavily because you feel its fortunes are going down) for this year has been the IT sector
Though back in B School I was never too big a fan of marketing; I have, since joining the work stream, believed that any company/sector should have a sustained avenue for growth and stability of income, which hte IT services dont have

Ok; agreed this has been a sunshine sector for India and all that jazz; but look at what the companies do; shift high cost job to a low cost centre and then sit on it.
Companies like Infosys, TCS, Wipro should be ashamed of calling themselves value protectors because they had the chance of a lifetime of not just being cost-arbitraugers but moving ahead and making a name of providing offerings like products etc which could help them make a sustainable positioning and platform.
I conceed that these companies have given huge employment opportunities but the point is that by not thinking long term they have actually put so much in dilemma that its not funny!

Just 1 factor, the rising Re, is killing them so badly that they are now resorting to cheap tricks like increasing the work hours of their employees (as the above link shows)
I am in the finance world; I know what I am doing today may be redundant in 3 yrs; and more importantly my employer knows that and so they are always working on improving revenues and models; no one sits idle (well I do but thats because I am a lazy sod);

And look at India itself; we dont need people to keep telling me that IT is so great etc etc; htings have moved so much beyond it now; we are the cheapest steel producers; the best refiing margins are with us; we are the best in auto ancillaries and mid end engg precisioning... who needs cost arbtraugers?
If the IT companies really believe in looking after their employees and in creating value they need to start getting their act together rather than resorting to this shenanigans

This is CLOSE

2007-09-03T21:43:00.000+08:00

The tall building is mine; I am on the 60th floor and damn I forgot to get my camera else would have taken another snap; this one was of course taken by some professional.

But it is a MASSIVE plane!

The Airbus A 380 cruised SAFELY by our TALL office

Quite a co-incidence to the blog below eh?

The geopolitics post 9/11

2007-09-01T15:09:00.000+08:00

9/11 has been an incident which has divided the world into 2 distinct groups; those who hail this as a slap on the face for US and white (and thus Christian supremacy) and those who take this as a slap on the face on anything democratic.

And thats where the issue lies; it doesnt lie in the fact that the event was funded by Islamic radicals (though I have read enough "theories" which states that perhaps the American govt was as involved in the bombings as the Islamic radicals)
http://www.uwgb.edu/dutchs/pseudosc/911nutphysics.htm
But ok thats one thing I am not writing about; it is the approach ppl have towards it.
Frankly its not that I have been touched by this incident personally or that I am writing it on a an eve (almost) of the incidents 6 yrs; nothing like that; what started me off was this article in the Economist
http://www.economist.com/opinion/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9724266 (read the last paragraph)

Most ppl look at 9/11 as a great tragedy which unfolded the banning of the Al Qaeda and the invasion of Iraq; (the debacle of which ie the Iraq invasion) which resulted in the prominence of Iran in geopolitics and thereafter the failed Israeli invasion on southern Lebanon, which is now leading to the revival of the rightist party in Israel and the fall of Gaza into Hamas' hand; so basically to a point where in the Mid East is becoming into a time bomb with a very short fuse
.. yeah so everyone knows that right
... and I am not even talking of the Afghan issue and the impact it is having on our dear neighbour Pakistan.

I again reiterate to see the basis of this problem; read what I have written up
The ppl who support radical Islamists see this face for US and white (and thus Christian) supremacy; so there are certain parties who are not even radical Islamists but arein favor of this and there you have some African nations, and the biggest one being Russia.
Of course Russia has its own issue with terrorism (Islamic & otherwise), but Russia is something which the other democratic countries aren't i.e. Putin can have any place bombarded w/o a single thought of why/why not; look @ Chechnya!

The second group comprises the whatever comes under the political definition of "liberal" across religions and countries who take this as a slap on the face on anything democratic. But the issue with most liberalists is that they are exactly that .. they are way too liberal to be made to force a point across. They want to be mid way ie not say anything which will be seen or heard as being forceful.
So they will use the logic that yeah 9/11 was bad but then the West has been funding the terrorists for long and terrorists needing a motive to kill would obviously move to the hand htat feeds them. Basic logic; but yeah why say it; claim 9/11 as being just that!
Something that should not happen ever!
Now all of you liberals will hit at me as saying that the west has been responsible and talk of the stripping of Gaza and the resurgance of Shia/Sunni enemity by favoring Iraq in the Iran/Iraq war and how the Pushtuns (and tribes from NWFP) were pushed into warfare against the Russians in Afghanistan and how that led to the birth of Al Qaeda.
But hey; read again I AM saying all that happened; but we are talking of 9/11 as being just that and what happened consequently.

How many of us claim 9/11 to be the date which changed the world forever? Everyone; but do you actually think how it has? Well when "liberal" countries like Sweden and Switzerland (who was neutral during the 2 wars) have issues about minarets and seemingly generous Muslim people in Europe start saying that they feel the need to be more conservative its that when you stat worrying about having kids

Honestly would you want to raise kids into a world like this?
I would like to see how the next 5 years move; esp now when the hegemony of US no longer exists and the Russians have re-started flying long range bombers on squad missions. Beautiful weapons those.
Oh yeah I have not used the word China even once because the Chinese know what Shun Tzu (did I get it right) meant best; let 2 big enemies fight and then go and take the spoils. and trust me Chinese know what they want! And its not just noodles and momos.

I am not menitoning India because we Indians take pride in the fact that we have never invaded another country; well yeah because they were busy invading us!
Hahahahaahha; bloody hell.

Dont trust Tom

2007-08-26T10:17:00.001+08:00

I have a BIG colleague and dear friend; Tom

He is a 6 foot 2 inches Canadian and a great guy. I have met a few Canadians (courteousy Tom) and so can easily say that most of these buggers are huge, friendly and great outdoors' people.

So today, Tom & I decided to go and spend about 4/5 hours hiking. What Tom didnt tell me was he was getting his rotweiler along. For those who dont know what a rotweiler is; well check this out -> thats her; she comes to my waist, is 38 kgs and as per Tom she is a bit weak. Well I am fine with that...
Oh yeah she has in a fit of rage bitten off another dog's eye, well to be fair that dog (porm breed) was being way too irrtating and snipping at The Beast's legs.
Tom's wife is Japanese and a sweet lady and she has named the dog, which's literal translation is The Beast; so when I met her she sniffed me around and Tom says "oh she likes you, you're safe"; I am like why do you call her The Beast and he's like ah well you will know.

Anyways so we get on with the hike and then horrors of all horrors; Tom lets loose the Beast and the Beast suddenly wants to rekindle the relationshop with me. Now Tom is a big guy and he walks very fast so he is already ahead of me by some 60/70 meters and he is a bit deaf too (was a lead guitarist in a home-town band) and so when hte Beast runs at me I am not only pissing I am screaming (but one of those times when the voice doesnt come out) and trust me see the snap again and you DONT want those fangs coming at you!
But what happened next was brilliant and made me fall in love with the Beast all over ... she came met with smelled me rubbed her nose against my legs and then turned towards Tom looked back at me again and gave a small "woof"; as if to say dont worry I will keep checking up on you and now better start moving you are way behind Tom.
And thats exactly what she did the entire hike; keep coming back to check me up and then running ahead to get to Tom.

Coming back to the hike .. you see Indians are whimps you know; we cant do anything and we complain at every step; and the problem is Tom knows that and he knows how to use that as well. Now I believe you all know what 90 degrees in geometry means; now imagin the start of a hike with a cliff that was at least a 100 meters high and at an angle of 60 degrees
And oh I forgot to add; it was raining so my shoes were skidding and I was slipping and of course drenched.
That 100 meters was FUN; I have never had so much fun in climbing up somehwere but I got cut and bruised so badly so even though the climb was fun the ordeal is not funny.

Anyways; so I get thru hte 100 meters and in a whiny voice tell Tom dude how much more. Now he knows if he tells me this is just the beginning I iwll say fukk off to him; so he lies and I still say fukk off.
All he said was get to the top and you will realise its worth it and I tried to look for the top; hoping that of the 3 hillocks it would be the lowest 1 he was menitoning and though he said yeah sure, I knew we were headed to the highest peak. But trust me when I got there it was brilliant

We just sat there for sometime, my wrists were slashed with thorns etc but just sitting there and seeing nothing but absolute green and the sea and feeling the wind lash out at you was just so worth it. I think the Beast also got in the mood because she gave me a lick; ah well so much for love.

Then we started downhill and Tom didnt tell me, but I realised, that we were lost.
Beacuse until now you could see an arbit building or a vehicle; but now to get from point A to point B you needed and I am not kidding to crawl on your knees to go under spider webs (and I mean under, because Tom says and rightfully so why sestroy nature); well in my case hte spider was too big to mess with .. spread your fingers out; well yeah almost as big.
Then I fell on the rocks, I twisted my ankle, even the beast slipped up. You have seen movies about Africa right where you take a mug shot at people going thru jungles; well thats where exactly I was and it was beginning to get incresaingly tiring as for every step you had to figure out how not to slip and not to flal on the rocks because well they were sharp

But the fun was exactly this; I felt like a kid again; and frankly after the gruelling personal and professional life off late, I needed to end all of this by just going to the extent of killing myself, which I almost did and now my mind is clear.
So at the end of the trail when we did manage to find ourselves in a village (I was shocked ot see an actual village in HK!) I thanked both the Beast & Tom for the great time; we headed out to civilisation which was a walk of another 2 odd kms and had a few beers and ate great food.
I am back now and fuly charged and in the mood for some cyclcing.

Oh I bot a mountian bike which is so cool; and I need to work my stamina on that

Next weekend is mountian biking with Tom and Ken. Thats when it gets bad; Tom you have read of above; Ken is an ex-lifeguard; so built like that still, and I am going to be killed just to keep up with them.

Unitl then; dunno how many of you reached the end.

Lines which make NO sense

2007-08-10T10:59:00.000+08:00

A lot of times you come across statements made by both genders which make no sense; this is in dedication to that ... of course my interpretations may not be all bang on; but at least the ladies will get an inkling into what we gather when they say the same!

1. I am confused ... the line most used by the fairer sex; the reaction of guys is simple "what the fukk"; either say yes its on or no its not; why keep it grey; we all know when this line is made the 99% end result is "dude its over"; so what should a guy do; well I go for a long run; get drunk after that and then say "what the fukk again" call her up and ask whats up; but the fairer sex ALWAYS gets her way out; so do what you want; you wont win.
Ladies when men say the above line; get out of there your guy is gay.

2. I need some time ... this also is a very often used line and if prodded upon then the rejoinder to this line is the above one; ie when you ask the lady "why you need time"; she will say, "I dont know yaar ... guess I am a bit confused". Now men, if this line is maaroed and you truly wanna be the girl; HIT IT HOME; matlab make sure she realises how much you love her and do it right then; else face point 1.
Ladies when men say the above line; just give him some quality time with buddies and drink up a bit and he will come back to you.

3. I need space.... now this is used by both genders; I get very confused when I hear this one; am I not cuddling up properly? am I gaining weight? so maybe Obelix can explain this one out.
Ladies when men say the above line; it should be worrisome for you; its our last line of defence.

4. Ahan ahan (with head tilted to the left and 1 eye cocked up) .... Watch out guys; you gonna get rogered; it basically means the woman knows that last thing you ever wanted her to know.
Ladies when men say this; ok this is one secret I wanna keep... hehehehehhe

Alright this is all I can add from my humble experience there are a few more but then the situations when the same were rendered cant be made public.
Disclaimer: Of course this is a sexist blog but I dont want to piss the women folk off so take it as it is light heartedly.

Cheerio and dont drink too hard; I know I cant; got a hike of 8 hours across a river bed.

Sanjay Dutt gets 6 yrs RI

2007-08-08T20:06:00.000+08:00

It came as a surprise to me; so much so that during market hours instead of sending out ideas etc to clients; I was sending the above title out
I got mixed responses but none were shocked; as if it was "it was due to him"
But hey come on!

Look at the judgement, it says because you possesses an AK-56 you are required to be in for 6 years; what absolute nonsense!
His links with all the Dubai based gang is a non-starter; everyone in the movie world is somehow or the other linked to some goon; its but obvious; whether they like it or not its something else; read Black Friday and you will know.
I just think that this has been a "watch out! we can do anything" step by the judiciary and the government and SD has got caught in that and made an example of.

What utter bullshit; I mean you are making an eg of someone when hte real criminals is the damn police itself!
The entire Coastal Police across Bombay and Konkan areas knew of the offloading of the kala sabun (RDX) and its final destination (ie Bombay) as well and nothing was bloody done about it.
The villages next to which the final bombers were taught how to use arms and explosives also complained to the police about the same and nothing was done.
IB knew of the date (12th of March) about some dhamaka to happen and yet nothing was uncovered.

This guy served 16 months in RI earlier on; came out and has been a different man totally; or at least he made me feel it; I have not met him (one basic brush happened at Taj in Bombay but that was more like woow types and then he seemed humble unlike SRK who makes you think you've met God). Anyways; he along with Salman Khan and Jackie Shroff are hte only 3 actors (actresses included) who daily feed the kids form the slums in Bandra.

Look at the shooting of all his movies; all the spot boys want to work with him because he is an easy going chilled out charachter; and look some of the roles he has portrayed (it can be said he did them to get that kind of an impression; but hte counter is that for none of those roles was he the first choice! and I am talking right from Vaastav to Mission Kashmir to Munna Bhai). He was the one who helped Saif Ali Khan's wife out when they got divorced in bringing her back to the movies and get her settled; among other things

Anyways I havea strong feeling that by making one big star arrest the case ill die out slowly as the focus will be on SD and not on getting the real culrpits ESPECIALLY the police in.

TrivedEE writes

2007-07-24T22:37:00.000+08:00

On the things I cant live without -> For even though I wasnt on the original list; but my love for Obelix (go figure .. her name starts with Z and ends with 'N' and has A/R/E in between) will keep me swallow my attitude

1. My family; who is my biggest anchor and base in life and w/0 whom I am a lost soul

2. Markets; I love them for the pace and the humbling experience it has on one because the saying "you can never beat the markets" is as much applicable to me as it is to Warren Buffet to Steven A Cohen ... err ok another eg is imagine SRK saying that yes he is not the best.

3. Beer; I love the draught and have a blog on it as well; nothing is more tempting than the Q "you fancy a beer?" at 7:30 post the entire hullaboo of the markets

4. Partying; 7 yrs ago I was a man with 2 left shoes; I still am but at least I dont care at all now; from being at a bar in HK called Al's Diner I have been on the pole dance almost every twice a month (fully clothed) to being in a an all night and no holds barred drinking session that is called mini-golf in HK ie you decide on 8 "holes" to go to and there you have to down at least 2 drinks each at each hole; f do in one gulp its a hole in one (kapeesch)

5. My laptop; right from emailing to chatting to dowloading music to orkuting to blogging; I am actually empty w/o the machine

6. Music; I have a good home theater at home but no cable connection; my system works as a music concerto with a full bass and surround sound and there's nothng better than listening to Bach/Metallica/U2/S&G. When I travel I have to be on the iPod else I'd die

7. Speed; I love bikes and I love cars and I love driving; when I go back home I easily do some 400kms at a decent speed in a matter of 3/4 days and I can do more.

8. Food; I love to eat and live to eat; anything which cna be labeled as a delight is more thna readily absorbed; after having lived abroad for just over a yr; my love for anything Indian is at all time high and I actually have eaten more desi food in HK than in my entire stay in Bombay (honest). eggs; anything mom cooked, steaks are all time favorite

9. A reclusive irritant; I love irritating people esp those who hate being irritated; my one liners are the most hated and the most loved depending which side you are at.

10. Traveling; might be as basic as a hike to random driving sessions to theme parks; to bike rides across islands to dirt biking to just being on the beach to sea sports to bungee jumping to sky walking whatever you get the picture

That's it? Unfortunately I have lost my reading habit; I used ot finish a book say about 800/900 pages in a week easily; but have lost it now; hope I regain it at some time.

Cheers!

A Tale of 2 Cities ... Part 1

2007-07-19T22:40:00.000+08:00

I love Bombay; Bombay has taught me far more than any other city
There are 3 stages to Bombay
Stage 1 when you are in complete awe of the city ... its glitz, it aura, its pace, its madness, it efficiecny
Stage 2 when you come face to face with abject poverty; people who would work for a few Rs a day and kill for that amt as well (a friend told me "supari" is as cheap as Rs45/person!!)
Stage 3 when you just Thank God above for making you who you are and live on and come to terms with the above to factors and thats what makes Bonbay THE city to live in India

I have seen Bombay thru 3 major calamaties; 2 blasts and 1 monsoon problemWhen blasts happened; the first one was not that bad; it was just 2 blasts; the 2nd one was the series of blasts across Bombay's lifeline ie the local channel; now no one knows this not even my family;
I was supposed to be on the train in the SAME compartment that blew up in Dadar; somehow I met a friend in ton and got delayed; I have carried ppl when they were drenched in blood
During the flooding I have had some 15 ppl staying at a friend's place because no one had anywhere else to go; and then town side was cut from supplies like food and drinkable water; but you know what? People moved and they moved like it was another day and thats what Bombay is all about; Attitude!
I have read columnist write about the insolence and the indifference of a Mumbaikar; I show BOTH my middle fingers to them and raise them as high as the sky because when it mattered these socialites flew off and came back when all was well; I have seen it; have come back home to see my house in a bloody mess my music system rotten out; my TV refusing to work all because the skies above pored way more than needed; but you know what I didnt complain because my neighbours and I took it all and a bottle of vodka to clean it up

Thats Bombay; Fun in Calamity!
And I love her for it

It seriously have been the best of times and the worst of times (how the tale starts in A Tale of 2 Cities) and I have lived Bombay thru both (best and worst) 3 times over and I know I am what I am because Bombay has taught me one thing which I will relish all my life ... resiliance.
I could have written about all the partying I have done; about drinking on my rooftop with a childhood friend till we could not climb down; to all hte pickups I have had and have missed; to all the friends' babies I have held in my hand and felt at peace to all the bustling and moving ppl to the problems one faces during Ganesh Chaturthi; but hey who wants to talk about all that when only 3 events have made me what I am today!

Bombay is one city that I can go back to anytime; I have had a chat with my boss and he knows if he needs someone in India it is ME
I more readily got to Bombay than Delhi (where my family is - and ppl who know me know I love my faimily); but its just that Bombay is what has taught me about life and living it to the fullest; about being tull till 3am and being at work at 7am because it has to be done; about how to manage water during monsoons, abt singing arbit old Hindi songs in the local just because you have heard your dad and mom sing them, to calling friends at 4 am and tell them you love them and expect them to feed you (and they will!)

That's Bombay
Living EVERY moment and making it seem so casual about it.

Next up HK!

The falling $&*^#@! USD

2007-07-13T00:19:00.000+08:00

My salary is in USD terms and USD has fallen 15% against the Re
The biggest Fword up (thanks Bullshee) is that my targets are in Euros, so even when we do well we always fall back a bit!
And yeah of course property prices going up means my liabilities go up and the rate of interest is not helping me either

Another bl**dy reason to head back to India
Markets I tell you ... makes me think all this @ 3am on a Sunday when I have just returned froma binge.

I need to get a life now.
Aila.
That will be a hard one; maybe I shuld stop drinking and start behaving more humanly ... or maybe I should just sleep.

Bambai nu trip

2007-07-08T21:12:00.000+08:00

I love Bombay more than Delhi; I know Delhi is a way better off place ot live in but there is one big thing that Bombay has which Delhi doesnt and thats ATTITUDE
Bombay "is in your face live it like the way you want to as long as you dont step on my shoes and enjoy" attitude which Delhi cant get till now.
So when my boss asked me 10 days back if I would like to go to Bombay on a 4/5 day trip my reply was faster and more sure than had the Q been if I want beer ..
I have loads of friends in Bombay; most of them from the industry, campus and my previous-job and some from my earlier gym
We all converged on Friday and Saturday nights where we partied on both occassions from 7pm and until 1am (Nutty/ZK please note and Zeeks lemme know where and when for the challenge)

It was a great time; after a long time I caught up with old friends and met some of my batchmates from college
Oh yeah and I still own Toto's ... I went there after a yr and those guys remembered me! All of them; I got my favorite seat (well we were 12 of us); the DJ played all my favorite music (One. Yellow, Hysteria, Metallica, Pantera, Dire Straits you name it);
Oh yeah the first thing I did was of course had Chinese (Indian Chinese); I had greasy noodles; really greasy; vada paos and cutting was my usual breakfast (even at the hotel); though I missed out on going to Haji Ali for kebaabs
I also did hte matrmonial thing which Cool Kalra can expand on later; hte madum I had met was quite surprised at my capacity to party; but I htink Goenka and Jess were more surprised that I had got someone to Toto's who didnt drink (well things happen!); to be frank I tried real hard to hook her up with my brother and Cool (I mean biwi nahin to bhabhi sahi; kyun Cool?); on second thought writing all this is spoiling my chances but well dekhte hain
And yeah I did the Bandstand thing as well;
So it was an action packed time; the only thing I wanted to really do but couldnt was stay back in India; I miss it so much. Kya yaar I really feel fukked when I come back; apna des apna des hota hai yaar; kuchch bhi kahin bhi kar lo; but dekhte hain bhagwaan ne chaha to ek aadh saal mein to pukka aa jayenge.
Inshallah

If lost please call +852 6299 ****

2007-07-01T00:19:00.000+08:00

.... so reads the screen on my Blackberry
When my colleagues (who have lived in HK far more than me) would see this screen, they would just shake their head at the faith I maintain in HK populace ie taxi drivers etc; the usual comment would be .. "this message would get your phone back in Tokyo, but not in HK"
Ah well today I beg to disagree; I had just returned with my parents after a decent dinner, so a movie and sleep were the only thing on the mind; so when I get into my flat I am like, oh sh*t; I rush down to the guard room hoping they maintin a log of all taxis (unfortunatley not); but at the same time keep calling the Blackberry (which after 4 rings, the guy managed to switch it off)
But then when I have given up all hopes (and have reported to the police about the loss; in HK you have to report everything that can be linked to you, as lost if you have lost it; else if misused they take you responsible!); the taxi driver calls and returns my phone.
What though I really feared was telling my boss that I needed another replacement .. in the past I have dropped my BBERY in a pool; used it as an ashtray among other things.
Well I was totally surprised and gave him a handsome tip and cmae back up.

Then I sat to think how many times such miracles have happened ie when one has totally given up hope and well things turn out fine. and thus started the arbit thought flow
I was having drinks with a colleague and she said something very deep; she said we all crib (and yes we do), but she just gets up with a feeling that she is so lucky being where she is, doing what she wants and living how she feels like (she can kick my ass on the trading floor, but always gives me a sweet smile, which eases it down) so its not like she is a romatic; but yeah what she says is true.
So henceforth I am being positive; this mobile almost lost has regained my faith in humanity; well sufficiently paid, but so what? Look at the bright side right?
Of course I will still retain the attitude, but yeah will look at the bright side more often. Like am I above avergae in built? Well, not really just well fed; and ZK you are fat not well fed; you are overtly fed. Chaits kuchch sikha usse yaar.

Anyways, I am back in Bombay for 4/5 days; so Cool and Chaits drinks are on!!
Obelix I see you in November for sure.

By the way parents are here so have been watching all the brilliant soft movies of yester years; check them out Golmaal/Chupke Chupke/Jaane bhi do ..../Buddha Mar Gaya/and more.
and guess what is playing on Tuesday night?

SHOLAY!!!

At my house; so if you read this and are from HK; more than welcome!

A "tourist" in NY? Not quite

2007-06-22T20:10:00.000+08:00

Didnt see Ground Zero/Statue of Liberty/Empire State Building/Met Museum; all I did was ran in the Grand Central Park (twice)

On Saturday night I was sleeping @ 9; on Sunday I was sleeping @ 10
Only on Friday night and Monday nights did I venture out and that too was limited as next mornings I had meetings lined up.

Met Ruchi there and surprise surprise she joined in with a screwdriver for my beer.
But NY is a city I have fallen in love with; beautiful charachter and amazing exuberance the city entails in itself; you have pretty modern looking buildings highlighted against old buildings and pretty traditional looking streets.

What was really amazing (perhaps because that was the only place that I could spend time) was Central Park; those who have been to it will know; beautiful place; lush green with a lot of variety of interesting activities besides just normal running and cycling were on (and nothing sleazy)
NY has in the last 10 yrs really improved on crime thanks to the broken window syndrome and another theory relaitng to abortion; so like the 2 nights when I did manage to get out; I felt pretty safe even though I returned back pretty late or early as you want to see it.
Actually post being in HK; you really dont think twice about late nights; but one of hte nights just a block away from the hotel; I saw like 10/12 guys hanging around and I was like shit!

Hmm; what else ... HK is definitely faster than NY no Qs about it; but I loved the life of NY; work is forgotten post 6pm and ppl actually leave then; think its an Asian phenomena where ppl stay late!
Apart from that; frankly not much to write about; I was there for 8 days; wherein I had some 45/50 meetings besides the conference we had organised; so it wasnt a fun trip.
The only good part was though; that on hte way back we stopped in LA for 6 hours (had a meeting) and called up hte client and actually asked him if he would mind if we come to th emeeting post afew beers; thankfullt they were cool about it; so we just used the opportunity and had a few draughts sitting at the beach (though with our jackets in tow!)

Anyways; New York, I will see you soon again and just might do the touristy thing.

Cheers!

Going out with parents

2007-06-09T22:35:00.000+08:00

Some rules to follow
1. Get mom some vodka (very very little) in the orange juice
2. Get dad two large draughts of beer
3. Watch the secrets pore out
4. Learn how to control laughter
5. Really know Rule No 4 well
6. Enjoy
7. Take cab back home

You will know when I have become a father ... on the day I remove this Blog.

I read Enid Blyton today

2007-06-09T00:54:00.000+08:00

You remember End Blyton; I always think her to be the best writer EVER; to just imagine all the books/series she wrote which would make a kid (well at least me) imagine about a secret island, or to actually have a secret group formed with friends (we all had a dog in it like the Secret 7 and Famous Five; remember Malik? Liza?)
Anyways; so I read (rather re-read for the 100th time) Secret Island; think it is one of my most favorite novel; its about these kids who run from their foster home to a secret island and live for some weeks/months there and she made it sound so SIMPLE and exciting that I would be like yeah I can do that!
My favorite series was actually the Secret series and I would even now at times marvel at her brilliant imagination and capacity to keep KIDS enraptured to sit and read what she wanted them to read; all about solving mysteries or finding treasures and her best part was that she gave both girls and guys equal weightage in the entire setup.
I just love all such kind of books; so I enroled myself at a library and I got a few strange and a few "oh how cute" stares from ppl while I was intently spending a lot of my time in the "Picture Fiction" and "Big Alphabet Section" segment of the library and even stranger stares when I was asked by the librarian, "for your kids?" and I said, "No, me".
Well I did pick up Secret Island, Enid Blyton; The Last Voayage, CS Lewis; Asterix series; Witches, Roald Dahl
I have always felt writing for kids is so much more difficult than writing for adults etc ... for all the obvious reasons.
And to be frank I am no fan of Harry Porter; was till Prisoner of Azkaban, now it is all commercialised; so I wait for the movies.

Life is so simple when you are a kid; hate growing up.

A baby is born

2007-06-02T21:39:00.000+08:00

2 of my close (couple) friends here in HK had a baby boy today; cute little thing with lot of hair and small little chubby nose and already he looks like he is going to be a naughty little baby.
So first of all congrats to you two on the new life and a great chapter of your lifes and hope God embarks choicest wishes and blessings onto your family.

When I saw the baby I was like whats it to be a mother; father is a great responsibility but think about the mother; she nurtures a life inside her for 9 months to a stage when all she does is for the baby inside her. Her eating habits; her lifestyle has to surround the baby.
And post that another 4/5 months you are again about the baby; and you start building up expectations about your lifes and most importantly your decision span now envelops somehting so important as it will involve the basic essentials of putting someone onto the world and how his outlook about himself and the world will be like.
My parents are here and I am like have I been a good son?
So I went out for a run for like 60 odd minutes and thank God for giving me the fortune of being born to my parents and hope He will give me enough time and opportunities to make my parents proud of me.
I think all those who are close to parents should really really thank them for being there; and those who arent well just think what they have done to make you grow up well in this world.

My final thought is that THANK GOD I am not a woman ... I mean me and with so much responsibility ... you gotta be kidding
(Had to write something like this; cant be serious for far too long)

Parents come a callin' !!

2007-05-27T03:28:00.000+08:00

So my folks are in HK for 2 months; when I told my colleagues they were shocked! And now with just 2 weeks gone I am shit scared ... check this out

1. 2 friends come over and those dogs get the best of me (refer previosu blog "Return of the M word") and so complain about how they are not getting the right girl to get married ... now these dogs are dogs and so they dont want to get married but of course mom and dad get psched; these guys left @ 9; my matrimonial was up at 9:30
2. My father wakes me up at 6:45 EVERY DAY; "son lets go for a walk"; thank GOD I have got used to knowing the fact that he is around; else some abuses would have flown for sure
3. Oh yeah; he expects ME to sleep at 11pm EVERY night; including weekends!!
4. I cannot drink more than 2 pegs a day.... that SUCKS!!!
5. Mom calls me at 1am on Saturday to say she expects ME back home in 15 minutes; when I am doing JUST my 3 draught of beer; getting the chance to do that for once in 2 weeks...
6. Oh eah I am expected to check out the girls who have shown interest in my profile ,,, I mean girls interest in me; how can you be so dumb!!
7. ZK dont comment on the above, ok Obelix?

More horror stories to follow.

Of laazzyy Sundays

2007-05-12T22:47:00.000+08:00

Friday night I need to party and I need to really get out there and get drunk and freak out and come back at something like 4/5 in the am and then sleep.
Wake up around 1/2 pm and head to the gym come back sleep some more and then head out on the Saturday evening binge.

Sunday ... no one and I mean NO ONE calls me up before 1pm HK time; you CANT I am a stinker when it comes to people spoiling my sleep; I am anyways a rude guy but trust me Sunday mornings I am crank king.
I hate anything but my bed/AC and bottle of water. So much so my maid comes and doesnt clean my room because she has once faced the wrath of trying to get me to open the door so that she could clean my room.
Anyways; Sundays begin at 3/4/5 am when I get into bed; I generally carry a heavy snack which I devour just before sleeping so that it gets me drowsy real fast (of course the beer in the system is anyways working); so after that I get into bed; oh yeah before leaving on Saturday evening I put on the AC so that by the time I come back the room is SUPER CHILLED (not an environmentalist of course)
Wake up @ 2/3pm an then pick up the latest news magazines and head to the Cafe for my brunch.
HK has a pretty similar concept to Parisian cafes; so I sit there all alone with my magazines finish them; I am a regular at one cafe; so they know that when I get in I have my pot of tea ready and brunch will be served only after me being there for 30/45 minutes.
Then starts the movie scene; come back around 4ish with 2 movies and watch them back to back; post that depends if I feel like gymming or go out for a quick dinner with friends.

I love slugging; there are days when India is shut and I dont need to be at the desk when I just sleep some 18 hours or so.

Yup so thats what my Sunday is all about.
and tomorrow is a Sunday but a different one; my folks land into HK for a 2 month visit; so I need to be ready and clean up the house; ah the joy of eating mom's delicious food and listening to dad's eco-political talk .. hmmmm!
Laterzz and enjoy!

Emotions are a poor man's dream

2007-05-12T04:17:00.000+08:00

I am a cocky bastard; no Qs about it; but what differentiates me is that people I really like and love I am with them thru even thicker and thin that one would like to stand for.
But ever so now and again I am made to realise the futility of it and I think is it really worth it?

The answer till now has been "well so what if someone fukked around the better things lie in the things to come and people you know"; and then suddenly you realise well dude this is it right?
Its not worth it; and all the time you spent building it up is actually a waste; so perhaps *** is right when he says he doesnt care a damn who it is or how close a friend s/he has been in the past; what matters is now and when I look @ now I realise that well most of the people I think of dont really matter.

Ah well times change and people change with them; Tempora mutantor mutamur in ilis.

You fancy a beer?

2007-05-06T16:58:00.000+08:00

In one week from now when my parents reach HK; this propensity of asking this Q of friends/colleagues etc will reduce to a tenth.

I love beer as in there is no such thing that can compare with beer for me. Yeah sex and food are there; but they dont compare to beer at least not in the mood when I take beer on.

I have a decent beer belly; I know with the amount I run/lift weights/and be active in life; I could easily be down to 70kgs (my target) but beer and food are 2 things I cant live w/o.
I am 75 right now; down from 83 about 6 months back. Yeah ZK just 5 kgs more than your gorgeous self.

Anyways coming back to the beer.
The funda with HK is that there are pubs everywhere .. next to my office and I mean within like 5 minutes walking time from my desk there are 4. On my way from office to home, if I just walk in a straight line you can see at least 40 and lets not even tlak about the actual party places.
On top of that most of my friends are single guys/girls; so its very easy to say dude/babe just one and then we are off.
I think till date only twice has it happened that I have had ONE beer and moved off ... once it was a girl and the second time it was bonus period and my boss called me as soon as I sat down with the beer.

The disadvantages are too many and we all know them, but just the first sip of a super chilled Carlsberg or Heineken (pints) after a bloody long/tiring/dull day at work is enough to say ... man I can do this just one more time.
Beer also lets loose the tongue and I have NOW finlaly controlled calling and singing songs to some friends. Point to note when I have called with Septik in tow was when we were drinking Old Monk (rum) so the beer induced emotional and singing outbursts are now over.
For sometime I had given up beer .. like for about a month and half ... switched to red wine and stuff; but then beer got me back and thouhg not back with a vengeance I realised I missed it too much.

Anyways, my dad comes in a weeks time and I need to reduce a bit more; although I know he likes Carlsberg a lot; so though it will get reduced I dont see a reason why I wont be enjoying more of it!

Cheers and enjoy!

Return of the "M"

2007-04-29T17:32:00.000+08:00

Last night I had gone to a friends place for dinner. His mom is over and basically what happens when you are living abroad and single; mom's arrival in your city of residence brings mouth watering memories in.
We have a group of mostly single guys. Now the interesting twist was that another friend's mom was also here; so when we finally landed up at Bhomik's place for dinner; there were the guys and two moms.
Now all of us are in the age group of 25-27 and so in India that amounts to a ripe age for the M word ... Marriage!
See I have a good cushion; I have an elder brother and a cousin both still bachelors; so unless they get married; technically my parents wont look at me in "that light"; of course rishtas etc come but no one pursues them aggressively, if at all ignore them.
Knowing the above fact coupled with the information that most of friends' have siblings married already, I take great pleasure in introducing to mom/dads to the Q of when is your son getting married.
And then starts the barrage of things like "mom dont listen to him, we have a deal I will do an MBA then I will get married" to the more natural comments like "why dont you put some sense into him, he is 26 now ..(yeah right tell that to a 27 yr old)"
But last night was special fun because 1. I had the oportunity after over a yr almost and 2. because the guys who were being talked of are shit scared of marriage. The ensuing tussle was worth a Saturday night of no drinks; well we got to it early Sunday morning; but think about it me and no drinks on a Saturday evening! Blasphemous!

Actually on the desk (my office, we call it a desk since it is on a trading floor), I am again the one who is single. My colleagues take great pleasure in visiting Shaadi.com and the likes and going thru matrimonial snapshots; being a hot Indian I of course join them in the banter.
I have faced Qs which seemed quite funny to them like, "so tell me something you meet this girl for sometime and talk to her and then without spending time (you know what I mean ... ding dong) you have to decide that you and she have to / have not to get married?".
Now I have been floated these Qs some 8657943863 times and my usual answer is hey "FUKK YOU, finish your beer biaachhh".
Another often repeated Q is "how many times can you meet and speak during the day?"; now I know these firangs are not ignorant and they just want to take my case so at times I give answer like, "generally the girl is accompanied by her father or uncle" to things like "girls' cooking skills are often tested and at times in a random manner"; the reactions are worth Kodak moments.

Well I sincerely hope my brother/cousin gets married this year; I havent been to an Indian wedding in ages and the amount I have told my desk mates about Indian weddings; I will have to have at least 4 weddings organised for all of them to come for.

So guys/girls reading this; come on chop chop get to work. Anchit I know you are getting married, what about the rest?
As a close friend says, she will only believe it when I get married when I put the garland onto my lady; so I think that still remains a distant vision ...
But one guy's weding I will HAVE to go for even if it happens in Antarctica is Abhinav Madan and of course Amit Seymour (but in that I will be the best man .. so look out Sammy).

Interesting

2007-04-15T22:17:00.000+08:00

Met these people over the last 10 odd days and realised man these people know how to live a life; so wanted to pen it down so that I can re-look whenever I run out of ideas of what to do in life.
1. He runs his own Hedge Fund; is single and lives in Japan. doesnt own a mobile phone. Every yr for 1 month he is out dirt racing; has ridden across South America, Africa and is now planning to do Europe on his bike.
2. He was in the finance field for 12 yrs; suddenly gave it up and joined Green Planet; stayed with the tribes of Amazonia for a yr and is now an acclaimed documentarian.
3. A colleague of mine, he HAS to take a break once in 3 months; an acclaimed diver; he has seen sharks and has been over 100 meters underwater when a pack of sea lions followed him and he boasts one kissed him as well
4. This guy knows the world inside out; he told me and a friend the EXACT route to Tibet and how to get to Mt Everest after that. He can speak French, German, English, Japanese and Chinese. Besides Antarctica he has been everywhere in the world.

I am getting sleepy now; wil write abt the rest later and keep adding to it.

But these guys live their lives man!

HK 7s

2007-03-31T02:44:00.000+08:00

"Mate you have to be there ALL 3 days"
ok hmm hmmm ... what exactly are we tlaking about ... blank looks at me ... as if I had just told a ghost that he was actually alive
So I was made ot sit on the net during office hours and research on what is the 7s and why it is the 7s and why it is a MUST event to be at.
Anyways I goes there; ok the seriousness of the sport is such ....
See in my job in the equity markets you have to have a real good reason not being on the desk when the markets are on.
During the 7s (it starts on a friday and ends on a sunday; 3 day event); on the Friday is whats called a Long Lunch wherein beer starts off at 1 and then you head off straight to the stadium by 4:30. I got Box seats for telling my colleagues that they could go for hte opening.

Saturday is going to start at 11 for me (surprise!) and its going to be one long day of beer JUST beer and people go mad on beer! I have NEVER seen so much beer
So I should sleep now to be ready for it tomorrow. If I am back at anice hour; will continue my blog from here.
But the game is fun; no doubts and the beer and the women
HELP!!!!!!!!

Continuing
Didnt go on Saurday as decded we should be there whole of Sunday in the afternoon sun drinking beer.
Anyways; started of drinking beer @ 10 and was on till 5 when I got so slugged got up and came back
Trust me you want to see the snaps to know what all happens @ The 7s so wil put them up.
Blogging on that wont help.

Funny things

2007-03-11T16:27:00.000+08:00

Just a blog on what I find really funny/ironical/idiotic for some I may give a rationale for other no
First is of course the American way of thinking that they can attack anywhere and hte retaliaiton that the Mid east come out with
How the Jewish/Palestianian tussle is really the result of anglo-French politics in 1950s and now USA is stuck with it ... and doing a bad job
How Kamal Nath calls cyclical industries "profiteering". I feel ridiculous abt the fact that the Commerce Minister thinks supply demand is not economics ... God save India
The fact that the biggest issue between Japan and rest of North Asia remains some PM visiting Japanese soldiers' shrine; ok given and understood that the WWII was hideous but hey thats more than 50 yrs now; so lets look ahead right? Nope!
How being right is the IN thing; right as in the political right and if you are either left wingish or moderate you are a traitor... somoene who doesnt understand "The Cause"
How Indians in HK never say hi when they are out to other Indians; I am at times the only one smiling at any passing Indian ... the same is absolutely the opposite with the whites; sometimes I feel whites are not the racist blokes; its us!
How ppl would spend 4/5 and at times 8 extra hours at stop-overs and airports to save $100 while going home from abroad while missing out on that much time with family and yes they CAN afford the extra $100
The fact that saddens me the most is when Africa is called the "burden"; I mean come on guys it was you Europeans who killed and raped the country and split into so many tiny segments that one tribe had to fight the other .... sects in Africa is hte single biggest reason for war there and it was started by you and now you "righteously" call upon yourself to set it right ... what crap; the continent where life emerged is now where life is cheaper than anything! shame!
People killed in 9/11 ...? 5000 at max; ppl killed in Iraq as a result of the war ... lets not even count; I am not belittling any event; its just crazy how ppl forget numbers
North Korea ... now thats a funny country; not enough food to feed even a quarter of the population; but our man wants not only the N Bomb but also the speed boats to show off to Japan ...
Islamic terrorists ... dont even want to start on that topic
Have you read the similarity between Christainity and Islam; both have Adam & Eve; both have Abrahim and hte slaying of his eldest son; both talk of Moses and both have religious shrines in Jerusalem; now I'm not even a well read guy in religion but its funny right ... too many imporant coincidents in such a vastly opposing way of life

Anyways my arse hurst as I am sitting on a stool; so catch you later!

Hasta Manana!

What I WANT to know

2007-03-02T00:21:00.000+08:00

Derivatives
Markets
Squash
what its to be in really really love
what it means to be detached with life
what drives people to be ambitious
why religion is being marred so much that killings are allowed as a defence
why people cant accept others ways of life as just that ... people live differently .. why does anyone rather who gave anyone the right to intervene on religious aspects to define that THISor THAT is how you can live?
how Gandhi was Gandhi and how Jesus was Jesus?
why Nehru became a self righteous beast when he was the best man to shape India
why we are not happy with others' success
why am I a such a small man ina big scheme of things and how can I change it
why Bach is THE best thing to listen to when about to sleep ...
what is genius and what drives it
why in hell I never bought the Harley ... that one is difficult
what actually controls our emotions
why people say htink with your heart when all it is in the mind
why am I so lazy
why is their so much hatred in the world and why are peole thnking that becoming conservative on life and religion will change that?
whats wrong with being us
is their life elsewhere and what are their experiences .. are htey watching us and thinking of an opportune moment to intervene in our screwed up systems
or how screwed they are
what really started the world
is God really there (I believe in HIM and I want to always believe in HIM)
if given three choices will I make all 3 personal or call for world peace?
why am I so troubled at times?
why am I typing ths at 1 am in the morning when I have office tomorrow
why is being simple so difficult
why people like calling htem complicated when what they actually mean is that they are screwed up
why Ghenghis Khan is an evil bastard and Alexander is "The Great" when both DID the same thing
why is their so much poverty and why nothing is done about it
why is Africa so scewed up when actually its the birth place of LIFE
what REALLY shapes fate
is there really anything like fate

anyways I know this is an endless list ... good night guys!

I know ...

2007-02-20T01:16:00.000+08:00

the TRUE meaning of 20 stories; have done 2 freefalls from that height
the difference between the 3 types of Glens (Feddich; Moranjee and Livett); just dont know which is Midlands
that bungee jumping should be done on an empty stomach
the no of days your maid has been absent by the color of your socks and underwears
that Roger Waters sucks without the entire troupe of Floyd
that when you look at faults in others you are just trying to mirror yourself onto them
that Lobo is the best song writer to listen to when you are with a girl you love/like
that champagne is the best alcohol to give if you want the girl to get in the "mood"
that if ever Amit Seymor reads this blog; he will not go beyond the above statement before trying it out on someone
I know Ruchika Misra will just shake her head when she goes thru this
that RIL IN Equity is the best Indian stock and YOU should buy
the feeling of the first few drops of rain on your head and the time taken to enjoy it and look up with half a smile is one of the best moments in life
that black coffee does wonders to a hangover
that I love watches esp if they are fake; so BRING them on
that the best time to be with family is winters cause then you can cuddle up to mom and ask dad to make some tea
that there is nothing better in my life than to get up at 7 am and realise that today is an off and I can sleep
that there is nothing more pissing off than not being heard/noticed
that if you are not being heard/noticed; well then you just HAVE to be heard/noticed
that there is no greater pride than of a father for his son and a mother for her daughter
that being scared at times is the worst thing I have in me; that explains the bungess and the sky-walking; but still cant call up a friend and say sorry
that I love my work and I cant understand why so many people keep complaining about work and still be at it 24/7
that education is something I will always want more of
that I wouldnt have said the above line even 2 yrs back
that I am a kid at times; but hey who doesnt like a bit of attention
that Zarreen Khan is one of my most favorite babes and if I didnt mention her; she will get mad and so will Anchit but he isnt a babe of course; he is a dude!
that its 1:30 am and I am writing all this which I love doing

so in short

I LOVE THE GUY WHO STARTED BLOGGING!!!!

Random thoughts on my life

2007-02-16T15:30:00.000+08:00

Its funny how life takes off ... when I was a kid I never thought of life beyong JNU; hten Delhi and hten my only dream was to come and work in Bombay and thats where I was. I remember 2 yrs back I use to debate with my uncles on the non-requiremnet of venturing out of India as I have always felt that growth in India on a personal scale will be 10x more than what I could get abroad. so if anyone would have told me that I was shifting to Sg and hten HK even 1.5 yrs back I would be like yeah .. right and well here I am. Funny when you think that this time in 2006 on a saturday I would be sitting with a friend and discuss whether coffee in Lonavala or Khandala for coffee and now here I am sitting and thinking whether hike in Lantau or venture out to Donwuan (China)... though I still feel that India will give good growth opportuities but sadly India IS 10 yrs back when compared to China and 20 yrs back to the rest of the developed world; I am sure I can and will play some role in brdging the gap fast.

Watch this movie "In the pursuit of happiness" I thnk will Smith has beaten everyone with his role performance and apparently its a true story. Its maddening what the guy could do and has done. I want to be someone like that who can stand up one day with the air of self respect and be like; yeah I KNOW I have achieved IT.

Markets do a bad thing to you; you start looking at everything from a return point of view; I was always gung ho on picking up a Harley Davidson and had even signed up for a Fat Boy edition; then I thought I am paying X for it; it will depreciate almost immediately; in 1 yr I will get "X less 25%" if I have to sell it; whereas if I buy Reliance stock I can at least make 15% return from here; so Fat Boy is now on the backseat and yes ZK so is the Mini Cooper.

Two of my closest babes' in India will eventually be getting married someitme this year and then I will have no one to get drunk and disturb in the middle of the night. At times I feel they want to get married to save from this ordeal only.

I was in Sg for 7 months and when I shifted to HK I created a group on Orkut for my bacthmates from school (Don Bosco); and hten realised that 2 of my close buddies from school lived (literally speaking) at spititng distance from my flat in Sg. And even they didnt know hte other was there. So next weekend I am off to Sg and we are having an alumni party there!

When I was in Bombay; I had a cool set of neighbors and we used to party; kill each other; rob clothese wear them 34 times and return them unwashed; basically act worse than KG kids; but it was the simplicity of relationship of Zero expectations and 100% reliance on hte other which made us bind together so well. even now when I go to Bombay; we meet as if there has been no gap in coversation; there is no "catching up"; its just fun talk; serious talk about life and then "guys I really have to go; flight is in 2 hours" same is with friends in Delhi; my firends have 0 expectations from me but I know I can turst them 100%.

There is a small gang of us from my campus that I am still in touch with; would it be up to me; I would like to decrease it even more .. but have to be NICE as some of my cousins and friends tell me. Problem is that I cant be nice; I am an impatient guy who likes to see things straight off and tlak straight and not be worried about who thinks what; so when I meet some of these from campus I am amazed how shallow and inconsiderate they are to others' yet not many see that.
Niceties are for later; lets see what you are on the table and then take things up. For I know that when going gets tough I will be there for my friends and they for me; hte nice guys always back out first or suddenly have their cellphones off. Funny ppl; I feel sad for them. I rmmeber we had this huge fight in campus and as I was running with 2 other guys I just turned around to see who all was there and that was IT; 3 guys to fight 40 ppl and the remaining junta was just sitting there.

In my entire life of 27 yrs and say 12 yrs since realising that women are "fun" (I was in a boys school so by the time I got dis-interested in fights; it was quite late); I have been out on V Day only 3 times.
So this year in HK I saw like tons of roses coming in and going out of office I was like shit man need to change my life and SHIT man I cant be seen drinking withhte usual lot of guys I hang around with ... so the first prick was yeah well no roses to get or send and WHAT REALLY HURT was NO BEER!!!!!

Anyways; have a conference call coming up.
Next blog in a weeks' time; tonight I drink.

Bachelor parties gone AWFULLY wrong!!!!!!!

2007-02-04T02:30:00.000+08:00

All are true life incidents of things gone awfully wrong; of course all the stories happened with some other ppl that I didnt know of until tonight when one of hte incidents mentiend below took place; so at the cost of my being drunk and having wasted a night to Macau; against which I had to listen to all of these; though wont complain for I am still laughing ... hope nothing like this happens to me or any of you who reads this!!!
Some of you (who read this) might know whom I am tlaking about ... and you were with me last night!!

Guys are X and women are Y. And all are different stories of course.

X1 and Y have a dhoom dharaka marriage ... on the suhag raat when X1 "loses it" to his "love" .. which seemingly is Y; Y says she loves someone else and before he has a chance to react she says she needs to go to the loo ... in total Rachel style she runs away to her love X2 ... and in one week X2 dumps her and she wants to go back to X1 ... yeh of course X1 says fukk off. Wonder where Ross was then?

X1 and Y are going around for 1 yr; break up. X2 and Y go around for 3 yrs break up; X3 and Y plan to get married ... "something" happens (still a mystery) and Y goes back to X1 after a "night" with X2 .. Shubhash Ghai .. you listening?

X and Y get married .. Y realises after one week X gets more hot when Y dresses up as a guy ... yup you guessed it X is gay.

Y is a very inquisitive woman ... she keeps asking X on one drunken night "if I wasnt in your life who would you love" and after repeated shaking of my head to say no one but you ... X says well if you weren't there as in if I had never met you ... it would have been Y2 (pardon him ... she was really pestering and he was very drunk) and so X and Y call off engagement ... dont worry guys. I still got drunk.

X is in USA; his parent have an arranged marriage planned for him; he comes and meets Y; all is wel and after 2 months of chatting and stuff they decide to get married; X comes down to Bombay for his engagement; Y says lets meet before engagement; engagement is 5 days BEFORE this incident. X and I go and meet Y; Y says she loves someone else; I look at her and ask why now and she shrugs her shoulders; X is speechless so I do the talking and in 5 minutes tell X to go and get drunk. of yeah she alos says hope you understand ... and X says WHAT??

Of course this is the guys' side of thing ... but trust me it cost me a bottle of Old Monk ... damn!

So cheers to all of you who got mentioned here ... its ascrew up I know but at least the remaining 8 guys got a good laugh ... a small respite for a missed Macau trip and a possible strip tease.

A Typical Weekend in My Life.

2007-01-06T19:33:00.000+08:00

Keep my mobile away from me ... after having the "last but one" beer or whisky or vodka; hte smses start rolling out ... I dunno why but suddenly the smsmes start rolling out.
Then you feel what a duffer and have another shot and then again look at the mobile .... this is generally how it ends if I am too smashed; else I come back home and sit on my laptop and harass some nice babes I know.
Yeah dont smile now ok ..

Anyways thats how it ends ... how it begins is around 6ish on a Friday I have NO plans as usual; then suddenly some phone comes and hte usual Q is ... why the eff are you in the office; and I go well ... its only 6 and my markets are on till 6; so gimme an hour more.
Then around 7ish I head out to a road in HK called LKF where I promise not to get tull and NOT to get my smses out. Neither happens of course.
So I hit home around 3/4 and then wake up around 12; head to the gym on the saturday.
work out for 2 hours because I HAVE to take out the beer.
Then the evenings come and hte usual thing happens.

But I want to change this .. not that I dont enjoy it; I love my drink and my friends here; but I wan to do something more constructive you know; and reduce my mobile bill.
So from this weekend onwards; I have stopped smoking. I have started playing squash for an hour and reduced my speed of intake of booze. I havealso started reading more.

Lets do a recheck and see what transpires over the next weekend in 8 days from now.
Oh yeah ... one thing you guys have to do is to pick up a sport and try being good at it. Its so refreshing.

Cheers.
My blogs are getting more and more arbit by the day. I need a drink I guess.

Adios.

1 mad week in Delhi

2007-01-01T17:33:00.000+08:00

My boss is a rather nice dude; he came up to me in early Dec and said why dont you take a break and head home for a week (dec 24th to 1st Jan) and within minutes I had a ticket with me.
I remember telling one of my coolest and hippest friends (she is a sweetheart too) that babes no drinking this time. What actually happened follows ->
Saturday (23rd Dec); flight to India at 10pm; drinks start at 3:30 pm (beer thankfully but then around 6 we are on vodka); am literally the last one to board.
Sunday (Dec 24th); Reach home; family talk; looking for bride for brother so talk ranged from "yeh (my bhai) kuchch karta hi nahin hai" to "Anshul what do you think of this girl for bhaiya"; so by 5pm I need a drink; reach home at a decent time.
Monday (Dec 25th); finished a bottle of red wine at lunch; then head to JNU to meet my olest friend who is getting married; drinks start at 7pm at a basketball court and post that we head to Gurgaon where we finish off at 3.
Tuesday (Dec 26th): stomach upset finally; mom looks and says "kuchch nahin ho sakta" so sit at home and then go to Old Boys Meet. No alcohol.
Wednesday (Dec 27th); Friends birthday; finally found a place in Delhi which played Alice in Chains and Pantera. My ex and I leave at the same time and in different cars and that becomes a matter of gossip. I love my bunch.
Thursday (Dec 28th); Mom is not happy; which is worse than mom is mad because then you know the reason; so the best thing to do is to take her shopping (never for her; all her jewellery shopping is for my cousins; friends; aunts etc; but anyways moms are moms); later in the evening Family dinner; all males from cousin to Dad are drunk. Mom again says "kuchch nahin ho sakta". I get my revenge.
Friday (Dec 29th); We had to reach IHC at 12 noon sharp; we were still in Dwarka at 11:35; we were in 2 minutes early. Dad headed straight for the vodka. I am rather aggressive. Met old old friend and spent 4 hours with her. Great time; I'm ALWAYS at peace with her. Evening get drunk and have a fight. First fight with a friend in 12 yrs. Happens. One moves ahead in life.
Saturday (Dec 30th); Friends from US have come meet them and have a nice time drinking tea and chilling. Go to a friends place for getting my thesis "why am I a dumper"; even her cute niece doesnt want to interact with me. Go to old old friends place again (thats another blog). Go to JNU (where I used to live); have a great time (no drinks; well just 2 pegs).
Sunday (Dec 31st); pack; talk property; meet friends. I was so effing pissed because I drove out to meet one of my closest friends and that man was busy scoring somewhere. Anyways drove back; I never knew what ppl meant when they said a white sheet of fog; but I did finally and trust me I dont want to ever do that again.
Reached home at 12:15 saw mom and dad hosting a funciton in our colony ... felt a bit selfless; headed up got all my chocolates and folks gave them off to the colony kids; dad had a red sweater on; so I made a few kids call him Santa.
Life has such little pleasures to offer which can give such happiness ... dunno why ppl complicate it.

Monday (1st Jan); in HK but I wanna be home.
Its 6 pm here and I am off to sleep.

Happy New Year to all!

Bosco Meet (1997 batch)

2006-12-28T03:02:00.000+08:00

So it finally happened; when I reached TGIFs at 7:30; I was the only one there and I was like shit man it seems I WILL be the only there.
Then suddenly calls started coming in: are you there who else is there and within ten minutes 12 of us showed up.
Thanks to Orkut; we knew how the other looked like and it wasnt that bad.
There was an initial hesitation as you didnt know what the others boundaries are and stuff but thanks to alcohol it all fizzled out.
It was a great time; good to know that even after 10 years when you meet people remember your school nick name (mine was easy though - tharki) and the last time you got suspended, who the "hot teachers" were (Don Bosco is an all boys school); was made to remember things that you hoped no one would ever recall.
We were in the end some 15 ppl and I hope in the next one; there will be many more.
But most of all; the best thing was the comfort was extremely high.
So high that you didnt feel like moving out but Delhi has this stupid rule of shutting at 12.

The craziest drunken DAY ever

2006-12-22T09:56:00.000+08:00

My best friend (Amit) is a maniac and his birthday falls on June 2nd; posisbly the hottest day in Delhi.
So we all plan to sit at a friends place in Delhi and have beer and chill.
Now the friends (Sid) place we chose has a gigantic St Bernard that thinks he is the mentor of Sid and has to keep an eye on everything he does; so when we walk into Sid's house he looks at us very disapprovingly and when he sees Roopak (another friend) walk in with the beer the St thinks enough is enough and takes matters into his own hand.
Anyways after a bit of tugging a screaming Roopak away from the St we deicde in the health of all to take the upper floor of Sids house.
So we get there and some 8 of us start drinking. Now Amit is a Catholic but he makes Jews look like Catholics ... he has picked up the cheapest beer from the Canteen (Army canteen) and when you are down 2/3rds of it; the damn thing becomes sweet.

Now imagine me; having fun and talking and slugging at the beer and suddenly the damn thing tastes like vanilla shake (not that bad, but you get the pic) and I keep quiet because this cannot happen as this is beer; but then you cant waste alcohol as well; and no one else is complaiing so group mentality; I keep at it. Then I see someone else flinching and the amount we beat up Amit for that was not funny.

Anywyas; now comes the FUN part; Amit to prove that it is good beer slugs some 4/5 bottles and now has to pee. The problem is that this floor we are sitting on is getting renovated; the St is sitting waiting for us because he knows beer=pee and he was sitting (absolutely honestly) just outside the toilets area.
So Amit has to go up to the "servants' section" and pee which is an open toilet as in has only 3 walls and an open roof and 2 of these 3 walls have a sheer drop of 4 storeys.
After 20 minutes I think I start missing him; so 2 guys go up and after 15 minutes they too dont return.
So hte stud (me) goes up; now the earlier search party Sid and Kunal are on the stairs literally and just laughing ... nothing happened; Kunal fell on the stairs; Sid found it funny and both ended up laughing for 15 minutes; still no sign of Amit.
So I go up and it is effing HOT; I call out his name and he is not responding. so I pull myself on to the wall (remember the remaining 2 walls ahve a sheer drop) and I see Amit puking away and he has puke on his shoes; shirt; in the bath; on the door everywhere except the fucking loo... so I slide myself down; take great pleasure in slapping him "to get him back to his senses" no response.

Then it became scary; so I rush back and we get guys to pick him and while on the stairs below we drop him 4/5 times; I think on the 5th time; it was a rather nasty bump and our man comes back to his senses.
Sid had these hotties living on the floor below his and they for some reason want to climb up the stairs and they see 6 guys bend over this one half naked guy and sort of slugging him and carrying him and the scene was very funny .. and I will never forget what Amit said ... he looked at those girls and said "yeh kaun hain?" (who are these?) and we head htem ran down and lock all 7 locks on their door.

It was fun; we were in college and the reason I remeber this is because all of us are meeting like after 10 yrs next week in Delhi and this will be one topic of discussion for sure for that was the last time we all were together.
I love you guys! If any of you reads this; you will know what part you played!

Next Blog: Drinking with owmen is NEVER fun when women get drunk and senti!!

Fear Of Starting Something NEW

2006-12-21T23:08:00.000+08:00

When I was on campus we had a very bad placement yr but I was dead sure that I only wanted one company and got that; I am sparing the intricacies though thats worth another Blog ...
So against EVERYONE's better thoughts and wishes I joined this securities house; initially when I told my friends and relatives that I work in a securities house; they linked it to doorman security and lockers and stuff; so I changed it to Equity Markets and that didnt help.
Anyways the point is that I was 23 young at heart and out to see what I can do; and things happened I swtiched my job profile in the same company some 4/5 times and ALWAYS picked up something that never existed; like we never did Mid Cap stock picking; so I along with 1 more colleague started it; then did a similar thing for Sales; then after setting up the salesdesk; created my erstwihle company;s first foreign sales desk and then went on to set up their first offshore office in Sg.
Now I am wroking with a French Bank (& thats another story) in HK and setting up their India desk; now the problem comes in ... its like I have been working for 4 years w/o having a base at all; so if tomorrow someon asks me what all have you done; I say look above ... rather read above but havent got anything to show it with.
And the worst part is that now I am in a field that I honestly dont know anything about and so at times I get scared and really really worried that fuck did I do the right thin in moving out of Sg where I was like being treated like a King for the work I did.
I famously believe in the "frog in the well" story and in the line that "kill complacency before it kills you"; but have I this time taken a much larger risk that I was ready for?
I know I will have to learn and learn I will; but now the Fear Of Starting Something New is settling in; and I need to kill it before it enlarges.

I see my ex colleagues and some of my ex batchmates and think that yeah well I am better off at least I didnt shut myself to opportunities when I was 24 and I am 27 now ... and I dont want to but you know how it can be; I need to kill this fear before it enlarges; so any suggestion guys?

Those who know me; know that I am not boasting; neither am I trying to sound like Alice in Wonderland but trust me when you take risks like these you need to know how much water runs below your feet.
So let me know what you think?

Cheers!

I Loeevvee Sleeping

2006-12-19T21:09:00.000+08:00

There are times when I wake up at 6:30 and reset the alarm to 8 and then get up and say da*m 9and worse adjectives) late gain! Then while I leave I promise myself that I will come back by 8:30 tonight and be sleeping by 9; which can never happen; but it has today; so without much ado I am going to crash out and have a sleep of at least 10 hours if not interrupted by anything except a call from home; because well that has to be attended.
So whosoever is reading this at 11 and is in India; well guys I have been sleeping for 4 hr by the time you read this!

Essentially getting ready for the party next week when I hit DELHI!!!!!!!

Cheers!
It may seem surprising to you all but one BIG reason I look forward to Delhi is that my lcohol intake will come off by 80%.
So Amit, Z and the remaining; no drinking!

Why am I single?

2006-12-16T21:21:00.000+08:00

Good Q.
A friend suddenly asked me why I am still single and not seeing anybody etc.
Well my sexual orientation is "still" straight so its not that I am confused; but I really never felt the need to "be" with someone; but as all women are this friend kept plodding with Qs and statements like "why are you still single?"; "you should see someone you feel better in life" and the likes.
So it got me thinking; so much that on a Saturday evening (after a night out at Macau) I thought lets think this over and not go out with the guys for a beer ... wait a sec friend calling; ok it seems I am going out for a vodka now (technically still not beer); so will come back and fill this in.
I am still drinking less than 3 times aweek (I just change the Hindu and Christian way of looking at the week to my advantage ... refer to previous Blog "Things to ... 30")

Anyways in the meantime I had a bit of a chat with my friend (mentioned above) and it seems she is worried about me because well everyone we know is married and have kids (including her) and I am the odd one out.
So I am thinking out aloud and writing it here where ppl who know and dont know me can comment.
By the way just getting back to the travails of my night; as I mentioned this friend (above) is like a close one and so if she is concerned then I need to mull on it; so I sit with another friend (guy) here in HK and we talk about what all men mean by relationship and what women mean by it and so thought its not worth a night and watched some good movies and cartoons and headed back; okay ... I confess we finished half a bottle of Red Label but hey c'mon this is a Saturday night right.
But even after talking with my babe friend and discussing ends over some Red Label (maybe we should have had Chivas); I really couldnt hit upon the subject; that I think maybe its not worht all that thought.

Or is it?
What about you guys? You think being single at 27 is an issue? Comments awaited.

Love going home

2006-12-13T23:43:00.000+08:00

I remember when I was a kid I used to be like so thrilled when I would see my dad come pick me up at the bus stop when I would return from school and I would rattle off like any 8/9 yr old as to what all I did and stuff and my dad would listen to me patiently and when I'd see mom I'd have the same enthusiasm.
Then as we all grow old the kiddishness vanishes but now that I have been living awayfrom home for nearly 6 yrs ... and about 10 months away from India; when folks come over or I go home I feel so thrilled; the excitment that I had had when I was a kid is nothing compared to now.
I love sitting and talkling to my folks and my aunts and uncles and being with friends ... but mostly I just love sitting with my mom, dad and brother and we just talk nothing just getting to know each other even though we have been there thru life.
But there is nothing like mom's love ... My folks visited me when I was in HK about amonth back; so when they were leaving the idea was that I would drop them off at the Airport Train and go back; so they sat in and all the hugging and khaana theek se khana got over and I just saw them go into the train. Then I am like what the heck yar and got myself a ticket and rushed to the train as only 2 minutes remained and then I saw my mom standing at the door trying to look for me where I was standing earlier and the moment she saw me her face lit up like ... so much ...
Its been almost 2 months that they have been gone and in 10 days I will be in India and I am so thrilled.
Just thought I wanted to write about it.

Love going home.

Things To Do Before 30

2006-12-13T23:33:00.000+08:00

When I was a kid of the age 13/14; I was a nice little guy who never created a ruccus and always did the right things! Then I think I turned 15 and life went mad; dunno what happened got into fights and stuff and all sorts of useless things; but having been blessed with a good family and solid friends I got out before matters went real bad!
I remember when I was 18 I wrote a list of things I would like to do by the tiem I am 25 and I just got hold of the list and I hit a 75% strike rate; so keeping on that and on an arbit conversation I had with a friend recently I decided to post a list on Things To Do Before I reach 30!
1. I have to turn 27! (Done)
2. Have to beat my father in chess
3. Have to own a Harley Davison Fat Boy, Special Ivory edition.
4. Have to see the pyramids and visit the village Corleone in Sicily (Godfather fame).
5. Have to learn how to cook! Getting there
6. Have to give up drinking more than 3 nights a week (Done till now)
7. Want to stand in an airport in front of all and just raise my hands with the sense of achievement as Tom Cruise did in Jerry Macguire!
8. Have to go to the Himalayas all alone and spend 3 nights there in absolute solitude
9. Have to pass thru the Bermuda Triangle
10. Have to sit at Lords and watch a cricket match
11. Have to participate in a marathon (I did run the StanC chapter in Sg; though only 7 kms; look at doing the 21 definitely and 42 hopefully!)
12. Have to learn how to listen
13. Have to work in Manhattan and definitely before I get married!
14. Have to learn how to play the violin
15. Have to get a woman to give me a rose .... the converse has happened, but this is something else! (Done)
16. Have to get married (Ruchi listening?)
17. Have to sai

lLets see how many I get done' any comments or suggestion on anyone who reads this?

Where is the Love?

2006-12-13T23:31:00.000+08:00

Pick up any magazine or go onsite to any major news article and you will see that 3/4ths of the printable are is all about conflict ...
If it is not Isreal; its something in Asia or Africa or some radical Islamist group talking of blowing the world up or something like that.
Maybe its that now the newsflow is becoming increasingly seamless and one is getting very readily and easily available information on anything disruptive or Shock Value is picking up and ppl are focusing more on that as it may be getting ready viewership; but is so depressing ...
But htere are times when I feel that what I am doing in this world when there is no way that I can contribute to help people or make this world a better place for myself and hopefully when I have kids; then for them togrow up in.

But mostly I am puzzled and anguished at the pain people readily caus onto others provoking the name of religion when that is the one thing that all religions preach against.
How can it ever matter whether I am a Hindu, Christain, Jew or Muslim when to start off wiht I am an evil person who wants to force himself onto the others using violent measures? In short I am an evil man and no evil man deserves to be given (either self or otherwise)
How can anyone decide for others that this is a thing or religion that one should practise when the entire conceptis based on spreading and being disharmonious?And what is shocking is that increasingly well educated ppl are coming into the throes of this religious disharmonious spread ... and thats when you think there is no hope ... because one can understand if it happens in countries and regions where unemployment and thus disdain with the existing system is high; but not so in case of an educated and well informed populace.
Maybe we are all in a structural shift in the environment and being part of it; we have to see all this ... but there has to be a way to end this nonsense.