Belief

Pity, we believe in what we believe based on what makes us feel secure. Secure from fear of known knowns and known unknowns and not by merit of the inherent value that belief holds.

Whats more, we fight to protect those beliefs, the essence of which is fear, then where is the freedom?

Escapism

Those who don't want the reality and face world - facebook :)

Charity begins at home...

Define home.

If only...

Money could find its level, like the liquid does, fill in all the voids, the small 'gallis', before raising into sky scrapers...

Could we design a system for this?

Here is whats on my mind

Here is an excerpt from a very popular book on Economics and its definition on 'Efficiency' - Efficiency denotes the most effective use of society's resources in satisfying peoples wants and needs. Wants and Needs?

We consume because we can. We set the rules for all the other animate and inanimate 'things' around the globe cos we can? In this world of information overload we are just a few clicks away from being 'knowledgeable' in any topic. No big deal! The challenge comes in getting insight from that knowledge and applying it to your life, there lies the wisdom. The mankind lacks the application of insight or rather the insight all together in many 'efficient' things done around the world.

Can we not sit back, take a snapshot of what we do in a day's time and segregate our activities that meets our:

Needs vs Wants
Sustenance vs Indulgence

Can we continue with our habits and let others take control of our lives due to our conflicting thoughts and actions?

We need to go back to our roots, go back to our religion, go back to our chosen spiritual path and see if we can align our life- thought and action to whats told.

If one is neither religious nor spiritual, its ok, cos one can still think.

"The universe is sacred, You can't change it.

If you try to improve it, you will ruin it.

If you try to hold it, you will lose it."

Lao Tsu

Expressing oneself!

Well since the last blog, lots have changed. I am married, waiting for a new arrival and the lady of my life has greatly simplified my thinking and is showing me life is much more simple than what I thought it to be.

I am back to simply express myself, not necessarily to tell the world 'whats on my mind' by the passing minute and hour..

As I grow old I realize this -Silence is golden. Not a discovery. Also being knowledgeable doesn't make one a person of wisdom. Again being old (as I grow old) don't mean one is full of wisdom. I say this cos we exactly know what we need to do and what we cannot afford to continue doing, still we do what we do.

I only realize there is too much mental rattle, mind loves it! All these twitter, facebook and this new found ways of 'staying connected' are manifestation of this mental rattle. Really, do we really need to stay connected? How connected are we? Aren't we still oblivious to the people who are trying to reach us? The ones that really need us. I think.

World Cup fever anyone?

Random thoughts, views and comments...

Saurav Ganguly : This guy didnt do anything extraordinary during his time off...no heavy tons scored in the domestic circuit but the lack of sheen frm young blood and the chance call back has been a boon to both Ganguly and Indian cricket. Hes back leaner, meaner and focus in his eyes Ive never seen before...hats off Dada!

Wait I heared someone cry foul! After the 3-0 a**rape by Black caps Gilchrist says 'We did not want the tour' I see. And some 'highly competitive' Aussies said they didnt have their star batsmen..well do u need star batsmen to defend 345?? Not sure.
I saw a leader not a cricketer : CB series award ceremony..well I havent seen much of 'Freddie' Flintoff..He walked in , received the trophy n he spoke and he spoke his heart out. He genuinely backed all his teammates and had a word of appreciation for his battered n bruised coach who received a lot of brickbats. Now I know why a lot of people look upto him. I sure am not a big fan on Brits but cricket is well over all these..

Genius yes but a match winner? Sachin Tendulkar. WC 2003 Man of the series 650+ runs off 11 innings avg 50+ and his finals score read 4 there is no number missing before or after 4. Lets look at another guy who ended up in the winning side of finals. Ricky Ponting. In the 10 matches that led to the finals never scored 40 or over..and his finals score read 140 off 121 balls. Are we missing something or someone or is there one? Time will tell.. I am still a big fan of Tendlia, he is the best and if Sachin, Saurav, Dravid, Zaheer Pathan and Dhone shine and the rest do 'just' ok..am sure the cup will head to India.

And the couch beckons me...Well the good thing bout being in this part of the world...all matchs start as we get done with work..cld it get better than that. May the best team win n ofcourse the best team IS India.

Meet the cabbie, the Brits and the rest...

N lotsa thoughts to pen down...... For starters..all the hue n cry on racist comments on Big Bro..whatever..are the Brits ok English racist..are they?

A lil bit of coincidence while this Shilpa episode was gettin blown out by media n Big Bro getting free marketing..I was on a 1 week trip to london n think the Brits are indeed ...well will save it for later..

First early morning pickup from the airport was nice..I always love talking to the cabbies...they reflect what the media doesnt, anywhere across the globe this holds true...so I started off with my ususal ice breaker..'Hows your day so far..' The guy opened up was very nice n friendly n in the 45 min ride was soo enthusiastic bout where to go, what to do in my too short a trip of 1 week. He took pride in what he knew and it really peps em up when you are all ears to what hez gotto say.But I wanted to know more...always I try to get to know what they 'the working class' think of the expats...

This guy was a half Irish and half English, had traveled across globe for 17 years in water and air working for cruise ships and airlines n now driving a cab. He was all excited when he described his visit to Mumbai..then Bombay n the dinner hosted by his Indian colleague. He said he has never seen such a huge spread of exotic food which he in his own words was 'celebration of food'. Thank you very much yes we do take our food very seriously..Then he did hit upon the more delicate issue..the immigrants from Poland, Romania, Czec..taking up all jobs(not the white collar) working for a pittance, sneaking into the system such that it affects the pensions (clndt understand clearly..) He didnt have any complaints against us 'brown' or the IT workers (professional?) nor nething bout BPO....well he wasnt kicked out of his desk job..so he wldnt complain. Overall I cld draw similies bet this and the complaints by Americans who complain in all grades/work groups...the blue collar jobs taken by Mexicans and White collar by Indians(ahem coin a word 'professional workers'). Same in Singapore. I remember a Mandarin cabbie(outspoken nice n friendly not exactly racist) saying 'you people(Indians) make five times our salary but carry lunch boxes to save money' hehe there was humor n the context of discussion is entirely different so i wont dig deep into it now.

So yes my first serious encounter/talk with a Brit was absorbing if at all he had anything against anyone it was the government n nt based on colors. Fine. The whole day I spent walking up n down Oxford street supposed/alleged fashion capital of London...I thought Orchard street in Singapore was more fashionable...neways never mind.

The next day I was down in the lobby of the hotel and requested for a cab. The tall guy clad in bright red uniform n long hat ( there is a word for the guy who does this @ hotel door I forgot)went to fetch one from the street!!!!(very primitive approach I wld say ,even Bahrain hotels just call for a cab.. are the Brits preserving their cultural heritage??? I dunno). Ok well a 'Black cab' did arrive I stepped out of the hotel and walked towards the cab...the cab driver looked at me drove forward by a few feet...said something with animated gesture..(didnt hear a word) and drove away.....I just stood there stranded looked around n went back to the lobby. Another hotel staff standing in the lobby ( a black guy!!!) came to my rescue n said those cabbies are crazy may be he wanted to catchup on some Chelsea game...a football game early morning???? again I dunno....

Chill, relax..its all cool just 1 cabbie and I cant make any judgements on Brits. Twice I got cold shoulder response from a waitress and a bartender..not exactly rude but not too friendly either...hey Ive been there done that but the bar(it was a nice underground pub) was totally empty when i stepped in and I wont give it(her attitude) to her stress or the lack of it. The waitress at Angus steakhouse(was not even a Brit) was worse..She literally saw me like a convict, gave me the least possible service, I didnt really mind, left her a 10% tip of my 45 pound bill and still she gave me a sceptic look...wonder what that look meant...rehne de...she will grow up.


Late on friday night me n my friend were walking down the Subway...a bunch of drunk Brits walked right across one of em turned and said an exaggerated 'hellloooooooow' , I smiled n said hi.My friend whoz been there(London) for a while laughed and said I shldnt respond to those 'cat calls' cos he wld say that hello(with that funny tone) to only us brown skins...oh ok, I didnt know that..

Overall was a mixed experience...wasnt all too pleasant...I wld for sure call them stiff necks. Stark contrast to where I am now...just after I came back from U.K Id gone to get my car I had left for body work to fix a few bruises...I was so glad to see an exceptional job done on my car so I went up to the manager and said I am glad , its as good as new...Instead of getting flattered this Arab guy says dont open yourselves talking like that and get vulnerable...n got me grounded..He meant dont invite evil('nazar') by such talk and said touchwood(he wld have said Alhamdulilla had I been an Arab or a muslim) His response and genuine look in his face made my day and relieved that I wanst in the land of mechanical, automated 'hi how are you's....Alhamdulilla.

Racism, Casteism, is there a word Stateism???

Its high time we shld coin one if not and patent it by India. Been observing this for a long long while, never felt people actually think in these lines until I stepped out of the country 7 odd years ago..Though first glimpses of how people tend to think hang around with their own folks obviously was in college hostel (though I didn’t stay in one..) The mallu gang, the Andhra gang....even subsets inside of TN like 'Nagerkoil'etc etc...Well it’s perfectly within reasoning , ppl new to a place (new college) want to share something in common( like studies and chasing girls aren’t common 'fields' of interest) and form their comfort zones amongst their won 'folks' from the 'native'....fine.

Well then there I was , stepped out of college to nother country, the much talked bout U.S of A (duh!). Hmm ok am in Michigan now, n so there are forums to meet, share and 'help each other' site and a message board. Nice! But I haven’t seen the amount of North -South (India) bashing anywhere else. On an average in a week's time this forum will have at least 10 posts with direct and indirect lewd remarks on Gultis(A.P), Lungis(Mallus), Madrasis, Gujjus, Punjabi, Bihari etc etc...major subsets being -North South. Initially I used to judiciously reply (read affected) to those posts. Then after all these years it’s more like a comic strip to me to read the mindset of a bunch of jokers. To tend to hang out with ppl of common interest/lang/state is one and to totally hate the rest is nother. Am I generalizing the whole Indian community based on opinions formed from one message board? May be not.

Well the Gujjus and Punjabis from my observation most N.I community have moved there thro their business acumen n run the show of most gas stations, dunkin donuts, 7 11..n most convenience stores...How they got there at the first place is always a point of discussion for the Southies. Yes a gen ago most sneaked thro the Mexican border, and got their Green cards thro al loop holes available. Their crop - the kids -the 'hep' ABCDs- American Born Confused Desis look down at the FOBs n H1s ( ok thats not a 'Stateist' divide there is a whole new dimension to it..later). and what do the Northies crib about? Well The Southies are mostly( again from what ive observed in North East corridor of u.s) white collar professionals( read workers) who went there a gen ago..Engineers( did u read IT), Docs etc. Gotto give it to them the 'Southies' thrive there with their educational background than their business skills( debatable..but an observation). Reddys are mostly familiar in hospitals than seen running a Dunkin while the 'motels' and 'patels' rhyme together... So the Northies mocking @ Southies pot bellies..hehe like all of em are like the khans in bollywood. come on at least the SI filmdom don’t portray heroes as a 6 pack flaunting macho man who always lands in India in his private jet. Tollywood n kollywood at least don’t run out of ideas n remake old movies...n the reality is nortie average aunty doesn’t look like rani mukharjee with grey hair but is just nother plump couch potato(made of paneer n ghee) fit for the Southies hero...hehe am not starting another bashing here...just on lighter vein..n I still haven’t figured out whts the prob with rice eaters....we are what we are be it cant ppl just let go...hmm. As a whole unit we aint topping the charts alongside China in Asian games so why mock at 6 chapattis or mound of rice..

My humble 2 cents is everyone has his own skills be it tech, non tech or business..based on his background n environment back home and is moving to a different country to make a better life(better life ? am not too sure again debatable). Can we just not acknowledge that? In Singapore it was Tamilians(ok they are natives and Tamil is 1 of official language) and rest of India. Here in the ME it’s even more hilarious. A few weeks ago, was done with work and was waiting for the lift to go down. 2 guys in suits stepped out of the lift..and since I look like an 'Indian' he goes akadam takadam in malyalam..since I understand a lil bit of Malayalam n not speak, I gave him a disapproving look n answered in English. Here this is how it is..you are a Malabari or an Indian...It’s very normal to hear 'Are you from Kerala or India’. This just reminds me of nother incident...well the educated n the uneducated are pretty much same in this perspective...this is with the 'elite' waiters in MI...most of em are from Goa, n if a gora asks where he is from u can hear 'I am from Goa' For some reason they associate themselves with Portuguese n Portugal n not India...Well here is something that irked me today and made me blog. One Mr. Anil Nair (Anil Nair is managing editor (India) of cricinfo.com so it says..I mean the footer in the article) has wasted no time to highlight the lone star from Kerala who’s already a prodigy..hmm what a sorry state Indian cricket is in..they had nothing to write on and when one brat got a 5 wicket haul this Nair saab wastes no time in saying 'Clues to Sreesanth's aggression lie in the history of his home state, Kerala'
Like the author is diggin deep into a legend called Sreeshanth whoz 1 wicket away from 700 wickets in test cricket and probin on his resilience n resolve...people it was just a 5 wicket haul for this kid...though I do wish him well the lauds n tracing his history back to Kerala hahahahaha hilarious Mr. Nair.


I had discussed prejudice in my previous post, all of us are, so am I , the opinionated, the degree of prejudice vary I might justify my opinions as being 'guarded' instead of giving the benefit of doubt to the stranger...its abad world out there, I swear a coupla days ago AGAIN this cold store guy(in Middle East its not a patel its ALWAYS a mallu) ripped 50 fills extra on a drink n a pack of chips I bought, didn’t care to ask him...am embarrassed on him bein so blatantly shameless...

I am neither goin to preach , nor goin to curse, lemme sit back relax n enjoy the humour in the attitude of ppl....no one is right or wrong.....n I have 2 chapattis n then a mini mound of rice, I cant curse neither nor am I 'roshan'ing India's name in Asian games. Baseline lemme shut the eff up n do wht I can do..purposeful things I mean...peace.

Haves and have not...

It was raining outside this morning...its Sunday morning blues, back to work after weekend..stepped out of home n stepped into slush n dirtied my shoes..ya for the rare bouts of rain Bahrain has...was mad already and got pissed at the traffic..

Was bumper to bumper traffic, I switched cd to listen to Lynyrd Skynyrd, S&G and Aerosmith assorted collection my fav cd..n then four guys sitting under a tattered polythene sheet for a roof in a pickup truck in front of me caught my attention. They were laughing n smiling and looking at the flooded roads..quite a rare sight in Bahrain you see..one stretched out his hand n felt the rain just enjoying the journey to what could be a grueling day's work. They looked like manual laborers, but they obviously werent worried bout what was ahead of them n here they were enjoying the moment talking and giggling like school kids.., hmm I thanked the Supernatural for bringing my attention to these people..no cursing traffic no soiled shoes to let me bothered, I rolled down the window n felt the rain myself smiled @ the guys in front. These laborers Ive noticed have those big 'naan' bread for lunch n dinner all days thats all they can afford, and work for as low as 30- 40 BD/month and still blessed are their souls to be soo carefree and happy. State of life boils down to 'state' of mind. Wonder who are the haves and the have nots....Abundance has different meaning to diff people but am sure its meaningless if we cant cherish the moment 'one day at a time' n the elusive happiness will ever remain elusive...

This is one of my fav song I love to listen to on my way to work..its Aerosmith Dream on..

Everytime that I look in the mirror
All these lines on my face gettin clearer
The past is gone
It went by like dust to dawn
Isnt that the way
Everybodys got their dues in life to pay

I know what nobody knows
Where it comes and where it goes
I know its everybodys sin
You got to lose to know how to win

Half my life is in books written pages
Live and learn from fools and from sages
You know its true
All the things come back to you

Sing with me, sing for the years
Sing for the laughter, sing for the tears
Sing with me, if its just for today
Maybe tomorrow the good lord will take you away

Dream on, dream on
Dream yourself a dream come true......


I am gonna have a blessed week ahead and make the days of atleast a few people around me better... Smile.

Update to last post....

Hmm I sound like a sexist. No one complained but I thought so... That definitely wasnt what I wanted to convey. Point is whole lotta women too spend their entire life 'sacrificing' for their family, couples live with relations for fear of insecurities due to a broken marriage, future of kids etc....Is it all that important to drain yourself in getting into a relation and make it work. Is it a must that when you are in late twenties/early thirties to get married? What drives us to do that? I mean is it social acceptance? All required to follow the pattern? Stalemate creeps in very soon in this dog eat dog fast paced world, and in the end its a breakup or wld be one of em making major readjustments in their attitude, likes and dislikes to make it 'work'. Rather if you are clear of your priorities its much better to stay aloof of the most complex relations of all....

Be Unorthodox

The way I look at things...

1. Make a really close circle in your personal relations- parents n good friends and never waste your energy thinking of the rest. I mean unless you have anything constructive to do dont bitch about it atleast.

e.g - Early morning traffic. - These days I keep a check on the number of swears on my way to work. Wait a sec not all the ppl I am swearing at can be wrong n me right...why drain my energy getting tensed, not a good start afterall. Can all drivers be bad drivers all are mean n I am nice, driving to work wearing a smile needs a tweak in the attiude.

- Bitching about the bad 'state' of anything...people, the roads back home ...social problems etc. If I cant really do something purposeful, Id rather not complain or worry bout it. Rather spend my energy on doing something useful for some1.

2. Time on girls. Very much debatable... Lets face it is all these relations worth it? Day in n day out making calls to check on her, listening to her frm morn till night stories, that never ending yap yap yap....ya ive been there done that.. for what ? Is it investing in a relation? Am tired of this companionship, 'getting settled' bullshit. Its such a drain on my eneregy n time.

A coincidence here is an excerpt on 'Bitchology' and Russian Women on Times of India ...'After the initial lectures, the women then attend the "school of seduction" in which they learn to use their sexuality to attract the most discerning of men. by flaunting their sexuality. In the final lesson, the women learn the art of the striptease.

And it seems that the classes do indeed work, for the Rakovskys' students swear by the technique which, according to one, gives every Russian woman what she wants, namely "Great sex, money and a man who looks after you." '

What a waste. Agreed there are a few good ones,may be a lot of good ones and I am shortsighted n picking the wrong ones..there are 'true' relations n stuff, but personally the time and energy to make a relation work is just way too much , and I d rather save em for a 1000 good stuff to do goin around this world. Feel like father? Adopt some kids there are thousands orphaned back home make some of their lives.. If fear of loneliness 'on my grey days' shld push me to gettin into a relation that wld be soo not right.. 'Do mingle but stay single' is my mantra.


3. Dont listen to a friend's problem. If it is a relation issue. She said that, he said that,so I said this....relax, 3 views of 1 thing, n ppl love to be sad, please be but dont try to make me sad. Also I feel each person has to grow from within there is no point in pampering them while they are down, unless I got anything constructive to say or do I cant do a 'I know how it feels, its soo hard on u ' n number of times day in n day out.. I mean if you really care for the person u d rather want him/her to get up n move on..

4.Prejudice - The case with rude waiters..rude any customer service person..May be they had a bad customer earlier, may be they are doing a double shift...give them the benefit of doubt, n you be nice instead. You might make his n the next customer's day by the generous act of kindness. Kindness and compassion to who when and where are highly debatable and has individual perspectives...A simple gesture and deliberate help to the struggling can boost your energy and trigger a +ve chain. RS says' Soul of all things in this universe is the same' so lets nurture the soul. Spend less time on your already pampered girl friend and drive your office boy w/o a car to a shopping centre n spend a measly amt to make his day. Try it..trust me.

Beautiful Bahrain....

Whoa didnt know this place can get soo much better. Well when I landed up here it was right onto summer, no car, no frenz n sick weather....

Cant miss this precious 4-5 months of pleasant weather, n wht more its been raining for da past 2 days!!!!!! Just the whiff of fresh air when u walk out of the house can do so much to our spirits..it does to mine.

Done reading 'The monk who sold his ferrari'. Quite a nice book, Ill have to save a seperate post for that..for now lemme sneak out of office n go 4 a walk.


N that reminds me of hot bajjis, samosas n chai in the evening....hmm.

What is to make up??? ahem...

Yaall yaall yaall! When do u 'make up'? I make up for the lost time, I make up for my mistakes, basically 'fix' someting that aint proper. So what does it mean when a girl spends those innumerable hours doing 'make up'.

I read somewhere the average person over 50 will have spent 5 years waiting in lines...though I didnt buy it. How bout stats on average woman over 50 spends____ years in front of the mirror 'making up' flawed/already beautiful n thinks it aint face...


Out of curiosity I peeped onto a cosmetic site n got dizzy(lemon salt soda please..) lookin @ their base coat, top coat,acrylic(????) primer....waterproof, scratch proof(hahahah I knowwwww) maskara, lip stick , gloss...kiss proof(may be..) Dunno why they love soo much to eat fish scales...n what not....take them layers of coats off u wld see a pale, rabietic(addan sori) skin cryin out for mercy after years n years of torture.....sigh. N ya make up 'removers' thats the part when the mirrors go berserk n break cos it doent want to face it.., I heared there is some research goin on to make 'reality' proof mirrors.

Look at excerpts from 'Make up tips' a site recommends..for softer? ultra modern? sick my bad look...'Use a small angled brush (there's a great one in Cat Cosmetic s Open Sesameow!) to line the top of your eye with a rich, black shadow. Then use Diane's Liquid Liner over the black line, right at your lashes'....Oh well that sounds very simple.


Think its reflective of their own state of mind, just cant do nething simple u see...if anything is straight twist em up, make it complicated, n then worry bout it. 'Necessity is the mother of all inventions' huh? read bet lines the cosmetic guys say necessity to make money is ... n has got a perfect ally with the media.hmm i give up.

Places taken for granted, food, calories, ectomorphs, endomorphs n the inbetweens...

Ya what else can I talk bout but food? Ive been catching up with an old pal from school on chat, n the discussion finally boils down to food n our fav eateries..mostly cos of me..no always cos of me...

N in doing so I lined up some places thats worth a mention...n most of em/all of em are renowned for their snacks. The list has no particular ranking n its my own personal favs..

1. Alsa mall entrance sandwich shop at the right most corner as you enter - toasted masala sandwich

2. Bhats Paradise, Tambaram - paav bhaji

3. Pani poori stall by the side of Sriram stores, Tambaram

4. Ofcourse Podi dosa across Brilliant tutorial, T Nagar

5. Idli kada with their still patent pending assorment of yellow, green n white chutneys.. near BT Mansion, Triplicane.

6. Early morning pongal at anadha bhavan, triplicane (again near BT mansion ).

7. Samosa with mint chutney in the evenings at 'Main bus stop' stall, Gud Van Cherry hills(Guduvancheri)

8. Fried rice + Gobi manchurian, Caspa, Tambaram.

9. Pullayar kovil pongal, Gud Van Cherry hills(Guduvancheri)

10. Mangadu Amman kovil puliyodara

11. Cauliflower, molaga bajji @ besant nagar beach

12. Two Haywards 5000 + chilly beef ONLY at Henkala, Tambaram

13. That big ass lassi @ Sowcarpet no clue which road, wht shop...

14. Ras malaai @ Aggarwals, Mint Street/Broadway

15. Masala paal, Bhats paradise, Tambaram

16. Veg puffs @ that bakery whose name I forgot in Shanmugam road, Tambaram.

17. Fresh parottas n seruva @ the big 'drive in' onto the left in GST road just before u enter Gud Van Cherry Hills.

Might have missed a few.....but ya the time spent @ those places carry much more memories than great food, those were quality time spent with friends pondering over the future of the world resting on the then 'young' shoulder of ours....those were also days when I cared a damn bout what ecto, meso and endomorphs meant , wldnt have possibly been able to explain the diff bet calories n cholestrol, never 'felt' the tummy after I ate between meals..

Yaa I actually used to eat before meals, between meals and after meals....n was not worried bout the 'side' view of my abdomen in the mirror....just dunno where , when n how i burnt the 'calories' (ya now I know wht calories, empty calories mean, damn the internet)

There have been days when I had made visits to 3-5 of the above listed places on any given evening, hogged all thro and then still go home to my unwitting mom n have a dinner like none of it ever happenned...

At times I get soo pissed at what I put myself thro..I mean the diet..the supplements n all that bull shit. Why cant I just eat what I want to n when i want to n still 'flaunt' a 6 pack? Or shld I even flaunt 1? Whoz set the benchmark that 10-12% BMI is healthy? Hidden agenda of the supplements maker that I blindly bought over the internet? Punnakku payaluva. Ya its my conscience talking...I think this craving for all the good stuff I miss is gettin me enlightened......

Shez hot, shez gorgeous, but shez made me insecure, n got me thinking....

A month ago one fine morning I got this mail from my chief- BMW 330 ci Cabrio 'individual' convertible as subject. He was selling his 2004 beamer with just 13k odd miles on it. I knew this was it. A bmw convertible with just 13k miles, n single hand use from some1 who is soo meticulous bout doing things..I just cldnt resist. To cut it short, yes I bought it.

The reason my boss sold his hardly used beamer was cos he bought this beast - Porsche 911 Turbo a few months ago, n his wife convinced him to sell off the bm (I cannot thank her enough for that). So my boss took me from our office to his place to hand me over the keys n the car. N guess wht i gotto step into his 911 for our ride upto his place. Hmm it was a 15 odd min ride..it was fast n it floated n he was cruising at 100 mph as his normal speed. I gasped, I drooled n it was quite a ride..When I reached his place n gotto to get onto my 'new' car, I was still coming out of that ride...n wasnt quite enjoying my ride back in my new car, but instead my mind was fixed on the beauty that roared past ahead of me - my boss's car...

A quick recap of my past - I could afford my first bike only after college on my first job..I didnt have the luxury of driving to college, though I always fancied bikes like any average teenager. N while I was in India I never drove a car. Yes I didnt even know to drive 1.

Fortunes changed,I moved around n here I was sitting in a beamer, my own car the moment to cherish n my mind was fixed to the beast that flew past me..hmm mind, my mind am just an average human right? Sethu had aptly pointed out in one of my previous posts that if I intend to buy the mustangs n beamers I cannot really do wht I claim to be my passion- paying it forward. Those high sounding words just rang a bell onto my ears n I woke up. Where is my philosophy of keeping things simple? Where am I heading from here? Save enough to buy a porsche or plan something concrete for my ambitious foster father plans.

I used to tell my frenz after half a dozen beer n steak that had we set aside this days outing n used the money we cld actually sponsor a kid's whole year's food clothing shelter n foremost - decent education. Idealistic yes but practically plausible. I personally dont believe in a buck here or max 20$ bill there...charity. At 28 , I guess I am level headed and when I say I want to personally take charge of some kids, see the them grow spend some time with them every year, give em all n inspire them enough to pay it forward again -is it wishful thinking? May be not. I love kids n I love the old ones, I mean both the first and second childhood in a person's life is and should be beautiful - and both need some help. The kids and the old ones - the needy ones, the rest can n shld take care of themselves. Aint that simple? I have this new found approach thats worked very well lately -to push myself up to my goals by putting it on papers n lettin the world know - no secrets bout it. Remember 'creative tension'? I strongly believe in Paulo Coelho's words "when u know what u want, the whole world conspires with u to achieve it". Yes no matter what career I pursue n how I make my money my only ultimate vision is to be a foster father for a handful of really 'lucky' kids back home. period. I wld love to do this and also travel around the world with no 'strings' attached (read girls).

This blog is to reassure myself of where I come from (read oor naatan) my where I am heading...yes life is beautiful n i intend to keep it that way.

Biriyani

Let me confess, I tried twice in my life to become a vegetarian, 2 months once n 45 days once ( when Nik n I watched some horrible videos on PETA website..)I really dont care for remaining a veg but how, how, how on mother earth can I ignore an aromatic, steaming plate of fresh Hydrabadi dum biriyani out of the oven? I cannot and I will not try the stunt (being veg) again but may be down the lane...ill replace non veg food with just biriyani once a while.

Making of biriyani....hmm its a poem. soak that saffron in a cup of milk let em mingle n get to know each other....n the basmati...soak em too let em stand out seperate n 'dum' it with the right spice n meat....the right texture of meat(goat/lamb) n a hint of fat that drips n mixes with beads of rice while in the oven...the subtle spices n ints flavors that keeps u guessing n teasing ur taste buds....hmmmm sigh( i swear i just had a biiig sigh visualizing a plate of biriyani now) its not bout the rice or the meat or the spices...its bout bringing all the 3 together in the cook's own artistic way to bring in a poem with its words complementing each other. Not all biriyanis can become 'the' biriyani...even by the same hands it doesnt come out consistent all the time..

I am shameless when it comes to annihilation of mounds of biriyani...the really good ones. I wish to recollect my close encounters with the best of best till date...

All time first was on Yu's bhai's nikka...I sat for the first round with ppl..they came , they ate, they left, I think I was there until the third round 'pandi' ws close to over n I stood like a rock conquering those humanly not possible quantity of biriyani...

Close to heels second was Z n R's engagement....hmm there were no 'rounds' it was in their house, the folks there thought I might be shy n were trying to 'force' me to eat, cant help it they didnt know me..n then there was a point they just placed a mini handi of the sacred biriyani n 'enna kathirikka' right next to me to save me(or them?) from the embarrasment.

Next best I can just close my evey n relive the moment was this 'specialist' biriyani stall in Meenambakkam that my beloved frenz took me on my last visit to Chennai. To my standards I was acting wierd cos I wasnt sure of 'eating out' after a long stay away from India. I started with a 'half' plate. Hmm then came the second n add to it mutton 'chukka'...This continued to an 'undisclosed' no of plates....I dont know how I do it....

Other fav spots for biriyani were...Sulaiman Set biriyani in Camp road across MCC, the kaiendibhavan with no name in Chrompet( no I dont think Ive tasted kaka biriyani these guys rock)....hmm engirundaalum vaazga.

At present there is this one place here in Bahrain that wld get a B+ grade. I order 2 reasonably huge plates there n Ive actually 'lied' to the cashier its for me n my friend n the friend being me...I know I am a glutton , my mom says I was notorious for cleaning up boxes of 'farex' in just few days while I was a kid...

'Vanjana illama sappiduppa' always holds true with me, but I take it too seriously when it comes to good biriyani. Oh plz veg biriyani shld be renamed, no offence , with due respect to ghaas bhoos, biriyani is no biriyani w/o meat.

N for Eid I am sending out request for invites....I told u I am shameless. Its ok.

"Even if you are on the right track, you've got to move on"

There is this genius called Sachin Tendulkar n this is what he says explains him the best. There is soo much debate we get to read on Tendlia not being a match winner etc etc am poor @ debating rather dont want to think too much bout nething, but every time little master walks in I get goose bumps, I see humilityn I see determination ...

One of the questions thrown at him.... "Surely at times you feel a sense of power beyond measure? Your endorsements are heftier than even Amitabh Bachchan's. Global icons like Michael Schumacher and Dire Straits are your admirers... "


Just one look @ this pic n we can say what this man is made of(no am not talking bout the rice n curry on his plate) .Hez still got his feet very much on the ground even after 17 odd yrs....

And the count down begins...

the final 12 week countdown has begun...

2+ months ago i made a promise to shed some serious weight n get ripped 'FLAUNT MY 6 PACK' by new year. Its almost half way through, been smooth with some hiccups (read 40+ beers) but still my obsession with running has kept me on track. Now its time to say good bye to beers TOTALLY n say hi to jack n diet coke....

feels good to work hard to get 'back' my 6 pack( i really had washboard abs in college until i read 'milk is for babies bodybuilders drink beer').

5 meals - wheat bread, tuna(yukk), nonfat milk, NO RICE, chicken breast,pasta, casein, whey, amino acids, omega 3, 6 fatty acids, EGCG, hoodia... cheat day, or carb up day to boost the metabolism 1 day i get to eat rice....

Workouts - weight training, plyometrics, shadow boxing, heavy bag n aerobics (trust me i got nothing else to do here..)

I shld be listing all this after I reach the pinnacle...well call it complacency...

Creative Tension

Stumbled into an article on Leadership and Creative Tension. Excerpt-

Just a "Creative tension is the primary source from which effective leaders derive their power. One can compare creative tension to a bow and arrow. The bow is nonfunctional as a weapon until tension is applied. When the arrow is placed on the string and pulled, it increases the tension. The potential power of the weapon is then developed. Therefore, the power and effectiveness of the arrow lies in the tension exerted in the bow.
Leaders throughout history derived their influence and power through creative tension, not tension as in destructive stress, but tension as in potential energy - energy to achieve, to accomplish. This creative tension, unique to each leader, exists between love and fear, position power and personal power, success and effectiveness, and the current and the possible. To achieve, we must begin from the current conditions we face today if we are to ever achieve the possible future we hold only in our mental vision."

Holds so true to every individual than just looking at it from an organization's point of view. The Inspiration or the vision on top and the current reality at the bottom and the tension in the band - You either raise ur standards or lower ur vision. Beautiful. Sports, career, or even personal relations....I guess this holds true. This tension is just the 'drive' the 'passion' each person has just depends on which one gets the better of the two.... U either say 'itna tension nahi lene ka' or view it as 'creative tension'.