A Journey called 2009 and a Thought called 2010

OK, before I tell you where I have been since my last post, let me tell you what just happened. I opened my blog to write about 2009 and how I see 2010 is going to shape-up. So this is what followed

• Go to the last post of 2008. No year-ending post.
• OK, chill. No issues.
• Go to first post of 2009 where I must have written about 2008. No posts in January.
• Something is wrong.
• Go back to 2008 archive. #Fail.
• Check 2009. First post is in February.
• WTF #$!%&

I had written no post saying good-bye to 2008 or welcoming 2009. What the hell was I doing? Year-ending posts are the easiest ones to do and knowing the fact that I am very lazy in putting up new posts, why didn't I do a new post . Methinks, I was busy partying :P.

Anyway, so after this major disappointment with my blogging habit , the next thought came up in my mind. I made a general observation of all my posts. And there was a striking inference to be drawn. If you read my blog, you can easily judge the amount of effort going into each post : The more the bullet points in the posts, the more lazy I am writing that post, hence less the effort put-in.

And while I was thinking about my writing habit, I couldn't stop but realize that this particular post will be full of bullets. Without further ado, I shoot my bullets :

Do-hazaar-Nau ki kahani goli (bullet) ki zubaani

• Early 2009 was full of parties. I was convincing myself that 2009 will be a great year. Things will change. They actually did.
• I had my debut on the arranged married front. Thank god it was the last. Will come back to it later.
• Lots of road-trips happened. Jaisalmer, Mumbai, Rishikesh (rafting), Jaipur/Ajmer, Gushaini (near Manali), Panchmarhi. Other places visited by chuk-chuk gaadi and Udan Khatolas was Mumbai, Bangalore & Kanpur.
• Couple of best friends got married. Implication - fewer people left for drunken revelry.
• Met Selene. Implication - Found my soul-mate literally & we are bestest of friends for life.
• Found my love for photography.
• Got a chance to drive a Fiat 500, and sit at the rear-wheel of a Jaguar XFR.
• And finally, my job switch. I cribbed all through the year about how I hate my software job and how I wanted to move to Internet-media. The switch happened in November, and am having the time of my life at the new job. People do question my shift of career and my package, but I really enjoy telling them how wrong they are in questioning my actions. So don't even try.

In all, I loved 2009. The year put my life back on track on got my engine started whether it was the personal or the professional front. And now some more shooting to follow on 2010

• Very busy professional life is expected. And I am dying to get neck-deep into work. And it will be a make or break year for my stint in Internet-media.
• I hope I get to do some road-trips hopefully to Leh/Ladakh, Kufri/Narkanda etc.
• Travel will definitely be on cards.
• Marriage will be the toughest deal this year. My parents will be pushing for it big-time. And as days go by, I am getting more and more convinced that marriage might just be overrated. I have stated discussing it with friends as I am seriously thinking of giving it a pass. So lets see where I end-up on the marriage front.

How 2010 turns out is for me to see and for the year to unfold. But, since my birthday is on 20th Oct. (20/10) I have a gut feeling that this is going to the most memorable year of my life. And my gut, my dear readers, rarely disappoints me. :). So stay close to me and you will see a little extra positive energy coming into your life this year.

A very happy new year to you all. My Mantra for 2010 is "party hard, work harder". Cheers

Atthaaees Elaborated

I had promised in the last post that there would be an elaborate birthday post, so here it is.

We start with a quick run-through of my last year. Last birthday was full of sad memories and missed chances, but it also had hope that the coming year would be better. And it was indeed. 27th year of my life has been great. A few highlights of the year are

• A lot of road-trips and vacation . They included desert safari in Jaisalmer, road trip from Delhi to Mumbai, Rishikesh for rafting, Panchmarhi in monsoons and Diwali in the hills near Manali.
• My debut match. After that there has been a lull. No more of meeting girls for marriage has happened. And i hope it's not a toofaan ke pehle ki shanti.
• Good things happening to people around me from jobs to weddings etc. High points were my best buddy New getting married and another friend clearing his UPSC exam after a long wait.
• Me finding a great friend in Selene. We have had blast since the time we met. Khoob saara party and khoob saara fun. And being with her I have improved a lot as a person.
• I started my photo-blog. I love photography but haven't been able to give enough time to it. Maybe this year.
• Finally, I resigned from my current job and got a job I had been dreaming for the past one year. So no more coding for me. Internet-media here I come.

And so what's for next year? Well, I think next year will be a busy one in terms of career. My job will take the top priority in life. And there are high chances that by next birthday, marriage will be on cards.

Finally, to the birthday celebrations. It started with a few special friends dropping by and me cutting the birthday cake at midnight. As it was a weekday, it was supposed to be a quiet affair. But in the end it turned out to be a riot, with tonnes of jokes, a lot of jhatkas and matkas on bollywood songs of 80s & 90s and a lot of alcohol. This was followed by a big party on Saturday.

I had always wanted to throw a big party at my place. And so I threw a birthday cum job treat on Saturday. Around 20 people dropped-in. I have always maintained a philosphy that "Phoenix ke ghar mein daaru kabhi khatam nahi hoti ". This meant that a lot of whisky, vodka, rum, beer and juices were procured. Food was cooked at home. Bappi-da songs was the music of the night. And what started as a socializing party, with one set of my friends meeting the other set, ended in everyone dancing away to glory on the tadakta-bhadakta music.

A colleague in office told me that "agar tumhe birthday pe khoob saare gifts milne lage toh samajh jao ki tum budhdhe ho rahe ho". According to him mera bhi budhapa aa raha hai as I got loads of gifts which included awesome photographs on magnetic stickers to be put on the fridge, a bottle of JD (wood-woof), decanters for alocohol, a beautiful ash-tray, a key-hanger from happily-unmarried, loads of books which included books like "The warrior queen" with "8 color pages of hot pictures" :), sunglasses, shirts, chocolates etc. In short, it was the party I had always wanted to throw. Loved it.

Atthaaees ho gaya jee

So we are the turnings 28 todays. Detailed post we wills the do laters. We are havings the best birthday evers with so many of the gifts and so drunken a birthday partees. Very happy the I ams. And I am sures that me wills always compares the following birthdays with this ones.
A very Happy Birthdayed to me. :)
Cheers ... Let the alcohols the flowing and let the parties the continues and let the love the comes

To Selene from Phoenix

Hi Selene,
This post is just to tell you how important you are in my life. When we first met, we used to get amused with the amount of similarity we shared. Slowly, we realized that we indeed are soul-twins. No two people can be so similar in their thoughts, actions or feelings. We laugh at the the same jokes, we get hurt at same things and we can talk to each other even without uttering a single word. We can talk for hours and hours on the phone and then meet-up and drink till wee hours in the morning, yet our conversations never end. Humari bakar kabhi khatam hi nahi ho sakti.
I have learnt so much from you. I have started enjoying life like there's no tomorrow. You taught me the importance of relationships. You brought back the optimism in my life. The way you go about doing things, or your take on relationships, or your ability to think from your heart are things that I simply admire. I am seriously telling you, "Spiritual Guru" ban jaa(future halogen bulb ki tarah bright hai).
And the small things you do simply make my day : like the conversation that you have every evening with the auto-wallahs near your office or when you say with full-confidence "I am so brilliant that I dazzle me". Whenever I am down, all I have to do is call you and listen to your two minutes, and the ear-to-ear smile is back on my face. In short, in your own words "Abhi tak toh tum saansein le rahe the, jeena toh ab shuru kiya hai".

A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU .

I know for sure the next year will be more fun. There will be many more drunken-revelries , many more night-outs and many more vacations. And we are definitely doing Goa this coming year. I wish for you many more chocolates and ice-creams, many more movies with popcorns, loads and loads of books, silver ear-rings, dresses, dhik-chik dhik-chik dancing parties on bappi-da songs, music-trips listening to coke-studio or sufi songs, many more recipes, phuckas at CR park, beaf-steaks, thousand crates of beer, hangovers and sleepy days in office .....

You will have an awesomest year ,Superstar. I promise.

Tera mujhse Hai Pehle Ka Naata Koi
Yoonhi Nahin Dil Lubhaata Koi
Mera Tujhse Hai Pehle Ka Naata Koi
Yoonhi Nahin Dil Lubhaata Koi

Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na
Maane Tu Ya Maane Na
Tera mujhse Hai Pehle Ka Naata Koi
Yoonhi Nahin Dil Lubhaata Koi

Tu Bhi Rahi Mere Liye
Main Bhi Raha Tere Liye
Pehle Bhi Main Tujhko Baahon Mein Leke
Jhooma Kiya Aur Jhooma Kiya


Dekho Abhi Khona Nahin
Kabhi Juda Hona Nahin
Ab Khel Mein Yoohin Rahenge Hum Dono
Vaada Raha Ye Is Shaam Ka

Updates

So, the latest in life is that the divorce papers have been filed and finally the marriage is coming to an end. Yes, I got a new job. Its the kind of job I had been looking for the past one year. I had wanted to shift to internet-media and had been religiously following it for more than a year. But due to lack of relevant experience and my technical background, my chances were slim. But this job offer came as a sweet serendipity. A friend of mine called me and told me about a position that was open in his firm. I quickly applied for it. My interview was on a Friday morning and by evening I was offered the job. And since then it's been party all along. I join my new job in November. And so October is officially declared as the party-month. And with birthdays and Diwali coming, its only going to get wilder :).

Another important update is about a person whom I met nine years back. It was my first day in college. I could only see nerds all around me. Everyone was talking about how they cracked the entrance exams or what books they studied and all that crap. My worst fears were coming true. I would be stuck with these people for the next five years. With these fears I went to the hostel mess for the evening snacks. As I was eating, I heard some conversation on the next table which I don't remember anymore. Anyway, there was this guy who was busy pulling everyone's leg. Something about him gave me positive vibes. So I walked to that table and asked the guy ..
Me : "Daaru peete ho?"
He : "Sutta peete ho?"
Me : "Haan"
He : "Hum bhi. Dost?"
Me : "Dost"
We shook hands. Both of us were so relieved to find each other. And so began my friendship with New. And we have been the best of friends since then. We talk once in two weeks. We meet once in 2-3 months. Yet, we are thickest of friends.
In our friend circle New was considered to be the last person to fall in love. But when he did I was the only one not shocked :). Friends called all the way from America to confirm it. Another friend nearly fell on the road when he heard the news. Anyway long story short, New just got married. It was an awesome wedding. We danced our way to glory. We also performed the famous "Naagin" dance in the baraat. We had planned this right in college. I played the "sapera" with my hanky as the "bean", another friend was the " naagin" and the third friend was the "basket". It was fun. I wish him a happy married life.

With New getting married and Rib all set to tie the knot in December, the bachelor side of the river suddenly feels a little lonely :). It feels like its just matter time before I, too, cross the bridge. Until then, its party all night long :P

It just takes a TV channel to kill the patriotism in you

First day of US open. Its a delight to read that Somedev Devvraman has qualified for the US open main draw. Also, Sania Mirza is playing. I switch on the TV (after knowing from the net that Somedev has won the first set). I see Roger Federer just finishing up his match. My thought - "It's Roger Federer, and the match should be over in 5-10 minutes. Somedev's match should be on any moment". The match ends after 15 minutes, and the next match they beam is Hanescu vs Isner and I am like WHO THE F*** ARE THEY???? I go back to my lappy to cross-check whether Somedev's match is still on. And it is ON. In a few moments, the net tells me that even Sania Mirza's match has started. I switch on my TV again (the optimism in me never dies) and I see Serena Williams playing on center-court.
It's a shame. A national TV-channel like Ten sports gives a f*** about matches concerning Indian players. Where is the censor-board?? What is the broadcasting ministry doing? I AM HURT.

The rains are back for good

I am updating my blog after such a long time that right now, I feel I have forgotten the basic art of writing. Thanks to Selene, the blog is still alive warna abhi tak blog ka tata-byebye ho jaata. So what have I been up to?

Well, I have started my job-hunt again. I hope, this time is a serious effort. For a change, I have been busy with work too. Last one month has been a busy one after ages. I am also back to my reading habits. I have found a new obsession called twitter. Addictive is a word for it. One of the reasons for the obsession is my laziness to write long posts. Writing 140 words ten times over comes to me more easily than 1400 words at one go.

I have also met a lot of new people in last couple of months. Random meeting with strangers, chit-chat with people whom I don't know in real world, people coming out of online world to be a part of my real world, making friends with people in social gatherings, all of these have been happening. And I am loving every moment of it. It gives me a feeling that I have missed so much in life. I am living it as if there's no tomorrow.

Now coming to the best thing that happened in last one month. A vacation.

So, this vacation was planned a couple of months back. I am one of those people who believes in im-promptu plans. And I do so because most of the plans I have made have never happened. So when Selene made the plan I was always apprehensive that something or the other will happen and we won't be able to make the trip. But thanks to her, we got the train as well as the hotel reservations on time (given that there was a rush due to Janamashtmi and Independence Day).

We partied all night before the trip. From beer to whisky to vodka to babushka shots ( I am notorioulsy famous for that, so beware) to dancing , everything happened that night. Selene's friend from Mumbai had come over and we said good-bye by getting her all drunk :).

The next day Selene, Dimples and me started the journey with beer at noon before getting in the cab. The moment we got in the train, the only thing in our mind was - how to mix the vodka in Mirinda. We were so desperate that I put the vodka bottle in a hand-bag ( a ladies hand-bag) and nearly carried it to the toilet. But sensibility prevailed warna aap kripya scene imagine karein - Ek jawaan ladka with mysterious look on his face going to the toilet with a hand-bag, a ladies hand-bag. Our star, Selene, took the initiative and we could finally manage to drink the sacred drink. We reached the place at 5 in the morning and this is what happened in the next two and half days

- We had to wait for 5 hours before we got our room. And Selene already in her elements, never let us feel bored for a moment.

- The room was beautiful with an amazing view. It was raining all the time.

- Once in the room, yours truly got into action with dhin-chak music playing and the "botal-kholing-daaru-pouring" ritual.

- Setting was done with the cook for un-interrupted supply of food even though the kitchen was closed.

- A 12 hour-daaru session with chit-chat, games and more chit-chat.

- Truth or dare playing, where initially I took the centre-stage with the right questions

- A realization during the game to not underestimate and take punga with the married of the species .( Both the ladies came up with such question, that I had to duck for cover)

- A trip to the waterfall, the next day. What an amazing experience it is to stand right in the middle of waterfall.

- More of daaru-session, followed by naach and stage performances which I shouldn't be elaborating here. Kindly ask Selene for the details because humein toh "shy has come".

- Serious discussions ranging from relationships to faith and religion to Dimples coming up with amazing one-liners without being aware of it to naam-karan of my daughter as "Tippani". Yes, dear readers , my hone-waali daughter has officially been named "Tippani" because I always have a "Tippani" on every subject.

- Another long chit-chat session at the front porch of the hotel the next day as our train was at eight in the evening and we got kicked-out of our room at noon. It was like our second home as we had spent 11 hours of the vacation there.

- The return journey included aloo-parantha in the train, irritatingly noisy fellow-passengers and memories of an amazing vacation.

In one of the posts last year, I had written " I hate the rains". Ladies and ledas let me officially announce that the rains are back. I love them like I have always loved them. The place for the vacation was decided on the fact that we would go only where there's non-stop rains. And we were not disappointed. Beautiful place, awesome company of two hot friends , infinite fun and unforgettable memories is how I will describe the vacation. I will leave you with some pictures of our vacation.

Selene Speaks...

There is no reason for this post.

Except that it’s the Phoenix’s blog. Who happens to be my best friend.

Who also happens to be a lazy ass. So if he’s not updating, I will!

And really, since he has honoured me with the name of a Greek goddess (no less!), the least I can do is try and sell him off.

Yeah, in exchange for all that love and good times he’s showered upon me, its time to return the favour, as he has firmly put “Find a girlfriend” as my top responsibility in the roster of friendship.

So here goes. It’s a simple auction ladies. We’re simple people, so we say it as it is.
We will get the Phoenix Boy on stage and you can take a good look. We start bidding, and you can raise your hand and quickly sum up your profile. Since the time’s less and takers many, without further ado, lets get this going! What do you mean why? Up for grabs this lovely guy, I ASSURE you is a catch!

Here comes the Star…

WAIT A SECOND.

No cat calls please. It distresses him.

Why you ask?? Oh, he’s a shy sort of a guy. He doesn’t mind making them calls though, he’s nice like that.

And you, Maam, leave that t-shirt alone. He’s not taking it off.

Are you guys even serious?? Lets get on with it then.

Silenceeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Ok…what do we have here?? You there in the right corner…..ya the pretty one! Wait a minute, how old are you again?? No darling, 18 year olds are not allowed….no less than 25, do you here me?? We’re not in to cradle snatching.
Aah I see another hand, yes maam…you right there in the front?? Wait a minute, how old are you? 35? Aah, that holds promise…yes yes, the older woman fantasy and all that…wait …you said therapy sessions? He has to help deal with emo issues?? Err…you can check back later…we’re not entertaining emo at this point…

Who else…you yes you maam, in the pink halter…what do you mean an hour?? No lady, you can’t decide after…good lord, what’s with women these days!

And what does the one behind you have to say? A threesome? Err…no thanks. Not quite what we had in mind…

Come on, I need more hands…aah you there, you hold promise. And hot too. Yes, yes, nice smile….going…going…wait a second. What do you mean married? Sorry milady, married women are OUT. You don’t even qualify.
No maam, not even if you’re splitting. The HORROR!

And the one next to you, yes you right there in the black backless top…ugh ….no sister, your hair’s too short. …Hey don’t kill me. If you want to hear the truth, it’s the sight of all that hair on your back….and cover up the butt crack while we’re at it. Ugh.

Yes you, the red haired chick. You look promising….why’re you weeping? On the rebound eh? Deal with it and THEN come back. Women I tell you!

Is there no one there?? You Sir? What are you doing here? Marriage prospects? I am sorry but he’s straight…oh for your daughter you say? No Sir we’re just looking for a girl friend….what do you mean his bank balance? We’re not even answering that question. Get the GIRL here!

Sigh. Where are the women? You lady, yes? What? Are you serious? No he’s not going to give you a credit card, get the hell out of here. I am sorry if we didn’t advertise properly….we’re not selling off a SUGAR DADDY here!


Ummm…the last one…one at the back, yes you. Come closer…we want a better look too. Ahan, here’s something now. Nice hair, check. Long earrirngs too…we like where this is going….wait a minute…you want him to do what? Go on a date where your ex dines with his new chick to make him jealous? Are you even for real?? Out!

What now? NO, not even in exchange for a kiss, you hear me? OUT!

And you lady, I TOLD YOU. LET. GO. OF THE T-SHIRT! I said he’s NOT TAKING IT OFF.

Hmmph. So many women, and the right one’s out of stock. Sigh.

Never mind, the lad is too precious to give off to anyone, so I am keeping him till then!

Ta!

Time of my life

Okay, if you have been following my blog you will notice two things

- The frequency of posts (or the lack of it) is still the same.

- And last few of them have been all fun posts.

The second point is so because I am having the time of my life. I AM HAPPY. And that, in a way, also explains the first point. I am so busy enjoying my life that I don't have the time to post.

The obvious question that will come to you mind is "Bhai aisa kya ho gaya?"

The answer to that is :-

- My life is full of parties. And by parties I don't mean the typical boozing and clubbing effect. Its just that I am happy socializing with so many people that I feel, sometimes, that I have a life. Whenever I have to tell anyone that I won't be able to make it for lunch/dinner, I feel happy that I have the option to say "No". Life being busy is fun!!!

- My friends are back in life. Suddenly the pieces are falling into place. All I can say is, its like "Rock-On" happening in my life.

- Good things are happening to people around me this year as against to last. People are getting married, falling in love, getting out of a bad relationships, getting new jobs, getting though UPSC after three years of struggle, returning from wilderness with a new vigour, etc.

- I know what I want to do in life. Now, at least, there's a method to the madness.

- made new friends through this blog.

- And the most important reason. Finding a friend like Selene. One word for her is "Awesome". She says it best when she says " Abhi tak toh tum saansein le rahe the, jeena toh ab shuru kiya hai". And its so true. I have, indeed, re-discovered myself , thanks to her. The humour is back, and so is the infectious energy that I used to have.

In short,

I’ve been waiting for my dreams
To turn into something
I could believe in
And looking for that
Magic rainbow
On the horizon
I couldn’t see it
Until I let go
Gave into love and watched all the bitterness burn
Now I’m coming alive
Body and soul
And feelin’ my world start to turn

And I’ll taste every moment
And live it out loud
I know this is the time,
This is the time
To be more than a name
Or a face in the crowd
I know this is the time
This is the time of my life
Time of my life

- David cook

Sound of music ...

... is the reason why I am blogging at 5 in the morning. There are songs that give you goose-bumps, songs that completely hog your senses, songs that leave you in a trance.

I am a big admirer of "Madhushala" by Harivansh Rai Bachchan. I heard Manna Dey sing it while I was in college. I was immediately a fan of the song. But few months back I heard this, and Madhushala was never the same. I don't know whether it's Big B's voice or the music, but every time I listen to it, it takes me to another world.

Now, why am I blogging at this hour. Well, couple of days back, Nomad introduced me to this. I love sufi songs. But, somehow this was different. This song took me to some other level. I came back from office, opened up a beer, put my headphones and played this song. The idea was to relax and unwind. It ended up very differently. I have been listening to this song for 5-6 hours now and I am in a trance. There's so much peace and tranquility deep inside me that it cannot be explained in words. I have been sharing this song with anybody whom I see online. I had to share it here. Listen to it and fall in love with the power of music.

jo naa jaane haq ki taaqat,

rab naa deve usko himmat.

Hum mann ki dariyaa mein dooobe,

kaisi naiiyya , kya manjhdhaar.

Bas karee oh yaar, ilmu

bas karee oh yaar

Aik alif tere darkaar

bas karee oh yaar

"Say cheese" - Click -"Thank you"

I love photography. But I am not a serious photographer. I love to click emotions, moments, graffiti, nature etc. The best way to describe my camera-skills is to relate it to a Dhoni style of batting. Its not copybook, its not orthodox, but yes it wins you matches. Every time someone loves the photos that I click, its like I have won a match. 

I love to click 

• Close-up of people when they are totally unaware of the camera. Believe me, these unexpected clicks come out to be the best. And to blow my own trumpet, I think I time them well (its like the hand-eye co-ordination of Sehwag)
• Truck-graffiti. They are my favourite. Every time I am on the highway, I am ready with the camera to catch a funny one written at the back of the truck. 
• Dhaba-graffiti. Be it the entire menu written on the wall or a misspelled instruction/ad , all of it has to be captured
• Number-plates . Yeah, everyone has a weird streak in them. Mine is clicking number-plates of vehicles of different states or some interesting combination of numbers on the plates.
• Birds - The first photo that I clicked with my camera was of some bird. Since that day I have been clicking photos of birds. But its not like clicking photos of rare birds. I like to capture birds like sparrows, crows or pigeons but with an interesting setting. This has now extended to cats and dogs.
• Nature. Just like the whole of India knows how to play cricket, similarly every photographer likes to click beautiful sceneries and landscapes of snow-capped peaks, beaches,deserts etc. I am no exception. I do that form time to time.

You may say after reading this - " Okay, we get the picture. Point being?" Well, I will answer that question with another analogy from cricket (after all its cricket everywhere). What use is a cricketer if he hits sixes and fours in his backyard? The fun is in playing on a cricket ground with spectators watching you hit every ball. So, without much ado, ladies and ledas I present to you my photo-blog. 

And that takes away the anonymity of The White Phoenix but I think I am okay with. :) 

Edited to add: I am still trying to figure out my way through wordpress. Seems it will take a while to get the hang of it. Till thgen bear with me.

Tees naak-adaauu sawaal

I had been planning a post for quite sometime, but something or the other happened. Saw this and thought what better way to get away with the having-blog-not-posting guilt. So here are the 30 "nosey" questions.

1. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing you thought? " Why is the mirror different today? Oops I am not at my place"

2. How much cash do you have in your wallet right now? Rs. 2732. Oh yes, I am a filthy rich s/w engineer. Hehaw

3. What’s a word that rhymes with DOOR? Jungle ka Mor

4. Who is the 4th person on your missed call list on your cell phone? My OH(see previous post for details). Just cannot live without me

5. What is your favorite ring tone on your phone? The opening credits from sholay.

6. What are you wearing right now? Let's see. A black striped shirt. Blue Jeans. Ek upar waala jockey aur ek neeche waala jockey. Bathroom slippers (yes i am in office). A watch.

7. Do you label yourself? As a lazybone (Mind you, I also take it as a compliment if anyone labels me that)

8. Name the brand of the shoes you’re currently own? ID

9.Bright or Dark Room? Yellow room.

10. What do you think about the person who took this survey before you? She is a Super-star and my best friend.

11. What does your watch look like? Its a Citizen with a black dial. My ex gifted it. And I like it so much that I cannot throw it. Selfish me :P

12. What were you doing at midnight last night? Drinking beer. Participating in an interesting discussion on print journalism.

13. What did your last text message you received on your cell say? “Dear customer, Please do not share your ATM pin and IPin with anyone ..... HDFC-Bank” Wtf. Why would I? Do they think ki mere forehead pe likha hua hai !@#$%^

14. What’s a word that you say a lot? Awesome

15. Who told you he/she loved you last?(please exclude spouse , family, children) The famous mosquito of my cubicle. People on my Facebook list would believe me on this

16. Last furry thing you touched? A cat at my friend's place.

17. Favourite age you have been so far? Present. Definitely

18. What was the last thing you said to someone? “Chalo, let's go catch some fresh air”. Smoking is what I meant of course

19.The last song you listened to? If I were a carpenter. Johnny Cash and Juen Carter

20. Where did you live in 1987? Dhanbad, India

21. Are you jealous of anyone? Anyone who is driving an Audi Q7 or a VW Tourag

22. Is anyone jealous of you? People in general are jealous about me working two hours a day yet getting paid.

23. Name three things that you have on you at all times? Wallet, mobile and watch

24. What’s your favourite town/city? None as of now.

25. When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper and mailed it? 2005 I think.

26. Can you change the oil on a car? I don't think so.

27. Your first love/big crush: what is the last thing you heard about him/her? That she was having a party on her Birthday.

28. Does anything hurt on your body right now? My head . Either its the hangover or its the mundane job.

29.What is your current desktop picture? A beautiful photograph (which I clicked) of a bird with the sea in the background

30. Have you been burnt by love? In a way , yes. I had fun on that side of the town too.:P

Who ever takes this tag, do inform me. After all every one likes to be "nosey" from time to time ;)

My Married Life

Yes, It will be 3 years on 3rd of July. And what a journey it has been. A sinusoidal waveform I would say. I write this post because I feel that it won't last long. And my Other Half(OH) knows it too. Its just that OH wants to live in denial.

Here are some random conversation which should give you a fair idea of our relationship.

Converstaion 1

OH : You are not spending enough time with me
Me : Yes, I was busy all of last week with work.
OH : I am not talking about last week. I am talking about last three months
Me : You cannot blame me. I don't find the marriage interesting anymore.
OH : Is there something going on in your personal life
Me : What has personal life got to do with marriage. And for the record nothing is going on.
OH : you can tell me you know.
Me : (exasperated) No there's nothing going on. I will try to spend more time.


*****************************************************
Conversation 2

Me : I won't be home on Monday
OH : Okay.
(and just when I am about to leave)
OH : Why , may I ask?
Me : I am going to Bangalore.
OH : (with a resigned look and fearing a new love interest in my life) Why?
Me : Cousin's marriage.
OH : (sigh of relief) Okay.
This was followed by normal quizzical questions like when is the marriage, when is my flight etc.


*****************************************************

I was having a chat with Selene (see you got your nick on the blog) the other day on the phone. FYI - Selene is my relationship advisor and knows everything that goes between OH and me

Me : I am not on talking terms with OH.
S : kya hua?
Me : Kuch nahi. OH said some things which did not feel right.
S : So did you discuss with OH
Me : No, we are royally ignoring each-other.

20 minutes later I sms Selene
Me : OH just asked me to have lunch together.
S : Are you going?
Me : Have to. But I am not liking the idea. Humara jhagdha khatam ho jaayega.
S : Kyun?
Me : You know we always end-up patching up over the lunch.
S : Free mein mat maan jaana. maang le jo bhi maangna hai.
Me : You know me. Dil humara bahut jaldi gir jaata hai daffatan. Hum fisal jaayenge like always.

And my dear readers that is what happened after 40 minutes of lunch :)


********************************************************

And here's another one. Again on the phone with Selene
Me : I am just tired of this marriage.
S : Ab kya hua?
Me : OH is pressurizing me again for the "issue" thing.
S : Toh problem kya hai?
Me : I don't want it now. And knowing that we will soon part ways , it's just not right.
Me : I am thinking of getting vasectomy done. Na rahega baans na bajegi bansoori.
S : That's not right. Why don't you file for a divorce. Go for a mutual and agreeable seperation
Me : That's not happening. I cannot go for a divorce unless I find someone else. You know about the pressures of family and society.
S : Hmmm. And why can't you find greener pastures
Me : The time is not right. And to look for a comaptible relationship is not easy these days.

And its not that I am hiding anything from OH. I have already informed OH that I will move on from this marriage whenever I get into a relationship where my heart is. Till then , both of us are leading a life of convinience. I am living with a hope to find the greener pastures and OH with a hope that things will change and I will never leave.

But truth be told, I do miss my Other Half (i.e. my boss at office) whenever he is on a leave. I am sure I won't have a better boss, but ist just that my hatred for my job sometimes affects my relationship with my "Other Half". :P

I dedicate this poem by Sunil Jogi to my "Other Half"

mushkil hai apna mail priye,
ye pyar nahin hai khel priye,

tum MA 1st division ho, main hua matric phel priye,
mushkil hai apna mel priye, ye pyar nahin hai khel priye,


tum fauji afsar ki beti, main to kisaan ka beta hoon,
tum rabadi kheer malai ho, main to sookha sapreta hoon,
tum AC ghar mein rehti ho, main ped ke neeche leta hoon,
tum nayi maruti lagti ho, main scooter lambreta hoon,
is kadar agar hum chup-chup kar aapas me prem badhayenge,
to ek roz tere daddy Amrish Puri ban jaaenge,
sab haddi pasli tod mujhe bhijwaa denge vo jail priye,
mushkil hai apna mail priye, ye pyar nahin hai khel priye,


tum arab desh kee ghodi ho, main hoon gadahe ki naal priye,
tum deewali ka bonus ho, main bhookho ki hadtaal priye,
tum heere jadi tashtari ho, main aluminium ka thaal priye,
tum chicken-soop biryani ho, main kankad waali daal priye,
tum hiran-chaokadi bharti ho, main hoon kachhue ki chaal priye,
tum chandan-wan ki lakdi ho, main hoon babool ki chhaal priye,
main pake aam sa latka hoon, mat maaro mujhe gulel priye,
mushkil hai apna mail priye, ye pyar nahin hai khel priye,


main shani-dev jaisa kuroop, tum komal kanchan kaya ho,
main tan-se man-se Kanshi Ram, tum maha chanchala maya ho,
tum nirmal paawan ganga ho, main jalta hua patanga hoon,
tum raaj ghaat ka shanti march, main hindu-muslim danga hoon,
tum ho poonam ka taajmahal, main kaali gufa ajanta ki,
tum ho vardaan vidhata ka, main galti hoon bhagvanta ki,
tum jet vimaan ki shobha ho, main bus ki thelam-thel priye,
mushkil hai apna mail priye, ye pyar nahin hai khel priye,


tum nai videshi mixie ho, main patthar ka silbatta hoon,
tum AK-saintalis jaisi, main to bas desi katta hoon,
tum chatur Rabadi Devi si, main bhola-bhala Lalu hoon,
tum mukt sherni jungle ki, main chidiyaghar ka bhaalu hoon,
tum vyast Sonia Gandhi si, main V.P.Singh sa khali hoon,
tum hansi Madhuri Dixit ki, main policeman ki gaali hoon,
kal jail agar ho jaaye to dilwa dena tum bail priye,
mushkil hai apna mail priye, ye pyar nahin hai khel priye,


main dhabe ke dhaanche sa hun, tum paanch sitara hotel ho,
main mahue ka desi tharra, tum red-label ki botal ho,
tum chitra-haar ka madhur geet, main krishi-darshan ki jhaadi hoon,
tum vishva-sundari si kamaal, main theliya chaap kabadi hoon,
tum sony ka mobile ho, main telephone waala chonga,
tum machhli maansarovar ki, main hun saagar tat ka ghongha,
dus manzil se gir jaaooga, mat aage mujhe dhakel priye,
mushkil hai apna mail priye, ye pyar nahin hai khel priye,


tum satta ki maharani ho, main vipaksha ki lachaari hoon,
tum ho mamta-Jailalita si, main kwara Atal-Bihari hoon,
tum Tendulkar ka shatak priye, main follow on ki paari hoon,
tum getz, matiz, corolla ho main Leyland ki lorry hoon,
mujhko refree hi rehne do, mat khelo mujhse khel priye,
mushkil hai apna mel priye, ye pyar nahin hai khel priye,
main soch raha ki rahe hain kabse, shrota mujhko jhel priye,
mushkil hai apna mail priye, ye pyar nahin hai khel priye

Ten ten-a-ten ten

Chandu tagged me for this. I generally skip tags but since I am so busy in office today, I had to do it. :(

1. is the packet of cigarettes I smoke everyday. :P
   
2. is the AM I go to sleep every night. I have one more on this. 2 is the number of hours I work in office.
   
3. is the number of years I will complete in my first job in July. Koi bachaa lo. looks left,then right and then drowns in shame
   
4. is the number of chocolates that have been cut from Chandu's quota of chocolates for making a lazybone like me do the tag.
5. is the maximum number of push-ups, I think, I can do. Its also the number of games that I can play very well.(Cricket,basketball,volleyball,badminton, dumb-charades) sings "collar ko thoda upar utha ke"
   
6. is the number of drinks(read whisky) till which I can guarantee 100% sobriety.
   
7. is the average number of cups of coffee I generally drink everyday. Believe me, it took a lot of calculation to come to this figure.
8. are the number of years left for me to open up my dream restaurant.
9. is the number of Asterix&Obelix I need to buy to complete the set. Peoples kya aap suntee. Mere ko gift kartee, main aapko return gift me chocolates/ice-creams/brownies detee.
   
10. is number of different types of single-malt whisky I want to keep in my bar.

Now my turn to play the devil. I tag everyone who has ever left a comment on my blog or is reading this particular post. If you don't do this tag then you will be hit by the following curse:

"Thou shalt never enjoy a drink
Thou wilt never enjoy ghar ka khana
Thou shalt hate books & comics
Thous shall hate movies."

So dare you skip this tag !!!

The Great Experiment

Well, we were having a party at my place. And we were playing song-request game. The game was that everyone takes turn to play a song which he/she hasn't heard in ages and is a favorite.

So my friend's sister wanted to play a song that she couldn't remember. All she remembered was that the song featured Smita Patil in a yellow frock along with Sanjeev Kumar and some other "side"-y hero. Everyone wracked their brains but nothing came up. Finally, yours truly picked up the laptop and this is what happened.

Aim of the Experiment              : Find the song

Information given                       : Smita Patil - yellow frock - Sanjeev Kumar

Apparatus used                           : Internet

Experiment and Observations  :

   1.   Ask google "smita patil yellow frock sanjeev kumar"
         - ABORT
  2.   Ask google "Smita patil sanjeev kumar movies"
        - ABORT
  3.   Go to IMDB - search for smita patil - go through her movies and see cast
        - Too many movies - ABORT
  4.   Ask youtube "smita patil yellow frock"
       - ABORT ( you don't want to know the kind of results that came up)
  5.   Ask youtube "smita patil sanjeev kumar"
         BINGO - "Baton mein na talo jee... dil de dalo jee"

Time taken          : time taken to cook Maggie

Inference             : And that's why I want to make a career out of internet-media

Q.E.D.

P.S. - Do you have any songs in your mind that you want to search and you have insufficient information about ? Contact The White Phoenix :)

Confessions of a guilty-mind

After getting heavy traffic on my blog due to this and also this, the responsible blogizen in me has woken up and I have got a confession to make. Yes, I am looking for a girl-friend/wife. But I must tell my readers that I am already dating a girl. Her name is Alcy . She is so awesome that I cannot live without her. And I don't intend to dump her even if I find my perfect mate. She is every man's dream. And I have a duty to tell you all why she is so irresistible and awesome . Here it is.

• You won't miss her ever because she is always
  around
• She really doesn't burn a hole in your
  wallet. NoBarista No gifts. Happy with masala-papad, peanut-masala and Haldiram bhujia. In short, total low-maintenance.
  
• The dresses she wears will bowl you over any day. And when you are with her she prefers see-throughs. Imagine!!!!!!
  
• She will never ever complain about your choice of music. In fact
  whenever you are with her, she prefers that your favourite numbers are
  being played.
• She is there for you when you are
  happy, sad, celebrating, tired, exhausted.
• She doesn't
  complain when you are glued on to the TV watching some sports. On the
  contrary she prefers being with you by your side and enjoying every
  moment.
• She takes care of you, makes you eat and
  drink a lot after an intense love-making session. A word of caution
  here - if you dare not to listen to her, you will definitely end up with
  a heavy head in the morning.
• She gels-in well with
  your friends. In fact all your male friends become her fan right in the
  first meeting.
• She is not the jealous or possessive
  kind. She is okay you if you have a fling at her sisters once in a
  while but if you two-time her with her sisters , its you who gets
  screwed.
• The love is pure. She never cares about
  your bank-balance or your social status
• If you
  smoke,
  she won't make you quit it.In fact she loves the smoky environment when
  you two cozy-up.
• One of the best kissers. She
  gives you a new high every time she kisses you.

Without further ado I introduce to you to my "oh so perfect" girlfriend - the hot, the sexy, the sizzling beauty Miss Alcy , aka Miss Alcohol aka Miss booze aka apni Daaru Darling.

Alcyeeeeeeeeeeeee AAYEEEE LAV EWWWWW
*Runs towards her Hindi-movie style in slow-motion with arms-spread, gleam in the eyes, mouth open etc etc.... *

Ladies and ledas !! We announce the all new recipe of the day

Seeing the awful food at the lunch table today ...

ME : What a nutritious lunch
MANAGER1 : What a colorful lunch
MANAGER2 : Especially the "psychedelic green" chutney

.. silence ... contemplation in the air .. when suddenly

ME : Do we have a dish which is blue in color

.... wracking of brains ...

M1 : Baingan ki sabzee if you don't peel the chilka
ME : naah
M2 : Baingan is purple ... psychedelic purple

..... we wonder what's with M2 and psychedelia

M1 : I am sure French cuisine must be having something blue

.. a pause ... nodding of heads in agreement

M2 : Or Japanese ... their food is full of colors.
ME : (to myself) Thank God he didn't say "full of psychedelic colors"

.... a little more wracking of brains

ME : I want to make Blue rice/biryani/pulao. How do you make a blue rice without adding color.

.... The imaginary "psychedelic red" buzzer-bulb on M2's head blinks. We stare at M2

ME2 : That's easy!!! Beat the rice.
ME : Voila!!!
Since rice doesn't have eyes, so after we beat it, it won't turn black & blue.
We have successfully invented the "beaten-up blue rice".

Fhalsafa

I had to put this one here...

Friend's status message on facebook
- "jo guzar jaati hai bas uspe guzar karte hain"

(a line from an awesome song where the lyrics goes like ...
raah pe rahate hai, yaadon pe basar karate hai
khush raho yehale watan hum to safar karate hai
jal gaye jo dhoonp mein to saayaa ho gaye
aasamaan kaa koee konaa, thodaa so gaye
jo gujar jaatee hain bas us pe gujar karate hai)

Reply from another friend
- "Iss baat mein se agar fhalsafa(philosphy) hata diya jai.... toh usko geedhh(eagle) kee aatmakatha bhi bola jaa sakta hai"

Debut "Match"

Its been a long long time since I put up a post. Many things have happened in these two months. To start with is the whole process of arranged marriage. Yes, you heard it right!!!

Life never stops from springing up new surprises. Today, I met a girl for an informal chit-chat - one of those those things when the guy and the girl meet-up and try to find out whether they can be a prospective match for life or not. And the best part about the whole thing is 15th Feb 2008 I was to get married to White, and 15th Feb 2009 is the day when I start meeting girls for marriage. How more ironical can life get.

Someone once asked me whether I believe in the concept of "arranged-marriage" or not. And all I could do was laugh at it. Yes, there was a time when I found the whole concept, rather stupid. But you never know what's coming next. The year started with my parents asking me whether they should start looking for a girl or not. And I had no reasons to say no. This is how the situation is :

- I am from a family where nobody has gone for a love-marriage. I was turning out to be an exception but that didn't happen. It's not that my family is against love-marriage but they would prefer an arranged-marriage anyday.

- People ask "what's the hurry - Wait till you find the right girl". I , being all logical and stuff, gave it a serious thought. And this is what I realised. To wait for the right girl, you must meet one. But for that to happen you should have a social-life where you meet a lot of new people and if you are lucky you will meet your match. But my social life isn't like that. There are no girls in office so you rule out office-romance( unless I do change my job :) ). In my circle of friends people are either married,committed or are meeting prospective grooms. My circle of friends is also not so big that new people keep coming in. And above all, let's suppose that I do meet a girl - Am I ready to fall into love? I don't think so. Its not that I haven't been able to put White out of my life. The thing is I am kind of exhausted from my last relationship to get into a new one.

- And the third things is my friend Rib getting engaged. He went for arranged-marriage. He met a couple of girls and then found one to be nice and compatible. The parents met. They were happy. Rib and the girl Dit are going through a courtship-period and now they are so much into love that no one can say that their marriage is an arranged one. I know things cannot be as rosy for everyone but at least there's hope. I always used to say that arranged-marriage is like a game of probability where the chances of winning is 50%. But isn't that true for love-marriage. You are in love with a girl but when you start your married life, it might be totally different. At least in arranged-marriage if you are on the losing 50% side you can make an extra effort to compromise and reduce the damage. Stupid logic,I know, but these things are just to convince myself.

So, the search has started and I scored my first runs today and after today's day of play I am still not "bowled-out". The meeting was interesting. The tiny little creatures that you see in the garden, sitting on flowers were hovering around in my stomach before meeting the girl. It was just like a debutante facing his first delivery in cricket. After middling a few balls ( read a few minutes of chatting) I grew in confidence. We talked for two hours. And thankfully it was not like the question-answer sessions where you ask about hobbies, music, food etc. We generally talked. It was an okay chit-chat but somehow I didn't find .. umm how do i say ..well in terms of physics it wasn't a constructive interference ( in simple words it wasn't a harmony). Later on my parents asked me about my meeting and I had a real tough time explaining to them that even though the girl was nice, she isn't what I am looking for. For all of you who haven't gone through the process let me tell you this is the tough part where you got to explain to your parents why you didn't like the girl/boy. But thats's not it. The toughest part is saying "No". I find it real hard to say no to people even for small things in life. How do you say no to a girl or her parents. I really feel bad for the girl. This is cruel. You meet a guy and later on the guy says no. I am sure that doesn't leave you with the happiest of feelings. Maybe, that's how things happen on this side of the fence. I feel like saying sorry for saying "no". :(

Anyway, let's see what else life has in store and what new lessons it teaches me.

Among other things, 2009 is turning out to be a decent year. I am doing a lot of road-trips. My first trip was to Jaisalmer. We did 940 kms in eleven and half hours!!! What a drive it was through the desert. Next, we did a road-trip from Delhi to Mumbai in a Scorpio. Two of my friends flew from Mumbai to just be a part of the road-trip. We started on a Saturday and reached Udaipur the same night. Interesting thing was the hotel we stayed-in was the same one which was used in MTV roadies :P. Anyway we reached Mumbai on Sunday night.

Whenever I go to Mumbai there is a long list of people whom I have to meet. This time my flight back to Delhi was on Monday evening. So it was not possible to meet everyone. And if I am in Mumbai and I am not meeting my favourite e-friend Moo, I know I am dead. So met Moo on Monday, we went to Strand book fair where I bought lots and lots of books and a few Asterix & Obelix at discounted price. Such book fairs are so enticing that the best way to describe my feeling is -orgasmic. And if your partner in crime is someone as well read as Moo you are in for a treat. Next, Moo treated me with some awesome steaks in Colaba. This was our second meeting, but every time you meet this girl its like you have been knowing each-other for ages. No initial long-pauses, no looking at plates o playing with straws. Straight away you are into a deep conversation on a topic as weird as " have you listened to this ring tone where this Aunty is cursing a hair-dresser ...... @##$%% " . I had a lovely time with Moo. People, if you really want a de-stressing lunch full of weird conversations where you laugh your lungs out, catch hold of her.

Anyway, my next trip was to Jaipur for Rib's engagement. This was followed by a trip to Jim-Corbett where we, obviously, didn't spot a tiger on jungle safari.

Job-hunt is still on. Looks like my passion for Internet -media will have to wait till these troubled times are over.

Other updates some other time.

P.S - I am planning to start a photo-blog. I hope I don't take as much time in starting it as I do in updating this blog. This blog won't be with this anon id.

Till then, today's song is from the movie Fiddler on the Roof :)

Matchmaker, Matchmaker,

Make me a match,

Find me a find,

catch me a catch

Matchmaker, Matchmaker

Look through your book,

And make me a perfect match