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 ;)