Escape From Life ...

Golden Gate

2010-10-24T13:32:00.000-07:00

Golden Gate on a very foggy day. I had always wanted to take a picture like this. Now I wish I had a better camera.

Paris in Vegas

2010-07-15T21:15:00.000-07:00

Click on Image of Hi-Res

Fun Times

2010-07-11T04:11:00.000-07:00

Stinson Beach, California

In Pictures ...

2010-06-17T23:03:00.000-07:00

Lost Opportunities

2010-06-15T12:40:00.001-07:00

I was rummaging through the desk trying to find the nail clippers, but to no avail. I had chipped a finger nail and wanted to cut it off properly. I had spent past 15 minutes trying to find it, and finally decided to give up and yelled for my sister to come and find it for me. ‘It must be in the bathroom, where it usually is’, she said impatiently. But I had already gone through all the stuff there a few minutes ago, more than once. So I yelled for her again and heard her complaining. She finally got up, came to the bathroom, opened the drawer and pointed it to me. It was right there in front of me all the time and I didn’t see it. “See I told you its right there. You should go and have your eyes checked”.

That’s when it hit me. You know, there’s a lot of things that you want out of life. And life offers you immense opportunities to that extend but more often than not, we are just so busy with our other endeavors that we fail to take advantage of the opportunities presented to us. Later when we look back and look at all the lost opportunities, we try our best to get a hold on them, but to no avail. It usually is always too late by the time we realize what we have missed, and what might never be ours to take because we missed it, or rather ignored it, when it was presented to us.

Often times it so happens that, those opportunities that we ignored show up again. But there's always a catch. You either don’t need it or its not yours to take anymore. You had your chance and you lost it. That is the reason why I say that ‘People come into your life for a reason, and its very important that you figure out why, before its too late’. Never take anything for granted, look at everything as if you will never see it again. If you like something, hold onto it and never let go. Who knows, what path life will take you on and if you will ever have a second chance of experiencing the same things again.

Crossroad

2010-03-25T09:52:00.001-07:00

Finally the crossroad that he had been waiting for came into sight, or at least he thought so. He just hoped that it wasn't another mirage like before. He couldn't control his anxiety and decided to quicken his pace. The straps of his heavy bag were already biting into his shoulder, but he continued, lest he miss it again. There was still that feeling on the back of his mind that kept stomping on his optimism, telling him that this was just another mirage and he should not get his hopes high. But nevertheless, hope was the only thing that had kept him sane and alive for so long and persuaded his optimism to rise every time it fell.
And then he saw it, there it was. Was that smoke what he saw. He couldn't believe his eyes. He had seen a lot of mirages but never smoke in them before. This was it. This was the real deal. He bagan to jog and the run. Yes there it was, the bus that would take him to the paradise city. He had finally arrived at the first crossroad in time for the bus to Paradise city.
There was a big puff of smoke, and then a bigger one followed. He bag to sprint. No. Not now. Not now when he was so close. The bus began to move, and he tried to pick up his pace. He gave everything he had to catch it. He ran and he ran. Sweat pouring down like rain. He was literally drenched. He could feel his feet cramping up but he didn't give in yet. It was just an arms reach away. He could catch it. He would still be able to get on board, and then he fell. His legs cramped and he got a stitch in his stomach. He tried to get up but fell down again, and again, and again. And then he saw the smoke disappearing in the distance.
He just lay there. He could see the moon behind the clouds in the east and the sun in the west. And he just lay there. He was falling down, down into a dark abyss. There seemed to be no end to it. He had a funny feeling in his stomach. The feeling that you get when the elevator of a skyscraper first starts its journey down. The feeling of weightlessness. He was falling down and now he was afraid. he opened his eyes and saw the stars again. He sat up, had a small meal, some water and the began walking towards the next crossroad. There was still hope left in him. The hope that he would be able to fulfill his dream some day. Yesterday, he wasn't even sure if it was possible. Today he almost missed it, no no, he almost caught it, almost fulfilled his dream. So that was some definite progress. He still had hope.
Minutes became hours, hours became days and days turned to weeks when finally the next crossroad came into his sight. The bus was waiting. The anxiety in him began to ebb again and he could feel the adrenaline rush. He took a few quick steps and began to jog. Should he run faster, will the bus wait for him long enough, should he sprint? He suddenly stopped and stood still looking at the bus, with all the questions still buzzing in his mind. And finally he decided. If it was meant for him to get on it, maybe it didn't matter if he ran or not. He would be able to get on it regardless. And; he just walked.

2010-03-06T10:28:00.000-08:00

A New Decade

2010-02-03T19:23:00.001-08:00

As the new year drew ever closer, my thoughts reflected back to the start of 2009, thoughts of new beginnings, new opportunities, new possibilities, resolutions, hope. Of the past that I wanted to leave behind and of the future that I had wanted to embrace. Nothing turned out the way I had anticipated for 2009. Failure after failure. One bad news after the other. There was no stopping the deluge. It had probably been the lowest I had ever been in my life so far. So as another new year approached, my thoughts went back. My hopes for the coming year again began to lift. But I always had a bad feeling in the back of my head about another let down, and I was very wary of what I hoped for.

But then, when I tried to pen down my experiences of 2009, I remembered all the good things that had happened in the most unexpected ways possible. I would say that I had never had a better time in my life till now. Of the best time that I got to spend with my family after a long long time. The small but memorable vacation we had, after what could very well be said as ages. The opportunity that came my way unexpectedly, of meeting my dearest old friends whom I haven't seen in about half a decade. My small but very good spiritual trip to the various religious places in India.
Then an unexpected but very pleasant visit by a dear old friend. The amazing weekends we had together, which were just becoming better and better every week. Then a long hiatus to the East Coast that I had been looking forward to for a long time.
In short, 2009 for me has been kind of an eye opener. It gave me time to think of some events of the past. It taught me a lot too in terms of economical living and the value of money. It made me see the wide disparity present in society today. It made me think a lot. It reunited me with some of the best friends that I am sure not to lose touch again with. It showed me that some things in life are just not meant to be, while others will come into your life weather you like it or not. The difference lies in the fact weather you welcome them happily like you welcome old pals or you detest them like unwanted guests.
As for 2010, there already has been a very pleasant and unexpected surprise visit by another very dear friend whom I have literally not seen in a decade. I hope that the rest of 2010 is as much fun as 2009 was, if not better. And I wish the same for everyone of you. I know its quiet late but, Happy New Year to you all.

Of Love

2010-01-27T18:44:00.001-08:00

I wrote this quiet a while back, but never really got around to posting it. I was going through my drafts and couldn't remember any more, what it was that kept me from posting it. So here it is.

I had an interesting conversation with one of my friends today.

Him : About how far should one go in the name of love.
Me : I'd say its a personal choice ... but why do you ask ...

Him : Just want to know if someone in this world has any definite answer to this
Me : Maybe just keep going on ... till you are sane
Him : Hahaha then your love would go far away from you
Me : If it still goes far away .. then maybe it was never really worth it

Later I wondered if one really had a choice in how far one wanted to go or can go. You see, love is not a bed of roses as it appears to a lot of us. The rose is just a camouflage to what actually lies under. When in love, one just keeps going on. The intent is to only keep going on till one is sane, but when in love, one never knows when that boundary of insanity is crossed. One never knows when to stop, or even if he knows, he can't. Even if he wants to he can't. Its a kind of a quagmire, from which, maybe, only time can rescue you.
I wonder why birds choose to stay in the same place when they can fly anywhere on earth. And then I ask myself the same question. I wonder what it is that has the power or will to pull one out of that quagmire. What it is that can make birds to never stop at the same place twice.

Rain

2009-10-13T22:29:00.001-07:00

I woke up today morning to find the whole neighborhood drenched in rain. It had been incessantly raining since around 3 in the morning today. As I was whiling away my time by the window with a cup of coffee, the wish that I had since my childhood crossed my mind and put a smile on my face. You see ever since I was a kid, I have seen storms and floods and all sorts of natural calamities on TV. never in real life. So I always wished to be in a place which gets flooded bad. Pretty bad. I have lived parts of my life in some places which are very notorious for floods, they flood year after year without fail. No matter what. But guess what, during the time I was there, no floods.

Anyways, this evil wish of mine was gone from my mind when I went out in the evening and rediscovered my passion of driving in the rain. I love whizzing past slow traffic and spraying them all over with water. Driving in the zero visibility spray is like driving into the unknown :P. Well its pretty late at night and its still raining. Believe me or not, it hasn't stopped raining even for a single minute since morning. Yeah at times it was just a light drizzle, but even that didn't stop at all. So I hope it continues like this all through the night and by the time I wake up tomorrow, I hope the whole place gets flooded :P.

Freedom

2009-08-14T22:32:00.000-07:00

India is my country and all Indians are my brothers and sisters. I love my country and I am proud of its rich and varied heritage. I shall always strive to be worthy of it. I shall give respect to my parents, teachers and elders and treat everyone with courtesy. To my country and my people, I pledge my devotion.In their well being and prosperity alone, lies my happiness.

:) I thought I had forgotten it. Am glad that I can still recall my Pledge. Here's something special for you guys today. This is a picture of the front page of "Times of India's" first news paper of Independent India. Happy Independence Day. Click on the picture for a better view.

Life is a journey

2009-06-30T01:05:00.001-07:00

Life is a journey, not a Destination,

Happiness lies along the way, not at the end of it,
For then, the journey is over & tis too late,
The time for happiness is Today, not Tomorrow.

Life is a Parody ...

2009-06-01T13:41:00.000-07:00

We all like to think that we have some control over the events in our lives, and a lot of the time we can fool ourselves into thinking that we really are in charge. But then something happens to remind us that the world runs by its own rules and not ours, that we're just along for the ride.

Some songs that'll make you feel better ...

2009-05-11T18:52:00.000-07:00

Is there a lot on your mind ... Is there something that's troubling you ... Don't worry ... Just turn off your mobile, pull down the shades, turn the AC down , get a cup of hot chocolate and it'll all make sense ... Hit play and just relax ...

e-books: Devices and Formats

2009-02-13T23:22:00.001-08:00

A lot of us love reading. And a little less of us are eco-conscious. How good would it be, to mix these both passions? Well, if the number of e-book readers that are flooding the market are anything go by, Pretty damn good! You gotta appreciate the USP of e-book readers here. They serve a key demographic of consumers, They are eco-friendly, They make pursuing your hobbies very simple and the business value ain’t so ugly either.

Currently, the market has a lot of e-book readers. Here are some I came across: Kindle, Sony Reader, eSlick, BeBook. Amazon has even released an update to Kindle with a controversial “Text to Speech” feature that allows your reader to read a particular book out loud. Pretty nifty if you ask me, leaving the copyright infringement aside. You can even read e-books on your iPhone/iPod Touch. Which is my favourite by far.

Now, the problem with the whole thing is interoperability. There are as many e-book formats as there are e-book readers. And most of the time you can’t migrate your book collection to a new device or have multiple devices at the same time. There is one format though, ePub, which is an open format and most devices support it.

An avid reader needs to make an informed decision when he chooses a particular device and then a compatible format. If you buy books in epub format you can rest assured that 10 years from now, you won’t have to worry about how you can read the Harry Potter series again in the new generation devices. You are not locked into any proprietary format that might go extinct sometime in the future.

If you are in the United States, Buying a Kindle makes more sense as there is a lot of content available apart from books. People elsewhere might consider Sony Reader or some such depending on the availability of the device and compatible content. I, for one, use my iPod Touch for reading these days. Further, all the books I buy are readable on my computer albeit, by installing additional software.

For further info head to these links:

Some websites that allow you to buy e-Books:

Technorati Tags: ebooks,sony reader,kindle

The Best Years of my Life

2008-12-14T22:17:00.001-08:00

My good friend and CEO came by my cube last Friday to wish me in advance and ask me how I felt, now that I was about to cross the quarter century milestone. I looked and him and smiled. My whole life so far zipped past me.

I felt like I was leaving behind the best years of my life. A part life which I had never taken so seriously, but still remains the best remembered in my life of all the other parts. I wish I could relive some of them again someday. I have changed a lot some would say, but friends really close to me tell I haven't changed a bit. I have picked up many good habits, and maybe a few bad ones too along the way. I have had many happy moments which would always remain imprinted in my mind forever. First time I was recognized in front of everyone at school, first time I lived on my own away from my parents, my first crush, first time I was on a stage, my first.. no OUR first hugely successful science project, first time I stayed in a hostel, my first infatuation, my last days at school, the going away parties, first time slogging for over 14 hours a day, first time I felt free after junior college, my days in undergrad, the practicals and the viva's, days spent at the canteen or at movie theaters away from classes, the day I got my student visa, the day I landed here in US, when I got my first part time job, the day I got my first paycheck, the summer holidays, the projects and the impossible people we had to deal with at school, my first football game, the day I got a job offer, the day I left school, my graduation, my first big paycheck, the day I bought my car, the weekends and the parties, the long drives and the adventures. Yes I will remember them all.

The journey has been long and sometimes tiring, although I have enjoyed most of it, just as I enjoy my long drives. I did pick up a lot of friends on the way, some of who will remain with me forever, while others might not. Some of them rode on along with me for a while which seemed but like the blink of an eye. I wish some of them to have stayed longer, but their destination had come and they had to go.
Well anyways, I told my CEO that I felt like I was getting old, and he started laughing. He said I have a long life ahead. Heck he's close to 50 and still thinks that he has a long way to go. He said it doesn't matter how old you are, what matters is the quality of life you have lived, with happiness and joy, without regrets, remembering the good old times and always looking forward. I do have some regrets, but otherwise I have lived a happy life so far. Life is long, and it just keeps going on and on. Although I feel like I am leaving behind the best years of my life, the truth is, to quote one of my friends "It's true that we don't know what we've got until we lose it, but it's also true that we don't know what we've been missing until it arrives".

-- Life is a journey, not a destination, happiness lies along the way, and not at the end of the road, for then, the journey is over and 'tis too late.

For Mumbai

2008-12-05T09:00:00.000-08:00

This is in Memory of those who lost their lives in Mumbai between 26'th November 2008 and 28'th November 2008.

Childhood ...

2008-11-18T11:16:00.001-08:00

No..no .. You be the mommy and I'll be the baby ... You have to feed me ...
No ... I want to play princess, not mommy ...
OK, lets go and play something else then.
Shall we play hide and seek, theres so much place back there. There will be so many hiding places.
No lets play house house.
But we play that all the time...

You guys must be wondering "what the heck am I reading here" ... Well actually these were the exact words spoken by a bunch of lovely kids at the restaurant the other day when I went for dinner. There was lots more, but sadly, I can't remember any more. It must have been a party or something. Four families were occupying the four tables in the center of the restaurant, the parents occupied two tables while the kids were having the time of their life on the other two. They were all having dinner when I had first entered and written my name down for the maitre d to seat our group. By the time I was sitting at my table, the kids had finished and were running around playing all sorts of kids games. My best guess, they were all between 5-6 years of age.
Yes, I like kids. I love them. Its fun listening to them. They come up with all sorts of strange ideas for everything. They don't care for anything that doesn't concern them. Sometimes they don't even care if it's something that concerns them, 'coz what else are parents for. Enjoying a bindass life with no worries of yesterday, today or tomorrow or of anything for that matter. Aah... I wish I can go back in time.

The Glass Should Always be Half Full

2008-11-14T10:33:00.001-08:00

Often times in life, when asked if one is optimistic or pessimistic, many people answer the question without knowing how they actually perceive life, pessimistically or optimistically. I'm an optimist and I consider it an integral part of being happy in life and achieving what you want. How can you be sure if you are one or the other? Let me give you a simple example.
A guy wants to learn driving. He has driven motor bikes before but never a car. When the instructor asks him to get inside the car and give him a demo of how good he is without any training, he becomes nervous. Thoughts start racing in his mind. He has never driven a car. He doesn't know how to use the gear shift. How hard should he press the breaks, is it very different than bikes. How hard should he turn the steering wheel. What if he hits something in the first run. What if the instructor gets a bad impression about him the first day itself.
Well, so you get it, right. The first feeling that one gets in such situations, says it all. Let us look at the other type. When asked to show a demo, he feels a sense of euphoria and great excitement. He thinks now is the chance to show the instructor that he's better and different than his other students, as he has experience riding his bike. He know when and how hard to use the breaks and accelerator from his experience. Both are machines and both run on similar mechanisms, so it should be easy and he could learn really fast. He could make a really good impression. Again his feelings say it all about his approach towards life.
This might seem very trivial. So let me give you another example. A girl and a boy have been good friends for some time. The girl is thinking that its time to take their friendship ahead to a new relationship. She thinks, she knows the guy so well, so why not. She knows what he likes and dislikes. She knows his taste in food, she knows his taste in music. She knows he's a book lover just like her, she knows that he respects her, trust her and believes in her. More importantly she knows what kind of a person he is and the way he looks at life, his ambitions, goals, how he treats other people, friends or not etc etc. So why should she not take the relationship forward.
But the guy looks at it completely differently. He knows a lot about her but theres so much more that he doesn't know too. He doesn't know anything about her family, he doesn't know if all these feelings that they have been having are just spur of the moment or something genuine. He doesn't know her way of living, as they have never lived together, they have just been good friends, hanging out a lot more with each other than with somebody else. Can he trust her, does she really believe in him, or were they just empty words that she spoke. Isn't it too early to be thinking about a relationship. Questions like these plaque his mind, and hes confused and not able to take a decision.
To the guy, I would tell him to learn to trust people, and never to think that the glass is half empty. Stop worrying about tomorrow and don't think too much about yesterday. Bask in the warmth of today.
To the girl, I would say its great that she thinks positively about life and a life partner, but she should never let the thought, that the glass is ONLY half full, slip from the back of her mind. I can give you more examples but I guess you get the gist of it.

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. -- Mark Twain

Congratulations

2008-11-04T20:07:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to Barack Obama on winning the 2008 Presidential Election.

Old Hobbies ...

2008-10-26T17:54:00.000-07:00

Yaaay ... Remember I once said that, there are so many childhood hobbies that I would like to start again ... and one of them was painting ... So last week I decided to finally start it again ... not painting exactly but sketching ... so here's my first sketch in the last 6 years .... Looks like I still have a little talent left :) ...

Click on the picture for higher resolution ....

The first half ... took about 2 hours ...

Completed ... took about 3 hours total ....

Reality Check Again

2008-10-23T15:56:00.000-07:00

The Art of Parting

2008-10-12T20:34:00.000-07:00

I finally found the article that I promised you I would find. Yes I'm talking about my tenth class English composition about the art of saying goodbyes. No, I didn't google it :), although that was the first thing I tried and it showed me some really weird results. I know few of you guys and gals, with whom I had the pleasure of sharing my last few memorable days at school, do follow my blog. I hope you will be happy to read this beautiful article, which was one of the few last amazing compositions given to us by Padmaja Ma'm, again. So here it goes,

Everyone wants to make a good first impression. But have you ever thought the importance of the last impression? A well delivered farewell can secure a friendship forever. A well chosen exit line can close a business deal.
In any walk of life, dealing with partings partings positively and optimistically is not just a matter of good form, it is the way to make the last impression as memorable as the first. There's an art to leave taking and it can be learned. Good byes should be imprints of individual personalities. If you are the strong silent type, you don't have to be flowery or sentimental. A firm handshake, a straight look in the eye, or a simple "I'll miss you" is enough. The essential thing is to make the moment an impression of yourself and your feelings.
Goodbyes mark important changes. A goodbye signals a change, and change is rarely easy... Sometimes it breaks our hearts. When we sever ties with people, places and things we love,a thread of our own being is cut.
Goodbyes needn't always be in words. When you are tongue tied, a simple embrace or kiss is more poignant than overripe words. Touch has always been the most magical means for sealing people together. They can be momentous. The most meaningful goodbye gift is imbued with some measure of yourself. They come from the heart.
The final goodbye, of course, is death. Often the one departing has no chance to big farewell (really ...! :).. I very vividly remember saying this in my head during that exam). Few of us can compose a farewell statement eloquently, but then, we don't have to. All we need to do is speak honestly and sincerely from our hearts. That's the real secret of Good Byes.

I don't know if my English teacher has written this on her own or taken it from somewhere else. All credits go to the original creator of this article. Any comments will be most appreciated. Here's a nice song to go with it.

Reality Check ...

2008-10-09T20:39:00.000-07:00

When everything in your life is right on track, it's easy to believe that things happen for a reason; it's easy to have faith. But when things start to go wrong then it's very hard to hold on to that faith. It's hard not to wonder whose reasons these things happen for.
-- Allie Kyes from Taken

Qwerty n Me ...

2008-10-08T10:19:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time (really long long ago), I used to wonder, why the hell would some one call a keyboard with that name. Who the hell coined that word, such a peculiar word. How did he even come up with such a queer combination of letters. Then one day as I sat in front of my screen, thinking hard what to type, qwerty was staring back at me and laughing its heart out. Hahahaha ....