tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590771309792051637Wed, 04 Mar 2026 19:25:46 +0000personaltennismovie reviewmovievacationbookhumourRandomdelhitripweekendfunTVfriendsDCEbangalorecorrespondent jobcricketincidentpartypoliticalcarfamilyhousemoral valuesmoviespaintingschoolwritingBJPChennaiHampiHarry PotterIIFT DCE B-school nostalgiaIPLblogschildhoodcookdelhi bangalorediwalidomesticatedfloodfoodgamesmemoriesmotorcycle tripnew yearpaliopalio delhiplayquirksrainsrantroadiessocialtraffic jams100thAl QuaidaDoctor WhoF1KasauliLadakhLehLondonMahabharatMaruti 800MockbaMusicalOrder of the PhoenixPDAPG wodehousePratibha PatilSamsung TabSnapeStringsSushma SwarajTheatreVisaabstractaccidentadventureae ganpatasimovawkwardbad daybad luckbad servicebenazir bhuttobirthdaybuscasualceleb-domchrichtonchristmasclairvoyantcollege queencommutecook showscracker poolingcry babiesdestinationsdestinydiarydirectiondiscountembarrassmentempty nestepiphaniesexperiencefavourite authorsfestivalsflyingfootballfunny booksgame-changergoagodfather language accent paliogolfgolf storiesgtalkhaircuthighly recommendedhot-little-girl-in-a-little-hot-dresshoustonhow i met your motherimtiaz aliinternational flightinterviewirritantsjab we metjimi'skaraokekareena kapoorkhushwant singhlaptoplibrary in bangalorelong daylostmaidmapsmelancholymisadventuremissed opportunitymonday bluesmonologuemoral policingmumbainational holidaysnear death experienceobservationopinionpeacepeoplephoneplay reviewpolicepondicherrypresidentrevengeruskin bondrutsakisaturdayself-sellingserialsshoppingsidewalksingaporesissnippetsnookerspidermansquashstresstalltechnotripteenager storytennis maggiterrortoothy taletravetrue storywaterloggingweirdwiiwinterswisecrackwistfulworld cuphttp://swappinglives.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Swapnil)Blogger259125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590771309792051637.post-734492979555164611Tue, 04 Oct 2016 07:46:00 +00002016-10-04T13:16:11.449+05:30 Have you noticed how annoying the ads on the desktop version of websites have become? You'll be happily reading about the latest scandal to hit the movie industry and suddenly a huge ad will be plastered on the screen with a minuscule 'cross' hidden in the corner somewhere. Do they really think I'm reading the ad while I'm trying to find that pesky little cross? No sir, I'm not. I'm just http://swappinglives.blogspot.com/2016/10/vacation-alert-do-nothing-for-once.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Swapnil)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590771309792051637.post-2358576739861858599Sun, 31 Jul 2016 06:33:00 +00002016-07-31T12:03:52.774+05:30 I've lost count of the number of articles that begin with the phrase - "In today's connected world..." and admonish the new age for its multitude of distractions which prevent truly thoughtful work. ...and then they proceed to write an article with completely incoherent paragraphs which seem like they were written in the gaps between updating facebook, watching youtube videos and vigorously http://swappinglives.blogspot.com/2016/07/staring-into-space-with-beatific-smile.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Swapnil)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590771309792051637.post-1430390461902844539Tue, 21 Jun 2016 15:13:00 +00002016-06-21T20:46:17.830+05:30 Will she get to know? How would she? She's not around. I can do whatever I want - she has no way of finding out who comes to my bedroom and what happens after that... Come on, you're better than this. Just because she's not here doesn't mean you go behind her back and do this...this despicable thing. Its only this once...maybe twice. If she doesn't know, it can't harm her. It's so enticing. http://swappinglives.blogspot.com/2016/06/the-furtive-allure-of-single-slip.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Swapnil)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590771309792051637.post-6243168954873377418Sat, 13 Feb 2016 16:07:00 +00002016-02-13T22:12:02.095+05:30Sometimes you find guinea pigs who are willing to try anything. For me this is the couple of AG and RH. These two poor souls are typically in my crosshairs whenever I visit my parents across three states. Once I complete the arduous journey to reach this part of town, all my friends in Delhi seem like they are across the Radcliffe line. I know they're just a metro ride away, but somehow I cannot http://swappinglives.blogspot.com/2016/02/flashing-mob-or-something-like-that.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Swapnil)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590771309792051637.post-2669751215495889725Sun, 07 Feb 2016 02:50:00 +00002016-02-08T19:10:14.924+05:30I don't usually write about marriage/relationship and how it impacts the way individuals behave. There are more than enough research papers, news paper stories, magazine articles, self -help books, and most importantly, Whatsapp jokes around this. But I really need to relate this. Also, I'm sitting at an airport with a long waiting period for my flights boarding to be announced, and I've just http://swappinglives.blogspot.com/2016/02/confidence-in-dress-shop.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Swapnil)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590771309792051637.post-4315225712055126834Sun, 27 Sep 2015 05:13:00 +00002015-09-27T10:43:18.125+05:30 Sometimes you wonder about small mistakes that lead to huge consequences. Much like the much touted butterfly effect where an extra flap of a butterfly's wing can lead to cyclonic storms in the other part of the world. Before I continue on this deep, insightful, philosophical, and possibly commercial post, a couple of asides come to mind: Its funny I never wondered about why a butterfly is http://swappinglives.blogspot.com/2015/09/babes-on-plane.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Swapnil)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590771309792051637.post-1620206681803047420Mon, 20 Jul 2015 13:34:00 +00002015-07-20T19:04:28.694+05:30 In the recent past, respecting elders has been coming more naturally to me than ever before. It’s not that I have become a nicer person, or that there has been an eye-opening incident that has driven forth the value of age and experience. (Also, considering the number of kids beginning to call me ‘uncle’ with confidence, I guess I am probably becoming one of the ‘elders’ to be respected. Of http://swappinglives.blogspot.com/2015/07/an-ode-to-elderman.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Swapnil)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590771309792051637.post-6736684683856567801Sun, 07 Jun 2015 06:17:00 +00002015-06-07T11:49:59.307+05:30 As you know I moved to Delhi a few months back. Ok, its been eight months. So the whole process of setting up home is happening all over again. You know, all the painful, irritating stuff of finding the right place, negotiating with the landlord, grovelling to reduce rent or deposit. grovelling some more, invoking the disastrous future of unborn children if the rent is not reduced by 500, http://swappinglives.blogspot.com/2015/06/do-you-have-carpenter-nearin-you.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Swapnil)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590771309792051637.post-4629494084564716629Wed, 29 Apr 2015 10:33:00 +00002015-04-29T16:03:51.310+05:30 Once you stop writing regularly, it becomes increasingly difficult to start up again. You go through your daily life and experience many things that you could convert into a good post. But somehow you end up not writing anything...just procrastinating to the point where you can't recall when you used to write often and extensively. Anyway, I'm just going to write about a few things that have http://swappinglives.blogspot.com/2015/04/disjointed.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Swapnil)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590771309792051637.post-6389875694951124214Fri, 06 Feb 2015 06:34:00 +00002015-02-06T12:04:47.701+05:30 It was a usual morning. I rushed down to the car, a half-eaten toast in one hand and a shoe in the other, looking at my watch and swearing at the cook who, with uncharacteristic diligence, took half an hour extra to prepare the gruel in the morning. I reached the car, managed to eat the toast and wear the shoe, instead of the other way round. Took a deep breath, slipped on my seat belt and http://swappinglives.blogspot.com/2015/02/silence-of-hams.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Swapnil)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590771309792051637.post-8949746970421863763Tue, 18 Nov 2014 13:33:00 +00002014-11-18T19:11:10.975+05:30 The year was 2006. A dashing yet vulnerable looking youth tentatively stepped off an aeroplane in the rather small and congested old-airport in Bangalore. He had with him a single suitcase and a scrap of paper with an address. He looked around hesitantly. The air was crisp with a hint of rain. A combination that he would get so used to that he'd take it for granted in some time. But that wouldhttp://swappinglives.blogspot.com/2014/11/reintroduction-to-delhigurgaon.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Swapnil)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590771309792051637.post-1062289036865446042Mon, 08 Sep 2014 09:01:00 +00002014-09-08T14:31:55.864+05:30 The internet, is a wonderful thing. Where else would you be able to find a source of distraction to distract you from a source of distraction when you should be studying/working? Where else will you get the inside track on which cat videos are popular with Gen-Now? Where else will you get to peep into other peoples' lives without the least threat of having the window banged on your nose? But http://swappinglives.blogspot.com/2014/09/internet-ke-angoor.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Swapnil)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590771309792051637.post-3715789185999156957Tue, 24 Jun 2014 11:48:00 +00002014-06-24T17:18:11.020+05:30 And it's happening again. Football fever is gripping the country and armchair pundits across the world are disparaging the skills of the players while casually reclining their recliners and munching their favourite fried snacks and beverages. "Arre that through pass was just too weak""Call that a header? Bah, my grandma could've had more power on it""clear the ball, Clear The Ball, CLEAR THE http://swappinglives.blogspot.com/2014/06/kicking-ball-looks-easy-no.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Swapnil)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590771309792051637.post-5172187283391079774Mon, 16 Jun 2014 06:59:00 +00002014-06-16T12:31:48.927+05:30commutepeacephonestress Strange title, eh? Got you interested enough to read, eh? This is what happens when you abandon someone. Now that none of my regular readers visit the blog everyday to read about my antics, I have been forced to resort to gimmicky titles to get some interest and traffic out here. Yeah, yeah I know I haven't been writing frequently, but that doesn't  mean you don't spend 3 seconds (or 7 http://swappinglives.blogspot.com/2014/06/smiling-through-forced-exile.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Swapnil)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590771309792051637.post-6507364975667379573Mon, 02 Jun 2014 11:57:00 +00002014-06-02T19:35:32.034+05:30 The other day I was out jogging (Or wheezing, semi-rolling and finally plopping on my face as some rather imbecile-like observers call it. Yes, I'm talking about you - the one who called the ambulance when I was merely taking a breather on the jogging path by indulging in a little Shavasan) Anyway, I normally listen to music on my phone while running (wheezing, rolling, plopping). http://swappinglives.blogspot.com/2014/06/back-to-peaceful-age.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Swapnil)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590771309792051637.post-6573345725033180006Sat, 17 May 2014 12:43:00 +00002014-05-17T18:13:16.797+05:30 Am I the only one who thinks Rahul Gandhi looks so much more happy since the election results? Now, I am not too much of a Gandhi-family type of politics. The politics of ensuring a family rules, whatever the impact on the country is obviously not my, or any other reasonably rational persons, cup of tea. Doling out huge subsidies to measurable vote banks and distributing out reservations galorehttp://swappinglives.blogspot.com/2014/05/the-hidden-joy-of-mr-rahul-gandhi.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Swapnil)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590771309792051637.post-4511064032742306126Tue, 15 Apr 2014 13:47:00 +00002014-04-15T19:17:00.697+05:30 I slept at 3:30 am on Thursday. Slept at 3 am on Friday. Fell ill by Saturday. No, I'm not leveraging the new 1 am deadline in Bangalore to paint the town red. Nor am I working hard on an investment banking deal which would net me millions of dollars. Instead it is this exasperating thing. This little niggle that refuses to leave me with any peace. Its a festering little wound that keeps http://swappinglives.blogspot.com/2014/04/crushing-addictions.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Swapnil)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590771309792051637.post-8093175479958923925Wed, 09 Apr 2014 12:52:00 +00002014-04-09T18:22:34.065+05:30 Many of you would know that I have been using a library called EasyLib since 2008. It was a great find for me and really helped me in sustaining my reading habit. In fact, just because you are such dedicated readers of this blog, I shall give you some statistics: Row Labels Count of Book 2008 11 2009 59 2010 57 2011 58 2012 29 2013 47 http://swappinglives.blogspot.com/2014/04/transitioning-libraries.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Swapnil)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590771309792051637.post-970786072398527801Mon, 07 Apr 2014 13:34:00 +00002014-04-07T19:04:32.743+05:30 Pounds and Kilograms, Kilometres and Kilometres per hour and Kilocalories. Sigh. There was a time when I was blissfully ignorant of these concepts. I mean, I knew what these were of course, but in an abstract sort of manner. They didn't affect me and I didn't affect them. I didn't think of them and they, in turn, didn't think of me. But all this changed against the backdrop of pristine bluehttp://swappinglives.blogspot.com/2014/04/weighing-in.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Swapnil)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590771309792051637.post-2207476555763407820Thu, 03 Jan 2013 11:54:00 +00002013-01-03T17:24:57.571+05:30 Happy New Year!! And yes, this is part of a resolution to quit being lazy and get the blog rolling again. And considering its only the 3rd of January, I am still firm on (most of) my resolutions. Now, there's a large backlog of topics to write about. I mean, the last post was over four months ago! And so many things have got me thinking 'Ah, I've got to write about this!' So here http://swappinglives.blogspot.com/2013/01/cricketing-whites.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Swapnil)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590771309792051637.post-6681975121041033683Fri, 10 Aug 2012 06:32:00 +00002012-08-10T12:02:58.783+05:30 I am part of a very exclusive group of people here in Bangalore. It comprises of Pappu, Guddu and me. We're the only three people in Bangalore who have NOT travelled to the US. Now, with the IT hub it is, everyone seems to casually slip away to the US on a project/client meeting/random HR incentive-junket. But Pappu, Guddu and I have not been there. (Of course with Pappu and Guddu being beinghttp://swappinglives.blogspot.com/2012/08/of-unexpected-travels.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Swapnil)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590771309792051637.post-45247938483573704Sat, 23 Jun 2012 15:35:00 +00002012-06-23T21:06:52.457+05:30movieplay Sometimes, some things happen that shake the blogger in your heart to the very core. Shake him out of his self-imposed (not deliberate) exile and make him take up a pen, umm keyboard, again. Anurag Kashyap you great, great guy. You made me come back to the blogosphere. So as the sophisticated and intellectual reader base of this blog would've understood by now, this post is about the modern http://swappinglives.blogspot.com/2012/06/gangs-of-whaasseypur.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Swapnil)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590771309792051637.post-5916383708258752238Sun, 29 Jan 2012 16:39:00 +00002012-01-29T22:31:25.904+05:30bookHave you read 'Midnight's Children' by Salman Rushdie? I did. A few years back. Didn't get it. And consequently relegated Salman Rushdie as a writer who I would always deride and not recommend to anyone. Not that my non-recommendation had any great effect on his fan following. He still managed to date (and marry?) Padmalaxmi, a lady with her name as the only problem in her life. Oh, and a http://swappinglives.blogspot.com/2012/01/shalimar-from-rushdie.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Swapnil)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590771309792051637.post-7126556143667613646Tue, 03 Jan 2012 16:03:00 +00002012-01-03T21:33:07.109+05:30bookbusnew yearUnbelievable. I look back and the last post I did on this blog was on 10th September, just under four months back. To think that there was a time when I wrote here twice a day and also refreshed the blog multiple times in a day in the hope of some comment (no, scratch that. I am, and was never, not a comment seeking blogger. I wrote for myself. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it) That http://swappinglives.blogspot.com/2012/01/rukawat-ke-liye-khed-hai.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Swapnil)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590771309792051637.post-6140778136310483573Fri, 09 Sep 2011 20:35:00 +00002011-09-10T02:11:30.088+05:30cricketI think we're lucky to have Munaf Patel in our team. No, seriously! Did you see the passion in the guy's eyes when Jadeja took half a second extra to throw the ball from long on and the batsmen took an extra run? Oh wait, you'll have to ignore the fact that he had just balled a juicy full toss. To a set batsman. Oh come on, he was obviously aiming to bowl a stinging in swinging yorker a la http://swappinglives.blogspot.com/2011/09/diamond-in-rough-munaf-patel.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Swapnil)0