better late than never !

Time is the best example of change … a change that is a must. And off late I have realized that it’s never too late to catch up with the things you like the most, it goes exactly with the saying 'better late than never'. Ever since you started doing things the way you like, regularly and frequently ... it ends up with a habit. There is no end to how many habits a person can have … good ones, bad ones, cool ones, not so cool ones and what not everything counts.

I have had one such habit and over the period … I just lost the way it should be … now time has come again and I am all set with my favorite collection of books to start all over it again, to read … read & read all the books I have now. And its decided upon this weekend … Sunday is going to be dedicated for the sole purpose. This time I bought couple of books upon Diva’s recommendation and ‘Veronika Decides to Die’ top the list. Also ‘The Fifth Mountain’ is one of my favorites of Paulo Coelho collection.

Oh! my goodness, to surprise me when I opened the cupboard I found there are so many books waiting in the queue to get my attention, how I wish I will take off some time and spend long days reading all those books. Well, there are books I don’t mind at all reading for the 2nd, 3rd … or any no. of time until I stored them in my memory, so that I wouldn’t miss it again :) And one such book is ‘A Brief History of Time’. So there I go ….

'Light is better over here' - A Syndrome ?

Just out of my thoughts, I wouldn’t surprise to see things that happen with most of us and it happens each and every day. But how many times somebody have the realization that doing (those) something straight away ... somewhere right now, may lead to nowhere; probably that something become not more than a nothing.

It happened accidently in the morning today; I was pointed to a PPT for some work related stuff. What I found there ... an interesting message was written in the first slide of the PPT; which is again has the entire meaning in it… and ther you go …

"A man is looking for his lost keys under the street lamp.
His companion tells him that he's probably dropped them near his car.
The man replies, "I know, but the light is better over here."

Quote(s) of the Day !!!

I have learnt silence from the talkative, toleration from the intolerant, and kindness from the unkind; yet strange, I am ungrateful to these teachers.

- Kahlil Gibran

Life is all about a Yes and a NO !!!

How I wonder each and every day life show us with something new, something different, may be something really special. And sometimes there are those beautiful hidden moments that our eyes fail to recognise, there are those smiles that fail to grasp our attention, there are those words that fail to reach our ears, there are those fragrances that fail to chase our nose and how many times a idea crossed the mind without even giving a hint of it.

Is that the ignorance or its something that we over shadowed by not knowing what it could be or its just that we don't know; what we don't know yet? I believe most of the time we lack the spirit of taking a truly courageous step in the life, and to mold it the way it’s directed to us rather then forcing it for a change what it is not.

And there was this thought in my mind the entire day … “Think before saying a ‘NO’ and think twice before saying a ‘Yes’. Life is all about a Yes and a NO, so why wasting your chance”. As such life doesn't give anybody a second chance and we are so bounded with momentum of the ticking clock that it's a difficult (probably impossible) task to go back and modify it by turning the clock back.

To add to my thoughts, coincidently, I read an article and found something that really echoing the state of mind, what I was thinking “Consider the postage stamp. It secures success through its ability to stick to one thing till it gets there”. Walking under the sky, taking up the challenge I decided; I will never let go a Yes as NO or a NO as a Yes; It’s my life and it’s never too late for me to catch up with it anytime if I missed something in-between. I was blessed yet again with the fading rays of the red colored sky that assured me, they are with me to show me the unknown paths ahead in my life... ensured me that I was not walking alone.

Sunday happenings!

It was on of those rare Sunday; I was completely relaxing at my pad and had good naps all over the day. As I am still new to the present locality, in the evening it was the time to explore the neighborhood …

If I go on describing the Sunday for me in short and straight it went like this … late wake up alarm, Himanshu, brunch at 1 P.M., An American Crime (great story & direction), Anj, hitting the techie bug, Anand Bhawan, Soundar, laughing lound, long evening walk, 10000 B.C (a superb movie, must watch) and the song Zara Sa (K.K.) rocks the entire day …

And one of those funny moments in the day with one of my buddy …
me : hey buddy ! whats up ? long time …
buddy : haan yaar ! really long time. sorry man, I was not able to call you up in between .. I am just overloaded with so much of office work …
me : oh ! that happens; no worry and you don’t be sorry for that … aur sab kaisa chaal raha hai ?
buddy : yaar, kya bataon … so much of pressure, don’t find time for myself… how do people handle such pressure ?
me : come on ! pressure hai tu saarke upar lekar nahi ghoomna cahiye, ushko nichese khali kardo :D
buddy : what ? gone mad … laughing loud.

Update: fisnished wathing the movie called ‘A lot like love’ (again 2nd time, the first time was in FF mode). The best thing about the movie is, its wonderful story line … and the songs makes it more beautiful (need to mention about it, which requires another post :) ). Never mind if somebody says it echoes "When Harry Met Sally".

BLANK

Today being just another day life took its usual course; things were finding their own ways without any trouble. Also, there was no change in weather here and to add good things it was raining on and off. On the other hand I finished some of the messy office work on time. There were so many other reasons that would place things on a happier nod. Wonder if it was the call of peace or the peace was far away from me. Off late, I have realized that being happy doesn’t indicate that you are living with peace. Nevertheless you always search for your share of peace and the peace you find inside yourself will carry the happiness around you but not the vice-versa. But I don’t know somehow, somewhere … something was stuck inside me though it looked perfectly OK. I have no idea whether it happens to others too but one thing that I know it is very difficult to understand that situation, as what ? and why ?

These are the moments or time where you don’t feel anything, don’t want to know anything, and don’t think anything. You don’t ask for any reason, may be you are not looking for one either; and you have absolutely nothing inside your mind. Nothing at all, you are neither sad nor happy, not encouraged or discouraged. I was in a similar state of mind today. Apparently it was a BLANK state of mind that can be better explained without any words, where things can be looked upon beyond what they are and the silence find its new ways to reach the loudness spread across every corner.

It so happened automatically, whenever I chase this unknown state of BLANK, there I find music come for rescue. Often, I play electronic music and would like to lose my way out of this reality. This time I hooked myself to my most favorite collection of ‘Buddha Bar’. And there was only one song was there in the play list looping through almost the entire day. You too can check the music here … I am sure you will like the music.

Whatever the case for this state of BLANK, sometime it givse me the strength to be with the life and see myself as the way I am, just like the dots inside a line :)

Ready for the change - BIAL ???

The BIAL (Bangaluru International Airport), which has received clearances from the Civil Aviation Ministry to start commercial operations, has already informed airlines that all flights landing or departing after 00:00 hours on May 23, would operate from the new airport. It is also confirmed that no commercial flights will depart from the HAL airport after 00:01 of May 23 2008.

The countdown for the inauguration of the new airport of Bangalore is already begun. Now, the big question that revolves around is that whether Bangalore is ready for this change over? There are voices from every corner of the city demanding to retain HAL Airport; and nevertheless the most common problem sighted is that the required infrastructure in the city is not ready yet which will add more worries to the ever growing traffic system, if shifted.

In News : New Bangalore airport ready to roll, old row on

It’s no wonder the connecting roads to the airport has been somthing but smooth. And it takes minimum 2 Hrs to travel from the city to reach the Airport situated around 40 K.ms away and the reason being there are still incomplete connectivity projects.

BIAL is the future but whether the infrastructure is ready for such a movement right now? I mean knowing that things are not at proper place and it will take a sizeable amount of time to carry the required work and there is a little hope that such rush will work out. Ask any traveler in the city; they would surely prefer HAL Airport inspite of its pathetic condition than BIAL, mainly due to its accessibility. And hence, PILs demand old B'lore airport remain open.

Here goes some of the useful information that I gathered from the Internet regarding the bus service/conectivity between various places in Bangalore to the new airport.

BMTC has released the fares of the soon to be introduced 'Airport Bus Service' to BIAL, connecting the airport from eight locations of the city. These buses will be numbered as BIAL 1 to 7 for the intial seven routes.

Thank God, BMTC has procured 40 air-conditioned Volvo buses for dedicated Shuttle Services between the Airport and seven destinations across the City. Named Vayu Vajra, these buses will ply on seven diferent routes, around every 15 minutes. The cost of the bus fare would range from Rs. 80 to Rs. 200 depending on the distance.

In addition, BMTC has also procured 116 Ashok Leyland Non AC buses to connect the airport to the City. Named Suvarna, these buses will ply during peak hours of the morning and evening. The cost for each trip in these buses will range between Rs.20 to Rs.90 per trip, depending on the distance traveled.

P.S : The fares indicated above are 1 BMTC, 2 Autos, and 3 Taxi.

Now, its time for most of us to wait and watch how things are turning around for the new airport and already there are assurances and some encouraging plans are in the queue …. So let’s hope for the best.

Somethings cost more than you realise !!

You really want to understand the meaning of the subject line, then please watch the video. Thanks to Smriti, who shared this video information with us. I would also request everyone of you to please spread this message across (by word, by blogging or by any means) ...

Now, you might have questions before watching this video, what it is all about ? It’s a small effort put by Radiohead though a MTV campaign to raise awareness and increase prevention of children trafficking and exploitation. It’s heartening to see ... somebody could really visualize it and send across the message to all others to think and do whatever lil things they can to stop such things.

Most of us would have realized by now, we are living in a world where a life's value is nothing more than the value of a mere machine in the workshop. Can we put our that tiny effort, the lil effort to bring back the childhood of those unfortunate children around us ? surely it will work.

The smallest of small initiative has the power to change the world. Shall we measure those efforts in terms of success or failure ... NO.

Its for a cause and that cause required hundreds and thousands of such efforts ... I can recall Albert Einstein’s quote saying that – "I try and try for months and years. I try it in day, I try it in night and ninety-nine times the outcome is a failure. The hundredth time I am success". And there is no doubt that this world will change and it will change with me.

Keys of life !

Sometime, it so happen that I just click on anything yes! anything. And ever since I have clicked this picture I am wondering why I did that ? There were so many thoughts just floating around my mind before I could settle down to write few lines ...

… And I can just relate this picture to so many things in my life so easily in so many different ways. The keypad is an integral part of my life and I wouldn’t surprise to see this plays a major role in the day-to-day life too. How I wonder this is not a mare input device for the computer but also as the basic interface between the man and the machine. Our life is so tightly attach with so many interfaces like this and I am amazed to see a invisible keypad controlling our life … and we just follow those instructions …

But somehow, this keypad has lacking the power what you can called the cognitive operation. And its you who owns that. Each of the keys has its own role to play, i.e. they hold the identity of a particular character ... If a wrong key is pressed due to whatsoever reason (say lacking of knowledge about the keys or an out of sync typing speed) then things will completely go wrong and probably convey a mis-interpreted meaning. Need not mention that there are keys which have multiple roles to play and somebody has to know the right combination of keys to find the right character out of it. And in the end; it’s the right meaningful word/sentence that is what matters in the life and thats what makes life the way it should be.

Rail Curves - Part I

Today evening I was going through some of my trip albums and I found something really interesting to share/blog here. Most of us at some point of time boarded a train for the purpose of a long or short journey but how many times you have observed or had seen a train taking a sharp turn like on a curve ? Hmm ! that’s what makes me always wonder about these trains. They really look different and you will get a idea of their entire length. In almost of my train journeys I spent time looking outside the window or standing near the entrance with my third eye (the camera).

BBS-YPR Express, was taking a sharp right turn just after Jolarpettai Station you can spot two diesel engines at the front side...

HWH-YPR Express, was entering the Godavari bridge just after Rajmundery Station.

MAQ-LTT Express (Masayaganda Express), I really don't remember this place now, what I can recall is that, this pic wass taken in my West Cost trip.

MAQ-LTT Express (Masayaganda Express), one more ....

SBC - BBS Express (Prashanthi Express), was entering inside a tunnel just after Prashanti Nilayam Station.

SBC - BBS Express (Prashanthi Express), one more ... but on a different trip.

Laddu :)

There can’t be a specific reason why I am happy today, probably today everything went all my way or may be today it was my day or may be because today I received these laddus, my most favorite of all sweets.

The unexpected trip to Orissa – happiness unfold

I don’t remember when was the last time I had been to this place but one thing that I still remember is that I am attached with this place in some or other ways. When I look back it was like almost a decade. This HOT Summer, I dragged myself out of the luxury shell to this place. Initially I was clueless where I was heading, knowing that this journey wouldn't be the usual one but again life has its own truths for each one of us. And I accepted that without being carried away from it.

What I have explored in those two days will remain forever with me. As someone rightly said –“You can never step into the same river; for new waters are always flowing on to you”. I am so glad now because I was able to make it to that place 'where my roots are buried'.

After a 24hrs train journey from B’lr, I reached at my home town station. It was then I realized how I was missing them all. It was a overwhelming moment for me; a moment where I felt as if the roads, the tress, the buildings and all those faces were desperately waiting to welcome me. Oh! I am completely wordless to put all those feelings running inside me then …

I had to stay there at home until the next day to catch a bus to a village which is around 40 K.ms away from my home town. How I wonder, I have had never been to such an amazing place; summer god had forgiven me, I was on my way … This particular village has always something more to offer; it is surrounded with two beautifully curved river and dense trees all around. One of the river is known as ‘Rushikulya’, which is a popular river in the southern part of Orissa.

A view of the river- Rushikulya.

The best part is yet to come; I had to cross the entire breadth of the river to spot a narrow pathway in between those huge tresses that leads to entrance of this village. The wind came briskly on the way to ease my mind lets go a thousand things and I was totally in a different world; faraway from the reach of the routine mechanical and artificial urban life style. It took me around 30 mins to walk over the gradually drying river bed and from there another 15 mins to reach at the ages old house. It was invariably holding the identity with this village.

You can find the red arrow mark on this picture, that is the entrance to the small and beautiful village.

The trees, the birds, the wind, the sky, the people, the food and nevertheless almost everything; amazed me how they are different. The one night stay helped me to see and realise things which otherwise, I would have missed for a life time. It made me a bit closer to where I belong, a bit closer to this wonderful culture, a bit closer to those wonderful people, a bit closer to this beautiful place and bit farer from the artificial city crowd.

The sun does not forget a village just because it is small.

There is a beauty in the silver singing river, there is beauty in the sunset in the sky and there is a beauty in this land.

If you stretch your eyes on both sides of the river then you would see the faded green paddy fields gradually merging with the view of wide blue sky.

There is a beauty in the darkness of the night that holds the reflections of silence.

The true colors of life ...

An early morning breathtakingly view

They are the backbone of our country and how can I forget them they feed the entire nation, they are the farmers.

Now again I am back to the noise of the city, with all those wonderful memories packed with me. I wish one day I could find my share of peace there and that reminds me; I am away form it chasing my own destiny.

Quote(s) of the Day !!!

Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather.

- John Ruskin

IPL - The mad rush

IPL is just another way to fool people and create a mad rush among them, who were gradually losing the interest from Cricket. Specially, targeting audience are the youths, they are those people, who least bother; what’s happening the world outside the Cricket ? Since, now it is much focused to the excitement brought by Bollywood, media and business personalities. Well, if Cricket is only played for the money then the days are not far away from bolloywood’s sequences, where things are well scripted and pre-determined.

Someboby need not remind again, what happened in the last World Cup. What people must understand that at the end of the day they are losing valuable time, money & the spirit of the game cricket (Indian players have already started setting great examples).

In News :
- IPL brings in big money, but can it change cricket?
- Bhajji Pleads Guilty Banned For 11 IPL Matches
- Slap row: Mumbai Indians' coach Rajput guilty too
- Ganguly, Warne fined, reprimanded

I don’t see issues or objections with the new version of this game called T20 but certainly with the way it is promoted, organized and broadcast. Why to compare cricket with some other games ? and can't Cricket be played with it's actual forms or somebody is planning to creat a new game out of it ? I don’t know the life time of this re-mixed version of Cricket but I wouldn’t surprise to see the Cricket Grounds as the future ‘Dance Bars’.

Well, this mad rush for IPL T20 will lead Cricket nowhere but surely make the business (called Cricket) in India to find its ways to the hollowness of the game. And for sure, the media, some bollywood personalities and business men have another option to loot money from you in the name this game. What Rajdeep from IBN Says - Page 3 cricket must not be allowed to become page one sport.

You make Cricket and Cricketers popular, just because you love them. And they try to sell this popularity back to you and make a business out of it by bring all short of non-sense. Whether the Cricket crazy fans will ever realize this mad rush ? or it will remain unchanged with all those bruised changes.

Also, politicians please stay away from Cricket, I know you are gradually catching up with some issues of IPL T20 and waiting to get your share from it (I don’t know whether you already got). But hey don’t you think you have lot of better jobs to do; there are thousands of issues in the country that needs your attention and actions. So please !

I am a fan of Cricket who is not supporting this damn IPL T20 or any such gimmicked things of Cricket. In the end, I left it on the millions of other Cricket fans to decide the future/fate of such tournaments and nevertheless the game of Cricket, because you love it and pay for it and give them options.

Crazy Rains

Tuesday night, probably was the first time that I witnessed a heavy rainfall in B’lr with wind speed crossing over 60 K.ms. ph. For a moment it was scary but the good thing was noticed that it took the heat off from the city. At around 7.30 PM, I was on my way to drop bro at the Airport. And surprisingly from nowhere these dark & crazy clouds cover the entire sky and with no time water and water …

Untill I reached the Airport I was completely wet and forced to run to the corridor and stucked there; to my surprise I didn’t have a way out. For a while, life put a halt on everything and I have no option other then quietly watching the power display of the nature.

The man made creations were looking so so… tiny in front of the nature’s. It didn’t even take few minutes to put a stop on almost everything. That was also indicating that how well equipped infrastructure our city is having (not on a positive nod). Only after the rain stoped … was able to hear the silence and gradually life followed it to bring itself back to the normal stage.

P.S. Pictures are taken from my mobile phone (and the quality of these pics are not so impressive) at the Airport ...

After affect on Thursday moring, walking on 100 ft. rd. found this tree that explains what happened the day before yesterday ...